Jon and Alyssa

Home Made Marshmallows

2011-12-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

This week I tried my hand at making marshmallows! It was pretty easy, considering the end result. They pared with hot chocolate just as well as you may imagine. Eating them out of the bag was just as good! :)

The only thing I recommend is having a stand mixer. You can do it with a hand mixer, but the mixing time is 12 MINUTES!!! So it may be a little hard on you're hand mixer.

Here we go....

Nonstick cooking spray

3 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or more if you like)

Corn Starch, and Confectioners' sugar, sifted, for coating (I did a cup of each)

Prep...

Take a 9X9 inch pan (or 9X13 depending on how big you want them) and coat it with cooking spray. Then take you're parchment paper, and line the pan so that the edges go up the the rim of the pan. Coat the paper with cooking spray too.

Like this...

After that, take your gelatin packets, and cold water, and combine them in a bowl. Now ideally this will be you're stand mixer bowl, but if you're not using one, a regular mixing bowl is just fine.

Then in a heavy medium saucepan, combine you're sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup of water, and turn you're heat on med/high. With a wire whisk, stir to make sure all is incorporated, so your dry sugar doesn't burn. Stir it even couple of minuets until it boils. Now, I didn't have a candy thermometer, but you're goal is a 230-240 degree boil. This is a really hard boil, and should take you about 9 minutes to achieve this boil. Don't let it burn!! This means not walking away from it at all!!

Once it has reached that hard boil, let it boil for appox. 1 minute. Then add you're salt, and take you're pan to you're mixer, and pour the molten sugar into you're mixing bowl. With your whisk attached to the mixer, turn it on low. I draped a kitchen towel around my Kitchen Aid so it didn't spatter all over my kitchen.

Once it has combine, flip it into over drive!! Turn you're mixer on it's highest setting, and set you're timer for 12 minutes. YES, 12 MINUTES!

When it's done, it will be cooled enough to touch. Remover the bowl from the mixer, and pour into you're greased pan. Take a greased spatula, and smooth it out. Cover it with cling wrap and put it aside for 4 hours, or until it's set and completely cooled.

The next part is up to you. I flipped the pan and let it fall onto a powdered working surface, and dusted the top, and a pizza cutter with my corn starch/ powdered sugar mixture. At this point you could use cookie cutters. Then I proceeded to cut rows, then cubes. I then threw them into a bowl with the dusting mixture, and then a zip lock baggy. They will keep for 3 weeks.

My plan, when I make them again is to pour half of the "dough" into the greased pan. Then make a mixture of red food coloring, and peppermint extract, and drizzle that over whats in the pan. Then pour the remainder of the "dough" on top of the drizzle. Then take a butter knife and swirl it in the pan, to make a candy cane looking treat.

I would really like to give these to a few neighbors inviting them to the Christmas Eve service. We'll see. :)

Enjoy!!

NOTE: Because of the nature of the REALLY REALLY hot sugar, I would suggest you wait to make these until the kids are asleep!

CVS Couponing Trip

2011-09-14T23:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, so while the rest of the drugstores were having a pretty boring week, CVS was pretty good!! I guess it's all in what your looking for.

They were having a sale on Air Wick products. Originally the couponing web sites were saying that product that was on sale for $7.99, then a $4 off, which is pretty good. But then on top of that, if you spent $20 on that product, you got 10 ECB's back. That made the deal even better.

When the circular came around, people were discovering that a) the ECB deal worked for the $4.99 Air Wick kit, b) also the $4 off coupon worked for the 4.99 Air Wick kit, and c) if you bought 4, even though it only rings up to 19.96 it still gave you the ECB's!!! So essentially this could be a money maker of $6.04 after sale, coupons, and ECB's!!

Unfortunately for me, I could only get my hands on 2, but I still got a great deal!!

This is all the stuff I got. Before sales and coupons, it rang up to over $38.

These were the 4 Air Wick products I got.

This was on sale for .99, i had a .75 off coupon making it .24!!!I was so glad that this went on sale because we were out.

So here's the breakdown...

4 Air Wick products at 4.99 = $19.96
-(2)$4 off coupons = $11.96 before tax

Dawn Dish soap at .99
-.75 = .24
For everything = $12.20

-5.99 previous ECB's I had.

My out of pocket cost with tax was $7.83!!

But 10 ECB's printed out on my receipt!!

PLUS- a $4 off 20 coupon printed on my receipt too!!

This also sets me up for an amazing deal next week on diapers where I plan on paying less than $3 a pack!!

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Couponing week 8/14

2011-08-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

Couponing this week took a bit of a back seat as Adah was sick, and we went camping with my parents for a couple days. I haven't even finished clipping my coupons yet. :/

And... Unfortunately, I don't have pics of what I got because we tore into it when I got home.

Walgreens... Believe it or not, I have yet to coupon at Walgreens due to the fact that I really wanted to get to know their rewards program. I glad I did, because Walgreens will double their own coupons with manufacturers coupons. The only catch is, you have to have as many items as coupons, i.e. If you want to double a coupon on one item, you have to get another item to even out your coupon/ item ractio. Its REALLY easy to do that right now with all the back to school stuff that is literally pennies rit now.

I'm not going to do a price breakdown because I broke the #1 rule of couponing... NEVER take your kids, this resulted in paying way more and getting Adah a pair of Tinker Bell socks that she didn't need. Oh boy!

Anyhow, Huggies has a new diaper product that is onesale at Walgreens for $9.49 right now, with $2 Register Rewards. But, to make this deal even better, as with most of new products, there is a $3 off coupon out right now, making it essentially $4.49!!

I also got Skippy peanut butter. The price was $3.49 each, but there was an in-ad coupon (2/$4). I also had a $1 off coupon making it $1.50 each. Because you had to buy 2 for the offer to work, I didn't need to get an extra item, but I did. :/

This was a great introductory trip to Walgreens. I really like their rewards program because you don't have to sign up for anything, or remember to bring a card. It just a coupon program.

CVS... I am becoming very aware of CVS's rewards program and Extra Care Bucks, (and cashiers lol!), and am really getting the hang of how to split up the transaction to keep my OOP (out of pocket) really low.

This week there was a really good deal on Revlon Lipstick. They are $6.99 regular price, but you get 5 ECB back. There is also a $1 off coupon making it $.99!! Unfortunately, I only had one coupon, and I would have bought more had I known that it included lip glosses too. :/. So I only got 1.

While in the cosmetics, I found a gem! Cover girl colorstay lipstick for $2.24 clearance. There were a lot to choose from, and I had a cover girl $1 off coupon, making this normally $7.99 lipstick, $1.24!! I didn't know if it would work so I only got one, but I think I may go back with e remaining coupons I have.

I am also finding that the one of the three drugstores will almost always have a deal for a nice razor. Sometimes as low as .99! So I got Jon a schick hypro 3 razor (8.49) for $1.49 with ECBs and coupons.

This weeks was okay, but I didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare for this shopping trips, but still made out pretty good!

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Couponing week 8/7

2011-08-26T14:53:00.001-07:00

This is from almost 2 weeks ago, but we have been busy with the Harvest Crusades, Adah being sick, and camping, so I'm am just now posting some of the deals I scored from that week.

So my main objective for this trip was to get Pull-Ups. Adah is just about potty trained, but we were headed to the crusade, and I didn't want to take any chances with accidents while we were away from home.

I had a couple of other things I wanted to get to so this is what I got...

Pampers Easy Ups, renuzit, and Dryers dibs.

This was the best deal I had gotten on diapers. Generally I think think a sale price of about $8.99 is good on diapers. We use to get Adah the big Costco box of diapers, but because she is so close to being fully potty trained, it's not worth it. So when I saw this deal I had to take advantage.
Diapers on sale= $8.99, I had a $2 off coupon, and I got ECBs back.

Final price= $3.99 about 14 cents a diaper.

This was a splurge I was not proud of, but we both wanted ice cream, and it would have cost more if we went somewhere to get it.

Sale price= 3.99

Renuzit, this is why I need to post soon after I go shopping, I cant remember the deal with these, but I do remember they came out to be about 56 cents each. I don't love these types of air fresheners, but I wanted to get something to freshen up our house, so these will do for now.

My bill came out to $7.43 with coupons, and ECBs! Not too shabby!

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Churnin' the Butter

2011-08-05T14:08:00.001-07:00

No, your eyes have not deceived you, I am getting 2 blog posts out in 1 day!!

My Mother in-law's birthday was this week, and she is really into very thoughtful gifts. I decided to make her home made butter, and get a really nice loaf of bread from Panera Bread to go with it.
This is making butter in the most modern way imaginable, but it is fun to make your own butter, and I found it to be really really easy. Adah had a great time watching it too!

You will need...

A food processor
1 pint Heavy whipping cream
Cheese cloth
Whatever kind of seasoning you want. (this could be just salt, or you could make a sweet butter with some honey)

Start by emptying the pint of whipping cream into your food processor. If you have a normal sized processor, it will cover the blades. Flip it to the on (not pulse) position, and leave it on for several minutes.

This is the first phase in the cream. It will begin to look like whipped cream. I snagged a little bit to put in a bowl, and mixed it with powdered sugar for Adah and I to dip our strawberries in. YUM!!!

Then it will look like this. Very thick, but it's still not done. You are looking for it to separate. You will know when it does. It will do it all of the sudden, and it will be almost "slushy."

Then take your cheese cloth and drape it over a bowl. Pour the mixture over the bowl, then squeeze out the buttermilk with the cheese cloth into the bowl. Keep the buttermilk for another recipe.

Put the butter in a small airtight container. You can leave it like it is, or mix salt, or anything you want into it.

I didn't get a picture of the finished product. :(

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New Drive

2011-08-05T13:34:00.001-07:00

This has been a big week for us. We got a new (to us) car!!! As you can imagine, things have been tight in our 4 door Saturn Ion. We have a double stroller that someone graciously gave us brand new, but we havent been able to use it because it wont fit in our car. We recently took it on vacation up to Morrow bay, and it was really pushing it with al of our stuff and the stroller. We went with my parents who took their trailer, so a majority of our stuff went in it. There was no way we could have done that trip on our own in that car.
So that really got us thinking about a bigger car. We went back and forth about what to get. Most affordable, economical SUVs only have 5 seats. We knew we didn't want that because we wanted to be able to bring people with us on trips and so fourth. A bigger SUV is much more expensive, and cost a small fortune to keep gassed up. Our next thought was a mini-van.
I have always been against getting a mini-van. Jon would often joke about how I was going to eventually drive a mini-van with our kids. I would always say that would never happen. But as we started looking for a car, it would come up as the most practical in space, gas, and price.
Well, last week, never happened because we bought a mini-van, and I'm really happy with it. I understand that for some people, it's not for them, but this is so perfect for our family.

It a 2010 Dodge Caravan

This is the first car both Jon and I have owned that has power windows! Lol!

It also has power sliding doors. This has been a HUGE plus!!!

I folded down the seat so you could see that our ginormous stroller fits with no problem!! With the crusade being next weekend, I am so looking forward to be able to pack what we want and need for the trip, and not just what is a necessity, and have family members bring the rest!

I am feeling so blessed that the Lord provided for us! We had just paid out car off in January, and were hoping to not have a car payment for a while. That didn't happen, but we were able to get our payment lower that our previous car payment was.

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My version of Extememe Couponing

2011-07-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

What would your guess be as to how much all this cost me?

First, let me tell you how much it cost before savings

2 small boxes of cheese it's = 4 boxes for $5 on sale
2 small boxes of wheat thins = 4 boxes for $5 on sale
1 box of Kotex $3.49 on sale
1 package of pens $1.99
1 half gallon of milk $ 2.29

Like I said, I have been couponing. In my research of getting good deals I started looking at TheKrazyCouponLady.com. The main driver behind The Krazy Coupon Lady is Joanie Demer. You may remember her on the first episode of Extreme couponing. She is the one who made us all cringe as she went "dumpster diving in that adorable Anthropology jacket. She has a great web site and a book, "Pick Another Checkout Line Honey." I absolutely love her and think she is adorable! I have signed up for her daily email, and get all the great deals spelled out for me.

I also get a daily email from faithfulprovisions.com, and the frugalgirls.com. All of this is so helpful because they do all the match ups for me.

So this week I planned out my CVS trip, and tees he above deals are the deals I got, but because CVS has extra care bucks(ECB), I was really able to keep my out of pocket (OOP)really low.

The whole point with ECB's is to use them, along with coupons to make your OOP to a minimum. They are printed on your receipt so you can't use them on the same transaction.

So this is the breakdown...

I went into the store with $8 ECB from a previous shopping trip so my goal was to keep my OOP really low.

The 4 boxes of crackers were on sale for 4/$5, but I also had a $1 off coupon. It also came with 1 ECB
.75 each

The box of U Kotex was on sale for 3.49. I had a $1 off coupon. It came with 2 ECB.
.49!

The package of pens was 1.99
There was no coupon for these, but I did get $1.99 back in ECB.
Free

1 half gallon of milk was 2.29
Because I had a whole 8 ECB from my last shopping trip, I needed this trip to be big enough to use the whole amount at one time. and we needed milk lol!

So my OOP for all 7 items was $3.19!!! A savings of 72% before sales and coupons!!! I also got 5 more ECB on my receipt!!!

Way Overdue Post

2011-07-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

This update is WAY overdue, but I promise with good reason. Having 2 kids has been a HUGE adjustment. I really wasn't ready for this adjustment. I thought it couldn't be harder than it was being on beseech with a 2 year old. HA!!! What the heck was I thinking!!! There have been a few reasons as to why it's been a big adjustment.

Jude has been such a blessing. He is sleeping well, and has been since we brought him home. So that in itself have made things easier. But, Adah has defiantly had some trouble adjusting to a new baby. Not in the way you would think, sibling rivalry is not the problem. The problem is that I don't have her attention as much as before, and she is taking advantage of that. I am always having to be a step ahead of her. She is really smart so this is not an easy task, and it is very tiring! This is also a reason I haven't been blogging as much.

We are also in the midst of potty training. This is a blogpost in itself, but she is doing excellent! I have some pretty hilarious stories too!

I have been couponing lately. We don't have cable, but I have heard of Extreme Couponing and was really intrigued. While I was trying to find some episodes online, I found a whole lot of info on it. Long story short (blog post soon) I started applying the info, and I have been saving quite a bit of money.

So I guess this is just a preview blogpost! ;)

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Birth Story

2011-05-30T23:12:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm keeping to my word and posting my birth story...

As I had mentioned, on Sunday, I went to the hospital to get checked out because my blood pressure way too high. They ended up sending me home, and by Tuesday, I was back in L&D due to my OB sending me there. I waited most of the afternoon there being monitored and having my blood and urine tested. Everything came back normal but my 6pm that night my doctor decided to induce me. I was 38 weeks

If I haven't mentioned it by now I will. I LOVED my OB! I felt like he was so on top of all my complications and took all the precautions needed for my case. My previous doctor was good, but looking back I feel like she was a little too inexperienced for as many complications had, thus things got really out of control. From day 1 my doctor has been so aware of of my medical needs. It really has a lot to do with his years of experience. He has literally delivered thousands of babies.

So around 6:30 he came in and said that he had spoken to my high risk doctor, and they both agreed that even though I was not dilated or effaced, we were going to go ahead with the induction. He said we could wait until my cervex was softened, but at this point with my blood pressure in the condition it was in, I was a ticking time bomb for developing preeclampsia.

So they started the induction at 7pm with cytotech, (a little pill they put on the cervex) and got my IV going. The doctor didn't think I would have him until the next afternoon at the earliest, so he prescribed a sleeping pill for me.

At about 10pm my Mom went home, and I was getting really sleepy so I told Jon to go home and get some rest too. I wasn't having ANY contractions and I wanted him to be able to get some rest as well. Being the good husband he is, he didn't leave until 1am because he wanted to make sure I was good and asleep.

A luck would have it almost as soon as he left I started having contractions. They weren't horrible, but I couldn't sleep through them, so I started practicing my relaxation techniques with them. They continued to get stronger and stronger. Because I was so uncomfortable, and moving around so much, I couldn't get a good reading as to what my contractions were at on the monitor, but being that my labor with Adah was so much longer, I thought I was being a wimp and they weren't as bad as with Adah. So I "sucked it up."

By 4am I decided to text Jon to tell him they were getting pretty bad and just to be on alert. I still had the mindset that it was not as bad as Adah. Keep in mind, my labor with Adah was 21 hours from the time the started the induction, AND I was dilated to 2.

At 4:29am my water broke so I texted my Mom and Jon. Jon was already getting his things to go, and making sure Adah was okay (she was sleeping at our house with Adam staying with her) so thankfully he was on his way.

He arrived at 4:49am and I was in a lot of pain. He sat with me for a few contraction until the nurse came in and said that they were getting the labor room ready, and that I would not be able to get an epideral for another hour. When she left I told Jon I didn't think I could wait that long. She also checked me and I was still only at 4cm.

The nurse came in with a wheelchair, and in between contraction I got up to get in the chair and I had the feeling of everything inside me dropping. As soon as I started to sit down in the chair, a really strong contraction came on and I just started screaming "I HAVE TO PUSH!!!" The nurse quickly told the other nurse with her that the baby is coming and they needed to get me to the other room fast. A they were tuning down the hall I am still primal screaming! They got me into the room, and I got up on the bed, and Jon said he could see the baby's head.

I had one contraction with pushing that was not getting me anywhere, so the nurse told me how to grab my legs and push. The next contraction I pushed once and they were telling me the baby was coming, and I pushed again, and at 5:09am he came "sliding" out.

The doctor hadn't even gotten to the room yet so the nurse had to deliver him. Luckily, he was doing a C section, so he was there. As soon as he came in the room, he said "was that you I heard singing in the hall?"

It was all so fast, my Mom didn't even make it to the hospital. With this labor from the start of my induction to when he was born was 9 hours! My water broke a little more than half an hour before I had him! That was a HUGE difference from Adah. When my water broke with her, I didn't have her for another 5 hours.

So I got to experience a pain meds free birth! Its funny how we have our way of things in our heads of how our labor is going to be, but God has his own plan. And in the end I got me SWEET baby boy!

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Welcome Baby Jude.

2011-05-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

I know this is LONG overdue... As you can imagine, having two kids is a lot of work!!! Things have been adjusting as well as can be expected. I'll start with the series of events from a couple days before Jude came, until now.

As you have gathered from my posts over the last few months, I have been seeing a high risk doctor twice a week for the past 3 months. Things had been going well, with a couple high blood pressure readings in the mix, but nothing too high. But the Sunday before he was born (May 1st) I woke up with a headache. During pregnancy, you can expect the occasional headache, but when you are dealing with high blood pressure, it's a high red flag. So, I just kept note and continued with my morning. At about 10 that morning, I was putting Adah's clothes on for church , and I started seeing "stars" or flashes of light. This is also a big red flag, especially since I had never experienced it before. So I went to take my blood pressure and it was 170/ 100 really high! So Adah and I went to the couch and relaxed and I laid on my left side with no avail with it going down.

My Mom was nice enough to take Adah to church so I could rest for a couple hours. Still almost asleep it was still really high. Throughout this whole pregnancy, my blood pressure has been an indicator that I need to slow down and rest, and it will go down. So it was alarming that it was not going down. So when Jon came home from church, and it was still high we decided to go to Labor and delivery.

While I was there they adjusted my medication, and waited for it to come down, knowing I was going to my high risk doctor the next day, and my OB the day after that. I was home by 10pm.

By the time by OB appointment came on Tuesday, my blood pressure was pretty high, so my doctor sent me to L&D again. I was there most of the day when they decided to induce me at 7pm that night. My birth story is a little bit long so I'll save that for another post.

At 5:09am Wednesday morning, we were blessed for our little Jude Michael! Weighing in at 5lbs 5oz and 17 1/2 inches long! Absolutely perfect!!!

This was the Saturday before I had him

This was shortly after I had him, after we got to our room.

Adah saw him very shortly after he was born, but this is the first interaction she got with him.

I had to be on Magnesium Sulfate (anti seizure) after I had him with added yet another night at the hospital. I was pretty upset I was not at home with Adah, and this is what my Dad sent me. It made me feel a lot better!

Adah was SO excited that she had company in the back seat with her!

He LOVES the sling!

Adah absolutely ADORES her brother!

It blows my mind as to what a big girl she is growing into!

He is seriously such a good baby! As long as he isn't hungry and his diaper is clean, he is content just to be around us. We are slowly getting into a routine with our he and Adah, and adjusting well to Jon being back at work.

Hello May!!!

2011-05-02T16:42:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe how long it's been since I have blogged or posted any kind of update. I guess I don't usually feel the urgency to post considering most of the people who read is I'm friends with on Facebook. But here we are in May, and I haven't posted anything in a while, so we'll start with the basics. ;)

I am in shock that it's May! Fir a few reasons. 1) This year is flying by. 2) I honestly thought I would have had the baby by now. I am absolutely delighted that things have been good and he has been able to stay in for longer than I did with Adah!

My blood pressure has been holding steady for the past 4 weeks, and I'm am. Thankful for that, although, it got pretty high over the weekend, and I ended up going to the hospital Sunday evening. All day Sunday, I was feeling weird with a headache. Then, while I was changing Adah into her clothes for church, I started seeing spots. I took my blood pressure, and it was the highest reading I've seen at home. My machine tends to read high, but even if this was off a little bit, it was still way too high. S Jon and I headed to the hospital.

I know Parkview has gotten a really bad rep, but I really like it. It's small, the parking is decent, and I LOVE the L&D nurses! They are usually older, but very calm about thing, and very knowledgable. This visit didn't disappoint in the least. They were on top of talking to the on call doctor, and I was out of there by 10:30 that night. The main thing I got from going to the hospital was that all my blood work came back clear, and there was no protein in my urine. Very mind easing!

I have an OB appointment tomorrow, and I have a feeling he may induce me. My blood pressure has been so borderline, and I'm full term, I think (hope) that's the direction he takes. I am feeling ready to have this baby!

That's all I got for now! I'll keep updating about what happens tomorrow!

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Location:Hello May!!!

33 weeks

2011-04-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

Sorry this has taken so long to get out. We had a crazy week with a lot of activity. Probably not the best thing for me, but with mild swelling, I did great!

Saturday, I had a small baby shower with great friends! It was exactly what I envisioned and so much better! My great friend Kristi headed it up with the help of my bother's girlfriend (and my friend) Carlie, and my sister Abbie. The theme was an owl theme, and they ran with it! The three of them are so creative, and it all turned out so cute! A soon as I get my dads camera, I'll upload some picture. I left feeling so blessed and loved my all my friends!

Monday started with my NST (monitoring) and it was okay. My blood pressure was a little high, but keep in mind, at my shower, I had no reserves about what I ate, so I'm sure that took a toll on my body. I did leave a little discouraged, but dinner with friends that night made up for all that!

Tuesday, I had my weekly OB visit. This was the highlight of my week pregnancy speaking. My blood pressure was the lowest it has ever been since I have been pregnant with this baby. It was so good that my doctor didn't want to see me for 2 weeks! He even said (in his most sincere voice) how good I was doing! I left so happy with that appointment. I haven't had a good doctor's visit in a long time, so this was sooooo encouraging!

Thursday was Adah's birthday! It was so fun to see her start to "get" the idea of a birthday! We have been celebrating other family member's birthdays for a few weeks now, and she has gotten really excited for them, but now it was her birthday. I kept telling her it was her birthday, and every time I would say that, she would say Daddy, or Noah, or Abbie, all of which had recently celebrated their birthday.
It wasn't until dinner that she really got it! I let here wear her Tinker Bell costume that my parents got her. When we got to the Spaghetti Factory (her favorite) she was running and skipping around the entrance, going to any kid that would let her give them a hug. It was the FUNNIEST thing ever! She had a great day! Again, pictures to come!

Friday, I had my last NST for the week. It wasn't bad high, but not nearly as good as Tuesday. But honestly, we had such a good week, I wasn't discouraged at all!

Saturday was by far our busiest day. It started with us leaving before 9 to go to Rancho for one of Adah's buddy Cooper's birthday. It was at a place called Pump it Up. An indoor place with about a dozen blow up bounce houses. With obstacle courses, and slides. I wasn't sure How Adah would do, but Jon was there, so she did everything with him. It was so fun! Adah liked it so much, we are thinking we'll do her birthday there next year. This one, unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of.
That day was mostly spent in the Rancho area. I had a bridal shower for my cousin after that, then we headed out to Victoria Gardens for a birthday dinner for my dad's friend at Lucille's. It was a CRAZY day, but really good!

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Location:Home

32 Weeks

2011-03-23T20:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had my OB visit for them to check m y blood pressure, and again, it was borderline. When my doctor came in he asked how my blood pressure has been and I said, just that, it was borderline. So he said to up my dosage to every 6 hours, of the medication I have been on.

He is concerned about my blood pressure, but I did bring up the fact that I I am having very minimal swelling. I can still wear my wedding ring, and it's not tight. With Adah I started swelling at 25 weeks and had to get a fake ring, and was pitting by 33 weeks (you could press hard on my leg and he pressure would leave a temporary pit). That right there is a good sign!

So now I'm assuming that I will be going to my OB once a week from here on out. You would think that if they want me to rest they would have me going to three appointments in one week every week. Sometimes I think that can contribute to my blood pressure being high when I get there.

Adah has really been acting out the last few weeks. I don't know if it's because I have to leave her more than normal, (not like she doesn't LOVE spending time with her grandparents) or it's because she scenes a big change happening. Everything is a fight with her. I have been reading a few books on parenting, and they advice that in a loving and controlled way, spanking can be a tool for certain punishments. Everyone has their opinions on spanking, and I respect that, but for us it does work. However, society doesn't condone spanking of any kind, so when we are out in public it is really hard to be consistent in our discipline. So it's even more important that Jon and I are 100% consistent at home.

I have 1 more appointment for this week, and then we start all over again. I'm feeling a lot more relaxed as the time passes. Yes, I'm getting very uncomfortable, but the idea that the baby could come at anytime because of my condition is not as scary the further we get.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Big Family Changes

2011-03-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

The last time my grandpa came to my parents house for a visit was July 5th. Being that the 4th was on a Sunday, the church staff was given Monday off. My grandparents came and we had a BBQ with the family. It was nice and relaxing, and created for great memories. Obviously we had no idea that 20 days later, my grandpa would pass away.

My grandparents have always wanted to move closer to my mom and dad, but they have been living in their house for 50 years (I think) and that kind of change has always intimidated them. On that day, we deiced to look at a couple of houses in the neighborhood just up the street. One was a foreclosure that was in not great condition, the other was in pretty decent condition, but was a short sale. No one was living there so we decided to just look anyway through the windows. It was beautiful! 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, with a pool. Everyone just loved that house! But, again, it was a short sale so no effort was made to look into it any further.

With the rapid decline of my grandpa's health, it was forgotten...

Fast forward 8 months later, it had become very evident that my grandma's living conditions needed to change. She was having a hard time keeping up with her house, and got into a car accident, and can no longer drive. Being that they live 30+ minuets away without traffic, if has been extremely difficult for my mom to care for her in the way she needed. She has been staying with my parents for over a month now, due to the fact that she can't drive. We had looked into 55+ apartments and such, but my grandma, the money savvy lady she is, found it pointless to pay that much money when she didn't get to own anything.

Last week we caught wind of a few houses for sale in the neighborhood. So my grandma (on her own) called up a real estate agent she has know for years to come and show us the houses. I say on her own, because my grandma hates being pushed to do anything, so her calling him up was a huge step. They looked at two, one being a scary house up the street that still had people living in it, and the beautiful house we looked at with my grandpa. It had gone into foreclosure, and when the bank gained it, they painted it, put new carpet in, and cleaned the pool to sparkling condition. It was again, beautiful!

Like I said, my grandma hates being pushed, but the agent was very real with her in saying, its a great property, and the price is great too, so you need to do something now because it won't last. So my grandma put in an offer, and her agent wrote a letter to the bank about her circumstances, and how my mom lives in the neighborhood.

We were all praying not that she would get the house, but if it were the Lords will, He would make it very clear. The next morning, her agent called to say they should up the offer a little bit, and by noon, he told her that she got the house! Not 24 hours later, and she was signing papers!

To make it more evident that the Lords hand was in this, she decided when she was making the offer to put up her house for sale in Montclair, and it was to go up on Friday. To all of our shock and amazement, it was sold by noon on Friday! And.... She sold it for more than she bought the house in Riverside for! We have been so thankful for the Lord's hand in this, and I know it will make my Mom's live a whole lot easier, just in not worrying about her, and being that 30+ minutes away. Not she's only 3+ minuets away!

Please keep us in prayer as we move her to Riverside. It will be hard on her and all of us as that was the home that we all grew up at, and the home my grandpa passed away at.

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

Abondigas Soup

2011-03-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Jon and Adah have been sick the last couple days, so we are having a sick day today (and possible tomorrow). I wanted to make soup for Jon and Adah. My great friend Shainie gave me this recipe last year, and we LOVE it! It's supper easy and you can add as many veggies as you want. You can also substitute the beef for ground turkey. With the meat and veggies, its a really well rounded soup!

Enjoy!

Albondigas (Mexican Meatball) Soup by Shainie Rickard
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. dried oregano
1lb ground beef/turkey
½ cup rice
2 tbsp. vegetable/olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
2 (14 ½ oz) cans beef broth
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup sliced carrots

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cilantro, salt, pepper and oregano; beat well. Add ground beef and rice; mix well. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Set aside.
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in water, broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer 5 minutes.
Add meatballs to soup; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer about 30 minutes or until meatballs are no longer pink in the center.
Serve with flour tortillas.
Makes 6-8 servings

31 Weeks

2011-03-16T17:53:00.001-07:00

Monday marked 31 weeks in my pregnancy! This is exciting because if I had this baby around the same time as Adah, I have 6 weeks left to go. Obviously I am praying for a full term pregnancy, but based on this weeks doctor visit, I don't know that that's going to happen.

Monday, I had my NST (monitoring) visit, and my blood pressure wasn't good but wasn't bad. My systolic number is getting high. Which is weird because it was diastolic number that went up with Adah. I told them I had a OB appointment the next day, so they didn't make a big deal about it.

So yesterday, I went to my OB, and sure enough it was 148/72. So they made me wait, and took it again and it was 128/84! I don't get it!! One thing I love about my OB is he approaches everything in a very calm manner. While the nurses may make comments about how high it is, he approaches the facts, and tells me what he wants me to do. That's exactly what he did. He said that he knows with a 2 year old it can be hard, but he wants me to rest as much a possible.

I hate that most of them time when I go to the doctor I leave discouraged. I can't help it. This is not the way pregnancy is suppose to be. I feel robbed of having a "normal" pregnancy. Plus I feel good, with Adah, I didn't feel good at all. Every fiber in my body wants to rip into the closets, and get things ready for the baby, but I can't. I can keep up on the day to day things for the most part, but that's about it. In know this is a season, and I will be holding our baby boy very soon.

So, now I rest. I'm not on full bed rest. Adah and I hang out I in the living room for the most part. We play with her toys, color, watch TV. She is very compliant, yet still a 2 year old. ;) My family has been really helpful with taking Adah for a few hours, or coming by to help me out. Just wrapping my brain around who can watch Adah for my NST appointments has been (for me) daunting. My mom has been really helpful at figuring it out. It's only about an hour and a half, but its at 1pm, right at her nap time. Usually she stays awake and plays with whoever is watching her, but it's never 100% that she'll go to sleep when I get home. That can be hard because I have always been insistent on naps.

I need to rely on the fact that things are good right now. But I also know it can take a swift turn at anytime, so I'm preparing myself for that.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

Lets Do Lunch

2011-03-14T11:59:00.001-07:00

Going grocery shopping is a love and hate thing for me. I love filling out fridge and pantry with food and having that feeling of accomplishment, but I really don't like going grocery shopping. When I'm in the store, I get really overwhelmed. In my head I want stretch my dollar as far as possible, but that is a daunting task by itself, even when I have a list. I just got the grocery IQ ipad app for my ipad, so I'm gong to see how that goes.

I have a hard time menu planning in general, for a few reasons... 1) Jon is gone 3 (sometimes 4) nights a week. So I'm not going to cook a whole meal for just Adah and I. 2) like I said before, I get really overwhelmed, and end up forgetting something. 3) This is the biggest. I like to include (like most people) every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is easy, but lunch really throws me for a loop. I never know what to make. I am so sick of sandwiches, and being that I can't eat cold meat, it limits my options even in that area. And, we are not really salad eaters.

So, I am curious... What do you do for lunch at home?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

30 weeks

2011-03-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

This week got off to a rocky start. I went to my dr appointment on Monday, and my blood pressure was a little high. This wasn't surprising to me because i noticed it started getting high on Friday. It doesn't usually bother me because when i lay on my side, it goes way down. So they took it again after laying on my side, and sure enough it went down. With Adah it was so high, that when i would lay on my side it wouldn't go down that low.

I was pretty discharged because last week was so good, that the high on was on came to a crashing fall. But I managed to keep it together. We went to my parents for dinner and i forgot about it.

Today, i have been working on the kids room. I don't want to push it too much, but i got a lot done. Throughout that time i was working, i would take my blood pressure, and it was more normal that it had been in days. Yesterday, before my appointment, I really took it easy. But then today it don't, and i have normal readings??!! I don't get it. But I'm not going to complain.

While working on the kids room, Jon and i decided to turn Adah's bed into a toddler bed. She did great for her nap, she was really excited. She is totally getting the boundary thing. When she woke up from her nap she called us instead of getting out of her bed to find us. I know that will change quickly, but it's funny for now.

Not much has changed, Jon leaves this weekend for the jr high retreat. I'm not going this time. It would just be too much with Adah and all the walking, so i decided to stay home.

I hope to blog about Adah updates soon. She is getting so big and mature it is unreal!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

29 week Ultrasound

2011-03-02T20:54:00.001-08:00

Today we went in for my 29 week ultrasound. I was nervous (as always) and anxious to see our little bambino. He has been way more difficult to see during ultrasounds than Adah ever was.

My blood pressure was good, and it has been good with all my monitoring appointment so far, and i am really grateful for that.

I was expecting this ultrasound to be like the last few we've had (lasting only about 3 minutes) in that they just start shooting ultrasound lingo left and right without telling you what s going on and at the end saying everything looks great, here's your pictures.

I was delightfully surprised to walk in to 2 techs, and a NP in the room. The NP started asking me a lot of questions pertaining to my pregnancy with Adah and what i went through with the preeclampsia and such. She really let me talk about it. She was really happy with my BP. Then while she was letting the techs do their work, she said " I'll narrate what's gong on for you." in my mind i was thinking, i really like her! They looked onerous his spine, bone structure, brain, brain fluid, organs including heart valves, face and mouth. I can't even begin to tell you how good that made me feel! I have noticed such a disconnect (with communication) with doctors and nurses with their patience, and she was so informative. She even made mention that his cord blood flow looked really good. Apparently the blood flow in the cord can indicate whether or not someone may get preeclampsia because decreased blood flow can pop up before symptoms even occur.

All in all, it was a great visit. I am so thankful to all of you who have been praying for me. The Lord has really been showing me the power of prayer throughout this pregnancy. I really feel like the Lord is taking care of us, and guiding us a day at a time through this.

From the bottom of our hears,
Thank you!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad without spell check.

Fetal monitoring

2011-02-28T14:21:00.001-08:00

I decided to take my iPad to my appointment today. I thought I would walk you through what I do 2x a week when I'm here.

-I start by waiting in a very warm waiting room where I obsess about if my blood pressure (my face gets really hot when it's high and I cant tell in that office).

-Then they call me back, (and about 6 other women) in to a large room with a TV. I get to sit in a big comfy reclining chair! They put 2 monitors on me, 1) for the movement 2) for any contractions. The last two times I have been here I have asked them to take my BP after because adrenaline is usually serving through my veins. It has been good!

-After that, I just sit there and wait till the nurse approves me to go. It has been really fast because the baby has been really active. I have been the first to be let go.

That's about it. It is kinda relaxing. I can't take Adah so I don't have to worry about her, and I sit with my phone, or iPad.

As I have said before, I get really anxious, and fearful. Through this I have discovered what spiritual warfare takes place inside me. I was prepared Monday when I went in and i was fine. Thursday I went in and had not been as prepared as i should be spiritually and i was a nervous reck.

Pastor Greg said in yesterday's message, that fear and faith don't mix, it one or the other. So i am clinging to faith throughout this process! And i refuse to let the enemy take hold of any part of my body, including my emotions, and fears.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Specialist Doctors Office

iPad blog post

2011-02-24T14:23:00.001-08:00

I got a blog app for my iPad, so I'm checking to see if it works.

Testing 123. ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home

27 Weeks

2011-02-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Yay! I am (not officially according to some gestational calendars) in my 3rd trimester!! I have had a great week, and things are looking better from my perspective. As I posted in week 26, I have been eating good, drinking lots of water, and resting whenever I get a chance. This is really showing in my numbers with my blood pressure so that encouraging!

We had a fun, busy weekend. My sister's 15th birthday, and my parents 28th anniversary was Saturday, so my mom planned a big Disneyland getaway for all of us at the Disneyland Hotel. It was so much fun! It really made Disneyland enjoyable for me, because whenever I felt like I was pushing it, we went back to the hotel to rest.

We headed out Friday morning, after a stop at the pancake house, then spent a few hours at Disneyland before we checked into our hotel. When we did check into our hotel, Everyone headed to the pool while Adah and I took a nap. Then we got up, had dinner, and went to California Adventure before we got in line for World of Color.

We have seen world of color before, but it was back in June, so it was fun to see it again. Adah was a completely different child in June, so it was really fun to see how she reacted to the show. She was so into it! She watched the whole thing on top of Jon's shoulders. Being that she is really into Disney movies right now, it made it all the more fun for her in recognizing the Disney characters! After that, Jon, Adah and I headed back to the hotel, while my sister and her friends went to Disneyland to hit up some rides.

The next morning, because we stayed at the hotel, we were able to do the "magic hour." The Magic hour is the hour before the park opens when hotel guests, and character breakfast guests get to enter the park early. Not all the rides are open, but most of tomorrow land is open and fantasy land. Adah could spend all day in fantasy land, she and my dad hit up the dumbo ride, and the look on her face was priceless!

Later in the day we got lunch at one of our favorite places to eat at Disneyland. The Ranch, is an all you can eat BBQ place that has great food, and great service! It's a bit pricey, but it is defiantly a once in a while thing. You are seated, and you give them your drink request, then they bring cast iron buckets filled with chicken, ribs, beans, and corn bread. And they will keep bringing it to you. It is so good! If you haven't tried it, you really should. It's 19.99 for lunch for adults, and (I think) 9.99 for kids 3 and up.

Jon, Adah and I left shortly after that. He planed a night sans Adah at our friends cabin in Green Valley Lake. So we dropped Adah off at his parents, and headed up the mountain. It was so nice and relaxing. He planed it as 24 hour thing so He could study away from home, and I could relax, and boy it was needed. My feet swelled due to all the walking, the bad (but oh, so good) food, and the heat. By the end of the cabin stay, he had gotten a lot done, and my feet were back to normal. It was such a nice weekend.

Please keep me in prayer for a few things...

Jon is leaving this weekend to teach at a winter camp in Washington. He is really looking forward to it, and I know that he has great things to say to the youth ministry at this camp. I had the opportunity to go, but we both thought it wouldn't be a good idea since I would be in my third trimester. That decision was made in November, and I am so glad that was the direction we went.

Also...

I start my high risk doctor visits twice a week starting Monday. I know that I am getting the care I need, and I am so thankful for that, but the co pays are going to be really draining finically. I have 3 total doctor visits next week including my normal OB appointment, so next week alone will add up to over $100 just in co pays. I know that the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle, and I am really leaning on that. Whenever I let my mind go to "how are we going to pay for that" it is really overwhelming. Again, I am so grateful that the doctor is doing all he can to keep a close eye on me. It is something that didn't really happen when I was pregnant with Adah.

Thank you for all your prayer, I really appreciate them!

Made by Lex

2011-02-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

I casually follow a blog called made by lex. I am always checking to see what she has next. Lots of cute crafts to do with clothes. It's always fun stuff.

I noticed, she hadn't blogged in a while but thought nothing of it until today. It turns out her sweet 5 year old niece passed away unexpectedly.

I never knew she was a christian, but the post that she wrote about her niece and suffering and LOVE is really worth reading.

Check it out, and pray for her family as they are going through this...

Little Wellies

2011-02-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

My friend Christina, has a really cute online boutique that you should check out!

It's called Little Wellis, and let me say everything is so adorable, and handmade.

Did I mention cute?

And unique?

She is having a giveaway tonight. Check it out at her web site.

26 Weeks

2011-02-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. A lot has been going on since my last post and it has really taken a while for me to process things.

As you know on the 26th of January, I had a OB appointment, that I was pretty anxious about. Well, it didn't go so well... I was very nervous, and it showed in my blood pressure reading. I was sitting there shaking like a leaf, waiting for the nurse to take my blood pressure. She's a really sweet girl, and always small talks with us when we're there. She was so helpful to me when I was having my preeclamsia issues with Adah. She took my blood pressure, and said "oh girl, you need to lay on your side, your blood pressure is 152/100. Jon was sitting there and he knew that that reading was mostly because of how nervous I was. So I did. The doctor came in, and I knew he hadn't looked at my chart yet because he started measuring me, and didn't mention it. So I mentioned it to him, and told him how nervous I was.

He brought us into his office and looked at all my charts on his computer. He could tell that I was nervous. He made mention how bad my blood pressure got with Adah, and decided to take it again. Sure enough, 115/ 75, so he said it was probably from the rush of adrenalin. But because my blood pressure had been on the rise from my previous appointments, he decided to put me on medication, and come back for a check in the morning. I already had a ultrasound scheduled for the following week with the high risk doctor, he said he wanted me to see him also.

So everything went fine, I came back in the morning and the medication was kicking in because I was nervous, but had a great blood pressure reading. So in my mind, I was in the clear for my high risk appointment. So I though...

We went to go see this doctor, and let me just say from the beginning, I HATE going to this office. Not only is the staff really rough around the edges, a lot of the women coming in are there for fetal monitoring. Judging a book by it's cover, I'm thinking it's drug related. Sometimes it can be scary in that office, because again, judging a book by it's cover, their significant others look like gangsters. So needless to say, I never feel comfortable in the office.

We went in and they took my blood pressure first thing, and it was 150/ 91. Not good at all! Again they had me lay on my side and, and not 2 minuets later they took it again, and it was 138/72. Drastically different. But, remember, I'm on medication. So the doctor told me to up my medication to 3x a day instead of 2x a day. And... Starting at 28 weeks, I have to go to that office twice a week for blood pressure checks, and fetal monitoring along side my normal OB visits until the baby is born. It didn't hit me until the receptionist started scheduling all the visits. I think the fact that we have to pay a specialist co-pay for all the visits hit me harder than anything. Jon quickly reminded me that the Lord knows what he is doing because this starts about the time that our car payment (we payed off our car last month) would be due.

In the days after that doctor's appointment, I was really down. I was having a really hard time coming to grips with how fast this was all happening. I was really in denial. Then my mind kept going to the worse case scenario. Having a baby really really early. But Jon, and my Mom have been my so comforting and encouraging. The doctor has said nothing about bed rest yet, but I really have put myself on a modified bed rest. I have been taking it really easy. I will get up, and make breakfast, then lay down on my left side the couch, or play room floor for a while. Then do something else, and follow with laying down. And I am pleased to say it is REALLY working!

My mom and Jon have been doing a lot around the house which has been great! It is hard for me though, because as much as I don't like doing housework, I feel like I am taking care of my family. But now, I'm taking care of my family in a different way.

Adah has been so good for me in the last few weeks. I am noticing that because I am so stationary most of the time, she is more cuddly with me. A few times she has even fallen asleep on me which NEVER happens. She is always on the go, and I think that is because I am always running around. I though this would interfere with her and damage her in some way, but I feel like we are really spending good quality time together.

We have gone from a family that never watches TV to having it on a lot. The first few days were really bad, but I have been taking advantage of the play room and she plays while I lay there and talk to her, or play on the iPad.

So all in all, we are coping well with this transition, and this in my opinion is the Lord telling me to slow things way down.

Please pray for me.....

1) That my blood pressure would remain under control.

2) For my upcoming doctor's visits. This is going to take quite a chunk out of the week for the weeks up until we have our little boy. This could be a good thing, or a bad thing. My first fetal monitoring appointment is February 21st.

Let's Dish

2011-01-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

As many as you know, my mom LOVES doing laundry, and she is determined that Adah will share in her love of laundry. Which is secretly my hope because I'm the one doing most of laundry, and it would be really great for a little help in that area. ;)

There is not one house hold chore that I would say that I LOVE doing. I enjoy a clean house, and wish I had the motivation to say that every room is clean and tidy. But I will be honest in saying, I would much rather have a fun day than spending a day cleaning the house.

Everyone has their "place" that they like to stay clean. For me, there is one area of the house that I really take pride in, and put a lot of time into, and that is my kitchen. I LOVE the feeling of dishes being put away, clean counters, clutter put away, and floors clean. I did this yesterday, and even as tired as it made me feel I felt very accomplished. I have it set up that Adahs little table is in there and she can eat or color, or play in her play room that is right off the kitchen, and I can check on her as much as I want without loosing much time.

I have a "routine" as to how to maintain the kitchen, as well as daily, and weekly chores that I like to do. I start with the dishes. Now, you know how I said my mom loves laundry? Well this is as close to love as I will get to any chore. I have a system to doing dishes. I start with always having an empty dishwasher, or if there are dishes in there they are waiting for a full dishwasher for me to run the cycle. I have gotten really good (and fast) at putting away clean dishes. That way, I really don't ever have dirty dishes waiting in the sink for a place in the dishwasher thus creating clutter. I use to HATE putting away clean dishes, but now, it's not a big deal.

The routine I am going to touch on is dishes. I know so many women have such a hard time keeping up with dishes, as did I, so I hope this can help... First of all, when I "do" dishes I am really just cleaning them to go into the dishwasher to be sanitized. When I lived at home, us kids did dishes after dinner often, and I would always sneak barely rinsed dishes in the dishwasher to "save time." I can only imagine what my mom would find the next morning. When Jon and I got married, I became more efficient in my dish washing because our first place didn't have a dishwasher. I would spend so much time hand washing dishes, that it was a good habit that followed me even when we moved to a place that had a dishwasher.

Breakfast, and lunch don't really produce enough of a load to wash before dinner, but if I know what I am making is going to need a lot of space in the dishwasher, I run it in the afternoon, and empty it before I start cooking. That way I can load as I go. That is so helpful to me so that after dinner, I'm not looking at an endless amount of dish washing. Which ultimately means more family time which is always a plus!

In my kitchen, I have sections of counter space, and I like to use this to my advantage. I start with the smallest section and get all the clutter and dishes put away, and then I sanitize and wipe that area down. Then I go for the next section and do the same. Before I get to the last section, I clean the sink (by this time most of the dishes are put away) and the faucet. Then the last section which also has my coffee pot that I wipe down in the process.

So when I go through my routine, I pretty much have a clean kitchen, aside from the floor. I like to leave the floor for nap time for obvious reasons.

What is your place in your home you like to keep clean?

Be Anxious for Nothing...

2011-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have followed for a while, or who know me, know that the last month of my pregnancy with Adah was pretty traumatic. I developed Pre-eclampsia at 34 weeks and was utterly miserable until almost 38 weeks when I had her. And it got worse after I had her.

Now with this pregnancy, I have made some pretty drastic lifestyle changes, with my diet, exorcise and my fluid intake. I drink nearly 3 litters of water everyday, watch my salt intake like a hawk, and get exorcise whenever I can. But let's be honest, how much more exorcise could I need chasing a toddler constantly :)

After the holidays, when I hit 20 weeks, I started getting really bad anxiety about my health. I am being painfully honest when I say that it is really starting to interfere with my life. If I start thinking about it I feel this tremendous weight on my chest and my heart starts pounding and I have a hard time catching my breath.

Even going to the doctor has been quite the ordeal as I have developed quite the "white coat syndrome." At my last appointment, the nurse said when taking my BP that my heart was beating like I ran up the stairs. That day it was 145/72. That Top number has everything to do with my anxiety and not my actual BP.

I am really going to talk to my doctor about this on Tuesday, because this is getting out of control. And you might think, well just don't think about it. I really wish it were that easy, but there are so many factors. My biggest fear is that I will be hospitalized, and what that will do for Adah. We have an amazing family that will step right in if need be, but it pains me to even think about that.

Right now, I have been getting the most comfort by my devotional times in the morning and mine and Jon's devotional time at night. And really all I can do when I am having issues is pray. So I have been praying a lot. My prayer is that Satin would not have any form of my body, and that really goes along with my anxiety. It creeps in and it literally messes with my body, it starts to spike my BP, and I start feeling sick. I feel although Satin is really using it as a tool to get to me.

So if you think about it pray for me! I am feeling like it is really robbing me of a good pregnancy. .

Kids Room Ideas

2011-01-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

Where we are going to put 2 kids has been on my mind since before we got pregnant. Our house has 3 bedrooms, but is on a funny layout. The 2nd bedroom is right down the hall from ours, and is Adah's room. The 3rd bedroom is much smaller and is off the kitchen on the other side of the house. I was having a huge problem putting the baby in there because of frequent night waking and it being so far, but I was also having a hard time seeing Adah in their also because its far, and close to the back door. So our solution is to put both kids in Adah's room and make the 3rd bedroom into a play room!

My mind has been turning as to how we were going to make it work. Over Christmas, Jon cleaned the room and put Adah's toys in there. She already knows that is her play room, and she loves it. Another aspect that is working well about this set up, is because its right off the kitchen, I can do things like dishes and cleaning and she is just an earshot away.

About a month ago I was trying to find a gender neutral fabric print that would be fun for the kids room. I really like owls, so I though I would incorporate owls into the theme. Then I found this! It the It's a Hoot fabric collection by Momo. I LOVE it! I love how fun and bright the colors are and it goes right along with my Owl theme.

This is the fabric that they both will have.

Adah will have the red and white as her dust ruffle, (I think, we'll see) and our boy will have the dark brown and white. So they are coordinating

I would really like to work one (or more) of these into the window coverings. The only unfortunate aspect about this fabric is it's pretty popular. It came out in September of last year, and it is already really hard to find all the fabric from one vendor to save on shipping. So my fingers are crossed!

We found this in white at Costco, but all of the furniture in the room is black already. So I did some digging and found this online in black for $ 100 less than at Costco!!! My sister spends the night often so this will be nice to have an extra bed. If the bunk bed with a toddler doesn't work out, (which it should because the ladder is removable) we can take one bed off and make is a single bed.

Even though our house is feeling smaller with the second baby on the way, I am really thankful God has blessed us with our own home, Jon and I really want to be diligent with what he has given us!

In My Dreams

2011-01-12T22:01:00.001-08:00

Today my Mom, Adah and I went to go spend some time with my grandma. We have been getting in the habit of doing that lately since my grandpa passes away. She lives in Montclair, so when we go we make a day of it, or at least a half day. I go out in the morning by myself, and help her with things around the house, then my Mom and Adah follow just before lunch. We have been going to lunch at this Mexican restaurant (Espio's) in the Claremont village. Every time we go there I always think to myself I want to go and spend an afternoon shopping, there is so much to keep busy. It's been a fun thing we have been doing bi-weekly.

After we finish eating, we will check out at least one store. It's really hard to boutique shop with a toddler, and my grandma. Adah wants to grab at everything, and my grandma gets tired very easily. Last time we went to a cute store with TONS of Christmas stuff. This time we went to an antique boutique and it didn't disappoint it had great stuff, but again, we had to be out in 10 minutes or less due to Adah.

After leaving the antique shop, my Mom suggested we check out a children's store she saw a few stores down. We walked in and I was already impressed because there was a play area for Adah while we shopped. The store was tiny so it really wasn't a big deal her playing on her own.

The shop (No Sugar Added) is absolutely delightful! I have never had so much fun going through a baby store. We were in there for more than 30 minutes, and Adah was so content playing with the toys. What I would assume as the store owner came out from the back with her adorable 18 month old Mackenzie. She and Adah played so well together as we shopped. The shop was a mixture of manufactured baby gear, and handmade items with a huge cloth diapering section. Everything in the store is echo chic.

After being in that store, I really started thinking about what I would do if time and money would allow. I would LOVE to open a boutique! Maybe with another friend with kids, but a store that mainly had children's stuff with a mixture of other common boutique stuff too. This place was SOOOO kid friendly. And I guess this women, has other kids too that are in school during the day, but her toddler spends the day with her at the shop.

The whole idea of having a place that you work doing what you love that you can incorporate your kids into is so great.

Like I said, if money and time were not an issue, that would be my dream.

The website is a little disappointing considering how great the store is, but they are also on FaceBook.

Oh, and I picked out my diaper bag in the store for our little boy. It's not very masculine, but I'm the one carrying it. Right?!

How to Date Your Spouse

2011-01-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

I follow a great blog called Tip Junky. It's a blog from a creative (girly girl) mother of 3 boys. She has all kinds of great tip, and advice for Mom's most of which is decorating and crafts. I have found it really helpful and fun.

She has started a new Monday project that is really interesting; Dating your spouse. I was very intrigued. She explains that early on in parenthood, she and her husband started a book and used it as their dating guide. It's more fun than anything, it has no spiritual connotation, but I thought it's great to revisit the beginnings of your relationship. Check it out. I am really interested in seeing how this goes!

New Look... Same Focus.

2011-01-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed a change on my blog. That's not entirely unusual for me to change templates, but I am going in a bit of a different direction. I've done a lot of thinking about what my my goal is with this blog; talk about family, whats going on in our lives, helpful tip, recipe's and a great outlet to express myself. I feel like in most all aspects I accomplish those goals.

I really want to make this as uncomplicated as possible. So the fact that this blog's title is Jon and Alyssa already makes it complicated being that I am the only one that posts. Jon really appreciates my blog and is extremely supportive! I also understand that being a youth pastor and working an average of 50 to 60 hours a week makes it nearly impossible for me to expect him to write a blog entry. Jon has a WONDERFUL blog (Getting Through) that he posts on often, and that is his baby, as this is mine. His focuses on getting through, and reaching the youth of our culture. He gives practical application on how to accomplish that goal. It is manly a geared towards those in youth ministry. I LOVE it, and think he is extremely good at what he does, and love that he is putting effort into this. Check it out if you can!

In the last few months, I have also started an ETSY store, and am still in the process of getting it up and running. I have made a sale, which was cool. It's always great when your mom takes interest in what your doing! Thanks for the sale mom! ;) The main thing will be baby stuff, but I plan to have a broad range of boutique type items. If you can, check out my store, I am planning on having more items up in the following weeks. Lyssa Love Lee.

All in all, I want to keep my blog the way it is, but more personal, so I am going to make an effort to blog about whats going on in our lives. I haven't even gotten to really post about this pregnancy, and I am already half way through. The place I am at right now makes it really difficult to do things like blogging often. But I will make a true effort.

Now to show you how busy Adah keeps me, here is a video of her craziness. I love how crazy she is, but sitting here watching it while she is asleep in her bed makes me tired!

And for some reason, this clip is sped up a bit. So you don't have to feel that bad for me. ;)

North Pole Kitchen

2010-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

I post this every year, and this year is no different. This is a web site I came across a few years ago, and I LOVE it! You can find almost all the great classic holiday recipes! Check it out!

North Pole Kitchen

How to Ruffle Fabric With Your Sewing Machine

2010-12-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have been doing this the hard way for a while now. I have researched online with no avail. Then Made by Lex, a blog I follow, showed this great tutorial. So I thought I would share...

Enjoy...

Candy Cane Green Tea

2010-12-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Oh the Joys of the Christmas season when Trader Joe's introduces yet another amazing creation of theirs. This is just one, but I thought I would highlight it because I haven't had anything like it. It Candy Cane Green Tea. It is soooooo good. I am not a big fan of mint, but thought I would give it a try. Also, I can drink it guilt free, and before bed because it's decaffeinated!!!

Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Bed, and Bath time.

2010-12-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

We have had a tiring week, this past week. And the funny thing is we haven't really done anything. It is all because of Adah. We have always the type of people that we don't let her dictate our schedule. Not to say she doesn't have a schedule, but if I want to go hang with Jon on Friday night at Jr. High, we will do it. We strive to be flexible, yet consistent.

This last Friday night, I decided Adah and I would stay home. That way she could to bed on time, and I could get some things done around the house. By 7 o'clock, she was looking like she could go to sleep anytime. My parents came over and she almost fell asleep in her arms. This was promising, so when they left we did our bed time retinue. We got her bed ready, say and read a story, grabbed her (flavor of the month) favorite bear, and baby, and rocked for a few minutes. Then I laid her in her bed. Again, completely routine. But that night was completely different. She WOULD NOT GO TO SLEEP! I was so frustrated.

Jon got home shortly after 10, and was surprised to see her still up. Normally when he comes home late like that, he'll grab something to eat, and then we will slowly head to bed. We were up until after 11 trying to get her to sleep. It was maddening. You would expect this with a baby, but we have had smooth sailing with her and sleep for nearly 6 months, and it has been so nice.

We just thought she was having an off night, because nothing was leading us to believe she had anything wrong with her, she wasn't even really crying that hard, it was more of a whimper. Unfortunately the was the first of three nights like that where she would not go to bed. And naps were almost as hard. She would eventually nap from sheer exhaustion. She has finally settled back into her normal routine, but boy that was tiring!

Another thing that has been weird, is she all the sudden LOVES baths. Baths have been such a struggle since the day she was born. The last few months I have just showered her with me because that she can tolerate.

I don't even known when this started, but she loves them! We were at my parents house over the weekend, and she was in the bathroom with me and saw the bath. She said bath, bath, and started taking her clothes off. We were there in the morning, so she hadn't had her bath yet so I just gave it to her there.

She is growing up so fast. It's weird how I would do things for her all the time and now she is doing them herself, like feeding herself cereal in the mornings. Crazy!

Italian Hot Chocolate Recipe

2010-12-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

I like hot chocolate, but I don't love it. I think the reason is, I'm not a fan of pouring a packet of powder in a cup and mixing it with hot water, or warm milk. So, I was so pleased when one of the blogs (Made By Lex) I follow had this recipe posted today. I hope your as eager to try it as I am! I am going to leave a few things out of it for health reasons, but the base of the recipe is pretty good, so I can only imagine the wonderful things you come it with in tweaking it. I am defiantly going to use marshmallows!

Enjoy!

Sweet Water...

2010-12-02T23:04:00.001-08:00

I am really trying to correct a lot of things from my last pregnancy with this pregnancy. Like what I eat, going on walks to get the blood pumping (I HATE working out), resting whenever possible, the normal stuff.

But one of my least favorite things to do is drink water. I'm not a big liquid drinker in general, but I just really don't like water. I sip everything so the idea that I need to drink at the minimum 64 ounces of water a day is so overwhelming to me. Every time I guzzle down water I literally feel like I'm drowning. I would much rather have a big glass of iced tea with 2 sweet & lows. But being that I am also keeping caffeine to a minimum, that's not the best thing for me.

I have throughout my life noticed the effect the lack of liquids has on my body. My hands swell at night (pregnant or not) I get tired easily when doing strenuous thing, I don't really ever sweat dry skin, and lips. The list goes on. But all that has changed.

Around thanksgiving I heard a way not to over eat is to drink lots of water, and especially during your meal in between bites. Yes, you are probably saying, "Duh!" but I found that information quite helpful. So I put it into action.

I think I have mentioned before that we have quite a few nalgene water bottles that we use, and the thing that I like about them, is they all hold 32 ounces of water. So if you fill it and drink 2 of those, you have your daily requirement done. Being that I found the easiest way to guzzle water for me has been at room temp, I fill it (we also invested in a nice water dispenser a few years ago) up before bed, for the next morning. I drink it throughout the morning (which has also lowed the amount of coffee I drink) and when it is done I fill it to sit out for the afternoon, and drink it the second half of the day. I really try to drink it all my 6pm or I'd be going to the bathroom all night long.

Since I started this a week ago, I have noticed a few things... For starters, the first few days was horrible on my bladder, I would literally go every 5 minutes, but it's not like that anymore. I have a bit more energy which is nice. I don't feel like I have to sleep when Adah takes a nap. I am not eating out of boredom. It helps fill me up when I'm eating. I was at Starbucks today to see my mom and grandma, and I had no desire to get anything! It was amazing! I feel healthy. But, this is the biggest, and I really don't know if it has anything to do with the water drinking, but my BP at the doctors was in the normal range, and today I took it and it was 115 over 73! I haven't seen that low of a reading in a year and a half.

All the web sites I found all say the same thing about water and it's benefits. I am really hoping to keep up with this.

Disneyland Pix

2010-11-30T21:53:00.001-08:00

It was a beautiful day!

My sweet nephew Noah

I can't help but think she looks like my Dad here.

We started out with Mrs. Clause. How could you not like her?

The reason there are not very many pictures of me. No make up, no pictures.

Please don't make me see that big fat man!

This was Amanda's birthday wish, to have a family picture with Santa.

Birthday, Disneyland, Doctor's Appointment...

2010-11-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

Today Was jam packed full of activities. I am so tired right now, it just about hurts. We left the house at 9:30, and didn't walk in the door until 8:30. CRAZINESS!!!

It started with a OB doctors visit. We got Adah to grandma's early, and headed out. I am ALWAYS nervous about these visits. When I was pregnant with Adah this time gestationally, I loved them! I always felt like I when I left, I knew a little more about my baby. Then 34 weeks came along, and a normal visit turned into 3 days in the hospital. So that has really affected my enjoyment level of my appointments. But this one was great! We FINALLY got to hear the baby's heartbeat, and the nurse practitioner (who I LOVE) said my uterus has moved up a bit which is excellent! We found out that we should know the sex of by the next appointment. I have a sonogram with a high risk doctor, and they should be able to find the sex of the baby with that one for sure, but if that appointment doesn't happen before my next OB appointment, they will look for us! Oh, and my blood pressure has been good PTL!

Today was also my sister in law's birthday, so as soon as we picked up Adah, we grabbed lunch and went to Disneyland. When had a great time, especially with the kids. She has a (almost) 3 year old. He and Adah get along so well, and love each other! They are finally at the age that they play together, and look forward to seeing each other. The other day when we went to visit, we pulled into the driveway, and Adah started yelling "Noah, Noah." It was the cutest thing!

After Disneyland, we headed to Claim Jumper for dinner. Adah had one of the messiest dinners, I had to change her clothes. She ate, so much and got almost as much on herself as in her tummy. My in laws couldn't believe how much she was eating, and she is only 21 pounds!

All in all, it was a great day, and I am so happy to be home with my family. Adah is in bed asleep, and we are getting ready to head that direction.

I got some great pictures, and I will post them soon!

More Hours in My day

2010-11-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Due to the fact that it's late and I'm looking down the barrel of a very busy day in the morning, I am VERY sarcastic. Which is really funny, because sarcasm is one of my least favorite things about my personality, and have made a big attempt at sopping the habit. But for some reason tonight It has been unleashed!

I Am in serious need of more hours in the day. I feel like I am constantly going and I cannot seem to get ahead of things. Just keeping up, and not letting the house fall apart is a full time task. I have been up to quite a bit in my absence of blogging, but as my Mom and have said (yes, that's about the extent of my readers) I need to blog. I am going to take my Dad's advice, and blog about nothing.

Jon had a glorious 3 days off this weekend, and we both kept losing track of what day it was, but neither of us mind. We went to family functions, cleaned the house, decorated. It was really nice. We also spend alot of time with just the three of us which was also nice.

Adah is again, amazing me with her every so growing vocabulary. She was petting the dog the other day, and as I was telling her to be gentle, she blurted out,"soft" clear as a bell. She is in a completely different stage this Christmas than last. We have had to remove the ornament from her level of the tree, because she kept bringing me bulb ornaments, and saying, "ball" and then throwing them. We have had no casualties, but some close ones. Adah is in need of a haircut so badly right now, but I really don't want to cut her curls off. But seriously, a kid can only have a mullet for so long before the other 2 year old start making fun of her. : ) I am open to any advice anyone has for first haircuts. She doesn't like any strangers touching her, so this will be interesting!

I am now 16 weeks, and going to a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I am somewhat anxious about this one because I have had a tilted uterus, We haven't gotten to see the baby, which is KILLING me! I had seen Adah at least 3 times by this point, so to be almost half way though the pregnancy and only see the top of the baby's head is disappointing. The doctors said at the last appointment that it should correct itself, so I am really going to push for an ultrasound. Other than that I am feeling really good! Second trimester is seriously the best thing ever! I have more motivation to do things than when I'm not pregnant.

I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY going to try to blog more this week. I really do have a lot of fun things to blog about. I have been making cute things, trying yummy recipes, and of coarse I need to brag, I mean tell about all the great deals we got for Black Friday!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Day!

Catching Up

2010-11-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of November, which means I went the entire month of October without blogging. I do have good reason... For those of you who aren't friends with me on Facebook, I am pregnant again! Today I am 12 weeks, and I just had a doctor's appointment this morning and it took FOREVER. It was the "do all the blood tests" kind of appointment. But everything went well, and we got to see the baby's heartbeat on a sonogram. That's always very cool!

Adah is talking like crazy, she comes up with a new word everyday. Her new word is "no."She has no said it in defiance yet, but when I ask her if she's done eating, she say sweetly "no." For Halloween she was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, she looked so good! I will post a picture soon!

One of the reasons I have been so down on blogging, is not because of feeling sick, but because of fatigue. I have been so tired, and with a very active 19 month old it has been difficult to do anything. The last week or so have been much better, and I have been working on catching up with laundry, since then.

Adah will be taking her first airplane ride on Wednesday as we travel to Seattle for the harvest crusade this weekend. I am nervous, but I think she'll do great! If not, I have my secret weapon, a lollipop. : ) Pray for our trip, and for me to not over do it.

I am planning on putting up pictures soon!

Fun Booth Photos

2010-10-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged much. I guess it comes with having an 18 month old. I will update soon on whats up in the Lee home, but for now I thought I would show you these great pictures! We went to a wedding recently that had this great fun booth. The pictures came out really good so I thought I would share. A big thanks to the bride (Kristin) and the groom (Brent) for providing it!

Adah started climbed in this cube and we thought it would make a good picture, and it did!

The whole idea was for them to be goofy pictures.

I think Jon totally got the idea.

And my absolute favorite... I think the picture just might be a focal point in Adah's new "big girl" room that I'm dreaming up. More on that later.

New Look

2010-09-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

I was looking at new blog templates, and found this one. I really like it! It is very seasonal, which is what I was looking for. So I applied it to my blog, but then I noticed something. It says Happy Thanksgiving! So dont think I'm trying to get ahead of things. I'm not. But Thanksgiving will be here sooner than we know!

Adventures in Potty Training

2010-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Adah has been growing leaps and bounds in the last few months. I am amazed even looking at her birthday pictures at how much she has changed. She is such a little talker these days.

A few months ago, I weaned Adah. It was difficult, but I knew it needed to be done; for a few reasons. She was waking up sometimes up to 4 times a night to nurse. It got to be that night time was the only time I was nursing her. She had really never slept through the night. Then the week of my grandpa's funeral I really had no choice but to wean her. I was not getting much sleep at all, and the added pressure of nursing was just too much.

So it happened in about a week. It was more traumatic on me physically, than her. But within a week she was sleeping 12+ hour stretches at night. It was the most amazing feeling to sleep at night long with out having to go nurse the baby. One night she slept from 8:15pm to 9:45am!!! It was glorious! There have been a few nights (when she has been teething) that she has woken up, but all she wants is to be held for a few minutes, but as little as she likes to be held, I don't mind one bit.

Another thing Adah has been doing is displaying signs of being ready to be potty trained. I know your thinking she is too young, I have felt the same way, but it is obvious sings she is ready. She has been taking off her diaper, so I got her pull-up (they are soooo big on her) and have had her in only the pull-ups during the day. She has been telling me "potty," before she goes in her diaper. She even told me she needed to go "poo poo," then she went in the potty.

When I first got out her princess potty that I had gotten as a gift for my baby shower, she was so excited! I got it out the night before, and when she woke up the next morning she saw it and thought it was a new toy. I took off her diaper and had her sit on the potty naked, and I turned on the water in the bathroom to get her going. Well, she started going and as soon as the liquid it the potty bowl, the little song came on, and Adah got so scared, she ran off mid stream. TMI, I'm sorry.

I am taking the whole process really slow, but she is doing so well, we will just keep it up until she is completely potty trained.

LoveLee Baby Things...

2010-08-27T21:50:00.001-07:00

I LOVE baby things! It's not just because I have a baby (well, not so much a baby anymore) but because of the creativity that takes place when you have a baby. It forces you to be creative.

Whenever I have a baby shower to go to, I start thinking about what I can make for the baby. I was recently invited to a baby shower for a dear friend that I could not attend, but I went ahead and made a few things for here.

Tell me what you think...

The Car Seat Canopy

The Nursing Cover

Yes, I used my sister as a model.

My friend is having a boy, but I couldn't help putting ruffles on it.

Introducing... Shadow!

2010-08-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

This is Shadow, the newest member of the Lee family. Shadow is a pure bred Golden Retriever. I'm sure most of you saw on Facebook that Jon surprised me (on the day of my grandpa's funeral) with a puppy. Well, we got Emma (Shadow's litter mate) a about two weeks, but ended up trading her for Shadow, it's a long story. I was really having a hard time, but I LOVE Shadow, and he is going to be a great dog!

And yes, that is mischief written all over his face!

Cheesecake Factory's Louisiana Chicken Pasta

2010-08-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite restaurants to go to as a family is the Cheesecake Factory! I went there for the first time at fashion island in Newport for my 15th birthday. I don't remember much about that day but I do remember being seated next to the window on a beautiful clear day. If you have ever been to that particular spot, you know you can see the ocean and sometimes as far as a neighboring islands.

It quickly became one of our favorite restaurants, and place we would go for a date or celebratory dinner. Jon and I were thrilled when we found out that one was going in here in Riverside a few years back!

I don't tend to stick with one thing I like to try new things on the menu. But Jon LOVES the Louisiana Chicken Pasta, he orders that EVERY time we go. I have tried and tried to get the recipe for it with no avail, until this week.

I just randomly googled it as I have in the past, but this time I found a recipe that looked like it could fit the bill, and I think it did! So, here it is...

I got the recipe from recipesecret.com from one of their forums.

For the pan fried chicken:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons flour

For the Cajun Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
1 small yellow pepper (chopped)
1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
3/4 small red onion (chopped)
3 whole garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/4 pints whipping cream
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons fresh basil (thinly sliced)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 cup mushroom (sliced)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.

Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion to same skillet,until
crisp-tender, about 4 minute.

Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.

Add whipping cream and chicken stock.

Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. (I let it "hang out" longer. It gave the sauce its signature color)

Add basil (I didn't have any. oops)and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to
incorporate.

Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.(This is important because the cheese adds the salty flavor by itself, and you run the risk of over salting if you salt before the cheese) Reduce heat to low, simmer;
sauce will reduce and thicken.

Start the water for the bow-tie pasta

Cook bow-tie pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until
tender but still firm to bite.

Drain and return to pot.

Wash and drain chicken breasts.

Pound until very thin (the thinner the chicken breasts the better).

Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together.

Place milk in dish for dipping.

Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in
breadcrumbs.

Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium high
temperature until golden crisp and cooked through.

Add more oil as needed.

Remove and drain chicken; keep warm.

Add sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.

Place pasta with sauce on plate, and top with chicken breast.

Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

Serves 5 to 7

Enjoy!

Oh, and isn't the cheesecake factory's website freaky??? Yes- I do look at the links before I post them... <3>

Adah's Day Out: Disneyland

2010-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

My brother, and his girlfriend Carlie, took Adah to Disneyland on Monday night. They documented they trip with their iPhone and sent us updates throughout the night. This is what they sent...

We are here, and She's excited!

California Adventure

On a bugs life ride

Eating a toddler meal

Cuddling on Pirates

On our way to the tram. We had so much fun!

Pooped out after a fun night. Thank you Uncle, and Carlie!

I am so glad this worked out and they all had a fun time. This also gave Jon and I a "night off."

Papa Passing

2010-08-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

This has taken me a while to write all this out. This is more for me to rehash things and take it in. Thank you for listening... : )

It has been almost 3 weeks since my grandpa passed away, and a little over a week since he was buried. For a while it really felt like all our lives were on hold while he was on hospice. Just waiting. It went a little like this...

On Tuesday, July 13th we (Mom, Adah, Jon, and myself) went to see my grandparents for lunch. When we got there things with my grandpa were different, not bad, but different. He was really weepy, and was having a hard time communicating, and eating. That's not entirely unusual considering he was on dialysis twice a week, and that was very tiring to him. So we just had a fairly normal day visiting.

By the weekend he was in the hospital and was having a very hard time speaking, and doing much of anything. He would sleep most of the day, wake up briefly, and know who you were, and try his hardest to tell you he loved you, but still drift in and out. The doctor was pretty confident that his body was shutting down. On Saturday, the 17th, they decided it was time to have hospice brought in. Being that his kidney function was only at about 6% at this point, he wouldn't be on hospice long.

On Monday, the 19th he was brought home, and between all of us that was there when he was home, there was an excitement that I cant explain. Yes, we knew he was going to die, but he was at home surrounded by the family he loved. It was a treasure.

I went home Monday night and my Mom stayed to care for him. Tuesday Jon and I didn't make it out because of a jr. high event that Jon and Adam had to lead, but nothing had really changed, so we felt confident going.

Wednesday, I went with the intention of spending 1 maybe 2 nights. When we got there, my Dad had warned me that the atmosphere was very somber because he had really woken up at all. We got there around 6pm, and around 7 he really woke up for about 2 hours. He would try to smile, and make gestures that he would always do when we were kids. While Adah was in the room talking to him, he looked at her and brought two fists up like a boxer, and smiled at her really big. That was the most memorable thing he did while he was at home because for a brief moment, he snapped into himself, with his playful personality. He went to sleep around 9 as did the rest of us, and he never really woke up after that. He went into a coma like state.

Like I said, I was planning on staying there 2 nights tops, but as the time went by, we knew he would be leaving us soon, so 2 nights turned into 5. Friday is when his breaths because really labored.

We all thought that he was going to pass Saturday July 24, we were all there and ate his favorite thing for dinner. In N out. The whole experience a process that we wanted to glorify the Lord, and its funny how the enemy really doesn't want to see that happen. I won't go into detail, but a family member (not direct) was really being used by the enemy. It was really hard but our focus was on serving Papa until he was taken home.

Sunday morning Jon and Adam went to work, and we all had a pleasant morning. My grandparents neighbors (who have been real true neighbors with their hospitality) came over, and we all listened to Pastor Greg's message. It was July 25, and for those of you who don't know, July 24, 2008 was the day his son Christopher went to heaven, so that was really on his mind. His message really touched on dying and heaven. Papa could hear it because they were in the room listening to it. Then the message was over and Revive played Welcome to Eternity. A few minutes later he took his last breath. It was so peaceful.

It was really a very hard almost week, and I am so glad I was there. No regrets!

"He passed liked he lived, very quietly." -Peggy Colley (my grandma)

Time

2010-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we are still at Papa's bedside, and are trying to make his as comfortable as possible. We are all sticking around my grandparents house, with the exception of those who have to go to work, but even that has been very flexible.

My Mom has been here since Monday, and I have been here since Wednesday. We just try to make things as normal as possible. Adah is being extremely cooperative considering she has been away from home for so long, and is not in her "normal" routine. She has been a nice distraction.

We are cherishing this time we have with him knowing that he is going to meet Jesus soon.

Update: As I was typing this, I was called into his room by my dad. He took his last breath and was very peaceful. I am so thankful for this week (almost) that we had with him at home, with all the people he loves. God is good!

Our Papa

2010-07-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Oscar Colley, on his 90th birthday

I haven't been able to post in a while because my family is in the midst of caring for my grandpa (Papa) who is home on hospice. This has been especially difficult for my mom, who has been at their house since Monday to be by his side.

In one week he went having the ability to talk and move, to being bedridden and unable to speak or move. The doctor says his body is shutting down, and that we have about 10-15 days with him. He has said one phrase words under his breath, but he cannot tell us what he wants, but you can see in his eyes he is there. He will try to say "I love you," but it takes about every ounce of energy out of him.

The sad reality is we will not have him with us much longer, his quiet, gentle temperament will be greatly missed. But the truth is that he knows Christ, and will see Him soon, and us again. That truth gives us great peace in see him leave his tired old body.

Please keep our family in prayer, as we interact with family members, that we be a light. Please keep my mom in prayer as she cares for him. This is very hard for her as they have always had a special relationship.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th... How was yours?

The World of Color

2010-07-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

We recently got the opportunity to see the new "World of Color" water show at Disneyland. We went because it was the last day of our passes being available for the Summer, and we had to see the show everyone has been raving about. I was a little bit nervous because we got Fastpasses for the 11:15pm show! Having a baby with a regular bedtime between 8 and 9 is really a way to ruin an evening. But Adah did great! She fell asleep at about 7pm and slept until almost 9. She ate a bit of dinner, and we watch the fire work show, then headed to The World of Color.

It was by far the BEST water, light show I have ever seen! It had effects that I had never seen before. It blew all other shows we have seen out of the water. Literally. The Colors were amazing, and it made me want to watch all the older Disney movies like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The little Mermaid, and The Lion King.

I highly, highly recommend you see this show. You will have to get there somewhat early, but it is really worth the wait!

Favorite Things: Baby Shoes

2010-06-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

My dad is a big Keen shoes fan. So when Adah was born they immediately started looking for baby Keens. Unfortunately, the smallest size they come in is 3. So we had to wait a while for her to fit in them.

I was happy that she got a pair just because they are cute, but I didn't realize how practical they are! They are the toddler wonder shoe. They stay on, they are waterproof, and they don't look like they are shoes she wares everyday. Plus, they are sandals but protect their toes. They are a bit expensive for baby shoes ($40-50) but well worth the money!

These are the pink ones Adah got.

They come in a wide variety of colors and styles.

The Best Father

2010-06-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is a couple days late, but not any less meaningful! Adah has the best daddy, and he deserves to be celebrated!

He loved his daughter before he knew her

Meeting her for the first time

Visiting at the office

He's a great nap buddy

A day at the beach

Just splashing around

We love you daddy... You are the best daddy to your girls. We couldn't ask for anyone better...

Happy Fathers day!!!

16 and Pregnant

2010-06-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Many don't know this, but my mom was adopted as a 15 month old baby. I have always had a special place in my heart for adopted babies. Jon and I would really like to adopt at some point. We recently looked into adoptions from China, but because of the cost, and the fact that so many kids in our own country need homes, we feel that's not what the Lord would have for us.

As Adah gets older (now 15 month) I cant help but think of what my moms birth mother went through to come to the point of giving her baby that she had for over a year up for adoption. She was very young (14) and the circumstances behind her decision made her feel that it was the right one. She had the opportunity to bless my grandparents (who could not have children) with a beautiful blond haired, blue eyed toddler.

As we have looked further into domestic adoption, I came across Bethany Christian Services. It is a christian based adoption agency that deals not only with foreign and domestic adoptions, but also pregnancy counseling. Something else that caught my eye was a link that Bethany Christian Services was an episode of 16 and Pregnant.

16 and Pregnant is a show on MTV that documents a young girls journey as they are pregnant at such a young age. I have seen this show a few times via hulu.com and have been so saddened because most of the girls choose to keep their baby and the show documents the struggle of the girls becoming mothers, and wanting some kind of social life at the same time. Don't get me wrong I think what they are doing is so much more courageous than abortion, but these girls are obviously very immature to be having a baby and caring for it.

Catelynn is one girl on 16 and Pregnant that makes a different choice than the rest of the girls. She chooses to give her baby up for adoption. Bethany Christian services plays a huge roll in helping her give her baby to a very loving couple.

You can watch the whole episode HERE. I am warning you however, that this is not by any means from a christian perspective. The content is not anything shocking, but it is a production of MTV. If you do watch it, keep some tissues next to you because it is really a tearjerker with a wonderful ending.

Girls Sushi Night

2010-06-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have never been much of a sushi eater. I tried it once in Hawaii at a really good place, but all I got was sashimi. Not a great thing to start out with. I just remember eating it, and it having this melt in your mouth texture that I thought was very odd for meat. I am all about texture, so from that point on I wrote off sushi and something that I tried and didn't like.

Then my friend Karly invited me to a girls sushi night. I really wanted to hang with the girls, but didn't really want the sushi. So I said I'd go, and I did.

I just told Karly to order me whatever, and she did. Boy was I surprised. I really should have started with rolls, because they are amazing! I had a tiger roll, and that was pretty good, and a Mexico roll which was soooo good.

So, now I'm hooked! I think about getting sushi once a week. But I have yet to get it for Jon and I for 2 reasons: 1) I'm still not sure what to order 2) It's expensive.

The moral to this story is, dont write things off just because you tried it once.

Dinner Ideas

2010-06-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. I guess thats what comes with a very active 15 month old.

Cathe Laurie posted a great easy recipe that I recently tried, and it was really good!

absolutely authentic pasta carbonara (in about 15 minutes)

I will try to post soon and update on whats going on in the Lee home.

More Salsa Please

2010-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

If you know me (you don't even have to know me well) you know I LOVE Mexican food!!! It makes my heart skip a beat, and not just because I am clogging my arteries, but because all the different flavors. There are a few places I like going, they are all good, but just to name a few... El Torito is good, but sometimes its hard to get past the bad services. Olivia's is a mom and pops place here in town and the abondigas soup is to die for. But my most favorite place of all is Don Jose's.

Some of you may be thinking "Don Jose's??!!" but I love it! I have always had such fond memories of going there with friends or family, or both. As a matter of fact, some dear friends took me there to stall right before Jon proposed to me.

Another reason I love it so, is because they have THE BEST salsa!!! When I think about going to Don Jose's I don't think about how great the food is, because its okay, but because of the salsa. It has a flavor that is unlike any other restaurant salsa.

So I did some web digging to find a recipe. I found one, and it was from a guy who asked the manager for the recipe, and he gave it to him. It seems pretty right on, however, the real secret to the recipe is how its prepared. For the most part everything is really finely chopped. You don't really notice any big chunks of anything other than tomatoes, everything is consistent.

So here it is...

1 can of whole tomatoes. (You can use fresh, but I tried the caned and found that they really work nice)
1 Onion minced (I used a large white onion, but next time I will use a med, or small)
1 One bunch of green onions
1 garlic clove minced. (I used 2)
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1 to 2 jalapeno chille to taste. (I used 2, but I really made sure to get all the seeds out so it didn't overpower the salsa with too much heat, but really gave a good chille taste)
1 dash of vinegar (I have no idea what this was for, but I did it and didn't really taste a difference)

Drain the tomatoes (keep the juice if you want your salsa a bit more soupy) and coarsely chop the tomatoes, put them in a bowl. Mince your onion very finely and add as much as your liking. Chop up the green onions, mince the garlic, and cilantro, and add it all to the bowl. Seed and mince the jalapenos, (remember the heat comes from the seeds, so if you want it hot leave them in) add a dash of vinegar. Stir everything together. I also let mine sit in the fridge for a while to let the flavors come together.

I put a bit of fresh ground pepper in it, you can also add salt, but keep in mind that if you are watching your salt intake like I am, there is already salt in the canned tomatoes.

Enjoy...

Update Via iPhone Pics

2010-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I have not been blogging as much. It is partly because of what I wrote about in my last blog, but also, Adah is becoming more, and more active, and I cant leave her in a room and expect her to stay there and not get into trouble.

So I was going through some pictures on my phone and thought I would share them.

Being that the weather has been so nice lately, we have been trying to do as many activities outside as possible on Jon's days off. So Thursday, we went up Mt. Rubidoux. It was really nice and we got up fast. Adah slept the whole way up and down.

Adah seems to have finally gotten over her fear of the bath. This is a really good sign, because I have been wanting to enroll her in a mommy and me swimming class but I've been hesitant because of her fear of the water.

Adah gave me two great mothers day gifts this year. 1) She slept great through the night AND let me sleep in! 2) She let me put little pig tails in her hair!

This is more nostalgic for me. When I was little ever since I can remember, my mom would take us to Nordstroms at the begining of the summer to get Salt Water sandals. So imagine my joy when I not only found them, and they fit, BUT they came in this cute hot pink color instead of the horrid pastel colors I grew up on!

Last but not least, Adah is STANDING!!! I have been a bit bummed because she has been so hesitant. I KNOW she can walk because she has taken some steps without thinking, but she has not fully taken the plunge yet. But last night she was playing with a little girl her age who was waling and all the sudden, she just stood up I was so proud!

So that's what's going on now, I am going to try to make an effort to blog more.

Coming out of the Chaos

2010-04-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you know that I am not the most organized person. This is an area that I really struggle with. I always have. But now with a very active, very Mobil 1 year old, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up on household chores. With that said however, I am very diligent in keeping the kitchen clean and making sure that dishes don't just sit in the sink.

One thing that I have noticed in my struggle with the house is how much I miss out on activities at home. For example, keeping Adah's clothes current with her size. She has a TON of size 6 month clothes that need to be rotated out of her drawers. I see them sitting there not being used and taking up clothes space that I need. But I look at her room and feel that my time s better used tidying up the space you can see.

Or Blogging for that matter, I LOVE blogging, but when she is napping have things around the house that need to be done.

Yesterday, I took my mother-in-law up on an offer she has put out for a while now, to drop Adah off for a few hours to play with her cousin, while I get some things done. Being that it was Jon's day off, and that we were having company over we really turned to on the house and REALLY got it clean! When I woke up this morning, the house need minor cleaning as opposed to the previous mornings when a bomb look like it had been dropped in our living room, so I was able to get the house tidy in 45 min. rather than the HOURS in times past. It was really nice to feel so accomplished so early in the morning. And it really got me thing.

I was really noticing how I respond to Adah when the house is clean. We played this morning and I really enjoyed that! Don't get me wrong, we play on a regular basis, but this time there was no time constraint on it, we played until she was tired. It was so fun!

I have really purposed in my heart that I am going to try not to let this be an issue again, but to be constant on the tasks I have before me, and to be diligent in completing them start to finish.

I could seriously go in for days about this topic and how I feel, but I would really like to hear how you fell about it, and what works for you.

Go.....

Adah's Dedication Pictures

2010-04-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

As I said in a previous blog post Adah was recently dedicated at church. It was such a great dedication done by my dad, and Adah couldn't have been more cooperative! I am going to try and get the video posted also.

Enjoy...

Photos by Kenton Jacobsen

Happy Birthday Adah!

2010-03-31T14:16:00.001-07:00

I cant even believe that she is one year old!

She went from this...

To this.

Whenever I want to remember how little she was I watch this video.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet baby girl!!!

Joshua Levi

2010-03-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

A friend who was a graphic designer at the church, just gave birth to a beautiful little boy 10 weeks early. He has a lot of of prayer needs and I know it would bless Kelli and her husband Jeff if you would fervently lift their little guy in prayer! Our God is an amazing God and he can work miracles!

Joshua Levi

Special Day

2010-03-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is a very special day for the Lee family. Adah is being dedicated to the Lord. She will be dedicated at the 11:45 service at our church. My dad will be dedicating her and we are all so excited!

I am reminded of Hannah offering her first born, Samuel to the Lord and how that may have felt. She had promised the Lord after he blessed her with a son that she would give him back to the Lord. I love what a picture and example it sets for christian parents. We have been blessed to be parents, and now we give them back to the Lord. Obviously, this is not in a physical sense, but in offering Adah to the Lord, Jon and I are standing before the church saying with the body of believers, we will raise our child in the way of the Lord.

If you would like to see the dedication, again, it will be during the 11:45 service at Harvest Christian Fellow ship. Or you can watch it live here.

Adah Bites

2010-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

When we first started feeding Adah solids I was really discouraged because she seemed to be very picky. I started by making her baby food, and she did not like it, then I tried the jared baby food and she liked it okay, but it made her smell for the rest of the day. I had a feeling that this might happy because if you know Jon and I well, you would know that we are both very picky eaters. I have to get creative around dinnertime at our house.

Then it happened one night we were at a favorite family spaghetti restaurant and I forgot baby food. At this point Adah had gotten use to the idea of eating with the family so she was not a happy camper when I had nothing to offer her.

My dad had suggested cutting some spaghetti up really tiny, and giving that to her. Well, I did that, and I have never seen her eat something with such passion. It became an instant favorite of hers. I honestly didn't think much of it because it was just plain spaghetti, nothing special. So I just decided that along with her baby food I would try and give her something we were eating as a habit.

After I started that I was amazed at how not picky she actually was. Avocado, hummus, meat, and apples are just a few of the foods she loves, most of them are high in protein, so that makes me a happy momma! She is defiantly enjoying her food to say the least!

I am slowly starting to wean her off nursing. She is obviously feeling more full, so she is naturally not wanting to nurse as much. I have yet to talk to the doctor about this, but I am feeling the need to wean, so thats what we are starting.

Apples to Apples

2010-03-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

I have been on an apple kick lately. Since we have been giving Adah "real food" now, I am trying to incorporate a healthy snack that will satisfy the sweet tooth that we both like. I will sometimes pare it with some peanut butter, or laughing cow cheese and crackers. we both enjoy it, and it helps brake up the day so we are not starving by dinner.

I have never really cared about what kinds of apples I buy. Whatever looks good is what I have purchased. But funny about apples, I don't really like red apples. I don't know why, but every time I have one, I am not impressed.

I would usually buy the granny smith green apples, but those can be risky. You want the perfect blend of tart sweet, but sometimes, they are just plain sour. They can also have a weird consistency to them that I don't care for. But, nonetheless I would still buy them until I discovered Pink Lady Apples!

Pink Lady apples are unlike any other apple I have had. They excel where some other kinds of apples lack. They are consistent. You can pretty much guarantee that every pink lady apple you eat will taste just like every pink lady apple you have had before. They are sweet and tangy, crisp, and smooth. They live up to their name with the pink color, and are medium in size. I have not been able to find them at all grocery stores, but they are t most. Give them a try they are absolutely delicious!!!

What kinds of apples to you like?

Things I Have Made

2010-02-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

Like I said in a recent post, I have been sewing a lot lately and these are some of the things I have made...

This was a really simple potato sack dress that I made with some leftover fabric, and ribbon.

This is an apron that I made for a bridal shower I am going to. Brittany Laurie made a really cute one and posted the pattern on the Harvest Women's Virtue website.

This one of my favorite things to make. It is a car seat canopy. I made the first one for my friend Alicia, and I loved the way it turned out so I made another.

Adah Update

2010-02-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have updated on Adah. She is almost 11 months old and into EVERYTHING, but her favorite is the dogs water dish. I have made great use if the hand me down baby gates someone gave us! She is crawling so fast and I have a hard time keep up after her. She pulls herself up on everything, and I am thinking it is not going to be long before she is walking!

She has 4 teeth now, and they are coming in so fast! She is making great use of them with her food. She loves all kinds of food which is so comforting to me because Jon and I are both very picky eaters. For a long time, I thought she was going to be picky because she didn't like her baby food, but then I started giving her real food and she loves it! She must have a mature pallet!

She is still BFing a few times during the day. I would like to start weaning her around her first birthday, but I have to say I am liking that I can almost eat anything without gaining weight!

This is a dress that I made for her.

It makes me sad that she wants nothing to do with the headbands I have made her, or any headbands for that matter.

Things I Enjoy

2010-02-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

I have always been the kind of girl that would rather buy something than make it. I never understood why people would go to the fabric store and buy fabric for clothes when there are perfectly good clothes just waiting to be bought at the store. Then recently that all changed.

When I discovered etsy.com (I would like to start a store if I can find the time)I realized there was a whole new world of not just making things but making cute thing exactly the way you want it! Jon has even said that he is amazed that I have transformed into a cooking, cleaning, sewing, blogging superwomen. I am not going to say that I have made my own clothes or anything, but I have made a few really cute baby things, and an apron for a friend. I have also realized, it is something I enjoy!

When things are just spinning out of control at home, or wherever, I can completely control this one little thing I am creating. Jon, being pastor, can be gone a lot in the evenings, and as much as I would like to, I cant go to every Jr. High service we have with a baby. I go on Friday nights, and that is pushing it honestly. When he is gone all day and into the night, I really miss him. You can only talk baby talk for so long. :) So lately, I have been sewing or crafting when he is gone at night. I set up my stuff in front of the TV after the baby is in bed and work on a project. I can generally finish it by the time he gets home. So, it helps me pass the time, and I have something to show for it!

Soon, I will post a "show and tell" of what I have made.

Cute Video

2010-02-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

January, oh January...

2010-01-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

January is almost over, and I though this month was starting out pretty good as far as keeping up on blogging, and then teething happened...

Adah has always been a decent sleeper. She has had her days and nights figured out for a while, and makes her own napping schedule during the day. But a few weeks ago that all changed. She started throwing such a fit when we'd put her to bed. She, has always been strong-willed, but this was ridiculous. She would stand up right away and scream her head off. I tried a few nights doing the "cry it out" method, but like I said she is so strong-willed, and screaming for almost an hour and a half really wares on your nerves. Naps during the day were almost as brutal. But we could see how tired she was.

Then I started to think that this was not just that she didn't wan to go to bed. So, I looked in her mouth and sure enough, not one but two TOP teeth are looking like they want to cut. It looks like she is going to have the cutest little gap in her teeth! They haven't made their grand appearance yet, but they ARE coming.

The fussiness has cooled off a little, and she has been getting lots of hugs and kisses to make her feel better. She is doing much better!

I plan on posting a really yummy recipe for home made kettle corn soon too! It was pretty easy and a really good snack!

The Art of Bread Making

2010-01-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

I am not really big on new years resolutions, but this year I thought I would make one that would benefit my family. I decided that in 2010 I would resolve to making more homemade meals more consistently. My curve is not to make them healthy just for the calorie content, but for what is in it. Trying to stay away from preservatives when I can.

In my research, I stumbled on hillbilly housewife. It focuses on low cost food from scratch. On the website I found a recipe for bread machine bread.

A while back, a family member gave me a very clean bread machine. It looks like it is at least 10, or 15 years old, and had all the right parts but no manual. So I decided to give it a whirl.

I went to Winco, and got my unbleached flour, and my yeast. It was soooo inexpensive, and they had so many different fours to choose from. They even have whole wheat flour, and they general cost is about 30 cents a pound! So the whole thing costs roughly 35-40 cents per loaf!

I have made a loaf everyday this week. I have also given a few away. I ran out of flour, so I dont think I'll be making any tomorrow. ;)

If you know me you know I love YouTube, so I looked up some YouTube videos on it. I also googled recipes and found some here.

This was my "prettiest" loaf

I used an electric knife to cut it and I got really nice looking slices.

I'd say that is a good step in the right direction for my resolution. If you are looking for a bread machine, I have seen them at Walmart for $54.99. Or, you could just ask a family member you know that has one to use it.

A Trip To The Getty

2010-01-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

We recently ventured over to LA to see the Getty museum. I have been there a few times with my parents and Dirk and Alicia before and really enjoyed it, so when the opportunity arose, we jumped on it!

This is the reflection of Adam and I as we sipped our coffee before we went in

This is a frame for a French painting. The painting was good but the true treasure was the frame that was most likely carved Michelangelo! By far out of everything in the museum, this was by far my favorite!

This was a painting of two heads. Morbid, yes I know.

A weird but cool bust.

This is what Jon really liked. This is a painting of David holding Goliath's head.

Another Bust

Rembrandt's paintings are what is being featured right now.

Funny story, Adah was really good, but when we were in a room with an echo, she would start talking loudly, or screaming because she liked the sound.

Aside from having amazing art the Getty itself is so beautiful.

Blurry LA skyline.

If your ever wanting to visit a museum, the Getty is a sure place to visit. It is beautiful inside and out! You could even go to have a picnic. Oh, and did I mention its free? Well, it is! You can find all the info here!

Mama's Girl

2010-01-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

Adah has always been a baby that will go to just about anybody. When we are in social situations if somebody wants to hold her they will put out their arms and Adah will go to them. She has always been like that. In the jr. high ministry, I will often say to Jon, "Where is our daughter?" because she is usually passed around by the counselors. I really like that I can go and not worry about her freaking out. When we get home however, its a completely different story.

We have always joked that Adah is a Mama's girl, but it has recently hit a new level. She is so clingy lately I don't know what to do. Its not like I am working and away from her 8+ hours a day. I am with her 24/7, with the exception of about 4 hours (maybe) a week. I can be in the same room as her and she will freak out (tears and all) if I'm not right next to her. I just don't get it.

What makes me sad is that she is doing this with Jon as well. If we are all together and Jon decides to take her with him to another room, She will cry like she is never going to see me again. I feel so bad for Jon, but he is such a good sport about it.

I know that she is only this age for so brief of time, but it is really waring on my nerves because she has so many people in her life that would love time with her.

2009 Recap

2009-12-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

I am taking this idea from my dear friend Alicia, who also posted about 2009...

January- I was entering into my 3rd trimester and was feeling great! I was starting to feel the load of being pregnant, but again, I felt great. My Mom had surgery, and that put allot on Jon and I to help with the kids getting to school and helping my mom in any way possible.

February- I was staring to feel that I was swelling more than I should, and with the absence of my OBGYN at every appointment I had that far, I found it time to switch to another OBGYN. I found Dr. Moola, and LOVED her!

March- The beginning of March is Jon's birthday, so we had fun celebrating that followed by a hospital visit. March 9th, I had a normal appointment that landed me in the hospital for high blood pressure, for 3 days. I was 34weeks. After my release, I was on bed rest, and in and out of the hospital for extremely high blood pressure and a strange, painful rash on my entire body. On March 30th, I went to my appointment confident they would induce me, and they did! I gave birth to Adah Jean Lee March 31st at 11:20 am. She weighed 4lbs 14oz, and beautiful beyond belief.

April- I was released from the hospital April 2end, and we were so thankful to be able to take our daughter to her new home! The 15th was my birthday, and we played it easy for the rest of the month due to my blood pressure still being very high.

May- Not much happened in May.

June- I was finally feeling "normal" and my blood pressure was finally settling down.

July- We did allot of work we had been wanting to do around the house that included our bathroom.

August- This was a tough month. It ended in a way that none of my family was not prepared for.

September- Was allot of what the end of August was. My family really came together to support my brother.

October- Jon and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. It was so sweet to look back at the last 4 years and see all that God has done for us.

November- My family celebrated a difficult Thanksgiving with a family member missing from our Thanksgiving table.

December- We celebrated a casual Christmas as a family. We have been enjoying time off, and are looking forward to what 2009 will hold!

Bring on 2010!!!

Adah's First Christmas Morning!!!

2009-12-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Adah's first Christmas. All the pictures of Adah are good, but lets face it, nobody looks good Christmas morning. =)

Adah basking in her new toys

Little do they know that the tea dress up party is next

Adah fell asleep in grandma's arm at the end of the day!

Adah's Christmas Pictures

2009-12-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

Before we left for church Christmas eve, I took some pictures of Adah in her Christmas dress.

Family Tradition

2009-12-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

This Christmas season has been so much fun with our Adah! Getting to see her reaction to things for the first time is just awesome! Jon and I both come from families with lot of tradition, so we are starting this year with traditions of our own, and mixing them with some familiar ones too!

Like opening up her clean freshly washed PJ's on Christmas eve, and going to Christmas eve service with our families. Something I grew up doing.

We started a few new ones too! We kicked it off with our 1st annual Lee Christmas dinner party with some close friends (pictures to come). It was so cool to see our friends who we have known for years starting their families like us! Seeing the Rancho Cucamonga lights was a new thing this year that will turn into a tradition.

One tradition we haven't done since I was little was going to Logan's Candy Cane demonstration. It is amazing! First of all, they are amazing gourmet candy canes that will blow any candy canes out of the water. Second, the demo starts with Jerry (the owner) with a big slab of hot peppermint candy that he forms into candy canes. They you get to a piece of warm candy cane. I promise you will never be able to eat a candy cane without thinking about Logan's candy canes.

They will be doing the demo's until the 23rd. The times are 5:30pm, 7pm, and 8:30pm. We are going tomorrow and I am so excited to see the demo and take Adah as we start this new family tradition.

You can find the directions here.

The beginning of the demo

Jerry and my Dad grew up together, so this is a familiar face

Forming the candy cane

The candy ribbon is really good too!

If you can, you should hop on over to the Logan's candy in Ontario, it is worth the drive!

Here is an article on Logan's.

So Fresh, So Clean

2009-12-11T14:31:00.001-08:00

I love the smell of a freshly bathed baby, don't you? The irresistible smell of Johnson's baby lotion, (or whatever you prefer) the clean clothes, and the (not so much for my kid) freshly combed hair. Bath time is a magical thing! I absolutely love it!

The idea of giving Adah a bath is not my most favorite thing because of the process, but when she is in the bath, it is totally worth it. She LOVES baths!! I love watching her play, and talk to herself and splash around. She has so much fun!

One of the things people say about babies is that their so messy. I have always wondered why people say that. Aside from the occasional accidents, Adah has always been a pretty clean baby. Even her car seat is still in really good condition, and I have never cleaned it. that is all changing.

Because of Adah getting so mobile, I am noticing how dirty she is getting so fast. When she was really little, I could go two days, without giving her a bath. But now, I have given her a bath everyday this week. Throw baby food in the mix, and sometimes I think she needs a bath twice a day.

In the middle of the day I will pick Adah up, and her belly, and legs are so dirty. It honestly makes me laugh!

So Cute You Could Eat It!

2009-12-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

I Love browsing Etsy.com! Its one of my favorite things to do to relax. I have not, until recently considered myself a creative person. But, when I look at some of the stuff on etsy, it gets the creative juices flowing! Some of the things I have found are just beyond anything I could ever attempt to do. Like this...

I simply searched, "kitchen," and found this cute apron!

I searched, "baby," for these cuties.

I LOVE looking at the baby headbands because I love making them, and get inspiration from looking at them.

These have to be my favorite of them all! These are soaps made to look like decadent desserts!

Check it out for yourself!

christmas Baking

2009-12-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

I posted this last year, and personally, I really enjoyed it! So here it is again!

North Pole Kitchen

It's The Holiday Season

2009-12-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

I am in such shock that it's December. I know everybody says that, but I am truly shocked. I feel like it was not that long ago when we were in triple digit heat, and want this time to come soon. August to December seems like a blurry. It wont be long and we will be into 2010, and looking at new babies of friends, and of coarse Adah's 1st birthday. I will be even more shocked at how time flies when that comes around.

Time is such an interesting concept. As children we would look at time as an obstacle, now we look as it passes us by, and think, "how did I get here?" We as a society are obsessed with grasping every second out of our time but cramming as many things into it as we can. We have such a hard time just waiting to see what the Lord is doing. "I am waiting for the Lord, my soul is waiting for Him, and my hope is in His Word." Psalms 130:5 I know that is where my family is right now.

I never thought that we would have to go through such a dark time in our lives, or such a dark year for that matter. So much hurt is synonymous with the year 2009. Adah has been such a joy for all of us in need for distraction. We love looking into her eyes and seeing the joy on her face as she just looks at us. Her hope (for now) is in us. It's in us to care for her, feed her, and comfort her, love her. We are relaying on the Lord in the same way.

Our little family has been doing great! Adah is now 8 months old and I am loving every second being with her. She started saying dada. I LOVE it! We don't know if she really knows what she's saying, but every time I ask her where dada is, she looks at Jon. But then again, she will go up to the dog and call her dada. I, on the other hand, am anxiously awaiting her to say mama. It will happen soon enough.

I hope every one's Thanksgiving was wonderful! Please keep my family in prayer, the Lord knows the details, it is however, very painful.

BurdaStyle

2009-11-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have recently taken to sewing. I got my brother's sewing machine from the garage, and started playing with it. As with all my projects, I watched as many videos on sewing on YouTube as possible. I have once in my life taken on a sewing project, and it was only with close supervision that I completed my first pair of homemade pajamas when I was 12. I never got to sewing the buttons on, but none the less I made it thus I loved it!

I went to Joanne's one day just to look. I got so overwhelmed by everything that I almost just left. But I stumbled on a fabric that I LOVED! It was a fabric that I had seen used for a Nursing cover, so I used it for just that! I used corset boning for the neck line, and got the D rings from eBay. I made a nursing cover that was at Nordstrom for $35, for a fraction of the price. The most expensive item was the thread, but I have made 2 nursing covers with it and so far I still have plenty.

While I was looking for free patterns, I stumbled across this website for sewing. It has free patters, and other patterns moderately priced. But it also has tutorials for different sewing techniques. It is social networking for people who like to sew!

BurdaStyles

Good Morning Adah

2009-11-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Cupcakes&Cappuccino

2009-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to go to the Mission Inn festival of lights this year! I am even more excited because we get to take Adah with us for the first time! As a family, we use to go every year. Sometimes braving the ever so crowded day after Thanksgiving lighting. It is such a great Christmas spot, and we are lucky to have it right in our backyard.

Jon and I have been on a Sprinkles cupcake kick lately. Shortly before Chris went to heaven, he would tell Jon about Sprinkles cupcakes, and how much he loved them. So last summer we finally went, and we were hooked! Stopping by whenever we are in Irvine. Jon gets the Red velvet (in honor of Chris) and I get the pumpkin. They are so good!

Yesterday, my brother texted me to say that the Mission inn is opening a Cupcake and Cappuccino bar! I looked it up and sure enough they will! It is set to open December 4, just in time for Christmas. Its not Sprinkles by any means, but it is about 45 min. closer. Bring it on!

Anniversary Re-cap

2009-11-11T09:05:00.001-08:00

As promised, I have pictures from our mini vacation in celebration of our anniversary!

Father Daughter Time

2009-11-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Jon loves spending time with Adah. I love watching him spend time with Adah! He is such a great father and husband, I am truly blessed.

This is a conversation I heard while he was playing with her...

Jon: Adah this is a book of shapes. Listen so daddy can teach you about shapes.

Jon: This is a square...

Jon: This is a circle...

Jon: This is triangle...

Jon: This is a hexagon. HEXAGON. Can you say hexagon? Let's say hexagon!

I love them!

Family Watchdog

2009-11-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

As a new mother I want the best for my family, especially when it comes to keeping us safe. We have an alarm system in our home (Jon says it's the best money spent) and I am always aware of my surroundings in the neighborhood.

But there is always the feeling that you never REALLY know the person living in the house next to you. We have sweet neighbors, but I don't know anything about them.

I watched a Dr. Phil episode that featured the story of Jaycee Dugard. One tool he gave to families was the website Family Watchdog. It is a free website that you register your address, and they give you a list of all the sex crime offenders in your area on a map. You can look at names addresses, what the convictions were for and a mug shot. They also email you if someone moves in or out of your neighborhood.

As many of you were I was shocked to hear the story of Jaycee Dugard, but I was even more shocked to find that she was living in the backyard of her kidnappers for 18 years! One thing her kidnapper had against him was that he was a prior convicted sex offender.

I wish we could trust everybody and know that our kids are going to be safe, but we don't live in that kind of world. We need to be a step ahead.

Laundrylover

2009-11-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

No, I am not a laundry lover by any means, but I know someone who is. That person now has a new blog! My mom!

I helped my Mom start a blog, by getting her started, now it's up to her to drive! She has yet to post on it, but I hope this shout out will put a fire under her butt.

At church, my mom is known as the laundry lady, so going with that theme, the blog name is Laundrylover.blogspot.com

The postings are entirely up to her, but I imagine it will have to do with laundry tips, household tips, child rearing, and devotions.

Keep an eye on it, I'm sure she'll dig it!

Whoa, It's been a long week!

2009-11-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel that you are running a million miles an hour and don't know when its going to slow down? That's how we have been feeling. Everything we are doing is a complete blessing and we would have it no other way, but somehow happens all at the same time. Then throw in a sick kind and husband, and we have an interesting week.

As I said before, Jon and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on October 29th. We had the wonderful blessing of staying at a friends cabin, and it turned out to be a blessed relaxing few days for us as a family!

A few days before we left for the mountains, Adah came down with a pretty bad case of hives. But that is entirely another story. Then Jon wasn't feeling very good, and has continued to not feel good until he went to the doctor this past Tuesday.

All in all it was a great trip! We had fun, we went to Arrowhead, and Big bear. It was freezing, we ate entirely too much, but it was nice to escape the heat of Riverside!

Now, we are getting ready to go to our first married couples retreat! We are both really looking forward to this! it will be nice to stay in Irvine, and in a nice hotel. It will also be nice to get to see all our married couples Friends. Our friends Ray and Erin will be there with their adorable Taylor, so Adah will have a friend. I will also have the amazing opportunity to heal with worship on Friday and Saturday. We are really looking forward to it!

I hope everyone's week is going well, and you are all blessed as we head into the weekend!

PS, I will be posting pics of our trip soon, along with the hives story!

4 Years Ago

2009-10-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

While cleaning I came across a disc that pictures from my wedding shower were on. It doesn't feel like much time has passed, but so much has changed since then.

Enjoy!

Debbi and Misti. This was the first time I met Misti. The Wiggins were new to our church from Chicago.

Alicia (my MOH) and her Mom Charlene

Me and my Mother-in-law Charla

Alicia, our mothers, and I

Maggie (bridesmaid, and childhood friend), our moms, and I

Opening gifts

Abbie (my sister) Maddi, and Jordan

The Food!

She was so little!

The decor

More Food!

Christmas is Just Around the Corner

2009-10-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

As I am sitting here looking at a few things on my computer, I am reminded that I need to get with it and get some things done for our impending next few hectic weeks. We will be gone next week, the next weekend, and the weekend after that. We are looking forward to it, and it will be a nice break from the day to day stuff.

We are also looking forward to our anniversary. I am still in shock that we have been married 4 years, and that we have a beautiful little girl to celebrate with us. We will be heading up to a friends cabin in green valley lake, and honestly, Jon and I couldn't be more excited!

Then shortly after we get home, we will be experiencing Adah's first Halloween! She will be a cute little Poo Bear! I am planning on taking pictures before then, so I will post them. We will be going to our church's hallelujah night. We are excited about that because Adah's cousin will be joining us.

The next weekend, we will be going to our first married couples retreat. Our first year of marriage, we couldn't afford it, and the next year, it was a cruise, and we couldn't afford it again, then they didn't have it one year, so now, after 4 years of being married, we are finally going! Because Adah is still so young, and still breast feeding, she will go with us. It will be a nice weekend in Irvine!

The weekend after that, we are attending our dear friends Randall, and Kristi's wedding. We have been friends with them since before they were dating, and are excited to spend a weekend in Dana Point for the wedding!

Then, we are just about into the holidays. I can't even believe that. This will be Adah's first holiday season, and I want to soak it up with her. I hope Jon is prepared, because we are going to pull out all the stops for her. Mission Inn, Disneyland, lights at Chino, and all of the great movie's that come with Christmas. We are so excited!

New Blog

2009-10-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

I have recently been enjoying making Adah's headbands, I love going and getting different material for them. If anyone is interested in them please let me know! I have set up a blog with the different ones I have made thus far.

bandsbyme.blogspot.com

This Looks Way Too Good!

2009-10-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough the only thing I miss about not having cable is the Food Network. As I was looking at the many wonderful recipes they have I found one I am going to have to try. It would have been tonight's dinner if I hadn't have just found it at 4:45, and didn't have din din in the crock pot.

Maybe I will try it tomorrow night for dinner.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Pumpernickel or whole grain bread, as an accompaniment

Directions

Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion, as an accompaniment, recipe follows

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread and Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion.

Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion

1 pound triple-washed spinach, de-stemmed
1 small Golden Delicious apple, quartered, cored, and sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons (a couple of splashes) apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grain mustard
1 tablespoon (a good drizzle) honey
Coarse salt and black pepper

Place spinach, apple, and onion in a salad bowl. Place oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a small plastic container and fit lid on container. Shake dressing to combine, 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: 4 servings

Autmn Organization

2009-10-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about Fall is it motivates me to clean and organize the house before the holidays, and that is exactly what I'm doing! I am not by nature an organized person. My mom is probably laughing really hard right now. But with the baby, and not having a ton of time to devote to cleaning the house, my goal is to have a home for everything, so when I pick things up while cleaning there is no guessing where it goes. I am also going through and organizing the house to prepare for a yard sale that I'm planning on having. I started in the living room with a hope chest, I have gone through the rooms and closets, and all I have left is the kitchen and office. Those are two biggies by themselves.

I have been wanting to organize the pantry since we moved in, but haven't a clue how or where to start. So I researched online different ways to organize the pantry. I know I'm a nerd. A little google goes a long way! It's not a big space so I needed to make the space functional, and something I would keep up. So I have a category for each shelf. I started with my pad of paper and a pen. I numbered each shelf 1-8.

Shelf 1 Baking

Shelf 2 Breakfast

Shelf 3 Snacks

Shelf 4 Beverages

Shelf 5 Spices (On a separate page I listed all the spices I have)

Shelf 6 Bread (I put the peanut butter and Honey on this shelf for Jon)

Shelf 7 Rice and Grains

Shelf 8 Misc.

I also did this because I was sick thinking I was out of something and realizing I already have 3 of them. Case and point, I discovered 7 boxes of the flavor packets for bottles of water.

I did it shelf by shelf. I didn't want to pull everything out and Adah wake up midway, and have everything all over. I was able to finish it in about 2 hours, with the help of Jon and my sister who take great care of Adah.

My next project is to go through and organize all the cabinets in the kitchen. It is going to be a big job, but I'm feeling momentum so I am going to try to keep that going!

Before

My "Map" if you will.

My list of spices

In my quest, I discovered 7 boxed of the water flavor mixes!

Acts 28 Remake

2009-10-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that Jon and some of the other Jr. High counselors did for Wednesday Night study.