Getting Ready...

Signing off...

I know I've been lacking in the post department for a little while, but I promise I have a good excuse. Actually I may have many. My time has been dominated by things like: packing boxes, moving boxes ok, ok I'm not really "moving" them...just dictating where they should go, unpacking boxes, painting color swatches on walls, sanding furniture, organizing, and trying to get a nursery ready for the impending arrival of baby boy. Oh yes, and let's not forget that all this is going on while I'm still making sure my girls get to school, have lunches made, get to their gymnastics and to Daisy Scouts, have clean clothes to wear, get their hair brushed, and have a bath ok, so I may be slipping in this area. Sometimes a "bath" consists of washing their hands and wiping down their faces. Oh and on top of that there's always the whole photography & design businesses to keep up with. And one more thing. I. am. 8. months. pregnant! I swear by the end of the day my ankles are the size of loaves of bread. They are getting so swollen these days from being on the go so much that they literally ache and throb and I walk like I am crippled. It's a sad state of affairs over here. So I apologize for the lack of pictures & stories and things. I either blog or put my feet up to try and reduce the swelling and right now the ankles are winning. Also our internet is being cut off tomorrow and we don't have anyone scheduled to connect at our new address until May 7th. So I will be cut off from the internet for a little while. Well, there's always the iphone...thank goodness for the iphone! I will get my fix here & there with my phone, but for the most part I will be internet-less. So I am signing off for a bit. I also have to focus on getting settled and as unpacked as possible in the new house before I have a newborn on my hands. Lord knows how demanding those little suckers are! So I will be back. Until then...

Prayer Request - Updated Again

*Update 2: The boys are here and looking good! They were both bigger than the doctors anticipated and they are both breathing on their own! Not sure on exact stats or names yet. But from what I understand everyone seems to be doing well. Praise God!

*Update: Tiffany is scheduled for a c-section tomorrow morning at 9:30. They will stay at the hospital tonight so they can monitor the twins' heartrates. Tiffany and her husband are doing well and taking it one step at a time. 

This is my good friend Tiffany and her two little ones. She is pregnant with identical twin boys.

She is around 32 weeks pregnant and will be delivering the babies via c-section either this evening or tomorrow morning. The twins have something called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome where they share one placenta and one twin takes more of the nutrients than the other, causing one to be bigger than the other. She was scheduled for a c-section on April 30th because there comes a point when they have a better chance of survival outside the womb rather than inside when they have this TTT going on. However she went in to have the babies measured today and one of the twins has only grown 1 oz since the last time they measured. Because of this they are wanting to go ahead and get the babies out now. The latest update is that she will be having the c-section this evening or tomorrow morning. They expect the boys to need to be in the NICU for at least 4-6 weeks after they are born. Will you please pray for this family right now? I know they can use all the prayer they can get for peace of mind as they get ready to deliver the babies, and for the babies to be healthy and strong. I will update when I know anything new. Thank you!

This is what happens...

My Morning

This is where I spent my morning...

...to register!     : )       Did I getcha?

I went this morning to pre-register in Labor & Delivery so that now, according to the nice registration girl, I can just "come on in and have a baby." hmm...ok, yeah....that sounds good. I'll just waltz on in and have a baby. Spoken like a true person who's never had a baby! 

Just another sign of the imminent arrival of this baby boy. It was actually making me a little nauseous sitting in the hallway of the Birth Center thinking of how I would be there in just 8 or 9 more weeks doing the whole birthing thing all over again. But seeing all of the family members in the waiting areas and their excitement over the arrival of their newest family members was really fun and kind of made me wish I got to take part in that aspect. They have a party going on while the Mom is laid up in bed! Well at least I am the first person who gets to meet & hold the new bundle...that's definitely one of the perks. 

So Family Birthing Center....see you soon!

The makings of a...

...surprise movie night!

Ooh...sooo dangerous!

A friend on Facebook recently posted this recipe as a note and I literally ran to my pantry to see if I had all the ingredients to try this out. Unfortunately I had everything I needed except an egg. My husband was out of town, my kids were in bed, and I would have looked really strange knocking on my neighbor's door at 10:00 at night to borrow an egg, so I was out of luck that night. This afternoon as I was grabbing a few groceries I made sure eggs were on my list for this specific thing! So check this out:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE 

• 4 tablespoons flour 
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar 
  
• 2 tablespoons cocoa 
  
• 1 egg 
  
• 3 tablespoons milk 
  
• 3 tablespoons oil 
  
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
  
• A small splash of vanilla extract 
  
• 1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe) 

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. 

Add the egg and mix thoroughly. 
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract, and mix again. 
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? 
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

**Ok so one problem with this recipe: all the chocolate chips sink to the bottom, so they're only in the bottom half of the cake and the top is slightly bland without the chips. So my suggestion: cut off the top half and toss it. Eat the bottom! It makes quite a bit anyway. I wouldn't have been able to eat both halves. Enjoy!