. a blogumn by Debra Barlow So far, summer 2009 has been a positive one in our household.  The baby chick continues to grow and appears to be healthy.  I’m plagued by growing pains as my belly continues to expand, but moms keep telling me it’s all worth it once she’s born.  I just hope [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow Pedro Moura Pinheiro The house hunt is still on and as my belly gets larger and the pile of baby stuff continues to grow, I get really nervous that we will not make it into a larger space in time for the arrival of our little one. There is [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow Photo Credit: Heartlover1717 “Notes from a Nester” has been on a brief hiatus for many reasons, not the least of which is…our nest is getting a little bit bigger.  In a little over five months, we’ll be welcoming the newest addition into our family and we couldn’t be more [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow It’s hard enough to eat healthy when you work all day and drag yourself home in the evenings with just enough energy to throw together dinner. It’s even harder when money starts to get tight and the fast food drive through starts to look more budget friendly than that [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow I was at a bit of a loss this week as I sat down at the computer.  Nothing is really going on to inspire a column.  I baked some more bread and it turned out better, but still not perfect.  I’ve started using a new organic laundry detergent, but [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about slowness.  Maybe it’s brought on by the hectic pace of my life, the years rolling by faster and faster, work and goals that pile up but never seem to get fulfilled or the economy causing every increasing anxiety, my mind has been [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow This past weekend was my birthday.  Since I didn’t feel like going out on the town, I had a few close friends over to help me celebrate.  One of my guests was shocked that I had spent my entire birthday cooking and cleaning in preparation for my guests’ arrival.  [...]

. a blogumn by Debra Barlow Santa smiled on me this holiday season and I did receive my much drooled over pasta maker.  Once the holiday craziness was over, my husband and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. I always thought pasta making would be a labor-intensive ordeal.   In my mind, it’s up [...]

. A blogumn by Debra Barlow I love buying gifts and I like to think I’m pretty good at it.  Anytime someone casually mentions something that interests them, a hobby they’d like to take up, a favorite director or band, I file it away for future use.  And, despite the crowds, I really enjoy Christmas [...]

. A blogumn by Debra Barlow It’s December, folks, and that can mean only one thing: the holiday season has begun!  My husband and I were in Napa for Thanksgiving and sure enough, by Friday night all the little towns had their holiday lights up.  I felt so festive driving around.  But after the grueling [...]