Have You Ever

This is one of those tag things, I removed some of the less family friendly questions as this is a family friendly blog. The idea is you are supposed to put your name or initials next to things that apply to you.... so here goes....
Crashed your car
Been in love KH
Been laid off/fired KH
Quit your job KH
Gone on a blind date
Been to another country KH
Been to Mexico
Been on a plane KH
Been lost KH
Been on the opposite side of the country
Gone to your countries capital KH
Swam in the ocean KH
Cried yourself to sleep KH
Played cops and robbers KH
Colored with crayons KH
Caught Snowflakes on your tongue KH
Done something you said you wouldn't KH
Driven the Wrong Way on a One-Way Street
Taken a Dare
Laughed so hard you cried KH
Fell in Love at First Sight KH
Walked Out of a Movie you paid to see
Put a Penny in the "Take A Penny, Leave a Penny Jar" KH
Sang karaoke
Paid for a meal with only coins
Danced in the rain KH
Written a letter to Santa Claus KH
Been kissed under the mistletoe
Watched the sun rise with someone you care about KH
Blown bubbles KH
Made a bonfire on the beach
Crashed a party KH
Gone roller-skating KH
Ice-skating
Gotten a tattoo
gotten a body piercing KH (ears count)
Been to another continent

For Those Interested In Food...

I recommend my other blog http://360.yahoo.com/herrettgilligancharlie. I mention food here, but most of my food related posts are there. I have a couple of recipes there now for Mardi Gras (so people can start collecting them for next year) and reviews of restaurants I go to (some often, some not so). If you haven't checked it out, I love to have visitors stop by there as well!

Mardi Gras

For our friends in New Orleans, Mardi Gras means something different this year. As I overheard one New Orleanian say, it's not for the tourists.

Mardi Gras is a day, supposedly, for excess. Fat Tuesday. Come midnight, it's all over for six long weeks of Lent. This Mardi Gras, I hope that in addition to indulging one last time to whatever we are giving up, we can also remember that Lent is an oppurtunity to make great internal change. Perhaps today, we can also think of those traits which are holding us back from God (jealousy, dishonesty, arrogance, etc) and practice fasting from those things starting on Ash Wednesday.

Charlie

Charlie is our 2 year old bird dog. He really loves hunting, playing with all of the toys we had bought our beagle Gilligan that Gilligan never played with, tacos, and cuddling. He dislikes yelling, thunderstorms and cats. Charlie was rescued from a shelter by a local group called Adopt An Angel (http://www.adoptanangel.net) and went through three possible adoptions before he found his home with us. Charlie became an example for us that God brings you what you are supposed to have. It's hard to describe how Charlie has changed our lives except to say that he has made them fuller. We didn't realize he was missing until we brought him home. Now, as we prepare to bring a baby home, our days are filled with laughter as we think of Charlie imaging the crib as a giant crate and stand on his hind legs and peer down at the baby sleeping there. Jeff is fond of telling people that Charlie will be great with the baby and Gilligan will be an outside dog. Don't let this picture fool you, Charlie is very long legged and loves to run, but he does curl up very nicely next to you on the couch or bed if he is invited.

Whenever people are questioning things that are brought into their lives, I use Charlie as an example that we all get in our lives God's promises fulfilled.

(Please excuse the poor quality of this photo, it came from a camera phone.)

"What in the name of Davey Jones' locker is a sal-lad?"

That quote is from Spongebob Squarepants. It comes from an episode called "Bossy Boots" in which Spongebob's boss' daughter becomes the manager of the restuarant Spongebob works in. The restaurant is famous for the "Krabby Patty"--a hamburger. And Spongebob is a fry-cook. When the boss' daughter tells him that Krabby Patty's aren't hip and salads are, Spongebob doesn't know what a salad is.

As much as I love that cheeseburger I had at the Dixie Grill last week, I have become the salad queen lately. I liked salads before, but got burned out of them after college and hadn't been enjoying them as much. Until, again, I got pregnant. I guess there are worse things to be craving most of the time. And I can't imagine living in the world where I wouldn't have this alternative to a burger every once in a while!

Flutterbyes

This is what my close friend who is due a month before me and I use to refer to the movements we started feeling in the last few weeks. As I battled a stomach ailment, these kicks and rolls made me smile. When people screamed at me on the phone, I can get lost in a world of these little jostles. They've become one of the first rewards of being a mother.

The Best Cheeseburger

I had the best cheeseburger today with my husband. We tried a restaurant called the Dixie Grill in historic downtown Wilmington. We enjoyed bacon cheeseburgers and onion rings that were unbeatable. It's a cool little grill/diner where you can watch your lunch being cooked and there was even live music. On a Sunday morning! We really enjoyed ourselves and it's a great place to take kids! Can't beat that!

Lisa's World

I have fallen in love with the show #1 Single on E!. (Sunday nights at 10 pm.) It is the story of singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb's quest to find real love. She is 37 and looking for someone to settle down with. Her dates and experiences are just like any single woman's, except, of course, she's a public figure doing this on television. I am not a reality television buff. I hate Survivor and all the other "hits" of reality tv, but when you have one really likable person struggling with something we have all struggled with. She is a willing participant though. She meets a rabbi at her mother's advice, she borrows a dog to meet people, she goes on blind dates. And she is always a good sport!

Below is Lisa, probably on a date. Just below that is Lisa with actress Illeana Douglas and Illeana's dog (a beagle!) Lady.

(I should also mention that Jeff, who rarely likes women singer-songwriters, has loved Lisa Loeb since the beginning. And he has always told me that she's the reason he was willing to date me because we both wear glasses. Funny, I wore contacts exclusively when I met him!)

For The Person Who Asked...And Anyone Else Who Might Not Know

This is the world famous book that we are basing our nursery on. The picture right above the book cover is the hero Max and the Wild Things having a "Wild Rumpus." I am including this because I had a friend who claims to never have heard of this book (and she has sons). This book is so famous and well known that Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million and even Target have this book in stock almost always!

July 13

Is the day our baby is due. Since Jeff was born in August and I was born in October, and we have a relative few family members born in July, I have done some researching. This is what I have found:

Our baby's birthstone will be the Ruby which signifies contentment.

The birth "flowers" for July are larkspur and the Water Lily.

Here is the Larkspur:

Here are several examples of Water Lilies:

And our baby's sign will be Cancer--symbolized by the crab:

So, for those mourning they do not know the sex of the newest Herrett or the possible names, now you know a little more!

One Week Left

One more week of Olympic Games! Here's to all the athletes who have already shown their stripes and those who will do so in the next week!

A Yummy Sweet Treat

Sunburst Lemon Bars
2 cups flour ½ cup confectioners sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
¼ cup flour 1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

For Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture is mealy. Press in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is light golden brown.

For Filling: While the crust is baking, in the same medium bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder with an electric mixer until light, about 3 minutes. Then stir in the lemon juice. Pour the filling over the crust while it is still warm from the oven. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes until the top is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool.

For Icing: In a small bowl, stir lemon juice into the confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until the icing is of a spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over the cooled bars. Cut into squares.

Optional: To simplify this recipe, you can skip the icing and just dust the bars with sifted confectioners sugar when cool

****I will confess I have not tried these yet, but they look delicious. This recipe is courtesy of Danielle Bean's website: http://www.daniellebean.com/recipes

The Hamster in the Wheel

Today I felt like a hamster in the wheel. Plugging away and getting nowhere. I got almost nothing accomplished at work that I was supposed to get done. And I can honestly say it was not all my fault. We were out of this world busy. I guess this is good preparation for bringing the bambino home. I'm sure only time will tell.



By the way, I am scared to death of hamsters (and mice, rats, gerbils all of those vermin.)

Back to School

Okay, we know we need to take birthing classes. Our doctor offers them for couples in their 30th-32nd week. There are many reasons why we would prefer to go this method.
1) It's free.
2) The class times are convienient.
3) It's going to give us some "lamaze-like" techniques
4) It helps us to know that this instructor is "endorsed" by our doctor

A lot of people have been asking me about these classes and if I've signed up for anything. When I mention these classes to people, they always ask me, "Why aren't you taking real Lamaze/Bradley, etc classes?"

I usually just smile and say nothing is definite yet. What I really want to say is, "Why should I pay money for classes that are not convienient in time or location when I can get basically the same thing for free? Provided by my doctor's office."

I keep thinking, women gave birth for years without these classes, so what does it matter where I go to and when?

Swinging Back and Forth

Today I have had swings from highs to lows.

First the high of a good friend who is newly pregnant with her first child. I felt a glow inside and out as I read her email. I was touched as she revealed it was early, but she wanted to share her news with us!

A few hours later I received the devastating news that another close friend who has been battling cancer has had a major setback. My heart sank.


Just as I was ready to break down in total tears, there was my growing baby who began rolling around and moving and kicking. Through my tears I had to smile. There was that little innocent baby reminding me that miracles are happening every day and that God truly comes through for those who believe.

Remember when I said I love conversation hearts? Well, here is a special one I made all by myself! And if you are wondering who J's Girl is, that's me!

The Stars Are Out Tonight

Every family has one star. You know, the one who steals the show and has soooo much talent? Well, in our family, there are 2 of them. They are our cousin Mike's daughters Natalia (at top as Frenchy in Grease) and Salome (on bottom as ChaCha in Grease). And we are more than proud to share them with you!

One Last Link...

Morning Edition was on fire this morning. Wondering what the best gift is for your sweetheart? Click here and listen to find out:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5205337

A True Love Story

Being married to someone who is older than me by more than "a few years" has caused many people to stop and wonder. My husband and I have weathered all kinds of speculation, doubt and even criticism. It's not always easy to overcome people's assumptions. It's not always easy to love people who disagree with our marriage and be Christian about it. Maybe that's why we know it was all part of God's plan. Why should it be easy?

This Valentine's Day we should all remember love doesn't always appear in ways we expect it to. Love doesn't always have the rules we impose on it. Click here and listen to the story of a beautiful marriage:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5205352

A Baby's Gift

Think mothers are the only ones who give selflessly, think again. Our babies give us something back we don't even notice. Check out this link and listen to this story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5195551