tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12178821651755261512024-03-13T04:58:32.756-07:00Anne's House of DreamsAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-86422636541022834262012-08-22T18:50:00.000-07:002012-08-22T18:50:31.136-07:00Mexican Extravaganza<div style="text-align: center;">
Ok, so maybe "extravaganza" is a bit of an overstatement, but it <em>felt</em> like an extravaganza compared to what I normally cook for dinner... It all started with some Hatch Chilis from Whole Foods. Every year around this time, there is a big "Hatch Chili Festival" going on at all the supermarkets. Everything from Hatch Chili Salsa to Hatch Chili Apple Pie to Hatch Chili Cheese Bread to Hatch Chili Fudge is featured. Basically, there is a whole lot of this Hatch Chili Hype swirling around. We were at Whole Foods after a family run on Saturday and decided to splurge and spend a whopping 49 cents for three of these infamous Hatch Chilis. Today Jonathan came home early and took JD on a run, giving me the opportunity to make these <a href="http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/baked-chiles-rellenos-with-smoky-tomato-sauce/" target="_blank">Baked (Gluten Free!) Chiles Rellenos with Smoky Tomato Sauce. </a></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
First, you have to roast the chiles to get the skins off of course. So glad I have a gas stove! This smell definitely brought back childhood memories...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut39NkFAOks/UDWFre-yY-I/AAAAAAAABTg/W4PH9sKMv-c/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut39NkFAOks/UDWFre-yY-I/AAAAAAAABTg/W4PH9sKMv-c/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then you make this sauted onion, zucchini, corn mixture and stir in some cheese which you then stuff into the chiles. After that, you dip them in egg and coat them with bread crumbs. Then bake at 425 for about 30 mins...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut39NkFAOks/UDWFre-yY-I/AAAAAAAABTg/W4PH9sKMv-c/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h6PXrmvwcVY/UDWFsiMUD1I/AAAAAAAABTo/y7Jc_VkxCqo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h6PXrmvwcVY/UDWFsiMUD1I/AAAAAAAABTo/y7Jc_VkxCqo/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">
While those were baking, I whipped up some refried beans and yellow rice along with the Smoky Tomato Sauce with chipotle and WA - LA! A delectable Mexican Extravaganza was ready for Jonathan and JD when they got home!</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V24FE4ieB-M/UDWFtfW9_wI/AAAAAAAABTw/MsI0snEVVvE/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V24FE4ieB-M/UDWFtfW9_wI/AAAAAAAABTw/MsI0snEVVvE/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
This was accompanied by an impomptu Strawberry Margarita (one all natural strawberry popsicle, juice from three limes, some agave, some tequila, ice and a splash of champagne - I'm not big on measurements - all blended up) for Jonathan and I and a limeade for the little man. It ended up being a little Wednesday night fiesta, reminding me how much I really do like to cook when I have a little less "help." =)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meal time was promptly followed by bath/snuggle time for both kiddos, and who can resist naked babies?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHKofcGEsjA/UDWKSldBc3I/AAAAAAAABUI/3qpgZL8IWBY/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHKofcGEsjA/UDWKSldBc3I/AAAAAAAABUI/3qpgZL8IWBY/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1mE8V6OOUbE/UDWK3MlQ6sI/AAAAAAAABUg/STkHwONYBcc/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uZg6n0-hscI/UDWK0Psd4aI/AAAAAAAABUY/MrBmQt0BZpg/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uZg6n0-hscI/UDWK0Psd4aI/AAAAAAAABUY/MrBmQt0BZpg/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
Also, I am happy to report that </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
1. JD is once again sleeping like a champ for naps and night. I guess it just took him a week or two to get used to the whole new world of using the potty. Once again, consistency pays off...</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
and </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
2. My pre-pregnancy shorts fit again (if somewhat snugly)! Hallelujah!</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-30231045533298226042012-08-15T12:50:00.002-07:002012-08-15T12:50:26.946-07:00Adventures in Toddlerhood<div style="text-align: center;">
I started to make this a status update on Facebook, but decided that it's one of those things that not everyone cares about and it was getting way too long for a status update anyway. So, I'm blogging about it instead. Please feel free to weigh in if you have experienced anything similar...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So, JD (almost 2 1/2) is now potty trained. There's so much out there about the whole topic of POTTY TRAINING. Honestly, I was kind of dreading the whole process, having heard about those 3 day "boot camps" where you let the kids run around naked all day (JD has always been a fan of running around naked though, so that part would not have been out of the ordinary...), push liquids, make them sit on the potty every 15 mins, light candles and sing songs and give treats, stickers, etc, every time they go on the potty. Most of that sounded pretty much like torture for both of us. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I knew I would not be going the "boot camp" route, so I decided to just wait (until 3 if needed!) look for signs that he was ready and then make the big switch cold turkey. Well, I have been seeing plenty of signs (asking to be changed as soon as he poops and more recently even when he pees, staying dry during naps and occaisionally overnight) for about a month now. Last Tuesday we went to Target and he picked out two packs of big boy undies, a step stool so he can reach the toilet and a bag of M&Ms as a treat. We came home and he put his undies right on. The few diapers we had left were thrown away. No accidents, lots of treats. The next day, Wednesday, he had two small pee accidents which I did not make a big deal out of - just helped him change and cleaned it up telling him it was okay and calmly reminded him to go in the potty and not his undies. Thursday, Emily had her two month checkup and even though I was somewhat nervous, I had decided we were just going to go all out - no pull ups for outings, etc. He did great. Since then, we've been out to multiple places and no accidents. So I feel like potty training was rather anticlimactic. We bought undies and now he does his business in the potty (or the nearest bush). </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The issue, however, is SLEEP! My star sleeper is totally resisting naps (and even bed time on occasion which has NEVER happened!). At first, I had him wear a pull up for naps, but they were always dry afterwards and he seemed very uncomfortable in them. And even though he had the pull up on, he would yell at me from his crib insisting that he needed to go pee-pee in the potty even when he had just gone several times. The last couple days, I've let him wear undies for nap because he's been dry after naps for a long time now anyway. (And why insist on him wearing a pull up when he wants to wear underwear and stays dry?) Still, after reading stories and following our usual naptime routine, when it comes time to actually get in his crib (yes, he is still in a crib - just trying to conquer one thing at a time) and for me to walk out, he keeps insisting on going to the bathroom again. Today we went three times and he still wanted to go again. Finally, I just had to leave the room, knowing that he just <em>can't</em> have to go that bad. This led to loud protest crying followed by talking to himself, followed by continuous requests to use the bathroom, followed by on and off whining, demands to get up, and more talking, followed by about 10 mins of crying, followed (about an hour after I left the room) by sleep. In the past week, he has actually gone to sleep for about 3 of his naps. The others, I just leave him in there for the allotted amount of time (an hour and a half) and then get him up. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My questions are these: Is he insisting on going to the potty over and over again as a stall tactic or is he anxious about not going in his underwear and subconciously fighting off sleep? Other theories include him not being tired and being ready to drop his nap, but I honestly feel that he IS in fact tired - yawning, fussier, sucking thumb, etc beforehand. Also, he is getting his top two year molars, so I am sure that has something to do with it because teething has thrown off his naps in the past as well. I know that children often experience set backs in one area while conquering another milestone so my basic plan of action is just to be consistent and ride it out, hoping that if he is using potty as a stall tactic he will soon learn that it doesn't work. And if he is genuinely anxious, then surely once the newness of potty training has worn off he will fall back into his old routine of willingly and peacefully drifting off to sleep as soon as I shut the door. Right? RIGHT? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Regardless, nap time/ rest time is going to be around for a long, long time in this house. If he doesn't need a nap anymore, so be it. But there will be quiet time/ rest time. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And here is a picture, just so we can all remember how cute and sweet this little non-napper is (and how chunky his sister is for that matter!!). =) </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0VU7Dh_o0o/UCv9VMFSJCI/AAAAAAAABTI/QRZjLHAWYjM/s1600/JD+and+Emmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0VU7Dh_o0o/UCv9VMFSJCI/AAAAAAAABTI/QRZjLHAWYjM/s320/JD+and+Emmy.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thoughts?</div>
Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-68424288201254225572012-07-07T18:29:00.000-07:002012-07-07T18:29:10.487-07:00Back to the V<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">
Hello again! I am determined not to let the same thing happen this time with my blog that happened after JD was born - which was nothing. I had been blogging semi regularly ever since getting married and then JD was born and NOTHING. No picture. No announcement. No birth story. Nothing. I mean, we <em>took</em> tons of pictures and Facebook was full of him, but that's just not the same. I have since recommitted to blogging and blog I shall! So, let me begin by (officially) announcing...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Emily Claire Patton</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wednesday May 30, 2012</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
12:47 pm</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
6 lbs 8 oz</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
18 1/2 in</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-unVM9kNbeis/T_OYsAv2BtI/AAAAAAAABR8/sP2nmyjp-D4/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-unVM9kNbeis/T_OYsAv2BtI/AAAAAAAABR8/sP2nmyjp-D4/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6JVlqYY17Go/T_OYwYb6hgI/AAAAAAAABSE/TrFc0ygkTW8/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6JVlqYY17Go/T_OYwYb6hgI/AAAAAAAABSE/TrFc0ygkTW8/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TOUFY4SMcsA/T_OYyNvf2II/AAAAAAAABSM/7cXa11RxLG0/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TOUFY4SMcsA/T_OYyNvf2II/AAAAAAAABSM/7cXa11RxLG0/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uv2IdYjWdFs/T_OY1aLLTiI/AAAAAAAABSU/6NKxMbJ_7IE/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uv2IdYjWdFs/T_OY1aLLTiI/AAAAAAAABSU/6NKxMbJ_7IE/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Newborn cuteness...</div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xOcGUAIQKSc/T_OZJ07aPcI/AAAAAAAABSk/i0p64Qokfco/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xOcGUAIQKSc/T_OZJ07aPcI/AAAAAAAABSk/i0p64Qokfco/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
A first peek</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DDayr81h0c8/T_OY4L4R29I/AAAAAAAABSc/2mUOe5KVV1o/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DDayr81h0c8/T_OY4L4R29I/AAAAAAAABSc/2mUOe5KVV1o/s320/photo+5.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">
Up close and personal</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3XheM7I4GI/T_OZMImYJkI/AAAAAAAABSs/QW9MM0nAEu4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3XheM7I4GI/T_OZMImYJkI/AAAAAAAABSs/QW9MM0nAEu4/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We came home on Friday and a proud big brother woke up Saturday morning and wanted to hold "Emmy" first thing! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2NLeMeV6bs/T_OZSUjIwBI/AAAAAAAABS0/7ju8eS61Gx8/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2NLeMeV6bs/T_OZSUjIwBI/AAAAAAAABS0/7ju8eS61Gx8/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On her way to her 2 week check up... She went from being born at 6 lbs 8 oz down to 5 lbs 15 oz in the hospital and back to 8 lbs 1 oz in two weeks! No trouble in the eating department!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-De7J4VzGGwU/T_OZTQg7kXI/AAAAAAAABS8/HSEqmBBIYSA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-De7J4VzGGwU/T_OZTQg7kXI/AAAAAAAABS8/HSEqmBBIYSA/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
Taken today, JD picked out this headband for her to wear and proceeded to wear several more himself...<br />
<br />
But what I really wanted to blog about was the whole birth experience... the labor and delivery. So if you are into that kind of thing, read on! If you would rather pass on all the details, feel free. <br />
Several people have asked me in person and online about my VBAC and so I thought I'd share it on my blog. I highly reccommend going "back to the V" (as Jonathan was fond of calling it) if your circumstances permit. That being said, to each his own (or <em>her</em> own in this case). I am not one to say there is a right way or a wrong way to have a baby. It's a personal decision. This is just how things happened for me.<br />
So, obviously for there to be a VBAC there had to be a C-section in the first place. With JD I went into labor naturally. One Friday evening (10 days before my due date!) after a long walk with Jonathan, I started feeling "period-like cramps.". Nothing really painful but noticable. I didn't mention it to Jonathan and just went to bed as usual around midnight. I figured that if this was the real thing 1.) I would wake up and 2.) I should get some rest. Sure enough, around 1:30am I woke up and could definitely feel the contractions getting stronger and coming and going every so often. I couldn't go back to sleep at that point so I just lay in bed until about 5am when I woke Jonathan up and we started timing the contractions. Still not very painful. I took a shower, packed my bag. Jonathan went out and picked up breakfast for us. I ate my blueberry pancakes around 8am. Finally, it seemed like the contractions were averaging 5 minutes apart for an hour (anywhere from 8 mins to 2 and a half mins apart). We called the doctor's office. They told us to come on in, so we got to the hospital around 9am. My biggest fear on the way there was that they would send me back home. At this point, I wanted to have the baby! When they checked me I was 4, almost 5 cm dilated. I got admitted and still was not really feeling too terrible. Each time I had a contraction, I remember just kind of pausing and breathing through it and then being fine. I had planned to get an epidural and decided that if I was getting one anyway, I might as well go ahead and get one sooner rather than later and get my money's worth! No use waiting til I was in a ton of pain. So, anesthesia came and gave me my epidural and I sat back to await the birth of my son in comfort. Or so I thought. Immediately after the epidural kicked in, the doctor (since it was Saturday, <em>my</em> beloved doctor was not there but the doctor on call was great too) broke my water and I was given Pitocin to speed things along. Around that time, JD's heart rate started to drop down into the 70s and 50s with each contraction that I had. After the contraction passed, his heart rate would come back up. The nurses assured us that this was fine and fairly normal as long as it came back up each time. They had me lay on one side, which seemed to help. Still, our eyes were pretty much glued to the monitor, willing his little heart beat to come back up after each contraction. A few times it didn't. About 5 nurses would rush in, clamp the oxygen mask over my nose and mouth, turn me from one side to the other (with the epidural it felt almost impossible to move), inject my IV with an antidote for the Pitocin, etc. During those times, it felt like there was all this flurry of activity and urgency and they would all be talking excitedly <em>over</em> me instead of calmly <em>to</em> me like they did during more routine procedures. One time I heard the phrases, "Page NICU!" and "Call Anesthesia!" and the doctor came rushing in. Then his heart rate finally came up and everything calmed back down again for a little while. This all went on for many hours. Also, I was not dilating very fast at all. After being at the hospital about 12 hours, I was at 7 cm and holding steady. Apparently, the position I needed to lay in to keep JD's heart rate happy, was not a good position to force him to move down further and cause me to dialate more. Around 8:30 or 9pm, we were still watching his heart rate rise and fall, getting tired (remember, I'd only slept an hour and a half the night before) and more and more stressed. We opted for a C-section. We were not coerced or pressured. We were just offered that option. So, it was not an emergency, but within probably 30 minutes or less of saying "Yes, we'd like to go ahead and do the C-section" JD was born. I remember as they were wheeling me to the OR, thinking, "Wait, I don't really want to do this either..." The anesthesiologist had said, "You won't feel any pain. You'll just feel a tugging and pulling sensation." Yuck. But I closed my eyes and kind of just went to another place. And then I heard the doctor say, "How's Mom?" The anesthesiologist beside me said, "Fine!" and the doctor held up my healthy, wailing son. There was certainly nothing wrong with his lungs! Instantly, relief and joy and love all flooded over me and I got this big rush of energy. The rest of the night I was asking all kinds of silly questions and talking up a storm which is totally not like me, but that's another story. One that Jonathan greatly enjoys telling.<br />
So, the healing process after the C-section went just fine. Leaving the hospital, I felt like I had no ab muscles whatsoever. I couldn't imagine ever doing another sit-up in my life. I stayed on my pain meds for about a week and a half probably and things just gradually improved. I had nothing to compare it to, so the recovery didn't seem too bad. (Of course, all I had to do at the time was take care of my newborn. No two year old!) By the time JD was 6 weeks old, I felt back to normal and Jonathan and I started P90X together. <br />
This time around, I had another very uneventful and healthy pregnancy. My doctor told me at my first visit that 92% of women who've had C-sections opt for a second one. Of the 8% who attempt a "trial of labor" 70% are successful and 30% end up having another C-section. One percent experience a "uterine rupture." Which Jonathan kept referring to as a "uterus explosion." Of course, it's nothing quite that dramatic. The doctor was very matter of fact about it all. I did not feel like he was pressuring me one way or the other - merely giving me "the facts." I did get the feeling though that a VBAC was out of the ordinary and was a little intimidated by the waiver with the list of horrible things that could happen they gave me to sign off on in the event that I decided to do a VBAC. I took it home and decided to think about it.<br />
I knew that part of me wanted to experience having a baby the "old-fashioned way." Not neccessarily all natural, just the whole progressing through all the stages of labor, getting to 10cm, pushing the baby out and being able to hold her right away. It probably sounds weird, but the idea of just scheduling a C-section, going in and then having a baby 30 minutes later seemed somewhat anti-climactic or something. Not that I am a big spontaneous thrill seeker or anything. So another part of me liked the idea of being able to plan out what day I wanted the baby to be born, control it all and be totally prepared - especially since we were planning on having Jonathan's mom fly into town to take care of JD while we were in the hospital. Not to mention, my C-section recovery had been smooth while the idea of a sore bottom and tearing was still unknown and scary! <br />
Ultimately, Jonathan and I agreed to pray for peace about doing the VBAC if that is what I was supposed to do. So, I started praying. During that time, I read the chapter on VBAC in <em>A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth</em> by Henci Goer. This was very encouraging towards doing a VBAC based on solid research. I also came across <a href="http://www.vbac.com/">http://www.vbac.com/</a> which was also very helpful. In addition, I randomly met a doula while at a park with JD. She said that in my case a VBAC should be completely safe and told me that the hospital I would be delivering at was positive towards women having VBACs. Also, during one of my routine check-ups the head nurse was the one seeing me and told me that my doctor had offered for <em>her</em> to do a VBAC with her second child and encouraged me to give it a try as well. All of these contributed to me gaining a real sense of peace about going ahead with the VBAC...so God answered that prayer. <br />
As the time got closer to delivery, I still had plenty of peace about doing the VBAC. I was not worried about the uterine rupture, but now that I had my heart set on VBAC I was getting worried that it would somehow end in C-section again. Even though my C-section had been a good experience overall, I just really wanted to do the vaginal delivery. So, the last couple months my prayers turned to asking God to make it successful. <br />
The afternoon of Tuesday May 29th (13 days before my due date!), I went on a long walk with JD in the stroller and we stopped at a park for awhile. That night, I couldn't sleep. I got up and read on the couch for awhile - feeling slightly uncomfortable and "different" but not sure if I was having contractions or not. Finally, I got into bed and went to sleep around 1:30am. About 3am I woke up and could definitely feel contractions coming and going fairly close together although I was not timing them. I had a checkup scheduled for 7:45am that morning and figured I would just go in then and see what was up. Around 4am I got up and went to the bathroom. Right after that, the contractions started getting alot stronger and I started timing them. They were about 2 1/2 or 3 minutes apart for the next hour and getting pretty painful - much more so than the ones I remember having when I went into labor with JD. I woke Jonathan up and we decided we better find someone to come stay with JD, this definitely seemed like the real deal. I hastily threw together some stuff to take to the hospital, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. We started texting and calling friends and got a hold of a our sweet friend, Ashly, who lives less than 5 minutes away. She came right over to stay with JD while we headed to the hospital around 5:30am. The nurse checked me and said I was 3 cm dialated. This was rather discouraging bc I was really feeling the contractions - much more so than I had at 5 cm with JD's labor! I was also feeling really intense nausea with each contraction. Felt all clammy and like I was going to black out. I had wanted to hold out and see if I could go for awhile without an epidural but at this rate, I was starting to think about one already! I was admitted and moved to a labor and delivery room and they told me to just let them know when I was ready for an epidural. By the time I got to 5cm, I was in the middle of a contraction and told Jonathan, "Call them and tell them I"m ready for the epidural!" Which he promptly did! The anesthesiologist got there pretty quickly and got set up. Unfortunately, she was putting the epidural in right as I was having an intense contraction. That was not cool. Then she said she didn't think it had gone in quite right. Also not cool. This was somehow due to the fact that I was "really fit" and had strong ligaments in my back. Well, at least the reason was a good one. =) She said that if I a didn't get relief soon, to call her back and she would put another one in. Ugh. Pretty soon, I could no longer feel the contractions. At least not in the front. In the back, now that was a different matter. Every contraction caused what I would call excruciating pain in my lower back! To the point where I was clinging to the bed rail or crushing Jonathan's hand bones and groaning. About this time I actually did throw up which the nurses took to mean I may be "transitioning" and checked me. I was at 7 cm. The anesthesiologist came back and decided to give me another epidural bc she wanted to make sure I had a good one since I was a VBAC and at higher risk for emergency C-section. This time she got it in right and I couldn't feel the back labor anymore. In fact, I couldn't feel anything anymore from my shoulders down. I even felt short of breath... I mentioned this and everyone said it was ok, I just had about a dose and a half of the epidural medicine! Also about this time, Emily's heart rate dropped down as did mine. Unfamiliar nurses rushed in (mine had gone on lunch break so they would be back before the baby came bc I was still progressing pretty quickly) and put the oxygen mask on me, turned me over, gave me a shot to stabilize my heart rate. This was certainly disconcerting as it obviously brought back memories of what happened with JD... Both our heart rates quickly stabilized, however, and before I knew it the nurses were calling the doctor and getting everything ready for me to push! At one point, my nurse said something like, "We are going to give this (pushing) a try, but I don't think her (Emily's) heart is going to be too happy about it." This was not what I wanted to hear at this point!! Started getting nervous that her heart rate would somehow worsen during pushing and I would be rushed to a C-section. Also, I was worried that I would not be able to push bc my entire body was totally and completely numb and I couldn't have moved my legs (not so much as a toe twitch) to save my life. Anyway, the doctor came right in and checked me and said that we were "Going to do this!" and the nurses helped me get into position. They all said "123 PUSH!" and counted to ten while I pushed. I did that three times, took about a 30 second break and did it again. I heard the doctor say, "The head is out!" and I couldn't believe it. A couple seconds later, the rest of her body was out and they put her right up on my chest and Jonathan was right there and of course we were laughing and crying and so thrilled! The doctor helped Emily out a bit with the forceps (or "salad spoons" as he called them) due to the fact that her heart rate had been acting up and there was a little unexplained bleeding (which turned out to just be a little tear in the placenta). He didn't want things to drag out. The whole pushing experience lasted less than ten minutes (I had thought it would be like an hour or more!) and I felt absolutely <em>nothing</em>. No pressure, no tearing (had a small 2nd degree tear) no stitching up. Oh, and the doctor was able to feel my old C-section scar afterwards and said that it was all intact. Before he left, he told me that everything went perfectly and that I could expect "all the rest of my children" to be born vaginally as well! Not sure how many that will be, but good news none the less. =)<br />
My most overwhelming feeling after it was all said and done was, "I did it!" and more importantly the definite sense of just being very blessed and knowing that God had heard me and specifically answered my prayers. First, to have peace about attempting the VBAC in the first place and then by allowing it all to go (relatively) smoothly and successfully! So, if you were looking for all of the carefully researched facts about VBAC vs. elective repeat c-section, sorry. You will probably have to do your own research. I did do a little research which God used to give me the peace I had prayed for. But my story isn't really about all the facts and the research and whether or not it's best to do VBAC or C-section. It's more about God blessing me with a specific answer to my prayer.<br />
My recovery this time has also been smooth, but much different than the C-section! Pros and cons to both I would say. =) I've got about 10 more pounds to lose and I may just start blogging about how I shed the weight. I do need some motivation to stop eating so much ice cream, that's for sure! And now my sweet girl is demanding an evening snack! <br />
<br /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-17278163583019995172012-05-27T18:45:00.000-07:002012-05-27T18:45:47.439-07:00Photo Shoot Fun<div style="text-align: center;">
Glad I was able to get these up before Emily Claire makes her appearance. I feel like it's getting close, even though technically the due date is two weeks away... =)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kg_bFLu5c8I/T8LSyxh1UWI/AAAAAAAABQw/HROQUZaTUJA/s1600/family+shoulders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kg_bFLu5c8I/T8LSyxh1UWI/AAAAAAAABQw/HROQUZaTUJA/s1600/family+shoulders.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jWBOIlu9q2o/T8LS2Ucjq1I/AAAAAAAABQ4/ndzn4QYXywY/s1600/lying+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jWBOIlu9q2o/T8LS2Ucjq1I/AAAAAAAABQ4/ndzn4QYXywY/s1600/lying+down.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pHiw3zm4nHI/T8LS5LzivyI/AAAAAAAABRA/YjYdoJirnk8/s1600/jd+and+daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pHiw3zm4nHI/T8LS5LzivyI/AAAAAAAABRA/YjYdoJirnk8/s1600/jd+and+daddy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5x96dW4X48/T8LWkKO115I/AAAAAAAABRg/eu9GWdt8k6w/s1600/faces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5x96dW4X48/T8LWkKO115I/AAAAAAAABRg/eu9GWdt8k6w/s1600/faces.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7pVwUIdCAg/T8LTnQ6Oc-I/AAAAAAAABRI/fn8_4T7Db4g/s1600/mommy+and+jd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7pVwUIdCAg/T8LTnQ6Oc-I/AAAAAAAABRI/fn8_4T7Db4g/s1600/mommy+and+jd.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcl3cO6BRDY/T8LUG9yDaJI/AAAAAAAABRQ/9N2MeP13RQo/s1600/mommy+and+jd+bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcl3cO6BRDY/T8LUG9yDaJI/AAAAAAAABRQ/9N2MeP13RQo/s1600/mommy+and+jd+bw.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_OqALS2nBg8/T8LXuFcq8BI/AAAAAAAABRw/Dp2kKVzRLPM/s1600/family+sitting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_OqALS2nBg8/T8LXuFcq8BI/AAAAAAAABRw/Dp2kKVzRLPM/s1600/family+sitting.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfaqKh9UOqg/T8LV9Xl82HI/AAAAAAAABRY/ajfulEi6lOg/s1600/mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YfaqKh9UOqg/T8LV9Xl82HI/AAAAAAAABRY/ajfulEi6lOg/s1600/mommy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l2fhgZwowXo/T8LXFpAE1II/AAAAAAAABRo/a85TPd9_o_U/s1600/tossing+jd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l2fhgZwowXo/T8LXFpAE1II/AAAAAAAABRo/a85TPd9_o_U/s1600/tossing+jd.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Always fun to work with our fav photographer Whitney Runyon - check out her stuff in the link to the right! She and her hubby have just started a non-profit called the Archiblad Project which raises awareness about all kinds of adoptions through their awesome photography. Her stories are already incredible! </div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1276205607"></span><span id="goog_1276205608"></span></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-67234895742085470762012-05-01T19:12:00.000-07:002012-05-01T19:12:28.305-07:00Off Topic<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, no big "topics" are coming to mind so I thought that in the interest of <em>trying</em> to post somewhat regularly, I'd just put out a good old fashioned update...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
First of all, this week has gotten off to a pretty great start. Yesterday, my wonderful husband came home a couple hours early to stay with JD while I went to the Y for a prenatal yoga class. Yessss! (The Y does have childcare, but so far JD has not been too fond of being left. ) Unfortunately, when I got there (in what I thought was "just in the nick of time!") the door to the studio was locked and several other ladies were sitting outside waiting on the instructor. After about 15 minutes, someone came up to unlock the door and told us the class had already begun and that the door was unintentionally locked. So we all went in. It was nice and relaxing but also kind of a bummer to miss 15 mins of a 45 minute class. Oh well, I wasn't complaining. After the Y, I stopped by the library and leisurely picked out a couple books -something that I have not done in quite awhile. A novel by Isabelle Allende and a biography about Christopher Columbus. Have been lacking a good downtime book and without a functioning tv, books are really a must. Facebook and online tv can only fill so much of an evening... So, a great afternoon. I came home to find that Daddy and JD had been on an adventure to a little old fashioned drugstore nearby to get ice cream and then came home and washed the car. Nice. We ate a cool summery dinner of Greek Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Avocados. Yummy!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today was just as fabulous. This morning I did laundry (which reminds me I still need to get it out of the dryer and fold it...) while sipping my half decaf coffee and playing with JD. We were just hanging out waiting for an electrician to come fix the lights in our bathroom and laundry room. (And as a side note, after owning two houses and neither Jonathan nor I being very handy, well it's been nice to just be renting for now. We have a great landlady and when something breaks or needs attention, we tell her and she sends someone out right away. A nice handyman shows up at our doorstep, fixes our problem and goes away sending the bill to our landlady. It's quite nice, actually.) After the lovely fix-it man left, we ate lunch and then JD took a nice long nap, made extra nice by the fact that he has not been able to nap due to a slight sickness/fever the last 3 out of 4 days - not cool. Anyway, I always consider it a great nap when I have time to workout with my good friend Jillian (Michaels, that is), spend some quality time with God, <em>and</em> take a shower <em>and</em> dry my hair. When JD got up, I was able to sit back and enjoy watching Dora with him, then we went and did some fun errands (yes, I consider Target and Buy Buy Baby fun these days...) and ended the night at ChickFilA (JD's new favorite hangout which I am trying to limit to a once every other week maximum!) since Jonathan had a late meeting and won't be home til later. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7OURbI14UMI/T6CQdWIyTLI/AAAAAAAABQU/iLmFow_KFCo/s1600/chick+fil+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7OURbI14UMI/T6CQdWIyTLI/AAAAAAAABQU/iLmFow_KFCo/s320/chick+fil+a.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bath time was followed by a lengthy and peaceful story time (as opposed to the kind where he runs naked around his bedroom pulling out toys, resisting the donning of pjs, climbing on top of his toy box, throwing all his books onto the floor under the guise of "choosing one", smearing the Vaseline, etc...). That's my week so far. Nothing too exciting. But very <em>good</em> nonetheless. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And in other random news...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. I had a fabulous baby shower last Saturday thrown by three of my best friends here in Austin. The whole thing from the invitations to decorations to food to non-cheesy games was exactly my taste! I left feeling very blessed to be raising my kiddos in such a loving community of friends where I know there are several families we could call on at any given moment for support! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jayme, Ashly (hostess), Alissa, and me (blaming my extra large look on the pattern of that dress!)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NWNAn66AaKA/T6CPCIC32UI/AAAAAAAABQM/y_ECLTU6mio/s1600/baby+shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" mea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NWNAn66AaKA/T6CPCIC32UI/AAAAAAAABQM/y_ECLTU6mio/s320/baby+shower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2. As a challenge to myself, I have committed to using a good chunk of JD's nap time each day to spend quality time with God. Reading the Word, praying for specific things and doing my best to just <em>listen </em>(not my strongest ability when it comes to my relationship with God). Since today is May 1, I decided to commit to this for the month of May. Gulp. This is a big commitment for me, b/c I am a "doer" and honestly when I am spending time with God, I don't really feel like I am getting anything "done." I would rather use the time to workout, prep dinner, pay bills, write emails, blog, clean the house, fold laundry without "help", tackle a project, etc. But, in my heart, I know that this is so much more important and will be more rewarding than any of those things. I've heard it takes 21 days to form a habit, so I'm hoping that 31 will really seal it! And once June hits, all schedule and routine may be out the window for awhile so I think I'd better try this now. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3. Pregnancy is moving along nicely. Emily Claire is certainly making her presence known these days - right now she has the hiccups. I have a nurse visit on Friday morning, and then two weeks after that I start going in for my weekly checkups. This pregnancy has gone by way faster than JD's did and I keep having to remind myself that this time next month, I'll be in the final few days!! My doctor and all the nurses have seemed pretty supportive of my desire to do a VBAC (or "Back to the V" as Jonathan calls it), which I am thankful for. God has answered my prayers for peace about going this route in some very specific ways so as crazy as it sounds, I am actually looking forward to (hopefully) being able to deliver vaginally this time. Not even worried about the dreaded uterine rupture (or "uterus explosion" as Jonathan so reassuringly calls it - yeah, he really needs to stop with the lingo). Sorry if that is too much information, but I'm guessing most of my readers are ladies. =) And what lady doesn't love to talk about pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And now, I am off to fold that last load of laundry, eat some ice cream, and watch last night's episode of Dancing With the Stars online. Not necessarily in that order. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-81045883909754474822012-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:002012-04-15T18:52:58.218-07:00And the winner is...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><strong>Meghan Cavas!! </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">Congratulations! Meghan is the sweet mom of Caden and Kailey. She and her husband, Troy, were some of the first people we met here in Austin through a small group. They have since moved and are now enjoying life on the sunny shores of Florida. She loves to work out and was a great inspiration to help me get back in shape after having JD! And I know she loves coffee too! Hope you enjoy this little treat! =) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Meghan, message me your address and look for your package later this week!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway! I thought it was super fun and am already thinking about the next one...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-47204444255963050702012-04-10T19:02:00.000-07:002012-04-10T19:02:37.248-07:00My Current Obsession Giveaway!!<div style="text-align: center;">NOW is definitely <em>the</em> time to be outside in Austin! The weather has been <em>amazing</em> for at least a month now. Highs in the low 80s, beautiful, sunny, and <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>green</strong></span>- thanks to a good amount of rain so far this spring. The bluebonnets and wildflowers are incredible! Needless to say, I've been trying to squeeze in as many outdoor activities as possible (before these breezy warm weeks turn into stifling, dry <em>months</em> that are only fit for water related activities - preferably in the early morning hours before it reaches 110 degrees)! We've been hitting up all the neighborhood parks, we've been jogging (well ok, <em>I've</em> been walking - briskly!) the trail by the lake <em>in the afternoon</em> (which would be asking for a heat stroke in a few short weeks), Jonathan and I took JD canoeing two Sundays ago, last Sunday we played at Zilker Park - flew a kite, dug in the sand, kicked a soccer ball, climbed the big rocks, and played fetch with Kip. This Sunday the family field trip is to the fun little par three golf course (dogs, kids, and coolers are all welcome). JD and I are hitting up the Farmer's market tomorrow afternoon and the zoo on Friday. Anyway, you get the idea. We are taking advantage of this weather and storing up lots of good outdoor memories to be remembered from the air conditioned interiors of the children's museum, the library, the bounce house, and most afternoons our own house once the thermometer starts inching toward 100. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyhoo, all of this gorgeous weather talk leads in to one of my <em>most</em> favorite things of all time. </div><div style="text-align: center;">ICED COFFEE.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is kind of an obsession of mine lately. A nice sunny afternoon in the park (the perfect temperature is warm but not sweat inducing) with my little man is super fun. Top that off with an iced coffee and it is downright divine. Even our tiny little back patio feels more festive with an icy tumbler of coffee balanced on my belly - which is now the perfect size to hold drinks and/or snacks (looking on the bright side).</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, I'd like to try something. A Giveaway! </div><div style="text-align: center;">Just leave me a comment here on the blog or on my Facebook post<em> by the end of the week</em> and I'll enter you into the random drawing. The winner gets this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fCKH6q5fnhA/T4TkflfazrI/AAAAAAAABQE/mYRS7tNSyq4/s1600/iced+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fCKH6q5fnhA/T4TkflfazrI/AAAAAAAABQE/mYRS7tNSyq4/s320/iced+coffee.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A 5 Pack of Starbucks Via Iced Coffee and a BPA free tumbler (<em>with</em>, I might add, a straw that can't be pulled out should you happen to have your iced coffee in one hand and a grabby baby on your hip!) Plus, there will be a little bonus item as well! Can't wait to see who I get to send this to! =)</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-43083572338566998942012-04-02T12:45:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:45:56.383-07:00March Revisited<div style="text-align: center;">How did I let the entire month of MARCH slip by without even one post? Oh dear. I am sadly very lazy in the blogging department. Well, here's what we did last month...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I cooked up a few gluten free treats for the fam:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins (w/ a rough draft of the recipe)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U2X83qG08EI/T3nzqZvSPhI/AAAAAAAABOc/sauIA172Zx0/s1600/blueberry+muffs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U2X83qG08EI/T3nzqZvSPhI/AAAAAAAABOc/sauIA172Zx0/s320/blueberry+muffs.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VOX1H5K8kMY/T3nzy9v6lfI/AAAAAAAABOk/_iXYnWGnR2M/s1600/bluberry+muffin+recipe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VOX1H5K8kMY/T3nzy9v6lfI/AAAAAAAABOk/_iXYnWGnR2M/s320/bluberry+muffin+recipe.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Chipotle Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNkfYAOgMng/T3nz2mmGS8I/AAAAAAAABOs/1mtlqE5CIBs/s1600/sweet+potato+brussel+sprout+chili.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNkfYAOgMng/T3nz2mmGS8I/AAAAAAAABOs/1mtlqE5CIBs/s320/sweet+potato+brussel+sprout+chili.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was a huge fan of this hearty stew, but Jonathan deemed it "all right." The recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's vegan cookbook Appetite for Reduction which I highly reccommend if you are interested in thinking outside the animal product box...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Ingredients:</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 t. olive oil</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 red onion, diced small</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>4 cloves garlic, minced</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 T. coriander seeds, crushed</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>2 t. dried oregano</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>3 chipotles in adobo, seeded and chopped </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>2 average sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>12 oz. Brussels sprouts, quartered lengthwise</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>2 t. ground cumin</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 T. chili powder</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 c. water</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 16 oz. can black beans</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>1 1/2 t. salt</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Freshly squeezed lime juice</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Directions:</strong></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>In a 4 qt pot over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, coriander seeds and oregano and saute for a minute more. Add the remaining ingredients (except the lime juice). Mix well. The sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts will be peeking out of the tomato sauce, but don't worry, they will cook down.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook for about half an hour, stirring ofter, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy. Squeeze in the lime juice to taste. Let the chili sit uncovered for at least 10 minutes before eating. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And, of course, I couldn't have done any of this without my little helper.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkdEdlqnXkQ/T3n3Jyl70xI/AAAAAAAABO0/BOKf_sUWAHI/s1600/little+helper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkdEdlqnXkQ/T3n3Jyl70xI/AAAAAAAABO0/BOKf_sUWAHI/s320/little+helper.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mom came to visit:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PElRTlt34XM/T3n4pjql83I/AAAAAAAABO8/oql6ezn-ekw/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PElRTlt34XM/T3n4pjql83I/AAAAAAAABO8/oql6ezn-ekw/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Of course, I kept her hard at work sewing for me! She whipped out a rocking chair cushion and cover, four throw pillow covers, and two crib skirts. =) </div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1PyvDBsBe8s/T3n4rCnWJAI/AAAAAAAABPE/omTIhXmS-80/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She barely had enough time to squeeze in some kisses from JD! We also picked out material for Emily Claire's quilt, and took a trip to IKEA which is always a good thing! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Story Time at the Library:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zUCRH0LnBfI/T3n6Lb3NHaI/AAAAAAAABPM/vzGK_rxPO9Y/s1600/library.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zUCRH0LnBfI/T3n6Lb3NHaI/AAAAAAAABPM/vzGK_rxPO9Y/s320/library.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">JD and his buddy Oliver. Very proud of these newspaper hats they "made" at the local library toddler story time.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">JD turned TWO:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VjIv4GNhCmo/T3n9X6W50qI/AAAAAAAABP8/0a-vxoSH1n4/s1600/JD's+2nd+BDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VjIv4GNhCmo/T3n9X6W50qI/AAAAAAAABP8/0a-vxoSH1n4/s320/JD's+2nd+BDay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had a small family dinner on JD's actual birthday and gave him his gift from us - the little red tricycle. Check FB for a hilarious video of him trying to figure it out... Then, on Saturday morning, we invited all of our friends to the park for homemade breakfast tacos (thanks Ashly Stacy!!), Starbucks coffee and cupcakes. I'm happy to say that we had fabulous weather and the kids and adults had an equally great time. I was way less stressed about this party than I was last year about his first birthday party for some reason. Maybe I've given up some "control issues" about trying to make everything picture perfect (a two year old tends to have that effect on one, I hear). Or maybe I'm just lazier. Either way, it was super fun to host and see JD have such a great time surrounded by all his Austin friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We enjoyed the great outdoors:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agXaCC3mS3A/T3n69mzcF4I/AAAAAAAABPU/rC3VD7WvaMg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agXaCC3mS3A/T3n69mzcF4I/AAAAAAAABPU/rC3VD7WvaMg/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is the sign of true tiredness. Laying down on the playground!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89dmvy7saXQ/T3n6_D_OJjI/AAAAAAAABPc/TkTu7zY04fo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89dmvy7saXQ/T3n6_D_OJjI/AAAAAAAABPc/TkTu7zY04fo/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iixTOSSCM9A/T3n7AF1h2CI/AAAAAAAABPk/RkKX1L_xq4U/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iixTOSSCM9A/T3n7AF1h2CI/AAAAAAAABPk/RkKX1L_xq4U/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AxwxQplTLWk/T3n7BR-Wl8I/AAAAAAAABPs/Wh4T0SwuYj4/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AxwxQplTLWk/T3n7BR-Wl8I/AAAAAAAABPs/Wh4T0SwuYj4/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We took our first real "family adventure" to Pedernales Falls State Park, about an hour away. JD thouroughly enjoyed himself. We ate at a local outdoor BBQ place with live music afterwards and you can bet, we heard some loud snoring from the back seat on the way home! We hope to establish a family culture of being active, getting outside, and exploring nature early on! March was a beautiful month, and we are trying to do as many things outside as possible before the heat of summer sets in. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So that was a little snapshot of March, I promise to do a better job of blogging in April! This month should include other fun stuff like a maternity photo shoot with <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/WhitneyRunyonPhotography" target="_blank">Whitney Runyon</a>, a giveaway, more tasty gluten free treats, an update on the kids' room redecoration process, and more! Stay tuned! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-74451924727699643662012-02-20T21:18:00.000-08:002012-02-20T21:30:56.534-08:00Valentine's Day Past and Present<div style="text-align: center;">Yes, it's true. I slacked off with my weekly post last Monday night. (It's nice to know that some of you noticed though, I must say!) And since I was planning on posting about Valentine's Day, I thought I better hurry up and do it while we're at least still in the month of February! </div><div style="text-align: center;">So without further ado... Jonathan and I have celebrated 8 V-Day's together now and I will admit that I don't actually remember all 8 of them precisely. But a few of them do stick out in my memory so I just thought I'd share. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Now, on our very <em>first</em> Valentine's Day together, we had only been dating since mid December. <em>And</em> we had already broken up for like a week and gotten back together somewhere in those two months... But by the time February 14th rolled around we were both madly in love I am sure. So, anyway, a few days before V-Day, Jonathan casually asks me if I would like to go to New Orleans Riverfront Restuarant (one of the nicer restaurants in Columbia, SC at the time) for our Valentine's date. <em>Now, let me interject that right before (as in</em> two weeks <em>before) I met and started dating Jonathan, my boyfriend of the past year and I had just broken up. He was</em> from <em>New Orleans and I had been on several trips to visit him there. Jonathan was aware of this. In fact, he was more than aware. That little aforementioned week long "break up" between Jonathan and I was due to the fact that I thought it was unfair to continue pursuing a relationship with him while I was getting over my last relationship and still had some feelings for my previous boyfriend. As it ended up, the break up I had instigated with Jonathan ended rather quickly b/c he characteristically decided that he would take aggressive action and win me over. He boldly declared his love and began sending me flowers, etc. It worked. =)</em> So, when Jonathan asked me to go to this particular restuarant for our first ever Valentine's date, I (naturally) assumed he was being totally insensitive. And I burst into tears. Sobs. He (naturally) had no idea why and thought I must not want to go out with him at all. He perservered though and comforted me and calmed me down enough to figure out what the problem was. But even now, he doesn't really understand what the problem was, I am sure. He just thought he was asking me out to a nice restaurant. The funny thing is, I can't remember if we ended up going there on Valentine's Day or not... I tried to find a picture, but the glorious establishment has since closed down and this sad remainder was all I could come up with:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2zHD7n2wgg/T0MXTI9QxnI/AAAAAAAABNM/KJVVXK9m6MQ/s1600/new++orleans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2zHD7n2wgg/T0MXTI9QxnI/AAAAAAAABNM/KJVVXK9m6MQ/s1600/new++orleans.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Incidentally, about 4 months later, Jonathan proposed and I said "Yes" about 100 yards from the restuarant - right under this bridge that crosses the river the restaurant overlooks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12hSZN_xqZs/T0MY8LxU7XI/AAAAAAAABNU/xYl_Jeq7Bik/s1600/engaged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-12hSZN_xqZs/T0MY8LxU7XI/AAAAAAAABNU/xYl_Jeq7Bik/s320/engaged.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Oh! And I almost forgot! We had our <em>rehearsal dinner</em> at New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant since it overlooks the place where we got engaged! </div><div style="text-align: center;">HAHAHAHA! It is all very hilarious to me now. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">On the Valentine's Day during our third year of marriage, Jonathan surprised me by taking me on a journey (I had no idea where we were going) that ended up at the jewelry store where he let me pick out my third ring! The one with the little diamonds in it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUGgvAi4mys/T0Mc_OEpQjI/AAAAAAAABNc/yuXZ8INmd50/s1600/ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" lda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUGgvAi4mys/T0Mc_OEpQjI/AAAAAAAABNc/yuXZ8INmd50/s320/ring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That was a good Valentine's Day. I'm pretty sure I did not cry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For a couple years while living in SC, we had the tradition of eating sushi at Sushi Yoshi in Five Points on V-Day. It's a cozy little hole in the wall that was never cowded on Valentine's. For some reason, I think sushi is a very romantic food. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wk2rcVRn1pc/T0MfwotqBNI/AAAAAAAABNs/0BxKtvMMJhI/s1600/futomaki_roll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wk2rcVRn1pc/T0MfwotqBNI/AAAAAAAABNs/0BxKtvMMJhI/s1600/futomaki_roll.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yummy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In 2010, about a month before JD was born, we took a little trip north of Austin and celebrated our last Valentine's Day without kiddos here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhH1JE9dD3U/T0MgeVllpeI/AAAAAAAABN0/-A4LUsCCEQ8/s1600/warwick+melrose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhH1JE9dD3U/T0MgeVllpeI/AAAAAAAABN0/-A4LUsCCEQ8/s320/warwick+melrose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">At the Warwick Melrose boutique hotel in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas. That weekend Dallas had gotten a record amount of snow - like three feet!! And it was quite lovely being holed up in our luxurious one of a kind hotel room. We did make one foray out through the snow drifts to </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-am11gAf6Hgk/T0Mir8ewofI/AAAAAAAABOE/cfoJoSZWFVE/s1600/logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-am11gAf6Hgk/T0Mir8ewofI/AAAAAAAABOE/cfoJoSZWFVE/s1600/logo.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-17scGP7QNDE/T0MigyyKo9I/AAAAAAAABN8/nvLX4q_eChI/s1600/bakery_wine_bar.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" lda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-17scGP7QNDE/T0MigyyKo9I/AAAAAAAABN8/nvLX4q_eChI/s320/bakery_wine_bar.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center">for brunch and it was ah-mazing. Well worth the hour long wait crowded into a small warm bakery with only a huge cinnamon bun and a hot coffee to tide over my pregnant self until our table was ready...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Last year, our Valentine's date included a babysitter for the first time. Well, she wasn't included in the <em>date</em> but you know what I mean... We went to </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WZhd4bzVieA/T0MkAIOS1jI/AAAAAAAABOM/AYhdWOrIbtE/s1600/romeoslogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WZhd4bzVieA/T0MkAIOS1jI/AAAAAAAABOM/AYhdWOrIbtE/s1600/romeoslogo.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's right. An Italian restaurant called Romeo's. On Valentine's Day. We had a Groupon. They had an extra tent set up for more seating and we got the privilege of sitting in this "love tent" complete with cupid and heart shaped cutouts stuck to the canvas sides, live music (think romantic crooning), and a red balloon for all the ladies. Aaah. It was the epitome of classic V-day cheesiness. We had a wonderful night observing and discussing the other couples - guessing which ones had just gotten together only to be awkwardly faced with Valentines's Day right off the bat, which ones had been together for a long time and making up stories for everything in between. Good times. Average pasta. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">And that brings us to this Valentine's Day. We opted to stay in. I put my sweet little boy to bed while Jonathan went out and came back with this:</div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o_b3BQVT6ak/T0MnQUEi2UI/AAAAAAAABOU/qfyPoZBDOW4/s1600/we+love+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o_b3BQVT6ak/T0MnQUEi2UI/AAAAAAAABOU/qfyPoZBDOW4/s320/we+love+food.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">A bag of Whole Foods deliciousness- roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, veggies and a nice selection from the chocolate bar that I drool over every time we pass by (cabernet truffle, strawberry balsamic truffle, dark chocolate with cherry and almonds, etc.). A bottle of wine (with a bow no less!). A red rose. Candles. And a love letter. Does it get any better than that? I think not. </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-70110953646085572102012-02-06T19:57:00.000-08:002012-02-06T19:57:48.408-08:00Heaven Anyone?<div style="text-align: center;">Now that I've finished off the Hunger Games Trilogy, it's time to get a little more serious with my reading once again... something that my new "evening" allows me plenty of time for. It's been awhile since I read a book with a friend but over Christmas my South Carolina friend, Sarah Ashlin, and I decided to do just that. And we aren't letting the 1,000+ mile distance stop us. I think I suggested the idea to read together and SA suggested the book (probably b/c she already had a head start on me). So, we are reading <em>Heaven</em> by Randy Alcorn. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qtvxImyhqwk/TzCBwPf7iWI/AAAAAAAABNE/9xVQY23TfdA/s1600/heaven+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qtvxImyhqwk/TzCBwPf7iWI/AAAAAAAABNE/9xVQY23TfdA/s1600/heaven+book.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now, I must admit that while I was excited about reading a book with a friend and having a phone date to chat about our thoughts every couple of weeks, I just wasn't too excited about the book itself. I mean, I don't spend that much time thinking about Heaven... b/c honestly I'm not really all that interested in it. (Shocking, I know.) I guess I've always just felt like, while it's great that I'm eventually going to be going to Heaven and all (especially considering the alternative...), the Here and Now is what really consumes me. And since it's probably the same for most everyone else, why not just focus on the reality of what a relationship with God is like now instead of trying to imagine some distant otherworldly future? It's going to be good, but beyond that I've never really been very concerned. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But then I started reading the book... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the first two chapters have convinced me that Heaven is actually pretty interesting - contrary to what most people seem to think about floating around singing hymns and playing harps and not recognizing anyone from Earth. Apparently, these misconceptions don't come from Scripture anyway. Not only that, but we are <em>commanded</em> in Colossians 3:1-2 to "set (our) hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (To) set (our) minds on things above, not on earthly things." Not to get all hermeneutical on you here, but according to Alcorn the Greek word translated "set your hearts on" refers to a diligent, active, ongoing, single-minded investigation. And now I'll just go ahead and quote a paragraph that I've underlined in the book:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>The command, and its restatement, implies there is nothing automatic about setting our minds on Heaven. In fact, most commands assume a resistance to obeying them, which sets up the neccessity for the command. We are told to avoid sexual immorality because it is our tendency. We are not told to avoid jumping off buildings because normally we don't battle such a temptation. The command to think about Heaven is under attack in a hundred different ways every day. Everything militates against it. Our minds are so much set on Earth that we are unaccustomed to heavenly thinking. So we must work at it.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm sure the good old phrase about someone being "so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good" has already come to mind here. But perhaps the opposite could actually be the truer statement: Maybe we are often of such little earthly good precisely b/c we think of heavenly things too little.<em> </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of my favorite authors, John Eldredge, suggests that our desires were given to us by God b/c we are made in His image. Our frustrations (however big or small) with ourselves, those around us and the world as we know it, stem from the very fact that God created us for <em>more</em>, for His reality. He gave us the desire for perfection and beauty and health and orderliness and happiness and love and connection and peace and unity and life and strength. But instead we see imperfections, ugliness, diseases of every kind, chaos, depression, hatred, loneliness, war, death, and weakness all around us and it is disheartening/disappointing/dissatisfying (dis-everything!). To say the least. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But there is a <em>reason</em> why it is so hard to look past what we can see with our physical eyes and focus on the object of our true God-given desires. The reason is this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There is a lying, deceptive, jealous, and resentful Satan who has <strong>tricked</strong> us into thinking that while Heaven may exist, it's not really going to be a very fun place and we shouldn't waste our time thinking or worrying about what it's going to be like. What's more, he's <strong>persuaded</strong> us that what we see here on Earth is the only reality. He's <strong>blinded</strong> us to the fact that<em> </em>things are not as they should be. To quote the book again,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>We're prone to deny the great realities of God and Heaven, which we can no longer see because of the Curse... Sitting here in a dark world, we must remind ourselves what Scripture tells us about Heaven. We will one day be delivered from the blindness that separates us from the real world... If you're a Christian suffering with great pain and losses, Jesus says, " Be of good cheer" (John 16:33, NKJV). The new house is nearly ready for you. Moving day is coming. The dark winter is about to be magically transformed into spring. One day soon you will be home- for the first time.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Those are some pretty awesome promises. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maybe you are like me, though. I don't feel like I'm really suffering with great pain or loss right now. I enjoy my life here on Earth aside from some pretty petty frustrations and worries. I've always thought I want to enjoy it here a while longer before <em>having</em> to go to Heaven. But I'm realizing, maybe that is the <em>most</em> dangerous state of mind to be in! Maybe Satan has already achieved his ultimate goal with this mindset! I have become satisfied with far too little. I don't know about you, but I don't really like the idea of someone <strong>tricking</strong> me, <strong>persuading</strong> me, <strong>blinding</strong> me to reality. In fact, it makes me pretty mad. And it <em>really</em> makes me want to find out <em>what</em> he's been trying to hide and <em>why</em> he's been trying to hide it. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-17582041835828677232012-01-30T18:26:00.000-08:002012-01-30T18:26:52.276-08:00Highlights<div style="text-align: center;">Thought I'd share a few highlights from this past week. From the menu department, this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/04/raw-brownie.html">http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/04/raw-brownie.html</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Raw Brownie</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ6vVzeIPFU/TybxrbErfmI/AAAAAAAABMU/ydoInomSi74/s1600/rawbrownie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ6vVzeIPFU/TybxrbErfmI/AAAAAAAABMU/ydoInomSi74/s320/rawbrownie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It's made with walnuts, dates, cocoa, sea salt and almonds. That's it. No flour, no eggs, no sugar, no oil. Just pure delicious chocolate goodness. Yum. My friend, Lisa, gave me the link to this recipe and it will be a regular in this household for sure! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...And this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/rice/greek-quinoa-and-avocados/">http://www.bhg.com/recipe/rice/greek-quinoa-and-avocados/</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Greek Quinoa with Spinach and Avocados</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z0gCd77oCrU/TybzUmzlaNI/AAAAAAAABMc/8CTjn-qjNes/s1600/greek+quinoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z0gCd77oCrU/TybzUmzlaNI/AAAAAAAABMc/8CTjn-qjNes/s1600/greek+quinoa.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This one was passed on by my friend, Sarah Ashlin, who is helping me with the whole monthly menu planning bit. It's easy, healthy, tasty. The perfect trifecta when it comes to making dinner, right? I thought some chickpeas tossed in wouldn't hurt. =) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There was also a highlight from the wish list department: I got my Storksak bag! Yay! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_o0lUeo1Y7Y/Tyb0ct0wvtI/AAAAAAAABMk/LUwnvzOTzMo/s1600/diaper+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_o0lUeo1Y7Y/Tyb0ct0wvtI/AAAAAAAABMk/LUwnvzOTzMo/s1600/diaper+bag.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It is actually way more wonderful in real life. Nice and roomy, washable/wipeable with tons of pockets, and an extra across the body strap. I was really proud of myself for devising a plan to get it that stayed within our budget too. I used my Discover rewards to turn $60 "bucks back" into a $75 Bed Bath and Beyond gift card (which can be used at Buy Buy Baby). Then I went online and printed a 20% off coupon for Buy Buy Baby. So, by combining the coupon and gift cards and saving up my fun money for the month (I did miss a few of my vanilla lattes along the way), I was able to go ahead and "invest" in this new bag which I am really loving!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two highlights on the JD front:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1. He went poo-poo in the potty! (Don't worry, no pictures of this to follow) It was only one time, completely at my suggestion (as opposed to his own initiative) and in no way really indicates any potty training readiness or inclinations... but still! It can't be a BAD thing right? He got some chocolate chips afterwards so he thought it was pretty cool! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. He has started to eat supper with Jonathan and I. Or, rather, we've started to eat supper with him... Up til this past week we've been eating breakfast all together and I eat lunch with him, but then we would always feed him supper around 5:30, do his bath and get him in bed around 7 and then eat our own dinner - relaxing on the couch. I always thought that it was kind of nice to just get to eat dinner in peace after a long kid-filled day. By the time we were done eating though, I was pretty much done in for the day. As in, no energy to really clean up the kitchen, so that got left for in the morning (yucky). No energy to blog or fold laundry or work on any little projects. We would watch a couple shows and then drift off to the bedroom and sleep. <em>Now,</em> though, it's like I have this whole other chunk of the day that I never had before. It's called "evening"! Admittedly, dinner time all together is not quite as relaxing as it was by ourselves, but by 7:30 dinner and the house are cleaned up and JD is in bed. We can sit down and have a glass of wine or dessert, read, blog, do a project, watch a show - whatever. It is actually really great! Not to mention, JD loves the time eating dinner with us and it is helping set the stage for family dinner time which is something we really want to put an emphasis on as the kids grow up... Anyway, here's a very small project that I've been putting off for awhile that I was able to get done in less than an hour after dinner one night. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Before: Plain white IKEA bedside lamps</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQmvtBbNkko/TydK81MjVMI/AAAAAAAABMs/m1ZoTQqkaIQ/s1600/lamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQmvtBbNkko/TydK81MjVMI/AAAAAAAABMs/m1ZoTQqkaIQ/s320/lamp.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">After: More personalized/elegant with black ribbon trim</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gem-g8fvEA4/TydLCjImUaI/AAAAAAAABM0/2wnZtY_jKkQ/s1600/lamp+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gem-g8fvEA4/TydLCjImUaI/AAAAAAAABM0/2wnZtY_jKkQ/s320/lamp+after.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Finally, a highlight on the movie night scene. We've instigated weekly date nights. Two with a babysitter where we go out to dinner or whatever. And two at home where we just order take out and watch a movie. This week we watched 50/50. And while officially "recommending" movies makes me nervous (I definitely don't condone <em>everything</em> in the movies I "recommend"), we both really liked this one and in my opinion, it is hard to find a good movie these days. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg_i7RLyGEw/TydP_qwQuII/AAAAAAAABM8/uh4TrwlMn1M/s1600/5050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg_i7RLyGEw/TydP_qwQuII/AAAAAAAABM8/uh4TrwlMn1M/s1600/5050.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-72915592973592719202012-01-24T20:54:00.000-08:002012-01-24T20:54:59.691-08:00My Harmonica Duet Serenade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not really into all the "Mommy and Me" classes out there... We could literally be doing a different class every day of the week from swimming to yoga (I prefer doing yoga <em>minus </em>the<em> </em>wrestling a toddler part- although I will admit, a plank is a lot more challenging with a 28 pounder on your back) to baby sign language. All of which are great, I am sure. But really? Are they for the babies or the mommies? That being said, JD has been taking Kindermusik classes, taught by my friend Alissa, since he was about 5 months old (and we do make the occasional appearance at the local library's story time). It's kind of my attempt to make up for my own lack of musical ability, rhythm, etc. He has always enjoyed the class and frequently requests to hear the CDs in the car and at home. While he's not overly participatory during the actual <em>class </em>(preferring to observe with one thumb in his mouth and one pinching his belly), in the <em>car</em> he really goes to town with the all the motions and even tries to sing the words now. Anyway, it is a great program and twice a semester the kids all get new instruments to take home. These have always been a hit and thanks in large part to Kindermusik, JD has two little baskets dedicated to musical instruments. The most recent addition this past week was not one but two harmonicas! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyWWROP6tScp9awAFfpzGzUbKMPSjzkp4ucVvo23LCP94ivOlNgrQNkyi0vVinz9OE6ve6Hb7DgmbAde1XXnQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hence, I was treated to this little serenade Sunday morning as I fixed our Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake for brunch and sipped my second cup of (half decaf!) coffee. You probably "would have had to have been here", but it's one of those moments that I love about being a mom. Or as a popular article (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html" target="_blank">Don't Carpe Diem</a> - you've probably seen it posted on a mom's facebook status) calls this moment: Kairos. The authore says "Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them." </div><div style="text-align: center;">If you are a mom with young kids and haven't read <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html" target="_blank">the article</a>, you should. Not because it's a life-changing work of genius or anything, just because the rest of this post will make a lot more sense if you are familiar with the article. And the author's observations really did resonate with me. First of all, because I can definitely relate to having older ladies telling me that "It goes by so quickly! Enjoy it!" in the aisles of Target. I appreciated the illustration about climbing Mt. Everest - crying every step of the way but having your breath taken away when you look up and see the view and wanting to plan your next climb. And the quote of the famous author who, when asked if she liked writing said, "I like having written." I laughed out loud at her description of her three kids' antics in the check out line and her response to one of these kindly old ladies, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. <em>Especially this one</em>. Yes. Thank you." Ha Ha Ha! I also totally get the whole Chronos/ Kairos time thing. There <em>are</em> moments, regular everyday moments -when a peanut butter and jelly smeared face looks over at me in the middle of lunch and an already very full mouth says a muffled "MORE!", when those mischievous blue eyes peer out from between chubby little fingers and I hear "A-boo!", when I see a certain little grin, or pour water over a soapy head in the bathtub and notice the way his eyelashes look when they're wet - moments that I just want to freeze in my mind so that they will last forever. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I also liked her comparison to how no body at her <em>husband's</em> job is standing over <em>him</em>, reminding him to enjoy each moment or implying that he is not a very good worker if he isn't loving every aspect of his job, making the most of it all. She says, "Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard." And that reminded me that parenting is a <em>job</em>. An <em>important</em> job at that (not that it had really slipped my mind how important parenting is, but sometimes it's just nice to be reminded and validated anyway). There are several parks in our neighborhood where I am usually the only actual <em>mom</em> there when I take JD to play. Most of the kids are there with their nannies. Nannies, who I am quite sure, are making a very nice salary <em>parenting</em>. Sometimes, instead of thinking of myself as "just" a stay at home mom or as having left my career, it's nice to remember that people who do what I do are highly sought after and actually get paid really good money. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyway, while I did enjoy the article and appreciated the point the author was making about being truthful and admitting to the trials of parenting, let's be honest. There are plenty of moms out there talking about how hard parenting is. And they are right. And for that matter, there are plenty of seemingly perfect (well intentioned yet very annoying) moms out there talking about how absolutely wondrous it is too. But for me, it doesn't really fall into one of these neat little categories. The bottom line is this: I am absolutely sure that I will look back one day and say, "I enjoy having parented." But the truth is, <em>I enjoy the actual here and now parenting too</em>. I'm not just waiting for the day when I can look back nostalgically, heave a sigh of relief and say, "Ahh...It went by so fast!" I am truly thankful to be able to say that I love my job. Right now.</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-35830895637327087912012-01-16T19:21:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:21:59.511-08:00Monday Night = Blog Night<div style="text-align: center;">Monday night has unofficially become the night that I usually end up blogging, but as I was thinking earlier in the day about what to write about, nothing really jumped out to me. Instead of just avoiding the blog altogether in favor of the second Hunger Games book (I do have a <em>few</em> guilty pleasures left after my New Year's purge), I decided to 1.) add some pics of JD which the blog has been sorely lacking and 2.) fill you in on my new baby "wish list" - a girl can dream, right? So, without further ado:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5NjdQ1l57M/TxTRezgLdXI/AAAAAAAABKs/Wdq-5wS2vMM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5NjdQ1l57M/TxTRezgLdXI/AAAAAAAABKs/Wdq-5wS2vMM/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llFliNd-CFE/TxTRhLV0qpI/AAAAAAAABK0/6I4OgTNumeo/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llFliNd-CFE/TxTRhLV0qpI/AAAAAAAABK0/6I4OgTNumeo/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAT4oPlwOK4/TxTRjC5MhrI/AAAAAAAABK8/rMdf0MqWNT8/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAT4oPlwOK4/TxTRjC5MhrI/AAAAAAAABK8/rMdf0MqWNT8/s320/photo+4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSCgJdc1x08/TxTUPhBM6TI/AAAAAAAABLE/KbyTWJsp5q8/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSCgJdc1x08/TxTUPhBM6TI/AAAAAAAABLE/KbyTWJsp5q8/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My little Rocketman. I'm not the photographer (and most likely never will be) that I wish I was. Most (all) of my pictures are taken with my iPhone, and it actually takes better pictures than our little point and shoot Kodak does anyway. Sadly, you will rarely be treated to any photographic genius on this blog. That being said, I think these shots turned out ok and capture JD pretty well. Playing with this cute little Radio Flyer Rocket out in our driveway is one of his new favorite pass times.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjvtHpIqoFE/TxTU0zAVoCI/AAAAAAAABLM/wucyZMSJR04/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjvtHpIqoFE/TxTU0zAVoCI/AAAAAAAABLM/wucyZMSJR04/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here's JD and his friend, Penny. I know many of you probably already saw this on Facebook, but really? <em>Can</em> there be too much of this picture?? I think not. Penny has been coming over a morning or two a week while her mom and dad have a short overlap in their work schedules. Among her and JD's favorite things to do so far: scribble with crayons, hide in my closet and make no noise then start laughing wildly when I come check on them, see who can scream with the highest pitch, pop bubbles, play in JD's crib, and of course save time for some good old thumb sucking and belly pinching. When JD started this combo several months ago (he's never gotten attached to any kind of a security blanket, toy or pacifier - just the belly), I was totally fine with it, but I did wonder if it was a little strange. I have since noticed several other kiddos doing the same thing, though, so I guess it is not that crazy. And, as you can see, he's found a kindred spirit in Miss Penny. I noticed them both running out of steam towards the end of the morning and so I turned on some cartoons. A few minutes later, I glanced over and saw this. A moment I am sure will come back to haunt them in years to come! =) </div><div style="text-align: center;">And P.S. Who would have thought that caring for <em>two</em> almost two year olds, is actually easier than caring for just one?? It's true. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3RBMCsOOibI/TxTZQUDaCOI/AAAAAAAABLU/w4MUQEGuyfg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3RBMCsOOibI/TxTZQUDaCOI/AAAAAAAABLU/w4MUQEGuyfg/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This one's pretty self explanatory. Putting my boys to work. JD is really into the whole "helping" thing right now. Think it will last long enough to actually be helpful?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IGlH2Lv7h4Q/TxTaZcZmJlI/AAAAAAAABLc/IIw8tpBJbBw/s1600/JD+and+Jake+at+zoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IGlH2Lv7h4Q/TxTaZcZmJlI/AAAAAAAABLc/IIw8tpBJbBw/s320/JD+and+Jake+at+zoo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YXQ6pYtFSqk/TxTabjNVyeI/AAAAAAAABLk/qYx_UqwKHyM/s1600/Jd+and+Jake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YXQ6pYtFSqk/TxTabjNVyeI/AAAAAAAABLk/qYx_UqwKHyM/s320/Jd+and+Jake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here's JD with another little buddy who we totally wish we got to see more!! So far it's just been once a year at Christmas time. Jake is our South Carolina friends, Duncan and Sarah Ashlin's, 15 month old son. So far, their relationship revolves around food. JD has the snacks and Jake wants 'em! It works out well as one of JD's favorite things to do is feed others. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's all for JD at the moment. I will try to do better on the kid front from here on out. But on to my wish list. I'll abbreviate. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lavjtF_rAeQ/TxTdU_MqvCI/AAAAAAAABLs/XavdCeVewOc/s1600/bob+stroller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lavjtF_rAeQ/TxTdU_MqvCI/AAAAAAAABLs/XavdCeVewOc/s320/bob+stroller.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Bob Duallie. How do people afford $650 strollers? That's not to say I wouldn't get my money's worth out of this baby. Needless to say, I'll soon be scouring Craigslist on a minute by minute basis hoping to snatch up one of these sweet rides for my chillins. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-giU75DMAuko/TxTdYTsTijI/AAAAAAAABL0/0sidg5T5AWc/s1600/diaper+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-giU75DMAuko/TxTdYTsTijI/AAAAAAAABL0/0sidg5T5AWc/s1600/diaper+bag.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> On a related note, how do people afford $200 diaper bags/purses? Saw this Storksak beauty at Buy Buy Baby. Time to start saving my fun money. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-isrQghqr63M/TxTdbrcwXYI/AAAAAAAABL8/DZQ9oBE3e08/s1600/ergo+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-isrQghqr63M/TxTdbrcwXYI/AAAAAAAABL8/DZQ9oBE3e08/s1600/ergo+baby.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">I've heard from alot of ladies that the ERGObaby carrier is their favorite. And I have noticed many a baby-wearing, Austin mom with one strapped on. Pretty sure I will be getting one of these. I do have the BabyBjorn but remember JD growing out of it pretty fast and this is something I could actually <em>still</em> carry JD in and you can wear it on your front, hip, or back. I also have a Moby, but that's just too much material to be dealing with in the 110 degree Austin summer. I'm not really the continual around the house baby-wearing type, but with a toddler in tow I feel like this could come in pretty handy on outings. Now, usually they are plain old black or tan. But who can resist dropping an extra $50 just for the adorable Petunia Pickle Bottom print? </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rcibitHPRO0/TxTh4bzy0WI/AAAAAAAABME/TVvUnhWkN7U/s1600/lusy+bloom+rug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rcibitHPRO0/TxTh4bzy0WI/AAAAAAAABME/TVvUnhWkN7U/s320/lusy+bloom+rug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the bright, cheery rug I found to be the focal point of the new decor for the kids' shared room. This, I actually found for very cheap at IKEA and it has inspired me on how I can make use of most everything that is already in there as well as a few other odds and ends that I already have. Stay tuned for before and after pics in the next couple months! =)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now, just to be clear, I find most of the tons and tons and <em>tons</em> of baby paraphernalia that is out there extrememly superfluous, unnecessary, consumeristic, disturbing, and downright ridiculous (to name a few). In fact (and this literally just dawned on me so it hasn't been fully thought out or processed) it is almost like what Christmas has become in a way. Amidst all the shopping and traveling and eating and family drama and presents and Santas, no body remembers that <em>Christmas</em> is really about the fact that God sent His only SON to earth as a human baby who would grow up to show us how to bring about His Kingdom here on earth and then give His life to free us from death... And amidst all the wipe warmers, video monitors, designer furniture and clothes (which make a fashion statement about Mom and Dad not baby), pacifier cases, $650 strollers, $200 diaper bags, not to mention the toys (oh my goodness the <em>toys</em>!), no body remembers that people were having babies and raising children long before any of these things were invented. And dare I say? It seems like maybe they grew up a little more responsible and a little less "entitled" than kids these days? And now that I've officially used the phrase "kids these days" it's time for me to get off my soap box. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But here's one more little bonus thing. Do try this at home. Your arms will hate me for it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZVSIskXtiE/TxTonvyBJDI/AAAAAAAABMM/TkU06tXOSPI/s1600/plank+workout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BZVSIskXtiE/TxTonvyBJDI/AAAAAAAABMM/TkU06tXOSPI/s320/plank+workout.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">BA HAHAHAHAHA! </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-15451602523007336182012-01-09T19:59:00.000-08:002012-01-09T19:59:29.778-08:00The Baby Blues (salad, that is)<div style="text-align: center;">I must say, this menu planning business is on point! Not sure why I didn't start this a long time ago...This past Saturday morning (after spin class), I drug out all my dusty cookbooks and headed to a lovely little coffee shop overlooking Lake Austin. Over a vanilla latte and a breakfast taco, I planned out a month of meals. Breakfast, lunch, <em>and</em> dinner. I get stuck in a rut eating cereal every morning, if I don't have a breakfast plan, and ooccasionally, Jonathan will come home at lunch time and ask, "What are you having for lunch?" In the past, I usually had no answer for this little question b/c I had just planned on eating a yogurt or some random combination of leftovers or another bowl of cereal. Now, I can tell him before he leaves in the morning what we are having for lunch that day! (His lunch time appearances are becoming more than occasional, and it's been nice for the three of us to all sit down at the table and eat lunch together.) And by planning out dinners on a weekly basis, I can keep better track of how much variety we are getting and how nutritional our meals are. Not to mention the fact that after I got done with the menu, I easily wrote out a grocery list. One where I knew we would use everything on it. One that was much shorter and more succinct than my old lists (or lack thereof) which usually involved a great deal of guesswork. So the list, combined with the fact that I don't make as many trips to the store for last minute meals, is already saving us some grocery money. As someone who thrives on organization, I feel so much more "together." I would even say more confident and less stressed. Perhaps you are rolling your eyes, since all of this seems - well, <em>obvious</em>. Maybe you already have a tried and true meal schedule/grocery shopping strategy that has been working for you for a long time. I know, I'm a little behind here...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyway, tonight we had a super simple to make salad that tasted like a little bite of heaven! Of course it <em>is</em> a bit presumptuous, but I just have to share the recipe so you can enjoy the goodness too. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTmUZJnIWZE/Twu1SpuxFmI/AAAAAAAABKc/q7F1j1izLUE/s1600/Spinach-Salad-2_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTmUZJnIWZE/Twu1SpuxFmI/AAAAAAAABKc/q7F1j1izLUE/s320/Spinach-Salad-2_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Baby Blue Salad</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1/2 cup coarsely crumbled bacon</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1/4 cup blue cheese</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">8 cups baby spinach</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">2 avocados, peeled and diced</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1 cup grape tomatoes, halved</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">1 lemon</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">freshly ground black pepper, to taste</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Kosher salt, to taste</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">In a large bowl, toss bacon, blue cheese, spinach, tomatoes and avocado. Add juice of half the lemon and toss again to mash some of the avocado. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with remaining lemon half, cut into slices. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Pair that with a glass of red wine and follow it up with a few pieces of a dark chocolate, and your evening will be off to a pretty good start. =) Speaking of evenings, I am totally enjoying less time with facebook and the tv at night. More time reading, drinking green tea at bed time, doing crosswords, and going to bed early! (And, yes, I am totally aware that this makes me sound like I am at least 80 years old. And, no, I totally don't care. At all.) Going to bed earlier has helped me to get up a few minutes earlier a couple times this week to read my Bible and take some quiet time to listen for the Lord <em>before</em> I hear the first (of <em>many</em>) sweet "Mommy!"s of the day. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I've also been spending more intentional time with JD at home, instead of always trying to think of places for us to go in order to fill our time. Today was a chilly, rainy, inside day and I could have been tempted to just pack up and go to one of those indoor playlands with the ball pits, the inflatable bounce houses, and the toddler corrals containing every cheap, plastic toy known to man (and probably every germ as well, but I'm pretty much the opposite of a germaphobe). That place has saved my sanity on more than one occasion to be sure, but today we were at home the whole day except for one quick trip to the grocery store/ dry cleaners around the corner which accounted for a total of less than 30 minutes. Now, my son prefers to be played <em>with</em> instead of quietly entertaining himself as I hear some angelic children are known to do. So, I am attempting to embrace this to a certain extent. I'm implementing a little bit more structure in our playtime, and encouraging him to "help" me with my work whenever possible (which he absolutely loves). Been playing around with the idea of a (very loose and flexible) "schedule" for play activities since he is getting to the age where he can focus for longer periods of time, is enjoying constructing towers as opposed to just knocking them over, and is getting better at cleaning up. Trying to balance this more meaningful one on one time with time where he can learn to entertain himself while I make a meal, fold clothes, pay bills, or do a workout. With more reasonable (read: much lower) expectations of what I can actually get done while JD is awake, I find I can enjoy our time together sooo much more. And I realize how awesome it is to have this incredible time with my son. How I would not trade it. For anything. </div><div style="text-align: center;">So, yes. It feels good to be doing more of the things I really want to be doing. More of the things I actually value. The year is off to a good start. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">PS And since I'm already being presumptuous with my recipes, I'll go ahead and share my whole menu as well. That's how excited I am about this! =)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 846px;"><colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 1243; mso-width-source: userset; width: 26pt;" width="34"><col style="mso-width-alt: 4352; mso-width-source: userset; width: 89pt;" width="119"><col style="mso-width-alt: 4644; mso-width-source: userset; width: 95pt;" width="127"><col style="mso-width-alt: 4754; mso-width-source: userset; width: 98pt;" width="130"><col style="mso-width-alt: 4352; mso-width-source: userset; width: 89pt;" width="119"><col style="mso-width-alt: 4242; mso-width-source: userset; width: 87pt;" width="116"><col style="mso-width-alt: 3803; mso-width-source: userset; width: 78pt;" width="104"><col style="mso-width-alt: 3547; mso-width-source: userset; width: 73pt;" width="97"></colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="36" style="height: 27pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl66" height="36" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 27pt; width: 26pt;" width="34"></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">MONDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">TUESDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">WEDNESDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">THURSDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">FRIDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">SATURDAY</span></strong></td><td class="xl67" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">SUNDAY</span></strong></td></tr>
<tr height="58" style="height: 43.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl64" height="58" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 43.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">B:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Crockpot Apple Cinn./Raisin Oatmeal</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">French Toast/Strawberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/Grapefruit</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Carrot Muffins/ Yogurt</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Bagels w/ Crm Cheese Cantaloupe</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Banana</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="font5"><strong>Brunch:</strong></span><span class="font6"> Black Bean, Potato Breakfast Tacos</span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr height="44" style="height: 33pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl64" height="44" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 33pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">L:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">MacNCheese/ Hot Dog/ Green Beans</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Turkey Deli Sandwiches/Kettle Chips</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Veggie Omelet</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftover Chickpea Pasta</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">n/a</span></td></tr>
<tr height="59" style="height: 44.25pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl64" height="59" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 44.25pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">D:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Baby Bleu Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Salmon/Rice/ Asparagus</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Chickpea Pasta Almonds & Parmesan</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Crockpot Chicken Rice/Green Beans</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers/Take Out</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Turkey Burgers/Sweet Potato Fries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Potluck at Church</span></td></tr>
<tr height="14" style="height: 10.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl68" height="14" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 10.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></strong></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td></tr>
<tr height="46" style="height: 34.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl64" height="46" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 34.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">B:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Banana</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">French Toast/Strawberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Pear Granola Muffins/Yogurt</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Oatmeal/ Blueberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Bagel w/ Crm Cheese Cantaloupe</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/Banana</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="font5"><strong>Brunch: </strong></span><span class="font6">Waffles/ Berries</span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr height="48" style="height: 36pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl64" height="48" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 36pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">L:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Tuna Salad on Salad Greens</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftover Tomato Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Veggie Omelet</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Mac n Cheese/ Hot Dog</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Hummus Sandwiches</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">n/a</span></td></tr>
<tr height="51" style="height: 38.25pt;"><td class="xl64" height="51" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 38.25pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">D:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Grilled Chicken/ Tomato Olive Mozarella Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Brown Rice & Black Beans w/ Toppings</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Beef/Broccoli Stir Fry</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">CrockPot Italian Lentil Soup</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers/Date Night</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Island Pork Tenderloin Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Tomato Soup/ Grilled Cheese</span></td></tr>
<tr height="18" style="height: 13.5pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl68" height="18" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 13.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></strong></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td></tr>
<tr height="51" style="height: 38.25pt;"><td class="xl64" height="51" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 38.25pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">B:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Soy Sausage on English muffin</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Crockpot Banana Nut Oatmeal</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Blueberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Egg/Cheese Burrito</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Bagel w/ Crm Cheese Strawberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Grapefruit</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="font5"><strong>Brunch: </strong></span><span class="font6">Cran, Almond Coffee Cake/ Eggs</span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr height="51" style="height: 38.25pt;"><td class="xl64" height="51" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 38.25pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">L:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Deli Turkey Sandwich/ Kettle Chips</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftover Quinoa Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">PBJ Sandwich</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Butternut Squash Soup/ Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">n/a</span></td></tr>
<tr height="34" style="height: 25.5pt;"><td class="xl64" height="34" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 25.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">D:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Greek Style Quinoa Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Meatloaf/ Baked Potato/ Broccoli</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Sweet Potato Bowl</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers/Take Out</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Spaghetti/ Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Crockpot Vegetarian Chili</span></td></tr>
<tr height="16" style="height: 12pt; mso-height-source: userset;"><td class="xl68" height="16" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></strong></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td><td class="xl69" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: windowtext 0.5pt solid; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;"><strong> </strong></span></td></tr>
<tr height="68" style="height: 51pt;"><td class="xl64" height="68" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 51pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">B:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Crockpot Apple/Cinn. Oatmeal</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Waffles/ Strawberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Banana</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Bagel w/ Crm Cheese Cantaloupe</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftover Breakfast Casserole</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Cereal/ Blackberries</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="font5"><strong>Brunch</strong></span><span class="font6">:Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes/ Raspberries</span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr height="34" style="height: 25.5pt;"><td class="xl64" height="34" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 25.5pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">L:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftover Chili</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Tuna Salad on Salad Greens</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Hummus Wraps</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Baby Field Greens Salad (E2)</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">E2 Basics Salad</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">n/a</span></td></tr>
<tr height="51" style="height: 38.25pt;"><td class="xl64" height="51" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; height: 38.25pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">D:</span></strong></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Veggie Fried Rice</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 95pt;" width="127"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Beef Stroganoff/ Green Beans</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 98pt;" width="130"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Quinoa w/ Spinach and Avocado</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 89pt;" width="119"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Sausage Breakfast Cass.w/ Spinach Grits</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 87pt;" width="116"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Leftovers/ Date Night</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 78pt;" width="104"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Pad Thai (E2)</span></td><td class="xl65" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #ece9d8; border-left: #ece9d8; border-right: #ece9d8; border-top: #ece9d8; width: 73pt;" width="97"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Pizza/ Side Salad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-18710728477116843832012-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:002012-01-02T21:13:09.265-08:00Bring on the New Year<div style="text-align: center;">I'm not really into the whole traditional "New Year's Resolutions," but I <em>am</em> excited about some changes that 2012 is bringing with it. I'm excited about meeting my new baby GIRL for one thing. That's right, I found out on December 20th that our next child is a "she." I was definitely expecting/mentally prepared for another boy, so it's taking some getting used to... I actually feel a wee bit nervous about raising a girl - like I will have an even greater responsibility to her than I do to JD (which already feels pretty huge). You know, to truly <em>show</em> her how to be the woman God created her to be, to value the right qualities in myself so that I can set a healthy example for a girl growing up in a world that often values women for all the wrong things, to be a mother that she wants to be like instead of one she wants to be the opposite of. I have never felt particularly gifted in these "leadership" type areas, so I know I have some work to do. But while I'm nervous, I am also excited about the opportunity to grow and be stretched because I have always found that when I set out to teach something, I'm usually the one that ends up learning the most. Not to mention the fact that we had the perfect boy's name picked out and we're stumped for girl's names... So becoming a family of four - that's one big, obvious change that's coming this year.</div><div style="text-align: center;">There's another, more subtle, change that I feel is going to be coming this year as well. For the first time in quite awhile (probably since moving to Austin and having JD, in fact), I feel excited about <em>my</em> relationship with God. I realize that this sounds extreme. It sounds pretty bad. But I'm just being honest. I don't think I've been "far from God." I haven't been doubting Him or angry with Him or rebelling against Him. And I've even seen Him answer prayers, provide for our family, and work through our little church community, The Grove. But I haven't been "close to God" either. After some personal reflection (which does not come easily or naturally to me) I think there are two main things that have contributed to my general apathy in the spiritual arena. 1.)When we left South Carolina, we left behind a strong group of spiritually like minded close friends who constantly encouraged me to push deeper into God, to expect to hear from Him, and to change in order to become more like Him. We moved here to Austin, an awesome city where we did not know anyone. So that was different. 2.)Then I had JD and I began to value things like sleep, having a clean house, and getting back in shape more than spending time in the Word. I have been waaaaay more disciplined in working on my physical fitness than I have been in working on my spiritual health. Without even realizing it, I started to believe this lie that as a mother, in this "season of life" I did not really have time to read my Bible on any kind of consistent basis anymore. I <em>did</em> have time to sleep in on Saturdays (thanks to my amazing husband), clean and organize my little house (I don't like to use the word "obsessively"), and train for a half marathon, a triathlon, and my personal best 10K though. Looking back, I feel like these two factors combined to lull me into a state of complacency in which I was okay with where I was in my relationship with the Lord. And it wasn't a bad place, but since it wasn't really <em>going</em> anywhere it has become rather stagnate. In addition, I am realizing that I had begun to equate how much "doing good for others," serving, volunteering, etc I was doing with my spiritual well being. And being a mom <em>has</em> put some limits on how much of that I am able to do. So I was subconsciously accepting the fact that my relationship with the Lord was just going to be "on hold" for awhile. When in reality, I am slowly waking up to the fact that perhaps God intentionally has me in a place where I can <em>do</em> less so that I can just <em>be</em> with Him more. All of this long-windedness to say that, thankfully, in the last couple of weeks, God has been doing something in me. I'm so glad He doesn't leave everything up to us! Right now, I am just in the beginning stages of realizing and admitting where I am and asking Him for the desire to grow. And I can already tell that He is answering that simple little prayer. I think He has been waiting for me to pray it for a while now. So that is the second change that I am looking forward to in 2012! </div><div style="text-align: center;">There are a few other, smaller, things I'm excited about this year too. My friend, Sarah Ashlin, has inspired me to new levels of organization. (Those of you who know her might not believe me, but it's true!) This Saturday morning I took all my favorite cookbooks to a nice little coffee shop overlooking Lake Austin and planned out a menu for the week. I typed it out, complete with recipes, and made a grocery list accordingly. Now it is printed and hung on a piece of cork board on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door (thank you, Pinterest). I plan on doing this every Saturday morning until I have about two months worth of meals to rotate through, and I expect it to save us time and money and help us to eat more well-thought out, healthy meals. (I am happy to share meal plans with anyone who wants some new ideas, btw!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Speaking of healthy meals, I came across <a href="http://www.ecokaren.com/2010/02/7-foods-even-food-safety-experts-won-t-eat/" target="_blank">this</a> article today while browsing Facebook. In a nutshell: DO buy organic milk (if you must buy cow's milk at all), organic potatoes and apples, grass-fed beef and wild Alaskan salmon. DO NOT buy canned tomatoes or microwave popcorn. Yes, some of this will most likely be more expensive. But partially through experience and partially through researching and educating myself on a very basic level, I have come to realize that we will either spend our money at the doctor's office or we will spend it at the grocery store. Either way, we <em>will</em> be spending it. Food (see Michael Pollen's <em>In Defense of Food</em> for a good definition of real food) can be pricey. But it is worth it. I plan two to three meatless dinners every week (breakfast and lunch are almost always meatless anyway) so that when we do eat meat we can afford to buy the good stuff. We are still learning and probably have a long way to go on the healthy eating front, but we will be taking more positive steps this year. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I do love a good project and along with having a new baby comes the perfect opportunity. Redecorating JD's blue and black room and turning it into a fun neutral nursery for the two of them to share (once baby starts sleeping through the night, that is)! I am formulating a rough vision of what I want it to look like and collecting ideas from Pinterest, IKEA, Pottery Barn, etc. My mom comes for a visit in March so I'm going to put her to work helping me bring it all to life. And, as always, I have a mental list of home improvements in mind. A new lamp here, a rug there, some plants and patio chairs, a painting I've been meaning to do for the living room, and a slipcover for our couch that has seen better days... My focus has shifted to waiting for good deals and buying more "quality" items rather than running out and buying the cheapest thing I can find as soon as I get an idea (and then not really liking it or having it break). So patience will be a virtue in this area. Sigh. Not a strong point.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have also decided that I want to spend more time doing the things I want to do instead of wasting time <em>not</em> doing the things I want to do. Ha! This will be pretty simple (well, at least in theory) because it mainly includes cutting out a lot of Facebook time and TV time. I usually end up mindlessly watching HGTV and TLC shows one after the other or twiddling around on Facebook until like 10:30 or 11 at night when what I <em>really</em> wanted to be doing was blogging, reading the Bible, finishing a good book, calling or emailing a friend (instead of FBing them), keeping up with the journal I started about JD, having glass of wine and a conversation with my hubby, making muffins for the next morning, doing yoga, taking a bath or just going to bed early (8 is a good time!). The fact that we are cutting out cable will help with that. I plan on choosing one show to watch per week (The Biggest Loser starts tomorrow and it will most likely be over just in time for Dancing With The Stars to start up again... hee hee).</div><div style="text-align: center;">It seems like there are more changes to look forward to, but it is getting late and the only other one I can think of is laundry. Oh, Laundry. How I despise you! But I plan on changing my relationship with laundry by actually doing it in a timely manner. My goal is to just do some (a load or two) every day (or at <em>least</em> every <em>other</em> day), fold and (sigh) yes, even put it away that same day. Perhaps that will eliminate the procrastination to actually put laundry <em>in</em> the washer due to the fact that I know there is still laundry in the dryer from a week ago that I will have to fold and put away in order to dry the load I am starting...</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh and last but not (by any means!) least - maybe, just maybe, 2012 will bring the advent of JD being able to stay in a nursery (any nursery! church would be amazing; the gym would be down right miraculous) without standing by the door wailing, sobbing, calling pitifully for "Mommy!" and insisting "All Done! All Done!" the entire time. <em>Please</em> God! </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-35875492966167346692011-10-03T12:36:00.000-07:002011-10-03T12:36:15.177-07:00Not A Meat Eater (Warning: Long Post Ahead)<div style="text-align: justify;">"Are you a vegan?" The friendly cashier asks JD who is wildly twisting and straining against the horrible grocery cart restraints, waving and saying "Bye! <em>Bye</em>! <strong>BYE</strong>!" (as he is prone to do in a very piercing and insistent manner as soon as we pull our cart up to the check out lane). Immediately upon being noticed by the very person whose attention he is so consumed with getting, JD transforms into his shy mode (ducking head, smiling mischievously while glancing up through fluttery eyelashes). I am only momentarily confused by the cashier's question, because I see that JD is wearing his cute little organic cotton t-shirt that says "Not A Meat Eater" across the front so I chuckle and reply simply that yes, we did eat a vegan diet for the first 7 months of the year, but we don't anymore... [The shirt (that I got from <a href="http://www.smallplum.com/">www.smallplum.com</a> with a Groupon) (1) still fits and (2) was clean, and since those are the two <strike>main</strike> only requirements when I am hastily selecting an article of clothing to wrestle onto my streaking 18 month old who prefers to stay naked (or at the very least make an adventure out of getting dressed) that's what he happened to be wearing in the grocery store check out lane that day in spite of the fact that we are no longer on the vegan diet.]</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-baN9KSAwdps/TooK0WVoBlI/AAAAAAAABKU/NAfhhn-2SIo/s1600/not+a+meat+eater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-baN9KSAwdps/TooK0WVoBlI/AAAAAAAABKU/NAfhhn-2SIo/s320/not+a+meat+eater.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The truth is, the quest for health has taken us down a number of roads this year - veganism being only one of them. It all started out with a ski trip. That's right. In January, Jonathan packed up his snowboard, bought some new boots and took a well-deserved mini vacation to Winter Park, CO with several other guys for a weekend of fun (and, I secretly prayed, NO injuries - as he has been know to incur injuries in almost every sport including disc golf. Little did I know, he would end up spending most of his time snow<em>mobiling</em> instead of snow<em>boarding</em>. Yikes.). Upon his return (and after it was confirmed that he still had all of his limbs), he started telling me about the trip - one of the main points of the story ended up being the amount of MEAT that was consumed. Sausage and bacon for breakfast. Ham sandwiches for lunch. Steak for dinner. Etc. For three days. Also on this trip (in between bites of meat), Jonathan had a conversation with a guy who highly recommended <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+engine+2+diet&sprefix=the+Engine+">The Engine 2 Diet</a></em> by Rip Esselstyn (a professional triathlete turned firefighter here in Austin), saying that after completing the suggested 4 week jump start plan, he had lost quite a few pounds, lowered his cholesterol significantly, and noticed a big difference in his overall well being. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, usually, I am the one pushing the envelope when it comes to healthier eating, so it came as a bit of a shock to me to hear my husband asking me to buy this book so that we could read up on the diet and potentially make the switch to a vegan diet! I got the book, we both read it and really liked what it had to say. This was not the first book I had read about the evils of the Western diet (<em><a href="http://apparentdip.blogspot.com/2007/07/omnivores-dilemma-review.html">The Omnivore's Dilemma</a></em>, <em><a href="http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/">In Defense of Food</a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.detoxtheworld.com/">Detox for Women</a></em> and <a href="http://www.thechinastudy.com/"><em>The China Stud</em>y</a> to name a few) not to mention documentaries such as Food, Inc. and Forks over Knives. I fully believe that you are what you eat (and what your meat eats...) so it was easy to take the plunge into veganism after being once again grossed out by the facts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We both liked all of the food on the E2 diet (which eliminates all oils in addition to animal products) and things were "moving" along very nicely (pun intended!). We did not really miss meat, milk, cheese, or eggs at all. We were getting by just fine with tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers, almond, soy, coconut and rice milk, nutritional yeast, etc. Luckily Austin is highly conducive to this type of lifestyle. With Whole Foods and Central Market within walking distance and Sprouts a five minute drive away, we were set. We also found lots of yummy vegetarian and vegan restaurants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A month or two into this very hip diet/lifestyle change, however, Jonathan began having headaches almost daily and even a few migraines. This continued for several weeks and as time went on he also started feeling completely fatigued in the middle of the day in addition to having pain in his lower abdomen that was at times moderate and at other times more severe. He was frequently achy and feverish and often sick with cold like symptoms. He began coming home in the middle of the day to take naps. When we used to spend the weekend going on "family adventures", Jonathan would often be too tired and/or sick. So I would try to spend as much time out of our small house with JD as possible so he could get some rest. As much as I hate to admit it, while I was genuinely concerned for Jonathan and his health, I was <em>most </em>concerned with the fact that <em>I</em> wasn't getting much time "off." I was becoming much less sympathetic (and I did not start out as very sympathetic person to begin with) towards all of these ailments as they began piling up and much more easily frustrated. Jonathan, of course, was extremely frustrated as well. He was not able to work as much as he needed to, he did not know why he was constantly feeling sick and tired. Some days he was just plain depressed and not much fun to be around and honestly, again, I thought mostly of myself. <em>I know you feel bad but do you have to make JD and I feel bad too?</em> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">During this time, I happened upon Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in chapter 1 that God would "make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, <em>grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for Christians</em>. Oh, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust in Him - <em>endless energy, boundless strength</em>!" It encouraged me to read these words and know that God intended a glorious way of life for us and wanted to give us endless energy and boundless strength. I prayed for those things. When I felt extra tired I remembered those verses and tried to "claim" them for myself. It helped at times. Sort of. Other times, I just wanted Jonathan to hurry up and get better so <em>my</em> life could get back to normal. And these feelings would make me even more upset because, of course, I realized how utterly ridiculous and selfish they were. I was blessed with an incredible husband and was feeling cheated b/c he wasn't able to help me as much as I had grown used to being helped. (I knew a few single moms who would probably be rolling their eyes at me for these petty complaints.) I wasn't even the one who was sick! (I have several close friends and relatives who have dealt with intense, debilitating pain on a daily basis while carrying on with life, jobs, kids, even athletic careers with less complaining than I was doing b/c my <em>husband</em> was sick!) JD and I had both remained very healthy, and yet at one point I had convinced myself (through a lengthy search of the Internet) that Jonathan had mono. I actually yelled at him as soon as he got home that day, saying "I had better not get it!" I was literally in a panic at the thought of trying to take care of JD on my own while dealing with mono. Wow. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eventually, Jonathan went to the doctor who said he had an infection and gave him a round of antibiotics to take for 7 days. He felt better. For a little while. When the antibiotics were finished, he quickly started going downhill again. One night, he woke up around 230 am feeling feverish and having intense abdominal pain. He went to the emergency room. The doctor there once again diagnosed an infection and gave him a round of 10 day antibiotics. These seemed to help for a few days but even before he was done taking them he began to feel the symptoms returning and worsening. He went back to the doctor who finally gave him the 20 day round of antibiotics. But the symptoms remained. We were not sure what to do. Now I really started wondering <em>What is wrong with my husband!? </em>A friend of Jonathan's had recommended a holistic doctor who had helped both him and his wife with ongoing issues when no other doctors had been able to. During one of his prayer times, Jonathan felt led to make an appointment with this doctor in spite of the fact that he doesn't take insurance. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the course of several weeks and many comprehensive tests later, we learned that Jonathan has high levels of toxic metals in his blood (lead being one, I don't remember the others), is deficient in vitamins K and D, has a significant hormonal imbalance, is highly gluten intolerant, has developed allergic reactions to many foods (including garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, and shellfish to name a few), and has a candida infection (quite possibly made much worse by the 3 rounds of antibiotics he took). He is now taking multiple vitamin supplements, a comprehensive all natural wellness formula, having chelation treatments once a week, applying hormone creams twice daily, and cutting all gluten, sugar, soy, dairy (and several other things I don't even remember) out of his diet. Finally, we had some answers. And finally he started to feel better on a consistent basis. We were thrilled with this new doctor (and more than a little disgusted with the previous three traditional doctors who had been focusing on all the wrong things, even making the situation worse!) Needless to say, it is pretty hard to be a vegan without eating soy products (and really, when we started thinking about it, we would rather just eat whole foods than all that processed soy anyway - tofu, tempeh, soyrizo, veggie sausage and veggie burgers which are really just soy) and so our vegan days are behind us, probably for good. Our meals right now consist mainly of some combination of meat (usually chicken, turkey or fish), beans, veggies, and rice, quinoa, millet, or corn grits... Eventually, Jonathan will be able to add sugar and some other things like garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes back in (thank goodness! I hardly know how to cook without garlic!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All of this has been challenging in many ways. Just last night I was on the verge (okay, I had passed<em> </em>the verge) of tears because I could not think of anything to fix Jonathan for supper and when I came out of JD's room after putting him down for the night, Jonathan was fixing his own supper. The kitchen has always been <em>my</em> domain, one of the areas in which I feel very confident and able to contribute and provide for my little family. I enjoy cooking healthy meals. I felt so helpless, like I was letting Jonathan down, not being a supportive wife. Of course, this is not at all how Jonathan felt and even admitted to enjoying coming up with some of his own creations in the kitchen (last night it ended up being some sort of ground turkey, black-eyed peas and grits combination - I didn't try it...). So, I got over my feelings of ineptness at least for the night. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd like to say that there is a nice clean way to tie all of this together and end the story like "Jonathan is all better and I have learned how to be a better, more selfless wife." But that's not really the case. For Jonathan's part he is <em>starting</em> to get better- he's having more good days than bad now. For my part, I recently read back over the verses in Ephesians that had encouraged me several months ago, (the ones I had wanted to "claim" for myself when I was feeling depleted of energy) but this time I put the emphasis on the other parts of the passage: "I ask God <em>to make you intelligent and discerning in <strong>knowing Him personally</strong></em>, <em>your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do</em>, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for Christians. <em>Oh, the utter extravagance of His work in us who <strong>trust in Him</strong></em> - endless energy, boundless strength!" Maybe the reason that it didn't really "do the trick" for me was that I had been reading it wrong. Maybe (like those traditional doctors) I was focusing on the wrong things. </div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-4714191658595910662011-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:002011-09-27T19:33:52.983-07:00A to ZAfter my first post (on which I finally hit "publish" in a bleary-eyed state sometime after midnight on Saturday night) I got some very nice comments on the blog, on facebook, and in person. Which was great. At first. And then it kind of started adding to this weird pressure I've been putting on myself to become "a blogger" because I was being completely honest when I said that I didn't really know <em>what</em> I was going to blog about. So, it was actually a <span style="font-size: x-small;">tiny</span> bit scary when I woke up the next morning and realized that now I actually have to <em>start</em> <em>blogging</em>... Also, I have to admit that I was pretty pleased with my first post and have been putting off writing a second one because I didn't want it to be anticlimactic. But at the same time I want to be consistent and keep up a regular routine of posting every other day or so, so I knew I needed to think of <em>something</em> fast (all this after declaring that I was not the introspective, self-analytical type of course). Sigh. And then last night I received this email from my brother James who is a self-proclaimed blog hater (and has also been known to make use of sarcasm from time to time).<br />
<br />
<div><span><strong><em>"very interesting... so you are writing a blog about writing a blog.... ha ha!</em></strong></span></div><div><br />
<span><strong><em></em></strong></span></div><div><span><strong><em>so confusing! please keep posting... I am eagerly anticipating... in fact, I am thinking about writing a blog that is all about reading your blog!</em></strong></span></div><div><br />
<span><strong><em></em></strong></span></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_131714859893784"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_131714859893783"><strong><em>ok, jk, jk, I think it is good... "</em></strong></span></div><div><span><strong></strong></span> </div><div><span>After I got done laughing about that, I realized that perhaps I am taking this a mite too seriously. So without further ado, here's a fun little game I stole from my cousin, <a href="http://www.houseoflovelock.com/">Ashley's, blog</a> which I love and read all the time but never comment on (sorry...). It probably won't be the last idea I steal from her either (hint: giveaways!).</span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Anne's A to Z:</span></strong></span></div><div><span></span> </div><div><span><strong>A:</strong> Age- Just turned 31</span></div><div><span><strong>B:</strong> Bed size- upgraded to a Queen after breaking the full size in our first month of marriage...</span></div><div><span><strong>C:</strong> Chore you hate - Anything laundry related - sorting, switching over from washer to dryer, FOLDING, IRONING (thankfully my hubby went to military school and does his own ironing and sometimes mine-don't hate)</span></div><div><span><strong>D:</strong> Dogs - I could (and will) do a whole post about this animal...</span></div><div><span></span> </div><span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uq4kg1rVT44/ToJuUaaUS4I/AAAAAAAABJ0/LSqcur0NMcs/s1600/kip+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uq4kg1rVT44/ToJuUaaUS4I/AAAAAAAABJ0/LSqcur0NMcs/s1600/kip+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>E:</strong> Essential start to your day - Coffee, of course. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>F:</strong> Favorite color - black, white, moss green, blue, grey, brown (never really had <em>just one </em>favorite color)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>G:</strong> Gold or silver - both</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>H:</strong> Height - 5'10" I swear! Everyone thinks it's more, but I have measured many times!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>I:</strong> Instruments you play - sadly, none</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>J:</strong> Job title - "mama!"</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WP9VF4pE3bk/ToKE5TOChEI/AAAAAAAABKQ/zl8Xi2kL0yE/s1600/ipod+pictures+289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WP9VF4pE3bk/ToKE5TOChEI/AAAAAAAABKQ/zl8Xi2kL0yE/s320/ipod+pictures+289.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="239" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxzrsqzyTMU/ToKElXZa0_I/AAAAAAAABKM/s0edwLAzhJ8/s1600/ipod+pictures+288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxzrsqzyTMU/ToKElXZa0_I/AAAAAAAABKM/s0edwLAzhJ8/s320/ipod+pictures+288.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>K:</strong> Kids - (see above)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>L:</strong> Live - Only in the coolest city ever Austin, TX </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>M:</strong> Mother's name - Sharon</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>N:</strong> Nicknames - Used to be called "Annie" but now I don't think I have one</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>O:</strong> Overnight hospital stays - once, when I had my sweet baby </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzlYA8royiA/ToJ01GKL9rI/AAAAAAAABJ4/DF9b5Ihc9NY/s1600/JD+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FzlYA8royiA/ToJ01GKL9rI/AAAAAAAABJ4/DF9b5Ihc9NY/s320/JD+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><strong>P:</strong> Pet peeves - There's a reason it's called a "pet" peeve <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Q:</strong> Quote - "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>R:</strong> Right/ left handed - Right</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>S:</strong> Siblings - James Daniel Wingo</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BUIkdoM0Ow/ToJ4vBSC2-I/AAAAAAAABKI/Xp60HFLReJ0/s1600/jimmy+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BUIkdoM0Ow/ToJ4vBSC2-I/AAAAAAAABKI/Xp60HFLReJ0/s320/jimmy+and+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCJ_RGHEfIw/ToJ4AEy2HwI/AAAAAAAABKE/9MChxnPwbdg/s1600/james.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCJ_RGHEfIw/ToJ4AEy2HwI/AAAAAAAABKE/9MChxnPwbdg/s320/james.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>T:</strong> Time you woke up - 5:24am, made it to the gym for a spin class before the boys woke up</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>U:</strong> Underwear - um, yes?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>V:</strong> Veggie you hate - Love 'em all! </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>W:</strong> What makes you late - filling up a sippy cup and a snack cup and grabbing diapers (but I was late before all of that too...)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>X:</strong> X-rays - teeth (I've got a mouthful! Never had my wisdom teeth out.)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Y:</strong> Yummy food that you make - I love to cook, bake and be creative with healthy food! We ate a vegan diet for the first seven months of this year. Recently we found out that Jonathan is gluten intolerant. That combined with the fact that he cannot eat any sugar for 6 weeks has made for some interesting meals around here (more on all of that another time). All of that aside, I've been getting some rave reviews on my Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing lately...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Z:</strong> Zoo animal - they're all cool, would love to go to Africa and see some of them in the wild! one day. (for now, love our little local zoo where you get to see the animals up close, the tigers are pretty awesome! </div><img height="96" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WP9VF4pE3bk/ToKE5TOChEI/AAAAAAAABKQ/zl8Xi2kL0yE/s320/ipod+pictures+289.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 121px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1244px; visibility: hidden;" width="71" />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1217882165175526151.post-21883063357108775192011-09-24T22:24:00.000-07:002011-09-24T22:24:10.461-07:00Starting Fresh<div style="text-align: justify;">It has taken me awhile to commit to this blog. I'll admit I've been putting it off for quite some time now. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">For one, it's overwhelming to think about blogging while fending off a one and a half year old ball of energy who is <em>very </em>interested in my netbook (especially when the last thing I really want to do is "fend off" that one and a half year old ball of energy). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">For two, I'm lazy. In the evening, when that one and a half year old is blissfully asleep and supper is cooked and eaten (and maybe cleaned up) and I am done for the day, I always find the tv or facebook or a real book or my bed to be much more seductive than staring down a computer screen and wracking my brain for interesting blog topics (and if I'm going to be industrious and proactive instead of lazy there's always the laundry to fold, the kitchen to clean up, an email to send, a bill to pay, a button that needs to be sewn on, a dog to walk - you get the idea). </div><div style="text-align: justify;">For three (and this is the real reason), what will my blog be <em>about</em>? Don't get me wrong I've blogged before (see <a href="http://www.patton-partyoftwo.blogspot.com/">Patton: Party of Two</a> and start from the beginning to get an idea), but that was then. That blog documented the first four years of my marriage to Jonathan with some pictures, some funny stories, some ho-hum stories, some recipes, etc. This is now. Now, we live 1200 miles away from where we started out. We have a beautiful baby boy, and I am a stay at home mom instead of a behavioral therapist. Now, we are starting a church (but not really "starting a church" more like "gathering a group of people to <em>be</em> the church with"). As a rather lack luster blogger in the past, I thought that once I had a baby I would have something to blog about. But since giving birth to James David, I have <em>not blogged once</em>. Not once. Not even to announce his weight, height or name. Not even to share the ever fascinating birth story. Nope, the arrival of my firstborn child (as much as I love him more than anything in this world) did nothing to breathe new life into a blog that had been slowly but surely fading away. In fact, it stopped it dead in its tracks. So, what would I <em>write</em> about if I started blogging again?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last week I turned 31. Perhaps my birthday inspired some introspection, b/c I do not naturally tend towards the self analytical (I leave that up to my husband who is always setting goals, evaluating his progress and making adjustments and therefore meeting his goals...). So, I found myself thinking about how when I was younger I always wondered "what my life would be like." What would junior high, high school, college be like? Who would I date and what would having a boyfriend be like? What would my first kiss be like? What would my job be? What would sex be like? When would I get married? Where would I live? What would being pregnant and having a baby be like? How many kids would I have? And now, with many of those questions answered, I realized that this <em>is</em> "what my life is like." <em>This</em> is what my life is like. And I <em>love</em> it. But there is one little thing missing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Growing up, I always liked to write. I remember sitting at a desk in my room around 7 or 8 years old and writing stories, drawing and coloring pictures to go along with them. I remember laying on my bed under a hot tin roof around 15 or 16 years old and working on my novel, erasing and editing with a #2 pencil. I've got a few of those stories and more than a few old journals (starting in the 4th grade and continuing through college- real gems let me tell you!) sitting in my attic right now. I wanted to be a writer. I became first a manager at a retail store (which I did not like very much - too much counting money and folding clothes and not enough dressing the mannequins) and then a behavior therapist for children with Autism (which I did like very much - seeing improvement or not, just loving those kiddos for who they were). Not much writing involved in either of those jobs unless you count making a cashier schedule or putting together a social story. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently (er, a couple months ago), my dad emailed me (usually it's my mom who emails) and told me that he had a strong feeling that it was time for me to pursue a dream of mine that had been "out there for awhile" - particularly in the creative arena of writing, modeling, or decorating. He suggested that I pray about it and see what came up. So I did, a little, but I knew that it had to be writing b/c that is the only dream of mine that has always been "out there" at all. Sure, I like to decorate. Yeah, I thought it would be fun to be a model if someone just miraculously "discovered" me instead of having to work at it. But <em>writing</em> has always been "the thing." The thing that I had always wanted to do but wasn't actually doing. So I knew that was it from the beginning. I just didn't know what to do about it. I can't write a book - I have an 18 month old and zero ideas. Not to mention time. But I have to start somewhere, so I am starting here. Maybe if I can do this, pretty soon I'll get in the groove and get inspired and have a great idea for a book. Or maybe I'm not supposed to write a book at all. Maybe I'm just supposed to write a blog. I don't know. I just know that I am supposed to be writing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">But that's still not to say I know what this blog is going to be <em>about</em> quite yet, so bear with me and maybe throw some ideas my way?</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00204267801934846950noreply@blogger.com2