Project

Well, I didn't finish the book that I was going to do the book review on. As a matter of fact I haven't even picked it up in over a week. So that post will have to wait. But I did get my project finished! I'm learning how to smock, and I made Abigail an Easter dress. I was honestly hoping that it would just be wearable since it was my first attempt, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I picked a very simple geometric smocking pattern, bought some fabric for $2 a yard at Walmart, borrowed my Mom's bishop dress pattern and a friend's A-Z of Smocking book, and took advantage of some much needed help from my Mom and my friend!



I have enough fabric to make Esther and Hannah matching dresses, but I doubt that I will have them finished by Sunday. I'm about 3/4 of the way through with the smocking on Esther's though, and it's going much faster this time, so we'll see!

Baby Zion

My sweet friend Emily had her baby boy on Friday. Zion was a few weeks early and his lungs are not fully mature. He is currently in the NICU with a collapsed lung and he and their whole family could use your prayers and encouragement!

34 Weeks

Only six weeks to go...give or take a couple. :) I had my 34-week appointment today and everything is looking great! My blood pressure has been really good with this pregnancy, and I've gained 19 pounds so far. I actually lost 5 pounds last week when I was sick, but I've almost gained them all back. I had an ultrasound today because I was measuring small at my 32-week appointment. I'm not the least bit concerned about it. I'm tall, so I have lots of room to put the baby, and I've measured small with the last four pregnancies. Insurance covers the ultrasound though, so we went ahead and had it done anyway. The baby is measuring about a week behind and weighs 5lb 2oz, though I don't put a whole lot of stock in the weight estimations that they give. (They told me that Hannah weighed 9lb 16oz and was really too big to be measured well with an ultrasound, and she ended up being 8lb 8oz!) I'm expecting to be about a week "late" anyway, so everything seems to be right on schedule! We also found out that the baby is definitely a boy!!

I keep meaning to get Adam to take a belly picture for me and I keep forgetting. This one isn't great, but it will have to do for now. I certainly don't think I look like I'm measuring small!

A Few Pictures

We are all feeling much better this week, and blogging is on my list of things to catch-up on now! I plan to post a much-overdue pregnancy update, complete with a picture of my big ol' belly, and I may even post a book review...if I finish reading the book. I'm also working on a project that is exciting for me. I hope to have it done in the next day or so, and I'll definitely post a picture here when it's completed. For now, here are a few photos from Abigail's birthday last week.

Abigail with Grandma in Kansas

Very excited to be 5!

Noah apparently thought that Abigail's birthday card was hilarious!

With Grandpa and Grandma. Our camera has decided to randomly turn peoples' lips black. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I am sure that I did not put black lipstick on Hannah!

Happy Birthday, Abigail!!

Abigail is 5 today! In thinking about her birthday post I had planned to say a lot about how thankful I am for her and what a wonderful help she is to me. Unfortunately we've been passing a yucky sickness around our house and I feel like I've been hit by a mac truck, so I'm lucky to be getting these pictures up! I'll have to save it for another time. For now, here are pictures of my sweet Abigail's five years of life...in no certain order because I'm going to bed! When I feel better I'll try to go back and organize them and add captions. I'll also add some more pictures of the last couple days. Abigail was so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa in Kansas (Adam's parents) here to help her celebrate!



Five years old and still fighting the sick bug!

Warmth

It was a glorious 71 degrees and sunny today. I hope that Spring is here to stay! We took advantage of the weather by walking the 2 round-trip miles to the park and eating a picnic lunch there. Besides a little animosity between Hannah and the ducks (which involved screaming on Hannah's part), everyone had a great time!

Menu Plan Monday

We somehow ended up with a lot of leftovers last week, so some of the recipes that I had planned got bumped up to this week. Here's what is on the menu for now!

Monday - Garlic Vegetable Soup
Tuesday - Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Greek Pasta Salad
Friday - Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Saturday - Blackeye Pea Supperdish
Sunday - Chicken Noodle Soup (lunch); Leftovers (dinner)

For more menu ideas, visit Laura.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Chicken Curry
Tuesday - Garlic Vegetable Soup, Fresh Baked Bread
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Blackeye Pea Supperdish, Rice, Bread
Friday - My 30th (ack!) birthday. Not sure what we're having, but Adam said I don't have to cook it! :)
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Baked Chicken and Rice with Black Beans (lunch); Leftovers (dinner)

I don't have the time to post recipes now, but I'll try to do it later. In the mean time, if there's a recipe that you'd like, don't hesitate to ask!

For more menus, visit Laura.