Introducing....

...Me!  I have a few new followers, thanks to Erica's Saturday Sit-Down series, and I thought I would take the day to re-introduce myself to everyone.



My name is Erin and I live in South Carolina with my husband David, daughter Hadley (3), and son Griffin (1).



I am a nurse by trade.  I worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for a long time and I loved that job.  There is just something very special about a baby who has spent time in the NICU.  They bring a whole new definition to the term "fight" and the families are pretty awesome, too.  After Hadley was born, I went super part-time (PRN for all you medical folks).  I wanted to stay home and raise my baby girl, but I didn't want to leave my other babies.  I did that for about a year and a half and then the unit started making some scheduling changes that weren't working for my family anymore.  I was sad to leave, but my priority was being home with my kids while they are little (after all, they are only young for a little while!) and I wanted to soak up that time.  I didn't want to leave healthcare forever, or even stop working for that matter, but it was clear I needed to find something that worked for us.  The way things came about is all God.  He made it very clear that He is in control and I'm still in awe of how all the pieces fit perfectly into place. (You can read more about that here.) I got a new job and found out I was pregnant again all in the same month.


*What? This isn't how all nurses dress??  A little fun on nightshift ;) *

Anyway, I now work in Women's Education, teaching Prepared Childbirth classes, sibling classes, and working with staff to get a Bringing Home Baby class up and running.  I work one evening a week, so I am home with my kids during the day and they get time with Daddy when I'm a work.  It's a dream life, really.  Although, I do miss the NICU and contemplate going back all the time.  Ha!

With two littles at home, the only sane thing to do is go back to school. (Right? Right.)  I am currently in school to get my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP)--specializing in pediatrics (PNP).  I get up early and stay up late.  Hadley is in preschool 2 mornings a week, so I work when she's there and Griffin is napping.  It's time consuming, but worth it!



In my spare time (ha!), I do like to be "crafty".  I can sew a little, so I make the kids things, and I make a lot of t-shirts.  I don't have time to run an Etsy shop, but I do sell things every once in a while.


 *A girly toolbelt for my silly girl.  She looks like such a baby here!*



That's just a short intro, but if you have any questions, shoot me a message in the comments and I'd be happy to answer!  And PLEASE, tell me about yourselves!  I'd love to know about you guys as well!

What's Up Wednesday

Today, I'm linking up with Mel, Sheaffer, and Shay for their What's Up Wednesday! I've never done a What's Up Wednesday post before so I hope I do it justice! ;)

What We're Eating This Week:

(I don't really take pictures of food?? Momma ain't got time for all that!)

Monday: Six Sisters Stuff chicken bacon ranch sliders with macaroni and cheese

Tuesday: sloppy joes with sweet potato fries (so we can use up our leftover hamburger buns!)

Wednesday: herb roasted pork loin with sweet potatoes and field peas (my grandmother is making dinner tonight--hallelujah!)

Thursday: chicken pasta (store-bought roasted chicken that I toss into a pot with bow tie noodles and my grandmother's homemade tomato sauce.  Yum!)

Friday: tacos with mexican rice and refried beans

Saturday: tailgate food!  We are headed to the Clemson game, so we will be sure to eat our weight in tailgate yummies.

What I'm Reminiscing About:

Our anniversary was Saturday and this time 5 years ago, we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii!  Best. Vacation. Ever.


On top of Diamond Head looking over Honolulu


Sunset on Maui!  Take. Me. Back.

Also- we are coming up on my baby's first birthday.  This time last year I was in the final weeks of my pregnancy.  Time flies, y'all.

What I'm Loving:

Pretzel m&m's.  My mom brought a bag this weekend and I can't stop eating them.  It's actually a little embarrassing, ha!

via

My 25 square prints from Artifact Uprising.  In. Love. with how they turned out!

What We've Been Up To:

iPhone pictures make for terrible quality photos, but it's pretty much how I capture our day-to-day events.
We've played outside a bit now that it's cooling down.



I've been working on my photography skills--hard when neither subject will sit still!

Hadley had her first homework assignment so we've worked on that as well!

What I'm Dreading:

Is it too early to say flu season?  Hadley was sick pretty much every other week last fall/winter and I don't want a repeat!

What I'm Working On:

Discussion questions, quizzes, and papers for my doctorate coursework.  I pretty much look like this every morning, nap, and post bedtime:



Also working on this baby blanket for my sweet boy!

What I'm Excited About:

Being back in Clemson on Saturday!  Some of my favorite years were spent on Clemson's campus!

What I'm Watching/Reading"

Watching: This is Us (cue the tears),

 Shameless (raunchy and hysterical),

 and The Polar Express on repeat.  We are taking Hadley on The Polar Express train ride in December, so we introduced the movie to her and that's all we watch these days!

Reading: Still trying to make my way through "A Prayer for Owen Meany". It's not a bad book at all, I just have no time to read.  Womp, womp.

What I'm Listening To:

Michael Buble's Christmas album.  I'm a christmas freak and I'm not ashamed.

What I'm Wearing:

I busted out the fall sweaters and boots this week!  Even though it's 80 degrees outside, it's FALL and I'm going to dress like it, dang-it!

And if we are honest, a lot of my days look like this...kids hanging off me everywhere.

What I'm Doing this Weekend:

Pretty much already covered this but....heading back to my old stomping grounds for the Clemson/Louisville game!  Aaannnnddd it's ESPN game day!  So essentially I picked the best game to go to this year. :)

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Oh both of my babies have birthdays in October so it is going to be a fun month of celebrations with a little "corner crying" going on!  Birthday parties, pumpkin patches, Halloween....October is just a really fun month around here!


*Last year at Hadley's birthday.  She turned two with a double ear infection and my little nugget was only a week old!*

What Else is New:

These good-looking people are my grandparents and they just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by hiking trails in Canada.  They have given us a wonderful example of a beautiful marriage!

This is how we eat pancakes at our house....don't you?

What is Your Favorite Fall Recipe?:

The recipe we use is a photocopy handed down, but this Betty Crocker recipe is pretty much the gist of our recipe!  Hadley and I made this pie after we picked apples a few weeks ago and I'm already wanting another!  I mean, what's more fall than apple pie baking in the oven?

Thanks for stopping by!

Five on Friday

A week has gone by in the blink of an eye, friends!  And here we are with another Five on Friday post.  Fall in our house is full of fanfare.  Our anniversary is in September, my husband and both of our babies have birthdays in October, and then of course there is Thanksgiving and gift planning in November.  I think homemade gifts are sweet and heartfelt; I wish I a super crafty person, but the truth is I'm just mediocre, haha!  But here are 5 homemade projects that are easy to tackle that I've used as gifts in the past.  All you need is a sewing machine and to follow directions. (And sometimes I can't even get that right...!)

1. Baby burp cloths
    I typically just measure my own, but I've linked to a really good tutorial for these if you need help.





2. Pillow cases
    I can't seem to find the original pillow case tutorial I use, but this is pretty much the same.  Measurements are for a standard pillow case and I used cloth frill instead of ribbon.  You can also see pillow cases without frill at the bottom with the fitted sheets!



















3. Blankets
    There are lots of awesome tutorials out there for blankets and blankets are SO easy to make!


This blanket is extra special because I made it for my best friend's baby.  The white patch is actually part of the shirt she gave us to wear while we got ready for her wedding.






(one I'm currently working on!)

4. Child's Play Tool Belt
    I still get a kick out of the girly tool belt!





5. Crib Sheets
    I was so upset last year when I couldn't find any cute flannel sheets for my kids beds.  So I made my own.  But my grandmother made their other crib sheets, so we have exactly what we want for their rooms.

I'm interested to see what other *easy* projects you guys make!