First Day of Spring!

It wasn't easy explaining to Mary that today is the first day of spring, and yet our house is half buried in snow!  We had two days of heavy winter weather.

Our mailbox is out there somewhere.

Do you see the trailer in the backyard?  Neither can we!

Random Thoughts in Fragmented Sentences

3rd Trimester!  So excited!

Be responsible for your own cuss words.  Typing b-tch or a$$hole doesn't make you any better because you "don't cuss".

Zumba or not?  Thinking of joining a class, haven't yet called the instructor because I don't know how to pronounce the word.

Feast of St. Patrick, or would be if it didn't land on a Sunday.  Somewhat part Irish but no green beer for me.  Pout.

AFV reruns back on Netflix makes me happy.

Miss my hubby so much.  Will be glad when he's home!  He's getting skinnier, I'm getting rounder, hugging will be different but in a good way.

This made me LOL.

That is all.

Daybook: Three Words

Outside my window...  Slush and wind!

I am thinking... dinner smells good.

I am thankful for... my awesome husband!

From the learning rooms... well deserved weekend

From the kitchen... chicken, yam, salad

I am wearing... jeans, sweater, smile

I am reading... Tolkien, Tolstoy, Fitch

I am hoping... spring comes soon.

I am hearing... kids.  Always kids.

One of my favorite things...  I took this.



A few plans for the rest of the week... work, rest, grow

Spring Phenomenon

(Inspired by observations of our neighbor's feral rabbits.)

Rabbits under snow.

Maybe sleeping?  Maybe not.

Dozens of bunnies!  

Fashionista

Lucy loves clothes.  On a typical day she goes through more costume changes than a Broadway production.  I decided to keep the camera handy, and today she kept it down to a mere half-dozen outfits.

It's eight in the morning and we are looking fine in purple jammies and bed hair.

By about nine we are accessorizing with winter gear.

Jammies are all the rage this season.

The layered look is also "in".

We go casual (more casual than pajamas?) and suddenly get camera shy.

After a long day of looking fabulous, we go back to our old stand-by, the purple footie jammie, and retire for the evening.

Thomas' Birthday

We had a really nice day for Thomas' birthday.  I am happy that his birthday fell on a Sunday so the kids could relax with extra time to play computer and just goof around.  Thomas was very excited to make his own cake, and he was so proud at how pretty (and delicious!) it turned out.  He wanted me to get pictures of the pizzas we made, but we were too busy eating them!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake, so bad it's good.

Lucy catching a quick before-dinner nap.

Our Birthday Boy, getting so big!

Brothers and Sisters- the most special gift of all.

Happy Birthday, dear Thomas!  We all love you, and  pray that God will bless you with a year of health and joy!

Sunday Daybook

Outside my window...  grey clouds and white snow

I am thinking...  It has been nine years since my first homebirth.  Having Thomas at home helped and healed me in ways I may never fully understand.  Happy birthday, Thomas!

I am thankful for...  this restful Sunday afternoon

From the learning rooms...  I am back in charge of schooling, and our first week back in full swing has gone very well.  I am also thankful for that!

From the kitchen...  The kids had pancakes and blueberry syrup for breakfast; my breakfast was a smoothie made of blueberries, banana, spinach, and a raw egg.  For lunch I turned some leftover mashed potatoes into a soup I called Corn Chowder.  Thomas requested homemade pizza for his birthday dinner, so we are going to load it down with veggie toppings and serve salad on the side.  His birthday dessert will be Hot Fudge Pudding Cake and chocolate ice cream.

I am wearing...  navy blue scrub pants, my blue Mass City hoodie, and long underwear!

I am reading...  The Hobbit

I am hoping...  this week will be as productive and quick as last

I am hearing...  Thomas, Mary, and Lucy engaged in conversation about what makes birthdays fun.  General consensus: presents, cake, and talking to Grandma

One of my favorite things...  my to-do list!  I gave up using the one on my Tablet and went back to old fashioned paper in a little spiral.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  school, cleaning, cooking, laundry, exercise; nothing special, just daily life.

Lessons Learned

Turns out my last night at work really was my last night at work.  I was scheduled for a few shifts through the end of the month, so I left a note asking if anybody wanted them.  They all got taken, so as far as I know, I am done!

The years I spent working, particularly the last eight months, have taught me a lot about myself.  I can work more hours, and sleep fewer, than I would have thought.  Staying up all night is much easier for me than getting up early in the morning.  I will never be a "people person" but I can work very well with folks, thanks, in part, to my naturally high tolerance for B.S.

Finally, I learned that I can't have it all.  I don't want to have it all.  When I first started working, I thought I was unhappy because it was "just a job".  So, I found a job that, in theory, might have led to further education and an advancing career.  The possibility seemed exciting at first, but soon I wasn't so sure.  Then I found out I'm pregnant, and it became obvious that what I really want is to be home again.  There is nothing wrong with balancing career and family.  I have utmost respect for all Moms who do it!  It just isn't right for me.

So while I am grateful for all my experiences and opportunities of the last four years, even more, I am happy to be home full time.  I am also ready for the lessons that this next season of life has to teach me.

I Gave Notice

My adventures in Employed Motherhood are coming to an end. 

Pretty soon I will be home full time again, and I am very thankful.  I am grateful to have a husband who understands my heart on this, who is willing to give up his own time with the family so that I can be home.  For the last four years, no matter if I was at home or at work, I almost constantly felt I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Soon I will be back to living my vocation the way I believe God intends for me to live it, and it is thanks to the sacrifices Chuck is making. 

So, thank you Sweetie.  You alone can truly understand how much this means to me.

Mama's Cornbread

Read this post only if you are interested in learning how to make the perfect cornbread.  This is a recipe I came up with after years of experimenting with different recipes, pans, and techniques.  Truly, this is the perfect Southern-style cornbread; not too sweet, not too dry, not too spongy; crumbly enough (when still hot) to stir into a bowl of chili, delicious by itself when cool.  This is the recipe I use the weekend before Thanksgiving; cut into cubes and dried it makes wonderful breadcrumbs for real homemade stuffing.

A note about the size of this batch- this makes enough for us to have a few (or 3-4) pieces each for dinner, with some leftover for snacking on when it is cold.  We bake it using the largest Lodge cast iron skillet, I think it is the 15" pan.  If you want to make less, half the proportions and use a smaller skillet.  But don't even bother trying to make this bread in anything other than cast iron.  It just won't be as good.

Can you tell I'm proud of this recipe?  ;-)  Here it is, as written for the kids to follow:

* First, put 1 stick butter in biggest cast iron skillet.  Turn oven on to 350* and put pan in while preheating.
* In large bowl, beat 4 eggs.  Add 3 cups buttermilk, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda.  Beat together.
* Stir in 3 cups cornmeal (preferably yellow), 1 cup unbleached flour.
* Stir in melted butter from skillet.
* Pour batter into hot skillet.  Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until done (toothpick comes out clean).

Suggested to let sit a few minutes before you cut and serve.  Robert likes to melt more butter over the top, but it really is just as good without.

Good eatin', Ya'll!!!

Ultrasound

Baby's legs.  Knees together to the right, little tootsies on the left.

Baby's face.  His/Her mouth is open and you can just see the tongue.  Baby is using our placenta like a pillow.  I assume the nose won't look like that in person.

Looking pretty darn good for 329 weeks pregnant.

2013

January is almost over, and this year is promising to be full of new things.

#1- New Job  Chuck left last night for truck driving school.  As much as we hate to be apart, this seemed like our best option.  It seems sudden, but we've talked about this for a long, long time.  Which leads to...

#2- New Not-Job  Hopefully very soon I will be able to put in notice at work.  I already had to quit my part-time position with Mental Health because scheduling conflicts prevented me from getting enough hours to justify the drive.  The full-time job has been wrong for me from Day One, so I am excited to quit.  Even more, I am very excited to be "just a mom" again.  Everybody has done a really good job keeping things going since I've been working full time, but I have ideas for things I want to change and improve.  It just can't hurt to get more housework done.

#3- New Baby  This one we still have a while to wait for.  Our baby #8 is due mid-June; on Father's Day, actually.  I am 20 weeks today, so halfway done.  I'm feeling pretty good.  Hopefully there will be some ultrasound pictures to share after Tuesday.

That's not everything, but those are the main things.  It feels like we just gotta get through the next few weeks, and then hopefully things will be easier and better for all of us.

God bless!