Happy Mother's Day!

A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something that no on can explain,

It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it or take that love away . . .

It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking . . .

It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems . . .

It is far beyond defining, it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation . . .

A many splendoured miracle man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence of God's tender guiding hand.

Helen Steiner Rice

Happy Mother's Day Mom, we love you!

Richard & Emily

Recipe

Hey All. This week is a recipe I recently came across. We've had it several times already because it's just so good! It's a great pork chop recipe with a yummy sauce.

First put a large skillet over medium heat. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil in and let that heat up. Take your pork chops, how ever many you want, and season them generously with salt and pepper. Cook them to your preference. Meanwhile, whip up this Apricot Mustard sauce.

1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp apricot jam

Stir all ingredients together until well blended. This can be served with either pork or chicken. Also, I usually less Dijon to make it a bit creamier. It's all up to you though. Enjoy!

Busy!

It's kind of hard to keep up around here! We've been pretty busy. The weekend could have been a lot better but oh well!! On Saturday we got up early, after not nearly enough sleep. We had an appointment for the truck at 9am, and we were dropping it off and going to head over to the mall which is right across the street. We got there and Richard headed in. I think there were three people in front of him. I was sitting in the truck reading a magazine and I could see him standing in front of the door. I think about 15 minutes had passed and he had not moved one bit! He called and let me know that there was only one employee and the man at the counter was arguing with the employee. I ended up coming in to wait with him. We waited over 30 minutes just to get up to the desk and then were informed that regardless of our appointment they could not take us!! Tak about frustrating. They had obviously overscheduled and we weren't getting anywhere.
So we ended up going around to garage sales for a bit, then heading home. We chilled for a while then decided to go get something to eat. We ended up at the University Diner. It's just down the street from our house and we've been there a few times. I got a chicken wrap, something I had before, and decided to try their sweet potato fries. That was obviously a big mistake! A couple of hours later I was in a world of hurt!! I don't know what disagreed with me, but it made me so sick! So that was how the rest of my weekend went!
Monday we ended up going grocery shopping and getting that all taken care of. I don't know why but I actually enjoy going grocery shopping.
Anyhow, certain family members...(ahem, you know who you are!)...need to get on here and blog. If I can do it you can! I feel all alone in the world!

Strawberry Butter

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped

1. Using an electric mixer beat butter, sugar, and salt until light. About 1 minute. Add strawberries and beat until combined, but not totally uniform.
2. Serve!

This is very simple to make. It also freezes really well. Use plastic wrap and roll it into a log, then place in a freezer bag. You can freeze this up to 2 months.

Next week...or so....will be a excellent pork chop and interesting mustard sauce recipe. I wanted to do it this week but it looks like my last recipe was pork chops.

Mommy's Boy

This picture was taken after I was finished working a few weeks ago. I had been in the office for several hours and walked out to find Phoenix fast asleep. At least he was being good!

This was taken today. Phoenix has found a new way to snooze. He discovered the bliss of laying in my lap and getting his tummy rubbed. Richard thought to grab the camera and snap a pic so Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Amanda can see their cutie pie. You can't help but love him. Kudos to Richard! He found the camera cord so I no longer having boring blogs with no pictures! Yay! I was also reminded today that I have neglected my weekly recipe for quite some time now! I'm still trying to get over this darn cold. I'll add a new recipe tomorrow. I hope...

Being Sick Really Is NO Fun!

It looks as though I've been neglecting my blog for a good little while! I haven't been up to much. Mostly working and keeping up with the house.
I managed to pick up a nasty cold somewhere along the way. I woke up Friday morning all stuffed up. It's been forever since I've been sick. I attribute it to my body still being out of wack and my immune system still not fully recovered. I refuse to think it's because I wasn't careful about not touching my face or washing my hands. Germ X goes wherever I go.
Soooo, I've been stuffed up and hacking up a lung for the past 4 days. This better go away soon. I'm taking more vitamins and Airborne and Benadryl than any person should. I HATE being sick. It's not a whole lot of fun either when your husband acts as if you have the plague. Phoenix still loves on me.
Speaking of Phoenix he's been having fun lately. We're finally done with the whole coat blowing for this Spring. Thank goodness! He went on his first truck ride in the back a week or so ago. We wanted to take him to the park and because of his hair Richard didn't want him inside the front of the truck. So I yanked his crate out and set it up in the truck bed. I wasn't sure if he would climb in there and not completely freak out. I called him up and he jumped right up and climbed in his crate. He sat down and looked at me like "lets go already!" So we slowly drove down the street and he was loving it. Off we went to the park. He was enjoying himself immensely! He tilted his head back and took it all in! He made quite a spectacle of himself. One guy in a car next to us meowed at him. We had a good time in the park. Two little girls wanted him to play! They loved on him and played with him for a while. We saw a mommy duck with a bunch of little ducklings. I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera! Phoenix just wanted to chase the ducks. But I got him to sit still so they would come close and not quack at him.
Phoenix has also learned a new trick. We found a clothesline at a garage sale last week. I'd been wanting one and it was brand new in the package. It's long enough to stretch across the backyard so we tied it to the fence posts on either side. Anyway, Phoenix has a rope toy that he likes to play with. The clothesline is up almost 6 feet off the ground. I can walk underneath it so it gives you a good idea. I balanced his rope toy on the line and told him to get it. And he did! It's a good jump for him but circus dog managed. He enjoys this game now.
Anyhow, other than that nothing much has been going on. I've been staying low kep trying to get rid of this cold. Today we finally headed to get much needed groceries. I'm wiped and we still have things to do.
Well, I'm done for now. I hope everyone is doing well. I wouldn't know...no one's blogging! Haha, just kidding...I'm guilty as well. Have a good week.

This Is What It Means To Be Held

I’m not completely sure why I’m sitting here writing this. I usually prefer to suffer in silence…wanting no one to feel the pain I’m in, or even know I’m suffering.
But…for some odd reason the need to write this won’t go away. My only explanation for this desire is that just maybe what I write can be of some comfort to someone who has lost their unborn child. I have come across so many blogs from women in my position. They've brought so much comfort and wisdom. I know when people are brave enough to reach out, they realize there are more people going through situations just like them.
Very few people knew that I was pregnant. We had tried for so long to no avail. On February 4 when that little pink plus sign popped up I was floored. I can’t even relay my excitement. I was shaking. I had daydreamed so many times of how I would tell Richard that he was finally a Daddy. All sane thoughts left me and I ended up plopping it on the office desk as he was playing a game online. Joy isn’t a good enough word, we were so excited and couldn’t stop talking about how we were going to tell family and friends, what we were going to name our girl…Richard was certain it was a girl, there was no way it could be anything but.
We made an appointment with a midwife and went through all the motions. I had ultrasounds and blood work and everything checked out. My numbers were right on track.
It was hard keeping that secret for 9 weeks. We had decided to wait until Easter to tell my family, as we would be with them. We were able to keep everything mum, even through all the morning “turned all day long” sickness. I don’t know how I managed to keep from hollering, “I’m pregnant” while I was on the phone with my Mom. I can promise you it was all I thought about while I talked to her.
It wasn’t until the 8th week when the bleeding started. I saw my midwife again and she assured me that my blood work had come back and my numbers were absolutely perfect. She was also quick to let me know there was nothing they could do if I did miscarry. It’s horrible being helpless. I clung to hope. I’m one of those people who deny what’s going on and refuse to think about it until I’m faced with absolutely no other alternative.
50% of bleeding during pregnancy ends in miscarriage. Unfortunately, I became part of that 50%.
March 18 I started cramping. Nothing alleviated the pain and I could not sleep. Around 3am on the 19th my long awaited “miracle” baby slipped away. The baby I honestly thought I would never be able to conceive was here and gone again. It was the absolute most traumatic and painful experience I have ever been through.
I am so thankful that Richard was there. I don’t know what I would have done if I had been alone.
The days that followed were full of grief. We traveled to my parents for Easter, which was actually a welcome relief as it kept my mind preoccupied. It was coming back home that was hard; being alone during the day while Richard was at work, and me not being able to get up and around until I was healed.
It’s in times like these, trials and tribulations when your faith is truly tested. I experienced every emotion known to man. I was stricken with uncontrollable tears, I got mad, I blamed myself, I got mad at my midwife…You name it I probably felt it. The simple sight of baby wipes brought on a flood of tears. Seeing babies in commercials made me ache with grief. Knowing that the vast majority of people in medicine referred to my loss as a spontaneous abortion made me so angry. To even be associated with women who did not desire their children made my blood boil. I wanted that child more than anything.
I know some people may think me utterly ridiculous for grieving over a child I only had for 9 weeks. I’ve encountered people who don’t understand, or think women like me should get over it. People like this don’t understand. I know I didn’t. A friend of mine had multiple miscarriages. I sympathized with her, but I didn’t understand it. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes will do wonders.
If you’re in my position, don’t ever let anyone tell you to get over it. You’re entitled to grief just as much as the next person.
I don’t know why this happened to me. If it had been up to me I would have never chosen to go through this. I do, however, know this…everything happens for a reason. I was blessed to have that child the few short weeks I did. I’m not promised any more.
I don’t know why I lost my child, but I do know it’s made me stronger. It’s given me a healthy perspective on our bodies. We were fearfully and wonderfully created. It amazes me that our bodies can go through horrible things and still go on. God’s providence has taken on new meaning. I know I’m not in control, and this reminded me. No matter how much I prayed and begged God not take my child, He still did. I could get angry and bitter and say it’s not fair. Who am I to say that? He had His purpose in taking my child. As our pastor said, He wanted this one now. How can I be angry? I rejoice knowing that even though I miss that child I carried for 9 weeks, my baby never had to know the sufferings of this world. My baby is safe in the arms of Jesus. There is truly no better place to be.
It still hurts, I still cry, but not as much as I used to. I still wonder why I had to experience this, but I remind myself that out of suffering comes hope. His mercies are new every morning.
This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know the promise was when everything fell we would be held.

Things are a little crazy

Hello all! Things are slightly crazy around here lately! We've been super busy trying to keep up with life's demands. I haven't gotten a new recipe out yet, but I shall include it today!
The cats have been adding to the craziness. I'm not sure what's gotten into them lately. Boomer has been feeling rather feisty lately...which is not like is usual loving self! Maggie is usually the feisty one! They have seemingly switched personalities! He has been enjoying tackling and biting her, smacking at Phoenix, opening all the cupboard doors, climbing on everything, and playing with anything he can get his paws on! This morning I witnessed a rather funny sight. I was sitting on the couch eating breakfast, and looked over just in time to see Boomer soar up the side of the bookcase. He was trying to jump on top but didn't quite make it! He managed to grab onto the side and was hanging for several seconds. It was pretty amusing. I wish I would have had a camera ready!
Maggie hasn't excluded herself from the fun! The other evening Richard had taken Phoenix outside and was coming back in the sliding glass door. It was open and he was outside getting Phoenix, when Maggie decided she wanted to go exploring and went running out the door!! I immediately grabbed kitty treats and Richard said once she got out there she realized she didn't want to be out there in the dark and cold! She was terrified and thankfully he moved out of the doorway and she went zooming back inside! We're just thankful she didn't run off!
I doubt we would have ever found her in the dark if she had!
I'm thinking about sharing funny work stories. I get some pretty interesting characters calling in and talking to me. I've been left speechless a couple of times.
Anyhow, it's hard to believe Easter is only 9 days away! We will be heading down South to visit with my family for a couple of days. We're excited about that. Other than that I can't think of a whole lot more.
Here's my not so weekly recipe. It's a cinch and super easy. I'm actually including the full meal, just because it's so so good. It's a lovely pork chop recipe with potatoes and carrots.

Dijon Pork Chops and Oven Potatoes Dinner
1 lb potatoes, cut into bite size chunks
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
4 pork chops
4 tsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss potatoes with dressing. I just kind of eye it. I know I use more than a 1/4 cup. Place in a glass bowl and microwave on high for about 7 minutes. Stir once or twice in between. I also throw in some more dressing while I'm stirring.
3. Spread chops with mustard and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Once the potatoes are finished arrange them around the chops.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until chops are cooked through and potatoes are tender.

I also serve brown sugar carrots with this and it makes for a lovely dinner. I simply steam the carrots, then place a little butter and brown sugar and let that melt down over the carrots.

You get an absolutely delicious meal! Enjoy!

I've Moved

Hey All! I've finally left Yahoo behind! That site was driving me crazy! Hopefully I can figure this thing out soon. It shouldn't be too hard right? LOL! Richard will more than likely end up helping me. I'd like to think of myself as tech savvy, but let's face it...it's just not so!
So anyways, just wanted everyone to know I'd finally made the move. I hope you guys will join me!!

Not So Weekly Recipe

Hey All, I remembered today that I had neglected my weekly recipe yet again! So here goes. This week's is a scrumptious pork chop recipe. I think everyone who has ever had these loves them, and they are so simple! My favorite way to do things! They go perfectly with mashed potatoes and yummy veggies.

Italian Style Pork Chops

2 cups Saltines/Ritz, crushed

1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tsp Italian style seasoning

2/3 cup butter, melted

4 pork chops

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. This will vary, I usually bake them at 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl combine the crackers, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and butter.

3. Place the chops in a baking dish, or on a bakig sheet. Then spoon the mixture over each pork chop.

4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Enjoy!