For the Birds

Ever since the chicks have grown into more hen like fowl and graduated to their beautiful coop, I have begun introducing "treats". I've done this for a couple of reasons. The first being that it supplements their diet. The second in hopes that they will be happier birds for something to snack on. Shoot, I'm always happier after a snack, and Andrew is always saying: "Happy birds lay eggs." Lastly, and perhaps the more devious of my reasons, is that I'm trying to win the girls over.

Since they have grown out of their cute you-know-you-want-to-hold-me, fuzzy-buns stage and developed rather sharp talons on their feet, I am more content to try and pet them than pick them up. Andrew on the other hand will often grab a chicken after work to walk around with and pet as he surveys the garden or does something in his shop. His methodology for acquiring a chicken is to sweet talk them into coming close then quickly snatching one as she screams and flails. She will eventually calm down into a submissive "Okay, you've got me. I'll be good." state. Once captured, the hen is pretty docile and content to being traipsed around, but it's still quite the scene when catching time comes.

In attempt to be known as "The nice lady who doesn't emotionally scar us", I have been bringing treats. Crickets were super fun to drop in their box when they were chicks, but has become less entertaining since they can now gobble them down in a blink. A downside is that I'm in no condition to go hunting for crickets and buying them at the pet shop can rack up at 11 cents a piece.

Something more readily available that they've enjoyed is dry oatmeal. I'll put some in a mason jar and shake it while calling them. It brings a pioneerish type joy to my heart as they hear me and congregate at the gate, stepping on each other while waiting for what the nice lady will bring.

Yesterday as I made oatmeal for my own breakfast, I threw in a little extra to share. I was curious to see what the ladies would think about the mushy form. In short, they LOVED it. Better yet, they were so engrossed in their fine breakfast that I moved it within my reach and calmly stole a few pets. Jemimah is excessively shrewd, not trusting anyone for a second, and would send up a shriek anytime she saw my hand getting close to her. Alas, Red and Ethel followed suit. Goldilocks was the best behaved and happily ate while allowing me to stroke her back feathers. For the record, and just to be a completely biased chicken owner, Goldilocks is my current favorite (see below picture - we're buds).

I am all too aware that my thoughts and energies will soon be consumed with the baby and adjusting to a "new normal" stage of life. However, amidst the tiredness, feedings and diaper changes and general chaos a small person can bring, it'll be nice to know that I'm only a few steps away from pleasing a small crowd simply by throwing some oatmeal their way.

GO AWAY

I don't like salesmen. I don't mean in a personal way, but in a "I loathe schmoozing, coined phrases, your trying to sell me something I don't need, and wasting my time" kind of way. My time is precious and I REALLY don't want to talk about something I have absolutely ZERO interest in. Seriously. Trying desperately to keep me in a conversation just makes me mad.

***Do I sound like an angry pregnant woman currently devouring a bar of Godiva chocolate? Okay, good. So long as we're clear. ;)***

Tonight at EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING, a salesman for a cable tv company knocks on the front door. Andrew is otherwise detained so I answer. I crack the screen door and immediately get a hand shoved toward mine along with an introduction and a barrage of questions about how many tv's we have and what shows we like to watch.

I told the guy we don't watch tv. I don't think he believed me because he continued by asking me what my favorite shows are. Again, I told him "We don't watch tv..." and followed it with "...there are too many other good things that occupy our time." He looked a bit dumbfounded and just as he started to ask what we do...he saw my belly and said: "Oh yes, now I see." (Oh my goodness.)

Then he turned on the schmooze and an enormous grin. I saw it coming and my blood pressure began to rise.

Annoying sales guy: "Well ma'am, let me take a moment to congratulate you. I'm going to guess that you're having a girl?"
Me: "Yes."
A-N-G: "And may I also guess that you're about....uhhh (gives my belly a sideways look)....about 6 months along?"
Me: "I'm due Tuesday."
A-N-G: Oh. (Awkward moment of silence.) Well ma'am, if you could take a look here, these are the channels we offer. We even have baby channels! *grin*"
Me: I imagine I will be too busy to watch television but if not (grabs flier), we'll know who to contact. Have a good evening."

Now, if I sound like a calloused, unkind woman, I must admit that I was far nicer than I may have portrayed. It's only in my later thoughts that I think of really good lines and realize how much better I could have controlled the situation and managed the time better. Is it just me, or does anyone else do this? *sigh*

Well, that's my rant on salesmen. My chocolate bar is almost gone, too. Rats.

Y'all pray for me. ;)

Lil' Black Rain Clouds

It's been a very dry year so far. Our water bill has crept up as we've needed to keep our thirsty plants alive in such dry soil. We were incredibly grateful when God graced the land a few days ago with some good rain. Just before the storm rolled in, Andrew and I were out in the garden and had the following conversation:

Me: Ahh, I'm so excited about the rain. I just love how everything feels before a storm. Aren't those cumulonimbus clouds?!
Andrew: Nope.
Me: What? Yes there are!
Andrew: No, those are cumulo-mama clouds.
Me: Cumulo-whataa clouds? What in the WORLD are you talking about?!
Andrew: They are cumulo-Mama clouds...and they are about to lactate. *grin*

Ohhhhh how I love my man! He has a special gift for making me laugh. Something tells me though that he's been sufficiently exposed to enough pregnancy, birth, and postpartum information for the time being. ;)

Traditions

Due to rather large and growing circumstances (or should I say, my circumference? ha), we stayed home for Easter. This made me a little sad not to see our families, but my Dad and sis came up Thursday night. They took us out to dinner (sushi!), ice cream, and hung out on Friday. It was really enjoyable to spend time with them. Dad and Andrew did manly things in the wood-shop and Sis and I poked around a couple antique shops in town where we found a domed cake plate she intends to use in her new home as a married lady (hopefully happening sometime this year). :)

As Andrew and I have been together (dating & married) for almost 2 years, I am still discovering how many unique things are important to us that stem from our family's traditions/way of doing things. Even as generally like-minded as both our families are, there are still many things that are done differently or that special emphasis is placed on. God has been very gracious as we've been walking through this year of marriage and helped us to blend traditions, or create new ones for our own family.

Something my family did every year on Good Friday was to gather around and watch the old Campus Crusade for Christ video "The Jesus Film Project". Okay, okay, so I'll own up to not believing that my Lord was a white man with light skin, long hair and a British accent. In later years (thank you Mel Gibson), we would watch "The Passion of the Christ". Despite numerous inconsistencies between both movies, there has always been something about getting a better picture in my mind about what went on in Christ's ministry, life, and sacrifice. I'm not one for gore or violence, and yes, the more recent film carries with it a more accurate and gruesome depiction of Christ's sufferings, but it's sobering in a healthy way.

Because of this tradition, Good Friday was one of those days I looked forward to with a heavy heart. After the movie we would debrief as a family and reflect on what the Lord had done for us. Because of the weightiness of what we'd just seen, the evening wasn't mended in any way to make things happier, nor should it have been. This age isn't comfortable with heavy things. It's about speed, achieved results, having things the way you want them. At least for one very counter-cultural night as a family, we were intentional in seeking out the gravity of Christ's sacrifice. The result of this was an even more joyful celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter morning. Placing focus on His suffering and death makes His resurrection all the more profound and meaningful.

Spiritual and not-so-spiritual traditions are things that add meaning to life. They separate the ordinary-everyday routine from the special or holy. They can give us cause to stop and reflect if they're handled in a right way. Knowing Christ is risen gave the sadness of watching a movie depicting His sorrows a greater purpose.

Considering the fact that we will soon be three; one soul especially in need of guidance, I believe traditions will become all the more important to our family. It will take some preparation and intentionality on our part as parents, but establishing traditions early on will bring more meaning to how we go about raising our kid(s). They will serve as another avenue for us to point to Christ and delight in Him as we walk through our days, both normal and not-so-ordinary.

I pray you all had a blessed Easter. Our Lord is RISEN!

BUGS!

A few days ago, Andrew and I started to notice some nibbles on our squash, zucchini, cucumber and pepper plants. Dratted insects!

Memories from a past garden with a similar problem came to mind. My Grandma is a Master Gardener and at the time, she'd mentioned spraying the plants with a soap/water solution to get rid of the little nibblers. The soap is supposed to clog up the respiratory system of hungry bugs.

Remembering this, I said something to Andrew and seeing the ever ready "All-in-One" peppermint solution on the counter, I did a bit of Googling, Dr. Bronner's soap has yet again come to our aid! Since the soap is made of natural ingredients, it does no harm to the little veggies to be, and tells those bugs to find a meal elsewhere! Bwahahahaha!!!!

Pei Wei Our Way

If I had to choose a restaurant that I am almost in love with, it would have to be Pei Wei. Their orange chicken has been a favorite of mine for a good time, as have their delicious chicken lettuce wraps. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Since we're no longer in the big city with a close proximity to such a restaurant, AND because I know how much groceries cost, I have a harder time justifying eating out than I may have before.

Not too long ago I had a hankering for some chicken lettuce wraps and decided to see if I could find the recipe online. I found one, but ended up tweaking it and have really enjoyed the final product. I made the wraps last night and after a pinch of this, and a smattering of that, we enjoyed a yummy dinner which also made the house smell like I was a chef fresh from China. Say that last part 3 times fast. ;)

For this recipe, I have used (ground) turkey, chicken, and beef, which have all turned out really well. Last night I made up a big batch of the stuffings along with a crock of white rice...leftovers of this kind are always a treat the next day! Below is the recipe I used last night and would say it could easily feed 4 not-too hungry people, or make an excellent (albeit, messy) appetizer.

Directions:
Cook 1 lb. ground meat in a large skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, add in 4 cloves of minced garlic and saute. Next, add 1 cup (about 8 stems of washed and chopped) green onions and saute for 1 minute. Add the *sauce to this mix and stir. Once the sauce is blended in, add 1 1/2 cups of chopped mushrooms and saute. Lastly, turn off the heat and add 1 cup of (broken) rice sticks. Allow the mix to cool a bit before serving in whole Romaine or Iceburg lettuce leaves.

*Sauce mixture:
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice wine, or rice vinegar
1 T. of sesame seeds
1 T. minced ginger root (I was fresh out of root so used 1 tsp. powdered ginger instead)
1 T. sugar

This is by no means an exact replication of the dish I love so well in the restaurant, but for homemade oriental food, it makes my taste buds sing!

**Side note: When Andrew and I were dating, his Mom would make Indonesian food from time to time. On several occasions I was invited over for Indonesian, and was at first a bit alarmed to see Andrew pouring some black, tar-like stuff onto his cooked white rice. BUT, then I tried it and joined the club. The tar stuff is called "Bango"; also know as Kecap Manis (Ketchup Mon-ees). It's very sweet soy product that is also gluten free. Give it a try next time you make white rice with your lettuce wraps!

The End is HERE!!! ----->

No, I am not going into labor right now...but I have reached the end of something...by belly button! I can already hear my "proper" sister groaning at the notion I would blog about this. ;) If you too are a "proper" person, I beg you to ignore this post so that I might maintain some form of dignified relationship with you.

Does anyone know if how your umbilical cord is tied off at birth has anything to do with how your belly button will look later on? Is it luck of the draw? Is this yet another minute detail that God oversees in His sovereignty? Or is it simply a matter of there different "styles" produced by different ways of tying off?

Yes, yes...I think I may have figured it out. A Windsor knot will give a distinguished look, a Square knot will result in a prominent outtie, a Simple knot will produce a generic innie, a Slip Knot will be a rather disturbed innie/outtie combo...and well, you get the idea.

Whenever I was being "tied off", the Dr. did it in such a way that resulted in an innie belly button that could only be described as "The Black Hole". I never really gave much notice of it. It was a belly button. It did however give my Mom a laugh anytime she'd go with me to see an outfit in the dressing room. She thought it looked weird or something. Thanks a lot for the self esteem boost, Mom.

At 37 weeks, my black hole innie finally popped out. Either it was planning to hold out until the end of the pregnancy and failed, or the baby was looking around, wondered what strange thing would be inside her wittle womb and poked at it. No one will ever know. The most interesting thing about finding the end of my belly button is knowing that it has one! It's been a mystery for well over 2 decades.

Now that I've shared this lovely fact, I'm moving onto make other lovely discoveries...like attempting to reach past my knees with a tape measure to see how long the razor has been neglected.

Hey, nobody ever said pregnancy was glamorous!

Whirlwind Weekend

Phew! Is it wussy to say that I'm still recovering from the weekend? It was a busy one...

PLANTS:
On Saturday Andrew and I drove around in search of flowers, herbs, and plants to fill the last couple rows in the garden. We went to a Master Gardening plant sale in town and were delighted to find tomatillo plants and some good looking herbs. We also went to a couple of nurseries in the area and ended up with 3 tomatillas, a hearty looking basil, and 2 okra plants. Please, please, no one tell my Dad that we have okra growing in our garden! We would be immediately written out of the will. Ever since I can remember, he's made the biggest deal about how gross okra is, and how it was the "forbidden fruit" that led Adam and Eve into sin. If I remember correctly, when he was little, he was forced to eat some slimy okra and as a result, it's one of the few things he can be excessively dramatic about. ;)

A couple weeks ago I planted basil, thyme, mint, and rosemary in an old tin bucket on the front porch. They liked their home so much that the rate of their growth made me realize I needed to move them into a bigger container. I found an old tin wash tub at an antique shop in town and transplanted everything into it (plus some lavender from a plant sale!). It now sits proudly on our front porch, hosting the herbs and boasting plenty of room for growth. Something about having access to tend and cook with fresh herbs makes my heart sing.

CHICKENS:
Sunday evening, Andrew finished the chicken coop and moved the ladies out into their new abode. They were so overwhelmed with the big, outside world that they didn't quite know what to do. Red is the best behaved of the brood so having been privileged enough to experience the great outdoors before, was the first to start pecking at grass and moving around the yard. The others followed. That night we had our first notable rainstorm (sadly, of the year so far) blow through. We closed the coop door and the girls managed just fine. As of today, they are still apprehensive about exiting their safe haven to venture down the ladder to the yard. Henrietta (the Golden) has been the most curious and has stood at the edge of the ladder looking down...until a big gust of wind kicks past and sends her fluttering back into the coop. The insult of being a "chicken" has new meaning to me.

SUNDAY:
On Sunday we had the opportunity to see some Houston friends who have shed most of their earthly belongings to travel America in an RV. They are a precious family of 7 that are coupling homeschooling with their experiences on the road. Talk about a neat way to learn! They've only been on their journey for a few weeks, but have visited museums, historic sites, and memorable local places in their brief travels. It was a treat to see them as they were passing through!

Sunday also held a wonderful visit with some of Andrew's family, a pregnancy photo shoot at the water gardens in downtown, and a delightful visit with one of my dear friends from college. It was an extremely full day, but a fun and memorable one!

PREGNANCY/BABY:
Sunday night was a doozy for hubby and me. I had throw-up inducing heartburn and kept waking up feeling like I was about to spew. My apologies to you weak stomached readers, but it's the ugly truth. Baby girl also decided that night would be perfect to perform disco moves inside my belly. She was a wild thing for several hours which didn't give her Mommy any rest...and subsequently encouraged Daddy to move to the couch where he might find some peace. By the time morning rolled around, neither of us had really slept and it made for a long day. :-p What's scary is I know this is just the beginning.

We've reached 37 weeks and are now considered "full term". Of course each day is precious to the baby's continued development, but she would be okay to come at any point now and not require preemie treatment. "According to my research" (any Magic School Bus fans recognize that line? lol)...our girl weighs around 6.5 pounds and is about 19-20 inches long! It's exciting to realize that's about how long and much I weighed when I was born.

With a few braxton hicks contractions setting in right now...I'm off to go double check the hospital bags and scan what else I may need to do before "the time" comes. :)

Dr. Bronners

UPDATE:

I just used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap to scrub the kitchen floor. It was an amazing experience. I diluted a good squirt of the magic stuff in a 1/4 filled sink of hot water. I put the same solution in a spray bottle and used it to hit some trouble areas before scrubbing and mopping. I've read that this product "dissolves dirt" and it's true! I saw it with my own eyes....I'M A BELIEVER!!!

Warning:

Using this soap as a floor cleaner may make you feel like a complete failure as it exposes dirt never removed by previous cleaners. Don't get down on yourself though. Just breathe in that lovely sinus clearing, refreshing scent and rest easy in the knowledge that your floor has never been cleaner.

P.S. I'm trying to figure out what to say when Andrew notices the overpowering scent: "Yes honey, I did just clean the floor with the same stuff I use as a body wash." ???

Trying New Things

This new year has brought several new products, ideas and recipes into my life. A big one is Dr. Bronner's Castile soap. Why in the world I JUST learned about this is beyond me. It would seem that everyone even in some of the most isolated health circles has long since heard about Dr. Bronner's! Ahh well, at least I know now.

So...my initial question upon learning of the "magic" soap was "What do you do with it?" Looking back, the question should have been: "What CAN'T you do with it?!" As advertised, it really is pretty magical stuff. It dissolves dirt, it's vegan standard products having all natural ingredients, and it can be used to make household products such as floor cleaner, general purpose spray, dish washing and laundry detergent to name a few!

My favorite function so far is using the peppermint soap as a shower wash. It doesn't suds much but is extremely refreshing. The peppermint variety can even be used for brushing your teeth, but personally, I'd avoid this one. Yes, yes, I know people who swear by and love it as their tooth paste, but I tried it once and that was enough. It reminded me of when I was little and had to have my mouth washed out with soap. :-p But don't let that stop you...try it! You can try it in a house. You could try it with a mouse. You could try it here...or there! You could try it anywhere! (Exiting Dr. Suess mode...) AHEM.

Speaking of brushing teeth...I've joined the bandwagon of health nuts using baking soda. I took one look at the ingredients on a popular brand of tooth paste and wanted to gag. Did I REALLY think those neon greens and blues were natural, anyway? Sheesh. After a bit of mixing and matching, I came up with my own non-floridated, non-gobbledee-gooked tooth paste. I feel satisfied each time I used it knowing it doesn't contain any ingredients I can't pronounce, it's consistency is similar to a baking soda brand I used for a long time, AND it doesn't taste bad! You'll only need 3 ingredients if you want to try it:

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil

Mix these babies together and voila, you have a refreshing paste that won't remind you of the sins of your youth! That is unless you had a bad experience with baking soda, or were prone to stealing coconuts while drinking peppermint tea. Just had to add that disclaimer. ;) I've got my mix in a small enclosed container in the bathroom. It stays pretty pasty but may need an occasional stir before use. If you try this, please let me know what you think! Some recipes I saw added stevia or another sweetener, but as the recipe above didn't taste bad to me, I thought it'd be overkill.

Another health "biggie" I've learned about is coconut oil. I should say keep learning about because it's uses are nearly limitless. At this point you may be wondering why I am even remotely interested in using such things as castile soap and coconut oil. Well, here's why: If you stop to look at the products you use on a daily basis, you should be alarmed to discover what harmful chemicals are in things as simple as deodorant, body lotion, toothpaste, shampoo and the like. Hearing reports of what these chemicals do to ones body made my skin crawl (dare I say, almost literally?). I want to be a good steward of the temple God has given which goes beyond just eating and exercise and down to defining the nitty gritty of what may lurk in plastic bottles under the sink and in the bathroom. On another note, as a pregnant Mommy, I am on super alert for products that may be harmful to the baby. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw a form of aluminum listed in the ingredients of the ever popular pink baby lotion! AND THEY WANT ME TO RUB THAT INTO MY BABY'S SKIN?!? No way, Jose!

While I'm still sorting through our old, chemically-laden products, coconut oil has made the transition into better health much easier. I'm growing to love using it as a lotion, in a natural hand cream (that recipe is another blog entry to come!), in smoothies, added to my oatmeal, and as a oil substitute in cooking.

Just last week I used the kind of coconut oil with the flavor removed to make some fried chicken and okra. Andrew thought everything tasted great and was really surprised when I told him the frying oil was coconut! We rarely eat fried foods because I want to avoid things fried in corn by-product like canola oil. :-p If I understand correctly, coconut oil has a higher frying temperature than other oils do (canola and even olive oil) that become carcinogenic after a certain point. Yikes! Anyway, there are a gazillion uses for coconut oil - I've only referenced a couple and am still learning more each day!

Well, it's time for me to be off. Andrew has been diligently working to finish the chicken coop and I'm dying to see it! The ladies have grown SO much. The chick fuzz has disappeared and with it, their little chicken ways. They are growing at a gargantuan rate and are really starting to need more space. Think 4 PMSing women locked in a very small house and you'll get an idea of while Andrew is busting his tail to get the coop finished. ;) Chicken updates to come!

Final Days...

Week 36, day 3 of gestation...
The creature inside of me is taking up more space with each passing day. Food is unappealing, or tastes REALLY good. Sleep is becoming fitful. Up multiple times a night to visit the water closet. Mind races at all hours of the day with thoughts of things that still need to be accomplished. Hands and feet are swollen. Sweat encroaches even in air conditioned buildings. Nasal passages are blocked due to excessive pollen floating around. Greatness of the burgeoning belly has increased the "waddle effect" when in motion. Joints pop constantly. Muscles are screaming. Round ligament pain is unavoidable during sudden movement. Upper legs are mostly numb from sciatica. Dreadful gas. A need to over-analyze any odd sensation that could be the beginnings of labor. Prone to be introspective and a bit paranoid....

THE END IS NEAR!!!

Final note: Saw a 4 week old baby in the store today. Am figuring all of the above will be more than worth it. ;)

Better Butter

I shall begin this post by declaring that what may appear as my creative genius, is more often than not the mimicked efforts to keep up people who do cool things. This being said, my latest notion was to make butter. Despite yesterday's high winds that blew my baseball cap off and much miserable pollen up my nose, I was determined to return home from my errands and make butter! I read about it being super easy and had to try it for myself. Some people make it in their blender, but you can make it with a mixer, too. I tried the latter and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

What ingredients you'll need:
Heavy whipping cream.

Yes.
That's it.
Truly!
Okay, so if you want it more flavorful, you'll need a smidge of finely ground sea salt.

How to make it:
Begin by pouring the whipping cream into your mixer. Beat the cream on a high setting for a few minutes until it becomes whipped cream. If you wanted it to stay this way you'd have to keep a very close watch on it because a few churns too many and it gets grainy. However, for our purposes, KEEP ON BEATING!
Next...more beating. If the cream is still at a stable thickness, now would be a great time to grab a kitchen towel. It seemed to take the longest time, but in total I had my mixer on high for about 5-7 minutes. During that time I draped the towel around the top of the bowl because it quickly transitioned from cream to whipped cream, to curdled cream (which is where the buttermilk separates and will splatter out), to the final butter stage! Once the buttermilk separates, the butter will cling onto the whisk. You'll need to pour all the contents through a strainer to completely divide the milk and butter. Give it a few squeezes to press the milk out and voila - it's ready to be consumed! The butter needs to be kept in an airtight container or else it will absorb any odors that may be surrounding it. Fresh butter will be good for about 2 weeks.

In the end, this project was SO simple and quite a bit of fun. I used some of the butter for our dinner last night. It was for scones so I mixed it with grated and fresh squeezed lemon juice, a tsp. of finely chopped English thyme (from our herb garden!), and a smidgen of powdered sugar. YUMM-O! :)

If any of you make butter, lemme know!


Cream in the mixer


Whipped cream


Curdling cream


Holy cow, Batman...we've made BUTTER!!!

Hello from the Girls

The chickens are about 3 weeks old now. Aren't they huge?!
They have definitely moved out of the fuzzy chick stage and are quickly becoming awkward teenagers. Until now, the barred rock, Jemima (on the roost), has been the bossy one, but the other girls are speedily gaining weight on her and the dynamics of the brood are changing. Their wing and tail feathers are filling out and with the rate they are growing, they will soon need to be making the move to the big house...a.k.a. "The Welshly Arms Hotel".

My buzzing brain

My Mom came up this weekend and was an amazing whirling dervish of help. Within an hour of arriving she'd tackled re-arranging our storage shed, moved a plastic tubs out of the dining room corner, and helped prepare the baby's room for set up! Sometimes one can only do so much until they hit the burn-out, I-no-longer-care, lacking-organizational-vision point, and I was there. Okay, and maybe I've finally got it into my head that I really shouldn't do any heavy lifting or moving of large objects. :-p My Mom is a doer and a go getter with an eye for organizing, having creative ideas, making things work, and decorating. If you're reading this Mom, I can't sing your praises enough! Your vision and action was invaluable.

Yesterday marked one-month-til-due-date and when the hubs got up for work at 5:30am, i got up with him bearing a drive to do some research, list making, and mental preparing for the immediate future, and what's to shortly come.

So, my morning has consisted of:
Buying coffee beans (Thank you Rachel H. for sharing this!) to roast at home.
Doing more research on cloth diapering.
Reading about the benefits of baby wearing
Checking off the "must have" needs of caring for a newborn
Reading about different opinions on co-sleeping and sleep schedules
Getting riled up after reading someone's blog entry on how people find public breastfeeding offensive when the female body is exposed to sell almost everything!!!
Finding/confirming home remedies and recipes for hair care, body wash & lotion.
Pricing shea butter and pure lavender oil.
Googlizing how I will make butter from whipping cream this afternoon.

(^Do you like my list of verbs?)

These are the things I can remember and to be quite honest, my head is buzzing. Perhaps I've mentally o-d'd what capacity this preggo brain can withstand. :-p While it's in my head, I have to say what an INCREDIBLE privilege it is to be able to stay at home to learn and care for my family in (hopefully) increasingly better ways. Last year when I was working in the more tradition sense, there was no time for such things. Yes, I still dream about teaching, and I did enjoy it. However, I can't help but rejoice at this greater sense of fulfillment in keeping a home, caring for my husband, and preparing for a little one. God has abundantly blessed me with a husband who supports my being a homemaker and it's not something I ever want to take lightly.

Now it's off to the brave grocery store through what appears to be 100 mph winds. Delightful. The sheer force of the wind will make the entry of illness-inducing pollen into my poor nose a cinch.

Bless you if you were able to follow my rambles. I'm thinking a nap will be in order today!