Thankful Thursday--September 28

So I've been confused about the day of the week all week.  I'm not sure why, since I had a normal weekend/day off on Monday, but I spent much of Wednesday certain it was Thursday and much of Thursday thinking it might be Wednesday.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to this weekend!  Since I'm completely confused, I missed writing a Thankful Thursday post.  So here goes:

I'm so thankful for the wonderful fall weather this week!  I've taken many opportunities to just sit outside on our deck and enjoy the cooler weather.

I'm thankful, too, for the return of our EfM class (Education for Ministry).  This class meets weekly during the school year and is a small group devoted to studying the Bible (as opposed to a Bible Study!).  J and I just started Year 2, which is focused on the New Testament. We lost three class members to graduation (it's a four year program), but have three new members and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

Finally, it's been a busy week at work (and apparently the parasite is going through a growth spurt, because I'm been tired this week), but I'm so thankful for the various different projects that have popped up.  We're working on our stewardship campaign, two potential brides dropped in, volunteers have been in and out, it's just been one of those weeks that no two minutes are the same.  I love that, and I'm so thankful for it!

What are you thankful for this week?

What do you see?

Remember a couple weeks ago when I mentioned in this post that we were celebrating Baby E's second birthday with a Brown Bear party?  Well, the party was held Saturday at the park in our neighborhood and was so sweet!  I had an idea a month or so ago for a cake, and it turned out pretty well.  At least, it was recognizable to the birthday boy, and that's really the most important part!  Also, I really tried to pay attention to baking the right amount of cake, rather than leaving the family with enough cake for an army!  I think I just about got this one right!

The base is a white cake with white butter-cream frosting. The bear is a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate butter-cream.  The grass is actually a chocolate GF mix (my trusty Pamela's).  So tasty!

Fitness Friday--September 21

It has been a while (a long, long while--all the way back to July) since I wrote a Fitness Friday post.    To be honest, it was for a great reason.  I really didn't like lying to my mom (and the rest of you) about my WW weigh-in every week, and after nearly a month I just couldn't do it anymore.  So here's where I am in terms of physical fitness:

J and I found out we were expecting on July 2.  That was also my last WW "official" weigh-in (I got an unofficial weigh-in a couple weeks later when I dropped by to pick up a cookbook).  Apparently WW lawyers have advised them that allowing pregnant women to stay on the program is just inviting underweight baby lawsuits (or something like that; I'm guessing).  I guess that's fair, but I felt as if I'd been set adrift!  Anyhow, my last "pre-pregnancy" weight was 193.5.  Now, this was certainly vastly better than my weight six months prior, but is still considered 'overweight' (thank you, government determined BMI).  As an overweight person, I was advised to try not to gain any weight in the first trimester, and was told that it wouldn't be unusual to actually lose a little.  As it turned out, I did lose another five pounds or so, as my appetite tanked and I found it difficult to take in enough calories to both feed the parasite's rapid growth and maintain my weight.  In the last couple weeks of the first trimester, I found those pounds.  As my appetite returned and my exercise habits waned (err...went away altogether), the scale crept back up.  I finished the first trimester at about 193.  The second trimester is the hard part--I'm supposed to gain an average of one pound a week.  For a girl who has never tried to gain weight, this is a totally new (and kind of scary) place to find myself.  At my appointment yesterday (16 weeks, 1 day), I weighed 194.4.  I started walking regularly again last week (a mile or so every day; not the same regimen I'd been doing, but a more manageable routine for now), and feel better.  My next appointment is in four weeks, and I'll let you know how the weigh-in goes!

Thankful Thursday--September 13

It's been a while since I managed to get a Thankful Thursday post up (heck, it's been a while since I managed to post two days in a row!), but whole second trimester energy boost has finally hit, so I thought I'd write you a post!

For starters, obviously we're thankful for the Parasite.
I'm incredibly thankful, too, for J and my boss who have been absolutely amazing for the last few months--absolutely waiting on me hand and foot at times!
Oh, and for our Dr., who responds to my 'freaking out' texts with such reassurance!
And for our friends and family, who have celebrated with us and been so encouraging!
Yep, we have so much to be thankful for!

What are you thankful for this week?

What do you see?

Baby E turns two in a couple weeks (remember when I made his first birthday cake?  Seems like just last month!!), and that means another party is upon us!  His favorite book right now is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" so his momma B is planning an amazing party to go along with this theme!  Last weekend she invited me over to help make some decorations.  She ordered colored Chinese lanterns and we added card-stock and other materials to create the animals mentioned in the book.  This is one of my favorites--the goldfish:

Check back in a few weeks to see what I have in mind for his cake!

Saturday smells like...Chicken and Waffles

So last Monday, I woke up wanting waffles.  Unfortunately, after trips to Bob Evans, IHoP and a local breakfast place, we determined that everyone else in Lexington wanted to eat breakfast out, too and gave up.  So last night, when I realized I still wanted waffles, I gave J a heads up and asked if we had the ingredients already.

This morning, he woke and and told me that he wanted chicken and waffles.  Now, the Parasite doesn't appear to be a fan of chicken, so this morning, neither was I.  But, the whole recipe included waffles, so I was game.

While I found a waffle recipe online, J mixed up chicken breading and started the fryer.  I've no idea what he used in the breading, but the tenders looked just like what you'd buy in a restaurant.  I was incredibly impressed!

I ate my waffles with butter and honey, while J ate his with chicken and maple syrup.  Even I had to agree--they looked pretty good!

In the MP news

So.  Many of you have seen this already, but I know some of you haven't, and I would like to 'come out' across all of the technology platforms J and I use...

Surprise!  I've been keeping a secret for the last couple of months.  And y'all, that has been hard!  The considerable drop off in posting is directly related to that--unless I had a very specific post in mind, I was at a loss of what to say knowing I couldn't say the one thing at the forefront of my mind and most conversations around the MP!

It's such a relief to be through the first trimester (a far scarier time than it needed to be, I'm sure), and an even bigger relief to be 'out'!  I'll catch you up in the next few posts with all the details (what few we know at this point).  The most important (it seems, based on what people have asked in real life and on facebook) is the due date:  March 6.  Obviously that's just an estimate, but we've had the benefit of several ultrasounds at this point, and the Parasite (our term of endearment for the little guy...or girl) is measuring right along with that timeline. 

Another apparently important detail: no, we didn't steal that road sign.  Obviously the best case scenario would have been to find one of these in its 'natural habitat'.  Since we couldn't, we borrowed this one from a local road contractor.  Don't steal signs and blame us for it!