Angel from heaven

From this:


to this:


...within hours. Amazing. How quickly life changes.


We are loving the peanut. Trying to sleep. Hoping to integrate these two separate parts to our family. I am nervous but hopeful (This will take some getting used to).

And the casualty of the day? The camera got dropped and broken right before we left the hospital. The memory card still has all 200 birth pics in tact, but I have a brand new cute bambino and no camera :( So terribly sad.

Labor Day?

All morning Monday. Stop.


All night Monday. Stop.


This is exhausting.

Obviously the baby is telling us the time is right. But we also spent a nervous Saturday morning at the hospital over the weekend, and saw the midwife on Monday.

Due to lots of factors and after much prayer we are headed for a repeat caesarean in 24 hours. It will be the safest thing for the baby right now. We are so excited that the time is finally here. We cannot wait to meet baby #5!

Look for details forthcoming!

Weekend fun

You know, having kids is a lot of fun. They do funny things and make you smile.

Here is what our weekend was like:


The kids have two playhut tents, and they put up both of them on Friday, filling an entire bedroom. Come bedtime, Princess decided to sleep in hers and it was too cute not to take a picture of.





Then on Saturday they got to dressing up, and Jedi and Princess thought they'd like to get married. Should I be concerned? Anyway, they played that way for hours. He was a good sport (and the 6 year old even did his sister's hair! LOL).





And yesterday the kids got their first shot at Rockband at Grandma's house. They had fun with cousins, aunts and uncles too.

Oh, why tempt me so?

The store I love to hate. The store that rhymes with hall-fart.

I admit it. I've been spending a lot more time there lately. I fell into the trap. The waddling prego is tired of running to a bunch of stores. When I need a few 1 hour prints and baby flannel at the same time as milk, eggs and a kitchen rug, I have been going there. Way. too. often.

Yesterday I thought it might be baby day. I was feeling perky for an hour, though, so I packed up the off track (year round school) children and headed off for a possibly final milk/bread/snack run so my family could survive for a week without me. Well, it wasn't baby day, but I found stumbled upon something very dangerous.

Tastykakes.

My sister has been increasingly finding random varieties of these delicious made-in-my-home-state goodies, but not the crowning joy of Tastykakes - the Butterscotch Krimpet. Not till now.


And if you're not from back east, or have never tasted them before, don't even think of telling me that they are like Twinkies or something made by Hostess or Little Debbie. No way, man.

Fight Abortion

http://www.fightfoca.com/

Cheesy Tuna Melt





Southwest Layered Salad





Chicken Tetrazzini





Bean Enchiladas





Garlic Spinach Chicken Spaghetti


Hamburger Casserole



oven steak fries



Slow Cooker Macaroni & Cheese Ingredients8 ounces elbow macaroni 4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk 1 ½ cups milk 2 eggs Salt and pepper to tasteIn a large pot cook macaroni pasta as directed; drain. In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups of the sharp Cheddar cheese, cooked macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Transfer to a slow cooker that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Cook on low for five to six hours, or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir the mixture until the mixture has finished cooking. Serve warm









Pizza pasta Casserole2 pounds ground beef or turkey1 large onion, chopped2 jars(28-oz. each) spaghetti sauce1 package (16-oz.) spiral pasta, cooked and drained4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese8 oz. sliced pepperonibrown beef or turkey with onion. Stir in spaghetti sauce and pasta. Transfer to two greased 9x13 pans. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange pepperoni over the top. Cover and freeze casserole for up to 3 months. To use frozen casserole. Thaw in fridge overnight. Bake at 350 for35-40 min or until heated through. Makes two casseroles




http://ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-pot-creamy-chicken-and-noodles.html

So far, so good

Well, my midwife appt went well today. Blood pressure and baby are looking good, and I am very grateful to not be "against the clock", at least for right now. Still hoping for normal spontaneous labor!

Draper Temple

We had such a neat time as a family last Friday touring the new LDS temple in our area. If you are near me, I urge you to take your family and go! What great memories!


The kids were in awe at the beauty of each room. I wish I could have snapped pictures of their faces inside. It was truly something to cherish.

Let's see; it's 6am.

I couldn't sleep anymore at about 4, got tired of watching the news about the inauguration, got up at 5. So far I have cleaned the bathroom sink, toilet, shower, and reorganized the linen closet and under the sink, tossed out expired meds, consolidated our cleaning products/rags...

Crazy woman? or nesting?

You can do ANYTHING

BP is high again...trying to get things under control. If not lowered and if I don't start labor on my own, my chances of VBAC are pretty much gone. I've never gone early before, but I'm hoping for it this time!

Talk about ribbon

My dear hubby made me a custom ribbon rack for Christmas to hold my beautiful spools of satin and grosgrain. I currently have 40 spools on there. Yikes! It's amost full already!

Ok, so it's an obsession.

That's okay. I have put a moratorium on all new ribbon purchases for a while. At least I won't buy any till I finish off some.

Isn't it lovely?

For more Talk About Tuesday topics, visit the Lazy Organizer.

Menu Plan Monday

Need to grocery shop BAD and trying to get more organized for baby, so I'm trying to plan ahead a bit better.



Week of 1/12-1/16

Monday: Grilled Cheese Sammies

Tuesday: Tuna Casserole

Wednesday: Kids Favorite Pork Chops (subbing w/ chicken broth)

Thursday: Chicken & Bean Chili

Friday: Going to the Draper Temple Open House and out to dinner!


Would also like to make chocolate chip cookies, granola and orange bread this week.



Week of 1/19-1/24


Monday: Hashbrown Casserole

Tuesday: Taco Soup

Wednesday: Beef and Cheese Casserole

Thursday: Minestrone Soup

Friday: Chicken Patties w/ spaghetti




For more menu ideas visit Org Junkie!

Happy Birthday!

Hubby is a year older today. We have spent half our lives together! Hard to believe.

Hope you have a great day, hon!

Still here

I'm here, just nothing much to say.

Swollen, tired, a bit uncomfortable, but content.

I feel a lot of peace right now. Usually with 3 weeks to go I am antsy, irritable and very overwhelmed with things I feel I need to do but physically can't. But I do feel quite ready right now, despite the fact that the bassinet is still in storage and the onesies are not freshly laundered.

I am trying to surround myself with positive vibes, a little good mo-jo, if you will. And I guess it's working. I just want to block out anything sapping my baby energy and bringing me down.

So excuse me while I'm "in the zone". Even if that zone is on the couch surrounded by water bottles while holding the DVD remote with my cankles up on the ottoman.

ham and potato soup
sweet and sour smoked sausage with rice
spaghetti

Beginner sewing

A new year

So here we are, staring another fresh 12 months in the face.

I, the endless list-maker extraordinaire, am not making resolutions this year. I usually do. But I just don't feel like it this time around. How's that for a good reason?

There are lots of things I want to do, but I figure if I get to them, great. And if not, there is always later.

If there's any goal at all for me, it is going to be gratitude. These last couple months have been rough for me, and my less-than-stellar reaction to my trials has left me feeling a bit spiritually weak. I need to focus on my blessings SO much more than what I don't have, and I think that in itself may cure my problems. So I am going to try to live, act and say things with more thankfulness. I'm sure I can notice the great things I've been given more readily.

Now, for some January projects! I love to create, and I love to organize. I'm doing both this week.

I pulled out a sewing machine for the first time since my oldest was a baby (when I made some pitiful burp rags) over the Christmas break. I made some pillows that match my new family room curtains. Yes I did!

Once I find my camera I will show a picture.

I found a super easy even-I-couldn't-mess-it-up pattern and just decided to go for it. It was so much fun that I have started looking for more easy stuff to make. Any suggestions? I even think I'll make a cover for my old machine. I should really take a class or something. But for now I will just bumble through and teach myself a bit.

And since Strider helped with so many projects while home, I have a good handle on the house and can continue some organizing to be ready for baby bop in a few more weeks.

Lots to look forward to!!