My Dirty Little Christmas Secret!

Yes, I have a Christmas secret! I LOVE cheesy Christmas movies! I'm not talking about ones like "White Christmas" or "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" (although I DO love it!) I'm talking about the ones that are especially made for TV like on ABC Family. As I type this I have "Santa Baby 2: Santa Maybe" playing. They just make me laugh and I totally tear up at the inevitable cheesy ending! I may not have much Christmas spirit this year, but those always make me a little Jollier! :) Sometimes don't you just wish life could always have the happy ending! I sure do!
I have so much I want to write about today, but not enough time. I will try and get more time later and hopefully I can write some more!
Love,
Theresa

Snip, Snip, End of the Road

Monday E got the big Snip Snip. He got along just fine, actually better than fine, he really got along great. He didn't have much pain and was back at work today (Thursday). He probably could have gone back yesterday, but the doc said no work until Thursday!

We now have 3 beautiful children. They are wonderful and we love them so much (see previous post!). We do not want to have any more children. If for no other reason, than I am not sure I could handle another pregnancy. My body didn't tolerate M very well at all. I am sure that I do not want any more. So why is there this part of me that is a little sad that I won't have any other babies and will never be pregnant again? Is this a little masochistic? I really have NO desire to be pregnant again and once M is through with the newborn stage, I am done with that too. But, there is just that part. That part that gets a little sad that I will never feel a baby kick me from the inside again. I will never feel him or her get hiccups again. I won't get to drive my friends and family crazy by not finding out the sex of the baby again. I will not get to diaper a baby with those tiny newborn size Pampers again. There is just something there that makes me truly sad. I don't know why. Is that normal? To want (if want is actually the word here) what you can't have?

We put up the Christmas tree this past weekend. It doesn't have a whole lot of ornaments on it as we are chasing J around the house with the few that are on there. I will put up the stockings (as soon as I find them) and the nativity scene. But, I just don't have a whole lot of Christmas spirit this year. One would think that with all that my family has been through this year, I would have Spirit coming out the Yin Yang. But, I don't. I tried listening to Christmas music this evening, and nothing. I don't know if I am just overwhelmed with all that has happened, that it is just too much. I feel really badly about it. The kiddos deserve a great Christmas and M will never have another first one. I just am not feeling it. Any advice???
Love,
Theresa

My Joy

I am a Facebook poster. I have a lot of friends on there and love that I can celebrate or vent as needed. Yesterday was a bad day in our house. Both girls were very difficult and Marshall wouldn't let me put him down without screaming bloody murder. It was a very difficult day. I was in tears half the day and I posted this on Facebook. Well, today I posted that I was determined to have a better day (which so far we have) and a Facebook friend (who shall remain nameless) posted the following:



"...There are alot of times I read ur updates and I feel that way about grown adults.. need a nap, constantly wining, asking the same questions a billion times, and my personal fav is do something to just make u mad cause they can... See this is y i am never having offspring.. I am surrounded by them... sigh..."



This makes me very sad as a mother and makes me doubt how good of a mom I am. Do I really complain about my children that much? I figure I must, which makes me sad. And why do I complain about them that much? I mean, it isn't their fault that they are all under the age of 4!



I hadn't planned on being a parent. To be honest, I hadn't really planned on ever getting married, until I met Eric. When I met him and got to know him though, I KNEW I wanted to marry him and have his children. This is a decision I do not regret at all. I honestly LOVE being a mom! I love that I get to spend my day playing with these 3 wonderful creatures of God. Sure, there are plenty (and I do mean PLENTY) of days that I doubt my abilities as a parent, but I have to believe that GOD would not have given me these lovely gifts if he did not trust and know that I could take care of them. He has made them my JOY. This JOY that fills my heart with a simple smile, an "I Love You", or a hug around the legs. There is no better JOY for me than these children. They help make me the person I am and for that, I am so thankful to God. I love these three children so much and I truly do not know why I complain about them. I guess that is just human nature, to complain about the JOYs we have in life. But, I need to do better. My children are my JOY and I need to share that feeling with the world, not complain about it.



So, thank you my Facebook friend for making me realize how much my children mean to me. Even if you do not want to have children, as that is completely your choice, know that I hope that you find the JOY in your own life. And that you let that JOY fill you up inside.



May you all find your Joy,

God Bless,
Theresa

To Be A Parent...

Anyone reading this that is a parent...have you ever just looked at your children and felt tears spring to your eyes? It doesn't matter how tired, frustrated, or just sick of it all you are, sometimes, they just make you want to cry with joy that they are yours! Jillian had been screaming since we came home from my MOPS Craft meeting, Layla couldn't decide if she wanted lunch or not and Marshall wanted to eat AGAIN and was crying. I got Jillian down for a nap, Layla chips and salsa (don't ask) and was feeding Marshall when I looked down and him and just felt my eyes tear up. Couldn't help it, almost started sobbing! I guess that is part of being a parent. It doesn't matter HOW crazy they make you, you can't help but love them!

Holy Crap, We Have A Son!!

Yep, you read that right, after 2 beautiful little girls, we have a SON! Marshall George made his appearance into this world on October 26, 2009 at 1:54pm! He was 8 pounds, 15 ounces and 21 inches long! He is a big boy, but not chunky at all, he is really long and lean! He is absolutely beautiful and I spend half the day just staring at him. The girls seem to really like him too, at least they haven't been mean to him yet! :) I'm sure that will come soon.

If you want all the gory details of the birth, here you go. If you don't want to read them, you might want to skip this part, although to be honest, it wasn't all that gory! :)

I was scheduled to be induced at 6:30am on the 26th. Well, by the time they got me into the room and everything, it took a while. My veins suck something awful and after having so many IV's that I have had this pregnancy, the nurses were a little gun shy about messing with them. So, we waited for Dan, who is one of the anesthesiologists. He put in my IV the week before when we thought I might be in labor (but was of course not!). He is SLICK! I didn't even feel it. If you are delivering at Clarion Arnett here in Lafayette, ask for Dan! I didn't feel a thing. He also did the epidural and I didn't feel anything there either! So, it was about 8:30am by the time they started the Pitosin for the induction. The drugs worked pretty quick, but I think it was about 11:30 before I asked or any relief. They gave me a shot of Nubain, but I think that after all of the drugs I have had these past 5 months, it did NOTHING! I got the head rush, but no relief. So, at 12:30pm the nurse checked me and I was at 5 cm, so she grabbed Dan and he came in and put in the epidural. Again, I barely felt anything. He was quick too...he had been heading into a C-section and was trying to fit me in! :) After he was done, he as asking me some questions. It was about 5 minute after the epi was in that my eyes bugged out! He asked, "well, did your water break?" I smiled and said, "Either that or I just wet myself severely!" Sure enough, my water had broken, which was SO weird. I have never had that happen, the doc has always broken it. Weird feeling! Well, about 10 minutes after the epidural was in, I wasn't really feeling the contractions anymore, but felt SO much pressure! It was crazy! Eric and his mom went down stairs to grab a quick lunch and the Doc was next door in the C-Section. My mom sat there and held my hand while I tried to breathe through the contractions. Yeah, the abdomen didn't hurt, but I felt so much pressure in my rear end, I thought, well, I really don't know what I thought, just that it HURT! After about 45 minutes of this, I remember looking at mom and telling her, "Oh My Gosh, I have to push!" She got all serious, and said, "Oh No You DON'T!" and paged the nurse. The nurse came in and checked me and I was past 9 cm., and on my way to 10! She went next door to check where the doc was and he was just finishing up. My mom called Eric and told him he better get back up to the room as it was time! A couple of other nurses came in to help. One of them was one of my sorority sisters Marcia (sorry, I can't remember her last name). She assured me that she had delivered a baby before in case kiddo came fast! Well, everything kind of happened at once! The doctor came in and so did Eric and his mom. The doc checked me out and told me to push! I pushed for about 20 minutes and out he came! He really came out pretty easy. I barely felt him crowning. Well, I felt it, of course I felt it! But, it wasn't as painful as the other 2 were. The worst part were his shoulders because they are really broad. Well, they took care of him and stitched me up (2nd degree tear), but all in all it was seriously a relaxing delivery. Doctor Schaefer just kind of let me push and didn't say much. Once I got over everyone staring at me, all was good! Eric and Mary were huge helps. Mom really just watched, but I think she really appreciated that so she could really watch him being born. Once I quit shaking after the epidural was wearing off, I got to hold him and nurse him. He took to that like a duck to water! He nursed for a long time (and that hasn't changed a bit!). Everyone held him and loved on him. The nurses said he was perfect and that I was an efficient pusher! That made me kinda giggle. I remembered when Jennifer had Dylan that the doc told her that shot put throwers made some of the best pushers. Well, I'm going with that theory! :) Once we got settled in our room, I got a little light headed, but that passed after a bit. It was still just such a shock having a little boy I think!

Changing the boy diapers has been an experience too! I've learned to cover up the penis or risk getting wet, and even that doesn't always work! Dealing with the circumcision has been interesting, but we are getting there. We are all learning as we go I think!

I am so glad that we have a little boy. Don't get me wrong, I would have been perfectly happy with another girl. But I am excited that not only Eric has a son, but my Dad has a Grandson. Being the only kid and being a girl can put some pressure on you and now I am really glad my dad has a boy to love on. That is why his middle name is George, after my dad! My dad started crying when he heard this. We didn't tell him Marshall's name until he got to the hospital. It was one of my greatest joys to hand my dad his grandson and telling him to meet Marshall George! So cute! The name Marshall came from this show that we watch called "How I Met Your Mother!" We have been watching this show for several seasons and I have always liked the name of the character! To make it even more perfect, the characters full name is Marshall Ericson. Too perfect! Marshall is most definitely Eric's Son! :)

As for me, I am feeling really good. One week after Marshall was born I was in a real pair of jeans. They aren't a perfect fit and are probably the ONLY ones I can wear, but who cares! They have a button and a zipper! :) I think I look pretty great after just having a baby. My only problem has been a condition on my hands. It has a big long name, but most people call it PUPS. My hands itched and swelled and hurt. It has really sucked big time! But, the doc put me on steroids and it is helping. My left had is completely better and my right is on its way!

Well, I think that is all. We are all loving the addition to our family. He fits right in! We are complete! I know we may not have planned on the addition of Marshall, but I am SO glad that the good LORD knew better than we did! He is wonderful and we couldn't love him more! Thank you Lord!

Still Here, Going Crazy!

OK, so we are still here, I am still pregnant, and things just keep getting crazier. I am not going to retype everything that I already put on the family blog, so feel free to check it out here.

I go in on Monday to be induced and will be so glad when this pregnancy is over. I am so ready to meet my little one, I can't stand it. We are as ready as we are going to be I think.

I am still coming to terms with the fact that I am going to be a mother to 3 little ones (all under 4!), but am slowly getting there. My family is my joy and I just have to keep remembering that.

So, watch for new pics and new stories as I will be up all night doing night time feedings for the last time (Eric is getting fixed after this kiddo is born!).

Hope you are all well!
Love,
Theresa

Long Time (copied from The Crowell Family)

OK, OK, so I know that it has been months and months since I have been on here, but life just gets crazier and crazier. The girls are doing really well. Sometimes I can't get over just how big they are getting. Layla is 3 1/2 going on about 20, but is so darn cute. She is so smart. Sometimes I just can't believe how intelligent she is. She is very into puzzles right now. She has 2 large ones that she does on the floor. She insists that she needs help, but almost always ends up doing them on her own. And she is obviously so proud once she completes them. She has a map puzzle too and knows where we live and where Florida and usually California are (Disney World/Land). It is really funny. She loves books and can often be found chillin' on the couch reading her story books. I am going to have to figure out how to start teaching her phonics so that she can start to read by herself. She has several books memorized like "Go Dog Go", "Goodnight Moon", and "A Woset in the Closet". As you read them to her, she says them along with you. It is very cute. She is such a beauty too. As she gets older, we are really in trouble. But, that is probably going to be the case with both of the girls. Oh, Layla loves jokes too, her favorite is "Knock knock", "who's there?", "Olive", Olive who?", "Olive you!" It is so very cute.Then there is Jillian. I swear that girl just LOVES to laugh. She is really ticklish and loves to laugh at her daddy and sissy. She is loving riding around on the play tractor and she really likes books too. It is so funny to sit and watch her "read" them. Well, and then she tears them up, but oh well, that is what a little girl is supposed to do. :) She is getting big, sometimes it is difficult to believe how big she is getting. She runs all over the place, says "Dada" and "Mama" and sometimes we swear she says "Layla", "sissy", and "I Love you". She is such a loving little girl and is always ready with a hug or kiss (although, we are still working on kisses, she usually just gives you her forehead).The baby is doing well. This kid is as strong as a horse. And, it is a good thing because we have had a lot of complications over the past couple of weeks. On Father's Day, I ended up having to come into the ER at the hospital with big time abdominal pain. They sent me home that morning, but after throwing up stomach acid for 5 hours, I knew I was dehydrated and wasn't getting better, so back to the ER I went. Turned out that my appendix needed to come out! Can you believe it? I mean weren't the kidney stones with Jillian enough? Apparently not. So, I had the surgery that Sunday night. It turned out that the appendix burst as the surgeon was taking it out, so I had the further complications of a drainage tube and such. I went home that Wednesday, but never felt better. I felt like I would take 3 steps forward and 10 back! The last straw was about Thursday or Friday and I started having what I thought were stomach cramps, but as I started paying more attention to them, I realized that they were about 1 to 3 minutes apart. Eric and I headed back to the ER about 1am Monday morning and have been here ever since. The doctors FINALLY were able to get the contractions to stop completely last night, but the medicine really made me feel awful. But, it did stop the contractions and that is what matters. Luckily the contractions were NOT productive and I wasn't actually in labor, just in a lot of pain. I am feeling better now, but am REALLY sore. I feel like I went to the gym for the first time in like 5 years and worked myself to death. The doctor should be here soon so hopefully I will know what is going on. I am just praying that I won' t have to be on bedrest as I am not sure how that works with 2 little girls at home. I guess we will see though. I think Eric is doing ok, I know he is stressing about all that is going on. Especially since things at work are FINALLY picking up, he is trying ot balance everything. Please keep him in your prayers as I know he is working really hard to keep the family going and I love him more for it every day. He is such a wonderful man and I think GOD for bringing him into my life. Thank you for all of the well wishes, the support, and the prayers. They are all greatly appreciated. I am a very lucky women to have such great friends and family.

Not much...

To report! Basically, things have been really busy, but to much to report. We did have a great birthday party for Jillian. I can't believe my baby girl is 1 and she will be a big sister by the end of the year! Crazy. Again, other than that, not much to report. I feel like crap, Kids drive me nuts, I love being a mom.
Theresa

Good Lord, Is Life Busy Or What??

I'm not sure even where to begin! So much has happened since I last posted. I know that I am WAY behind, and I will try to do better in the future. We have just had so much going on, I just haven't had a chance to really sit down and write. So, this might be a little bit of a long post, I have a lot to write about. So, better get started.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we got some bad news. Two friends of mine from my prior job were killed in a car crash. It was so sad. One of them was my office mate and the other was one of the nicest people in the world. They were both my age. Jessica was married and Julie was engaged, preparing to get married in May. Both of their significant others went to the hospital with minor injuries, but were otherwise OK. It is just really difficult to believe. I was able to go to Jessica's viewing, but not Julie's. I have said many prayers for them and their families, but it still makes me sad to think about. If you think about it, please say a prayer for them.

After that, we found out my Grandmother was in the hospital. She had fallen walking in the front door and then started mixing up her words. So, they took her to the hospital. They were afraid that she had had a stroke. Turns out she didn't. She did have a broken pinkie and a lot of bruises, but other than that was able to come home because she was all right. So, at least that was a relief.

What else? Hmm...Well, Books, OK. Well, I finished Knit 2, Plum Spooky, read Unravel Me, re-read Confessions of a Shopaholic. I just re-checked out Pride & Prejudice, so hopefully I will be able to actually finish it now. I'm not going to to book reviews for all of them, but know that I read them and enjoyed them.

I know that I am behind on recipes too, but those are going to wait until next Monday if that is OK.

What else? Oh yeah, our weekend. We celebrated our 5th anniversary Friday and for the weekend. It was wonderful. We took the girls down to my parents' house to stay. Then we headed to Indianapolis, checked into our hotel then headed out to eat. We decided to eat at the Fox & Hound English Pub because we thought that they were sure to have a Reuben sandwich on the menu. I have been CRAVING one of those, but corn beef is so expensive. So, I was hoping they would have one, well they didn't. I was sad, but got over it. We had some pretty OK food, but I will say that the cheese fries were AWESOME!!! Probably some of the best I have ever had! Then we went back to the hotel and went to sleep (how sad are we?) cause we were both just exhausted! Saturday morning we got up, went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. That is something we used to do a lot before we had kids, but haven't done it in a while. It was fun. Then we went and roamed around Kohl's and then decided to go to a movie. We went and saw Watchmen. I didn't really know much about it, but it was pretty decent. Long, though, we sat there for about 3 hours. I would like to read the book though now that I have seen the movie, just to see what I didn't exactly understand. It will be interesting to read a Graphic Novel, I have never done that. Then we went to Borders and then off to Cold Stone Creamery for "lunch". It was awesome, I had never been there before. I ordered the Birthday Cake Revisited...it was YUMMY! Then we chilled in the hotel room and then headed out to dinner with our friends Jen and Bill at PF Chang's. It was great, I had been in the mood for it. Bill had to go do some work then so Jen went with us to a bar to hang out a little bit more. Then on Sunday we headed to my parents' house to get the girls. We had Cake and Ice Cream for Jillian's birthday with Dad's side of the family. It was a lot of fun. Jillian was really cute to watch eat cake. Feel free to check out our family blog for pictures.

OK, so last but most definitely not least, we are expecting! This has been quite a shock for us because we thought we were done having children. We aren't really sure how it happened. Well, OK, so we know HOW it happened, but aren't sure how it happened. I was on Birth Control and used it exactly like I am supposed to, so I guess all is just meant to be. I am now 5 weeks along and it looks like I am due November 9th. The puky feeling started yesterday evening, so that sucks, but I know that is a part of my pregnancies, so I know what to expect. Wish me luck with the pregnancy. Layla and Jillian are going to be such cute big sisters!

Well, I think that you are pretty much caught up. If I forgot anything I'll put it in next time. And I PROMISE to not go so long next time in between postings!

Love,
Theresa

Catch up, lots to do! (book review and recipe)

OK, so I am way behind on what has been going on in my life. First off, I did something Saturday that I have never done before. I went to the Opera. One of our movie theaters here shows a live broadcast from the Met in New York. We saw Lucia di Lammermoor. It was wonderful. You can read more about it all here. I didn't know if I would like the opera...turns out I do. :)

Now, for my book review...

I am still putting Pride and Prejudice on hold as I still have books on hold at the library. But, my neighbor told me I could borrow her copy whenever I was ready to finish it. Thanks Sue! So, I just finished Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It is the final installment in the Twilight series. Here goes (SPOILER):

Breaking Dawn
By Stephanie Meyer
I really enjoyed this book, I think that it was my favorite of the 4. She really wrote it well and was EXTREMELY descriptive. I was very glad that she made Bella be strong as a vampire since she was SO not strong as a human. In fact, her character really irritated me throughout the whole series, she was very unselfaware. I will say that this book I was able to connect with her a bit more. She gets pregnant, and no matter what anyone tells her, she is determined to keep the vampire baby, even if it kills her which she knows it probably will. I think this is how people that WANT to be mothers feel. You just want that baby no matter what the consequences to you are going to be. She loved her baby and that was all there was to it. I knew that the connection with Jacob the werewolf was going to be. It had to happen. He hadn't "imprinted" on Bella as they say so there had to be a reason that relationship was so strong. Of course he was going to "imprint" on her daughter, it was very predictable. Again, thoughout the book she was strong and I liked that. It made up for her weakness in the other books. If you haven't read this series, I suggest it. Yeah, it is about vampires and werewolves, but it is a good read. I really want to see the movie Twilight to see how it compares to the book.

Now I am reading The Friday Night Knitting Club: Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. I read the first one last year and it was SO good. So, of course I had to read the sequel. I also have Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich in the waiting. I love her, she is SO funny! Then, I have nothing else on hold and WILL read P&P.

Finally, I forgot about recipe Monday. So, I am going to post two today. We had Recipe Club here this morning with Death By Chocolate. Only one other person showed up, so here are our recipes:

GERMAN'S (R) Sweet Chocolate Pie
Prep: 15 mintues plus freezing

1 pkg. (4 lz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate
1/3 c. milk, divided
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
2 T. sugar
1 tub Cool Whip
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Microwave chocolate and 2 T of the milk in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Add cream cheese, sugar, and remainig milk. Beat with wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate about 10 minutes to cool. Gently stir in whipped topping until well blended. Spoon into crust. Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Garnsih as desired. Let pie stand at room temperature or in refrigerator about 15 minues before serving for easier cutting. Makes 8 servings.
**Weight Watchers--6 pounts for 1/8 of pie**

Striped Snack Mix
1 box Rice Chex
1/2 bag pretzels
jar of peanuts
large package of M&M's
1 pound white chocolate bark
1 pound chocolate bark

Mix chex, pretzels, peanuts, and M&M's. Melt white chocolate according to package. Poor over snack mix and stir until coated. Poor out onto wax paper in one layer to let dry. Melt chocolate bark according to package. Using spoon or fork, drizzle over snack mix in stripes. When completely dry, break up and store in airtight container. Enjoy!

Hope everyone is doing well. Take care!
Love,
Theresa

Book Review

OK, so I had to take a little break on Pride and Prejudice for just a little bit for 2 reasons. One, I have to read every word at least twice. Now I pride myself on being a fast reader and I can usually comprehend pretty well what I read, but this book is just about KILLING me. If I hadn't made a promise to myself to read it, I would SO stop! But, onward ho! The second reason is that I had 2 books come in that I had put on hold at the library, Cross Country by James Patterson and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I have to get them both back to the library before P&P has to be back, so I had to take a little bit to read it. So, I finished Cross Country so here is my review:

Cross Country
Author: James Patterson
This might be a bit of a spoiler so if you haven't read it and plan to, then you MIGHT want to skip it. Anyway, the book was pretty good. Eric and I are big fans of the Alex Cross series. This one was typical Cross fashion. I did figure out who the bad guy was before the end of the book though. This book was a little more political than his usually are, sending Alex Cross to Nigeria, Africa to chase a killer. There was a lot of portrayal of the horror in Darfur. I have to admit that I really haven't paid too much attention to what has been going on over there. As bad as I felt for those people, it has been difficult for me to listen to it all, but this book really opened my eyes. I know that it is a fiction book, but I am going to guess that it is pretty spot on with what is happening over there. Like I said, the ending was fairly obvious, well, except for the last couple of pages. But, on the whole, good read. If you haven't read any of the Alex Cross series, I highly suggest them. Patterson writes really well.

I am still working on Breaking Dawn right now, so I will let you know what I think of it (and the entire series) when I finish. It is going pretty quickly.

I am currently retyping what I had typed on my own novel. I am so frustrated. I had quite a bit typed up, and I tried to put the disk in and it won't pull it up. So, I am retyping. Thank the LORD mom made me learn how to type, I would be a bit screwed if she hadn't!

I worked out a TON today. I went to Body Pump Class and then did my second installment of the Couch to 5K program. So, I burned off a lot of calories and worked up a good sweat. I feel really good though, although my legs are a little weak. Feels good!

All for today,
Love,
Theresa

New Recipe Monday!

Here is the recipe for this week...it was GREAT!

White Chicken Chili
(taken from allrecipies.com)
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Changes I made: I used 3 CANS of cooked chicken, only because I didn't have any chicken breasts thawed. I used 2 cans of green chilis instead of one of each of jalapenos and one of green chilies. I also mashed up another can of white beans and threw that in. Oh, DON"T drain the beans...this one I figured out the hard way!

No dessert recipe today, go fix yourself some fresh fruit! :)

You Know You Want To Give It A Try!

Lucky you!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be.
It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!
*Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

I'm All Good!

Just wanted to let everyone know that my skin biopsies all came back normal. Well, all safe anyways. One of the spots WAS atypical, but he wasn't worried about it. He said to just keep an eye on it. They went ahead and biopsied one more spot. He said that if I didn't hear anything than all was fine. They would call me if there were any problems with it, but for the most part No News Is Good News! So what a relief. I have really been stressing about this. So, I am so glad all is well. Thanks for the prayers.

It is SO white outside here. We have gotten anywhere from 5-7 inches of snow. It really is beautiful. I think Layla and I are going to play some games and do puzzles. It is too cold to go outside and play in it, so when Jillian goes down for a nap, it is PLAY time!

Thanks again everyone for the prayers,
Love,
Theresa

25 Things About Me!

Taken From my Facebook Page

1. I know the book "Good Night Moon" by heart
2. I LOVE to cook and bake. I wish that I could make all the things I want to, but I would weigh 400 pounds!
3. I really enjoy lifting weights and wish I could find time to do it more.
4. I love to knit and sew and really enjoy making very "girlie" things for my 2 daughters even though I'm a big tomboy.
5. I've never really given up on the dream of being a writer, it has just gone from being a song writer to a fiction writer.
6. I have owned 2 Ipods and have not paid for either one, The first was a gift from one of the teenagers I worked with (she had won 10 free ones) and the second Rian gave me (Thanks Rian).
7. I had NO desire to be in a sorority and was so angry at my friend Stacey when she joined Phi Beta Chi. She made me go meet the girls and they turned into my closest friends. So glad I joined!
8. When I had Jillian, I gave birth to 2 kidney stones too...Eric called them Mick and Keith, the Rolling Stones!
9. I have had close to 300 stitches: 3 in the head, 6 in the back, 2 in the chest, 10 "after baby" ones, and around 250-275 in the knee after 2 knee surgeries.
10. I have started the "Couch To 5K" Program about 5 or 6 times...this time I am sticking with it.
11. My all time favorite movie is "The Princess Bride". I can recite the entire movie. Eric HATES watching it with me. Runner ups are "The Fugitive" and "Jurassic Park".
12. I love music so much it is difficult to pick a favorite song, but I think that it is "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer" by George Thorogood or "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane. Admit it, you thought I would have said a Garth Brooks song, didn't you?
13. Garth Brooks is my favorite singer...I used to want to marry him. If he ever tours again, I WILL go see him, I don't care how far I have to fly or how much I have to pay for tickets.
14. I love to color and play with play dough and I get excited when Layla wants to do either!
15. I bleed black and gold and had ALWAYS wanted to be a Purdue Boilermaker, but I NEVER thought I would stay here and live.
16. We own 3.5 acres that we are waiting to build on...let's pray this market gets better!
17. One of my favorite things to do is to just sit and watch the girls play. After 10 months, Layla is FINALLY starting to play with Jillian and it is too darn cute!
18. My grandmother wanted so badly for me to be a nurse, but I can't stand the sight of blood or the sight or smell of puke...don't think it would have been the best choice of career for me.
19. I make the BEST brownies. Sorry, no modesty here...is anyone going to argue me on this? If so, you've never had my brownies!
20. I love to read, I can never get enough of books...I go to the library at least once a week and love it there so much, that I hope I can find a job there once the girls go to school.
21. I'm a little scared of horses. My mom has 2 and she wants to put Layla on them. She knows she isn't allowed to without a helmet, but I am still terrified. Oh, and she has NO idea I feel this way.
22. I LOVE to pile blankets on when I sleep...the more layers the better.
23. My new favorite drink is Smirnoff Mojitos...they are very yummy and it is all in one bottle!
24. A part of me missed going out almost every night and getting plastered, but then I wise up and realize I really hated puking so much!
25. My secret dream is to sing on a grand piano while wearing a red dress with a slit up the leg, silly I know, but what can I say?!?! Crap, guess it isn't so secret anymore huh?!?!

Yummy Recipies Monday!

Yeah, Yeah, I know it is Tuesday, but I didn't get this done yesterday. Each Monday, I will post some recipies. I have tried many, some I want to try, some just look good. All will be easy! So, here is this weeks installment, just a day late!

Chicken & Rice
4 Chicken Breasts
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Box Instant Rice (we use brown, but white is fine)
Milk
Seasonings (I usually do salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder).

Mix 1 1/2 can of the cream of chicken soups with the other soups. Stir in seasonings. Add Rice. Add milk so it is creamy, but not runny. Spray 9x13 dish. Put rice in dish. Place chicken on top. Spread remaining cream of chicken soup on top of chicken. Bake at 350 until chicken is done, usually about 45 minutes depending on size of chicken breasts.

Pudding Pie
1 Graham Cracker Crust
1 Pkg Chocolate Pudding Mix (or flavor of choice)
Milk
Whipped Topping

Mix pudding according to Pie Directions on the box. Pour into crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with Whipped Topping before Serving.

Happy Birthday Eric!

Happy Birthday my Love! I hope your day is filled with wonderfulness! I love you!

A New President

Today is the day. Today, the United States of America makes history by electing its first black president in Barack Obama. I currently have the Inauguration coverage on right now and am planning on watching it. I brought Layla in and want her to watch it with me, but she would rather watch Mickey Mouse, but come on, she is 3...can't say I blame her. I admit fully that I did not vote for Obama, I didn't trust him. I don't know that I trust him now. But, he has been elected, so he will have my support. I pray that God will guide him in his position as the most powerful man in the world (at least in the United States). I will say that I think it is fantastic that our country has progressed so much that the people have voted in a black man as president. It is time, it is. I worry about his connections though, but like I said, I am going to trust in our country's decision to have him lead. So, I will end this post with a prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for allowing me to live in this wonderful country filled with freedom. I ask that you please be with our new President Barack Obama. Please help him keep you in his heart and please help him keep our country and its people in his best interests. Please allow him to lead with great humbleness and respect. I thank you again Lord and ask these things in your name. Amen.

Love,
Theresa

Nothing exciting!

Nothing really too exciting going on here. Life has just kept us busy. We were at my parents all last week, even an extra day due to the extreme cold weather here. No one wanted me to drive with the girlies when it was like -10 degrees outside (at least!). No biggie.

The only thing going on is that I am knitting a sweater for Jilly, reading Pride and Prejudice, and I started back at the gym on Sunday. I am also waiting on the results of some skin biopsies. Please keep good thoughts for me in your prayers! I should find out by the 27th.

I think that is all for now! Take care all!
Love,
THeresa

First Book Review!

So, I am going to attempt a book review here. This will NOT be about imagery or anything, but just what I thought about the book. I will do this with all of the books I read this year so you can check out my progress in the reading department! Here goes:

Book: Death By Cashmere
Author: Sally Goldenbaum
Click HERE for a description of this book.

I enjoyed this book for a rather quick read. I didn't have to think to hard about it. The mystery had a lot of different plot lines going on at the same time which is always interesting. The characters are pretty well written too. I liked Izzy and Nell, but I think my favorite character was Birdie. She sounds like a tough ol' bird (no pun intended). The "bad guy" was pretty predictable though. The reason behind the murder was a twist I hadn't expected though, my mind was taking a completely different route I guess. The thing that always gets me with knitting mysteries is the description of the yarn shops. Now, don't get me wrong, I like my LYS but it is nothing like what I have read about in these books. In the books someone is ALWAYS in the shop knitting and there are people everywhere. There is always coffee going and just warm and friendly and everyone likes and know everyone. Now, the yarn shops I have been in, well, they are warm, but come on when you are surrounded by all that wool, would it be anything but? I've never seen anyone knitting in the yarn store. Is that weird? I think so. I long to just sit in the back room and knit, but with the girls I have never had a chance. Anyway, I did enjoy the book, and I suggest it if you like mysteries, easy reads, and knitting books.

In other news, we had a great night out last night. The girls went to Eric's parents and we went to his work holiday party. It was pretty fun then had some awesome food! After that we went with some of the younger one's to Nine Irish Brothers for a couple of drinks (well, Eric drank, I had cheesecake!). It was great! So relaxing to not have to worry too much about the girls! Thanks Mike and Mary!

Loss

Four years ago today, we were forced to say good-bye to my cousin Greg. I miss him so much. He was such a great and funny guy. He was one of the big brothers I never had. Being an only child, I was VERY close to all my cousins, but especially Jennifer, Greg, and Michael. They were the brothers and sister that I always wanted. We played together pretty much every day and I basically lived at their house. We had a wonderful dynamic together. It is really funny. If you look at pictures of the four of us when we were little, we all look the same. The same white blonde hair and sunburns fading into tans because we were outside pretty much 90% of the time. It was so cute.

A couple of weeks ago, Layla fell after jumping on the couch and she hit her head on the coffee table. She was bleeding all over the place and had to go to the doctor to get 3 stitches. As worried as I was about her, I couldn't help but think of when we were little. Jennifer hit me in the head with a baseball bat and I was bleeding everywhere too. On the walk back to the house, Greg came running up and wanted to see my head. God love him, he passed out. Luckily, I faired better than that when I was getting Layla around, but pretty much only because I couldn't help but think about him and was determined to remain conscious.

I have so many other memories of Greg. Many of them make me laugh, some make me cry, and all of them just make me miss him. I get really sad when I realize that the girls will never know him. I know that I talk to Layla about him and will do the same thing with Jillian, but it isn't the same. They will never get to hear his great sense of humor or see what a handsome guy he was. They won't know him like I did and that makes me sad. But, I guess that is what Loss is isn't it? I feel it some everyday; some days are worse than others, some days a lot better, but I feel it every day. Little things make me think of him. I know that it gets better as time goes by, but this day is always hard and I know it always will be. I, of course, remember the day that I lost other loved ones, like my Grandma and Grandpa and my Aunt Edith. And I feel those losses too, but it isn't the same. I think that since we knew those were coming it is different. They were all old and had lived great lives. Greg was so young and his death was so abrupt, that I think we feel it differently. I don't know. I wish I had an easy answer for dealing with death. I don't. I guess all I can do is keep him in my heart, remember the good times, and go on with my life. I will, but I will always keep today to remember him.

Greg, I love you, always will. You weren't just my cousin, but a brother. I will always miss you and will remember you everyday. You were a wonderful man and I am proud to have known you. God Bless you Greg, I love you.

The Mom's Fault

I know that parenting is a joint thing. At least it is in this house, I know not every family consists of 2 parents, but for my purposes it does. I am not demeaning single parents, they are awesome and do both Eric and my jobs. God bless them. Anyways, in OUR house, it is a joint thing. People watch our girls and we hear "oh they are so cute" or "They are SO well behaved" and along with that "You two have done such a great job with them." I love those comments. Don't get me wrong, I do. I'm glad that other people think our children our well behaved. Today however, I wish I had a video camera and could have filmed them for proof for my mom and dad who never believe me on this. Neither one was behaved...AT ALL! Now, I get to my title...why is this the MOM'S fault. I feel like people assume that since I am at home with the girls all day that it is MY fault if they do not behaved. But if they are angels, then WE are credited. I am not at all trying to lessen Eric's hand in their raising and I am sure that that is how this is coming out. He is a wonderful daddy, but it just gets frustrating. I guess I just wish that someone would say, "Hey Theresa, you are doing a great job. Your girls behave when they should. They are little girls, you know? You are a great mom!" Is that too much to ask? Is it awful that I want that? It probably is, but I guess sometimes I get tired of the thanklessness of this job and sometimes want some credit. OK, done feeling sorry for myself.

I went to the library yesterday and got several books. I got one knitting mystery (I love them, guilty pleasure), 2 Chick Lit books, and Pride & Prejudice and The Joy Luck Club. So, I will get started on my wanting to expand my reading. The cool thing is that at the library, they had a list of the Library Journal's Top 150 20Th Century Fiction Titles. I think I am going to attempt to read as many as I can instead of picking random classics. This at least gives me a list to go by. I won't necessarily get them all read this year, but as many as I can get. I have read some of them. If they have an * by the title, I plan to read them again because it has been awhile since I last read them; if not, I have read them in the past 5 years or so. Let's see To Kill a Mockingbird*, Lord of the Rings, Gone With the Wind, 1984*, Animal Farm*, Charlotte's Web*, The Great Gatsby*, Native Son*, A Farewell to Arms*, All Quiet On The Western Front*, The Sun Also Rises*, The Sound and the Fury*, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Call of the Wild*, The Wind in the Willows*, and The Yearling*. Huh, I just realized that there are only 149 because they have A Farewell to Arms twice. Guess the library needs to do a better job proofing their pamphlets!

Well, I hope that you have all had a great first Saturday of 2009. God Bless.
Love,
Theresa

The Year Of Accomplishments!

Happy 2009! I can hardly believe that it is 2009. As I watched the Rose Bowl yesterday, I couldn't help but reminisce about my trip there in 2000/2001 to watch Purdue play. That was such a great time. With the exception of Eric and the girls, probably one of my most memorable events (Eric wanted to know how he was an event when I told him this, but y'all know what I mean!). Walking down Hollywood Blvd, almost getting shot on Sunset Blvd., seeing places like Whiskey A Go Go and the Viper Room, spending NYE at Hollywood Park and Casino in the Brown Sugar Club, just AWESOME experiences, things I will never forget!

But, it is a new year, time for new things and to think about in which direction I want my life to head. Of course that usually means RESOLUTIONS, (AAUUGGHH!!). I have decided instead to make OPPORTUNITIES for the year 2009. Not just short term goals, but ideas that will better my life for the long run. I turn 30 this year and I want my life to have more direction than just wife and mother. As much as I love being a wife and mother, I want more, so here goes:

1) I want to get fit again. I would like to be the fittest I can possibly be by the time my birthday hits in August. I've been saying that I want to be the fittest I have ever been, but considering I was in really great shape in high school, that was over 10 years ago, and I have had 2 children since then, that may be reaching to do in 8 months. So, I want to be as fit as possible. I plan on working out A LOT and eating right. I am not going to set a number that I want to weigh, I think that is my downfall. I get to obsessing about that and forget to just enjoy life. So, no numbers, just fitness. I figure if I work out right and eat right, the numbers will follow. :)

2) I want to knit a sweater for myself. I know that doesn't probably sound like a big deal to you non-knitters, but it is. A sweater is quite the undertaking, especially your FIRST sweater. I have the yarn and it will be more of a cardigan than a sweater with cap sleeves so I can wear it over other shirts throughout the year, but it will be a sweater non the less.

3) Finish my book. A couple years ago, I started writing a book. I think that I have a great idea and started out great. Then life got in the way and I haven't gotten very far since. So, this year I want to finish it. Of course, after that I would love to get it published, but we will cross that bridge when it gets here. For right now, let's just work on getting it finished!

4) I would like to read more classic novels and reread the books I read when I was younger. I LOVE to read, but often read a lot of junk. Yeah, it makes me happy to read Chic Lit, but it probably doesn't do much to expand my brain, so I plan on reading some more classic things like Of Men and Mice and Wuthering Heights (did I spell that right?). I also read a lot when I was younger and would LOVE to revisit those books, like A Wrinkle In Time or The Yearling. Finally I want to reread books that I read in high school and college that I didn't really appreciate, but read because I had to, like To Kill A Mockingbird and A Farewell To Arms. If you have any other suggestions, please pass them on, I'd love to hear them!

Well, I think those are great opportunities for me. Not only to expand my mind, but help my body and make me a better person. Wish me luck in my pursuit of them and stay tuned as I will update you as I go along!

I also hope to blog a lot more about what is going on in my life. Often it is just diapers and grossness, but sometimes things get interesting.
Until then, God Bless,
Love,
Theresa