Saturday and Sunday Mornings

This is the image, in which I see, on the weekends. I usually grab Adam, from bed and throw him in bed with Andy. Adam watches a cartoon or two, and Andy snoozes for an extra half hour. During this time, I usually empty the dishwasher or make breakfast for the boys. Sometimes I listen to Adam talk to the TV or I listen to his attempt to wake Andy (which is very cute!!). These are such special times and some of my favorite. So simple and so sweet. Just think.... soon there will be another sweet boy added to the mix.... SOON.... (hint, hint, Matthew ;)).

Thursday's Theme: Begin

On a prayer, in a song
I hear your voice and it keeps me hanging on
Raining down, against the wind
I'm reaching out 'til we reach the circle's end
When you come back to me again
And again I see my yesterday's in front of me
Unfolding like a mystery
You're changing all that is and used to be

When You Come Back to Me Again- Garth Brooks (Our wedding song)

This is what I think of when I think of the word "begin." Here we are 6 years ago, our two hearts as one. Who would have thought, then, that we would be the family we are now? What an amazing journey, and what a beautiful beginning.

Begin your day over at Tracey's for more of Thursday's Theme!

Matthew's Room

It's amazing how different Matthew's room looks from Adam's, when Adam was in this room. It's also amazing how different the things in the room look, even though half of the things we also used for Adam. Now, some of it's different but the main pieces are the same. I LOVE the colors we chose to paint the walls. They are so bright and vibrant! There are a few more things we need to do: like get him some of his own books (for the bookshelf) and figure out something to put on the white shelf (that was my white shelf, when I was little. My grandpa Gilkerson made it for me! I'm glad Matthew gets to use it; now I just need to find something to put on it. Any ideas?!). Also, notice the closet. The child has SO many clothes. Some are new, some are hand-me-downs, but most importantly... HE IS SET! There are even clothes in a tote, under the hanging clothes, that I couldn't hang up! haha.

Yesterday's doctor appointment went much better than last weeks! I didn't leave there crying. haha. I gained the pound back I lost. Sadly, it's probably just water retention because of the heat, but we'll take it. She gave me all of my paperwork, for the hospital, and told me she would be more than happy to deliver Matthew this week, if I'd just go into labor. haha. I was still not quite 1 centimeter dilated (SIGH!), but she tried to stretch it a little for me, to maybe get things going (that was nice of her... I think she knows how DONE I am). Everything else was normal. My blood pressure was SUPER low (90/56), and my arm is so small that they had to get a different cuff for the machine. GEESH. haha.

Hopefully, I will be announcing his birth next week at this time. It could happen...right? :)

Happy mid-week, all!

A Complete Dinner: Wafflewich and "Anti"pasto Salad

Rachel Ray is my hero, in many ways: for her cooking techniques, her quirky attitude, and her amazing recipes. I took one of her ideas and made it into my own. The first recipe is for a monte cristo wafflewich and the second is for an "antipasto" pasta salad. I made these two together, and they were quite yum-o!



Monte Cristo Wafflewich
Serving Size 2 sandwiches

4 Frozen Waffles lightly toasted (or homemeade)
2 slices each of turkey and ham
4 slices swiss cheese
4 slices of bacon cooked (turkey bacon would work, too)
2 tbl butter

Mustard Sauce (blend all ingredients together- until smooth)

4-6 tbl Dijon mustard (or brown spicy mustard- if you like things spicy)
2 tbl cranberry, raspberry or grape jelly
dash of garlic powder

1. Heat butter in skillet
2. Take one waffle slice and begin layering ingredients as follows: mustard sauce, slice of cheese, 1 slice of ham or turkey, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 slice of ham or turkey, cheese, more mustard sauce, and top with another waffle slice.
3. Fry sandwich in skillet, until both sides of waffle are browned (butter helps create a yummy crust) and cheese is melted.
4. Makes 2 sandwiches and ENJOY!



"Antipasto" Pasta Salad

Salad

1 box Italian flavored pasta salad (Betty Crocker or Kraft brand) - I used Kraft
1/2 can of kidney beans
4 oz. mozzarella cheese (slices or bar)
20-25 slices of pepperoni (cut in-half)
6 slices of deli salami (cut into quarters)

Dressing

3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
4 tbl red wine vinegar
2 tbl dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard
package of italian seasoning that comes with pasta mix
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta according to boxes instructions (make sure to shock the pasta, when done, in cold water)
2. Whisk together dressing ingredients, until well blended. If dressing is too strong, add more oil or a bit of water.
3. Toss pasta, remaining ingredients, and dressing in bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.
4. Serve on a bed of lettuce and top with parmesan cheese (comes with pasta mix)
5. ENJOY! :)


Hopefully these recipes turn out as well, for you, as they did for me. They were yum-o!

BSM: Donut Face

I always loved summer, as a kid, because it was a time to relax and do whatever I wanted. As an adult, I see that my parents saw summer as a time to run us kids everywhere and non-stop chaos!

My best shot Monday just reminds me of those quiet moments. Those moments when nothing is really going on, but they are more important than those busy chaotic moments. Oh, and how can I ignore those beautiful eyelashes and the softness of his curly little head? :) I just want to kiss his little face in this picture.

Mosey on over to Tracey's to enjoy those quiet moments and take time out of your chaotic day! Happy Summer, everyone!

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater

Adam has an arranged marriage, with Bean.... haha (Well, at least it's something Bean's mommy and I joke about). But on Friday, when our friends came to town, to visit, Adam cheated on his beloved Bean. What can I say? I have a lady's man. haha.

Actually, this weekend has been filled to the max and ending it with the birth of Matthew would just make my day- but probably no such luck! hah.

Friday, as I said, we had friends come to town (Mommy Lynne) and Mady came to Columbus to shop with us all day. We had a blast. We shopped around Tuttle and had a fun lunch. The kids really took to each other, even though they hadn't seen each other in 10 months or so. Lynne bought Adam and Mady matching Elmo shirts- that Adam has refused to take off in the last 24 hours. haha. See Picture below:


Yesterday we took Adam to the hospital, for the sibling tour. He got to see the nursery (and they even held up a baby for all of the kids to see! SO CUTE! :)! He also saw a room where mommy will be sleeping. Adam liked playing with the automatic hand sanitizer dispenser (imagine that). When we were leaving I asked Adam if he would like to take a baby home and he said "yes, my baby." Hmmm... I don't think he'll be thinking that when Matthew actually comes home, but one can hope!

We then went to a graduation party for my cousins. Adam had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and seeing his Bop, Mop, and "mommy look alike" (aunt "Nonnie" Connie). He also took to his great-grandma Freda, by leading her around the entire backyard and getting her to do things for him that no one else would do. Grandmas are such suckers for their little ones. ;)

Today- we will be celebrating Uncle Trevor's Birthday.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :)

Thursday's Theme: Glee

Glee: open delight or pleasure; exultant joy; exultation.

This is What causes glee in my heart. :)

Do you have something that causes you open delight? Share your joys (or see someone else's) over at Picture This.

Is this week over yet?

So this week has been a little challenging for me. I'm exhausted. I've been feeling a little worthless, because I just can't seem to motivate myself to do anything. I've cried three or four times, already. AND I am ready to have Matthew OUT OF ME!

Here's how the doc. appointment went:

1) Go in, find out they screwed up the insurance (AGAIN!) and then didn't apply the money that we already paid them, properly- thus leaving us with a huge bill. So, even if they re-submit to the insurance, there is a chance it will be denied because of the length of time and because of how they applied what we already paid. SIGH. (Oh, sat in the waiting room and cried... lol)

2) Lost one pound. SIGH.

3) Was feeling crappy yesterday and didn't have a lot to drink, so my urine showed some proteins and was "too" dark for their liking. SIGH.

4) So when she checked to see if I had dilated at all, she said I was "barely" under one centimeter. YAY! So, I am hoping by next week there will be something. She also said his head was "ALL the way down"... Which, I could have told her that because I can feel it. AND he got bigger! yay!

5) CRIED again, because everything hit me and I sobbed and sobbed. Luckily my doctor is a gem and she made me feel ten times better! She even told me how to handle the silly billing lady, because apparently having issues with this lady is not out of the ordinary.

Anyway- It wasn't a terrible appointment, just a challenging day. I hate hormones. haha.


-Oh, and that was my cheesy attempt, above, to make myself look pretty after days of crying. It's true that women's noses get bigger when they are pregnant. My nose is BIGGER! lol-

Taco Tuesday

I came up with this recipe all on my own! I am so proud of myself. I am not one who likes fish, but for some reason fish tacos sounded really good to me, and I came up with a winner of a recipe! enjoy!!

Fish Stick Taco

Serving Size 4

Ingredients

12 Frozen Fish Sticks (cooked according to package)

1 cup of homemade "tartar" sauce dressing

1 cup mayo or miracle whip
1 whole onion (fine chopped- I put mine in the food processor)
1/4 cup (or more according to taste) lemon juice- FRESH!
salt and pepper if desired (I did not add this)

1 cup Pico De Gallo (store bought or recipe bellow)

Just mix ingredients below, and refrigerate:

1 large can of diced tomatoes (half of the juice reserved)
4 green onions (chopped-whole onion)
1 jalapeno (diced VERY small- remove more of the seeds and pith if you want less heat)
Chopped cilantro (to taste- I used about 4 tbls. chopped)
salt and pepper (also to taste)

1 whole yellow pepper
2 tbls lime juice
2 tbls butter (not salt free)

4 Pitas (use THICK pita bread! Don't get the cheap thin bread)
Lettuce (about 1 cup chopped)

Optional toppings:
Cheese (I used Kraft Mexican cheese)
Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Prepare tartar sauce (mix all items together); refrigerate

2. Prepare pico de gallo (if not using store bought); combine all ingredients and refrigerate

3. Bake fish according to box

4. Prepare Yellow peppers

* Saute sliced peppers with butter and lime juice- remove from heat once tender

5. Prepare individual pitas

* layer bottom of pita with tartar sauce
* add lettuce and yellow peppers
* add 3 fish sticks
* top with pico de gallo
* wrap bottom in foil, if desired
* sour cream and cheese are optional toppings, once served


So this seems to be a little complex, but it's really not! The tartar sauce only takes about 3 minutes to mix, and the longest portion is waiting for the fish sticks to bake. I already had the pico on hand, because I made it a few days ago (or you can buy it in the store!). These were actually REALLY good, and I don't even like fish. TRY TRY :) Let me know if you do try it, and what you think. Enjoy! :)

Best Shot Monday

Trying to play outside for more than 15 minutes, right now, is almost impossible! It's SO hot outside!! This was taken this past week on one of our ninety-degrees days; telling a toddler that it's time to stop playing and come inside is not an easy task. This is Adam trying to protest my decision to stop playing. He's cute, but it didn't work. haha.

Do you have a *hot* photo you'd like to share? Go on over to Tracey's to share one of your photos, or to see more Best Shot Mondays!

Weekends are *fun*

This is my little duck. What a ham!

This weekend has been eventful, thus far. Last night we went out to dinner with my family, for my grandma's Birthday. It was a lot of fun, and Adam was very entertaining!

When we got home he was acting very strange, and I had a feeling that something wasn't right. He went to bed around 8:30 and fought sleeping for about 45 minutes. Around 11:30 or so, we hear him SCREAMING and crying. So, we went in and found him with a slight fever (maybe his teeth?) and very grouchy. No way was he going back to sleep. I decided to be a nice mommy. We let him watch 15 minutes of "Blue's Clues" and he ate a piece of toast (my mom used to let us eat toast, when we woke up in the middle of the night). THEN, the real fun began. At 5:20 I hear him hysterical, again. This time I knew I wasn't going to go in there and find anything good. I was right. He had puked EVERYWHERE. YUCK! I've already not been feeling well, and I've not been able to keep food down myself (yay for morning sickness, round 2!). So, Daddy and I gave him a bath, cleaned up his sheets, and stuck him in bed with us. Daddy passed out, Adam and I watched some TV, and he FINALLY went back to sleep around 7:30. Mommy........ couldn't go back to sleep. sigh. Adam woke up around 10:30 (again) and was fine. He hasn't eaten much today,but other than that he was normal ol ' Adam. Who knows?!

Today was my sister-in-law's baby shower. She is due 3.5 weeks after me. It was fun! But I was exhausted from not getting sleep, being pregnant, and feeling like crud. Now, I think I am passed the tired point...thus still be awake at 12:10.

OH- and I'm now 36 weeks. BIGGGGGG SIGH! I did pack the bag... So, I suppose we're ready. Right? :)

Tomorrow is Daddy day! :) Bop and Grandma Jacqui are coming over for cheesecake and to spend a little time with Adam. Should be good fun.

My Husband THINKS He's Funny....

So, to preface this story I must take you back to 2002.... I was a young and in love wife, who thought it would be funny to write love notes alllll over my husband's car, for Valentine's Day. I wrote nice little love notes, and hearts. It was sweet.... The husband, however, saw this as a nuisance (due to the snow, that occurred the following day, and made his car look like a piece of evidence in a murder) and vowed to repay me. FIVE YEARS LATER!!

Here is my pretty Jeep all decorated in "Hot Mama" love. AND let me tell you... I had a lot of people gawking at me, and my little pregnant self, until I was able to remove the lettering. I couldn't see out of the back, so sadly (or not so sadly) I had to wash it within a few miles of home.

Hubby is lucky he's so cute, or I'd be much more likely to kick him in the shins for this. ;)

I Can Only *Imagine*... Thursday's Theme

Ahh... to be a child again. To have no worries in the world and to be content with the smallest of things. I love this picture of my little thinker. I love the way he holds his toes and is so delicate. I wonder what he's thinking or imagining here. I am so thankful for Adam and I can't imagine my life without him!

Thursday's theme is imagine... if you have a picture that says "imagine" to you, be sure to share it with all! You can see more of today's theme at Tracey's Thursday's Theme.


I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me! I can only imagine. I can only imagine.

35 Weeks

That's right, time is ticking away. 35 weeks and 1 day... 34 days left...

I went to the doctor today and found out that I gained a whole 2 ounces. sigh. BUT Matthew did get bigger, and things are looking better. Everything else was pretty much the same. Great heart rate, measurement is keeping steady, blood pressure was a little low (90/58), but she said everything seemed great. :) My weight gain is now up to 10 lbs and 2 ounces.

So, I've avoided the weekly pictures... So here I am, today, at 35 weeks and 1 day. Notice how far my belly sticks out! He has a very bony butt, that he likes to stick up; hence the funny bump in my stomach. haha. I'm ready to meet this little man, and get back to some normalcy!

Next appointment is next Tuesday, and it's time to start checking to see if he's moving down and getting ready. eek!

Yum-O!

So, I tried another new recipe last night, for a little party I had (a jewelry party- if anyone is interested in ordering some jewelry from me, my party is staying open until next Monday! :) That way I can get more freebies... just email me or comment back and let me know...).

Anyway- the recipe. It's one of Paula Deen's butterlicious recipes. It's called Pecan Pie Muffins, has very few ingredients, and they actually taste like pecan pie! Enjoy! :)

Pecan Pie Muffins

Ingredients

1	cup pecans, chopped
1	cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2	cup flour
2	large eggs
1/2	cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in center of mixture.
2. Beat eggs until foamy.
3. Stir together eggs and butter; add to dry ingredients stirring until moistened.
4. Either grease and flower the bottom of a cupcake pan (8-9 wells only) or place 8-9 muffin papers in a cupcake pan.
   
5. Spoon batter into cups to 2/3 full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done. (Mine only took 20 minutes- so be sure to watch your muffins!)
   
7. Remove from pans immediately, cool on wire racks.
8. Best served warm... and with more butter, of course! :)
   

Best Shot Monday

So, I've never posted a shot for best shot Monday. Bean's mommy posts one almost every Monday, but I have never taken on the task of sharing my photos. Over at Tracey's she has theme days, best shot Mondays, and some great mommy advice. :)

This is an older photo, but I just love it. So far, the sandbox has been the place to take pictures. I love the way the light was hitting the sand and the shadows it created.

Anyway- Here's one of my best shots! Enjoy :)

Concentration

As of late, Adam has been into studying everything around him. Then BOOM out of nowhere he says something or does something I had no idea he knew about. It amazes me how they learn, even when you have no idea they're learning.

For example, he brought me one of the letters off of the fridge and said "Mommy, S!" Very proud of himself, sure enough, he was holding the letter "S." Ok, not a huge deal, I know. But then we went to the fridge and he said "A," yep- there was an "A." Well, we've been doing letters for awhile now, and we read about letters and we sing about them but I was still amazed. I guess I just don't remember my little siblings knowing some of the things he knows, until they were a little older.

Well, I am off for the day! :) Errands and a playdate with Adam's girlfriend.

Laundry Helper and Personal Ads

Adam was my special laundry helper, today. Usually I let him play with the socks, while I fold the rest of the clothes. Today he was into putting the socks on his appendages. I didn't get a picture of it, but he had socks on his hands and his legs at the same time; it was VERY cute!

Yesterday, I went to the resale store to drop off some clothes to sell. Well, I found this VERY cute shirt that is pictured above. It's a onsie/personal ad. We're really not that self-absorbed- I just thought it was hilarious! I love the little onsies with funny sayings on them. (Ok, so I guess I have a tiny bit of hope in my heart that he grows up to be a doctor- then he can take care of me when I am old! ;) )

T.G.I.F ALMOST ! yay! :) We like having daddy home.

Summer Lovin'

Today was the official beginning of our "summer break." Today was the last of our responsibilities for the year. My classes ended, volunteering ended, youth group ended, and today playgroup ended. So, now, what in the world do we do? I'm being told that I am to rest before Matthew gets here, but for some reason I feel the opposite. I feel like I should be doing more, because of Matthew coming. Shouldn't I be spending more time with Adam? Shouldn't I be getting more done, before Matthew comes? Sigh. Catch 22-- as always!

I have, however, in the past two weeks read TWO books. Yes, that's right, two whole books. Not "Hop on Pop," or "Brown Bear," but actual books. It's been well over 2 years since I've read an actual book, all the way through. I've started many books, in the past, but I had yet to finish one. I'll post book reviews in the coming days. I need to think about the books a little, before commenting. :)


Oh!! Btw, it's been 90 degrees for the past two weeks, in Ohio... and this morning... the day of our playgroup picnic... it's 56 degrees!!!!!! Hence the coat on Adam. Stupid Ohio weather.


Ok, so now that I look at these pictures I feel like my son looks like Donald Trump. Maybe I need to cut the wings and the back a little more? Or stop giving him a comb over? I can't win. Stupid Ohio weather (what? I have to blame something....) !!

Do you know the muffin man? His name is Adam.

These pictures are from our "family baking night." That's right, mommy thought it would be fun to make muffins, as a family. Daddy, Adam, and mommy made banana chocolate chip muffins. Amazingly enough, these muffins contain no oil and are SO scrumptious! (I'll post the recipe at the end of the blog)

Anyway, Adam thought it was great fun to make the muffins. He and daddy even went to the store to pick up the missing ingredients, and daddy said that Adam was very proud to carry the chocolate chips through the store.

As you can see, it wasn't a HUGE mess and it was neat to see how excited Adam got over helping out. He's also into making crazy faces when I take his picture, now. He's saying "cheese" in some of them, but overall he just thinks it's a riot to make silly faces.

On another note: why is it so cool to take off our clothes? Adam thinks it's great to strip down, these days. Hence the reason he is shirtless in the photos. We didn't actually take his shirt off, he did. And, when I got him up from his nap he had no pants on. haha.

Hope everyone had a great Monday!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix until smooth (don't beat these with a mixer, it doesn't make them fluffy enough). Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.
   

I have to pee....

Pregnancy Gripe 101:

The title says it all. I think I forgot about this part of pregnancy (much like some of the other woes I placed in the "why pregnancy sucks" part of my brain). This part of the brain is kept under lock and key (in women only), in order to sucker ourselves into having more babies. It's not a joke, people. YOU REALLY DO forget about the crappy mood swings, peeing marathons, sharp pains, bloating, lack of care towards everyday activities, etc. etc. etc. I also forgot about the sleepless nights. Andy says that I didn't start the insomnia with Adam until I was around 37 weeks. Sigh. So, I'm starting 4 weeks earlier with this one. What's that about? Another sigh. I've not slept an entire night or been able to fall asleep normally, for at least a week now. Last night I had 4 hours of sleep- Matthew is preparing mommy, I think.

Weekend...ending:

I hate when the weekend ends. Mondays aren't just bad for those who work outside of their homes. Mondays mean confusion from the child (ren), because Daddy isn't still snoring in bed when he/she wakes up in the morning. Mommies are confused because they don't really know if they have the will to make it through yet another week of diapers and screaming madness. Daddies are confused because they have to stumble out of bed before 10 am, just to find that their much needed attire is still wet in the washer (Not that this has happened here....ha...right).
It's just a mess of confusion. Ok so it's not that bad, but I laughed and feel better about tomorrow being Monday. Don't you? :) So, I cut Adam's hair this weekend...after taking this photo and realizing that he had wings. I'll take pics of my cutting job, tomorrow! I was proud of myself, he looks nice.

Toys....

Toys are overrated in this household. Adam prefers a good ol' box, a pillow, wrapping paper, the newspaper...and other non-toy items, to the expensive pieces of plastic we have purchased for him. I think he played in this box, from Costco, for over an hour. sigh. I suppose the value of something is held within the eye of the beholder?! Too bad I know this concept will not stay with him for much longer. Soon (hopefully later than sooner) he will want an I-Pod, a cell phone, his own computer, etc. etc.

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend! :)