I am a fiend when it comes to estate sales. I hit the kitchen first, in search of cool dishes, interesting cookware, tea cups and saucers, pottery...then the rest of the house - cause you never know what cool pieces lay patiently waiting to be discovered by someone with a new vision for them!

This past Saturday, I made a FABULOUS FIND! This terrific white leather wingback chair that I purchased on the spot, no questions asked, for a whopping $42. It was 50% off day. This afforded me the opportunity to rearrange some stuff in our bedroom, cause the new chair found a home in our hip little nursery.

I also found some sweet black & white antique postcards from Paris which will make their way into Brooklyn's big girl room when it is completed. I also found some great black and white photos of happy couples that may adorn my bathroom. We'll see. The final products will be shown here when we get that far. Meanwhile, feast your eyes on my new white chair! It is too mod and funky for words!

Easter has the remarkable habit of being really cold, no matter what the temp was the day before or after. You can almost guarantee that whatever you've chosen to wear will not be warm enough. Hence the rosy cheeks on little B.

She looked SO much like a little girl that it made me want to cry! Thanks to Shana for the gorgeous dress which made Brooklyn look like a little Sarah Crewe (the Little Princess). Love it. And while she most certainly IS a little princess, that does not preclude her from also being a warrioress when the time calls for it.

With utmost concentration and occasionally some help from the other hand, Brooklyn explores her creative side with some washable markers (thank you, Kara! they really do wash off!) and some oversight from Mommy. Afterwards, we're just plain pooped.

Sometimes, all it takes is a space big enough for just us, and we fall asleep.

On Friday, StoneWard took its employees to Oaklawn for the afternoon. Now, I am a typical girl in that I ADORE horses. My daughter, at age 2, has also already caught the horse bug. She was thrilled to death to see horses and more horses streaming around the track, walking past her with their tiny jockeys, and did her fair share of cheering them on. At one point, because StoneWard sponsored a race, we were able to walk out onto the track and present the winner with their cup. As we did so, Brooklyn (and I) were thrilled to see these monstrous Thoroughbreds prancing past us, their stable boys straining to keep them under control. Brooklyn kept asking to ride them and saying "Mine! My horse!" I know how she feels. Maybe someday we'll have a horse....In the meantime, at least we know where we can go to watch them run! (And no, we made no money. Actually, we were given $5 to bet, we bet 4, lost it, and walked away a dollar ahead).

Oh, I recommend you bet on the greys. They always win!

If I didn't know better, I'd think I was part English. Well, technically, I may be, but I've not spent enough time on the island to be as English-y as I feel sometimes. And by that, I mean that I drink enough hot tea to float a rather large boat; I adore a good rainy day; I love to wear my Wellies; I make a mean scone (probably better than the dry Enlish versions; I love to putter in my garden; I would give anything for a thatched roof cottage in Devonshire or somewhere on the moors...and I love to read about all things English. In fact, I recently discovered a British author whose works I have been pouring through: Marcia Willett. I delved into several of her books, loved them, and Kyle has been bringing more home from the library for me. I had the unfortunate realization midway through my piles, that her characters are all related. There is an order to her books that I was NOT made aware of in time. There is no helpful list in the front of her books, and the library has confusingly placed some of her first books on the new release shelf, despite the fact that they precede the others I already read! They were apparently re-released, but nobody told me!

Anyway, with my mind full of English cottages, thatched roofs, large, hairy Newfoundlands lounging about, wild ponies and sheep on the moors, the gorse and heather...I was thrilled to awaken yesterday to a day straight out of an English countryside. It was rainy, misty, my windows fogged up...Kyle and I nestled under quilts with our mugs of hot tea and pretended we were in our own little cottage far from North Little Rock. The lushness of color outside our windows was breathtaking, the birds chirped lazily, and time passed extra slowly just for us. I made myself a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with this fabulous hearty whole grain bread, sliced up a nectarine and threw in some grapes for good measure. I slowly savoured each bite as I did my quiet time and praised God for a day made in heaven!!!!

With Ingrid the kitty in our house, I have to be vigilant at making sure Brooklyn isn't tormenting her. She has this little stroller that she loves to zoom around the house, wheels screeching around corners, her little voice shrieking along with her movements! This tends to scare the dickens out of Ingrid who immediately dashes beneath the bed. After repeatedly reprimanding Brooklyn for scaring Ingrid, I was witness to her zooming purposefully towards Ingrid with her stroller. From the other end of the hallway, I yelled at her to STOP and come here immediately. The wheels immediately halted, as did her feet. She knew she was in trouble and was in no hurry to come face the music.

I stood there, staring her down as she made her decision to obey or disobey. After several long seconds, she began wheeling stroller down the hallway to me, lifting it ever so slowly up over the edge of the runner, slowly approaching me and what she knew was going to be a lecture. She stopped just short of my knees as I squatted down at her level. I calmly explained why we don't chase Ingrid and how important it is for her to obey me. She stared at me impassively the whole time, taking it in. Then, as I concluded, she reached out her tiny hand to rest on my cheek and said, "Mommy, you cute."

A parent more experienced than me would probably have swallowed the laughter that erupted in them. Or at least turned their head to preserve the lesson being taught at that moment. I couldn't do it. Spontaneous laughter gurgled out of me in rolling peals, and I squeezed her little body to me, praying that something sunk in, cause she sure threw me off my soapbox. What a stinker!

Being 22 weeks pregnant means that you frequently feel like a whale. Bulky, large, ever-expanding, sore, heavy, FAT...just not the prettiest you've ever felt. I have said this before, but I hate gaining weight and it's by far the hardest part of pregnancy for me. Even though I know it's necessary. Well, there are little moments of redemption that pierce through the feeling of unattractiveness, often from the most unexpected places.

Today, as I tried on some new clothes that arrived via my beloved UPS man (from Babystyle, from Old Navy and from Gap - all maternity apparel), I was feeling rather large. When Brooklyn strolled into the room and said, "Mommy, you pretty!" Followed immediately by, "That's cute, Mommy!" I gotta tell you, that just lit me up like a Christmas tree. Unprompted compliments from a 2 year old GOTTA be the real deal. Even if it's only in her little brown eyes, today, she thought I was pretty, and that's a fact.

I marvel at the adorable child the Lord has blessed us with. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but so far, she appears to be just as precious and sweet on the inside. She is a never-ending source of joy and laughter to us.

The Clinton Library hosted a ginormous Easter Egg Hunt last weekend, so we acted like parents and took Brooklyn! We met up with our buds, Drew, Julia and Lake and since the place had been descended upon by the nitty gritty of Central Arkansas and looked like the scavenged badlands, we sort of commandeered a bag of eggs and conducted our own private egg hunt with our two girls. I pity the clean-up crew after that shebang. Not only did Brooklyn get the hang of searching for the pastel, goody-filled eggs, she also discovered a very passionate love for horses. She is my daughter, after all!

I was a bit skeptical of whether or not she'd really want to ride the horses once she got up close, but boy had I underestimated her! She LOVED it. Squealed with delight the whole time and begged to go again! So, we stood in the muddy line and braved the muddy, poopy horse ring to let her be a mini-horsewoman. She was a natural!

The newest member of our household. You may have heard us speak of Luna before. Aka, the Devil Kitty. A more unlovable cat the world has never seen. She was born with meanness in every cell of her body. Only our two dogs, Bailey and Darby, benefit from any sweetness in her. If you are human, she not only views you with disdain, but utter and complete loathing. It has taken Kyle and I several years to realize that this is not what we wanted in a cat. We envisioned something that would snuggle up on your shoulder or lap and purr contentedly. Luna has never purred in her life. At least not around me or Kyle or Brooklyn. We so long for a sweet kitty!

Lucky for us, we happen to know the Cat Queen - my Grandma Barbara! At our request, she took it upon herself to scout for us a lovable cat. And I do believe, my friends, that she hit the nail on the head!

At 11:30pm, Saturday, March 15th, (the Ides of March), one very tiny kitty was delivered to us by my brothers Chad and Josh. She immediately distinguished herself from Luna in every possible way - color, temperament, personality, she PURRS!

We had the hardest time coming up with a name for her...we thought about Blanca for her white coloring...which then led to Casablanca...then to Ingrid and there we stayed. It just seems to fit her. So, welcome to the family, new kitty!

Last Wednesday, we had our 21 week ultrasound. Praise the Lord, everything appeared to be in good shape. We did not find out the sex of the baby, but we did get a glimpse of the next little Floydlet's face! Which looks quite similar to Brooklyn's.

Every Wednesday night, we have Bible study at my parents house, led by my Dad. Afterwards, it has become a tradition that my mom (aka DD) cooks everyone dinner. This is without a doubt one of the most generous gestures I have ever seen anyone make. Because there are usually about 14-15 of us and we can all EAT! And yet, she is so sweet and thoughtful to not only play with Brooklyn while we're downstairs doing our study (thus allowing Kyle and I to participate in the study), but also to greet us afterwards with a delicious home-cooked meal. I don't know any other person who is as consistently selfless and generous with her talents and resources as my mom. She is an enormous blessing to me personally, and to the rest of our family, and everyone else who knows her.

Anyway, one such Wednesday night, while we were all partaking of her yummy creations, RanDad and Brooklyn engaged in their delightful banter. I'm never sure who's having more fun, Brooklyn or RanDad. Their smiles are always equally huge and it seems like it's the highlight of their days. I love it.

We have turned our third floor into a playroom for Brooklyn, complete with her art station, kitchen station, Ikea table and stools, plus a puppet show spot. She and Kyle toasted each other with her plastic cups during their tea time.

This week has been marked not only by a spectacular snow, but also by my arrival at the mid-way point in my pregnancy. As of Wednesday, I was officially 20 weeks pregnant. So, here is the obligatory belly pic. Outdoor and indoors. :)

I had to google "snow ice cream" to get a recipe, but found one and it worked. More than worked. It was delicious. Brooklyn kept asking for more snow! And Kyle and I worked through our own bowls quite quickly. And stored some in the freezer for later. Yum.

Yes, it may look like grits, but trust me. It does NOT taste like them.