Drum roll please.....

While we were in Texas, we got some amazing hook ups and were able to get an ultra-sound done by a friend of a friend. It was great to see the babies again, re-assurance that I'm getting fatter for a reason, but it was a bonus that my mom and sister where able to come along with Brett and I and experience the craziness that is seeing twins on an ultra-sound. Annnnnnd....we got to find out the sex of the babies!!

Looks like the girls are gonna out number the boys in the Wilson household in one fell swoop. Identical baby girls, moving around like crazy. Kicking and flipping and stretching out like they owned the place! It was really fun to watch, but also a tad overwhelming. I just hope they are enjoying all the room they have now because things are gonna get a smidge cramped in just a few weeks time.

So, per usual, finding out the gender of the babies has made things even more real for us. Probably also how pregnant I'm looking these days also helps, but whatever the case, I am definitely starting to allow myself to appreciate the full repercussions of having multiple babies at once. For one thing, every person I've talked to who has had twins or knows someone with twins has told me hands down that I will need help. And LOTS of it.  This seems all the more important to me,  knowing how little Brett will be around. Even if he isn't deployed, he'll still be in Command, and that's pretty much a 20 hour a day job. So, it looks like my major prayer request right now is for help. I don't even know what form of help I'm praying for...if that just means a steady stream of friends and family in our home for months and months ( that's not even counting if I get put on bed-rest before they are due!!), or if we're talking someone who is willing to move in for four months or so and become an indentured servant ( aka room/board and maybe minimum wage! haha!) . ( I say that only because we're not made of money and a live in Nanny is not something I have put in the budget for 2013.)....so yeah, my prayer basically consists of me saying, 'God, you know what's going on...you know what's about to happen, you know what we need....please, please, pleeeeeease provide us the help that we will need! amen'

If you'd like to join in and pray that prayer with me that would be fantastic. And hey, if you know someone who'd like to join the Wilson family during a particularly exciting time of our lives, let me know! I'm taking applications. ;-)

Holiday

We're going on holiday over the next few weeks and I'm excited. Though the excitement has been outweighed considerably by all the things I need to do before we leave and just how little I want to do any of them...Baby 1 and Baby 2 seem to have not decided to let up on the exhaustion and nausea that is usually just a first trimester thing....I'm hoping against hope that they decide to at LEAST give me a break while we're traveling. Right babies? I mean I did buy you some giant, comfy maternity shorts to chill in...and I also bought you a huge ( and by huge I mean...huge) swim suit that does not pinch or pooch in any uncomfortable places and also makes me look like a shiny black killer whale. I did all these things for you, sweet babies...so be good and give mommy a break! Let her do some laundry, clean out the fridge, pack suitcases and make up guest beds ( we're having a very special visitor while we're away!! And I have to make the house homey for her!!*). And Babies, if you're really good I promise to feed you Dill pickle flavored Pringles ( I am a cliche) and those awesome animal cracker cookies that are covered in pink and white icing and sprinkles.. Yup. Don't say I never did anything for you....

I've decided to take a break from social media while we're out of town. Its always a nice time to take a breather...and I've been feeling rather convicted lately at how often I check facebook and twitter on my phone in a given day. I've decided to keep instagram going though since with beach house time plus some family reunion times...I'm thinking pictures will still be very necessary! Feel free to follow me at abigailsday on instagram.



* My good friend Adelaide is coming back from her deployment in the next week or so and she'll be using our house as her first "home base"! I am SOO excited about her coming home safe and sound and I can't wait to see her when we get home!! It's really kind of nice to finally have someone returning instead of leaving this summer...I've lost three friends in the last 2 months and I'm a bit bummed about it!

What are the odds?

Lately Math has been a real comfort to me. And that is the first and ( probably) last time I will ever use that sentence...but here's why:

I've never been good at math. So I will leave the real calculations to someone else, instead, I will "round" as I so want to do in my life and I will share with you the craziness of our life.

First, let me just go ahead by reviewing "old" news and remind you that I'm having twins. After some scientific googling I learned that my odds of having twins naturally ( i.e. we're young don't have twins in our families, are not on fertility drugs etc) are a 3% chance.

Woo. 3 percent.

Well, we rocked that percentage.

Now, on to even more technical things that I didn't even begin to want to know about until I found that I was having those odds defying twins.
Having fraternal twins is about a 1.7% chance, however thats mostly taking into account people that take fertility drugs ( which we were NOT) and women who are a little older ( which I am not). But, lets ignore all that and head into the other possiblity: identical twins. There is a .4% that one will have identical twins.

*side bar* This percentages make NO sense to me...especially since none of them add up to 100 in my book, but whatevs....I'm going with the all knowing internet because I need these statistics to make my point which is coming, I promise.  *end sidebar*

Woo. POINT FOUR percent.

Well, we rocked it.

Now, on to even tinier numbers....of that .4 percent, 1% of those identical twins share both a sack of amniotic fluid AND a placenta. Its pretty much as high risk as you can get but most people don't have it happen....

Woo. Well, I guess I don't even have to tell you that we rocked this percentage too...

According to the head of the OB department, my two babies are already learning to share at the very early age of 12 weeks.

Ok, so this is where I leave you to do your own math because, as I mentioned before...I don't do maths...but basically what is 1% of .4% of 3%??

Is that even a number?!?

Can I just go ahead and say our two babies are some kind of CRAZINESS from the Lord?!?! Ok good. I'm glad we all agree. And now, since I found out today that I will have to wait ANOTHER MONTH to have this information confirmed by the specialists in Columbus ( The Army will no longer take care of me because I'm so high risk...awww...sweet) I am left with a lot of what ifs. The internet is not at all kind when it comes to the statistics on babies who are sharing both a sack of amniotic fluid and a placenta but I am comforted by the data I listed above. If the Lord can defy all THOSE odds in give us these babies.....well, then He can also take care of them, keep them safe and bring them into this world in His own perfect timing.  Do not ask me the complications of what all that sharing will bring for my babies. Look it up yourself...but lets just say its not what an expectant mommy wants to here. However, like I said...we're all in Good Hands.

Doubly blessed

One thing that I learned relatively quickly after finding out I was having twins, is that there are a TON of people that wish they had or could have twins. Who knew? I can't even count how many ladies have shared with me their envy/excitement at the prospect of having double the babies. My first thought was to feel guilty. I was not one of those girls. After some serious reflection I do remember a phase when I was about 8 where I wanted twins. That was probably brought on by owning the "Heart Family"- a generic barbie knockoff family that comprised of a Mom, Dad, and twin boy and girl. I named them Eric and Erica. Totally ridiculous names for twins, since we all know that on Day ONE you would get tongue tied and call them by the wrong name. But then again, as an eight year old I was not thinking on a practical level. Thus the desire for twins. My other positive memory of twins was from the Anne of Green Gables series- there were tons of twins in those books. Authors are often equally romantic when it comes to childbirth and child-rearing as 8-year-old girls. Yet, here I am...practical,unromantic, adult Abigail....11 weeks pregnant with twins. And let me tell you, I am humbled. Super super humbled. I have several dear and close friends who are dealing with infertility in varying degrees. They would like just one baby, thank you very much. I have other dear friends who have experienced the devastation of loosing babies. A pain I cannot begin to fathom.  I sat near a woman at my Obgyn briefing (HEY, thanks Army Medicine for making my baby experience so totally impersonal....geez), anyway, I sat near a woman who was pregnant after having a reverse tubes tied surgery....Why? Because she lost her first baby after two months and didn't think she could deal with the heartache again. Wow. But now she's nervously going ahead, trying again. And I hope beyond hope that she finds happiness again.

 So, I'm not going to feel guilty, I know the Lord is mysterious with His gifts. But, what I am going to do is NOT complain about the morning sickness, the already ridiculous weight gain....and all the other "inconveniences" to come. For bottom line, children are a blessing from above and I want to delight in my double blessing in every way that I can. I will never ever ever take for granted the blessing that we have been given to have an already healthy son and the prospect of more. Friends, may I never speak flippantly about the joy/struggles of parenthood....for I know it is a priviledge.

This past week I got to meet my brandspankin-new niece Arulai. She's gorgeous in every way and I love her so much already. And really when I held her in the hospital I couldn't help but think ahead seven months ( or so) to when I'm giving birth. Hopefully it will be as joyous. Hopefully things will go well. I know that twins equals possible complications but all I could think about when holding my adorable niece was how incredible it will be to hold TWO babies. Can a heart even hold all that love? I'm not sure. But I think we're willing to try.

Eating for 3 ( hundred).

So, I have a cold. Which is never awesome. Its also not awesome when you're pregnant because you can't take any of the good "hardcore" drugs that actually make you feel better. Also, its not like that morning sickness has really gone away, and phlegm is just what I need (!!). Oh, and its 115 degrees outside. Actually its 106. But with the humidity its definitely 115.

Ok, so that's my segue into what happened next. So, there we were driving down the hot hot highway of Georgia, coming back from a 5-hours-away over night trip...when my craving hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted some lemon chicken soup. Basically I knew I'd had something of that nature two years ago when my friend Keri made me some soup as part of several FANTASTIC meals that she made me after Ransom was born. One of the many many ( MANY) reason's I miss her so terribly now that she has moved is that I will not get her incredible cooking any more....tears.
So, yes, back to my craving. Since it had been two years I only had vague memory of the soup I'd had, but after some internet searching and a desperate trip to the store ( where I left my cellphone in the grocery cart and had to run back in, borrow someone's phone and track my iphone down-which had already gone to someone who'd taken the cart...eek!)....I made this soup.

Its call Greek Lemon Chicken Soup. And yeah, you'll have to turn the air-conditioner up...but I feel that the lemon-y flavor makes it just summery enough.....

8 cups of chicken broth ( go low sodium if you can)
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice, plus another lemon to squeeze a bit over each bowl
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped celery ( I left this out...because...ew)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup cooked white rice ( I think you could go noodle or even Orzo if you wanted...)
1 c. diced, cooked chicken meat ( I used a rotisserie )
8 egg yolks
2 c. chopped fresh spinach

1. In large pot combine first 6 ingredients and bring to boil on high then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes ( or for how ever long it takes to go to the store, loose your phone and get it back).

2. Mix in cream of chicken soup, till fully combined.

3. Beat your egg yolks until they have turned a bit lighter in color, then add a little of the hot soup to the egg yolks and mix in well. Return mixture to the soup pot and heat through.

4. Add rice and chicken and spinach. Serve with a garnish of lemon and a big piece of good bread and butter. YUM.

Sweet melody

So, right now I'm writing this instead of going insane. I'd really like to just go off the deep end. But, alas, I cannot....I'd be leaving behind a distraught little dude who won't eat his dinner...
Yup. We're exactly 46 minutes into a stand off over some meatloaf and mash potatoes. Meatloaf and mash potatoes that he liked and ate off my plate only two days ago. But decided to SHUN at lunch today. So I let him go without eating ( how nice of me, right?) But now, now we're at dinner....and honestly....I don't know how much longer I can take this. Did I mention that this is what he was suppose to eat last night for dinner?! But he didn't eat it then either. So basically he's had BREAKFAST in the last 24 hours.

People I know this is a battle of wills. Mostly because we've been doing it at degrees for a while now.  All of a sudden he will refuse a strawberry, cry for 30 minutes, finally eat it and ASK FOR ANOTHER ONE....that's control my friends and not on mommies side.
Ransom has always been a picky eater but I've kind of let it be for the most part because I'm lazy and I'd rather not fight over food. But, I've decided as we near the age of two, he really should learn to eat things that are not in crackers, the special lunch meat he likes, mild cheddar cheese, strawberries, bananas, certain pizza cut into bite-sized pieces, black beans, cereal and kraft mac and cheese ( no other kind) and spinach that has been pured just the way he likes it. Geez. What a tiny little pallet!

So, I'm determined to help my son overcome his issues with food. SO HELP ME GOD.

Oh. Wait. He's eating...

NOSUDDENMOVEMENTS....

Oh my gosh, that only took AN HOUR. And now he's sitting over there quietly stuffing his little face.
Well, that's a good way to end this post because honestly I was afraid of what you were all going to think of me and leave nasty comments about my bad parenting. This just proves I was right.

June Cookies

yup, a half eaten cookie.  That's all the pictorial evidence I've got. 

Today I was feeling sicker than normal. Who knows why? I think I tend to try to deal with pregnancy sickness logically, like there could be some sort of scientific equation that if I was able to detect it I would break the code and no longer have to deal with any nausea at all....sadly, there probably isnt much more I can do. Some days. Better than others. period.

Anyway, after my second nap of the day ( yup, second....God bless my sweet husband and the weekend) I felt a bit better and so I decided to take advantage of the moment and I made June's cookies.

I've had the ingredients for a few weeks now waiting for just such a moment. Luckily, I wisely chose an "easy" cookie that has a lot of bang for its buck....

Without further ado Pretzel Peanut butter chocolate cookies:

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
• Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

double mint gum

If you haven't read the post entitled "Mother's Day" please read that one first...otherwise you're in for too much of a shock.incidentally this post was also written several days ago.... 

So, last Thursday I started having some bleeding. And in pregnancy world, bleeding is always bad....while I wasn't having any pain I still felt like I needed to make sure everything was OK. So my good friend Rolinda came over on a moments notice to watch Ransom and off I went to the Emergency Room.
It really went fast as far as ER visits go, and Brett was even able to meet me there and stand next to me while I was poked and prodded. The ER doc was able to see that yes I was having some bleeding but it looked like a full-on miscarriage was not happening at that moment, and he was even able to get an ultra sound of baby to verify a heartbeat. And so we were sent home with the knowledge that while the baby was OK right then I just might be at the beginnings of a miscarriage and we wouldn't know anything substantial for a few more days.
The waiting game.

Abigail's favorite.

However, I really did have peace about everything, and felt sure the baby was going to be ok. That night I was going through some of my old blog posts and I read this old Easter post, which if I do say so myself is really really good ( hehe)...basically the idea that God knew how hard it would be for his disciples and followers to have to wait through the awfulness of Saturday after the events of Friday...not knowing the joys that Sunday would bring...well, I was helped by this. I was helped by the reminder that sometimes we are just called to wait.

So wait we did.

Which brings us to today....off I go to the doctor to have confirmation that I am still pregnant. I felt sure that it was a confirmation and not the opposite because its been a week and I haven't had any more bleeding. I've also been increasingly nauseous and for once this was a good thing...a good thing in that it was a tick in the "I'm still pregnant"category...

So, the OB doctor starts checking me out, everythings good, she does an ultra sound and there's the baby! And there's the heartbeat! Yay!!

But wait....

What's that.....

"Is that another baby?!"says the doctor.  ( she adjusts her wand and sure as day there's another baby on the screen...)

"You're having twins."

And that's when my brain chose to assume I was in an alternate reality. Or that I'd all of a sudden become famous and was on MTVs Punkd.  Because seriously?!?! TWINS!?!?!?!

We don't have twins on EITHER SIDE. ( Unless Brett's hiding something.) And in all of my speculation I have NEVER even CONSIDERED that I would have TWINS. I'm not one of those people. You know, one of those people that God deems "strong enough"...

Anyway, I had a good cry waiting on my doctor to return. And I've been processing the news for a few hours now. And bottom line is that God knew this was coming. He knew. He knew.

(the next day)
So today it was confirmed that I have a Subchoronic Hematoma ( feel free to google that, I know I did). Basically if it bursts I could have a miscarriage.
Scary. I'm scared.
And yet I'm also tentatively not. Fear just seems like such a crazy emotion right now...I'm afraid of having twins. I'm afraid of loosing them. If there was ever an opportunity to lean upon the Lord this is it! I woke up this morning thanking Him for once again putting me in a place where there is NO WAY that I can ever ( ever, ever) do it on my own. I cannot keep these babies safe and healthy/ keep this hematoma from bursting, I also have a pretty strong suspicion that I cannot take care of two infants and a toddler alone either...so yes. Lord, I'm holding on tight to you!

Mother's Day

This post was written several weeks ago so as to preserve the "authenticity" of the moment. Enjoy.





So, on the saturday before Mother's Day I fell asleep on the couch during Ransom's nap time. And I awoke about 45 minutes later with two very clear thoughts in my head:

1. I have to pee so badly!!

2. Good. Lord. I'm. Pregnant.

The second thought was so clear and while seemingly only based on really non substantial evidence like needing to pee after taking a nap that I shouldn't have needed after a nine hour nights sleep the night before, I still took a pregnancy test just for kicks and giggles.

And, just like with Ransom I did a double take when it came up "pregnant".
SERIOUSLY?!? It just doesn't seem possible! And yet there it was plain as day.

And so, after several days of reeling. Here I am sitting on the couch writing a blog post I probably won't publish for at least a few more weeks.

Many of you know that I've had another boy and girl's name already ready to go for future children ( they are such good names! I can't wait to reveal them here on this blog!!) . And in some ways those two names are so real to me that the little people attached to them seem real too. I wanted more kids. I wanted Ransom to have someone to call and say, "Our parents are crazy."  And for the person on the other end to be able to agree with full knowledge and understanding. I wanted him to have someone to fight/play with on family vacations and to play with on boring summer afternoons or rainy Sundays.

All that being said... I'm pretty darn scared of having another kid. While it was almost two years ago, I remember pretty vividly the horrors of morning sickness and being bigger than a house, the SERIOUS horrors of labor and delivery and the nightmare of those first few months of crying crying sleeplessness...how in the world will we do that while also having a very sensitive little toddler to raise up at the same time?! My only solace is that people seem to "do this all the time" and my hope is that I can be one of those people.

And of course, just to add some Real Housewives of the Army drama in there- Brett may or may not be deployed when the baby is born and for the few months after the baby is born. AWESOME. Not that I haven't done those first few months alone before ( see Ranger School...) but as I said to Brett, if he misses out on that total awesome-ness that is a newborn ONE MORE TIME. SO HELP ME. ( empty threat)....

Bottom line: Drama is unfolding at the Wilson Household. Stay tuned.

confession

Confession: The last few days I have worn "work out" clothes like they were an outfit. As in, I literally went from PJs to stretchy shorts and a T-shirt and then back to the PJs at the end of the day....oh, and I barely did anything worthy of the stretch-y-ness. Yesterday I went on a walk and today I worked in the garden. In both cases I broke a sweat, but I wouldn't say it constituted a whole days wardrobe.

Confession: I do not care about the above fact. I honestly SHOULD because its a slippery slope when it comes to stretchy pants...friends, once you start, it is infinitely hard to go back...*sigh* However, like I said...I just don't care and since these last two days are considered "the weekend"...I'm ok with it.

Confession: I'm a terrible secret keeper. Especially with my own secrets. Thus the blogging. I'll probably blog till the day I die because I will need a place to share my own secrets.

Confession: I've gone to bed around 9:30 for the last week and gotten up around 7:30....having so much sleep makes me a BETTER PERSON.

Confession: Target is selling these new dark chocolate camels covered in sea-salt that are TO DIE. I got them for Mother's Day and I was initially excited about them because they came in the cutest powder blue tin...but now I love them because they are SO GOOD...and I eat two during nap time every day...till they are gone. *tears*

Confession: Ransom will be with a babysitter ALL DAY on Tuesday because Brett and I are going to a Marriage seminar and then ALL DAY AND NIGHT on Friday because we're taking an overnight date ( I truly believe that a good marriage is based on how many quality overnight dates you can squeeze into a year...no excuses. DO IT). And I already miss my little dude. He's just so darn cute. I don't care how much he loves his babysitter ( he does, he loves her ever so much)....this just might be my current max on being away from my kid. And for those of you who think that I'm up for a week without the kid. You'd be way wrong. I'm not up for it. ( currently).

Confession: I have actually blogged this week, you just haven't read my posts...I "pre-wrote" meaning I've written a post or two that are for specific days in the future. Can you say, "nerd?!"

Gleaning some mommy wisdom

I love getting advice from other moms! I'm constantly trying to glean as much as I can from all the awesome women around me....and sometimes I get the advice third or fourth hand, which usually just proves that it's even MORE awesome and should REALLY be taken into account.

Just today I was thinking about three things that I'm so grateful I "adopted" as my own:

"Hands on the tires" ( wish I could think of who I got this one from...if its you then claim it!): When Ransom gets out of the car, and I set him down on the ground I make him put both hands on the tire next to me while I get the diaper bag or whatever else out of the car. Then when I'm ready he gets to take my hand and we walk to safety. I love this! For one thing I don't have to worry about him running out into traffic ( it didn't take Ransom long to learn this one and seems to think its pretty fun, I've had to stop and tell him "no" a few times when he's removed a hand for whatever reason...so I could see that it might take a little "training"...but for the most part he seems to love touching the tire. ) For another thing, now when I get Ransom out of his stroller he puts his hands on the back tire of the jogging stroller too! I find this really hilarious! My dad says that he'll be good at getting police searches one day, but I think its the perfect solution to a safety/multitasking problem.

"Kid Scissors" today I cut up Ransom's chick-fil-a nuggets with a pair of kids scissors that I keep in my bag. Its especially awesome when traveling, but scissors are THE way to cut up kids food! I'd been knife and forking it for almost a year when Lindsay mentioned that this was the fast/easy way that our mutual friend/mother of three- Liz cut up all three of her kids food!! I've never gone back!! And having a blunt pair of scissors in my bag for any time use...well, perfect!

"Blanket time", lots of parents do this from an early age and its part of Babywise book 2 training if you're interested...But I was just not down for this particular "discipline" when Ransom was smaller...But now that he's older and has a lot of toddler energy to burn, it seemed both necessary and been pretty easy to implement a time of day when he has to sit on his quilt and play for a 20-30 min period of time. When we first started he haaaaated it, ( If he got off the blanket I would tell him "no" and put him back on the blanket, repeat and add spankings or whatever form of punishment you want if you so desire)... but then he started to actually ASK for blanket time if we hadn't already done it! I think it has promoted his imaginative play time because he has to think of ways to entertain himself with the toys that I give him ( I usually give two or three things to play with, plus some books). I now do blanket time while I'm in the shower and I don't have to worry about him running off and getting into trouble.


Are there any things that you've noticed other parents doing that you thought were pretty cool and you've stored away for yourself or started to implement? I'd love to hear them!

Waves

Even though Ransom had been sick all week ( with probably a pretty bad sore throat and a fever), and Brett came down with the sore throat on Thursday. And even though Brett worked such ridiculous hours this week that I won't even TELL YOU about them because you'd scoff.  Even though all of that was true. We went to a Navigator Conference this weekend in Panama City, FL. 

I'm not going to lie. I didn't want to go. When weeks are as much of a doozy as ours have been of late, I just want to hole up and nurse my so-called-wounds. But I'm SO glad we didn't!! 

For one thing, my son l-o-v-es the ocean. This kid would literally run into the waves if given the chance. NO FEAR. And that was enough to make the weekend awesome. But, it was also nice to get some literal MILES between Brett and his workplace. There's something about distance that can make all the difference and I need to remember that sometimes. 

Also....I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love sand. I love sunkissed shoulders. I love being barefoot. I love the smell of sunscreen. 

I'm planning our summer vacation to the beach IMMEDIATELY. 

( P.S. Are there any good beaches between here and Nacogdoches, TX?! We'll be needing to go there on our block leave as well, but I say-who's stopping us from getting a little beach on "on our way"?! ) 

April Cookies

Yesterday I made Brett his "cookie of the month". They are Peanut Butter Surprise cookies...and they are TO DIE. Even though I made these cookies with crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth ( which, yes, would have been better...but I had TWO jars of opened chrunchy peanut butter ( how did that happen?!?) so I went with what I had...) these cookies still turned out amazing. 

It was really a miracle that they turned out so well because I made them while in a terrible mood. Usually Rage Cooking rarely works out for me, but this time the recipe was so simple that I could make no discernible errors. Seriously. One should never, ever cook while angry or remotely mad....I for one find that food does not do well with High Emotions. This is why I feel that chefs are very calm people. This is probably not at all true. But I'm going with it for the sake of my point. 

The point being you can make these cookies while both angry and while having Low Blood sugar...which for anyone that knows me can tell you, is directly related to the angry part. 

Let's just say that my poor, dear husband had to work allllllll day yesterday and was still working at dinner time, so I made dinner while he was still working away in the dining room and then two hours later he was STILL working and dinner was officially cold and I was OFFICIALLY low-blood-sugar-angry. Incidentally, just in case you were not aware, Low-blood-sugar-anger is based off of NOTHING...and is not valid in a court of law, or in my marriage as it would turn out...so bottom line: it was good that I made cookies and eventually got fed-especially since my poor husband is working again today. Bless his heart. Its the LEAST I can do to give him cookies once a month. *sigh*  

blurry lines

As an Army wife, one of the perks has been, up until this point-the fact that we move every year or two giving us the opportunity to not become contestants on the show Hoarders. Having to move keeps my priorities in line on the whole "necessity" verse "luxury" situation.

However, we have now been at our current location for almost three years (!!!) and the lines are getting blurry....for instance I saw this on someones blog today and I came thisclose to buying it.

 Its a wall hanging, just in case you can't tell...but I kind of have a thing for owls. And I felt like it would go well in my guest room...plus, it was only 16 dollars!!! SHUT UP!

Anyway, if your also one of those people with blurry lines, you can get it here.


I was able to resist. This time.

Sharing!!

So, I wrote a little blog post for a College Ministry blog this week....You can read it here.  I was asked to write for them back in DECEMBER...and, yeah, its taken this many months for me to actually follow through. I guess this is just a perfect example of how loooong it takes me to write anything these days! I'm trying to do better ( but I say that every time!).

The drink of fathers

When I was little Papa would drive me to school. We'd listen to NPR's Morning Edition and Papa would drink coffee out of a normal mug ( no travel mug for him!), he'd  balance the mug on the dashboard which was pretty precarious, but there was no cupholder for mugs in his truck. He'd take a sip, we'd swerve a little, he'd make an "ahhhhh!" sound and he'd position the mug back on the dash so that he could focus on yelling at the Liberals on NPR.
These memories are so strong that I can literally smell the coffee and hear Bob Edwards voice.

And now, already, Ransom also associates the sound of the hot water kettle ( with which we make the hot water for the French Press coffee) with his Daddy ( this morning I was making a cup of decaf and he heard the sound  and literally ran yelling "Daddy!" into the kitchen), and any time he sees any mug at all he says "caught-tee?"

I am so glad that Ransom's own childhood memories will be just as permeated with the smell and sounds of coffee...There is something kind of comforting about it.  While its really not that important-I doubt that I could have married a non-coffee drinker. For the sake of our children.  ;-)

P.S. Will it ever NOT be heartbreaking when Ransom asks for his Daddy and he's not able to be there?!?!

two teeny tiny problems

So, as I have mentioned on this blog before, I've been having some ankle issues since December. And after several doctors appointments, 4 x-rays, a bone scan and an MRI, plus almost 4 months of no exercise... today I went in for another appointment where the "specialist" orthopedic doctor told me that there were officially no stress fractures as I was previously told, and that there was nothing wrong at the bone level. blah blah blah. Here's your cortisone shot, rest a few more weeks, come back in six...

Can, I just be honest for a few minutes!? I would like to admit that when push comes to shove I was disappointed in today's appointment because NO ONE mentioned my teeny tiny feet and ankles.

Bottom line is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with my ankle or how it happened, I feel POSITIVE that my size 4 and a half feet should NOT be supporting my 5'6'', size 6/8 frame...And while I've had every single friend/stranger that has ever seen my feet comment on how freakishly small they are, I really really wanted a Medical Professional to take note. To say something like, "Holy Cow, Woman, you are a modern day miracle!! The fact that you can walk around on those tiny stumps is amazing in itself, so OF COURSE you twist your ankles on a regular basis, and fall over all the time!! That only makes sense!"

But he did not mention this and I'm pretty disappointed. Now my ankle is pretty sore and I'm waiting not so patiently for the "dramatic relief" that cortisone shots supposedly give...for one thing I'd like to go for a run again before its officially 104 degrees outside at 8 in the morning ( that could be any day now!), and I'd also like to continue my current eating habits ( read: eat cookies) without my pants becoming increasingly tight...so I'll definitely be counting the days.

ALSO the next time you see me in sparkly pink shoes just remember that I have to shop in the CHILDRENS DEPARTMENT and that while it has not been medically verified, I think I deserve a little more "support" in life.

My favorite

He's my favorite

I tell Ransom he's my favorite all the time. I usually say something like, "you're my very favorite child."

This is of course very true since he's also my only child, but I still like to say it. And I have a feeling that I'll say it even when we have more children. I'll probably tell my other child that they are my favorite too.

It will be no less true.

I get away with this because by definition Favorite ( adjective) means: Preferred before all others of the same kind.

And I feel like Ransom is the only one of his kind. As will be true of all future offspring. There. Explained.

So this Friday one of my dear friends is throwing a Favorite Things Party. The basic idea is that everyone invited brings three of their favorite things, categories are endless, and then we all put our names in a hat and everyone draws and gets three new favorite things to take home....

How totally fab is that?!

I've been so excited about this party for ages ever since my friend explained the concept to me. As you know, from my giveaways last year, I am a fan of sharing my favorite things...and I have a lot of them.  What blew my mind was that some of the other invitees where having trouble coming up with things to bring. I'm personally having trouble narrowing down my list!!

So, if you were invited what would you bring? Here are some of the things that didn't make the cut for me:

Restaurant trips with a baby/toddler made easier....

I love wearing this ring...and getting strange looks and remarks like, "what's THAT?!"

This one couldn't make the list because it's technically not "mine"...but Ransom looks like such a little dude when he wears these, and I love it
.

I literally use one or more of these babies every single day in the kitchen.

If I could get away with it...I'd wear this skirt every day 

I'm currently using this as my "diaper bag"...but its more like my "take the sink with me" bag.

I bought this because I have a kid...but I've actually used it more on my own sad little ankles (its oh so cute!) 

If you haven't seen this movie, its not just for "people with kids"...It is one of the greatest tales of humanity I've seen, and while its been ages...I still think about this movie. 

I just read this book over the weekend and it made me laugh/cry.  Bonus: It's by one of my favorite bloggers!

Good Friday

I'm reading the most incredible book as part of our Home Church. Its called, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. I am only on chapter 7 and it is SOOOOO GOOOD.

I felt like I had to share this quote today, because I don't think I have ever before thought of the significance of the actual DAY of Jesus' crucifixion. I know its just a bit underselling God by a ton, but man, He had such perfect timing! Such powerful imagery.

Today I thank God for our Sacrificial Lamb, the one who ransomed us so that we might have a relationship with our most high God.

April 7, 30 

From noon to 3 p.m. the cries of the spotless lambs fill Jerusalem as they are slaughtered for the Passover feast. At the same time, Jesus Christ-the real Lamb of God-is crucified. As Jesus breathes His last breath, an earthquake hits the land, and the curtain which encloses the Most Holy Place in the temple is rent in two, from top to bottom. This signified that the way to fellowship with the Father has now been opened for all man to experience. 

March cookies!!

So, Brett's cookies for the month of "March" were actually made on April 1st...but they were no joke. ( HA! see what I just did there?!? )  And while I was a day shy of the month of March, I think Brett forgave me since it wasn't like he was actually HERE during the month of March really anyway....

Here's the recipe: Salted Carmel Thumb print cookies

So, ok these cookies definitely need some tweaking. First of all, I hate, hate, hate using "cookie mixes"...cookies are so easy anyway, it doesn't seem right to use a "mix"...but since it was my first time making them I went with it...next time, I think I'll just make a classic sugar cookie recipe with a little added flour. I also think I will use Caramel Fudge topping rather than just "topping"....I think it'll be thicker and less likely to run and not set. I felt like the caramel in these babies never REALLY set, and consequently when I put them on the rack to finish cooling the caramel just sunk through the middle of the cookie on several before I caught it and put them on more solid plate. 

That being said...these bad boys tasted like tiny pecan pies and they were AH-MAZING. I think Brett really liked them because instead of taking them to work to share, he sat on the couch with the tupperware in his lap and ate most of them in one sitting. That, my friends, is the goal.