A day of baking

Yesterday, I was in the mood to bake. I know it's the middle of summer. And I know that it is hotter then blazes.

But you see, with Nathan being sick, I am cooped up in the house. And since you can only vacuum the floors so many times, I turned to baking.

( On the vacuuming note.....if you would see Emma's clothes after she has been crawling around the floor, maybe I should vacuum the floors a little more. That darn dog hair. )

First up was the chocolate chip zucchini bread that I talked about before.

IT WAS AMAZING!!

With an abundance of zucchini from my garden what better thing to do with all this zucchini??

The kids have almost devoured the 1st loaf.

My friend Liz talked about a blueberry pie that she made a while ago. I thought it sounded interesting and thought I would give it a try.

Boy am I ever glad I did. It might be my new favorite pie. And it is Jeremy approved.

While cleaning up this mess........


Nathan did this..........

 I did not yell. But I did tell him that I think he should be buying me a new set for HIS birthday. Especially since he broke a plate a week or so ago. AARRGGHH. 

And it was one of my favorite colors.




EDIT****************** I just read this over again and it made it sound like Nathan cleaned up the mess. He didn't. :) I did, he just broke the bowl. :(****************************

Emma Girl woke up from her nap and happily sat in her chair till I got done.

Well.....

almost.

Daddy kept her entertained while I cleaned up.

Way to go Daddy!!!!

:)

If you give a pig a pancake

It's Sunday Morning. Nathan is still sick. He is still fighting a fever which Janelle says is completely normal. ( I love having a nurse in the family )

Nathan is playing video games. Emma is sleeping. Maddie and Jeremy went to church.

There are dishes in the sink from last night. I hate it when I wake up to dishes in the sink. I think they can sit a while longer.

Say Yes to the Dress Bridemaid edition is on the tv in the background. One bride has a transvestite for a bridemaid. REALLY?!?! Baybay is his name. Kinda gross. I think its time to flip the channel. I wonder if Paula Deen is on? Yep. ;)

My  computer confuses me. For some reason when I try and transfer my pictures it is a difficult process. I don't really know what is going on. It didn't used to be so hard. Its like there are 2 programs trying to transfer them from the camera to the computer. Frustrating.

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I feel kinda like.....if you give a pig a pancake.

Nathan asked me for scrambled eggs for breakfast. I happily made them.

But,

if you ask your mom for eggs, she will have to do the dishes.

if she has to do the dishes, she has to unload the dishwasher,

if she has to unload the dishwasher it will make her think of the laundry waiting to be done.

if she has to think of the laundry she might as well start some

if she starts the laundry then she will think about the beds that need to be made.

and if she thinks about the beds that need to be made then she will make them.

:)
So. now the dishes are done, the laundry is started the beds are made, and the eggs are made and eaten. I have been to a baby shower and a quick trip to Target to return a pair of converse shoes my ungrateful son said he didn't like and wouldn't wear. I found them on clearance for $8.

Oh and it's 4:30. I started this blog at 11:15 this morning. ;)

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Look who thinks she is too big for her britches now??

This is how she was when I went in to get her yesterday.

A second later she went from her knees to full on standing.

I love her little foot poking out.

I think its time to lower her mattress.

She is now 1 mobile baby. Gone are the days of leaving her on her blanket to happily play. She to likes to try and get the tv and lamp cords. She is also finding joy in trying to stand up along the little stool we have or against the kitchen chairs.

emma

ready

set

army crawl

L o V e

A picture post

I am going to overwhelm you with pictures.

Well, only a little....

As I type baby girl is sleeping. And has been since about 10:45. It is now 1:30. This is one of those needed naps. For Momma and Baby. You Moms know the kind. The kind where you can get so much done while they are sleeping. And you just pray that they don't wake up yet so you can get it all done. Well, I finished my list. And I still have time to blog. BONUS! She can wake up any time now. :)

I even got to eat my lunch in PeAcE while it was still hot!

 Double bonus!!

Nathan is sick. He has come down with Pneumonia. He has been complaining that the side of his chest hurt. I took him to the doc on Tuesday but we couldn't really determine anything bc he told the doc it didn't hurt anymore.

Well, that night he woke up in tears. :(

I called the doc the next morning and by noon hadn't heard back from them so when Nathan got up to go to the bathroom and could barely walk and cried all the way to the bathroom I knew it was time to go to the walk in clinic.

So off we went.

The doc did an xray...just as an extra.

I think the doc was just as surprised as I was to see the xrays.

So we have so far had 2 doses of meds in him and he is already perking up...a little.

He at least isn't crying half the day and just laying around.

He is up.

Playing video games.

Which he was grounded from. But I thought since he was sick and really feeling awful I would display mercy and let him do SOMETHING.

I am praying that no one else gets it. I would hate for Maddie or Emma to come down with it.

We have new neighbors. I have yet to meet them. We have a family living next to us now. Last night was the 1st night they were there. Already the house has a lot more life to it. Its a beautiful house and the man who lived there before didn't really take care of it. It was always shut up tight and you never really saw him out and about.

I just pulled out a couple loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread. Its a new recipe and I hope it is good. I thought we could take 1 over to the neighbors and introduce ourselves.

Can you believe how big Emma is getting.

I was cleaning her room the other day and I had her in her crib playing so I could get the work done. I turned around and this is what she was doing......

Unbelievable if you ask me.

Maddie is such a big helper.

She was talking and playing with Emma so I could finish.

I love how Maddie and Nathan interact with Emma. The look of pure joy and love radiating from Emma's face when they talk to her warms my heart.

Emma's room is all clean.

At least I know that she will keep it clean for a while. It does seem to be the only room that seems to remain clean for any given time.

I love the feeling of peace that is in there. I think it is my favorite room in the house.

Well, Pandora timed out and I hear Emma talking in her room, so I must go.

Happy Friday.

Isn't it awful about the shootings in Colorado? Made me so sad this morning. Keep them in your prayers.

My heart is a little heavy this morning. There are a couple different things on my mind.

Sometimes things happen in life. You can't stop them from happening anymore then you can stop the wind from blowing.

I had a whole different post already written for this morning. But it wasn't.......I don't know.....right.

Sometimes in life things happen and it isn't your lesson to learn. But it doesn't mean that it isn't any less hard.

Sometimes, it just downright sucks.

My calendar this month says this.....

Walk the paths of friendship with grace and understanding.

This saying has come back to me many times this month.

A full heart

My heart is full this morning.

I am a journaler ( i don't think that is a real word, so consider it a Julieism ;) )  . I have been for a couple years now. I have time and again been so grateful that I am. I enjoy, every now and then, to go back and read what I have written.

Here is some of what I wrote a year ago today......

Psalm 21:2-4

Thou hast given him his hearts desire, and hast not withholden the request from his lips. Thou prevented him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

I am still in wonder that I am even pregnant. 18 weeks now have gone by very slow. I fell asleep last to the baby doing what felt like somersaults in my belly. What a WoNdeR. I told J that I think the baby knows when I am going to fall asleep, cuz that is when she starts working out. :)

For thou hast given me my hearts desire and hast not withholden the request from my lips. I asked LiFe of you Lord and you have it to me. I feel like this blessing is like a crown of pure gold on my head.

Lord, I know that you have knit this child in my womb. You are making every part of who she is. You love this baby more then I ever will. Lord, what I ask of you today is that I may be worthy of the calling of wife and mother that you have blessed me with. May  I be a joyful mother to my children. May they look back on their life and remember laughter in our house. May they look back on their life and remember how much they are l.o.v.e.d. by you Lord and by me.

God is good. No matter what you are going through today friend. He is good through the bad, the hard and the good times of life. If you have followed my blog at all, you know we have had some bad and some hard in our life. We have also had some good.  God has never failed us. He has always remained faithful. He has always remained GoOd.

We will have a crawler very very soon. She is officially rocking back and forth on her hands and knees.

I
am
not
ready.


She is also very close to sitting up all by herself.

Jeremy is encouraging this behavior.

I am not.

summer days

I think I have lost track at what number day we are with the number of days we have with temperatures over 100.

With days like this I am so very thankful for friends with a pool.

Emma girl has sure enjoyed it.

Well....most days. :)

Maddie and Nathan have enjoyed cannonballs.

And being flipped..........

off Daddy's shoulders.

I L.o.V.e this picture.

Well....

and this one.

Ok. and this one.

She is trying to sit up all by herself.

She can stop any time now.

Really.

I am so thankful for this little swing. She loves it.

This is what she did the other day.........................

When we were doing......

 
                                                               this.

                                 This was after the water balloon fight we had.
                                                        Maddie and I won.

Happy Hot Summer days.

A day in Lake Geneva

A couple weeks ago we packed our bags and went to Lake Geneva for the day. It wasn't planned. But it was one of the best days we as a family have had. The kids didn't fight and Emma was a doll. It was nice to just be together as a family.

We played at the beach all afternoon. The beach was crowded. But it was ok. The day was hot but the water was cool.

I think we used the whole bottle of sunscreen on my fair Emma. I was so afraid that she would burn. Thanfully, she didn't!

Emma Girl even took a nap. She slept for about an hour.

I think Maddie could make friends with anyone. She found another little girl about her age and they played in the water for a while.

After we were done with the beach, we walked around the main streets of Lake Geneva.

We ate dinner at Gino's. The boys got pizza and Maddie and I shared spaghetti. I will spare you how much I wanted to try the pizza. It looked amazing. And Jeremy, well, he at least told me how gross it was. ;)

Emma Girl thought that she was pretty darn special sitting in a high chair for the 1st time. She was all smiles and giggles entertaining everyone around us.

And for you germ a phobes (like me) I did wipe down the table before letting her chew on it. :)

I am so glad that we up and went.

 It was for sure a day to remember.

when I say I'm a christian

"Show me the people you hang around and the books you are reading, and I will show you what you'll look like in ten years."

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting, "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering, "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
And need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I am weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say..."I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But God believes I'm worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace...somehow.

by Maya Angelou

catch up.....

Blogger is making me so mad today!!! I am now 7months old.

I LoVe my bath.

I like to kick and splash and turn all around in the bath tub.

I make my Mommy a nervous wreck.

She keeps telling me that she is afraid that I am going to hurt myself.

So she is constantly making sure that I am safe.

I do not like blueberries....at all. I make the funniest faces when Mommy

I am really getting to like food now. I really like corn. I am learning to drink from a sippy cup.

I am getting very mobile. I roll all over the living room now. I am trying to sit up by myself. I can get almost to a sitting position and then I fall on my tummy. I can also sit unassisted, for a minute. But I am still wobbly.

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We are in the middle of a draught. We had some pretty amazing clouds the other day. I have never seen anything like them. My pictures aren't nearly as cool as others got.

But Maddie and I had fun driving around looking at them.

They didn't produce much rain. But it was pretty cool to see.

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Emma went to her first wedding on Sat. She did ok. It was outside and it was miserably hot. And at the reception it was a lot of waiting. Waiting and a 7 month old baby who has missed her nap time = not a fun time. But thankfully she had some little girls to keep her occupied.

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This is what I woke up to the other day. Nathan has a habit of getting Emma girl as soon as she makes a peep in the morning. (He just can't wait to see her) I try to let her talk and "play" in her crib for a few minutes in the morning b/c that seems to be when she likes to poop. (If I get her up right away she has a harder time pooping.) ANYWAY.....I thought it was pretty cute. Nathan had his arm around her and they were just talking away.

Maddie had a slumber party with her cousin Elisa. They slept in the tent. They wanted Emma to sleep with them. But I told them maybe next time. :)

Emma has  a new trick....she likes to scrunch her nose up and blow air. She thinks she is pretty cute.

I have been busy with work lately. Nathan just got back from visiting Great Grandma in Missouri with Grandpa and Grandma S. I think he had fun. He came back with a bunch of fireworks courtesy of his Grandpa. We have been spending our days when I am not at work at the pool. Our most favorite summer pasttime. Emma has her good days and her ok days. I have been busy doing laundry and getting the house in order this morning and then we will be off to the pool. I am hearing Emma up from her nap so I am off. Happy Monday!