Thursday, December 31, 2009
End of an Era
Have you ever felt that a change in someone else's life inevitably means a change in your own life? For example, when a friend decides to look for a new church home or a coworker makes a job change?
I have been experiencing this feeling lately. The change is good. The change is necessary. I have been spoiled by the way things were.
My little sister is moving out of Waco, her home for the last seven years (excluding the time she spent in Thailand). She's not moving far. And I adore her new roommate. I LOVE her new roommate (Hi, Mom!).
I'm excited for her internship opportunity as she will be working to resettle refugees from foreign countries right here in North Texas. It's a great combination of two things she loves: Texas and people from diverse cultures. I'm just feeling the weight of the change it means for me. No more weekly sister time for me. No more weekly Aunt Kristin time for Caleb. No more excuses to drive down to Baylor for some much needed Common Grounds refreshment. No more extra help when shopping with two kids.
On the bright side, I will have that much stronger of a reason to drive to Ft. Worth to visit Mom (and now Kristin). I will cherish the sister time even more. I will be forced to use the phone more often, which I'm known to avoid.
SIGH...Life will go on. And life will continue to afford us many opportunities to make wonderful memories. And I'll be seeing her next weekend for Caleb's birthday party. We can't possibly be separated because of distance! Love you, sister!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Quote of the Day
~Jadie
4 years old!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Not In The Mood
- Sarah played baby Jesus in our church Christmas Musical.
- We went to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine to see ICE! featuring The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
- We celebrated Christmas with Jadie's mom, sister, and nephews on Wednesday.
- We attended the Christmas Eve service at church.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Diary of a Nursing Mother
After being gone for an hour and a half, I was ready to head home. I decided to call and ask Jadie if he wanted me to pick up a Redbox movie. I searched my purse for my cell phone. Then the freak out began. I did NOT have my phone. All the way home I wavered back and forth between praying and panicking. I was praying that she was still asleep or that she would calm down until I got home if she had been awake and screaming. Scenarios were racing through my head of Jadie pulling his hair out (not really possible anyway with such short hair) or playing in the backyard with Caleb and leaving Sarah to cry it out.
I walked in to a quiet house. Where were Jadie and Caleb? Where was Sarah?
What I found was a scenario I could hardly believe. Sarah was still asleep in her bassinet. Jadie was hiding behind our chair in the living room. Caleb was asleep in bed. What a wonderfully faithful God and what a wonderfully sweet (and quirky) husband!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sarah Is 4 Months Old!
- 4 months old!!!
- 1 oral vaccine
- 2 shots (4 vaccines)
- 12lbs, 10 oz/2 lbs gained (48th percentile)
- 23.75 in long/1 inch growth (26th percentile)
- 16 in head circumference/0.75 inch growth (48th percentile)
- My blood pressure, currently running about 120/80 (still)
- Sarah's continued health and weight gain
- Jadie's cough. He was sick over Thanksgiving and his cough is still lingering...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Swagbucks
So I've been hooked on Swagbucks for a while now. I earn Swagbucks for searching on the Swagbucks site. After stockpiling said Swagbucks, I can redeem them for prizes...giftcards in my case.
My total has slowly climbed to above 300 and I finally redeemed some Swagbucks for a giftcard. A $10 Starbucks gift card, actually.
I have always thought Swagbucks was a good concept...I can get something (cash, practically) just for doing something I use Google for anyway. Why not?
I finally realized that I could be earning Swagbucks much faster!
If Swagbucks sounds like something you might like to do, please use my link to the right (or at the top of this post) to sign yourself up. I will earn a Swagbuck for you signing up and then I'll also earn one every time you win by searching (up to 100 Swagbucks). Pretty, please do me this favor!
After you sign up, invite your friends and you can earn when they join!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thanksgiving: No Pictures
Thank goodness all I was responsible for were chocolate chip cookies and corn. Easy Peasy. Getting the kids rounded up while dealing with complicated food items would have been less than desirable.
So why do I sound so negative? Because my strong, handsome husband has been weak, puny and sporting bed-head for the last four days. Apparently an infection caused by a virus decided to take up residence in his body, knockng him out of commission for a while.
Friday morning I did some Black Friday shopping at Walgreens and CVS. I know, I'm so adventurous and trendy! I baked four dozen cookies for Thanksgiving with Jadie's dad. Dinner was great: Brisket, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, and Rolls.
Today we had Thanksgiving with Jadie's mom. She can whip up quite the meal! We enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, dressing, cranberry sauce, corn, green bean casserole, and sweet tea! Yummy!
Jadie is moving around quite a bit more today, but I can tell that he's feeling terrible still. Hopefully his Z-Pack will get him back to normal by Monday!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sarah's Accomplishments
New in the last few weeks:
- Sitting up in the Bumbo
- Putting weight on her feet when held upright
- Only 1-2 dirty diapers a day
- Grabbing everything that comes within 6 inches of her face
- Chew, chew, chewing her fingers
- Pulling the paci out of her mouth (much to her dismay)
- Staying awake about 6-8 hours of the day
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Adapted Pancake Recipe
I am finally writing down the 2/3 version of this recipe since it is the one I consistently use for pancakes in our household. I am getting tired of doing the conversions in my head every time I make them, so I am posting it here for my own personal reference. Thanks for understanding!
2 Cup Flour
1/6 Cup Sugar
2 2/3 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/3 Tsp. Baking Soda
2/3 Tsp. Salt
1 2/3 Cups Milk
1/6 Cup Oil
2 Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Since the measurements are not standard, I usually approximate...
Turn on skillet or griddle to warm.
In large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla, mix well with a whisk.
If needed, grease pan, or use nonstick spray.
1/4 cup of batter makes small round pancakes, 1/2 cup of batter makes a large pancake.
Once the batter has bubbled on top, flip the pancake for thourough cooking.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Veterans In My Life
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mrs. Personality
We've been seeing smiles for about a month now, but they've been elusive and resistant to the camera. I managed to catch smile on camera last Thursday and another big one that she was gave to her daddy earlier tonight.
And just a few minutes ago...the bombshell...LAUGHTER!!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Ahhhh, Much Better
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
$2 Reuseable Tote
Monday, November 2, 2009
Handmade Headbands
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Ripple Effects of Breastfeeding
Necessary Evil
Thursday, October 29, 2009
FREE Holiday Postcards
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Random Info
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Roll Over Day!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Caleb's First REAL Haircut
Defective Diapers
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Caleb Reads!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Growing Girl
- 10 lbs, 1 oz/3 lbs, 3 oz gained (40th percentile)
- 22.75 in long/3.25 in growth (55th percentile)
- 15.25 in head circumference/1.75 in growth (49th percentile)
- A healthy, growing girl!
- A little boy who doesn't listen...
- Continued health and growth for Sarah
- A little boy who doesn't listen...
- Balance and time management for me
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Too Much Clutter
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sarah's 2 Months Old!
Good Point(s)
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
5. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My Kid Is Obsessed With GEICO
Friday, October 2, 2009
Free Greeting Cards for Preschoolers to Color
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
FREE Redbox Rental Codes
Homemade Quesadilla
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Let The Children Come
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday's Target Trip
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
New Header
Zuppa Toscana
1.5 lb Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
6-8 medium potatoes
6-8 cups chicken broth
3 cups heavy cream
6 cups kale
In a deep stock pot, brown the sausage and onion over medium heat. Drain the meat and set aside.
Wash and dice the potatoes, leaving the skin on.
Add chicken broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper to the stock pot.
While the pan is still cool add in the heavy cream. It is important to add this while the broth is still cool, if you add it to a boiling pot the cream will curdle.
Now add the sausage back to the pot, and turn on medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring every few minutes so you do not scald the cream.
Once it comes to a boil turn down to medium / low heat so it can simmer for 20 minutes.
While your soup in simmering, wash your Kale very well. Chop the kale leaves into small bite sized pieces.
Once the soup has been simmering for 20 min, add the chopped kale, cover again and simmer another 30 mins.