Blackberry Cake Goodness--Mm

Last night we made a blackberry cake. By "we", I mean the entire family. :o) Brien had had some at Grandma's Saturday and had his mouth set for it when he got home. So, he trundled off to the grocery and picked up the necessary ingredients and we put it together.

This is the finished product and here's the recipe:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 package blackberry Jell-O (or raspberry if you can't find the blackberry)
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together and beat for 3 minutes (we whisked by hand with the same results). Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting when cool.

This cake is especially delicious when kept refrigerated. It can be made using any type of berry/Jell-O combination, but our favorite is blackberry (although raspberry works well too). It is exceedingly quick and easy to make, and I can fool myself into thinking it's actually good for me because of the berries and all those eggs--that's protein, don't you know. ;oP

****************************************
Meanwhile, I'm absolutely OUTRAGED to read this today! Explain to me why "Reading Rainbow" is no longer necessary in a child's world. Explain to me why we need yet another show on PBS that deals with phonemic awareness and the mechanics of reading when we have "Word World", "Word Girl", "Between the Lions" and "Super Why"? Why can't we have a show that demonstrates the pleasure of reading? I learned more good books as a kid from "Reading Rainbow" than I can count. I appreciate LaVar Burton sticking to his guns about his show. I just wish there were some way to save it. :sigh:

*********************************************
T0day's Sparklies:

1. The weather today was grey and yucky until we got home. The clouds cleared and there was beautiful golden sunlight and temps in the low 70s. Oh it was wonderful. Fall can't be too far behind, can it?
2.
What do you think of Lil's Clifford? I'm pretty impressed. :o)
3. I got the grocery shopping done and didn't spend a fortune. It's amazing how much money I have saved from having produce in the garden.
4. We're settling into a decent routine at school. Within a few more days we should really be hitting a groove. :o)
5. Dinner tonight was stuffed shells:

Quick, easy and tasty. Lily ate ALL of hers without any sort of complaint. :o)
6. Lil has discovered she likes "Dose orange fings with peanut butter"--you know, Reese's cups. ;o) Who can really blame her?
7. The doe and two fawns we saw on our walk--such serene creatures.


No milestones.

***************************************
I'm so stoked, it's early enough in the school year I don't have bunches of work to grade and no lesson planning to do--having done it all last night. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my free evening tonight. Maybe go to bed early??!? ;oP

Weekend Recap

Friday evening Lil was a wreck. She had been to the pool for close to three hours and had had no nap. I brought her home by four and she crashed. No matter what we did, we couldn't rouse her.
Therefore, we wound up skipping our Friday dinner with Nana and Pop. They were busy too, however, so we didn't have to feel too guilty. ;oP

Saturday morning dawned WAY too early for a weekend at 5:15 a.m.. Brien had to be at Mom and Dad's by 6:00 so he and Dad and Uncle Glen could head to Princeton for Aunt Vesta's funeral. Since we hadn't seen Sarah, Erin and Lauren for two whole weeks(!!) and it had been a coon's age since we'd seen Erik, we decided to get together late in the morning. Erik suggested the paint-your-own-pottery place and we had a FANTASTIC time!

Lil dressed herself--can you tell?--and we hit the road. She wanted to know why we were going to paint "Harry Pottery" which left me chuckling. :oP

Lil and Erin both selected the same kitty to paint. Erin used blues and purples while Lil selected red, blue and green.

The girls were so excited to start they didn't wait for directions and I turned around and found they were both one step ahead of us, already pouring color into their palettes! I admired the enthusiasm, if nothing else. ;o)
Oh, yes, Miss Bit needed to wear her earrings as well.



This was my palette. I made a tile that I then had Lil make a hand print on.




Where's the tongue?
Oh, thank goodness, there it is!
Lily really gets into her art, whether it's painting, markering or glazing.

Erik made a kitty bank for Lauren. Lil enjoyed watching him work once she was finished with her own kitty.



We then had lunch and hit home for a nap. Lil and I met up with Nan at the "rocking chair store" for dinner where Lil enjoyed a "panpake" for dinner. I went with my typical comfort food of chicken 'n dumplin's with mac and cheese, green beans and fried apples. Oh, and a biscuit. ;o) I don't know what it is, but there is something about Cracker Barrel that I really enjoy. We did a little shopping afterward and then I had to practically drag Lily from the rocking chairs to the car. Lissie, that might not be a bad idea for a Christmas gift...

Today has been a day for lying low and taking it easy. Brien, needless to say, is pretty beat. I awoke when he got home last night, at 11:20. That makes for a long day and I'm sure Pop and Uncle Glen are just as pooped. As such, we did nothing of any sort of consequence today.

Following many of my students' examples, I didn't bother to do my homework Friday or yesterday, so it's hanging over my head this evening. I've got lesson plans to put together and some pacing to get finalized. And, I've got dinner to get into Lil...
************************
Weekend Sparklies:

1. The birds planted these sunflowers. They were such a pleasant surprise. :o)

2. Look at the pepper! I've got four of them and they are just about ready to be picked.
Dani shared an excellent stuffed peppers recipe with me that I can't wait to try. :o)
3. Speaking of Dani, it's always wonderful to touch base with her. She's off to Florence for her anniversary and I'm insanely jealous. ;oP
4. Making blackberry cake as a whole family--yes, Brien too. Typically, I'm the baker, but he joined in the fun this afternoon.
5. I finished two novels this weekend. Holy cow!! Sure, they were Lisa Kleypas novels I've read multiple times before, but it's always fun to revisit old friends. :o)
6. Two more Lily-isms: "Pay-ants" and "day-ance". I have no idea where she picked up that drawl, but boy does she have it. ;oP
7. Jessie's having a girl!!!!!! If you are an invited reader, you should head over to see one of the baby's first pictures. 3D ultrasounds are incredible.

No milestones.

**************************************
I guess it's time to do my homework...:sigh: ;oP

Lily's New Most Favoritest Videos

and



and



and



and



I had seen the first two quite awhile ago and remembered enjoying them. For some reason they popped back into my head tonight and I knew my little "kitty", Whaska, would enjoy seeing another kitty at work (hopefully not getting any ideas in her clever kitty head...). And, who can resist a portly pooch? You should have heard the cackling that ensued as the child watched these again and again. It sure made my evening.

Happy weekend everyone! We've certainly earned it... Whew! :o)

P.S. How wonderful! Simon's cat has a website!

Happenings

Brien's great-aunt Vesta passed away yesterday and we have been trying to determine what to do. The service will be held Saturday in Princeton, and as much as I would like to attend, I don't see how I can. We had considered driving to the 'burg tomorrow after work, but I realize that just won't work.

You see, the first couple of weeks of school are utterly exhausting (as all you teachers can contend!), as is the first trimester (at least it is for me). The combination of the two leaves me completely shattered by 5:00 most evenings. I drag myself home, do my chore for the day, cook dinner, walk the dogs and get Lil to bed. At this point, I'm done. I have no idea how in the world I would be able to get behind the wheel and drive four and a half hours after another long day, it just wouldn't be safe.

So, Lil and I will stay home and B will travel to Princeton with Dad and Uncle Glen. This way, I can sleep in (HA!!!), hit the FM (which won a big award that will be presented Saturday), grocery shop and then work on lesson plans. We may also have a chance to hang out with Nana as she will be staying home as well. I might even sneak in a nap or three. ;o) The boys plan on heading out and back in one day(!) so B will be home late Saturday night--pray they have a safe trip.

My heart goes out to Aunt Vesta's family and to Grandma. It's always so hard to lose someone, no matter their age.
******************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. We got in an evening walk, even if it was rather short given the time and weather.
2. Today was wonderful and I had a lovely conference with a parent this afternoon. Her daughter is simply delightful. :o)
3. My husband is a saint. I'm a hormonal mess (yes, I know I am) and all I really want to do is sack out in the evenings. He is so sweet and takes care of the kitchen and packing lunches. He takes care of disposing of foodstuffs that could be smelly so I don't have to deal with them, and practically insists I sit and take it easy in the evenings. Have I mentioned recently how much I love this man?
4. Lily is just so stinkin' sweet--even when she's faking injuries to get "banbaids". Other Lily-isms: "stumb", "toenaedoes", "clecktion". I'm going to have to write them down as she says them so I can remember. She is a funny kid. :oP
5. Steak teriyake for dinner. Mmmmmmm.

No milestones.

**************************************************
All right, I'm off to crash. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend. :o)

Oh, and here's that movie link that wouldn't work the other day. B and I are still chuckling over it. ;o)

Day One Done

I have to tell you, morning sickness with a side of first day nerves is rather unsettling to say the least. The children arrived, everyone seemed happy and the morning was off. I was "on" from 8:10 this morning until 12:15 this afternoon--thank goodness for noon dismissals the first day! ;o)

Not used to being "on" for that length of time, not used to standing on hard concrete, and not used to using my "teacher voice" for so long left me with some discomfort and utter tiredness this afternoon. But, I feel wonderful! It was a great day! :o) The kids were very excited to find they had three homerooms instead of two, thereby making their previous classes smaller by eight each. Eight! That's a LOT of kiddos!

And, although our schedules are a bit complicated and convoluted right now, once we are in the routine and swing of things I know it will all run as smoothly as clockwork. Now, there trick is to just get there!

Lil is one exhausted Bitty Bit this evening as well. She spent FOUR hours at the pool and had no nap today. She is whupped. ;o)

Brien had a trying day as well, so we are all in quite the grumpy mood. This may be an evening we just need to write-off and have a fresh one tomorrow. Once I get Lil down, I'm strongly considering hying myself off to bed as well, curling up with a good book.

********************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Our evening walk with impromptu trek through some woods.
2. The dragonfly that was resting on the side of the house up by the roof.
3. A wonderful opening to the school year.
4. Delightful friends and coworkers.
5. Seeing Katie today. She won't be back this year as she is headed to Seville, Spain to study and teach English. I hope she has an INCREDIBLE time! :o)
6. Heading to bed early tonight.

Milestone:

The "new year" began today. I have to say starting year three without Hannah isn't nearly as difficult as year two. Time does dull the pain, sand the rough and jagged edges. Unfortunately, it dulls the memories as well--they have lost their crispness and newness as well.

*************************
It's just about time to get the Bit out of the tub before she turns into a prune. ;o) Hoping everyone has a fabulous Thursday!

The Day That Was

Today was just one of those days. By the time it was over I felt as if I were ready to jump out of my skin. It was busy, productive and awful all at once. Let's just say scheduling is a nightmare and my assistant principal deserves a medal for all he has done to get this worked out.

By the time I got home I was an absolute wreck--grumpy, naggy, nasty and wiped-out. My poor husband had to endure being snapped at at least five different times. Of course, I recognized what I was doing and tried to correct the situation but it was just hard. This time of year is always crazy for me anyway, throw in a pregnancy and all that comes with that, and well, I'm a mess.

We went for our after dinner walk, this time walking the entire trail and I find myself feeling peaceful once more. I figure the dogs are crated all day, Brien and are are "crated" all day and we can all use the time out in nature. B and I are always recharged getting out and simply being.

The light this evening was soft and golden, casting orange patches on the trees and leaves. We saw numerous squirrels, a deer, an egret stalking its prey, and more. Lil stood inside a hollowed out tree and helped walk Waylen for most of our stroll. It was a nice break from the stress of the day. After all, tomorrow's the day! :o)

**********************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. I think everything has finally fallen into place. Whew!
2. Lily continues to be a HUGE help around the house.
3. Our evening walk and all the beauty that surrounded us.
4. There was a lovely cool-ish breeze this evening, not the typical muggy wind.
5. The light called to me and was soothing and beautiful. :happy sigh:

Milestones:
The beginning of the school year and the loss of Hannah are so inextricably intertwined in my mind I can't seem to separate one from the other. The stress and exhaustion that bring on down yos combined with the beginning of the school year have left me feeling rather down. I needed that walk tonight (almost an hour and a half), even though I have so much work left to finish.

As I have always said, the beginning of the school year heralds a new year for me. So it begins, another school year, another year without Hannah.

Another Busy Night

Tomorrow the babies arrive and boy do I have a TON to do beforehand. Okay, so my babies don't arrive until Wednesday, but tomorrow begins my first day of "normal" work hours, which means I have to be up by 5:45 tomorrow. Blah. ;o)

I can't believe how helpful Miss Bit has been today. We came home and she helped me clean the bathrooms, set the table without being asked and cleaned up the tiny cutting scraps, all with the sunniest, happiest attitude. It really brought a smile to my face. :o)

We finally had some of the peach cobbler this evening and it was indeed delicious--especially served with the vanilla ice cream. :o) After a decadent dinner of BLTs and cobbler, we took the dogs for about a 45 minute walk--good exercise for the entire family--on our nature trail. The temps are finally coming back down a bit and it's almost bearable outside. Whew.

One thing plaguing me right now, how in the world are we going to get Lil to "school" to meet her new teacher before I have to drop her off in two weeks. How are we going to do it? I've got to work, as does B. What to do, what to do... Maybe I take off during my "free time" to take her and bring her back to Shari's? I just don't know. What I do know is I can't just drop her off with some teach sight unseen. That would be a horrible thing to do to a child.

Although the evening is young yet, I have SO much I need to get done before tomorrow arrives. I'm not sure if I'll be here tomorrow--it depends on my nerves and such. ;o)
***************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Holly was a perfect angel on her walk tonight. :o) Hooray for Hell Dog! ;o)
2. Hokies football begins in 12 days!
3. Lily was such a helpful darling this evening. Hooray!
4. The evening walk and the sounds of wildlife all around us. Late summer sounds so different from early summer sounds so different from spring, etc. Each season has its own sounds if you just take the time to actually LISTEN.
5. The egret I saw soaring gracefully over the marsh this evening.
6. The sounds of the pounding rain first thing this morning, knowing I could just lie in bed and not have to get up for another hour. :o)

No milestones.

*************************************
Holly, I think the game you are asking about is Mille Bornes. Thanks for the reminder--I may have to rope B into a few games once the chaos calms down. ;o)

A Weekend of Busyness

Boy were we busy today (only a little so yesterday). Yesterday we had planned to head to the Eastern Shore to watch the effects of Hurricane Bill. However, with the weather predicted to be rainy/stormy, and with me having some major misgivings, we stayed home instead. My morning sickness continues to worsen (ugh) leaving me feeling sorry for myself for much of yesterday afternoon. ;o)

Today, however, was another story. Yes, I'm feeling even worse today (still only threw-up that one time two weeks ago, so that's something at least), but dcided there was no help for it and there was just too much to be done.

I began the morning with scones and from there the work commenced. Lil and I cleaned the kitchen, decluttered the laundry room, vacuumed, dusted, straightened the living room and did six loads of laundry. While we were doing this, Brien was wearing himself to a frazzle pressure washing the siding. We knew it had to be done and had contacted a man about doing it. For the cost of paying him once, we could instead purchase a pressure washer and do it ourselves. Additionally, we'd have the pressure washer to use again and again, thereby mitigating the cost of the initial outlay. Alas, Brien and I discovered an additional cost, not just his time, but the extreme fatigue and soreness he now has in his arms, back and hips. Who knew?

Anyhow, I can once more sit in my living room and enjoy a clean, clutter-free house. Lily, sweet baby, has been doing her part to keep the house straightened. She does her chores every day and earned her first "allowlance" payday. :o) She was SO proud of herself and ran right up to her room to tuck her "moneys" away for safe keeping. She really is SUCH a good girl. She sure keeps me smiling! :o)

The tomatoes are rolling in almost faster than we can eat them--my mouth is full of acid sores, but I can't seem to stop myself. Dinner this evening was BLTs and ohmygoodness they were SOOOOOO wonderful!! In fact, they were so good, Brien and I each ate two, when we knew we should have stopped at one. In fact, we were so full, we couldn't even enjoy any of this:
I made the most divine peach cobbler for dessert this evening. At least, it smells divine. I couldn't tell you how it tastes since my stomach feels as if it's going to pop at any moment. ;oP

I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated (of course ;oP) and modified it slightly, adding a little fresh ground nutmeg and some cinnamon as it the recipe called for neither. Hm. I LOVE peaches with a little seasoning, as does Brien, so I decided to go ahead and fiddle a bit. :o) B even went out to purchase vanilla ice cream so we could have it a la mode. Alas, I don't either of us will be having any this evening. :o( But, dinner sure was worth it! ;o)

*************************************
Weekend Sparklies:

1. Getting so much cleaning done. Whew!
2. Clean clothes. ;oP
3. A clean house--yay, Fred!
4. A wonderful smelling peach cobbler.
5. BLTs. :groan: ;oP
6. The tree frog B found this afternoon whilst cleaning the siding.
7. The humidity dropped a bit yesterday afternoon and it was delightful.

No milestones.

**********************************
Tomorrow is our last child-free day, the babies come Tuesday! :o)

Creativity Abounds

I'm still extremely tired this evening so I'm taking the lazy way out and posting photos of Lil's most recent forays into water coloring. Or, more to the point, the remnants of her exercises. ;o)



Messes abound when the child begins to color, paint, cut and/or paste. However, she's becoming MUCH better at cleaning up after herself. :o) We've been working on her chore chart for over a week and her enthusiasm has yet to wane. (Now I've done it, haven't I?)

************************************
I can't help but wonder if this exhaustion is part of the first trimester oh-my-goodness-I-can't-stay-awake-past-five-o'clock tiredness. That, combined with beginning of the year work and meetings have combined to just wipe me out.

On the good news front, the nausea has been much better the past two days. I'm sure tomorrow it will return with a vengeance. ;oP

Speaking of tomorrow, we have staff retreat in the morning and then the rest of the afternoon off. As my room is almost finished, and I have Monday (all day) to work on it, I'm going to head out. B is going to take a half day of leave and meet me and we are going to have an afternoon date. :o) Then, tomorrow evening, the "girls" and I are getting together with our families as a sort of "farewell to summer". It should be wonderful. :o)

I tell you what, it's 8:00 and I'm already ready for bed. Eek! I don't know how I'm going to survive the first week of school!!

*******************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Here is a photo of the fun froggy princess Kelly and Ron sent:
Thank you, guys! She is TOO wonderful!
2. Brien and I thought this video was TOO funny. We laughed and laughed and laughed. :oP
3. My room is ALMOST done! I got two more bulletin boards finished today--woo hoo--in between meetings. Boy is the week eaten up with meetings...
4. I got my class list today and I'm SO looking forward to seeing all my new babies. And, I get to see last year's babies as well. Oh, and the year prior to that. :o) It's nice to teach in a school where you can watch your kiddos grow. :o)
5. Having no school work to do so I can actually go to bed as soon as I finish this post. ;o)

No milestones.

Tired

I'm beat--utterly and totally exhausted. It has been a long, emotionally tiring day and I'm heading off to bed here in just a moment.

My mouse "button" isn't working (Paul, HELP!!!!!), so Brien is putzing around with my 'puter. I mention this because I had wanted to post a few photos tonight but I need my machine to do it. Oh, well. ;o)

Kelly, the gift arrived today. It is just PERFECT and brought a HUGE smile to my face today, just when I REALLY needed it. :o) Thank you SO much!! :o)

**********************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Clean sheets on the bed tonight.
2. Not having to nag Lil to do her chores--she just does them and it's wonderful.
3. Thunder storms--I'm growing to love them. Oddly enough, they make me feel closer to the Monkey.


No Milestones.

It's Done

There's nothing like getting a day you dread done and out of the way. It wasn't so much I was dreading today, it was more like I was saddened by what it meant. Today itself was lovely. The new principal told us all about herself and her journey to our school, beginning with the fact she was SO nervous about this morning and today and that she awoke at 3:00 and couldn't get back to sleep.

From there we had a nice breakfast (prepared by Scottie, sweet thing that she is) and then a fabulous presentation on the importance of embracing diversity, not getting caught up in the way things "have always been done", working together. We watched this little clip and I found it inspiring. Don't be a penguin!

I had time to visit with everyone I hadn't yet caught up with (that's really what the first day is for ;oP) and got some work done on the room--not that there is much left to do thanks to me sweet and wonderful husband. :o)

Lily had a fun day at Shari's and was loathe to leave when I arrived. We've had a nice dinner (I think I overate a bit, ugh!)--the scallops with angel hair pasta and a delicious avocado, tomato and hearts of palm salad--and taken the dogs for a LONG walk--maybe we'll all sleep better tonight. ;o) Right now, Lil is in the bath and I'm taking a breather.

It's amazing how much I DON'T have to do since I DON'T teach a primary grade. I imagine things are even simpler in the middle school and upper school. Jeepers it's simple to get ready for the kids. The main thing I have to focus on is planning. Well, that, and get together with the grade team to determine how we are going to manage things this year. We are a TEAM and like consistency across the classrooms. I'm also planning on focusing on organizational skills much more this year. I've got big plans, folks, big plans. :o)

***********************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Seeing Shari and having a chance to just sit and chat with her.
2. Getting to work and seeing everyone and the warm fuzzies that come with that. Everyone was quite excited to hear about Jellybean. :o)
3. Getting together with Lisa, Lola and Scottie and just playing catch-up. That was WONDERFUL! We're going to get together Friday night to finish catching up. ;o)
4. Ahhhhh, the "teacher store". School Crossing is teacher Mecca. That, and you can find the most WONDERFUL gifts for children. :o)
5. Not being as productive as I like to be, but not stressing about it. That was freeing, really.
6. Walking the dogs this evening we saw two egrets, one great blue heron, dozens of dragonflies, and at least 25 turtles. :o) Lily also saw a "treasure chest" or two along the way (tree stumps--isn't imagination a gift?).

Milestone:
Getting through the start of another year without the Monkey.

It's Official

As of tomorrow, my summer is over. :sigh: With that comes the anxiety and sorrow of saying good-bye to summer and beginning a new school year. This end also seems to herald some down yos as it is once again a reminder of summers with Han past never to be had again.

I know Lil will have a grand time at Shari's tomorrow (she begins her new school the day after Labor Day), and I know I'll have a great time seeing everyone again and getting back into the swing of things. Yet, I'm still sad. It's always so hard to get back into the groove. That 5:45 alarm is REALLY going to stink come next week. UGH!

My husband is my HERO. He took a day off work to help me in my room. I had a little rearranging that needed to be done (you do NOT scoot furniture around on newly waxed and polished floors!) and my lockers needed to be emptied and I was panicking. You see, that first week we go back before the kids isn't all spent working on our classrooms, oh no. We're usually in meetings for more than half that time so many of us opt to go in early to work on our rooms so we don't feel too overwhelmed when this time comes. Brien is SUCH a trooper and a WONDERFUL man. I can't say enough how much I appreciated all his help (and extreme patience) today.

*****************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Seeing Lil and Elijah play together. They are SO sweet together.
2. Getting my classroom in order. Thank you again, Honey!
3. My last day to take it easy and I did. I finished my last romance novel of the summer.
4. I made more of that yummeroonie black plum tomato spread today. The house smells divine--too bad my hands now smell like the bulb (yes, BULB) of garlic I used...;o)
5. Lil has taken to listening to audio books at bedtime. Tonight's is "Skippyjon Jones". I confess, the break from "Ariel" is quite lovely. ;oP

Milestones:
Another summer gone, another chapter in the book post Hannah begins.

Odds and Ends

We said good-bye to Dana again, this time for quite a while. She flies home this evening and we're hoping to get out that way sometime this winter--before the baby comes in the spring. I'm thinking with the way I LOVE the heat (NOT!), Phoenix in the summer is NOT for me. ;o) Maybe Lil and I can head out that way for a few days after Christmas. We'll see. :o)

Tomorrow marks my first day back to work. Of course, I'm not required to report until Tuesday, so I'll go in after I sleep in a bit. ;o) B and Lil are coming with me--B to help move some furniture around (nothing heavy, I promise!) and Lil to help move books and art supplies from the lockers. :o) And, if she's not interested in helping out, not a problem, I'll just set her up with the laptop and "Bolt". :oP

Because I'm heading back to work (and beginning to get that back-to-work panic thing going), B and I had a discussion as to how we want things to go around the house in the evenings this year. Lil likes 10 hours of sleep a night so she'll be in bed by 7:30. Working back from that, we'll do dog walking around 6:30, dinner between 5:30 and 6:00, and cooking before that. Because Lil's new school is on the way to and from work, and because I won't be chatting with her daycare providers like I did with Shari, I should be home by 4:30 most afternoons, leaving time for daily chores. I'm hoping to do something like this:

Monday--dust, cook, clean kitchen
Tuesday--vacuum, cook, clean kitchen
Wednesday--laundry, cook, clean kitchen
Thursday--bathrooms, cook, clean kitchen
Friday--out to dinner with Nana and Pop :o)
Saturday--FM, laundry
Sunday--family day

I have parceled out chores like this in the past and it's wonderful and keeps me on track. By doing a little each day, it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming on the weekends. Of course, straightening the living room and keeping our bedroom neat and tidy are daily chores as well. :o) Lily and I made her own daily chore chart. She's required to clean/tidy her room and the playroom, to set the silverware on the table and empty the silverware if there is any in the dishwasher, and to "help mommy"--meaning if Mommy asks you to do it, you help ;o). So far this is working out beautifully. Let's hope things don't fall apart once the novelty wears off. :oP

I didn't get to the peach butter today like I wanted, nor to the black plum tomatoes, but there will be time for that tomorrow when we get home from school. I'm only planning on staying through lunch time, I'm trying to take it easy. ;o)

I've told the bosses, and various members of the staff about Jellybean, and everyone is, of course, thrilled. :o) What's not to love about a pregnant lady (okay, minus the grumpy hormonal-ness and continual gripes about morning sickness ;oP)? Speaking of which, I don't think I'm too awful so far, and the nausea is now coming and going in waves. Nothing really to complain about per se, just enough to make me feel rotten every time I eat. ;o)

I'm going to call the local OB/Gyn group tomorrow. When I called in June they told me they wouldn't be accepting new patients until September. Well, I'm pregnant now and September approaches. I LOVE the practice I'm with, but it takes about 40 minutes to get to their office and about the same amount of time to get to the hospital at which they deliver. Combine that with the fact our pediatrician (whom we saw, along with her mother at the FM yesterday--I just LOVE her!) doesn't have hospital privileges down there, it makes since to switch up here. Keep your fingers crossed they'll take me! :o)

Lily has been keeping us all in stitches, from her "Do you want to trade?" comment Friday night to her full-body facial expressions (yes, it is possible, just ask any member of the family), she is a riot. She spends her time charming people in restaurants and stores, and scored a free kid's sundae at Carrabba's Friday night. :eye roll: And, really, right now, she's the sweetest dispostioned child and has been so for about six months. Who am I to complain? I know the ferocious fours are soon upon us (OMG, Han and four, what a NIGHTMARE!!) so I'm soaking up all the wonderful-ness that is a sweet three year old while I have it.

Finally, last night I dreamt there wasn't one Jellybean, that there were TWO. I awoke in the midst of a panic attack, lol! If there are indeed two Jellybeans in there, I'm not sure what we would do. I'd have to quit work, that's for certain. Thank goodness the chances for more than one are fairly slim. Whew! ;o)

***********************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Visiting one more time with Dana and Nana and Pop. Lunch was fun (sorry we spoiled it, Nana!).
2. The delicious French toast I made for breakfast. You can't go wrong with a recipe that calls for a tablespoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. ;o)
3. The salad dressing I'm making for supper found here.
4. Speaking of which, the Smitten Kitchen is one of my new favorite websites. :o) Beautiful photos of food and lovely recipes. Deb also documents those cooking moments that didn't go quite according to plan. :o) If you like to cook, or if you don't like to cook, but do like food, you should check her out.
5. Fresh peaches and fresh blueberries. A divine dinner combined with a lovely salad--I'm using green leaf lettuce, fresh tomatoes, fresh scallions, and avocado. Mmmmmmmmm. :o) I'm contemplating adding some crumbled bacon...
6. My sweet little girl who is SO good. She and I sit and sticker her chart every evening before bed. I'm SO proud of her.
7. Okay, I know this is going to boarder on TMI for some of you all, and I apologize, but, as always, this is my diary of wonderful things so I'm going to post it. I had a Mirena and had it removed in June. I'm delighted I was able to conceive Jellybean as quickly as we did. Additionally, having even the small amounts of hormones that were present in the Mirena apparently made a HUGE difference in the way I felt. I feel much calmer and more relaxed than I did. I had no idea I felt otherwise until now when I have something with which to compare it. Wow, what a difference this makes. :o)

No milestones.

************************************
Salad and fresh fruit beckon--it's a "whatever night" in our home this evening. ;o)

FM Once Again

It's been so wonderful to be home on the weekends. This week's finds include these black plum tomatoes to make that delicious roasted black plum tomato and garlic spread. Becky informed me this was the last week for the tomatoes so I picked up two pints since the sauce freezes well.

Only one pint this week.

Last week for peaches. :sigh: It's been a good run. :o) I'll be making peach butter from last week's peaches (they are finally ready!) tomorrow.

Corn to have with burgers later this week.
Beautiful lisianthus. I had NO idea they had any sort of fragrance and now, with hyper pregnancy smelling, I could scent the sweetest aroma. Who knew?

Three rounds of foccacia and mozzarella from George. I learned today from George's step-father (Soup Dog and Soup Dog Jr.'s "dad") that George trained at the CIA in New York. Wow! That's quite the accomplishment!

Oh, these are from my garden. I liked the lighting. :o)

Also from my garden. Tomatoes just keep coming in. It's wonderful! :o)

Lunch today was the foccacia with fresh tomato and mozzarella. With my nausea, I could only eat one piece. :o( The bit I did it sure did taste delicious.

Left over tomatoes and cheese were used to make a nice salad.

And, dessert. Ah! The blueberries should be here one more week. These are so divine. There is nothing quite like a bowl of blueberries sprinkled with sugar and coated with a little heavy cream. Lissie and I used to do this when I was a little girl--it was our special treat. :o) Now, it's my treat with my girls. :o)

Overheard at Dinner

"Do you want to trade desserts with me?!?"
--Lily as she takes her bowl of ice cream "soup" and holds it out to Dana and Nana as their super yummy Sogno Di Cioccolata is set on the table.

Cookies Anyone?

Alright, so sweet baby Lauren is not a cookie. But, she's as sweet as one. :o) She slept like this for much of the afternoon, and when she finally awoke (and had been fed), I was able to snuggle and cuddle and sniff her to my heart's content.

I was also able to give Sarah Lauren's gift today. My cousin Woli makes the most beautiful blankets and matching burp cloths and I couldn't wait to get them for Lauren.

And, since the sweet baby has reflux, I got her four additional burp cloths. I LOVE what Woli can do with fabrics (she's a whiz with cards too!!). :o)

Lil and I had made the cookie dough ahead of time since it needed time to chill in the fridge in order to be usable. After lunch, the girls and I cut out the cookies and once they were cool, they began decorating. Initially, I had to remind myself everything is washable. Then, when I saw the good time they were having, I just didn't care. :oP



I commented to Sarah that just looking at these cookies made my teeth ache.

But, it seems they didn't make the girlies' teeth ache. ;o)

The cookies are the best sugar cookie recipe I've ever used and I modified it to make them lemony. Courtesy my friend Cate, here is the recipe:

1 cup extra fine white sugar (I was out and failed to process the sugar I had on hand and just used plain old granulated and it worked okay)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract*
1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

*I used 1 t lemon extract instead

In a large bowl, cream together all ingredients except flour until smooth. Stir in the flour (and I added the zest from three lemons here before I added the flour). The dough will be really sticky so bring it together and refrigerate it over night, split into four chunks and wrapped in plastic wrap. (I split them, flattened them into about a 3" disk refrigerated for about 2 hours and it worked fine.)

Preheat oven to 375. Take dough and "squish" in your hand to soften. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to around 1/8" thick. Cut out and bake for approx. 8 minutes.

Since I had made lemon cookies, I decided to go with a lemon icing as well. I found a yummy one that called for mixing together:
1/2 cup softened butter
2 T lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar

I added more than the 2 T lemon juice to make a slightly "runnier" icing as that recipe is for a frosting. I split it in two and tinted one yellow and one pink. The tang of the icing combined with the lemony cookies was divine! :o)

**********************************************

So, this strange worry continues. I'm not as sick today and instead of embracing it, I'm terrified it means the pregnancy isn't healthy. I know I have to think of this the same way I do my up yos--don't question it, don't worry about it, don't distress because you know a down yo is sure to follow, just ENJOY it. I KNOW I need to chill, now I'm going to focus on doing so.

***********************************************
Today's Sparklies:

1. Company!
2. Lily and Erin played beautifully until the very end when neither of them had had a nap and had finally had it. (Hm, how many "hads" can a girl put in a sentence? :oP)
3. Snuggling with the baby.
4. Chatting with Sarah.
5. The cookies are REALLY good!
6. All the wonderful well-wishes and comments. Thank you all SO much!

No milestones.
Wait, no, that's not quite true. I had a milestone pass and missed it. This is my first pregnancy since I lost Hannah. The first one was Han, the second was with Han around and now, no Hannah to be the big sister. Wouldn't she just love two of 'em running around?!? ;oP