Somebody is Jealous!

"Mommy, you need to stop looking at these new baby clothes and pay attention to me now!"
"I mean it! I'm way more important."
Needless to say, Guinivere is going to have a lot of adjusting to do. :-) And I need to go call my grandma now!

That Hamburger and French Fry Thing

Note, this recipe first appeared on my other blog A Seamstress Cat on May 12 of 2010. When I made it, I did not have this blog, but since it has nothing to do with sewing, I figured it would be better off here.

That Hamburger and French Fry Thing

I made up a new recipe last night, and my husband, Zack, really liked it, so I thought I'd better write it down before I forget it. ;-) Like all meals I make up off the fly, I never measure anything. Let me know if this sounds good to you too!

1 lb. hamburger
Chopped onions, (as much as you like, I only used about 1/8 of a cup)
1 chopped garlic clove, (or if you don't have any, a good shake of garlic powder works too)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Frozen French Fries cut in to 1 in, pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown hamburger in a large skillet with the onions and garlic, mine started to dry out before it was nicely browned so I added some oil to it. Cut up the French fries until you have a little less then the amount of hamburger. Stir in chopped fires and cream of soup into the hamburger. Pour into casserole dish. (I couldn't think if a proper topping so I didn't put anything on top of it, instead I covered it with a glass lid) Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, about 30min.

Well, there you go! Hope you like it.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Last night I made up another recipe on the fly, a homemade version of Hamburger Helper. My husband loved it and wants me to make it again, so I thought I'd better write in down before I forget what I did. :-) Plus I figure this is way healthier then the box stuff anyway. ;-)

Once again, I didn't really measure anything, so it probably will never cook up the same.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground meat, (this time I used beef instead of venison for a change)
1 can cream of chicken soup
Pasta
Frozen peas
Water
Milk
Garlic powder
Garlic salt

Brown meat in a large skillet. When it's nearly done, sprinkle a generous amount of garlic powder on it, and stir in. Turn stove temp. down to low. Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of water, a little milk, cream soup, pasta (I added what looked like a similar amount as what comes in the box), some frozen peas, and a couple shakes of garlic salt. Stir together. Once mixture starts to boil, cover and set timer for 10-15 minutes. Cook until pasta is done, and most of liquid is absorbed.

Enjoy!

There are endless options on how to customize this to your own preferences too!

Labor Class

Today Zack and I took our labor class at the hospital I'll be delivering at. Well, actually it was more than a labor class. That was just the morning stuff! More on the afternoon stuff later. Our instuctor was one of the birthing nurses. She has been a nurse for over 30 years and has always helped with deliveries. The first thing we went over was the stages of labor and what to expect during each of them. Then we got to watch a wonderful video! For trying to make us feel more informed and less scared of labor, it sure was an eye opener on just how intense it can get.

Next we learned relaxation and breathing techniques. This is when my dear husband learned that there is going to be more to his job than he at first thought. But I'm confident that he will be the best birthing coach ever! For the next couple of months we will practice working together more as a team. It seems, that once I'm in active labor I'm not going to be able to tell him what I need anymore and he needs to know exactly what it is. Am I right in thinking this is one of the ways a couple truly bonds and become one?

After lunch a lady came to speak to us about Colorado Right Start, a state wide program to help new parents become the best they can be. Her talk was very interesting, though most of the information was stuff we already knew.

Next we learned about C-sections in general, and this hospital's policies on C-sections. It was nice to hear that they really don't like to do them unless it's absolutely necessary. Just the same, I'm glad I'll be under the care of a mid-wife. I hope I never have the need to deliver through C-section, espcially after watching the video.

The rest of the class was on taking care of our newborn. From breastfeeding and diapering, to safety measures to take at home. All that stuff you need to know about babies!

I'm very glad we took the class. Though I must say it doesn't take all the fears out of wondering what it will be like, and how well I'll handle it. I suppose every mother-to-be for the first time wonders that. I'm so grateful to God that I'll have such a wonderful support group around me when the time comes. Mothers and mothers-in-law are truly one of His greatest creations. Not to mention extraordinary husbands. ;-)

Stuff for Baby!

A friend of ours offered Zack and I a couple baby items a couple weeks ago. He didn't know what kind of condition they'd be in, but said we could do whatever we wanted with them. We were so grateful! It was especially fun to see Guinivere getting herself acquainted with them. :-D

"What in the world could this be? I think I'd better make a thorough inspection."

"Defense system online..."

"Hmm, it doesn't look like it's going to bite me."

"I'd better make absolutely sure."

The walker seems to be in wonderful condition and I especially love that there are only a couple toys attached to it. I'm of the mindset that less is better than more when it comes to things like this.
____________________

"Now, what could this one possibly be?"

Unfortunately, one of the bars across the top was broken, and didn't appear to be fixable. So we are still looking for a Pack-n-Play.

In other news my mother-in-law just brought over the bassinet that Zack's little brothers used!!! Things are coming together for little Baby Lawrence. :-D

Wonderful, Wonderful!

Today I had the most wonderful opportunity to get a 2nd ultrasound. Baby is now almost 20 weeks along! It was the most incredible thing in the world for Zack and I to see our little GIRL on the screen! God is so wonderful. I just don't know how to thank Him enough for this precious gift.

She is quite an active little one too, making it difficult for the ultrasound technician to take her measurements. It was so encouraging to see that, as I still have not been able to feel her. And believe me, I was having a hard time not getting worried. Turns out though, that the reason I haven't been able to feel Baby yet is because the placenta formed over my belly, putting a lot of extra thickness between me and her. Apparently, this is not at all uncommon, it just depends on where the baby implants in the uterus.

Sweetest of all was to see that Baby Lawrence is a thumb sucker already! And even spent most of the ultrasound sucking away, not letting us see her face. Silly little girl! :-D

Oh little one, we can't wait to meet you!

Bug problems

After arriving home from the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival earlier this week I discovered that my sage had an insect problem. When Zack and I went shopping on Wednesday I looked for an indoor insecticide that was not harmful to pets and found nothing. (The sage and mint are in the house for the winter)

So on Thursday I started searching the web for a homemade insecticide, and I found this very helpful website on making all kinds of different ones. However, since I still didn't know exactly what kind of bug I was dealing with I wasn't sure what kind to use, and decided on the alcohol spray. It seemed to work pretty well, but I still wasn't satisfied that it was the right approach.

So on Friday I did some more research and discovered the insects in question are spider mites. The article says they are very resistant to insecticides, so now I'm wondering if my alcohol spray might not work in the long run. What do you think? I would greatly appreciate any advice or helpful hints. :-)

Leave a comment below if you can think of something. And thanks already!!!