"Let me tell you a joke"

... So Emma said to me when the girls were getting tucked into bed tonight. A joke! I love little kid jokes. "Okay, Emma, go ahead."

"Why do you have polka dots on your dress (I did happen to be wearing a dress with polka dots on it) that eat chickens?"

"ummm, I don't know, why do I have polka dots on my dress that eat chickens?"

"I'm just kidding," she says. "Polka dots don't actually eat chickens."

"Oh... so is that the joke then??"

"Yes, but I do have another, better one."

"All righty," I say. "Let's hear it!"

She thinks for a moment. Then she says, "Okay, why is our garage dirty?" And before I can even answer or repeat the question in the proper joke-telling format, she finishes with:

"Because you have to clean it."

I can't help but laugh at my silly girl, but really, that last one hits a LEETLE too close to the truth to be funny.... :)

Oh, how I love my Emma Joy.

15 weeks!

Yesterday was the 15-week mark... it really does seem like these weeks are flying by! I hope it means that in what feels like no time at all it will be 20 weeks and time for that all-important ultrasound! I am seriously SO excited to find out if this little one is a boy or a girl. I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little impatient. :)

I hardly dare to write this (after all, I wrote my autumn post and then it was a ridiculous 96 degrees today!!), but I think some of my energy has returned. Yes, I still wake up tired most mornings, and I could still easily nap at almost any given time, and I still find myself falling asleep on the couch by a certain time each evening... but at least I don't feel the same sort of mind-numbing dysfunctional exhaustion as before. And for that, I am VERY grateful, and I mean to make the most of whatever energy God chooses to send my way! I'm still getting nauseated pretty regularly, and I even threw up this morning (so weird, since I'm not usually a puker), but I'm hopeful that will be gone soon too. And until it is, I'll just keep eating constantly, since it seems to help. Might as well pack on some more pounds. :)

It's odd, but it still seems a little unreal that we are actually going to have a baby. I don't think I've quite grasped that fact yet and let it really sink in. But, yesterday, for the first time, I am almost SURE that I felt the baby kick. I've had flutterings before, but I've never been able to tell for sure if it was Baby or not. Yesterday's movement felt much more definite, much more baby-ish. I've been looking forward so much to getting to feel the baby kick and move. It will really help to bring some sweet reality to the fact that another little one is getting ready to join our family.

Without any further blabbing from me, here are the 15-week belly shots:

Maybe one of these days you'll get to see a picture of me where my hair is ACTUALLY done. I promise, some days I really don't just pull it back...

One other really cool thing about how fast the time is flying by is that it means other babies are about to make their appearances! Lisa may very well be in labor as I write, and little Jillian will be here VERY soon... who knows! And my dear friend Stacie will be welcoming her Lucy in LESS than a week!! Oh, I am SO excited to meet these new little girls (as well as the other little girls who are just a bit further down the road), and pray all the best for their sweet mamas as the time draws near.

{tasty tuesdays} Fabulous Orange Cake

This was the dessert I made for a women's Bible study I hosted last week, and when I mentioned it, some of you said you hoped to see the recipe on here. I aim to please y'all, so here you go!

No picture of the whole cake... I forgot to snap one before we all devoured it. However, this way you can see how lovely and golden-y moist it is.

Fabulous Orange Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounce)

2 cups sour cream

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec)

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/8 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch Bundt pan.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the sour cream, eggs, oil, and orange liqueur. Mix until smooth and well-blended, then fold in the white chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon your oven, until the cake springs back to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is cool, place on a (cute!) cake stand or plate and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

ps. No, I did not rename this recipe, it really was called Fabulous Orange Cake!

At summer's end

I am ready for you, Autumn.

A large furry blanket lays draped over the back of the couch, easily available for evenings of cuddling with husband and children as it grows dark outside and the night air takes on a chill.



A wreath adorned with beautiful things of fall hangs on our front door, as if to beckon this season of all seasons to our very doorstep. (Thanks to my lovely cousins and their sweet mother for the amazing wreath-making supplies... what a fun time with my beloved family)



On my kitchen counter sits a well-stocked tin full of different teas... Tea that will be served in a nice big mug; one that a girl can wrap her hands around so as to soak up every bit of cozy warmth as she sips.



A scented candle burns on my table, filling the whole house with the warm and spicy aroma of baked goods. My "secret sister" from church gave me a gift basket of Wonderful Fall Goodies, which also included a pumpkin scrub. If there is any scent that says "autumn", it is pumpkin, and thus it is a requirement. So, not only does my home smell like the goodness of autumn, my hands and feet do too!




I have a cookbook full of recipes that simply must be made and enjoyed as the weather turns cool. And my craving for all my favorite mouth-watering soup recipes has been held back only by the heat outside. After all, one cannot properly enjoy a steaming bowl of delicious soup when it is over 90 degrees all day long. No, one wants a CHILL in the air for such things. My soup pot has just been waiting to bubble merrily on the stove, and soon it will!



My new furry slippers sit on our bedroom floor, ready for the morning when I awake and find myself cold-- actually cold-- upon throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.



Two little girls and a brand new furry-slip-covered body pillow just beg to be cuddled with on a chilly morning as we all pile into bed together, or as we watch a movie on a rainy day.



Yes, Autumn, I am ready for you and all your abundant blessings.

And when I pulled the comforter up around me early this morning to keep away a chill from our open window...

when I walked through our flower beds and saw the tips of the bushes tinged with fall colors...



when I felt the breeze that blew the curtains wide and it seemed to caress me with pleasant hopes of summer's end...



... I smiled, and I was happy.

I don't know if you are here to stay yet, or if you are merely teasing us with your cool temperatures and delicious breezes, but I shall say it anyway.

Welcome, wonderful Autumn!


I get this way every year about this time... the proof is in this post. Ah, fall, do you see how much I love you??

the eclectic fairy

This little fairy not only looks stunning, she dances too!

And her blue eyes could melt any heart. It's one of her powers.

To achieve this look, all one needs is a pair of one-size-too-big church shoes, gray knit leggings, a crazy blue leopard print dress, pink satin gloves, purple feathery wings, and of course, the finishing touch... a Christmas bow.

I am loving how much Annabelle has gotten into things like dress-up, fairies, and anything having to do with princesses. Yesterday afternoon she arrayed herself in this get-up and spent the next few hours being adorably cute. So much girly fun!

Tonight, the Sugar Booger is living up to her name in that she has a nasty little cold. She and I have spent a quiet evening at home while Daddy and Emma went to our usual Wednesday night activities. (Normally, we drop the girls off to play with their cousins and spend some time at my mother-in-law's, with Grandma Net and Granpa Randy, while Jeremy and I sing our little hearts out and be silly for an hour at church choir.) Annabellesie and I had a grand ol' time.... she watched Charlie and Lola on our bed while I did some much-needed organizing in our room, we colored and stuck tons of princess stickers on the pages, we ate marshmallows, we talked to Grandma (both of them!) and we had bath time after which we made sure to put on our girliest-smelling lotion.

While I certainly hope she feels better tomorrow (and that she sleeps MUCH better tonight than she did last night, please Lord), I am so glad for the evening we got to spend together. One-on-one time is so precious.

{tasty tuesdays} Lemon-Shrimp Linguine with Pesto Sauce

I made this for dinner one night last week, and I have to say this is a super easy recipe! It's pretty yummy too. Someday, I'd love to try making my own pesto and using that instead of store-bought-- you can't beat fresh pesto sauce. However, buying it pre-made really keeps it quick and simple.

Lemon-Shrimp Linguine with Pesto Sauce

1 package (9 oz.) linguine pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

8 oz. raw medium shrimp*

lemon juice

1 container (7 oz.) refrigerated pesto with basil

1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, squeeze a bit of lemon juice (cut a wedge from the same lemon which you will be zesting). Add shrimp and cook, tossing frequently, until shrimp is just turned pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan into a dish, keeping warm. Next, combine pesto sauce and lemon peel in the same saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. Transfer cooked pasta to serving plates. Top with heated sauce and warm shrimp. Sprinkle with green onion (I didn't do this, as you may have noticed, because I was out of green onions. Oops.)

*Note: you can use already-cooked shrimp, if you prefer, to make it even easier. Simply skip the shrimp-cooking step and instead stir it into the pesto sauce for the last couple minutes of heating to warm it, then serve as directed.

ummmmm....

I just logged into my google reader for the first time since probably Thursday, and I have 96 unread items. NINETY-SIX!!!!! Apparently, everyone I know in the blogging world has been cranking out blogs right and left, except for me. Hoo boy.

Obviously, I have some catching up to do with all you people. But not today. Today, I am a cleaning machine (praise the Lord for at least a bit of energy today!!), getting ready to host a women's Bible study here at my house tonight. And there is an Orange-Vanilla bundt cake just waiting to be baked.

Tomorrow, when my house is clean, and all is quiet, I shall stop by and say hello, catch up on all your lovely lives. And I will write at least a couple of the blogs that are swimming around in my head from our exciting week and busy weekend.

For now: dirty bathroom, here I come!!!

also, could you all please do me a favor and not write anymore blogs for about a week or so until I get caught up? Mmk, thanks, that is a HUGE help.

(I'm just kidding, of course.....)

A big day indeed

I know today is 9/11-- and I'm sure most of you associate this date with the terrible tragedy that befell our nation 7 years ago today. And I do think about that on this day, as well. How can one not-- it was a pivotal moment in our nation's history, and it was heart-breaking in every way.

But mostly, I like to think about the other things that this day, September 11, marks.

They're happy things! Good things! Today is my mom's birthday! So, happy birthday, dearest of all mothers, and may it be a lovely one. You know we'd all love to be there to celebrate with you. Instead, how about a super-cute picture of us from the last time we were there?

I love you, Mom! Even though you didn't play along and do a silly face with me.

And.... today is ALSO my parents' anniversary! If I've done my math correctly, this is the celebration of their 31st year together. Mom and Dad have always been a great example of a godly marriage, and I know how much they love each other. It's a blessing to have parents like them, and I pray they can enjoy many, many more years of being together.

The funny thing is that Dad actually had to leave on a trip to Canada today, so the birthday/anniversary celebration will be sadly lacking. I know a blog post from their daughter won't make up for the fact that they can't be together, but I wanted to do what I could to brighten the day. :)

I could not find a single picture of just my mom and dad together (how odd), so this one of the two of us happy couples will have to do.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Happy Anniversary, sweet parents!!

An all-around happy day, I'd say. Whee!

Creatively Challenged

That's me these days, in a nutshell. Creatively lacking... seriously. When it comes to cooking, when it comes to projects, when it comes to finding fun things for my kids to do, when it comes to blogging (OBVIOUSLY).... I am like a well run dry, completely out of ideas of any sort.

Or, maybe it's not that there aren't any ideas there, it's just that they are not finding fruition in my current state. Because, you know, that would take actual work on my part. :) I have a list of projects to do that is a mile long, I watch the Food Network and think "hmmm, I could make that", or I make plans to go to the fountain at the Marketplace with the kids and then just don't go. Not to mention the 1,895,347 blogs I've written in my head as I've fallen asleep the past few months. Too bad you didn't get to read any of them, some of them were actually quite good!

I must admit, at the risk of sounding like I'm complaining (which I'm really NOT trying to do) that I am tired of being tired. I miss looking back at my day come bedtime and feeling that sense of accomplishment and productivity. I miss looking around my house and seeing not only that it is clean, but that there is something new and pretty from my hands for my family to enjoy. I miss coming into this place here, this little blogging nook of mine, and pouring out stories and thoughts.

The other day I came across this passage in Psalms, on a day when I was feeling particularly useless, and it was just what I needed; it really comforted and encouraged me.
"O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways." (139:1-3)

He knows! He knows my lying down, not only when or how long, but why. He knows my thoughts. All those thoughts, silly or serious, in my head. They may not have made it onto this page for you all to see, but HE knew them.

There are so many of you out there who I know must be feeling the same way, and probably even to a greater extent-- my dear pregnant girls, of course, but not only them. Maybe you've simply had a really hard, exhausting week. Maybe there is something being demanded of you right now that you're just not sure you can give. There could be a million reasons... I don't know, but like this beautiful Psalm says, God does. And I pray that you will find just the encouragement you need at just the right time. It so often happens that way, thanks to God's grace-- isn't it a lovely thing to be encouraged??

I won't elaborate further right now, but I will say that the Lord is using this "still" time in my life for a purpose of His own. Not only to grow that wonderful little one inside of me, but to teach me some much-needed lessons, as well. He is teaching me, even when in my selfishness I've rebelled against the way I feel, and have forgotten to simply be grateful for the miracle that is happening within me. This time of not being myself is needed-- if He has given it to me, then I know I need it. It's as simple as that.

How fitting that the last two verses in that very same Psalm make this plea:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Amen to that.

movin' right along

It's official... I'm twelve weeks pregnant today! So, in honor of this momentous occasion-- second trimester, here I come-- here are some ridiculous pictures of me and the little (that doesn't always feel so little because I eat like a pig) bump that I am sporting these days.



In reality though, I really just wanted to show you all my cute new shoes:
$5. 90 at Target! Sarah, aren't you proud of me and my cheap cute shoe find? :)

But, I digress, back to the pregnancy. I am so excited and glad to be in the second trimester. I know 12 weeks is not a "magic number" and it doesn't necessarily mean that all of a sudden the yuckiness is going to go away and I'm going to start feeling more like myself, but it does mean that Baby is growing and we are inching closer and closer to when we get to find out what this little one is-- and, in the grand scheme of things, to when we get to MEET our little one!

I already can't wait.

God is good!

{tasty tuesdays} a la Lorie!!

Today, dear readers, we have a special treat. The lovely Lorie called me yesterday, and offered to take over Tasty Tuesdays for me today... not only because well, she is just that sweet and thoughtful, but also because she had made a very yummy dish and documented it quite carefully. I was only too happy to have her fulfill my blogging duties, which you all know I have been sadly lacking in as of late. :)

And now, go check out her delicious pot-pie recipe that seriously had my mouth watering even though it is only ten in the morning. Not to mention that she totally and completely outdid my plain little tuesday posts with all her lovely pictures and step-by-step commentary. A special treat, indeed!!

Thank you, sweet Lorie!



p.s. Speaking of Lorie, I don't believe I ever shared with you what happened the last time we got together... and I have just been waiting for an excuse to post these pictures (sorry, Lorie :)), so here you go:

Isn't she cute?!

There we were, in her living room, no make-up on and our hair undone, both of us in our undies at one point, trying on bags and bags of clothes. Of course, there was no silliness whatsoever... we're mature adults, with kids, for pete's sake. We would NEVER be silly.