A most blessed day!

Doug's precious cousins, Kristi and Joni, came halfway across Texas this past weekend to give us the most wonderful baby shower!

They planned EVERYTHING!
I was told to just sit back, relax, and enjoy...

BOY, DID I EVER!

I'm still amazed at all the loving support we have received, I mean, this is baby number five! I would have thought all the hoop-la would have vanished by now. But this out pouring of love has blessed my heart and soul in ways I could have never imagined.

Thank you all for the beautiful cards, well wishes, and most generous gifts for our baby girl. I hope none of you noticed, but I had to slip away to the bathroom a couple of times during the day to compose myself for fear of blubbering like a baby in front of you all!

Maybe it was crazy pregnancy hormones...

Or maybe it was being surrounded by the most wonderful friends and family a girl like me could ever wish for.

We love you.
We thank you.
We have been so blessed by your presence in our lives.

I can't wait for our daughter to know you all too!

2 for 1!

We went to the hospital yesterday for my routine antenatal testing:

Baby was gorgeous on the monitor and the ultrasound showed that she finally turned to the vertex (head down), which is great because she is rapidly running out of wiggle room!

While there, we had to get Danny's "monster eye" checked out (thanks neighbor kid!). Danny had a tear in the sclera and was seeing shadows of a "big black tree" in his periphery.

With the doctors we have to use being an hour away it was nice that our visits could coincide and that everything turned out really well, especially for Danny.

But I think he was a little disappointed he didn't get an eye patch!

Good bye old friend...

I'm packing away my faithful old sewing machine for grander plans. My sewing desk will now become a changing/dressing table for our new baby girl!

I've been ready to make this change for a while now and finally this weekend I finished the last of the items on my "to do" list...two more nursing dresses for my post-partum wardrobe.

I simply want to rest and gestate on my days off from now on. So if you see me with a sewing needle, glue gun, or knitting loom in my hands...
feel free to smack me!

From drab to FAB ~ part 2

The second part of the furniture re-furbishing projects is DONE!
You might remember the thrift store coffee table I got for five bucks:

Now check out our new window seat!

The sad part is that I didn't have one, single, solitary thing to do with the make-over!
Ryan ended up painting the table the same luscious chocolate as the rocker on one of the days I worked last week. Doug cut the foam seat and upholstered the bench with the staple gun as I laid like a beached whale on the adjacent couch spouting orders!

Let's just say it was a "group effort" to get this project done!

Meatless Fridays

This week's meatless meal is totally adaptable to your taste and is a great way to clean out the fridge or pantry. Why spend alot of money at Chipoltle or Bullritos when you can make it yourself for pennies!
This week's meatless meal is:

Stuffed Burritos with Cilantro-Lime Rice

(this recipe is substituted with quinoa since I can't eat rice!)

To make rice:
Cook rice according to package directions but substitute chicken stock for water and add one clove of chopped garlic. When rice is finished cooking, add the zest and juice of one lime and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Salt to taste.
To substitute quinoa, follow the same directions!

To make burritos, fill whole wheat tortillas with:
Black beans
Corn
Avocado
Pico de Gallo
Refried Beans
Cheese
Or whatever suits your taste buds!

It's so easy and kids just love it ~ especially when they get to make their own!

Being "average" has never looked so good!

I had appointments with my regular OB and the perinatologist this week. I was dreading the perinatologist because at the last appointment I had with him he just kept going on and on about how HUGE my baby was (and was going to be!).
So, I've been eating well (most of the time) and taking my insulin on time. I was bracing myself for the news that she'd be five pounds by now, but there was no mention of her size. I finally broke down and asked him how big she was.
His answer:

"Oh, she's AVERAGE!
She's normal size and weight, about the 53rd percentile."

I was never so happy to hear the word AVERAGE to describe one of my children in all my life!
53rd percentile for size/weight is almost unheard of for insulin dependent diabetics, glad to hear I'm doing something right!

So Doug and I celebrated by going out to lunch complete with desert! LOL!

Right now...

From drab to FAB!

Well, I got one out of two projects completed this weekend ~
Not too bad for an old pregnant lady!

You remember our old glider rocker before...

Now check out the after!

I went to Hob Lob and found this damask upholstery fabric on sale for 10 bucks a yard (normally $21.99!) and decided to paint the frame chocolate instead of antique white. I cannot tell you how much I love this new look!

I think it will be one of my little "nursing nests" for when the baby comes. I even filled up a basket with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, blankies, and the all important Boppy to sit beside the rocker.

I'm sure many a late night will be spent here...and I can't wait!

A labor of love...

Last Friday the ladies at work gave me the most wonderful baby shower!

Themes and decorations were planned and purchased. The break room was transformed into a pink garden wonderland. Even one of the nurses handmade this gorgeous cake!

Everyone brought a dish to share. The food was DELICIOUS! Even the patients cooperated for a while while we ate, laughed, and opened presents!

I was overwhelmed and humbled by this most gracious act of kindness!
There was a lot of time and effort put into this, and they took time out of their busy lives to do this for me and my baby. I told them I really didn't feel worthy of such a gift, after all, it was my fifth baby! But that's when one of the ladies said, "That's when you need something like this the most!"

I think she was right!
Thank you all for making me feel very special, very blessed, and very loved!

Projects in the works

We ventured out to the thrift store on my day off and I came across this sad (but sturdy) coffee table for FIVE BUCKS! Picture, if you will, it painted in a gorgeous antique white and distressed, topped off with a four inch cushion and pillows in a pretty print!

I KNOW, RIGHT?

And while I'm at it, I thought I'd paint our glider/rocker the same antique white and recover these 17 year old cushions in a chocolate toille and add pretty pink pillow.

I think my plans for doing might be grander than my physical capacity to do! While I'm at work, I think I might have to delegate the painting to the boys (it doesn't have to be perfect because it's going to be distressed anyway!) and I'll tackle the sewing over the weekend.

I've rocked all my babies in that chair and I can't wait to rock our newest little one to sleep in something pretty befitting our little princess! ;-)