Fruity Pebbles

Judge me if you will, but I have a category of things in life I like to call guilty pleasures.  They are things I know I probably shouldn't enjoy...  But I do.  And so, on occasion, I allow myself the guilty pleasure of enjoying them.

Well, Fruity Pebbles is one of them.  I am fully aware they are packed-full of food colors and dyes.  And sugar.  And I am fully aware that is not healthy for me. 

But there's just something about those Fruity Pebbles that, to me, is oh-so-yummy.  (My husband thinks I'm crazy.  He thinks they leave a waxy coating in his mouth, so he doesn't enjoy them.  But I do!)

So, because I know they aren't the best option for me, I don't buy them.  But sometimes you just have awesome friends who know you like certain things.  And sometimes those awesome friends bring you those very things you like as a "hey, you just pushed a huge baby out of your body!  You should enjoy something you like!" gift. 

And so I've been doing just that with these -- in those very very very very rare quiet moments when it's just me.  So I'm grateful for Fruity Pebbles to enjoy.  And the awesome friend who brought them for me to enjoy :).

What are you grateful for today?

Compassionate Service and Those Who Render It

Five days ago I gave birth to a healthy (and big!) baby boy.  It's a blessing. 

It also means lots of adjusting for everyone, and lots of sleepless nights for mommy and daddy.

And every day since we've been home from the hospital, we have been blessed by the love and service of others who are caring for us by bringing us meals to help alleviate the "things to do" on our list every day.

I cannot even adequately begin to express my gratitude for these wonderful people who so abundantly bless our lives.  With post-pregnancy hormones raging through my body, the truth is I get choked up when I think about how much this service has meant to our little family.  Truly these wonderful people exemplify Christ-like love.  Their generosity has been enormous.  And there truly are not words enough to thank them. 

I know there are others more needing and more deserving of this service.  But it has been so wonderful to have one less thing to think about these days. 

And just as I'm thankful to be receiving this service at this time in our lives, I'm thankful that I have opportunities to serve others when they are in need.  I'm grateful to be able to help, even in a small way.  And I'm grateful that, through receiving the service we are receiving, we have an even better appreciation for and desire to do such service to others -- for we know what a blessing it is.

So to all you wonderful people (some of whom may read this and others who may not), thank you.  Thank you for blessing our lives.


What are you grateful for today?

Our Recliner!

I've been meaning to post this for a while.  But time is not really something I have a lot of these days and before I know it, it's 10 p.m. and I'm trying to convince myself it's time to go to bed ;).

After going through the newborn phase with our little girl, I realized that a recliner would have been nice.  So I told my husband I wanted a recliner with the next baby.  He thought I was crazy.  Because recliners take up a lot of space.  And they aren't fun to move, because they are heavy.  But he loves me.  And so he looked for a recliner.  And he hit paydirt a couple weeks ago!  Sometimes I love Craigslist!

So he found this recliner, called the lady and we drove out and bought it.  It's a swivel rocker recliner and it is so awesome.  Microfiber, so easy to clean.  Enormous, so will fit me and two kiddos (because I'm sure my toddler will want to sit with me a lot when I'm rocking in it with a newborn).  And we got it at a great price. 

Sometimes (well, most times) I consider these happenings as tender mercies from the Lord.  Because I really wanted a good recliner.  And, since we were getting it second-hand, I wanted it to be clean and all that.  Well, we went to pick it up, and I had no concerns over the history of this recliner. 

My munchkin loves it.  It is now where we sit and read our stories before bedtime every night.  I love this recliner because it's comfortable and I enjoy laying back and relaxing with my huge belly.  And I'm pretty positive I'm going to be able to sleep in this thing with a newborn.  And that is a beautiful thing!

So I'm so very grateful for this new acquisition in our home.  Even if it does take up a ton of room ;). 

And I'm quite grateful for that cutie who is sitting in it in the picture above.  I love that little girl!

What are you grateful for today?

My Stand Mixer

Friday night, I decided to get adventurous in the kitchen and try a new twist on an old favorite and made these.  And as I was cranking up the speed on my beautiful stand mixer, it occurred to me that I love this thing.  I am pretty sure I use it at least once a week -- but probably more.  Just tonight, I was using it to make pizza dough (pictured above ;)). 

I can say I've used a hand mixer to make dough for cinnamon rolls and such.  And don't get me wrong:  hand mixers are fabulous too.  For pudding and boxed cake mixes.  But when it comes to making bread dough...  Yeah, a hand mixer can't hack it for long -- and then you're mixing by hand.  I've done it a couple times, because I was making cinnamon rolls for people I love dearly.  But Friday night, as I thought about that...  I really thought how grateful I am for a stand mixer :).  It does all the work for me!  And quickly!  And I usually get yummy results ;)!

What are you grateful for today?

Ultrasound Technology

I know women have been having babies from the beginning of time.  And now that I have participated in this miraculous event, I realize why something that is so natural was also so incredibly dangerous.  I understand more now why so many sweet babes were lost during childbirth -- and why so many mothers were too. 

I wish our technology had made those tragedies obsolete, but I know it has not.  Nevertheless, our technology has certainly helped doctors be aware of possible complications in some cases, and for that I am grateful.  Because I had a possible complication this pregnancy, and ultrasound technology was able to not only alert my doctor to the possibility but also let us know that all is well.

The concern was that at my 19 week ultrasound, they found my placenta to be low-lying and very near the cervix.  There were not major concerns at that point, because I had plenty of time for my uterus to grow and for that placenta to migrate up during the growth.  But it told the doctor they wanted to check again at around 32 weeks to make sure the placenta had migrated.  If not, I would have been scheduled for a c-section.  Tuesday was my 33 week check-up and they did the ultrasound.  Thankfully, my placenta is now plenty high and away from my cervix, so we do not anticipate any problems there. 

And while it's not my dream to have a c-section (though that can certainly still be required for other reasons... one never knows until at the moment!), I'm grateful that I could have found out if it was necessary with plenty of time to prepare. 

It's also nice to get bonus pictures of our little one growing.  We still don't know if we are having a boy or a girl, but we're so glad to see our little munchkin growing! (The quality of these weren't the greatest, but that's a face profile ;)...  Plus then I was too lazy to scan it, so I just took a picture of the picture!)


What are you grateful for today?

Friends Who Come to the Rescue!

My husband has been put on graveyard shift for the next two weeks.  Two weeks.  I can officially say (after 3 nights of this already) that I am not grateful for that!

But I am grateful for awesome friends who come to the rescue.  And this is how they do it:  They are always up for play dates so the munchkin and I can get out of the house in the mornings and let my sweetie get some solid hours of shut-eye. 

True, I could just leave the house every morning and go to a park by myself or something.  But it's so much more fun with friends!  So I have some awesome friends who are helping me fill my mornings for the next two weeks with play-dates at parks as well as play-dates at their homes.  It's great to watch our kiddos play together, too :).

Seriously, ladies, I cannot thank you enough!  I owe you big time!!!

What are you grateful for today?

Elmo

Seriously, who knew I'd come to appreciate (and know way too much about) this little red monster?  I remember when the "Tickle Me Elmo" was all the rage, and I couldn't understand it. 

I think I get it a little bit more now... 

Because last week I was beyond exhausted.  I think I had a mild bug of some sort that just wiped me out.  (For a while there I was concerned it was just 'old very pregnant lady' syndrome, and I was dreading feeling like that for 8 more weeks!)  So guess who came to the rescue every time I needed to lay on the couch and rest (which was roughly every 1 to 2 hours, sadly...). 

Yep, it was Elmo.  On DVD.  Because we own a few, and we borrow them from the library too.  And you know what?  Last week, I needed Elmo to lend me a hand.  He kept my toddler happy and entertained for 30 minutes at a time while I got the rest I needed. 

So yes, Elmo...  Years ago, I couldn't understand the wonderfulness of you.  Nor did I ever think I would agree.  But I totally get it now.

What are you grateful for today?