Girls' Haircuts

Elise got her haircut today. My friend Raquel DeLuca did a great job. Here are the during and after pics. It will be so much more manageable now! Plus, she looks like a cute little Pixie.




Macy got hers cut right before she went to MN, and my mom took her to Raquel's, so I didn't get "during" pics, but this is what hers looked like after.


The boys have also recently had haircuts, but I neglected to capture those on camera as well. We'll do it next time!

Oh Baby!

My mom and sisters (Janelle and Jen) threw a Baby Shower for us at Mom's house on Saturday. It was fun to have lots of family and friends there. We missed those of you that couldn't come! I have such great people in my life and I'm grateful for all of your love and the blessings you bring to our family.

I got to introduce everyone, and then we had yummy muffins, cinnamon rolls and fruit for brunch. Then I opened gifts. My family's not big on silly shower games, which I'm grateful for- they're just silly if you ask me. :) But we still had a good time, and we're grateful to have so many new things for when Tess is born.




We're so excited for Tessa to join our family. I'm thinking my blogging is going to slow down in the next couple of weeks- only have 4 weeks to go! (Cross your fingers that she'll be here in two weeks, ok?) So, I knew I'd better post as much as I can before she's born. I'm having a really hard time sleeping at night. The night before last was awful- could NOT sleep to save my life. I woke up Robert, poor guy and he tried rubbing my legs and telling me stories and talking me through relaxation, but nothing worked. I think I finally fell asleep around 2:00 am.

Last night was better, but I had some weird dreams. Tess was super wiggly right before I went to sleep- I could feel either an arm or a leg and she was really working it. So, I woke up around 1:30 and in the dream I could feel her entire arm, including hand. I was either shaking her hand or holding it and I could hear her thoughts. So I asked her if she was ready to leave the land of the Fairies and join us in this world, and she said she was. Lol Guess my subconscious knows she's coming soon!


Rob and I wanted to take pictures of us with the belly, so here they are. Whose belly is bigger? My friend Stacy, who is going to be our doula when Tessa is born, did a cast of my belly after the shower on Saturday. I'll spare you the pictures of that, but when I get it decorated I'll post a pic - it will be so cute. :)

Jamaica, Mon!

Rob and I are going to win a trip to JAMAICA through my nutrition business, Symmetry Direct. Anyone want to join us? ANYONE, anywhere in the U.S. can sign up and earn this trip for free... let us know if you want details!

Craft Project

On Saturday (the 9th), the kids and I made jars to keep sand, seashells, and rocks in from our WA trip. They all had a TON of stuff they collected, but I told them they could only keep what would fit in these small jars. They got to paint the outside so they know whose jar is whose. And I found the cute little sandpail wooden cutouts to hot glue to the lids at Hobby Lobby.

They all had fun decorating the jars, and they are proudly on display in their bedrooms, with strict instructions NOT to open them up and play with them! (Cross your fingers for me, please.)

Just Trust Me

Omigosh... You HAVE to read this. Seriously. That's all I'm gonna say.

Oh... Except make sure you read Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse first. ENJOY!

Another Recipe

Just found this YUMMY recipe on a blog. You have to try it. I made it for dinner tonight, and all the kids said they liked it. :) I think I ate 4 lettuce wraps myself... LOL! So, try it out! This is copied directly from the blog, so all the notes are from that author. :) Oh, and I just realized I forgot to add rice to it. LOL... still yummy, though maybe not quite as filling. I might have only eaten 3 wraps if they had rice in them!

Kayleen

Thai Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

2-3 chicken breasts, minced
half red onion, chopped finely
1 cup shredded green cabbage ( I add about 2 cups)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 T or more of grated or minced ginger (not powdered)
2 cloves garlic, minced

soy sauce or Teriyaki Sauce
Lettuce cups, washed and chilled (cut iceberg in half and peel cups apart)

Cooked Rice, about 2 cups

Saute onion in hot oil until tender. Add chicken and saute until no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients except soy sauce and saute about 2-3 minutes until tender. Sprinkle with soy or teriyaki sauce as desired for flavor. I also like to add some Chinese Red chili paste, About 1 T. for a little kick. Keep warm while you make the sauce, don't let cabbage get soggy!

Peanut Sauce

1/4 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
1/ C. Sugar
3 T soy or Teriyaki sauce
4 Cloves Minced Garlic
3 T Water
2 T oil ( I use grapeseed oil)
Thai chili paste if desired, about 1 tsp or more


**I usually double this

Cook sauce in pan on low to medium heat until sugar dissolves. Whisk until smooth. Stir often and keep warm. To assemble wraps, spoon rice in first, top with chicken mixture, spoon on sauce. Dig in. This is such a nutrient packed little meal! Enjoy.

Uglies

I started reading this series a few weeks ago. I still haven't decided how much I like them, but they are interesting. The first one is called "Uglies", the second one is "Pretties" and the third is "Specials". I'm almost through with #3, and I'm really irritated with the characters right now. :) So I'll have to let you know if I end up happier. But, they have some interesting ideas of future civilization. They've been helping me kill time until I get my copy of "Breaking Dawn"! (Can't wait!)

Ok, so I finished "Specials" last night (Aug. 2nd). I'm sort of satisfied with the way it ended, but I'm not sure that I would recommend the books. The whole storyline was pretty liberal in it's viewpoints. I did agree with some of the points, but I think it was overdone. Anyways, my copy of B.D. isn't here yet, so I'll have to suffer for a couple more days! (Unless any of you finish it and want to lend it to me!... hint, hint)