Shards of Snowmaggedon

The view from my bedroom window

post 2/11/10 blizzard.

A Mother’s Love

January 2010

My Snow Angel

Morenna’s not a big fan of playing in the snow. She’s a big fan of eating it.

She averages 2-3 bowls per snowfall. :-)

A View from our Front Door...Last Month

"Narnia? What's that?" Lucy asked Mr. Tummus. “Dear girl, you're in it!”

Winter Storm #1 – 12/19/2009

Her First Bath

Look at those cheeks!

December 2009

After the Storm

Snowmageddon 2010

28+ inches out our front door

Worth a Thousand Words

If the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true, then it’s my lucky day.

Despite my desires to maintain fresh content - written content - on this blog, the fact of life is that I’m no superwoman. I’ve been forced to identify my priorities of late and sadly blogging just doesn’t score high enough to outrank changing poopy diapers, shining the kitchen sink, kissing boo-boos, watching Veggitales, feeding my birds... well, not that last one. But you get the point.

Anyhow, since a majority of you visit to see updates about the girls and not to read my random thoughts or see my latest coupon bargain... I’ve decided to initiate something new here. Something that will both feed my desire to post fresh content, while likewise serving you up some fresh updates on the girls. Though not to worry, I'll still be tempted to write whenever I have a spare moment.

Here’s hoping for success! I bring you... a thousand words.

January 2010

Just a Servantless American Mother

It’s 1am as I lay Jadyn softly into her crib. Matt is snoring lightly a few steps away from me, hunkered down under our beloved feather comforter. A quick check on Morenna shows her sprawled out in her crib, her blanket in a wad underneath her... as usual. The vaporizer in her room hums in harmony with the humidifier in ours.

As my head hits the pillow and a sigh escapes my lips, my thoughts run hither-skither.

My hair remained in a rather hurried ponytail throughout the day.

There are piles of laundry still lying on our bedroom floor, blocking my half-stupored middle-of-the-night trek to the bathroom. I wonder briefly if I should move them.

Below me I can hear the whir of the dishwasher. It’s been getting it's exercise lately, packed to the max with the dishes from our meals, from our snacks, and from the various excursions Morenna takes them on throughout the day. I’m too tired to wash half of them by hand.

It’s supposed to snow tomorrow. The power is likely to go out. Better change my plan of attack to accomplish all the cooking and baking before we’re left in a black and quiet state.

And the diapers. Ooo, better not forget to wash the diapers so we have a fresh stash to take us through the snowdays, too.

I spent the last few minutes of the evening addressing my to-do list. “Hello, list. You’re a rather cold bedfellow.” Instead, I busied myself with organizing my personal notebook, arranging a better meal-planning approach, and paying some bills. I wish I could find some time to blog.

We ate popcorn. Yes, Matt and I ate popcorn... at 10pm. It’s become our new ritual, our saving grace. Homemade caramel lattes and homemade popcorn. We’re suddenly kids again and we smirk each time our hands happen to touch in the bowl. We snack and quiz each other. “Passing the Bar” is our new shared game each evening. At least it is for another two weeks.

::Sigh:: Yes, it was a busy day.

Dear reader, it’s been a difficult journey for me these last two months. If you’ve wondered why posts are few and far between, why there have been no pictures - now you know.

I’ve never been one to do well with little sleep, so once we returned from our Christmas travels, I hit a wall in attempting to care for my family while maintaining 5 broken hours of rest each night. And take care of two sick children and myself. And clip coupons. And play dress-up. And take a shower.

It’s been a lesson in humility. A good lesson. A lesson the Lord has wanted to teach me for quite some time, and I’ve been too self-absorbed to learn it.

Just this: I’m not as a great as I think I am.

I’m not superwoman, despite manipulating my circumstances to make it seem like I am.

And I’m learning this the hard way; I’m being brought to the end of myself by sheer necessity and physical exhaustion. And it’s good.

So that said, there are lots of thoughts and pictures and random stuff I want to share here... but in the days ahead there may be periods of silence. Know that in the quiet moments I’m still here, I’m just preoccupied with a lesson. :-)

A Little Coupon Love

It’s super doubles at Harris Teeter this week. Since we’re eating out of the pantry for January (more on this later), I’ve restricted my grocery budget to just $50 a week (normally $100 – a little pricey, but raw milk isn’t cheap). Consequently, I only went after the best coupon deals I could find, and boy I wasn’t disappointed.

I purchased all items pictured for just $11. Of that, $9 worth was the 6 lbs of chicken that was on sale. So technically, all items minus the chicken cost me just $2.

I smiled when I left.

Wanna snag some great deals at your local HT? Visit here for my favorite coupon match-up blog.

Happy 2010 from Our Family

My husband loves to bi-pass sending Christmas greetings in lieu of celebrating with friends and family the start of a new year. Last year we sent out our very first familial new year’s letter and photo... and this year...

Well, let’s just say that a new baby and studying for the Virginia BAR have all but taken up the time we’d hoped to use to send out our greeting. So we’re settling for the new age and somewhat impersonal blogger greeting. :-)

Here’s a brief synopsis on where our 2009 | 2010 goals stand:

2009 Resolution #1: Schedule a romantic getaway.
2010 Update – We had tried to kick off the new year right with our lovely :cough, cough: getaway to the DC Mandarin. A getaway it was. Romantic it was not. Strike one. We’re still dreaming of a second honeymoon at our fave Anse Chastenet. Probably won’t happen this year, though.

2009 Resolution #2: Re-evaluate the meaning of life.
2010 Update – We couldn’t quite figure this one out with our limited resources. We welcomed little Jadyn Elizabeth Marie into our family on 11/30. We’ll see if we can reach a conclusion using our expanded material.

2009 Resolution #3: Take over the world.
2010 Update – Still working on this one. Of course, given the direction our government is going, we just might sit back and watch them try first.

2009 Resolution #4: Matt decides what to do when he grows up.
2010 Update – Making some progress here. Matt graduated (finally) from GMU and is currently studying to take the VA Bar in February. We’ll see how that goes. Thankfully the Lord has blessed him with some friends from college who are also taking the exam at the same time... two’s company, three gets better grades... or something like that.

2009 Resolution #5: Find a way to scrapbook, take photos, do graphic design, and bargain shop all while sleeping.
2010 Update –Done.
And for five twelve easy payments of $19.99 I’ll show you how.

 

I lie.

2009 Resolution #6: Move. Somewhere. Somehow. Sometime.
2010 Update – Ah, still no progress here, but it’s very much a desire of our hearts. What can we say, the free babysitting (from grandparents) just sounds better and better every sleepless night we have. On a serious note, we’re taking steps... we’ll see if God blesses them. If you know of someone who wants to rent our 3 bedroom townhouse, let us know. :-)

 

From our house to yours, Happy 2010!

And may you discover the blessings of Christ in new and abundant ways this year!

Getting a Move On

The holidays have come and gone and I shamefully have yet to even recount our lovely Thanksgiving dinner. The intentions were there; part one was published. But part two, arguably the most important being that it’s all about food, is missing.

I didn’t have the time to brag about our scrumptious homemade cinnamon rolls that were swimming in goo. They were so easy to make and would provide even a cooking amateur the chance to shine in the culinary spotlight.

And what about our Thanksgiving turkey? You know, the turkey I had never made before? My only parting wish was that it would have tasted as good as it looked. Though in this picture even that is lacking. 

But alas, that holiday is long gone now, and it’s time I get a move on. There’s better things to recount, like what was in my Christmas stocking, who cooked the Christmas turkey, how many balls Morenna received from Santa and Jadyn’s current record for daily clothes soiling. Stay tuned.

 

Thanksgiving 2009! Part One

I'm a bit behind in relaying our Thanksgiving fun, but there was a lot going on at the time. :-)

My Dad arrived the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day... which happened to be the same Sunday I was fostering a rather "nesty" mood. He had only just arrived when he and Matt got busy with my most recent hair-brained "nesting" scheme: a lookout window above the kitchen sink.

Though their efforts were for me, I definitely think they enjoyed pounding a hole in the wall. What boy wouldn't? Er, I mean man.

The project definitely required the use of some hefty power tools. Ooo, power tools. Manly.

Morenna watched the project with only slight curiosity until Paw-Paw pulled out his power saw. Her response, after trembling a bit: "Big noise! Paw-Paw make big noise!"

All in all I couldn't be more happy with the result. And I'm so happy the Lord has given me two great men in my life who only slightly chide me for the latest and greatest hormone-driven nesting project.

Perhaps now that Jadyn is here they can have a well-deserved break.

Perhaps.

Removing the tile that I just recently had Dad install, like in July.

Hmm, that pipe might just be in the way.
And where did all these wires come from?

Excellent craftsmanship by an excellent craftsman...er, craftsmen

Sisters

Not exactly the best pictures I have of the girls... but since they're in the same outfit, I thought it warranted a post on similarities. :-) So whacha think?

Frugal Is as Frugal Does - Toilet Paper Unrolled

Whether it be the result of our current economic state, or just a desire to pinch pennies, most of us are in a race to find the best deals on the products we consume.

I certainly love the challenge of racking up the savings at CVS or meticulously clipping and filing my coupons each week for those rare, but energizing, double/triple coupon events at my local grocery.

But recently I found myself in an unusual, less-than-frugal, situation. It seems I had lost count of our household toilet paper stash, placing us in dire need of TP, and - horror of horrors- with no sale or decent coupon in sight. I stood bewildered in the paper products aisle at the store, staring at the vast assortment of tissue. How in the world does one tally the cheapest TP option when each package can appear so different?

If any of this sounds familiar, than you'll probably like this random post.

It's about toilet paper.

I wrote a post about toilet paper. Toilet paper! Oy vey.

Note: I would be much more embarrassed admitting this post's topic had my research not uncovered a brilliant statistical thesis entitled, The Toilet Paper Problem, authored by a professor at Stanford University. A professor. At Stanford. Writing about toilet paper. No shame.

Anyway, I digress.

During my time in the paper products aisle, I noted several components that characterize a given package of toilet paper. I'm sure you're aware of them all, but do you know which will assist you in making a frugal selection? I'll give you a hint: it isn't the number of rolls per package...

PLY
One... two... even three-ply (in some countries) tissue can be found. Typically, the higher the ply, the lesser the product length - "sheets" - per roll. However, the higher the ply, the less product you need per visit.

Keep in mind, though, what are your TP habits? If you subconsciously unroll a lot at a time, perhaps 2-ply isn't a frugal option for you.

But it's a personal decision. Very personal.

ROLL SIZE
What a joke. I'm fairly sure all the toilet paper companies have united in a global plan to make even the simplest of purchases confusing for the average consumer. But we're not average consumers, are we? And we're not confused, either. Here's the short of it. Each company has a specific way they like to label their product, but essentially they all represent the same sizing. How's this for a quick breakdown:

Brand	Size 1	Size 1 x 2	Size 1 x 3
Charmin	Regular	Big	Mega
Scott	Regular	Double
Angel Soft	Regular	Double
Cottonelle	Single	Double
Quilted N	Regular	Double	Mega

SHEETS and SQUARE FEET
Here is where the frugal shopper's math begins.

Each package of toilet paper lists the # sheets per roll and the # of square feet per package. If you typically use the latter as your way to identify the most cost effective purchase... then congratulations! You are one heck of a frugal mastermind.

Be sure to leave me a comment so I can start coming to you with all my other frugal dilemmas. :-)

Yes, it's true. Don't go by the number of rolls, or the number of sheets. Simply divide the price by the number of sq. feet per package. (Keep in mind the variance in the number of ply.)

Who knew it could be so simple?

****

Little known TP facts:

• Charmin is the dominant toilet paper
• Most individuals use an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper, daily
• Scott was the first producer of toilet paper on a roll, in 1890
• For more fun frugal reading, be sure to check out "The Economics of Toilet Paper"

All About Roo - How She Got Here

I'm so glad Jadyn (a.k.a. Roo, GiGi [as Morenna calls her], Pumpkin) has joined our family. It was a bit of a long road ushering her into our family, but the joy of new life outweighs it all. Thankfully.

Otherwise there would be no more babies.

And our family would stay good and small. Really small.

I was fairly sure that labor the second time around would be a breeze, both mentally and emotionally, and perhaps physically, too. First time: ignorant and unsure. Second time: experienced and seasoned. Right?

Labor with Jadyn was a surprise. A mentally, emotionally, and physically-taxing surprise. I anticipated her arrival would be an early one. Perhaps Thanksgiving Day? It would be fun to have a child born on Easter and a child born on Thanksgiving. So we planned.

The Tuesday prior, I started having 5 minute regularly-spaced, but manageable, contractions. Based on my experience laboring with Morenna, I took this to be early labor and waited for them to become more irregular (in my case) but grow in intensity. Five hours later, they stopped.

Ok.

Wednesday they came again. As the sun hung low in the sky, they started. Six hours later, they stopped.

OK.

Thanksgiving day we prepared to celebrate our first holiday at home. (More on this, later... with pictures of some super-awesome homemade cinnamon rolls!) My parents were in town and my best friend and her hubby came over to join us in our feast. I spent a large part of the morning on my feet dabbling in food prep, but they [my feet, that is] swelled up and commanded me to take a chair. The rest of the afternoon was spent in a turkey-coma, curled up and happily watching football. Again the contractions started, but I was able to ignore them fairly well. At 11pm, my head hit the pillow.

Little did I know this would be my last night of full rest.

Blah.

Not that I would have done anything different had I known. I slept. It was good. The end.

Friday was a pleasant day and my hubby was home from work. In the afternoon we took a good, long, walk around our neighborhood with Morenna and Uncle Feather (my parent's dog, a.k.a. Buddy). Once we returned home, my contractions started up yet again. At this point they required my complete attention. Still they came regularly... 7 minutes apart. Could this be it? I was growing a bit weary of the start and stop method my body was taking, so I did my best to ignore them.

But they weren't easily ignored. And they continued...on... and on... and on. I cautiously, but eagerly announced that I thought this was it! Eight hours went by. I was exhausted... with no noticeable progress. I slept as I could, but they were strong enough to wake me up throughout the night. And then they stopped. STOPPED. The sun rose. But my spirits sank. Was I missing something?

Saturday I tried to be positive. Breakfast out with my hubby... and then a good, long, devotional certainly helped. I rested. I lived. And then, just as the sun was setting, they came again. Strong. Intense. Regular. I breathed through them and waited for some progress. Two hours... four hours... six hours... eight. All through the night I contracted. Breathed. But no progress came. And they stopped.

I guess it would be no surprise that Sunday's sunrise found me frustrated, exhausted, and utterly confused. What was going on!? I was supposed to know how this whole labor thing works... and yet I was more lost than ever. Moreover, my uterus seemed to be stuck in an everlasting contraction of sorts. I just couldn't get it to relax. I felt as though I had done enough crunches to satisfy even Marine standards.

To ease my weary and troubled mind, I spent the morning browsing the internet trying to find some consolation as to what was going on. Then I stumbled upon a support group for mothers dealing with prodromal labor. It was a jackpot of encouragement to me as I identified with all the symptoms to a "T". I wasn't going crazy. Phew.

At my husband's insistence, though, I decided to phone my midwife to tell her what had been going on and to ask for a sleeping pill so I could get some rest. After just a few seconds of dialog she replied, "well sweetie, it sounds like you're wrestling through some nasty prodromal labor."

Gee. Maybe I should have called her to begin with and saved myself the time of research. :-)

She suggested I come in for a brief non-stress test for the baby and she'd check to see if the contractions had been productive or non-productive. She reasoned, "Given what happened with your first birth, I just wouldn't want to prescribe you a sleeping pill if you're farther along than we realize."

Matt and I headed to the birth center and after two hours of monitoring (Jadyn wasn't quite as active at first as they would've liked) my midwife announced I was 3 cm and 60% effaced. I was somewhat relieved all my efforts hadn't been in vain. She offered a sleeping pill or a Tylenol PM for sleep, though she explained my contractions were registering strong enough that I would likely still awake with them. I took the Tylenol and we headed home with instructions to take a hot, relaxing bath to see if my uterus would relax.

It felt so good to have a "diagnosis" of sorts as to what was going on. But my mind still worried as to how I would know when real labor kicked it. From my research, many mothers who had prodromal labor would end up in transition out of nowhere. Given our close call reaching the birthing center with Morenna, I was more and more nervous that this baby would come at home, or in the car. And what if the contractions lasted for days, or even weeks longer? It's not unheard of. Prodromal labor is a nasty, mean, thing.

But my husband lit candles. And turned on peaceful music. The water felt wonderful and I fell asleep. Peacefully asleep. Right there in my bathtub.

Later we put Morenna to bed and then curled up to watch Christmas in Connecticut. My contractions were still coming strong, though, and eventually brought tears to my eyes. I had a good cry. Surprisingly, my whole body relaxed after that for the first time in a while. I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. It was just what needed to happen.

Matt woke me to go to bed a short while later. By the time I reached the bed, though, a wave of nausea swept over me along with the chills. Then I knew. The time had come.

We called our midwife and quickly packed up and headed back to the birthing center. The moon was bright and full as we drove the empty roads. My husband was the perfect driver and we all made it in one piece. :-) His watch chimed midnight as we walked through the doors. I was 5cm and 80%. What a relief. Things were finally happening.

As I soaked in the birthing center tub a short while later, my worries popped up again. What if things stopped? I hadn't slept in two nights - what if this took all night? Was I too tired to manage the non-medicated birth I wanted? I just wasn't sure if I had it in me. We prayed. And God was gracious.

My worries only lasted a short time. Within an hour of being in the tub, I felt the urge to push sweep over me. Yet I was only a 7cm and 90%. My midwife suggested breaking my water. We debated the issue... and then within the next contraction, it broke on its own. Dilemma solved.

And then things really moved fast.

With each subsequent contraction, I pushed... and progressed. 8cm... 9cm... 10. Those contractions were so intense. They didn't even compare to the ones I had with Morenna. But they brought Jadyn to my arms in less than an hour. And then it was all over.

And I didn't cry. I smiled.

We had been at the birthing center for two hours and forty-one minutes.

Jadyn's birth itself was very peaceful. I had wished for that when selecting a midwife this time around and it was exactly how I wanted it. Jadyn was immediately placed on my chest and made only a small whimper. I rubbed her and cuddled with her for more than an hour while the nurse and midwife took care of their various duties. (I tore again, unfortunately... but that is another story in itself. Apparently the shoulders of an 8lb baby need more room to enter the world than those of their smaller but older predecessor.)

Matt sat quietly with me as we stared at the new addition to our family. It was wonderful.

So how long was my labor? the nurse asked. I had no clue what to say. But the midwife smiled and said, "oh, just put down a really long time... like since Tuesday".

Tuesday... Wednesday... Thursday... Friday... Saturday... Sunday... all that mattered was that she was finally here. And it was all over.

God had been faithful once again. And we praised Him for his grace.

Welcome to this world, my sweet little girl. It was a joy to give you life.

More pictures to come, I promise. :-)
And I have video and pictures of Morenna and Jadyn's first meeting that I just can't wait to share!
Other pictures are available here.

What's for dinner?

There's a brand new baby at our house. Given that, I'm sure you might be rather annoyed that I'm posting up our weekly menu plan rather than the gazillion of adorable baby pictures taking up space on my camera. Begging to be viewed. Cooed over. Etc.

But I'm trying to be good. And this past week was a perfect reminder to me as to why menu planning is so terrific.

Sunday night found my hubby and I heading off to the birthing center to meet our new little daughter. (More on that soon, I promise. Soon.) How nice it was to leave and know that Morenna and my mom were set as far as food goes. No guesswork was needed on the part of my mom as to what food combinations she could concoct from the random items in my fridge and cabinets.

And since we got home from the hospital, meals have been a breeze. Here's what was on deck for us last week:

Monday
B: Oatmeal
L: Tuna Salad
D: Zesty Corn | Black Bean Quesadillas (added chicken, too), Spinach Salad

Tuesday
B: Eggs
L: Mac & Cheese
D: Turkey & Wild Rice Soup, Fruit

Wednesday
B: Pancakes, Bacon
L: Cheese & Crackers, Fruit
D: Spaghetti, Roasted Asparagus

Thursday
B: Cereal
L: Quesadillas
D: Slow-Cooker Pesto Chicken (excellent!), Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday
B: Bagels
L: Egg Salad Sandwiches
D: Homemade pizza, salad

Saturday
B: TBD
L: Leftovers
D: Beef Stir Fry, Saffron Rice

Sunday
B: Cereal
L: Leftovers
D: Snacky items

And now (drumroll, please)... trot out the baby pictures...

All About Roo - She's Here!

Jadyn Elizabeth Marie
11/30/2009 @ 2:41AM
8 lbs, 18.5 inches

All About Roo - Part Four

Well, here it is. Part four... and hopefully the last of the pregnancy pics. :-) I'm halfway through my 38th week and Morenna made her debut at 38 weeks and 6 days.

For those keeping tabs, that means she came early.

I like early.

Early is good.

For this score-keeping momma, that means Baby Roo should come soon... like, yesterday - right?

I am definitely ready to see and hold my little baby girl. Perhaps because I'm not facing the distraction of wrapping up my last week of work, like I was with Morenna at this time, the days seem to drag by. I'm antsy to see some forward progress. The signs are definitely there. I just want a date and a time.

Is that too much to ask? ;-)

My mom is finally here with us, my bags are packed, the baby clothes are washed and I'm about as rested as I'll ever be. Oh yeah, and my maternity clothes don't fit.

Momma at 38 weeks

The last of my baby preparations included making curtains for the changing table, which we moved out of the nursery and int our master bedroom. It was a great evening project that helped me pass the time, while feeling I was accomplishing something special for the baby.


We're ready, Baby Roo. Come on out to play!

Where We've Been... Part Three

Better late than never, right? Forgive the unedited pictures. In the interest of getting this post up, I detoured editing them for simply posting them. :-)

Trip Two - Welcome to the Golden State!

Part two of our wedding-themed "amazing race" began the day the rain moved into Charleston, SC.

My parents dropped us off at the airport before beginning their long trek homeward and we casually made our way through security and caught our flight. No delays. It was great. And better yet, the Lord really answered our prayers concerning Morenna's behavior on the plane. She was very content to sit quietly on our laps and either read or color.. and then she napped. Our layover in Dallas provided her the ability to run around the indoor playground they had and so efficiently wore her out that she napped on the second leg of the trip as well.

We pulled into Matt's old hometown pretty much stress-free. After a quick dinner with Matt's mom, we got to work putting Baby Roo's crib together. Confused?

As you may remember from this post, Morenna insists on hooking her feet into the crib slats to sleep. That pretty much makes our pack 'n play useless. Oh well. To solve the dilemma of sleeping arrangements for the CA trip, we decided to order the mini-crib we wanted for Baby Roo and have it shipped to Matt's mom's house. It worked out great for Morenna while we were there, and then we had it shipped home.

At any rate, Morenna was pretty exhausted from the trip and fell asleep on our bed long before we finished the crib assembly. I was glad she transitioned to the new time-zone so well.

While we were there, Nana (Matt's mom) was so thoughtful to invest in a few activities for Morenna's enjoyment. The biggest success was the classic turtle sandbox. I don't know why I hadn't thought of getting Morenna one of these, but it certainly entertained her for hours. We spent very little time with Matt during the week, since he was busy with his best friend's wedding, so with his absence this was a great life-saver.

Morenna also spent a great deal of time following her Nana around. Because of the distance, Morenna doesn't get to spend a lot of time with Matt's family, so the fact that she had Nana to herself for more than a week was a special treat. Here they are pulling weeds in Nana's backyard. They also spent countless hours dancing and singing together. I think Nana got her workout while we were there. Morenna is, after all, like a mini gym membership. :-)

One day we (Matt's brother, David, Nana, Morenna and I) decided to head out to the California foothills to a charming place called Apple Hill. It's really a collection of many small apple orchards and farms, each with their specialties including dozens of types of apples, apple wine, apple treats, and lots of children's activities.

We made a point to hit up the petting zoo and Morenna loved it. Her favored mammals were the pigs, but this momma preferred the baby Angus calf and the goats. I heart goats. If we ever have land I think I will have to purchase a goat, just to keep myself entertained. I'll name my goat Chloe.

On Saturday, Matt successfully married off his bestie. It was a lovely outdoors wedding and he looked super sexy in his tux. My husband, that is, not the bestie. Well, I guess the groom looked pretty swell too (right, Chelsea?), but for the health of my marriage I think I'll just leave it at that. :-)

Matt's dad was able to attend the wedding and enjoyed chasing his little granddaughter around the grounds of the wedding site. She loved having the attention, of course. I loved having the help. :-) Morenna was able to get double use out of her flower-girl dress. But sadly it was in pretty poor shape by the end of the day.

It was great to get to meet several of Matt's childhood friends and acquaintances. By the days end, though, we were all wedding-ed out. Two best friends married off.

Whew.

On Sunday, we were able to kick back and have some fun time with Matt's extended family. Matt's mom was so sweet to throw me a baby shower for Baby Roo. All of the gals of the family (and most of the guys, too) made the long round-trip to/from Roseville from Fresno to spend the day with us and celebrate. Included in the company was Matt's maternal grandparents, who we only see on an occasional basis. What a joy it was to spend time with them! Morenna is their first (and currently only :-)) great-grandchild and the visit afforded them their first meeting. She took to them both right away (and to all her other new cousins, aunts and uncles, too!). It was a great experience. I love Matt's family. So full of fun! We are definitely looking forward to visiting with them again, hopefully, at Matt's aunt's wedding in June.

And then the rain moved it. After eight days of beautiful California sunshine, a nasty storm arrived the day we were to leave. So, we left the rain in Charleston, and then we left the rain in California. :-) The trip home was a little more stressful, but we made it back safe and sound... and with no delays, amazingly enough.

And that is the story of our amazing race. :-) To see more pictures, click here.

Freezer Baking Day

I wrestled with a bit of disappointment that I wasn't able to participate in real time with my favored bloggers - FishMama and MoneySavingMom - as they took the blogging world by storm and loaded up their respective freezers with lots of yummy food. The flu does place one in survival mode, after all.

But in the days since, I've been stashing things in my freezer a bit at a time. Perhaps it's a bit better I'm doing my cooking a little at a time anyways, seeing how I waddle around like a duck these days and my belly is sagging a bit low.

But then there was Monday.

After a six-hour stint of six-minute spaced contractions on Sunday (whoa, that's a lot of "S's"), an urgency to tackle my pre-baby to-do list swept over me. Since Baby Roo decided November 16th was not her idea of a good birth day, I marched into the kitchen and stormed my pantry.

Morenna was a real comrade-in-arms and occupied herself with dirtying up the kitchen... something normally off-limits but when you have a crazed mom on your hands, you can get away with anything.

Here's what she accomplished:

- Rolling leftover dough around in a fluffy pile of flour;
- Putting said flour all over her face, her clothes, her step-stool, and the floor;
- Dropping said leftover dough in my bowl of banana muffin batter, and then fishing it back out;
- Emptying my 5 lb bag of red potatoes on the kitchen floor;
- Transporting each of the said potatoes to the living room couch while counting them: "One... two... three... six...";
- Being generally good-natured and cute.

Here's what I accomplished:

- Made 5 lbs of freezer mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner;
- Made 2 dozen pumpkin rolls for Thanksgiving dinner (I made these for Christmas last year and we loved them - so tasty!);
- Prepared a double recipe of Chicken-Asparagus Casserole (one for dinner and one for freezing);
- Chopped and bagged 5 lbs of asparagus for winter eating (got them at a terrific price!) not pictured;
- Individually froze and then packaged 2 lbs of bacon, not pictured;
- Prepared two stir-fry packets (one for dinner this week and one for freezing);
- Chopped 1 pineapple;
- Made 2 dozen banana crumb muffins

Whew. Was I ever pooped at the end of the day. And of course that would be the day my child refused a nap, which happens about once every 3 months. But although tired, I felt so good knowing the food in my fridge would not be going bad and that my post-baby food tally was growing.

To the casserole and the stir-fry packets I've also added: a chicken pot pie, 2 broccoli-cheese quiches, pizza dough, and three bags of spaghetti sauce. Those things, combined with the two Birdseye Steamfresh Meals for Two that I got cheaply at a good sale last week, brings my frozen meal allotment to a grand total of: 11.

But lest I tempt you to envy me... here's what was on my other counter:

Hmm, now if I could have just arranged labor to kick in before I had to address the dishes...