I Should Be Folding Laundry

Josh called me as he was leaving work, as he always does, to let me know he was on his way home. I asked him about his day and we were chit chatting for about fifteen minutes. About halfway down 2-01, he says "Hold on a sec." followed by a huge crash on the other side of the phone. I sat there for a few seconds, wondering what happened. Ten seconds roll by and he gets back on the phone. "I just got in an accident." He said. "What?! Are you okay?" I ask. "Yeah, I'm alright, but I need to go. I'll call you back soon." I was worried sick! He called me back a couple minutes later in a panic. "I forgot to take the Blazer off suspension, its not covered by our insurance!" I then spent the next 45 minutes trying to get a hold of someone from Allstate (I waited on hold three separate times, once for 10 minutes, once for 15 minutes, another time for 20... so ridiculous.) to ask them what we should do. Josh called my mom-in-l...

For anyone who cares, I'm going to be writing candidly about my experiences throughout this whole moderate bedridden-ness and if you'd like to follow it, here's the link: www.mackenzieannepacker.blogspot.com Thanks for reading! Mackenzie

I wanted to make a quick post just showing you all what I have in my diaper bag! This is for a short outing, like a grocery run. I figured I didn't need to show the obvious things, like my keys, wallet, phone, iPod touch, etc. From top to bottom, left to right: Changing pad Planetwise medium wetbag, houndstooth print Two diapers: bumGenius Freetime all-in-one diaper in white, Fuzzibunz One Size Elite in blue lagoon Cosmetics bag (contents pictured further down) A toy for Lincoln, in this case, a Captain Moroni action figure Gum, Ice Cubes, peppermint flavor A photo album filled with 5x7 notecards for writing inspirations Lotion, Pure Daydream by Victoria's Secret A snack for me, Oats and Chocolate Fiber One bar CJ's BUTTer diaper rash spray Two pacifiers A sippy cup filled with water Pocketbac hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works Here's a look at what's in my cosmetics bag: Turtle shaped mini mirror from Bath and Body Works NYC ...

      So this Sunday morning was like other Sundays. We were running a little behind and some things weren't going as planned.      We made it to church five minutes after the hour and we sat in our seat in the chapel.      The sacrament was passed, Lincoln loved the bread and water. He was playing with a toy when all hell broke loose.      It was like the puking scene from the Excorsist. More fluid came out of my little boys mouth than what we thought was possible. Josh tried to keep it off the floor by cupping his hand but after a couple wretches, we realized that there was no hope and we would just have to let him finish.      Josh and my Mom-in-Law were up in a flash. I stripped the kid (luckily he had a clean onesie underneath his shirt and overalls) and took him to the bathroom to wash his face and hands. Josh and Mary Ann returned to deodorize the carpet and clean up what they could before it sunk in....

I've been meaning to write an update of what's going on in our lives for a while now, and I finally have a few extra minutes to write! So we three have been living with my mom-in-law since the beginning of September because we're saving for a newer car and a house. Its been a bit tricky bringing in the things from our old 780 square foot apartment to a home that already has furniture and decorations and organizing everything, but we're finally getting a handle on things! Lincoln finally has his own room, even though it has our huge dresser and a few storage items in it. Its his favorite play space though, since he can open drawers and he loves pulling all our clothes out of them. Also, it makes my life a little easier since his room is really the only place in the whole house where its baby proofed so I don't have to watch him like a hawk every minute of the day. Josh is busy working and going to school. He's still undecided as to what his major is, but w...

For those of you who don't know, I wrote this novel when I was a Sophomore in high school. Its called Silhouettes and its one of my greatest accomplishments. I wrote it because my English teacher at the time challenged us to take part in National Novel Writing Month, which means you write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  I wrote 13,000 words in the first three weeks. Then I sluffed off for four days. The last three days of November consisted of me eating, drinking, sleeping and living at my computer. I managed to write 37,047 words in three days, about the equivalent of 60 or so pages, single spaced, 12 point font. I can't believe I managed to do it, but I succeeded in completing my book with a little less than a half hour left. But anyway, I wasn't very happy with how it started or how it ended. So I made a big decision. I'm going to rewrite my very first novel. The website I published it through has a feature on it where you can send your wor...

As I was snuggling Lincoln while he slept before he went to bed tonight, I felt the need to write a brief post about something I feel people forget oftentimes nowadays. SLOW DOWN . Sometimes, those dishes can wait an hour. Sometimes, that laundry pile can get a little bigger. I urge everyone who has kids to slow down sometimes and just spend time with your children because they grow up so fast. I know Lincoln is only 6 months old, but I still feel like he's growing and changing faster than I can even realize. In this short time, he's learned to hold up his head, smile, giggle, roll in all directions, recognize his name, say mama, sit up for small periods and now he's on the brink of crawling. I've been shirking off some of my housework for the past two days, but I'm deciding to let it go because Lincoln is starting to figure out crawling and I don't want to miss his ah-ha moments. Its one of the biggest joys I can think of as a mother to see him mak...

Okay, so anyone who comes to visit us will know that the tan couch pictured above is the most uncomfortable couch on the face of the planet. It was in a house during a home show in Utah County a few years back and my parents bought it. Then, when they didn't need it, they passed it on to us. We've had this couch for just over a year and we have wanted to get rid of it for almost as long for being so darned uncomfortable. Lucky for us, I have a generous big sister who decided to help us out with our little problem... Thank you Madison! We love our new couch! Thanks for reading! Mackenzie

So I know I said I was going to wait till Lincoln was 1 before I cut my hair but... ITS GONE!!! I'm SO glad I chopped it! With my long hair, to get ready for the day (that includes showering, drying and styling my hair, doing my make up and getting dressed) took about an hour and fifteen minutes. Now, however, it takes just under 30. That means I'll actually get to do my hair instead of letting it air dry and turn into the scraggly mess you see in the top photo. I don't regret it one bit.  Actually, I realized one of my pet peeves as a result of this cut, I can't stand the feeling of my hair skimming/always touching my shoulders/collar bone. It just drives me nuts. Plus, my hair is SO heavy that it's literally a weight off my shoulders to get it cut. Here's a photo showing just how much I cut: I donated 10 inches of my hair and still cut about an inch off the back at the nape of my neck after that Thanks for reading! Mackenzie P.S. ...

I just wanted to show you guys my favorite new toy; an IBM Personal Wheelwriter! (AKA a typewriter!) I've been SO inspired with this typewriter! I'm absolutely in love with it. It works just like an old one but it has a keyboard so its more modern while still being awesome! Another modern thing about this is that you can change the spacing! SO COOL! Here's the type guide pointer: And something else I like is the fact that its not super old fashioned, it doesn't jam and the letters themselves aren't smudgy like the old typewriters! Here's a video of my 'personal wheelwriter' in action! P.S. This is my 100th post! Happy Centennial Post! Thanks for reading! Mackenzie

Okay, so one of the things Josh and I like to do (as strange as it might sound) is to bounce future baby names off each other. I'm a total name fanatic so I'm a little more adventurous when it comes to names I love. Some names I really like but I would never use for a real person or Josh vetoes them as soon as it comes out of my mouth, so I push those to the guilty pleasure list (yes, I have one) and I save them for a future novel or short story. Here's only a few names from my guilty pleasure list with reasons why I like each one. SPARROW : Yes, Sparrow. This is one of those names that I think I would use for an endearing nickname for either a parent to child or between love interests. SUNSHINE : Again, yes. Sunshine. I saw this name on one of the decorators from the earlier seasons of Cake Boss and I'm seriously considering this one for a girl in the latest novel I'm working on. ASTRID : From How To Train Your Dragon. I LOVE this name but I wouldn't us...

So this morning went really well. I went to the grocery store with my little peanut (and he slept the whole time!) I went out to my car and, after packing Lincoln and my food in the car, I sat in the drivers seat. Thats when I saw it. Two keys that I'd never seen before in my life. There was a Volvo key and a second that looked like it was shaved off, as if it belonged to a criminal. Just to be sure, I called Josh and asked him if he knew someone who owned a Volvo (I was hoping that they were his and he had just dropped them) He said no. So I drove home and when I got out, I noticed something else that worried me. I saw six other keys stashed barely under the drivers seat. SOMEONE WAS IN MY CAR! I quickly called the police and they took the keys back to the station. The evidence I know that it happened while I was at Fresh Market because I would have seen keys sitting on the floor by the pedals. I feel so frustrated and SO violated. For anyone who doesn't already...

I'm so sorry that I didn't update my blog last week! I've been so crazy busy (or so it seems) and I couldn't find time to write! Just to warn you, this post is really random and there's a ton of pictures! I thought it was a good time for another random blog update! Here it goes. Lets start with a song that I am IN LOVE WITH to listen to while you read this post! I'm not a Taylor Swift fan by any means but this version just makes me happy :) If anyone reading this doesn't know who The Piano Guys are, they are amazing! Check out their channel on Youtube! Okay, so lets start from the top. My wonderful parent's anniversary is today! What better holiday to be married than on Valentines? They were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City temple 26 years ago! Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad! A picture from the day they tied the knot 26 years ago :) A picture from last October's family photo shoot! Copyright goes to Laure...

Today, Josh and I woke up to this outside our window. Even though it looks depressing, I actually enjoy foggy days. I love foggy days because I feel so cozy and I definitely feel the need to drink a big mug of hot cocoa. Plus, there aren't many days like this in Utah so I'm trying to savor every moment. For the past few days, I've been able to eat eggs again! This is a picture of my favorite breakfast; Two over-easy eggs with salt and pepper, two pieces of buttered toast and a bowl of Rice Chex. It's so nice to not have any of my unusual food aversions. Josh and Lincoln had some snuggle time last night and it made me smile. I'm so happy that I have two wonderful men in my life. :) I only had to get up with Lincoln two times last night! He's becoming quite a champion sleeper! Now a few pictures of Linc! I'd have to say my absolute favorite thing about being a mom (at least thus far) is that, if I want to hold my ...

I just wanted to share some talent I'm surrounded by on a regular basis! Here's a beautiful quilt made by my friend Shallise Fage as a belated wedding present. This thing was so huge, I had to stand on my bed to take a picture of the whole thing! This picture doesn't do it justice! She took it to tons of quilting shows all over Utah, that's how amazing this thing is! My husband is a talented artist. He draws completely freehand Celtic knots like these: I'm envious of their skills but I feel lucky to be surrounded by such talented people! Thanks for reading! Mackenzie

I have been feeling the nesting instinct like crazy over the past few hours tonight. I got Josh to rearrange every piece of furniture in our bedroom, namely, the bed, the crib, a dresser, two side tables and two plastic dressers with three drawers each. What a good husband I have. :) But anyway, feeling the nesting instinct is a tell-tale sign that labor is coming soon, so hopefully I'll go into labor on my own sooner than my (potentially) scheduled induction on Friday. I'll make a post tomorrow about my doctors appointment I'm having in the morning. In other news, here's my new bathrobe Josh bought me for Christmas! (from Target) Its SO comfy! Thanks for reading! Mackenzie

So now that my due date is just over 5 weeks away, I'm trying to find a manageable but cute haircut. I don't want to be one of those moms that just falls apart after her baby is born!      I promised Josh I wouldn't chop my hair off when Linc gets here (even though I'm itching for a pixie or a bob again!) so I've been trying to find a picture that fits my need for big, short bangs but with long hair. Its a lot harder than I thought it would be! The trendy thing to do nowadays is to have long bangs with long hair. I've never been a huge fan of long bangs, I feel like I can never style them right. This haircut was by far my favorite I've ever had. If I ever cut my hair short again, this will be what I'm gonna do. Here's a couple examples of what I looked like with this cut. ' I absolutely loved it! But since I promised Josh I wouldn't, I can't cut it like this again, at least not for a while. Anyways, I think I might s...

I wanted to take a moment and let some of my thoughts and questions come out. (AKA I'm letting my ADD run free for just a few minutes. Bear with me.)          First off, I wanted to ask the world, has anyone else been diagnosed with Group B Strep at their first appointment? My doctor told me only 30% of women even develop it and they usually can't even detect it until the 35th week or so. I found out at 10 weeks! What the heck?! (Here's a link for anyone who doesn't know what GBS is...) http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-problems/articles/group-b-strep.aspx         Secondly, I'm trying to figure out what is going on with my skin. One day, it'll be crystal clear. The next day, it's as bad as when I was in junior high. Silly hormones...          I can't figure out why I'm craving sugar so much. I love a good Almond Joy or Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory fudge and toffee as much as anyone. But in t...