Is there such thing as too much chocolate?

Friday at Josh's work everyone brought in food to celebrate a birthday on the team. And, as is usually the case, Josh informed me that he needed food on Thursday at about 9:00. ... PM. So, we were trying to put something together without running out to the store.

I convinced Josh to help me with some no-bake chocolate cookies. I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand. Somehow, maybe the chocolate didn't boil long enough?, they did not set up right and ended up a pretty sticky mess. That didn't stop us from sampling them with a spoon though.

So, try number 2 - brownies from a box. I put them in the oven around 11:00 and made Josh stay up to get them out. He ended up bringing home about half of the pan.

So, we now have a double batch of cookies and half a pan of brownies in our house. And he also brought home some donuts from work that were left over that morning.

Oh, and these that we had just finished off the day before.

Yeah, we did not do any trick-or-treating. We have too many treats already. So long, diet. My waistline will miss you.

(I do have some great pics for later from Sophi's first Halloween though!)

I can cry if I want to

I've seen a bit too much of this expression tonight. Only without the hat.

Poor Sophi has been cranky the last few days, enough so that when she just would not be distracted tonight (even with food), I decided to take her to urgent care. Based on the way she acted last time she had one, I was so sure that she had an ear infection. I didn't even want to wait until tomorrow to take her to the pediatrician. Just hook us up with some antibiotics and we'll be on our way.

Of course, once we were in the waiting room, she decided to act like nothing was/ever had been wrong. An hour and half later (and there was only one person in front of us!), we finally made it home in time for her to go to bed. And mommy was starving. Her ears are fine. But Josh and I both think that something is bothering her. Teeth maybe? A sore throat? I don't know, but I felt like crazy, overprotective mom at the urgent care office. "I promise, she was acting like something was wrong."

Now she is sleepy peacefully and with any luck will stay that way until morning. And she weighs 17.4 in case you were wondering.

Pregochondriac

So, I have discovered something about myself. Since experiencing the strangeness that comes with being pregnant, it's all too easy to wonder at any other strangeness that my body experiences. And once that little seed of wonder gets planted in my mind, it grows fast. Yes, I admit it - I am a pregochondriac.

If I get indigestion, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I pigged out on pizza and soda for dinner.

If I feel bloated, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if there were beans in that dip.

If I get a migraine, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I used to get headaches all the time without a Sophia growing inside.

If I'm up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I drank two glasses of water before bed.

If I feel the need to nap, it must mean I'm pregnant - so what if I went to bed late last night ... the the 10 nights before that.

And so on and so forth. Let's just say I am very grateful for $1 pregnancy tests, because I may or may not have used about 10 in the last year.

(And no, I'm not pregnant. ... I checked.)

Woolgathering

So, I am sitting on the floor in Sophi's room waiting for her to fall asleep. She pretty much ignores me (and I her) unless I try to leave the room. So ... laptops are great!

Work is really picking up around here - probably gearing up for the holiday season. I should be spending time entering records, but I needed a bit of a break. Plus my battery is about to die anyway. :(

Josh and I have been trying to do some more house projects. Lately, we haven't been making time for that so there are still a lot of projects waiting. Rooms to paint, boxes to unpack, etc. He has been working on making the master shower usable. There was some drywall that needed replaced and some tiles to re-grout due to water damage. The toilet also needs replaced because it doesn't flush properly. But we're getting close! It will be nice to have two bathrooms again and it will be the first time we've ever had two showers. I'll post some before and after pictures if I can find what happened to the "before". And, you know, if we ever finish.

We ate potato soup for dinner. It's one of my favorite fall foods ever! well, that and all things pumpkin. Especially nice because we just now finished off a big pot that I made this weekend.

Planning lots of things lately! Looking forward to a big clothing giveaway! I've been on the planning team and things are coming together amazingly. Excited to make some art (by request) for sweet Ruthie's room. Also picking out clothes for a fun, all girls, photo shoot on Friday. And I really want to squeeze in a trip to a pumpkin patch this month.

Already beginning to finalize some holiday plans. We will be going to spend Thanksgiving with my family since Josh is finally out of retail work, and does not have to work black friday. December will include Behold the Lamb concert put on by our church, first birthday party for our sweetie, mini vacay to Nashville, and a trip to/family reunion in Arkansas. I can't believe it is already time to think about Christmas!

Then & Now

Reminiscing

I've got baby girl on the brain this weekend. Our friends had their baby girl, Sydney Grace on Saturday. They delivered at the same hospital that we gave birth in almost a year ago. It makes me think about what they are and will be experiencing over the next few days. Such a precious time.

Also on Saturday, my sister Lindsey got to see her little one through ultrasound. They found out that they will be having a little girl. So Sophi is very excited to meet her cousin Ruthie in March (maybe even February). :)

This picture, first of all, is the clearest ultrasound picture I have ever seen. Also, it makes me fall in love a bit. I am so excited to have a new little niece. And she already has a whole wardrobe just waiting for her to be born.

Much love!

Can I just say it was ridiculously hard to pick out these photos. There were so many good ones to choose from. Once again, Emily did a fabulous job.


I love our little family.


I love seeing my wonderful husband become a wonderful daddy.


I love our beautiful baby.


I love seeing her explore her world (and think it over apparently).

I love her many expressions.


And I love that scrunched up little nose.


Somehow, she even made me love pictures that I'm actually in. Maybe it's just the accessory.

More house pictures

Guest room (not yet painted - we did not pick that color!)
Dining room with our awesome huge table that seats eight.


Dining room again...
... with the awesome piece of art that my brother, Matthew, created. Who, coincidentally, had a birthday today! (You can see more of his work here.) Happy birthday! Too bad you don't read my blog or you might see this shout out.

It is amazing how much work we have done on the house and how much is still left to do. I don't mind so much that there are projects left - I guess that comes with owning your own place - but I'm ready for all the half finished stuff to be complete. One of these days. :)

Crockpot cooking

I love, love, love cooking with my crockpot. My friend Miranda, posted about crockpot cooking and inspired me to share some of my favorite recipes. Most of the ones I use involve chicken & sauce served over rice or noodles. But now that the weather is turning cooler, I may branch out to some soups. My favorites come from this cookbook (and I've only tried one that we didn't really like).

Cream Cheese Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T. butter, melted
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1/3 c. cooking sherry
2 T (1 pkg) dried italian salad dressing
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Brush (or drizzle) with melted butter. Add remaining ingredients. (Mix first, for a smoother sauce.) Cook on Low 6-7 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Apricot Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (12 oz) jar apricot preserves
1 (8 oz) bottle Catalina or French dressing
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup water

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover chicken with sauce mixture. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Serve over rice.

Creamy Salsa Chicken
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (1 oz) pkg dry taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup sour cream

Place chicken in sprayed, slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle taco seasoning mix over chicken and top with salsa. Cook on Low for 5-6 hours.

When ready to serve, remove chicken breast and place on platter. Stir sour cream into salsa sauce and spoon over chicken.

Review: Venom & Song

You may or may not remember that I received a book to review through Booksneeze. I am very excited to write my first review (and add a new book to our collection.)


Venom and Song
The Berinfell Prophecies: Book 2
by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

This is the second book in a series about seven, elven lords of Allyra. Returning to Allyra after 13 years of taking refuge on earth, the young elven lords are thrown into training and battle preparations. Still coming to terms with their new future and struggling to master their special powers, the lords must conquer challenges from without and within. They must unlock the key of the Rainsong in order to prevail over the evil Spider King and time is running out.

The story had adventure, suspense and humor. I was drawn into the world of Allyra and had trouble putting it down a few times. Allyra is created well. There is enough similarities to our own world that it is easy to picture with enough differences to get a feel for somewhere completely foreign. The characters have realistic flaws and the authors did a good job showing their growth through the story.

My biggest issue with the story was that the number of characters was hard to keep up with. There are seven main characters in the elven lords, plus the adults who are their protectors, plus the main characters on the enemy side. It was hard to keep straight sometimes. This book is number 2, but even after reading the first book I still got mixed up. The character index in the front did help, but when you're in the middle of a chapter you don't want to have to flip back to it all the time.

I wouldn't call it a must read, but if you are a fan of fantasy fiction you would probably enjoy this series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com bloggers book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

My little rockstar