Update on 50 cooking firsts

I believe the last time I updated everyone on my New Year's resolution (to do 50 things while cooking that I've never done before) was back in February!

At that point, I had completed guacamole (it seems like so long ago now!), cinnamon rolls, bleu cheese dip, cake balls, brisket and mashed potatoes.

Just in case you're counting, that's only 6 items!

but, have no fear, I have been cooking, I just haven't been blogging updates.

So, here are some of the other things I've gotten done since February:

7.) Orange Chicken (on 3/17) which was my first attempt at deep fat frying anything.

8.) Broccoli Peanut Chicken with Noodles (4/22). Has a very creative name, don't you think? :) I used the "non-healthified" version of that recipe. The first on this one was zesting. I had to go to the store to buy a zester, cause I've never done it before!

9.) I'd also never cooked rice noodles.

10.) Peanut Sauce (4/22) to go with the Broccoli Peanut Chicken above. I made my friend Shawna's recipe instead of buying the peanut sauce in the bottle. Aren't you proud of me?!

PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (Sirachas, or I used Franks)
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar

11.) Grilled asparagus (5/2)

12.) I snapped my own green beans (from the farmer's market). (8/4)

13.) Learned how to cut a pineapple (8/23) using none other than howtocutapineapple.com.

14.) Cut a cantelope (9/2) I know, I know! But, I'd never done it before. And, as lame as it is, it was a first!

This post is already getting too long, and for #15 I have pictures and a story, so I think I'll save it for another post. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Week 32

Week 32 of my pregnancy started on January 8th.

This was the week that we started our birthing class at the birth center where we were to have little Hoover.

This was also the week that my dad (Grandpa Tom) gave up the hope that I was having twins, but now believed I was having a boy, and that he was going to be a fabulous bowler.

Dad's logic:
- I had bowled the entire time I was pregnant with him.
- The majority of the time I was bowling, Hoover was "upside down and backwards" (in my womb).
- "How could he NOT be good after that?"

And, how was dad so certain Hoover was a boy? Well because, apparently, in his mind, I was supposed to be a boy. So, of course, I "owe him".

Let this be a lesson to you!

Well, the last week of my pregnancy journal that I posted before our sweet "Hoover" was born was for Week 22 which would have been October 30th til November 5th of last year. (And what a year it has been!)


But, unfortunately, other than this picture of me on Week 24 (around November 13th), I don't have anything note worthy written down until week 32 when I have another picture!

It is fun to go back and look at all of my belly shots though. I like my hair cut in this picture, which just confirms my suspicions that I should once again get my hair cut short like that. I always enjoy it, but it takes some time to convince myself that I will.


I was at around Week 30 at Christmas time, and Week 31 at the New Year. During Christmas, there was quite a bit of snow, and power outages, so Micah and I spent a few nights at my parents house snowed in with them and my brother and his wife. It was fun to just hang around and play games and watch movies and such!

Then, near New Years one of my cousins came to visit with her husband and little son Logan. So, more eating, game playing and just sitting around chatting at my parents house. It was very enjoyable!


Well, that's all I have. I guess this post should stand as a lesson to me if I'm ever blessed with another pregnancy again -- that I need to write things down RIGHT THEN and not a year later.

But, I am pretty impressed that I could knock out 9 weeks of pregnancy in one post. So, I guess it's a double-edged sword! ;-)

Have a great week!

Cute or Creepy?

I recently added the blogs I try to follow to my Google Reader so that I could "catch up", and I really like it!

One of the blogs that kind of got neglected with my old system is Young House Love. It's a cute home decor type blog, and I've really enjoyed getting to read it more lately.

Last week they had a post about ceramic animals, and it made me curious. Go over and take a look. Then tell me, do you think it's cute or creepy?

5 years

I was looking through my blog post drafts and noticed I had a blog post entitled "5 years" where I was going to talk about how I'd been married to my love for 5 years now and how delightful it's been.

But, as some of you probably already know...I was in the middle of having our son Myrick ON our 5th anniversary.

I guess I'll forgo the traditional anniversary post this year, though I do think Micah is delightful!! But, seeing as how we're more than 6 months past it now, I'll just wait til our next one! :)

Also, Myrick is growing like a weed! I would like to start posting the rest of my pregnancy journal, the birth story, and updates on Myrick's growth on Monday's in the future. So, be looking for those.

But for now, you could catch yourself up on my pregnancy journal if you haven't yet read it or would like a refresher.
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Pregnancy Brain
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19
How to upset a pregnant lady
Week 20
Week 21
Week 22

Enjoy your week!

Mark 7:14-23

Well, I haven't been successful in getting a recording of the sermon I missed a couple weeks ago that was also talking about the condition of your heart. But, I do know that the passage he covered was Mark 7:14-23, so I've been thinking on that for the last few days as I continue to look up the meanings of the words we studied last week in our Titus 2 study.

Here's the passage:

14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile a man. [16 If anyone has hears to hear, let him hear.]" 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all food clean.) 20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceeds the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adultries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."

I don't know about you, but my heart is heavy after reading such a list. I tend to think I'm above such things. I don't steal. I don't commit adultery. I don't commit murder. But, what strikes me is that -- I AM capable of such things. It is included in the heart of man.

I think I once doubted that this was indeed true. That all humans are capable of all of these things. I would tend to write this off as just things that "bad" people do.

Then, I became a parent.

And, I know this won't come to a shock to any off you. It shouldn't have to me. But, my 6 month old is already showing signs of this sinful nature. Choosing to do that which he knows he shouldn't do.

We didn't teach him to do the "wrong" things. As verse 21 says, it came from within, out of the heart of men.

Then a few more thoughts came to mind. For instance, isn't that an excuse to go on doing whatever I feel like doing? It's in my nature. "May it never be!" Just like I hope that one day Myrick will choose the right course of action simply because it makes his parents happy, so I too should choose to do that which the Lord has instructed me, because He is much more worthy of obedience than any earthly parents.


I know that none of this is new to all the parents who read my blog. You're probably thinking, "yeah, been there, done that." But, it's both sobering and encouraging to me!

Encouraging because just like we will not leave Myrick to his own devises, God does not leave His children without direction.


Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Are you dishonoring His word?

Continuing on in my study of Titus 2, I sat down this morning to read through the entire book of Titus for context.

But, just as it usually happens, I got caught up at the top of chapter 2, and didn't get much further.

It's a familiar passage:

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

My initial thought is always, "definitely -- I want to work hard at doing these things so that I don't dishonor the word of God."

This morning, as I was meditating on these words, I was able to think about it in a new way. Not, "I should do these things, so that..."

But instead:
It IS dishonoring to the word of God if I'm not loving my husband.
It IS dishonoring to the word of God if I'm not loving my child.
It IS dishonoring to the word of God if I'm not being sensible...

Ouch.

I know I fall far short of this. I say hurtful things to Micah. I do not take the time to just be with Myrick. I am not kind to the "rude" cashier in the drive-thru window.

My prayer for myself today (and for you dear ladies) is that I would live this passage out in my life. That I would live in such a way as to earnestly desire to NOT dishonor the word of my Lord. My Savior. The Christ who gave all, and who I desperately want to share with others. What better way to share Jesus with others than to do these things?


I hope you have an honoring weekend!

Titus 2 Study

Last night was the first night of a Titus 2 study that I have joined led by one of my dear friends, Martha.

She is in her early 50's and has a real heart for discipling younger ladies. I am in my mid 20's with a nearly 6 month old son, and am certainly feeling the need to be discipled!

So, I am very much looking forward to this study.

The Bible study will be focused on the first few verses of Titus 2 and knowing how we as believing women can encourage and equip other women in Christ. (What does it mean to be reverent? Why not be a malicious gossip? Why are addictions harmful? What is "good"?)

I will probably share my thoughts here on my blog as time allows, but I have no delusions that I will be able to share everything. Today, I thought I would just start with sharing the notes I took for the initial study.

She titled the first discussion "What is the condition of your heart?" inspired by our pastor's sermon in Mark chapter 7 last week. I missed church last week because of a sick babe, so I haven't got a chance to listen to the sermon yet. I'll let you know when it is online.

She started by posing some questions about the condition of my heart:
Is it foolish or wise?
Deceitful or Sound (stable, fixed)?
Fearful or Understanding?
Proud or Contrite?
Backsliding or Perfect?
Double or Pure?
Froward or Upright?
Perverse or Clean?
Hard or Broken?


She then went on to discuss each of the words, how they're used in scipture, and what the words in the original languages mean. I have not yet had a chance to look into any of these verses on my own, or the meanings (and spellings!) of the Greek and Hebrew words. So, please don't take this as truth! I'm mearly recopying my notes in a much neater form for future reference. I plan on studying each of these words a bit closer as the weeks go on. If you'd like to too, I'd love to hear your input on what you've learned!

Foolish: Proverbs 22:15; Romans 1:21 invehleth = silliness, foolish foollis = bellows/wind bag
unwise, indiscreet, short sighted, irresponsible

Wise: Proverbs 10:8 (receive commands); Proverbs 9:10 listening, actively searching
eagerly receiving instruction from the Lord
Martha shared that she can tell when her heart is not where it should be, when she's
not walking with Him if she takes an offense when she is confronted by another believer.

Deceitful: Jeremiah 17:9 awkobe = fraudulent, deceitful, crooked decipere = to ensnare
untrustworthy, underhanded, dishonest

Sound: Proverbs 14:30; Proverbs 15:4; 1 Timothy 4:12
marpay = wholesome, healthy, strong, sturdy
Curative to its possessor and to others, rooted in truth, firm, cannot be over thrown
A sound mind will speak truth and do it an a way that others will know it's the truth

Fearful: 1 Thes. 1:17 (I think); Job 3:25; Joshua 7:5 mawsass = easily melted
mild anxiety ----> paralyzing terror
distressed, apprehensive, panicky, anxious, worried, easily intimidated
drawn away from the Lord due to a lack of faith

Understanding: Isaiah 35:3-4 Bean = to separate mentally
Based on an understanding of who God is; the understanding of Truth overcomes fear
Seek words of encouragement from scripture; see life from God's perspective
We all have a mind, a will and emotions.
We should train our mind to tell our emotions what the truth is.

Proud: Proverbs 21:4 rawkawb = broad; large; wide; at liberty
A proud person may seek God but gives equal credibility to his own thoughts and the
thoughts of others; puffed up; reserves the right to make final decisions instead
of relying on what God's word says to do.

Contrite: 1 Sam. 15:17-19 (I think); 1 Peter 5:5; John 3:30; Matthew 11:11
dawkaw = to collapse or shrink
sorrowful, regretful, penitent, remorseful, humble

Backsliding: Proverbs 14:14; Hab. 3:19; Proverbs 25:26
Finds no pleasure in seeking the Lord

Perfect: Psalm 101:2; 2 Chron. 16:9; 1 Peter 5:10

Double: Psalm 12:2; James 1:5-8 lawbab = to enclose with fat
vacillating, unstable

Pure: James 4:8; 2 Chron. 1:12; Psalm 24 or 29:3-4 (unsure); Matthew 5:8
Godly sincerity; a transparent manner of life

Froward: Proverbs 11:20; Proverbs 6:12-14
turns away from the right course to what is forbidden

Upright: Ecc 7:29

Perverse: Proverbs 12:8 crooked -- think of a cork screw; veer from what is good

Clean: Psalm 51:10; Psalm 15 morally pure

Hard: Heb 3:7-11; Failure to deal with destructive conditions in your life; to render stubborn.

Broken: Psalm 57:17; Psalm 34:18; this is not a little crack -- means to burst or to shatter
Discipline for spiritual growth; suffering for righteousness sake


That is the end of my notes. I will try to expand on them more this week as I have a chance to study, but no promises.

She left us with the question, "What do you need to do to change your heart to the correct state?" If your heart is hard, how do you allow it to be broken? If you are backsliding, how do you become perfect?

As a word picture, she told us to think of breaking up the fallow ground -- change must go deeper than just the surface.


Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Joseph was righteous

Matthew 1: 18-25 NASB

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
¹⁹And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
²⁰But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
²¹"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
²²Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
²³"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
²⁴And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
²⁵but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

This morning I "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" and consequently, was very rude to my husband before he left for work. I put that phrase, "woke up on the wrong side of the bed," in quotations, as kind of a joke. It's normally used as a polite way to say someone's is grumpy. But, the truth is - I was down right sinful.

Then, after such a great start to my morning! ;-) I sit down to read my Bible before getting in the shower, and I read the passage that I've quoted up top.

Joseph, in this situation with Mary, had been wronged much more than my perceived wrongs this morning. Yet, Matthew, through the Holy Spirit, calls Joseph righteous in his dealings with Mary. Not only is he righteous in choosing not to disgrace her but he's also compassionate towards her.

Later in the passage, Joseph also proves his self-control and obedience by following through with
making Mary his wife, keeping her a virgin, and then naming her son Jesus just as the angel had commanded.

In short, he responded the way I should have - with righteousness, compassion, obedience and self-control.

Praise the Lord with me this morning that He is a forgiving God. He does not keep me in my unrighteous state, but leads me to repentance and hopefully, to greater self-control for the future.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

- Magen Ranae


PS: Hope this post doesn't cause you too much shock after my 4 month absence. :)

We interrupt the regularly scheduled program...

to bring you this news bulletin:

Mr. Myrick Leonard has made his appearance! He arrived on March 19th, 2010 at 9:38pm.
I had originally planned on doing a post about Micah and I's five year anniversary that day, but I was a bit busy laboring! We're planning on celebrating some day this summer instead, so I'll do a post then! :)

He was 7lbs 10.5 oz, 20.5 inches long, and adorable!


Oh, and just in case you were worried, no, he did not come at week 22. It was actually week 42, and I do still plan on getting posts up about my pregnancy weeks just as soon as I'm able.

Week 22

Week 22 began on October 30th through November 5th.

On Monday November 2nd, Micah and I were in Kansas City for an elders retreat for our church. During one of the meetings he had his hand on my belly trying to see if he could feel the baby move (he hadn't been able to yet).

Then, he got REALLY excited because he was certain that he'd felt Hoover move, but really, it was me burping! I was trying to be quiet because we were in a meeting, but his excitement made me laugh out loud! Poor guy.

The next day, Tuesday the 3rd, I had another appointment at the birthing center. It went much smoother than my first experience there.

While I was waiting to be seen I was resting in the waiting room and felt hiccups for the first time!! That was really fun. I was so excited that when the midwife was ready to see me, I told her, "I just felt HIM hiccup," which I had tried to avoid before this, because obviously, we didn't want to know the gender - I just said him because of our nick name for the babe.

So, later in the appointment we were going through the sonogram information, and the first thing she said was, "So, you found out it's a boy?"

Me: "umm...no?! Does it say we're having a boy?!"

Midwife: "NO! It never says, really! You just called it a "him" 3 times! I just figured you knew!"

I don't think legally the sonogram place could have put the gender on my chart since we specifically asked them not to reveal the sex, but it's still fun to wonder if my midwife actually knows something we don't know!

Week 21 - The Great Crib Hunt

On Saturday, October 24th, Micah and I went with my parents to Kansas City to celebrate dad's birthday and to look for a crib for our nursery. But, the hunt for nursery furniture started long before this!

Mom and I registered at Baby Depot for the crib and dresser set we liked, even though it was kind of expensive. But, almost as soon as we registered for it, it was discontinued.

We looked at a few places around town, but never found anything I really liked, which is why we scheduled the trip to Kansas City.

While in Kansas City, our first stop was Nebraska Furniture Mart. In the store's clearance section, I found a dresser that I really liked, and the store's baby furniture section had the matching dresser. I liked it a lot and was pretty sure I wanted to buy it, but we also wanted to look at another store before deciding for sure.

So, we left NFM, ate lunch, ran a few other errands, then went to the other store, USA Baby. We didn't really find anything there we liked better, so we headed back to NFM to purchase the crib and dresser before heading out of town.

But, alas, it was not meant to be (strike 2!). The clearanced dresser was gone, and I couldn't bring myself to pay another couple hundred dollars for the same dresser. So, we looked around Nebraska Furniture Mart a bit more, and I finally settled on a different crib and dresser set that was on special that weekend. But, when we asked a sales person about it, she informed us that the set wasn't included in the sale, and so it'd also cost $200 more than we'd originally thought. (Strike 3!)

After that, we were all kind of exhausted from the day, and didn't have the heart to start our search again, so we headed home.


After the third strike, I needed to take a break from looking for a bit, and really give thought to what I wanted in the nursery. This is when I changed from my original plan for the nursery to a whole new color scheme. I decided I wanted a lighter color wood, with brown walls and cream accents for things like the rug, rocking chair and bedding. Then, once we knew Hoover's gender, we'd add blue/green or pink, whichever was appropriate.

So, on the 29th, mom and I hit the local stores again. We wound up at Baby Depot looking at their sale furniture - buy a crib and get the dresser half off. I found a set I could live with, so I called my husband and my brother-in-law to make sure they'd be able to come and pick up the furniture for me. We went up to make the purchase, and the cashier informed us that even though the sign for the sale was on top of the dresser we were looking at buying, the set was not actually included in their sale! (Strike 4!)

Ugh, I was so mad!! I really, really wanted to argue it (I mean, the sign advertising the sale was actually ON TOP OF THE DRESSER I WANTED!!) But, I knew better than to think any of the employees could really make that kind of exception. And, once again, I couldn't bring myself to pay full price for a dresser I had originally thought would be half-price, so, we left empty-handed.

Well, not quite empty-handed. I did find this shirt that made me happy:



Even though we'd already looked at Babies R Us a handful of times since the start of our hunt, I talked mom into going one more time, just in case. And, I'm so glad I did! God is so faithful!!

We found 2 dressers that matched each other (one a chest of drawers, and one with an area that could be used as a changing table) in the clearance section. And, we found a crib that matched it not on clearance. But, the best part was, they were having a sale that weekend that let you get an additional 30% off of clearanced furniture! So, we got 2 cribs and our dresser for $457 including tax! Which was quite a bit cheaper than the other sets we had been looking at with only 1 dresser!

So, after 4 failed attempts, we finally had furniture for our new little babe!

Isn't God good? So many times, I got pretty discouraged, but mom kept reassuring me that we'd find something that worked, and that was way better than the previous options. And, she was so right.

Week 20

Week 20 began on October 16th, and was quite the exciting week because I was SURE I felt the baby move on Monday the 19th.

Then, on Thursday the 22nd, I sat in bed for a good chunk of the morning just feeling Hoover move. I didn't know if I'd still be able to feel him move if I got out of bed, so I tried not to move much.

By the time I was 21 weeks, I was feeling him move even when I was up moving around.


What an exciting week!

15% off Alice.com giftcards

Alice.com, which I've mentioned on here before, is doing a special right now, through March 11th where you can get 15% off any gift card purchases you make.

This is super fun to me, especially since you can buy stamps on Alice.com. How many people do you know who can get 15% off postage?!

If you haven't checked it out yet, you totally should!

The day I stole a case of water

Ok, so I didn't really steal the case of water. But, I totally should have! Seriously, I know stealing is wrong and everything - but in this case, it would have made everyone's life much happier! :)

Let me start at the beginning:

So, there I was, minding my own business in the checkout line at the grocery store when I realized that I knew the cashier. I started unloading my purchases onto the belt as we chatted. She rang everything up for me, I paid the bill, and we said good bye and told each other how nice it was to see the other and all that jazz.

As I'm unloading my cart full of food into my car, I realized with alarm that I had a case of water on the bottom of my cart that I'd forgotten to tell my friend, the cashier, about so she could ring it up.

I had stolen a case of water.

This is when I stopped thinking clearly.

I knew that I couldn't just leave the case of water in the cart outside of the store, because the someone else would steal it, and the store still wouldn't profit from their loss of product. So, I decide the best thing to do is just push my cart with the water still on the bottom rack into the inside stall. That way, I could get the water inside the store, but not have to admit that I was a dirty rotten thief.

My plan would have worked too, if it weren't for this pesky old man (Ok, he wasn't pesky at all, he was really sweet - but it fits my Scooby-Doo impression better if he's pesky!)

See, as soon as I thought I was in the clear and walking away from my stolen case of water, the pesky old man stops me to inform me that I forgot the case of water I'd bought!

Remember that I said I stopped thinking clearly? This is probably the time when my thought process became the foggiest. The best course of action would have been to thank him, grab the case of water, and go back through the line again to pay for said water.

But, I wasn't thinking of the best course of action. For some reason, in my head, I was convinced that someone would think if I did that (go get in line to pay for it) I was trying to steal it!! Hehe...how's that for logic?

So, instead - I end up with the case of water at the customer service desk. I explain to the nice lady (Ok, really, SHE was the pesky one!) that I'd accidentally left the store with this case of water, and I'd like to go ahead and pay for it now.

She couldn't just praise me for my honesty. Oh no, she wanted to punish me. She wanted to see the receipt of my purchase, not to make sure I was correct, but to know which cashier to tattle on! :(

So, I ended up getting my friend in trouble for my inability to think clearly.


And this, my friends, is why I regret not stealing a case of water.

How to upset a pregnant lady

During Week 18 of my pregnancy, I had my first appointment at the birthing center where I will have our little Hoove! It was really exciting, but it also turned out to be a little frustrating, too.

My grandma and I showed up at the birthing center around 9:30am for a 10am appointment to fill out paperwork. Mom and Micah showed up around 10am from their respective jobs. Then, we waited. And waited. And waited some more. At around 11am, they took us into the birthing room to show us around there and to go through my new mom packet.

After that, the nurse gave us a tour of the rest of the facility, then left us in the "stress test" room to wait for an exam room to open. I think we waited there for another 30 minutes or so.

Then the nurse moved us into the exam room to wait for a midwife. We waited ANOTHER 30 minutes or so. It was about 12:15 or so when we finally saw the midwife. I felt a little bit bad because when she asked how we were doing, I said, "Fine. Is it NORMAL to wait two hours to see someone?" She said it wasn't and that they were just having a bad day. She added that normally, they would have sent me home and asked me to come back a little later, but since I had my entourage with me, they didn't.

We listened to the heart beat, she asked everyone if they had any questions, and then we finally left around 12:30pm. So, 3 hours!

I hate to admit this - but I was one cranky pregnant lady. Around 10:45ish, I was starting to get a pretty bad headache. I hadn't had much water yet that day, and I didn't eat a very big breakfast because I thought I'd just come home and eat afterward. I had some Tylenol and water in the car, but I kept thinking we'd be leaving any minute!

So, I never did go get it. Instead, my headache kept getting worse and worse.

So, when we finally left at 12:30pm, I got out to my car and took some Tylenol. On an empty stomach.

Not a good idea.

Micah had taken three hours off so he could have lunch with us after the appointment. Since it had taken so long, he had to rush just to get back to work, but mom, grandma and I still went out to lunch. I took one bite of my food - and had my first pregnancy sickness experience! It was not pretty!

On the plus side, all my appointments since then have gone really smoothly. And I learned that Tylenol on an empty stomach is not something my pregnant body wants me to do.

Grandma's House

My grandma has had this sign hanging over her basement stairs since I was a little girl. I always thought it meant that swimming wasn't allowed after 10pm (even though she didn't have a pool!) which always struck me as funny. It wasn't until I was a bit older that I realized this sign was not prohibiting SWIMMING, but swimming SUITS.

I'm not sure why, but this has made me giggle for years! Then, this year, my mom informed grandma of how much I adored the sign, and the fact that it has hung at my grandparents house for so many years. So, she took it off her wall and gave it to me for Christmas!

It now hangs proudly above Micah and I's basement stairs, and I couldn't be more pleased! A little piece of my grandma's house to enjoy throughout the day.

Week 19

Not a whole lot to report on this week. We had our sonogram on Wednesday October 14th. We didn't want to find out the gender, but it was still nice to just see that there is actually a baby inside of me!!

Micah and I both think the best part was actually seeing the spine and such. It's so fascinating to see all the little parts.

They told me to finish drinking 30oz of fluids 1 hour before our appointment, and I must be the only one who actually does that, because the sono-tech was VERY surprised about the size of my bladder! He checked whatever it was that he needed to check regarding my bladder, then let me use the potty before he showed us the rest of the babe. It was nice to be able to relax. :)

10 things I like about my hubby

I read a post over at Mama M's Place that inspired me to list out 10 (of the MANY things) I like about my hubby. So, here goes:

1) He plays games with me - even ones he hates!

2) He is always impressed with everything I get done in a day, even if all I did was get dressed and "grow his baby."

3) He is a peace maker, considering unity to be worth the effort.

4) He continually seeks out ways to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit in his life.

5) He makes a priority to cuddle me in the mornings before he leaves for work, even when he's running late (which is usually my fault!).


6) He's always seeking to learn new things about everything!

7) He has such a love for his family and especially his siblings and nieces and nephews. (The picture is of him and my niece Hannah. She made him that birthday cake - and sampled the frosting too! ;-) I love that he always makes a point to know each one of the kiddos as individual people, not just another member of the herd.)

8) He enjoys making up new concoctions to feed to me - even if I am super picky! He considers that part of the challenge.

9) His "take charge" attitude when he realizes that something has got to get done, or that I'm feeling overwhelmed.

10) His commitment to all things, in the proper order, whether it be God, me, his family, church, work.


That was a fun exercise. I love that man!

Week 18

Week 18 began with me getting my first borrowed maternity clothes - thanks, Shawna!

The next day mom and I went to Mommy and Me, a local used clothing store, to try on maternity jeans and see what styles I might like. We also did some registering at Toys R Us and then met up with my sister-in-law Jessie to borrow some maternity clothes from her.

Jessie had a huge tub of all sorts of maternity clothes. (Thanks!) Mom and I were both really excited to realize I actually needed them now, so we went back to her house, where I tried everything on and gave her and my niece Hannah a modeling session! :) It was sure nice to have clothes that fit!

On Tuesday, October 6th, I had my first appointment with the birthing center. Because so many people were curious about the birthing center and how my delivery there would go, I had a pretty big entourage with me. But that's a whole other post!

At my appointment, I learned I weighed 152 pounds, up from 145 at the beginning of my pregnancy... though I like to think at least five of those pounds were due to getting off of our South Beach diet. I had lost a little over 20 pounds between October and June, so I wasn't that concerned about a few of them coming back.

New Year Resolution Update

So, a month and half ago, I informed you that I was going to try my hand at cooking 50 new things before the end of the year.

I was hoping to get a good chunk of those under my belt before this babe came, but seeing as how I'm just shy of 38 weeks, and I've made little progress, I'm not seeing how that's going to happen!

But, I did want to share with you the progress I have made so far:

1) I made guacamole on 12/11


Which was my first ever attempt at peeling these bad boys:


2) cinnamon rolls on 1/3 for an Elder/Deacon lunch at my church

3) blue cheese dip on 1/14

4) cake balls on 1/18 which was the first time I used the candy apple red Kitchenaid that my parents gave me for Christmas. These were so good, I made them again a few weeks later!

5) brisket on 1/21 because I got it on manager's special and I have been feeling the need to expand my horizons where meat is concerned.

6) mashed potatoes on 2/17. Yes, you read correctly. Yesterday was my FIRST EVER time for making mashed potatoes. Can you believe that? We just don't eat potatoes much around here - and actually, we didn't even eat these ones! We sent them with dinner to a friend who just had a baby.

I used my mom's recipe, which is pretty much the worst possible way you can have potatoes, I'm pretty sure. You boil peeled and cut up potatoes (I had about 10 or so in a 3qt sauce pan), then mix in a whole package of sour cream, a whole package of cream cheese, and some garlic powder. Then you put it an oven safe casserole dish, cover it with pats of butter and sprinkle with paprika, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so until everything is nice and bubbly. That's it.

They're super easy, and way tasty - but not exactly a dieter's friend!


So, that's my list so far - 6 items. I've got a lot of other things written down that I'd like to try out, but I'm not going to post them here - because I'd like a lot of them to be a surprise for my hubby!

Week 17

Week 17 was from September 25th through October 1st. (I really should get a move on these posts, huh?!)

It was during this week that I thought maybe I felt the first flutters, though I couldn't be sure.

It was also this week that a pair of my regular pants wouldn't button! I wasn't really showing yet, but my pants had gotten snugger and snugger until one day I couldn't wear them at all. I figured it was time to seek out some new clothes!

Sometime before then, I started regularly sleeping with a body pillow in order to try to keep me on my side. It was really hard to learn to sleep on my side, so I wanted to make sure I could by the time it was actually necessary!


This is a picture of our bed, with the body pillow in its normal position (under the covers, smack dab in the middle.) Because of the pillow's prominent position in the bed, my husband has affectionately (or, maybe not so affectionately!) named it "the boyfriend."

I'm not so sure he liked me choosing to "cuddle" with this pillow instead of him! But, you do what you've got to do, right?

Tie Dice

I've mentioned before that my husband is a pretty fun children's ministry leader. But, it definitely bares repeating!

At Manna March, we have weekly themes that are usually linked to the topic for that week and it's corresponding verse.

On the night that we were learning about peace, the theme was to dress in tie dye. But, my dear husband likes to put a little twist on the outfits he wears. And, since I get the wonderful pleasure of being a stay at home wifey, I got to make him this:

Here's a close up:

It's a tie with dice on it. "Tie-dice," get it?! :) He's pretty clever! And, I had a lot of fun making it.


I don't get to be nearly as cool as him. I just borrowed my mom's tie-dye shirt, and tried to convince her I wouldn't stretch it out! (I was about 21 weeks pregnant in this picture.)

I can't wait for Hoover to see how "groovy" his parents are!!

Babysitting Gabe

I started babysitting a sweet little boy named Gabriel when I was about 16 weeks pregnant.

I was still in the stage of my pregnancy where I got exhausted pretty easily. And Gabriel was in the stage of his life where he was working himself down from 2 naps a day to 1. These things did not seem to mix very well!! :)

So, most days I pulled out this Elmo seat to buy me 15 or 20 minutes of a stationary Gabriel. He could crawl around like crazy, so this was a life saver in the middle of the afternoon, even if it didn't last very long!


We sure did have a lot of fun - and even managed to get some things done! Like:

Playing with tupperware and exploring underneath the kitchen table.



Discovering the joys of Alice.com.


Folding laundry.


And sampling solid foods.


It was a fun 6 weeks or so, and great practice for what lies ahead in my near future!

Hope everyone has had a great week, and just a reminder, don't forget to check out the garage sale today or tomorrow!

Garage Sale

If you live near me, or will be in town, be sure to come out to the big garage sale this weekend benefiting Haiti Lifeline Ministries.

It's at 21st and Gage (Journey Church) from 7am-7pm on Friday, and 7am-4pm on Saturday.

There will also be a bake sale and silent auction! Should be able to find some pretty neat stuff!!!

Week 16

Look at how little I am at week 16!! And to think, when I was actually there, I was feeling kind of large!

Week 16 started on September 18th. Baby Center says that the babe is now 4.5 inches long, and 3.5 ounces. That's really hard to imagine! Isn't it amazing the things the Lord can do?

I have marked on my calendar that Monday the 21st was my worst night of sleep to date, and I'm pretty sure that still holds true. I tried sleeping everywhere, and just could not sleep! Not sure what the deal was.

On the 22nd I had a lunch date with my dear friend Ruth. We sat talking for hours about lots of things, and it was really delightful - with one exception. This was the day that I learned that it's very common for women to poop during delivery! I couldn't believe it! I'm really mortified about the idea, even though women who have had babies have reassured me several times that it really won't be a big deal. I can't get it out of my head!

And on that note, I think that's about it for week 16!

Cinzetti's

Our church had an Elder's Retreat
a few months back where all the elders and their wives went out of town for a day to talk about the direction our church will be heading over the next year or so.

We had the pleasure of visiting Cinzetti's Italian Market Restaurant. As the name probably sugguests, Cinzetti's is an Italian buffet set up to look like an open air market. It's pretty fun!

It was about $15/person, and I believe they even allow kids 12 and under to eat free on Monday and Tuesday evenings.

I would definitely suggest it, if you're ever near one sometime! We had a great time (as you could tell from the picture!) and the food was fabulous!

I should go make some dinner now...writing this post made me hungry!

Week 15

Week 15 of my pregnancy started on September 11th.

On the 11th is when I found the bedding for the nursery that I posted about previously. I've decided to go a different route since then, but I still really like the bedding, and it was really cheap, so I'll keep it around just in case!

I did have a pregnancy first this week! :) On the 15th was the first (and only, so far) time that I've wet myself (just a tiny bit!) while sneezing. Hehe...I don't think I would normally share this, but it struck me as kind of funny, so I wrote it down!

The 15th is also when mom and I started registering for the baby. Micah is really really not in to that sort of thing, so we thought it would be fun if mom went with me. And, it definitely was! :) It took us a few more outings to finish the registries because I was getting tired so easily, but we had a great time. We ended up registering at Babies R Us and Baby Depot (a part of Burlington Coat Factory.)

I had another first this week too, on the 17th, that has actually occurred many times since then. I noticed my gums bleeding just a bit while brushing my teeth. There are so many things I never knew were associated with pregnancy, it's kind of crazy.

In fact, I probably wouldn't have known that this was one of the things if it weren't for the Baby Center updates I've been getting in my e-mail box. At 16 weeks, our baby Hoover should be about 4 inches long and 2.5 ounces. It's really fun to know those little stats - it makes it more real some how!

Pioneer Woman Giveaway

If you haven't noticed yet, Pioneer Woman is doing a giveaway on her blog today that is delightful!

She is inviting 4 people to come to her house for a sushi demonstration / weekend getaway!

I practically squealed when I saw it, then quickly realized that the dates for the event are way too close to Hoover's arrival for me to be able to go.

But, that doesn't mean YOU shouldn't hop on over and enter! I'll be jealous if you win, but I'll get over it.

Go check it out, and have a fabulous Thursday.

Week 14

Week 14, which would have fallen on September 4th through the 10th, was a pretty exciting week in the pregnancy.

The week started with Labor Day weekend, which we spent at a camp work retreat. While at camp, we met one of our new nephews, Joel. I'm not sure if it was Joel's arrival that sparked Micah's thought process or not, but he started making a few comments that made me wonder if he was having second thoughts about a hospital birth.

Micah and I had talked about delivery options several times before we'd gotten pregnant, and he was pretty set on having a hospital birth. So, when I found out I was pregnant, I made an appointment with a midwife that could practice in the hospital, so that he could have the hospital birth, and I could have a little more relaxing atmosphere.

Then on the 8th or so he brought home The Business of Being Born which is a documentary (a bias one, I think - but aren't all documentaries?) about home births.

By this time, I was really starting to wonder what was in his head! After talking for a while, he said that I could switch to the birthing center!

I had an appointment with my first midwife on Wednesday the 9th. I called the birthing center to enroll with them (I had to strike while the iron was hot - didn't want Micah changing his mind again!) and they told me to go ahead and keep my appointment on the 9th because they wouldn't be able to get me in that soon. So, I went to my 2nd, and last, appointment with my midwife where I weighted 148.5 lbs, which is a total gain of 3.5lbs thus far, but down 1.5lbs from the last appointment. My mom accompanied me to this appointment so that she could hear the heart beat.

This year I'm trying to read through the Bible chronologically. Because of this, I read the first few chapters of Genesis, then skipped to Job and read all of it before returning to Genesis.

Two things have really popped out to me so far in my reading. (Well, more than 2 things, but these are the ones that are on my heart today.)

Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. - Genesis 5:24

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. - Job 1:1

After reading these verses, I couldn't help but think about what people will say of me when I'm no longer around. But not just what people would say about me, but what the Lord would want people to know about me.

One sentence each for these men, but they speak wonders about the way they lived their life. Just a few words, but a mighty testimony as to what pleases the Lord.

Could it be said of me that I walked with the Lord, as Enoch did? When reflecting on my life, would God Himself call me blameless and upright? Would He say that I feared Him and turned away from evil?

I love finding little nuggets like this in the Old Testament. It's nice to find things that are applicable to my life, things that I can work towards.

I hope you're finding little treasures as you read through His word this year!

Hoover

I mentioned in my last pregnancy post that we call our babe Hoover. Here's "the rest of the story":

It all started when my brother and his wife were pregnant with my now 3 year old niece Hannah. Micah and I were bowling with my parents one Sunday night, and we got to talking about baby names. One of dad's only inputs to the conversation was that he wanted to make sure we didn't pick any "weird names like they're doing these days" for our boys. He wanted to make sure we picked "strong, normal names".



"Dad, what would you suggest?" I ask, thinking he'd be voting for Tom, since that's his name.

"I don't know, something like, Hoover!"

So, in honor of my dad, we decided to name our babe Hoover while in the womb. This allows us to be able to use pronouns without actually knowing the sex of our baby. And, it gives us something to call the Babe instead of "it" or "he/she" all the time.

So, there you have it!

My favorite line...

from a really great book, Anne of Green Gables:

The blind was drawn and the lamp lighted, for an important toilet was being made.

Enjoy your day!!

Week 13

Whew! With that break to share about my pregnancy brain, and then Christmas and the new year, it's been a while since I've blogged about my pregnancy on a week to week basis!

My week 13 with baby Hoover started on August 28th, the day of my brother Justin and his wife Ashley's second shower. Yay for nephews/cousins! (That just reminded me - I've never shared with you how our baby got the name Hoover, have I? I'll do that soon!)

On that following Sunday, I got baptized. Our church did it out at the lake, and had a potluck and celebration afterwards. It was such a delight to see everyone who also got baptized - including my mom, 2 of my sister-in-laws and one of my nephews.

Not to mention Hoover! :) Though, I'm not trying to start a debate on infant baptism (OR fetus baptism, for that matter). I just thought it was funny. I wonder how many other women have been baptized while pregnant?

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010!

What did everyone choose for their New Year's Resolutions, if anything?

I really tried not to have any goals this year. In fact, I had already written a post about how I thought it might be a good idea not to set myself up for failure with a new babe coming, and not knowing what to expect and so forth.

Then, I went and made a goal. It's nothing big, but should be enjoyable! I'm hoping to learn to cook 1 new thing per week. I'm not going to be real strict on the when the week starts and ends, I just hope to have about 50 new attempts under my belt by the end of the year!

I've already tried my hand at guacamole...and it was very tasty! I'll be sure to try that again. It was a first just to gut the avacado instead of having Micah do it for me!

I have also cooked my first turkey! I bought a couple when they were real cheap around Thanksgiving, but waited until last week to actually cook one. Now I've got lots of turkey meat in my freezer waiting to be used. That feels good. :) And, one more to cook!

This week I'm going to try my hand at cinnamon rolls!

Anyone got any suggestions for some other things to try? Some of my ideas include making cheese cake, and using lemon zest in something (I've always thought that was weird - but I hear it's good).

Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.