Our doc's visit this week shows that I am progressing, and measuring about a week ahead as far as the tape measure goes. Maybe this means he will arrive around the ultrasound due date of June 13th instead of the calendar date of June 18th.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
One Month To Go!
Our doc's visit this week shows that I am progressing, and measuring about a week ahead as far as the tape measure goes. Maybe this means he will arrive around the ultrasound due date of June 13th instead of the calendar date of June 18th.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Punch List
Sitting around, taking a break from this major punch list we've got going on around here. Before the new baby boy gets here we have a ton of work to finish. This is the total list of things we tackled about five weeks ago, and we have about a month left to wrap it all up:
Clean out/haul out junk from the basement "rec room"
Build a wall for a guest room in the basement
Prime and paint walls and floor in the new guest room
Prime and paint a new-to-us bed frame
Furnish and clean the new guest room
Clean out, prep, paint the "coal" room for a joint closet in the basement
Reassign closet bars from upstairs bedroom closets to the new basement closet
Relocate all the clothes downstairs, including the dressers in the big girls' room
Repaint the master bedroom closet and transform it into a mini-nursery for Jedidiah
Build cubby shelves in the big girls' bedroom closet
Reorganize all the big girls'crap stuff belongings into the cloth drawer organizers we've purchased
Hope and pray their room stays clean from now on
Have a baby
The frame for the guest room wall and some of the sheetrock is up at this time. And here's a before and after of the room we are using for a closet downstairs.
So after five weeks, we've scratched two parts of the punch list. Yay. One month to go to get the rest done. We shall see!
Build a wall for a guest room in the basement
Prime and paint walls and floor in the new guest room
Prime and paint a new-to-us bed frame
Furnish and clean the new guest room
Reassign closet bars from upstairs bedroom closets to the new basement closet
Relocate all the clothes downstairs, including the dressers in the big girls' room
Repaint the master bedroom closet and transform it into a mini-nursery for Jedidiah
Build cubby shelves in the big girls' bedroom closet
Reorganize all the big girls'
Hope and pray their room stays clean from now on
Have a baby
The frame for the guest room wall and some of the sheetrock is up at this time. And here's a before and after of the room we are using for a closet downstairs.
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| What the room looked like when we bought the house |
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| After cleaning out lots of things over time, priming and painting from ceiling to floor |
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Best Mother's Day Cake Ever!
Because our weekends are filled with pre-Jed projects, and because my husband is awesome, he and the kids decided to make my Mother's Day gift a little early.
Jesse and the girls made me the most delicious chocolate cake ever. It tasted fabulous. And it was totally worth all the chaos in the kitchen. After the dishes were piled in the sink, the chocolate drips wiped from the countertops, and the smoke aired from the house, we got to enjoy big ole slices of ooey gooey chocolate goodness.
I think Jesse's exact words were, "I hate that cake. I never want to look at it again. I'm throwing away the recipe. I'm never doing this again."
So, yeah, there were some difficulties along the way. My observations from the peanut gallery where I sat not lifting a finger were entertaining to say the least, frustrating at times. I wanted to help out so badly, but I also knew he and the kids wanted to do this for me. How could I take that away from them?
All three girls were tasked with duties, from buttering pans to stirring the dry ingredients; finding pans and whisks to keeping little brother out of the oven. When Jesse told me to unplug the smoke detector, I hardly batted on eye. Nothing like watching my husband of thirteen years muttering under his breath while scraping out the burned, overflowed batter off the oven floor. I will say he maintained excellent composure throughout the whole ordeal.
And the result tasted fabulous. It resembled the cow pies I used to avoid while playing in east Texas pastures as a kid. But it was absolutely delicious. So rich that I almost made myself sick on the piece I ate. I was also informed that I really didn't want to know how much butter and sugar were in the thing, or that the ratio of sugar to flour was about two to one.
He's right. Ignorance was total chocolate bliss! And the love I have for my guy and my kiddos is just as rich as that cake.
Jesse and the girls made me the most delicious chocolate cake ever. It tasted fabulous. And it was totally worth all the chaos in the kitchen. After the dishes were piled in the sink, the chocolate drips wiped from the countertops, and the smoke aired from the house, we got to enjoy big ole slices of ooey gooey chocolate goodness.
I think Jesse's exact words were, "I hate that cake. I never want to look at it again. I'm throwing away the recipe. I'm never doing this again."
So, yeah, there were some difficulties along the way. My observations from the peanut gallery where I sat not lifting a finger were entertaining to say the least, frustrating at times. I wanted to help out so badly, but I also knew he and the kids wanted to do this for me. How could I take that away from them?
All three girls were tasked with duties, from buttering pans to stirring the dry ingredients; finding pans and whisks to keeping little brother out of the oven. When Jesse told me to unplug the smoke detector, I hardly batted on eye. Nothing like watching my husband of thirteen years muttering under his breath while scraping out the burned, overflowed batter off the oven floor. I will say he maintained excellent composure throughout the whole ordeal.
And the result tasted fabulous. It resembled the cow pies I used to avoid while playing in east Texas pastures as a kid. But it was absolutely delicious. So rich that I almost made myself sick on the piece I ate. I was also informed that I really didn't want to know how much butter and sugar were in the thing, or that the ratio of sugar to flour was about two to one.
He's right. Ignorance was total chocolate bliss! And the love I have for my guy and my kiddos is just as rich as that cake.
Friday, May 11, 2012
When Technology Fails ...
... my blog suffers.
After we got home from vacation, our computer updated itself and then promptly committed suicide. Thankfully we had a spare down in the basement, one I had termed the "Frankenstein Computer" since it's a conglomeration of stuff Jesse had piled into the housing. He's tech savvy ... I'm not.
But a couple weeks ago, the USB port on the backup computer decided it didn't like talking to the cable on my camera. Therefore, no pictures can be downloaded at this time.
I usually like to put pics in the blog posts to keep it exciting. Adventurous. Entertaining. Now you just get to listen to me ramble until I get the problem solved.
Bwahahaha!
So, that's just a quick update where I am and why I haven't updated in a little while. I know you were on pins and needles.
After we got home from vacation, our computer updated itself and then promptly committed suicide. Thankfully we had a spare down in the basement, one I had termed the "Frankenstein Computer" since it's a conglomeration of stuff Jesse had piled into the housing. He's tech savvy ... I'm not.
But a couple weeks ago, the USB port on the backup computer decided it didn't like talking to the cable on my camera. Therefore, no pictures can be downloaded at this time.
I usually like to put pics in the blog posts to keep it exciting. Adventurous. Entertaining. Now you just get to listen to me ramble until I get the problem solved.
Bwahahaha!
So, that's just a quick update where I am and why I haven't updated in a little while. I know you were on pins and needles.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
New Pics of the Newest Boy
Time's flying, and it's almost delivery time for this guy. Eleven weeks to go. We were blessed to be able to schedule a 3D/4D ultrasound in Houston while we were down here on vacation visiting my mom. Here are a few of the pictures of Jedidiah to tide you over until he's born.
(We think he looks like Brooke.)
(We think he looks like Brooke.)
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| Little foot |
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| A cute little smile |
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| Looks like he's thinking deep thoughts |
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| Eyes peeked open |
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| Playing with his foot, which he did the whole time |
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Smooth as BUTTA!
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We started buying our milk from a local farm, Bear Creek Acres in Embarrass, a couple Sundays ago. The milk is great, and is from happy, pasture fed cows. But what to do with the cream that rises to the top of this very rich milk?
When I picked up the milk a couple days ago, the owner Mary Ann asked me if I had made butter yet. See, I've been looking at churns online, thinking that was the only way to make butter.
Nope!
You can make it in a blender, and it takes about ten minutes. Seriously. So today, I made real butter from real cream from real cows that live real close by.
Crunchy!
Well, more creamy, but still "crunchy". Here's the tutorial that helped me.
The picture above shows my trial run. Made a cute little butter ball. The second run filled that coffee cup all the way to the top.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Sugar Battle, Week One
Week One of the Battle Against Sugar is done. The first three days were the hardest. After that, I started feeling less like an addict craving her junk, and more like I had a bad habit to break. By the end of the week, I felt great, and had little, to no, cravings for sugar to speak of.
And then ... it was my birthday. And with birthday, comes cake. Yes, I allowed myself birthday cake. I kept telling myself it was a one-day treat, and I would not have follow up sweets the next day.
But the next day was our anniversary. We went out to eat and I had a big piece of chocolate cake after the dinner. Surprisingly, I am not craving sugar this morning. I thought after two days in a row of eating the Sweet Stuff that I would be back to square one. But I think I may have kicked the addiction part to the curb, for the time being.
Now, for the low down on observations this past week. I noticed the first three days how irritable I was, and how much I NEEDED a sugar fix. That perceived need took up a lot of mental energy to beat down, but with lots of prayer and willpower I did it. Yay me!
After that, I began to notice that I had more energy and seemed more rested, despite not having slept well due to cranky and sick toddlers. Strangely enough, I noticed that I didn't sweat as much, and it wasn't nearly as stinky. Yeah, you're welcome for that little bit of knowledge. Carry it with you always. My own scientific explanation is that my body's pH was changing, and I was less acidic overall. At the end of the sixth day, I noticed that I hadn't been having headaches or migraines.
The day after my birthday cake indulgence, which was yesterday, I woke up with a headache. It didn't last long, but it was there. And this morning when I woke, the day after a big ole hunk of chocolate cake was consumed, I awoke with another headache, this one much worse.
So today it's back to cleaner eating, with no added sugar and trying to stay away from the "white" stuff. It's hard giving up the sweets that I love, but I know it's better for me and the tadpole I'm growing, and for my overall health.
I know that after 30+ years of eating a sugar-filled diet, if I can quit, you can too. So take heart ... it ain't easy, but it can be done.
And then ... it was my birthday. And with birthday, comes cake. Yes, I allowed myself birthday cake. I kept telling myself it was a one-day treat, and I would not have follow up sweets the next day.
But the next day was our anniversary. We went out to eat and I had a big piece of chocolate cake after the dinner. Surprisingly, I am not craving sugar this morning. I thought after two days in a row of eating the Sweet Stuff that I would be back to square one. But I think I may have kicked the addiction part to the curb, for the time being.
Now, for the low down on observations this past week. I noticed the first three days how irritable I was, and how much I NEEDED a sugar fix. That perceived need took up a lot of mental energy to beat down, but with lots of prayer and willpower I did it. Yay me!
After that, I began to notice that I had more energy and seemed more rested, despite not having slept well due to cranky and sick toddlers. Strangely enough, I noticed that I didn't sweat as much, and it wasn't nearly as stinky. Yeah, you're welcome for that little bit of knowledge. Carry it with you always. My own scientific explanation is that my body's pH was changing, and I was less acidic overall. At the end of the sixth day, I noticed that I hadn't been having headaches or migraines.
The day after my birthday cake indulgence, which was yesterday, I woke up with a headache. It didn't last long, but it was there. And this morning when I woke, the day after a big ole hunk of chocolate cake was consumed, I awoke with another headache, this one much worse.
So today it's back to cleaner eating, with no added sugar and trying to stay away from the "white" stuff. It's hard giving up the sweets that I love, but I know it's better for me and the tadpole I'm growing, and for my overall health.
I know that after 30+ years of eating a sugar-filled diet, if I can quit, you can too. So take heart ... it ain't easy, but it can be done.
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