recent happenings

Today I finished up the pie filling. Grand total, 35 jars. 1 did not seal (awwww...) and 2 have gone away already to new homes.


I still need to do up some more applesauce, and meanwhile we need to eat squash so there's room on this shelf.









Aaron is becoming a champion gum-bubble blower. Here's a 2-for-one.



















Evan still hates wearing pants. Here, he demonstrates how versatile his pants can be. He wishes it was still summer.



















Cadence models her hat from the fabulous Aunt Rosemary. We've gotten so many compliments on this hat, and the matching blanket. We LOVE IT!!! I'm going to be so sad when she outgrows it.


















And here, Cadence's newest skill - smiling. So sweet. Love this girl!!

the story

Cadence arrived on Labor Day, but she had us thinking she would be coming for an entire week before she actually got here. I was having 2-3 hour segments of contractions that would come 5-7 minutes apart and of course those would get my hopes up that that day would be the day. But apparently, not. My uterus was playing a cruel joke, ha ha.

So Labor Day morning, I woke up around 6 with some different feeling contractions, but followed the advice of my midwife and said, "ha, whatever!" and decided to get up and dressed and see if they stopped. I remembered that we were out of the boys' favorite cereal and a few other things so I told Michael I was going to run to Kroger and try to make it back before they woke up.

I got to Kroger with my short list and during the time I was in the store I had seven more contractions. Yep, time to get home. I added some greek yogurt to my cart for some protein loading for me and headed home. On the way home I called mom & dad (again) and told them with slightly more certainty that this was the day, and I just wanted to make sure they were up and awake. (it was 7:30) I told them I'd call when they needed to come.

Got home, told Michael I was going to eat some breakfast and take a shower to see if my contractions would let up and then would call Kelly (my midwife) to tell her (again) that I thought it might be for real this time.

I didn't make it out of the shower before I was calling for Michael to call Kelly! The contractions were speeding up fast and I didn't know how long it would take for this birth! He also tried to reach mom & dad but they were already on their way! We prayed with the boys and let them know that we thought God might let our baby be born that day. Kelly arrived at our house around 9 with her assistant, and my dad took the boys to play for awhile while we waited.

The labor itself was pretty good - I felt more aware of my surroundings and the people that were there this time - with Evan I felt like I dove into the "zone" and barely noticed anyone. This time I had a nice break between contractions and was able to talk a little more. I did have several times when I felt like I was going to pass out and had to lie down - NOT a fun thing to do in labor - I don't know how anyone does it, honestly. The midwife checked my blood pressure and baby's heartrate (both were great) and made me eat. We still don't know exactly why all that was going on but she thinks maybe due to the lie of the baby? We do agree that the whole sit up, lie down, sit up process really slowed things down.

I finally felt well enough to get back to the birthing stool and about 15 minutes later, Cadence was born! We could not believe - and still cannot believe - that we have a daughter. Aaron is thrilled - "Oh, I was HOPING for a sister!" and Evan thinks his new sister is fantastic. They both are overjoyed with the bits of pink, purple, and flowery clothing coming into our house. And also the hair bows. They love that there are hair bows. Michael is still pinching himself. He knows he is in big trouble.

About her name - I've loved it pretty much always. The word cadence has a great set of meanings that appeals to me in my poetic sense. My favorite definition is #5. When we were expecting Aaron, we picked out this name, thinking that if we had a girl her name would signify the momentary end of our section/phrase of married couple to married couple with kiddo, and now it is a sweet meaning to signify the momentary end of our run with boy children.





Anywhoo, that's probably TMI for those of you reading this. Or you're rolling your eyes, at any rate. The definitions are:

1. rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words: the cadence of language.

2. (in free verse) a rhythmic pattern that is nonmetrically structured.

3. the beat, rate, or measure of any rhythmic movement: The chorus line danced in rapid cadence.

4. the flow or rhythm of events, especially the pattern in which something is experienced: the frenetic cadence of modern life.

5. Music . a sequence of notes or chords that indicates the momentary or complete end of a composition, section, phrase, etc.

And Abigail means "my father's joy" and it is a great name. If I didn't have that rule about most popular names being out, Abigail would probably have been her first name. But I love it as a middle name too.

So that's the story! Home birth is awesome! My all time favorite part is being able to sleep in my OWN bed that first night and not hear beeping all.night.long. Well, that, and all the germs in the house are mine and my family's and not some random stranger's. I like that part too.

The whole transition is pretty rough from having a 3 & 5 year old to adding in a newborn. After 3 nights with less sleep than I ever thought possible, I am not going to lie, I felt overwhelmed, emotional, and weak. I am sure those feelings will continue, but as God's grace prevails, we are making it. And getting a little more sleep, too. God is good, and His mercies are new, every morning.

And the support of friends & family is amazing too! Today, for example, my neighbor volunteered to keep the older boys for a couple hours so I could take a nap. BLESSED NEIGHBOR! They have 2 boys too and I guess the kids all had a blast together. We talked afterward about swapping shopping days. Yes, please. Another friend took them for a couple hours on Friday so Michael and I could sleep some more. Mom & dad have been helping whenever they can. I've had a couple of yummy meals delivered, and there are bags of baby girl clothes starting to accumulate in my living room. God knows, He provides!

Labor Day Fun

Well, part of it is fun. We have a daughter! Cadence Abigail Muth arrived this afternoon at 1:06pm, a gracious gift from God! We are so humbled and blessed to have had a second successful home birth, and are praising the LORD for what HE accomplished today!

Welcome, sweet daughter!

projects

Michael reminded me that I hadn't posted any pictures on the blog of my bassinet makeover. I was wanting to try something other than our pack n play this time around - I was actually thinking a Moses basket, but then I got this bassinet at a garage sale for $5 (!!!) and decided to give it a makeover. The ruffles wouldn't have mattered to our baby, but I do prefer the more streamlined look! All these little projects are helping the time go by!















I froze 1/2 bushel of peaches this week and am beginning to wish I had more - those bags in the freezer look too few and too lonely - so I'm trying to decide if it's worth the risk of the baby coming before I can get to them to go get another 1/2 bushel. They are soooooo good!

Michael is playing cowboys with the kiddos while I type this. They have hats and scarfs on from the Imagination Box that Aaron got for his birthday and are giddy-upping around the house, and it's adorable. Michael's doing his best to wear out the kids despite the fact that he has hurt his foot somehow - the arch is so sore he's been using crutches. He thinks he tore a tendon or something in there. Hopefully the crutches will help his foot heal all by itself.

Aaron is getting anxious for the baby to arrive, telling Michael the other night, "Dad, we have been waiting for EV er for the baby!" and Evan just keeps talking to my belly and telling the baby to come out, and that he loves him/her, and a few other things.

Today Aaron came out of the bathroom and said, "Mom, I cleaned the bathroom sink for ya so you don't have to bonk your belly on it!" And proceeded to tell me all the parts of the sink he'd remembered to clean. Such a sweetie - most of the time!

waiting, and laughing.

Today, Aaron was helping me put his and Evan's dirty clothes in the washing machine, and I was telling him what a great job he was doing and thanking him for being such a good helper.

He, matter-of-factly, replied, "Well, I learned it from you, mom. You're a born natural teacher!"

It's so fun to have a five year old. The three year old is pretty adorable too. And this baby, well, we can't wait to meet this child!

We're Jamming.

I'd forgotten how fast and easy jam making was, until yesterday. I put a couple hours in and made a few batches of jam. Now, the label on the pectin says not to double the batches, but I did with the blueberry and strawberry, and everything jelled just fine. The four little jars are sweet cherry jam, which I'd never made before. All the batches were made with no sugar needed pectin and I greatly reduced the sugar content. I think it makes the cooked jam taste more like the original fruit to omit some sugar.

Now, granted, I had all the fruit ready to go - the strawberries were cleaned and frozen a month or so ago - I seriously lacked energy to do anything with them, plus we had no sugar (or fruit juice concentrate) which always puts a damper on jam making!

The cherries were salvaged from sure spoilage and frozen 2 weeks ago and the blueberries - I'm surprised they lasted - had been in a stock pot in our fridge for about 3 weeks. I had to sort through them again and wash them but they were champs. I think I lost about 25 berries total, which I can handle!

So, now I have all these jars of yummy jam to eat and share with neighbors. Two houses on our street have been purchase in the last month or so and I'm very excited about meeting the new families and saying "welcome to the neighborhood" with a jar of jam.

The best part? The only thing I paid for was the blueberries, new lids, and sugar. I already had or was given everything else. WOO HOO!

Homemade Electrolyte Drink

So I've been a little dehydrated lately, evidenced by my swollen ankles...and although I love Recharge, it's not exactly reasonably priced on Amazon at the moment, nor is it available locally to me (since Kroger quit carrying it). So I got out my old "recipe" and tweaked it further.

1 quart Juicy Juice Kiwi-Strawberry (we had this on hand but any juice would work)
2 quarts water
1/4 tsp real salt
1/4 tsp 100% stevia extract

and, tada! a tasty, hydrating, electrolyte-replacing beverage that is easier to come by, and slightly more effective for this pregnant lady than plain water.

BTW, I did a nutritional analysis on my recipe and compared it to Recharge.

My recipe, per 8oz:
Calories - 40
Sodium - 54mg
Potassium - 76.8mg
Carbohydrate - 10g
Sugar 8.7g
Vitamin C - 40% RDA
trace amts of other minerals

Recharge, Orange, per 8 oz:
Calories - 70
Sodium - 25mg
Potassium - 60mg
Carbohydrate - 18g
Sugar -17g
Vitamin A - 30% RDA
Vitamin C - 6% RDA

just like the boy scouts.

So, Evan surprised us by coming early - at our garage sale, as you know. We were throwing baby clothes in the washing machine while I was in labor - they came out of the dryer just-in-the-nick-of-time and Michael made a run to Walgreens for the home birth supplies when I was finally convinced it was really labor. We were definitely unprepared.

This time is different. I'm more prepared, so I'll probably be pregnant until September 20. Ha ha.

Freezer cooking is well underway! Here are some meals I am making:

Marinated Chicken - so easy! I just trimmed up the chicken and threw it in the bag with the marinade mix. We can either grill it or bake it later. Flavors: Cilantro-Lime (olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper), Savory Marinade (it's a new and different combo I've never tried before),
Italian (with homemade italian dressing, yum)

Chicken and Rosemary Roasted Vegetables (er, minus the rosemary, which is not my favorite flavor. The veggie blend has potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and onions in there with chunks of chicken, olive oil, and some seasonings)

Chicken Leg Quarters - these were 59cents/lb this week so I bought the ten pound bag to divide up with salt, pepper, olive oil - or some italian seasonings - and they'll be set to thaw and throw in a pan. yay.
Pre-seasoned burger patties (to grill!)

And the stuff that actually requires me to cook it before freezing:
Chicken taco filling (cooks in the crock pot - tomorrow's job for crock pot #1)
Shredded pork for BBQ pork sandwiches (in the crock pot #1 now!)
Shredded Qdoba-style pork (in the crock pot #2!)
Pre-cooked meatballs (yay, shortcut!)
Pre-cooked taco meat
Filling for stuffed bell peppers that we are sure to keep getting via our CSA
Minestrone soup - lots of veggies!
Possibly some chicken/rice soup - we shall see!

And some sides:
Brown rice
White rice
Cheesy potatoes
Cilantro-lime rice
Possibly some pre-made mashed potatoes - we shall see on this one, too.

I also bought some zip n steam bags for veggies we'll get in our CSA boxes - have you tried zip n steam bags? They are so, so cool. I almost always pack fresh veggies in them when I take a meal to someone - they go in the microwave and presto! Plus, I don't have to worry about keeping veggies hot for whomever is infirmed.

I'm about halfway done with today's work. I have been taking lots of breaks. That, and the beef isn't quite thawed yet. (here it is, thawing in our utility sink with my shortcut potatoes) Hopefully I can finish up tomorrow and we'll be set for a month- if I can keep out of the freezer until the baby actually comes, that is. I'm excited to report that I spent under $150 on the stuff I needed to make all those meals - yay! That includes two jumbo packs of paper plates and some extra foil pans and freezer bags, along with some extra pantry/ staple items (bread for the freezer, etc) but if you divide it out, it is a little over $3 for each main course for 40 days. Better than paying takeout prices for sure. Of course, the beef (and some ground pork) was all in my freezer, so it probably does come out to more than that per meal, although I do have extras of certain things I bought. Most of the veggies are from the CSA, which I also get for free from the farmer for making the trip and bringing in business for him.

In other news, I finally renewed my driver's license today. And, I've been having more Braxton Hicks contractions than usual, along with increased discomfort. I'm not totally disappointed with that. But like I said, I'm more prepared, so...

I might get those 3 varieties of jam made yet!

Updates

1. Aaron turned 5 two weeks ago. Evan turned 3 Monday. Last night at dinner, Aaron asked whose birthday was next, and whilst I was racking my brain to see which family member's birthday was next, Michael said, "our new baby" and I about spit out my water. Oh, yeah, that is coming up soon, isn't it?!

2. Saturday will mark 37 weeks of pregnancy. On that note, I've never felt "READY!" to have a pregnancy be over. I've always felt that gestation was the easiest time to be a parent. This time is much different, just the way I'm carrying this baby. Lots of pain and discomfort, but it will be worth it. And, I now have cankles. So come Saturday, I will be delivering (heh, heh) an eviction notice to the child within.

3. I am now taking guesses for birth date, size, and gender of our baby. The winner will get something. My due date is 9/10/11.

4. I love summer produce, but right now it is overtaking my kitchen and my life. I have 3 kinds of jam to make, this week. I can't find my jam jars, despite my empty garage. I was going to cook up a storm this week and next to fill the freezer with precooked meals for post-baby family nourishment, but it's full of berries to make jam. And the clutter around here is getting worse, not better. I need a personal assistant.

5. The TV Karts at Meijer are SO not worth the extra $1. It ended up that I paid more for a headache that could have been avoided by just getting a normal cart. The spelling error should have tipped me off. Someday I will learn. At least the $1 goes to a good cause.

6. Michael and I had a great weekend away last weekend. We were going to go up north but decided to go shop at IKEA instead. We slept, we ate out, we shopped. We slept IN until 9:40. Now that was bliss. And then we shopped again and just enjoyed not having to think about nap time or sippy cups or potty stops for 24 hours. Thanks, mom & dad. It was so nice to get away.

7. Speaking of potty stops, it's Evan's turn to potty train. Oh, dear. He's got it about 2/3 of the time. When I remember to remind him. Oh, dear.

That's it. Now, please excuse me. I have some nesting to do.

Giveaway Winner!

My Happy Birthday giveaway ended this past Monday, but in the excitement of Michael's sister visiting and the activities we did this week, I neglected to post the winner!

Random.org selected comment #22 - Rachel! Hurray! Congratulations!

And thanks, everybody, for all the birthday wishes and delicious ice cream flavor ideas. YUMMY!

My favorite, by the way, is a local flavor called Spring Break - it's toasted coconut in coconut ice cream with thin chocolate pieces sprinkled throughout. It is delicious!! And it just so happens to be what is pictured above - an entire "cake" made just for me, of ice cream only, my lucky day.

I do have to be honest - when it comes to ice cream, I'm pretty much up to trying anything.

Time FLIES!

It's my birthday. I'm 32 today. And for the last couple of years I've made a huge hairy deal about it, written a oft-drafted post, given away virtual cake, and done a real life giveaway.

This year, I'm exhausted. I stayed up a little too late a couple nights in a row, and I'm pregnant, and it's humid. So, no great creative post. However, if you want to, you can scoop a bowl of ice cream and eat it in my honor. I will take your extra calories, if you feel the need to bestow them on me.

But, still, I can't resist doing a giveaway.

The only thing is, I'm a sucker for surprises. So, I'm not telling you what the little birthday package is this year, in honor of the unknown-on-purpose gender of our new little addition coming very soon.


I will give hints:
1. there will be something Pampered Chef in there. of course.
2. there may or may not be some reading material involved.
3. there may or may not be something delicious included.
4. you will like it.
5. if you don't, you will be able to give it to someone who does.

And now, in order to be entered to win my annual birthday giveaway, you must first have a US mailing address. Then, you must do a happy birthday song and dance. I will go with the honor system on this one, unless you feel this simply will not do and just have to set up a video chat.

Then post a comment here (on the blog, not just on FB) telling me your favorite ice cream flavor(s) and how many scoops you typically eat. I know, they seem unrelated, the task and the comment.

I can be random like that.

Giveaway ends next Tuesday!

in conclusion...

A few months ago I started reading Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. I finished it yesterday, and it is really, really good. Really. As I finished the last chapter, my extra pregnancy hormones and God's goodness mixed together for a flood of tears. Here's the excerpt that opened the floodgates.

[God] chose you to assist Him in a miracle. He gave you children and then said, "Now go, and give these precious lives meaning." It's a mandate that comes with a great reward if you succeed, but a heavy price if you fail.

This is where many parents panic. When they realize that their job is to raise up children to love and serve God, they wonder how on earth they will do that.

The answer isn't on earth. It's found in heaven. It's sitting on an eternal throne. he has many names, but among my favorites is "The God of Grace." You wonder, How am I to raise up children to love and serve God? The answer is actually not that difficult. You simply need to treat your children the way God treats you.

He does it in His grace.

And here's the good part. If the only thing you get right as parents is His grace, everything else will be just fine.

SO...pick up a copy of this book. Buy, borrow, beg, whatever you need to do, just get a copy of the book. And read it. And prepare to have your perspective changed. It's a really good one.

what would you do...

If you're a mom, please weigh in on this - what would you do if you had a day to spend by yourself? As in no kids, no spouse, just you. And a $50 spending ceiling.

I'd love to hear your answers!

God Provides. Again.

So, as it turns out, our old van sold today, at the exact price we were asking. When you add that price to the settlement from Michael's Jeep rear ending...wait, I didn't mention that?

OK.

Michael had a fender bender and the back hatch doesn't open, the hitch got bent down - anyway - the Jeep was considered a total loss BUT our insurance company took a fraction off and let us keep the very driveable Jeep. So we got a settlement. (the body shop can fix the hatch, they say, for less than $100 in a non-beautiful way.)

So when you add the price of the settlement to the price we got today from the Dodge minivan: it totals exactly what we paid for our new minivan.

The happy dance is most definitely called for. We are praising God for His many blessings.

God Provides.

About 3 months ago, we called off our search for a minivan. Yesterday, we found the "perfect" van, unexpectedly, but not by accident. We drove about 45 minutes to see it, as the ad on Craigslist (photo from the ad) only had an address, no phone number and no response to the email I'd sent.

We went using our recently refreshed Dave Ramsey deal making skills, particularly the power of cash, the skill to shut up (and listen) and the ability to walk away. We had a set price, which was $800 below the asking price, and we had the cash in hand (nerve wracking, to say the least, carrying around that much cash). And the whole way there I was coaching myself not to get too attached so that I wouldn't be disappointed to walk away - I knew there was only a very slim chance our offer would be accepted. And I was praying, too, that God would make it very clear to us whether we should purchase a van.

But really, it was worth the risk of that drive. The worst that could happen is that we'd get there and turn around and re-deposit the money in our savings account.

Much to our amazement, they took our offer and threw in a couple of cupcakes for the boys from their son's 12th birthday party. And now we are the owners, for better or for worse, of a one-owner (it had 2 miles on it when they bought it), very clean 2003 Chevy Venture with 8 passenger seating, AWD, and some other nifty features, including a working air conditioner for our sticky summer days. A definite bonus blessing. We paid about 2500 less than the private party blue book value. God is gracious to us. We are praising HIM for this blessing, and pray that we can use what He has provided to honor Him and serve others!

my little sweaties

It's summertime, or at least it feels that way. My little guys are growing up - they're becoming very independent, interactive, verbal. It's wonderful. And terrifying. Am I ready to basically start over with a newborn? Not really, but I do love that baby stage too.

Both kids have been coming up with adorable things that are just out of the blue, Aaron especially.

He's been trying to quantify his love for us - saying things like, "I love you taller than the house" etc. Well, the other night he said, as he was squeezing me tight, "Mom, guess how much I love you?" I, expecting to hear some off the wall comparison, was not ready to hear, "As much as my heart can hold!!!" And cue the tears. *SIGH* I love being a mom.

Then, a couple days ago, when we were riding in the van and listening to a tape of kids' songs, Aaron said, "Hey mom, can I have some rock-a-roll music?" Knowing how crazy my kids can be I just said, "what? what is that?" He came back with, "You know, when the guys bang on the drums really hard and play guitar like this (demonstration) and move their heads like this (headbanging demo) and it's really loud?" We haven't had ANY music discussions with our kids, I'm pretty sure he's never seen anything like that on TV and he hasn't been to any concerts - I have no idea where he came up with all the details but I was laughing pretty hard about that.

I told him that mommy didn't like crazy music because the people seem like they are out of control. But I did eject the tape and turn on my favorite local station, featuring easy listening oldie-type music, and John Denver was playing - "Sunshine on My Shoulders" that seemed to do the trick for him. Ha ha.

Next time, Evan stories. I can definitely tell that he's almost 3.

Cheese Cake (not that kind)

Michael had a birthday, yesterday. And as he could live forever never tasting another dessert (WEIRDO!), for the past couple of years, I've tried to come up with a celebratory substitute.

This year, it was a cheese-cake. Cheese, olives, bacon, cream cheese. That's it. It was appreciated. Happy 31st to my fantastic husband!! (we also had homemade maple ice cream, which was sweet, for the rest of us, ha ha!)

By the way, the statement that he is fantastic is quite possibly the understatement of the millennium. I am a very blessed woman.

Evan Sings

If you have the PBS kids show "The Cat in the Hat" fans in your house, you might recognize this catchy tune

ups and downs

So, I'm 24 weeks pregnant, and I am so grateful for a healthy pregnancy thus far. God is gracious, and my ultrasound last week showed perfect progress on track with my due date of September 10, and a beautiful, healthy baby (gender is, happily, unknown). We are so blessed.

But isn't it just like us to get frustrated in the midst of blessing?? I am starting to once again be frustrated by my maternity clothes. Anyone figured out a solution?? If someone could start a company with cute and appropriate maternity clothes, I would be so happy! (oh, did I mention inexpensive??)

Pants/Shorts: I have some jeans with a full, very stretchy, panel. They do stay up at first, but once I've had them on for a few hours, I feel them losing their staying power. Plus, that stretchy panel is HOT! The underbelly styles seem to creep down, too. I have this step-step-tug gait that is *just* as appealing as the late pregnancy waddle! And I need to find some shorts, pronto! I've been pregnant for 3 summers and still no shorts? EEK!

Shirts seem to be cut to show more than I've ever been comfortable showing - which would be fine if I didn't mind wearing 2 shirts but summers are sticky enough and sometimes it's just too hot!

A lot of the clothes this season are made from jersey - the clingiest fabric ever! Now why would someone want to wear clingy fabric when crazy things are happening to create bulges where none were there before? And who decided a stretchy band on the bottom of the shirts, under the belly, would be a good idea?

My solution so far is to wear more sundresses, and I do have a couple of skirts that are just stretchy regular sizes that seem to work well. The downside to this is figuring out how to play with and chase 2 active preschoolers and retain some level of modesty!

When I was pregnant with Evan I got so annoyed that I got out my sewing machine. And then proceeded to make a tent - ha! The pattern looked so cute and easy - but the result? um, not so much!!

I've had the best result shopping at garage sales and thrift stores, and even the "regular" clothes section for loose fitting tops and altering as needed. I know what I need to do is have a garage sale, sell a bunch of what I already own that I'm not wearing or that only "kinda" works, and shell out the extra for some basics. Then, just do more laundry. Or maybe I'll try sewing a tent again - I'll just grab some super cool and breezy cotton and make some of those mumu-style stuff our moms wore. I really think they were onto something.

quick and powerful

I'm continuing my reading in John 12

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. ⁴²Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

I'm not so very different from the Pharisees. God, help me love YOU, and be more concerned with Your glory than my own.

This song I learned at camp years ago keeps running through my head:

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful of comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depth of Your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You.

copyright Hillsong United