I'm not really in the mood for it to be Wednesday today, but I think the sunshine will help me get through it. We're going on a walk and running errands and missing RJ like crazy.

Ruby is home today until Chemo starts on Friday. I'm so thankful that they'll have some time at home! Please pray that the chemo goes well.

I'm also not in the mood much for blogging, so I'll post a delicious recipe. I made this last night with grilled hamburgers. Now that always puts a smile on my man's face!

Broccoli Mashed Potatoes
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (I used about 5 smaller ones--I wanted leftovers!)
1 pound broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese (regular or low-fat)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the sides of the pot. Set a steamer rack in the pot, cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the potato chunks and cook until they are very tender, about 18 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl and mash until smooth.
Place broccoli into steamer rack and steam over medium heat until the broccoli is very tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to the bowl of a food processor. Add the broth, cream cheese, and Parmesan. Process until the broccoli is pureed and almost smooth.
Stir the broccoli puree into the mashed potato and blend well. Season the puree to taste with salt and pepper, and serve. I also added a pat of butter.

These were really yummy, VERY green, and would be great for St. Patricks Day. Henry loved them so that's always good. He doesn't eat veggies well right now so I'm trying new ways to get him to eat them. Tomorrow night I'm trying a recipe from my new cookbook. I'll post the results!

What a difference!

It's like a breath of fresh air. I'm borrowing my dad's good digital camera and it feels so good! I had a somewhat decent camera before the world went digital but it seems like a pain to take a roll in to get developed. Our digital camera is fine, but can't take any neat pictures. That's all about to change. I'm going to be taking pictures like crazy the next few weeks! I'm a little rusty, but here's my favorite from yesterday. And the other is Henry at the farm.

I'm going to get some stuff done quick while Henry is napping. Have a great Tuesday! Isn't this sunshine great?

Ahhhh, Monday

These Mondays really sneak up fast.

Weekend: Great! We went to my parent's Friday afternoon and got back Saturday. It was quick but fun.

Sunday: About every emotion possible.

Ruby is still in the hospital after her surgery on Friday to remove the tumor. She is recovering well and now they are waiting to find out what stage the cancer is in. I guess her case is somewhat "puzzling" so the doctor is consulting other doctors across the country. We're all praying that her cancer is stage 4s! This has been so heavy on my heart. It's been so heavy on all of our hearts. They are truly my family. Their hurt is our hurt. Last night at church we had a concert of prayer for Ruby. It has been so neat to see how our church has grown together to support them. We love them so much! I know this has been extremely hard on Trent and Lydia, but they have stayed so strong and drawn so close to the Lord. When we visited, Lydia she told me how comforting it is that even though they get different news constantly and it's such an emotional roller coaster, that our God does not change. His word stays the same. His love for us stays the same. Their desire is for this situation to glorify God. I'm making that my prayer too. We're going back tonight and I can't wait to see that sweet little girl.

Today, I am thankful for this beautiful sunshine. I'm thankful that Ruby is recovering well! I'm thankful for great fellowship at church yesterday. I'm thankful for a good night's sleep!

Exciting news: I'm about to become Deceptively Delicious!! I got this book from my mom over the weekend. Overall, I'm ready to stop eating so much junk and start eating better, whether it's by hiding a few fruits and veggies or by shoving more out there in plain site. Wanna join me?

randomness and pictures

Here are some fun projects I've done lately. Carson and McClain are 2 of our favorite church buddies.










Rock star Noah. Henry's main dude.










Kade. I don't know you, but I sure hope you grow up to be an astronaut.













My new bird collages. This was a way fun MOPS project!












Shorts. What is it about those skinny, little, white legs, that I find so funny? I've been looking forward to shorts for a long time. Who knew it would be so fun to dress a boy? I love it!

A newly constructed home does not appeal to me. A dishwasher would be nice, but I'm used to it. A whatever-car garage? Don't really care. HOWEVER, wouldn't it be fun to have a jacuzzi tub in your master bathroom? Of course, this would mean having a master bathroom, but if I did, I would love a big ol', fancy tub. It won't be on my next "must-have" list for our future house, but it'd just be nice.

me eat a lot.....me have boy

Did you hear about the study linking what a woman eats around the time of conception to the sex of the baby?

"The average calorie intake for women who had sons was 2,413 a day, compared to 2,283 calories a day for women who had girls."

This made me laugh a little. It also said there was a strong link between eating breakfast cereals and having boys. Strange or coincidence?? It's funny.

Speaking of babies.....I am getting very excited to get pregnant again. I know I will struggle daily with trying not to let myself worry, but for right now I'm just excited. Please join me now in praying that my baby will be okay and that I will not worry. It's in God's hands! Thanks.

Today's thankfulness is obvious. Hello, sunshine! The possibilities of activities today is endless. A walk. Some errands. Heard Children's Place is an additional %50 off their clearance. Could be a good test in resisting temptation.......Whatever we do, I'm sure it will be fun!

Ruby's big test is today. I hope the results get back to them soon. Keep praying!

Tuesday

I found a blog where the guy has 7 things he is thankful for on Sundays. I did 6 things on Saturday and I'm going to try to always have at least one thing a day (this should not be hard!). I'm so quick to complain and I hate that. We have so much to be thankful for. I'm not trying to sugar-coat our life. We have bad minutes/hours/days like everyone else, but isn't there so much more to be thankful for?

Today I am thankful for RJ's job. It's a lot less phone time and less dealing with mean people. It's been great for him and I love knowing that he doesn't dread going to work now.

I'm also thankful that Henry didn't break any bones when he fell down the stairs. I know this is the first of many falls, but it made my heart stop. Thankfully we were at the house where I babysit and they have nice, carpeted stairs, as opposed to our wood ones!


This week I'm praying for patience in how to deal with Henry's temper tantrums. I can now see a glimmer of the "terrible 2s". I know there's much, much more to come, but I can start to see it. I thought he was just adjusting to being home, but now I'm not so sure. Poor boy. He went about 2 months without getting any teeth and now they're coming in like crazy. I'm sure that doesn't help the situation, but still does not excuse naughty behavior. I've watched a couple of episodes of that Nanny show lately and it scares me, but I do love how Jo-Jo says the words, unacceptable and naughty. I'm going to make them a part of my vocabulary with my fancy English accent.

Hope you are all having great Tuesdays!

Adjusting

Henry got back yesterday at about 5:00. It was so good to see him! He was very hyper and went back to his old toys like he had never left. He made sure we knew he was back by waking up 3 times last night, but I didn't mind. It was nice to go in there and snuggle with him since I had missed him so much. It's a rough day today adjusting back, as expected, and I think he's working on some more teeth. I'm sure tomorrow things will be back to normal.

It was a great weekend to spend so much time with RJ. It felt like we were dating again and that's always a fun feeling. I love that man.

Ruby got to go home from the hospital until the middle of this week. Henry and I just went over for a visit and they are doing really well. Lydia feels at peace with everything and is totally relying on God. It's so encouraging to see their deep trust. Please keep praying for Ruby. She's having a major scanning test this week that will really determine how extensive it is. My prayer is that God will just take this cancer away, whether it's through surgery, or by just not being there on the next scan, or however else. Please, Lord, take this cancer away.

RJ's getting home late tonight so I've got about 3 more hours. He already had his worst temper tantrum to date. Yikes!:)

RJ's cleaning. Henry's at grandma and grandpa's. And I'm home alone. Strange!

I just got back from visiting with little Ruby again. Some girls and I met for coffee and then went shopping for some gifts and brought them down to the hospital. She still appears really healthy and it seems unreal that she has cancer. They've gotten results that the cancer is not in her bones which is great news. Right now they're waiting for more tests results and more test results, and on and on. Trent and Lydia are doing well and staying strong. They are completely relying on God and it's such an awesome testimony to see.

In a second I would take this from Ruby and go through it on my own and I know everyone feels that same way. At the same time I'm so thankful that it's not my child in the hospital with cancer and that's what makes me break down. I feel guilty for feeling thankful that Henry doesn't have cancer, yet feel guilty for feeling guilty that God has spared Henry of this instead of being thankful. Does that make sense? This all makes me miss Henry even more. I can't wait to see him tomorrow and give him a huge squeeze.

We're hopefully going to get to visit little Noah today. I'm so anxious to see him after all he's been through. It's been quite the week.

Six things I'm thankful for on Saturday:
1. That RJ and I got to go on a great date last night. Chef's Kitchen (AWESOME place in Beaverdale) the movie, Counterfeiters at the Fleur Cinema(an excellent German film) and Drake Diner for dessert. Perfect.
2. Our church family. It's so encouraging to see how everyone is pouring out their prayers and love to Trent and Lydia. They really are my family and I love them a whole lot.
3. That Henry is able to spend some time with RJ's parents and that he's having a great time. Every time we call, they say it's going perfectly.
4. That I get some alone time in my house. That's pretty rare!
5. That Ruby's cancer did not spread to her bones!
6. That Noah continues to recover well.

We visited Ruby tonight and she's as sweet as ever. She was sleeping when we got there and when she woke up she didn't even whimper. She just looked around and played with her toes. Everyone seemed to be doing well, considering the circumstances. They got some initial test results that showed there was nothing in the bones, but they have the bone marrow test tomorrow. The doctors said they can numb her as much as they can, but nothing can completely take away the pain of the needle. So please keep praying for Ruby! They will find out what stage the cancer is in tomorrow as well. Found out that the best case scenario would be stage 4s, which stands for special. Hopefully that's the one it is!

I know everyone that reads this blog also reads Alisa's, so please keep praying for Noah as well as he is recovering. Hopefully this afternoon's fever was the worst of it and hopefully he is more comfortable tomorrow. Noah and Ruby are 2 of the sweetest little kids. I love them both!

If you're a member of Facebook, and if you're not, what in the world are you doing????, there's a Praying for Ruby group. Please feel free to join so you can pray for her and see updates.

Please Pray for Ruby

Our dear friends, Trent and Lydia just found out that their little Ruby has neuroblastoma-- a form of cancer. She is 6 months old. She is the sweetest little girl with the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen. She is such a happy little girl too. Please pray for them. They have a 2 1/2 year old, Clara also. They are a great family.

I'm having a really hard time with this. I just can't imagine. She's just a baby. Why do things like this happen to sweet little babies? I know we can't know the answers to these things. It's hard to feel so helpless. The only thing we can do is pray for them. Thank you.

Here's a picture of Ruby's cheeks I took once while babysitting her. She's so sweet!

Could It Happen?

I'm sitting here and I feel a little earthquake. Literally, my house is rumbling. Do you think a house could crumble over from all the annoying construction across the street? Especially if that house is almost 100 years old? All day long for the last few weeks and for the next few months ahead my house will be dancing to an annoying beat. So do you think it could cause any damage? This is seriously the kind of stuff I freak out about.

A Long Awaited, Beautiful Monday!

What a gorgeous day! FINALLY!! We're going to be hitting those sidewalks real soon. I love the crispness in the air. Still a bit chilly, but you can feel the warmth of the sun. Oh yeah.

We had a great weekend. I caught up with some college friends on Saturday, which was so fun. RJ cleaned while I was gone and before church Sunday morning so we had BOTH Friday and Saturday night together. It was so nice!! We watched Michael Clayton and Dan in Real Life (so good!). And mostly just hung around the house a lot. I painted and got a couple of projects done. That always feels good.

The car is still in the shop. It had better be done today. It's going to be a lot of money so we're hoping it will be good to go for a long time now. She's a good little car, but I still hate spending money on it.

I'd like to give a little shout out to Jenn, who is no longer starving for sunshine!! She gave us 10 lbs of hamburger they had from a cow in Kansas. They needed to get rid of some and we happily accepted. Thanks again!! A little challenge I made up is to make hamburger-based meals that I have not tried before. 1st one was meatball subs. I used 2 lbs so I only have 8 left. Any suggestions??

2nd shout out goes to the John's. They very graciously let us use their car over the weekend. Thanks again. It seriously was very appreciated.

3rd shout out goes to RJ's family. Henry is going up with Rj's brother and fam, and staying at his parents for the weekend. I'm in a panic mode right now. I'm sure after this first away trip I'll look forward to more, but right now I'm freaking out! (yet I know we'll have a great time!)

Out of Comission

car won't start.....please send help......stranded in house......me going crazy....

Okay, so I'll look on the brighter side. Not being able to start my car means not being able to go to a garage sale and waste money. More time to enjoy playing with Henry at home. Time to reflect on the important things in life.

Now, onto the bad side. It's not the fact of staying home all day, but more the thought that even if we wanted to go somewhere we couldn't. This makes me claustrophobic. If it were nice out we could go for a walk, but I won't even start with the weather. We missed our The Office party last night and I was so bummed. It just wasn't the same watching it at home. Cost of fixing it. I'm sure it won't be pretty, but I guess that's what savings are for, right? Oh, I hate that!

Alright, I'm over it. RJ gets home at 12:30 today. Car troubles or not, this is a great day!

Tomorrow I'm partaking in a reunion with some old college roomies. We lived in a house called Nanes. Nicknamed: Nunery. You can guess why.:) A couple of the girls I haven't seen since a few months after graduation so I'm really looking forward to it!

Henry gets the award for "good mood" of the week. He has been in a stellar mood this entire week and it's been great. His goofiness is getting more intense. Any animal he sees or hears, he starts barking like a dog. I try to teach him other sounds, but he will only bark.
What is it with boys and dogs?

Recipe of the Week!

Scalloped Potatoes

The first time I made these, I had a recipe, but now I just do whatever so I don't have exact measurements. I really don't think it can be messed up though!

Peel and slice or cube however many potatoes you want. I usually do enough to fill a 9x13. I"ve made huge batches for a big crowd and smaller batches too.

Boil potatoes in milk until tender. I usually do a half milk/half water combo so I don't waste too much expensive milk!

Spray or rub butter in the bottom of the pan. I usually sprinkle some garlic salt on the pan too.

Put first layer of potatoes down. Season with salt (I've found that potatoes can hold quite a bit of salt) pepper, and garlic or whatever other seasoning you like.

Sprinkle with about 1 cup of swiss cheese. Pour about a cup of heavy cream all over. The last time I made them I bought 2 small containers or cream and used them both. If I buy the big container I end up with cream that gets old in my fridge!

Repeat potato layer with more cream and cheese. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly. So easy and SO yummy. The hardest part is peeling and cutting. I've never tried it with frozen potatoes, but I think it'd work? Goes great with grilling!

Thursday Ramblings....

So, my car won't start this morning. This means I couldn't go babysit and it means that I'm stuck home all day. I'm kind of glad it's gross out because I won't be tempted by nice weather to go somewhere.

As long as we can get the car started once RJ gets home, we plan on attending an Office party tonight. Should be a rockin time.

Things went really well with Kristin last night. We went out to eat and then she stayed and talked until 8:45. She's doing really well with everything. They said she may have had this growth/tumor for a while now, but since she had been on the pill it was masking the problem by giving her regular cycles. She got off the pill this past summer to start trying and that's when she started realizing she was having problems and then went to the doctor last month. Scary. Why don't doctors even tell you about the "natural" option? So needless to say, she will never go back on the pill! I've been off it for 4 years now and love it.

RJ's parents MIGHT take Henry next weekend. RJ and I have had one night away from Henry together, but it was a really short one. This could be amazing! He'd have a blast. We'd have a blast. It'd be an all around good time. We'd of course miss him and be excited to see him, but, well, it really needs no explanation, right?

I want another baby.:)

I've been looking at Henry's 9 month photos taken by Alisa. They are so good and sweet. I loved that age. I think it was one of my favorites.

Garage sales are in full force this weekend...........Things I'm looking for this summer:
a bundt pan
clothes for Henry (trying not to go overboard this year. Just what he NEEDS and only if it's way beyond cute)
A set of white dishes or white serving pieces
Lots of stuff I don't need (joking)

I'm really going to focus on not getting stuff just because it's cheap. That's a horrible habit and it leaves me with a basement full of junk. I'm going to be going in with a friend who's doing a garage sale and plan on doing some major getting rid of stuff. Major. It's going to feel so good!

That's all. Playtime with Henry!!

Big Boy

It's so strange to watch my baby now act like a big boy. The other night we had our friends over and Henry and their son, Noah, ended up sneaking upstairs and I found them in the bathroom. It's so funny that he can get into those situations now. I'm so easily amazed by him. I'm sure when he's 12 I'll be so suprised every day that he can run, talk in sentences, and go to the bathroom by himself. I'll probably be an embarassing mom, telling him I'm so proud of him when he's 20 and crossing the street on his own. His vocabulary amazes me everyday and the way he can understand me blows me over. I know he's average like every other little kid, but you just don't know this stuff until you see it day in and day out.

We had his 15 month appt today and all checked out well and normal. He's still just above the 75% for height and jumped up to 10% for his weight. On the chart that compares the 2 together, he is finally on the chart. Usually at this age they start to slim down so they were glad to see he's gained some weight. He's a skinny little buger. He's also about 3/4 torso thanks to both his mom and dad who've got some lengthy top-halves. His legs are kind of short. It's cute. We'll see them again in 3 months if all goes well in the mean time. With my track record I'm sure we'll be in to have them check his ears and they'll assure me for the 10th time that he does not have an ear infection. You just never know!

This week has already gone fast and I don't even mind that it's a Wednesday. Look out Friday, here we come!

Rain

A few blogs that I read have referenced this blog. This family with 3 little girls just watched their 4th girl go to Heaven. Straight to Jesus after only a couple of hours. I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but plan to. Sometimes when I read stories like this, I try to shut it out and not read another one like it in fear that I will just worry more about the "what ifs" when we are pregnant next. But this mother can't do that. She can't just shut off the computer and try to forget. So I'm choosing to dive in and read this story so I know how to pray for them. I can't even begin to imagine going through something like this.


I would have been 3 months pregnant this past week. Life has felt back to "normal" for a long time now, but today I'm sad. I've started to get excited again about the possibility of becoming pregnant again, but have to admit that I'm scared too. I don't want this fear to control me. When I was pregnant I prayed so much that I would not live in fear. I felt God give me freedom from that fear and it felt so good. It felt good to tell others I was pregnant, maybe a little "too soon", but I just wanted to celebrate this life. I wasn't in denial that something could happen but I wasn't going to let it control me. I still have moments of pity parties. I get jealous thinking of others getting pregnant and just getting to be excited without having any worries. (I'm sure that last sentence isn't completely true, but it's just how I warp things) BREAK** I literally just got a call from a friend of mine from Sticks, Kristin. She just found out that she has a growth/tumor in a part of her brain that is affecting her cycles. This will have to be shrunken through medication before they can start trying to get pregnant again, which may take 6 months-1 year, plus 3 additional months to make sure all the effects of the medicine are gone. My heart breaks for her. She has been so excited to be a mom for so long now. Sounds like she's doing really well though, and she's stopping by tomorrow night so we can chat. I pray that God will give me comforting words. Thanks God, for the slap in the face that it's not all about me. I pray that my experiences will help me relate when talking with Kristin. He never gives us more than we can bare, and I know there is a purpose in this. Glory be to You, Lord.
Please pray for Kristin.

I Need Thee Every Hour

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh
I need thee, oh, I need thee, every hour I need Thee
I need thee, I need thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee every hour in joy or pain
Come quickly and abide or life is in vain
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee
I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee
Oh I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee

Question....

Do any of you watch America's Next Top Model?

Okay. I got it out there. It's true. I've been addicted to that show for about the last 4-5 seasons. The only way I'm able to get by watching it is because it's on Wednesday nights when RJ is gone and he would not put up with it if he were here!

So, if any of you watch it, weren't you glad/suprised that Claire got booted last night? I totally thought she was going to win in the begining, but she went way down hill.

If you don't watch it, please don't think any less of me. I can't even explain why I like it so much. I have no idea. It's ridiculous I know. We need to get rid of our tv.

Do you think Jesus would have a tv? I'm almost scared to find the answer to that because I know it'd leave our 10 year old tv out on the curb....

I switched my blog to a white background because I feel it makes pictures look nicer. One thing I regret to this day is not getting just plain white dishes for our wedding. Food, even if it's a hot dog, looks better on a white plate. They'd never go out of style, they'd go with any color on your dining room wall, etc. If I could turn back time....If I could find a way...

15 months

15 months isn't a special milestone, but it's the mark for his next doctor's appts so that makes it seem like an important month. Henry will actually be 15 months tomorrow, but I am completely booked so won't have a chance to write. Here's my new favorite picture. It's completely blurry, but it's my 2 favorite boys.

15 months You started taking steps at about 14 1/2 months. It's so fun to watch you practice it all day long. Lots of falls, but you love it.

1 month My little sugar bugar.










3 months You were the smiliest baby I'd ever seen...in my biased opinion.:)










6 months 1st 4th of July. You were just starting to sit up. That is one of my favorite tricks. It's so stinkin cute when they start to sit up!








9 months You were a master crawler which led me to think you'd master walking early. Now I'm so glad you didn't!










12 months You're pretty goofy and always love food. If you see it, you want it. NOW.





I love looking back at old pictures. I took about 5 a day for the first 6 months. It's amazing how much they change in looks! The one song I've always sung to Henry is Itsy Bitsy Spider. For some reason when I sing to him it's the first one that pops in my head. I changed the words when he was a babe to have a nap time song. Of course it didn't work, but I still love to sing it.

It's time for your nap, please don't scream and shout
Close your little eyes and let the dreams come 'bout
When you arise we'll go on with our day
And we'll play and we'll play and enjoy it all the way

As much as I love Henry, I am really looking forward to our ladies retreat in Pella at the Amsterdam Hotel. I'll be away from 3 on Friday til about 4 on Saturday. This will be my 3rd night away from him, but the 1st one where he's not nursing anymore(which will be so much more comfortable for us both!) I know I''ll have a great, refreshing time with my girlfriends and he'll have a great time with RJ. The weather is supposed to be beautiful on Saturday. I love sunny days in Pella! Have a great weekend everyone!

Yeah for Grandma and Wednesdays!

Henry loves wearing my headband.












He also loves wearing Daddy's hat.



















I brought these here and the owner is going to hang them in here children's dept. It's an awesome store. Go if you can! It's in the East Village.
Grandma is here today so we're off to do more shopping now that Henry is up from his nap. Hope you're all having a fun day!