The Murdaughs

Zeda and all her sasssss

2012-01-25T14:17:00.000-06:00

I usually just post pictures of my precious little girl smiling or doing something sweet. However, I do want you all to know, it's not always roses in our house. She hit the twos and she hit them hard. Granted, she's still a pretty good, easy going child but sometimes if you say the wrong word or look at her the wrong way...you're going to get it.
I wanted to take a few pictures of this pretty little outfit she got for Christmas so I promised her once she took a few "good" pictures she could go play at the park. As SOON as we stepped out of the car she started yelling at the wind and crying. She doesn't like the wind, what girl does but she wasn't even trying. I put her back in the car, said we were going home because she wasn't calming down and that she could not play. Tears turned off immediately, she said, "I will smile, mommy" and off we went. Now, the wind really was ridiculous that day but we were still able to get a few pictures.

Look at that sad face, it's so rough to be Zeda.

Here is the start to the smiles. The comment, "The longer you don't smile, the longer we are out here" really seems to work.

And now we are playing peek a boo...oh the little things

Our little Mister

2012-01-22T15:02:00.000-06:00

I've been pretty bad with the belly pics this time around and really I have no creative way to show the weeks. Oh well, I'm not worried about it. This is good enough.

Yes, I showed super early and yes let's pray I continue to slow down like I have in the last couple of weeks.

My goal is somewhere in the 8lb range for the little guys, can we do it? Not that I have much control over his birth weight but I can tell myself that anyways.

8 Weeks

15 Weeks

17 Weeks

20 Weeks

24 Weeks

26 Weeks

Zeda: two and a half

2012-01-21T12:58:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went to see Meg's baptism. While we were at the beautiful church on SLU's campus we got some pretty cute pictures of Z. She was a bit excited.

Christmas Craziness

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000-06:00

I realize Christmas was almost a month ago but things haven't slowed down much around here. So, better late then never. I give you our Christmas craziness.

Santa with all three kiddos...it went better then I expected.

Zeda ready to go see a Christmas Branson show with my parents.

Mr. Max passing out gifts at our extended family Christmas.

Zeda singing jingle bells for the Scavuzzos

Starting on Friday, December 23-Monday, December 26 we were on the go. Let's be honest, Christmas really wears me out and Zeda too. The last two years she has gotten sick the week after Christmas. You'd think a good mom would see this and make a few changes. Yeah, let's see how Christmas goes next year.

Christmas at the Sanders house.

She has her father's big toe

NawNaw with three very sleepy kids on Christmas Eve.

Miss pretty Ava

Grandma B opening a gift but leaving her trash bag handy to pick up the kids wrapping as soon as it landed.

My dad gave my grandma some moonshine in a mason jar for Christmas. She was a bit too excited to take it to her friends while they play cards.

Two of my very favorite people enjoying Christmas morning.

Silly little girls

The Murdaugh family Christmas

Shaun and Karly, Jarrod's brother and his soon to be wife.

Never ending episode of unwrapping gifts.

Jarrod's dad always does some fun wrapping for Sherri, which I think is super cute.

Jarrod's other brother, Cameron. He's boring, he already knows everything he gets before he opens them.

At the extended family shindig, Zeda couldn't keep her hands off Meg.

Alex's Sweet 16

2012-01-14T20:13:00.000-06:00

Welp, she did it, she turned 16 and started to drive. I can't believe my little Alex is all grown up and even has a boyfriend, Austin. We celebrated her birthday the week after Christmas at her home in KC with specialty foods, cake, lots of candy and a really good time. Happy Birthday Alex, you have turned into such a beautiful young lady.

More Updates: Brandon

2012-01-11T12:22:00.000-06:00

Man has it ever been a roller coaster the past week. Brandon is still with us and fighting like a tiger. Please keep continuing to pray for him and his family. Here are some recent updates from Regina.

January 5 -
Got word that we have a liver. OR time scheduled for 9:30. They could still reject the liver if they physically see something they don't like about it, but so far it seems to be a match. Pray diligently today that this transplant is a success. Thank you all so much.

January 5 -
Heard more from the transplant team and they say everything went very, very well. There were no problems at all and they only had to use 4 units of blood. That is amazing, too. Please continue to pray that he has just as easy of a recovery and there is no problem with rejection. Also, in all of this, please remember the family who lost their loved one. I've been so focused on Brandon, I forgot about what happened to another family while thinking about my son.

January 6 -
Brandon had a very bad night. His heart rate got very high and he went into A-fib again. They had to shock his heart 4 times. Finally around 4:30 or 5:00 this morning, his heart rate came down. They had to put him back on dialysis. Right now, his vitals are stable. He is still very sick with all the problems the old liver caused, 3 major surgeries, and not waking up for more than a week now. Hopefully, today goes better and he makes some strides towards being weaned off life support and waking up.

January 7 -
Brandon had a good night. He may, however, have pneumonia. They cleaned a bunch of stuff out of his left lung yesterday, but this morning the bronch test was clear. His numbers are pretty stable. His eyes look better. Best of all - he was awake this morning and hot happy. He was not happy with all the stuff down his throat. So that's a good and understandable thing to not be happy about. I... feel better because he could respond accordingly to questions and he could follow my voice from side to side of the bed and he could follow me with his eyes. We have a long way to go, but this is encouraging and something that we needed to see from him. They will have to gradually wean him from the vent.

January 9 -
Brandon had another good night. He is totally awake and not happy at all with the vent. It's so hard to communicate with him since he can't make any sounds at all. It took me a good half hour yesterday to figure out what he was trying to ask about. Finally figured out that he wanted to know where his cell phone was. Apparently, he wanted to text some of you! They have reduced the vent down by ...half of what it was. I so hope and pray that tomorrow is the day he gets that out. When he can finally talk, however, somebody's going to get an earful. The ICU docs are calling Brandon a Rockstar because of his marked improvement. They are very pleased with his progression. I'm a little worried about a couple of things, one of which is the billirubin number is still pretty high and the other is a JP drain that has started putting out more today. They are doing a Hyde-A-Scan right now, which is a liver scan. They are talking about taking him off the continuous dialysis today as well.

Because of all the efforts in Springfield and around the state for blood donations in Brandon's name, the Red Cross is featuring Brandon in a media release that should go out the next few days. Thank you all who donated. You've done a great thing. Once again, thank you for all your prayers, too. Those prayers are certainly being answered.

January 10-
Brandon has taken a turn for he worse. He hasn't slept at all, he has a high fever, an area of air inside, a pool of fluid under his liver, and is infected. They are putting in new peripheral lines and a new central line, taking out the old ones, and then taking him back to the OR for an exploratory surgery to see what might be going on. This is the setback that I so hoped wouldn't happen. Thi...s is major and very, very serious. It also takes away all hopes of getting the vent out anytime soon. He hates the vent and can't communicate with it in. Pray Brandon doesn't give up. He is so weak and so uncomfortable and so many horrible things are being done to him. He is tough and handles everything so well, so I pray he doesn't reach that point where it just becomes too much. Four surgeries of this magnitude is a lot to handle in a few weeks.

January 11-
Quick update. Brandon's surgery was good but confusing. They didn't find anything wrong - - - awesome. They said that the air pocket seemed to be at the JP site and is probably still just from the transplant. They washed the pooled fluid out of his abdomen. All that is good. The confusing part is that they didn't find anything to fix. So, what they plan to do now is treat for infection, possible rejection, and watch and wait.

There it is, keep praying for this family. The ups and downs are hard to handle. Stay strong, buddy, you'll get through this.

On a brighter note: Praise Jesus for the second liver and for all the donors who gave blood in Brandon's name.

Brandon Update:

2012-01-03T13:22:00.000-06:00

My family went up to see him on Sunday. I was able to see him three different times throughout the day and each time he looked worse and worse. However, I was able to get a little response from his eyes when I was itching his head. :)

Update from this morning:
Email from Regina,

Brandon is having some further complications show up because of the liver not working. He, of coure, is in liver and kidney failure, but after last night, they also found that his left side heart ejectin fraction has decreased and he is not pumping blood as well and therefore his oxygen was not staying up. They had to give him some medicine for that and he did respond. He had a quiet night until 5:30 this morning, when he went into A-Fib. That's where your heart goes into a funky rhythm. They treated that with another medicine and he responded well to that. Brandon needs another liver ASAP to survive. That's where we're at now. We have to have another liver, preferably today. They did have a donor available, but it wasn't a good match for Brandon because it was a much bigger person and would be tough for them to make fit and hook up.

Brandon is making an impact in people's lives far and wide. I can't tell you how many thousands and thousands of people have been sending messages to us through all kinds of different channels. His story has literally gone world wide with people in Africa and Asia praying for him too. On a different note, Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife sent a twitter message that they are praying for Brandon. Many, many churches, prayer chains, prayer warriors, small groups are constantly praying. The racing community is also praying starting with Frank Stark from Raceway Ministries out of Strafford, MO, clear to Australia, where Jeremy Payne is racing now.

Also, we are so thankful for all the people who are willing to give blood in Brandon's name. Yesterday, my nephew, Lane Brewer, came up to see Brandon and then headed over to the Center For Advanced Medicine to give platelets. The Red Cross was running out of platelets and since Lane is B+, it's very possible that Brandon will get his own cousin's platelets. Thank you Lane. Also, Reliable Imports and RVs has set up a blood drive at their lot and already have 20 employees who are going to donate blood. They may be setting up a second bus so that others can donate there too. Anyone can go to the Red Cross at Battlefield and Jefferson and give blood there, too. Also, tomorrow from 10-3, there is a blood drive at Missouri Career Centers on S Glenstone in the shopping center just south of Bennett. Brandon has needed over 150 units of blood so far, probably 50 or more bags of plasma, and several bags of platelets. He will need many, many more bags of blood during the next transplant. It's unbelievable how much blood it takes and especially for just one person. Imagine how many people have given blood to keep Brandon alive. That's rather mind-boggling. If you can give, please give. Your donation really does save lives.

This Saturday is the Racer's Reunion (my dad is the president) and we are helping him work. Regina and Brandon are always there helping as well so we are down a few workers. However, I think Red Cross will be there if you would like to donate.

Email from my mom:

We are working with the American Red Cross to set up a blood drive this Saturday at the Racing Reunion. They are looking at 1-7pm. What I need to do is have 20 committments from donors so they will have a successful draw. If you could respond to me on facebook or you can private message me as well. (Or Email) If there is anyone who could give or ask their friends and family. They will set up the van outside the building so if you aren't planning on going to the event at the fairgrounds you can still show up to give. Thanks Friends.

More prayers...

2011-12-29T21:02:00.003-06:00

Do you remember about a year ago I wrote about my friend Brandon here. The past year he has been in and out of the hospital while his health has been declining. He's been in the hospital for awhile but not well enough to endure surgery even if a liver was available. However, they got him stable enough to try the surgery since one became available today! Praise Jesus! It's his last hope. Pray for his strength, the doctors, his family and for him to make it through.

The surgery will take anywhere from 10-30 hours (I can't even imagine) and because of the wonderful invention called Facebook, his family is keeping everyone updated on the progress since they get an update every hour and a half.
Pray Pray Pray.
Here are a few of the updates so far...
Regina (His Mom): Update on Brandon - donor liver was a good match. Surgeons started on Brandon about 5:00. Should hear an update on him any minute now. We've heard about so many people, churches, and prayer chains praying for him. Thank you all so much. This is going to be a very complex and very risky surgery, so needless to say, we need all your prayers. Thank you so much.

Marlana (his sister): My mom updated me so I'm passing it on to all of you. The surgeons called and so far so good...they are dissecting his liver before they start transplanting the new one....it's a very complicated surgery and will take time! They will continue to update us.

Marlana (his sister): Another update....surgery still going well...still working on removing his liver. He's had a blood transfusion, but all is going well.

More Updates:
Marlana: (About Midnight) And yet another update....my mom said my brother is having some cardiac issues and they will let her know more shortly....this is the first complication and I hope it's a minor one...more to come...

Marlana: Ok well I just spoke with my mom and the surgeon came out and said that the new liver is in however there were several complications with bleeding and such that they have to place him on bypass and a vent and basically pack his insides and then resume the surgery in 36 hours. They also stated that he's a fighter(which we already knew). My parents can hopefully see him in a few hours.

Marlana: I just talked to my mom and received an email. Brandon has a fight ahead of him...it's been a touch go throughout the night with blood pressure issues and high potassium with the need for dialysis. My mom said it's extremely hard to see him like this...his chest and abdomen are open and packed and surgery should start again tomorrow with three more to come after that. My family needs strength and Brandon is gonna have to fight to live.... More to come

Another update:
Email from his mom: The transplant did not go as well as hoped. Brandon does have a new liver, but he is not hooked up yet. He has to go back into surgery and have his bowel and bile duct hooked up. Brandon lost a lot of blood and had 72 bags of blood, 6 bags of fresh frozen plasma and 4 bags of platelets during the surgery. There was two much oozing and blood to finish what they needed to do. There was also so much scarring and the old liver was so bad. They had to cut Brandon's chest open too because the length of the surgery was so long that they had to put him on bypass. They left Brandon open and packed him to try to dry up some of the blood before they go back in. They want to wait 6 hours to do the next surgery. Brandon was in ICU overnight and they said he had so many issues and it was literally minute to minute and touch and go. Brandon looked much worse than he did after his transplant when he was a baby. He's sedated and on a vent and will be kept on life support until the next surgery. Things are not good, but Brandon is a fighter and his blood pressure and heart rate have stabilized. Now his body has to go through another surgery and they have to try to get him hooked up. His old liver was bad, very bad and there was so much scar tissue. The surgeon said the surgery was so major and as expected, there were many complications. Seeing Brandon in the state he's in right now has been tough. Knowing that he will not wake up until sometime tomorrow after a second surgery and seeing him open and packed has been hard.

More updates:

Saturday 12.31.11

Brandon started surgery again this morning at 9am. Here is an email from Regina.

Good news and absolutely horrible news from surgery. Good news is Brandon is doing better than they expected with BP and bleeding issues. Horrible news is that the big hepatic artery is clotted. This will quickly destroy the new liver. The surgeon and liver team will be relisting Brandon today and trying to get a very high MELD score so that another liver is found as quickly as possible. Never gave a thought to having to have a third liver. Thought second would be his last one. The transplanted liver is working, but this clot will destroy it. The surgeon is telling us not to make this out to be as terrible as it sounds because Brandon is much better than he was during the surgery on Thursday and getting his old damaged liver out was the big challenge. He said changing out this liver will not be nearly as much of a risk or a problem for Brandon at this point as the original surgery was on Thursday. Even with his positive and encouraging words about that, it's hard to imagine how to tell Brandon that he's going to have to have a third transplant. I hope they get another liver before I have to tell him that. Please keep praying.

Merry Christmas Zeda.

2011-12-26T15:39:00.001-06:00

Jarrod did a fabulous job on Miss Z's ladder bed. She absolutely loves it and her new room. Christmas morning was pretty awesome watching her this year. A bit crazy to think that next Christmas we will be adding a little boy to the mix.

Visiting Santa

2011-12-20T09:59:00.000-06:00

The last two years we haven't taken Z to see Santa. It hasn't been a high priority during the busy time and really, we didn't think she would be down with it. However, she keeps telling everyone that Santa is bringing her a "wadder" bed and is actually really excited about him. I thought since she is getting the idea of Santa, we should take her. After going over our schedule, Monday was the only chance we had. Jarrod has been working night and day on her "wadder" bed while I've been a single parent. The last couple of weeks have been stressful but we are still super excited about the Holidays.

So, alas, we went to see Santa. We started out at Bass Pro since everything was free and they had lots of things for the kids to do. We got there at 5:10 and the next ticket to see Santa was at 9. Awesome. We could let her play, go eat somewhere and then come back or we could try the mall. We let Z ride one ride and then off to the mall we went since it was still early. Once we got to the mall there was no line for Santa. My guess is because you have to pay for the picture. However, they let me take my own which worked out perfectly. She was pretty serious but so stinkin cute. She asked him for her ladder bed and toys. Then he asked for a huge and she said no. Ha. After Santa, we went to the play area, ate dinner and was home by 7:30. Therefore, Jarrod was able to work for a couple of hours. Perfect.

Jey Bug is 5!

2011-12-17T16:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet nephew, Jeremiah! Can't believe you are 5 buddy. Hope you are having fun at Disney World for your birthday!

Special Delivery

2011-12-13T09:12:00.003-06:00

My sweet friend, Bonnie sent our family a little package of love in the mail. There was something for all of us, even the little Mister in my belly. Thanks, Bonnie, we absolutely love our gifts and the Halls.

Zeda finally has a black baby. I haven't blogged about this yet but long story short, Z thinks I have a black baby in my belly. She is excited to have one of her own.

Jarrod and his honey...anyone who knows my husband, knows his obsession with local honey and owning bees one day

She could not control the excitement. (sorry for the nakedness, she was in the middle of changing her clothes.)

After I put a shirt on her she wanted to rock and sing to her new baby.

Baby Meg's Baptism

2011-12-12T08:03:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend we went to St. Louis with Jarrod's parent to attend Meg's baptism. It was my first Catholic Baptism to attend and I'm glad I had the opportunity. Miss Meg wore the dress that Kristin (her mom) and Molly (her grandma) both wore. What a sweet little sentiment.

My sweet Z playing with her Papa who was keeping her quiet during the baptism

Z couldn't wait to get her hands on Meg after the ceremony.

Sweet baby feet

Two Little Monkeys

2011-12-10T14:48:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my sister's sister-in-law, Amber (did you get all that) hired me to take some pictures of her boys for Christmas.

They are pretty funny little boys who are all over the place...however, they were so sweet to me. Such fun.

Our poor house

2011-12-01T12:32:00.000-06:00

Jarrod said to me last night, "Why do we do this to ourselves?" I really have no idea. Life just keeps happening and we just keep rolling with it I guess. We took the house off the market for a break. I was tired of consistently cleaning and I wanted to let Z play with more then just a few of her toys. Plus, there were a few fix ups we wanted to do before we put the house back on the market. I didn't think they would be such huge projects...I was wrong. On top of planning my birthday/gender reveal party we've been working on our house. We've painted the office for Z's new room, we've painted all the trim white (still not done) and new carpet. Sound easy? Since it was going to save us about $200 to rip the carpet and staples up ourselves, we took on the task. I really needed to put my feet up last night from the long and eventful day I had on Tuesday, however, that didn't happen. As soon as I got home from work I got busy moving EVERYTHING out of our room, Zeda's room and the closets. Thanks to Shaun (Jarrod's brother) we were able to get all the big furniture out. Once Jarrod ripped up the carpet, I pulled the staples and vacuumed. Here are pictures of our mess. They are straight from the camera, I don't have time to run them through lightroom.

Since the house was a mess and none of the beds were set up we slept at my parents house last night. I thought we'd have time to slowly put everything back together but no. Someone called and asked if the house was still for sell. Really? Of course we're not going to say no. Looks like everything has to be put back in place and looking spotless by Saturday. Anyone want to help? Then I'm going to use my massage I got from my friends for my birthday, my back is killing me.

It's a boy!

2011-11-30T12:19:00.001-06:00

We found out last night that we are having a little boy in April. I had a feeling it was a boy but I'm still so shocked. Over Thanksgiving Zeda told Jarrod's family that Jesus told her it was a boy. Looks like we need to get ready! More pictures from the fun festivities will come soon. Thanks to Meg for snapping all the photos.
Here is the post when we found out our Z baby was a girl.

Weekend Run Down: November 18-20

2011-11-20T22:42:00.000-06:00

This weekend was a productive weekend, not a super social one but a much needed work weekend.
November 18-20
Friday: Zeda and I went to story time at the library and got our usually 4 books for the week. After, over an hour there we headed to Target for a major shopping trip. I had Christmas shopping on my mind and a very large coupon in hand. I was able to get a lot of items for Z's new room (her Christmas present) including her sheets. Sheets were the main goal of the trip so we could pick out paint. Once we got home and I put her down for a nap. I was HIGHLY motivated, which is extremely rare these days. So, I finished moving the whole office to our closet (Yes, I have to get pretty creative with my space, or lack thereof). However, I'm happy to say, I have a new shelf for my event/craft stuff that is still a work in progress.

Once Jarrod got home, I sent him to the attic to take a few boxes up as well as bring all my Christmas decorations down. I'm pretty against putting up Christmas before Thanksgiving but we will be gone next weekend and really, I needed to take advantage of my energy while I could. Later we had Nik and Meg come over to pick up the Christmas tree they are borrowing, plus, I needed her help picking out a color for Z's new room. After they left, I finished the tree and Jarrod took the crazy mirror doors off the closet in the office before we headed to bed.

Saturday morning: Jarrod made some killer french toast, after I judged him on the amount of cinnamon he put in. He was right, I was wrong. :) Then we headed out the door to drop his car off for a tire rotation, visit multiple carpet stores to get samples and pick up the paint we chose the night before, then we headed home for some lunch. Once we put Z down for her nap, Jarrod left to get the lumber for her bed and to, of course, tame our ever accumulating leaves. I was hitting my max and had to lay down for a bit. Once I woke up, I showered and headed out the door to see a friend from high school's sweet little newborn at her Sip and See. It was so good to see Amanda and her new little man. He is adorable and she is such a good mommy. I was able to visit with some other friends I hadn't seen in awhile, we laughed, ate and snuggled babies before we parted ways.
Once I got home, I made some dinner and chased Z around while Jarrod cut part of her bed in the garage. The rest of our fun filled Saturday night was laundry, Christmas decorations and an episode of Dexter. Sounds like we're old, but it was glorious.

Sunday morning was more french toast and laundry before heading out the door for church.

Once Z was down for her nap (do you see a reoccurring thing here? We only get work done when she is asleep, praise the Lord she sleeps a lot) we got to work on painting the office. I did trim and he did the roller. Yes, I wore a mask and took breaks so I wouldn't get the little baba high in my belly. Jarrod was in the mood for some hot chocolate and I didn't have any on hand so I made some from coca for the first time on the stove and I'm pretty sure I'll never use a packet again. I just used a basic recipe on line and it was AMAZING. Plus, I got to break in my Christmas mugs for the season.
Also, during painting breaks, I worked on my birthday/gender reveal party that's coming up in a couple of weeks! Yay!

We were able to get the whole room painted (one coat paint is FOR SURE the way to go) before we headed to his parents house for our usual Sunday dinner.

I feel pretty good about our weekend. My back on the other hand is KILLING me. Hopefully I wont be on my feet as much tomorrow. However, it doesn't really seem to matter. The back pain this time has been unreal. There are seriously times when I limping because it hurts so bad. This baby is rough on it's mama. :)

Tomorrow is a new day, birthday lunch with my friend Ashleigh and the ultrasound in the afternoon. Can't wait to see baby tomorrow!

Small Group Thanksgiving

2011-11-15T15:30:00.001-06:00

I realized the other day that I hardly ever write about our small group. It's a bit odd since we see them every week. They have been a huge part of our lives for the past 5 years. We started with 5 couples and now we have 10. We also started with no babies and now we have six and two on the way. I'd say the group has changed a bit over the years but I truly am thankful for the community I have in them. We've all been through a lot and one thing I can say is that we were ALWAYS there for each other. Maybe sometimes I take their friendship for granted, knowing they will always be there but last night, sitting around the Thanksgiving table with almost EVERYONE there I felt a huge appreciation for these people. They truly love me and I love them.

Kyle and Bethany Kosovich

Beckie and Tyler Hutchins (our newest members)

Danielle and Steve Monsanto

Telina and Brandon Monsanto (soon to be)

Will and Sarah Hulbert

Jordan, Laura, Ella and Emerie Philips

Kylie and Devin Wright

Shoneen, Steve, Addie and Andrew Davis

The Yoders, minus Tim. Ashleigh, Aspen and baby Willow (coming in March)

Whoa Baby!

2011-11-12T23:59:00.000-06:00

Look at all those leaves and that belly!

Weekend Run Down: November 4-6

2011-11-07T15:55:00.000-06:00

The Murdaughs had a super fun weekend, I never remember to blog about the weekends so hopefully I can start an occausional run down...
November 4-6
Friday night started with a family photo session I took of this sweet family. We had fun. The girls were spunky and baby Zach was awesome.

Then I met back up with Jarrod and Z at the Cherry's house for our monthly Mexican Train night with the Whites and Gartons. Lyndsey made some mean Chicken Tortilla Soup from the Pioneer Woman's website. Earlier that day when I took Z to the Library she picked out a "movie" for her and Owen to watch while the adults played our game. The two of them playing is pretty stinkin' cute these days.

Saturday morning started off with Jarrod and Z making pancakes for breakfast while I did laundry and packed us all for the rest of the weekend.

After breakfast, Jarrod went outside and raked/mowed the leaves for a couple of hours. When Z and I were ready and all packed up we went to my sister's church for their Fall Festival. Once Jarrod got there we ate lunch together, let Z play a little longer then parted ways again. He took Zeda to his parents house to lay her down for a nap and I went to a friend from high school, Ashley's baby shower. The shower was decorated so cute and it was really good to see some old friends. Ashley looks great pregnant especially since she is having not one but TWO girls! Most of the shower, I held my friend, Anna's baby, Case. He's 13 weeks and such a big boy but that makes him extra adorable.
After the shower, I met Jarrod back at home so we could hit the road to St. Louis. We were heading up for Scott and Lindsey's wine and cheese party but left a little early so we could have a quiet dinner together, just the two of us. After many recommendations from friends, we landed on Ernesto's Wine Bar. Yes, I realize it's silly of us to choose a wine bar when I'm pregnant but the food was really good and I just sniffed Jarrod's glass of Syrah to make myself feel better about not being able to drink. :)
After dinner we arrived at Scott and Lindsey's about 8:30 and ready to relax and have a good time. The wonderful hostess bought me some sparkling cider which I sipped on the whole night. We met a lot of their new friends from work and school and still got to see Linsey's Farmington friends that we love so much. It never fails, the Farmington crowd always has a dance party with some good ol' Girl Talk. The night ended with Lindsey, Louie (their dog) and myself falling asleep on their couches while Scott and Jarrod had their science, God and religion conversation that comes up every time they've had a few drinks. :) It's entertaining but COMPLETELY over my head. I think it was about 3 they woke us up and we all went upstairs to our rooms. Thank goodness it was daylight saving and we gained an extra hour.

Once we all finally got out of bed we played with Louie then walked to Benton Park Cafe for a late breakfast.

Then Jarrod and I headed for Springtown after a stop at Trader Joe's and World Market for a little Christmas shopping. We arrived at his parents house for dinner and to see Z about 5:30. She had big stories for us about her new "parkly" shoes and the big mouse at Chuck E Cheese.

It was a great weekend and I can't wait until the next.

Benton Park Cafe

2011-11-06T21:48:00.000-06:00

The Murdaughs had quite the busy weekend like always. I think tomorrow I will give you the run down so you can see a normal weekend for us but tonight I want to talk about Jarrod and my favorite place to eat when we visit Scott and Lindsey. We drove up Saturday afternoon to attend Scott and Lindsey's wine and cheese party and I told Jarrod I didn't mind driving home late after the party was over, since we all know now that I can't have wine. Then I told him, "If we stay the night, we can have breakfast at the Cafe." And that my friends, sealed the deal.
Benton Park Cafe is just down the road from their house and it is delicious. This morning or should I say afternoon was beautiful which made the walk to our favorite spot delightful! Of course the wait was long so I snuck over to Gus' to have a pretzel stick to tie this pregnant lady over.

The three of them feeling pretty rough...it was a fun night.

Falling leaves

2011-11-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

Our beautiful trees come with a LOT of leaves. Each fall they come and come and come some more. We try to keep them under control but I've been too busy keeping this little one under control.

Fellowship Fright Fest

2011-11-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks at work have been full of planning this event. It's our fourth year to have it and I think it was a success! This year I added a toddler bounce house (mainly for selfish reason) but it was a huge hit with all the mamas and will for sure be returning next year. Yay for November! October was fun but I'm so glad it's over.

Preschool 11.1.11

2011-11-01T14:31:00.001-05:00

Today was Z's first day of preschool. She looks so big especially with her back pack on. She had a great first day and is ready to go back on Thursday! I'm so thankfully we found a preschool that works with our schedule and that she loves. My sweet sweet Zeda girl, you make mama smile.

Dinner

2011-10-31T16:27:00.000-05:00

It had been awhile since I actually cooked a dinner. Sure, we'll throw a sandwich or salad together for meals but an actual dinner had been weeks. Since, it had been weeks, I had many veggies that we about to go bad so what do I do when that's about to happen? I make veggie soup of course! Every time it's different. A complete hodgepodge of items but my family loves it none the less. Bonus: We had Panera bread bowls form my sister to complete the meal.

This soup consists of yellow squash, broccoli, red and yellow onions, garlic, quinoa, kidney beans, chicken broth, kale, swiss card, carrots, celery, and fresh basil.

While my soup was cooking I made a grocery store run. I went to Aldi's and Walmart to price match a few things. Aldi's was having a great sale on their fruit so we added a fresh fruit bowl to dinner. Can you see the excitement on Z's face when she noticed the avocado? Yes, that girl loves them...good thing they were on sale at Aldi's for .59 cents.

Grape fruit (my favorite) - Murffins 2.50 a bag

Red Grapes - Aldi's .79 lb.

Pineapples - Aldi's .99 each (This is a great buy, however the ones at Aldi's were tiny so we price matched them at Walmart since they were twice the size along with looking and smelling a lot fresher.)

I was able to price match more but this is all we used for dinner that night.

Happy eating!

Christmas is coming

2011-10-27T22:11:00.000-05:00

Jarrod and I have decide to give Zeda a "big girl" room for Christmas. We're putting the new baby in her current room and making the office Zeda's room Since it has to be done, we're making it her Christmas present. Jarrod has it in his head he wants to make her a new bed, so the other night he was looking online for ideas. Zeda crawled on his lap and as soon as she saw the images of the different beds she was all over it. "Oh I reawy reawy like that one daddy." "That one be my favorite daddy." She kept picking the beds that had ladders. "I want my wadder bed right now daddy." We laughed and told her she had to wait until Christmas and then Santa will bring it. "He bring me wadder bed and candy?" Sure, Zeda, Santa will also bring you candy. The next morning she woke up and called for me like she does every more but told me to hurry (she wont get out of bed until I come in). I opened the door, she jumped out of bed, and ran into the living room, the office, then in our bedroom. I said, "Zeda what are you looking for?" She said, "Where's my wadder bed, Santa did not bring it to me!" Haha, I tried not to laugh too hard because this girl was dead serious. I tried to explain that Christmas is 2 months away and that she would have to wait, however, she is 2 so 20 minutes later she asked me again when Santa is coming. It might be a long two months in the Murdaugh house because she has NOT STOPPED talking about her wadder bed.

We'll keep you posted on her room updates and her wadder bed that Jarrod is making.

Our growing little family

2011-10-18T23:41:00.001-05:00

It's true, come April our little princess will have to share her mommy and daddy with a little one.

More Meg

2011-10-12T08:57:00.000-05:00

I'm here...

2011-10-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'd really love to blog, I have so much to blog about but sadly I've actually ran out of time. FOR REAL! I wanted to take a break from my ridiculous list and really all I have to say right now is that I'm tired. So extremely tired. Okay, back to work.
I'll be back to blogging more regular later, I have so much to tell you about.

Apple Butter

2011-09-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

My first attempt at apple butter was a success. It was easy really, and it didn't take long. I had ~~some~~ a lot of apples that were going bad and I just can't see food go to waste so Sunday after Jarrod made me breakfast (yes we skipped church) I started cutting up apples.

10-15 apples peeled and chopped
1/2 cup applesauce
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1Tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and stir. Leave lid off crock pot and cook for 6 hours.

Simple as that!

Rest Time

2011-09-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

I've come to the point where I need a bit of rest lately. Usually during Z's nap I blog for Social Graces, respond to emails, edit pictures, clean the house, make a DIY for a shower, cut out coupons and search for deals or cut up our mass amount of veggies. However, it's time to slow down and rest my body so I've decided to read. Not just listen to my books, actually read a book. My last book I listened to was amazing and I'll write about that soon but currently I'm reading The Help. Yes, I've already seen the movie and now I'm reading the book. I usually sit down with my favorite snack and read for about 40 mins. I think it's a good amount of rest, then I'm up making dinner or doing whatever that needs to be done.

Snack:
Crunchy peanut butter and apple (The apples are from my CSA)
With hot friendship tea. It's so delicious.
Russian Friendship Tea

1 -1 1/2 cup sugar (or less, to taste)

2 cups instant Tang orange drink

1/2 cup instant iced tea mix powder

1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unsweetened lemonade mix

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1 Combine all ingredients well and store in an airtight container. (I used a mason jar)
2 To use, fill a mug with boiling water and stir in 2-3 teaspoons of mix, to taste.

Z and Meg

2011-09-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

Jarrod's cousin/best friend/college roommate/whatever else you can think of ;) Just had a baby in August. We got the chance to see her over labor day. She's so cute and Miss Z LOVED to touch her.
Of course, Mimi (Jarrod's mom) had to get them matching outfits. So sweet...more to come.

Diaper Love

2011-09-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

I know I've gone on and on about our reusable diapers on here, it's because I really do love them. I think they ARE the best decision Jarrod and I made when pregnant with Zeda.
The reason I'm writing about them today is to win a GIVEAWAY!!! I want these diapers to give as a gift or to use when we have another.

I am supposed to share my favorite product or color on a form of social media so I thought I'd blog. I have found a favorite color! Now, I'm all about gender neutral and I feel this one is pretty boyish but I still love it. Come on, if we were to be honest, there are a ton more cute girl stuff then boy. So, let's give a little shout out to the boys. The cute nerdy boys (I can't tell you how many papers at my house look like this diaper because of my cute nerdy engineer husband).

Love.

Hope I win!!!!!

Z's First Hair Cut

2011-09-10T19:51:00.000-05:00

Today we took Zeda on a fun outing...a hair cut, lunch then ice cream. We told her a couple days ago that she was going to get her hair cut and she has been beyond excited ever since. She kept asking what the ladies name was and where she was at. She'd say, "sit stillllll, watch a movieeeee, mommy take picturesssss, eat sucker and snip snip!" It was really cute. Once we got there she was completely silent and did everything the lady (Tamera) asked.
After the cut, we went to Bed Bath and Beyond, Marshells and Target to take stuff back then we ate lunch at the Grotto and stopped for some Andy's on the way home.
What a fun day for our Zeda girl.

Breakfast Date

2011-08-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

My good friend from college, Brooke was in from LA for a couple of baby showers. She's due at the beginning of November with a little girl. It was nice seeing her and spending an entire morning talking. Poor Z was a little bored but kept herself entertained pretty well. She had lots of energy and feel in love with Brooke right off. She sang us Jesus Loves Me, had a mini puppet show, read books and "went to work". With all this going on Brooke and I still had some excellent one on one time. I just love that girl. Thanks for spending your third anniversary with me. :)

Look at the cute little belly

We had decaf coffee and coffee cake, recipe found on Sweet Little Details.

Brooke left about noon so Z and I had left over Japanese food for lunch.

I love summer dinners

2011-08-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

Image found here
Tonight I made a delicious dinner and it left me so thankful for summer food. I'm not a huge fan of the heat (call me old) but I do love the fresh food summer brings. I found this yummy chicken salad recipe on a new blog that I love, Iowa Girl Eats. Here slogan is Eat Well. Run Often. Travel Far. A girl after my own heart. I just wish I ran MORE often then I do.
I tweaked her recipe a bit depending on what I had and what sounded good.

Mayo Free-Chicken Salad my changes are in the red.

Ingredients:

6 oz shredded chicken

1/3 cup dried cranberries (Dried blueberries)

1/4 cup sliced almonds (walnuts)

2 green onion, sliced (1 red onion)

2 small ribs celery, chopped

1 apple, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons soy sauce

squeeze of lemon juice

salt, to taste

2 Tablespoons flax seed

Directions:

Combine chicken through celery in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over chicken mixture. Toss to coat. Serve!

Okay, so I changed the recipe more then a little bit but the base is the same, right? I just sent everything through my wonderful salad master chopper and had it done in no time. Also, I hate to admit this, but tonight was the first time I boiled chicken. It was so easy. Ha. Who knew?

I put the salad on a sandwich thin and for the sides we had baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, a fresh peach and kiwi. Zeda just discovered kiwi and LOVES it. Delish and healthy summer dinner, it makes me feel so good. I can't wait to see what we get from the farm tomorrow!

White Water with the Yoders

2011-08-21T20:03:00.000-05:00

Today we met the Yoders at white water. Two year olds are fun to watch run around in water.

A Zeda Moment

2011-08-17T23:13:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had another moment with Zeda that was hilarious and I don't want to forget. This post is for me in 10 years but you can enjoy it now...

Zeda was doing her final potty for the night (I give her one chance to get it all out because potting is her tactic to stall) and she said what she always says, "One baby poo poo, one big poo poo, one baby toot toot, one big toot toot" I was looking on my phone waiting for her to finish and then she said, "I have an idea, (for some reason she started that statement today) you be in trouble mommy, sit in corner and tell me sorry." I laughed and said, "Oh sorry Zeda" She said, "It's ok mommy, you can have kisses now" Wonder where she got that?

Then she proceeds to say, "Mommy a cow, Zeda a princess." WHAT!?!?! Thanks Zeda, you're awesome.

2011-08-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

‎"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs
without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." Proverbs 31:25-26

Jarrod's birthday weekend

2011-08-14T17:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a few shots from the weekend we celebrated his birthday. We stayed at the Branson house with Maggie (our dog) while Z spent time with my family. We ate (a lot) went to Silver Dollar City, White Water, Big Cedar and watched movies. It was a nice relaxing weekend with just the two of us. Once we came home on Monday we picked up Zeda, Jey and Ava and headed for the fountains.

While the cat's away, the mice will play.

2011-08-12T07:27:00.000-05:00

I have my sister's babies for a couple of days. We're having fun, can you tell?
This was our "drying off" activity after we played with the slip n' slide. They got dried off alright... until I had to hose them off again because of all the paint. Oh well. We had fun.

Ava girl ate the paint and was soon not happy about it.

Chinese Mexican Burrito

2011-07-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

During our weekend in Branson, Jarrod and I ate dinner at the cutest place in Forsyth, Chinese Mexican Burrito. It's interest, that's for sure, but really really fun.

Yes, our eyes were bigger then our bellys. We ordered this blackberry margrita to share. It was HUGE. We didn't take into consideration that we were heading to SDC for their midnight madness after we ate. Since we didn't have Zeda, we were going to ride roller coaster after roller coaster. Ha.
Also, take note that our appetizers were both chips and salsa and hot and sour soup. I will say, the chips were the best chips I've ever had. Made fresh there everyday.

The decor consisted of Chinese lanterns and sombreros.

I ordered sesame chicken...

Jarrod ordered the crazy burrito: A mexican burrito covered with sweet and sour on one side and cashew on the other, an interesting taste to say the least.

It took forever to drink that thing.

We were happy when we left...let the coaster riding begin.

Kitchen Maddness

2011-07-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

Today was by far my favorite pick up from the CSA...I mean look at all that goodness and color! I really want to use it all and not waste an ounce of it, so the Murdaugh's started cooking (after we ate dinner).
However, before I started cooking from my CSA I had already been in the kitchen for quite some time. I made Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones, Iced Coffee Concentrate and corned beef and cabbage for dinner.

Then, together, Jarrod and I made Peach Sorbet, Fresh Salsa and preped some red sauce for me to cook in the crock pot all day tomorrow. Tomorrow is a long day at work, I have to stay late to cook for about 70 VBS volunteers. I want dinner practically ready when I walked in the door.

Oh. Do you want to know what made this "cooking" day a whole lot easier? Well, I'll tell you...my NEW Salad Master chopper. Isn't it beautiful??? Thank you Yoders and Murrays for helping me obtain this magical piece.

Jarrod's birthday

2011-07-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

Let the birthday celebrating begin. We started off the festivities tonight with Jarrod's family. Pizza House and chocolate cake at our place. So fun, my hubby is 29. We are celebrating big this weekend. More updates/pictures later.

My Child is a KISSING FOOL

2011-07-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

I really have no words. What have I gotten myself into? Good luck Jarrod; I feel you might go gray early because of her.

Jonah

2011-07-14T12:49:00.001-05:00

The last two Wednesday mornings I've been co-leading a bible study by Priscilla Shirer; Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted.

They shock us; they shake us; they compel us to change. You can't escape life's interruptions, but you can change your perspective on them. Dive into the study of Jonah and discover that what you see as an interruption may truly be God's divine invitation to a life so much bigger than you can imagine.

Yesterday during the video, she said something that was inspiring to me. As a girl, it's hard for me not to look at someone and wish for their life, their clothes, their looks, ya know, the usual girl stuff. It's not something I really struggle with, I'm confident and comfortable with myself and my life but there are still things and people that make me do a double-take. It's the whole, "You want what you can't have." Everyone has this in them...we're human. Anyways. At one point Priscilla said..."You don't know the weather God has asked them to walk through." Everything looks brighter on the outside. Everyone seems perfect unless, they let you in on all their dunk. Everyone struggles with something. Be thankful you don't have to go through what others do. God gives you what you can handle and nothing you can't. Be strong, be confident and be happy with your life.

I'm lovin' this study. :)

A weekend of celebration!

2011-07-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a little busy. I didn't get to see Jarrod much but when I did see him we had a good time. Oh, our nice camera bit the dust, so...I don't have any pictures from the weekend. The one above is from my phone of sweet Zeda before church.

Here is the order of celebrations from the weekend.
1. Friday is when our 417 hit the news stands. Click here to see what Meg had to say.
2. Meg and I ran a Social Graces wedding rehearsal together.
3. Later Friday night, Jarrod and I went out to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We had a giftcard to Harunos which we loved and a giftcard to Mudhouse for dessert and coffee. Then on our way home we stopped for a redbox since Z was with Jarrod's parents all night. It was a good night, he let me pick the redbox and we spent a total of $4.38. :).
4. Saturday, Meg and I put in a full day at the wedding. It was a Social Graces wedding but still a girl we were both close to in high school. It was a beautiful wedding and a huge celebration.
5. Sunday morning my wonderful husband made a few pies with me (so we could spend a little time together) because I had 3 showers that day. 2 weddings and a baby.
6.Kylie and Devin's wedding shower. We went to church, dropped Zeda off at her class and I went straight to setting up for the shower. We used her wedding colors as part of the decor. I made a fabric banner and used fresh flowers. Once things were decorated and church was over we headed home so Jarrod could put Z down and I could grab my pies and head out for my next shower.
7. Cheri and Adam's wedding shower. Once I got there, I helped finish the decoration, set the pies up and then we celebrated our little Cher bear.
8. Christy's baby shower. After Cheri's shower, we went to the new crepe place downtown called The Aviary Cafe. It is so lovely inside, Meg and I got there first and decided every Social Graces meeting should be there. :) Christy is due Aug 2 with a her sweet baby girl. I am so excited to see this baby. Christy looks GREAT, she looks about 4 months pregnant with a tiny little bump. She has definitely handle pregnancy well.

What a busy but super fun weekend. I can't wait for more celebrations!

Vacation Part 12: The End

2011-07-08T17:25:00.001-05:00

Everynight before bed housekeeping came to turned down your sheets, leave a yummy mint and make a pretty animal out of a towel for you. Not sure why these creatures make me so happy but they do. I also love the mints...can I have another?

Here's to the end of vacation...now I must return to everyday blogging again.

Vacation Part 11: Steve and Jennifer

2011-07-08T13:19:00.000-05:00

We made friends on the cruise. I usually make fun of people who make friends on trips, especially trips with your significant other. Mainly because I don't really see the point and because when I go away with my man, I want to spend all my time with HIM. With all that said, we made friends. :)
I'm actually quite thankful we did because when Jarrod was sleeping in the room all day from being sick, I had someone to hang out with. We met them at dinner the first night since we were assigned to the same table and about the third night we found out their room was next door to ours. I think Carnival really wanted us to be friends.
They really are two of the funniest people I've ever met and we had a great time with them. We actually don't have much in common, except for the fact we both have great danes, but that didn't stop us from clicking.
Jennifer has a THICK southern/Mississippi accent and the first night we met Steve he warned us that he's "that guy" and sure enough he really is. The first night they called us "the rich folk" ONLY because I ordered cheese and espresso with my dessert. They asked if I had "learned that at the Starbucks." (I'm not kidding) They had nicknames for everyone on the ship which made things really funny if one of those people would talk to us. They were rude, crude and loud but we absolutely LOVED them!
Thanks Steve and Jennifer for making our trip so great!

5 Years Baby!

2011-07-08T08:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, Okay, the insanity is coming to an end. Today is the last day of our cruise postings, because...today is 5 years for me and the hubs.
Happy 5 years baby, you are everything I could have hoped for! Love.

Vacation Part 10: Cruising Tips

2011-07-07T09:32:00.002-05:00

Jarrod and I have compiled a few tips, so I thought I'd share. We are by no means cruise experts, I've been on 3 and Jarrod has been on 2, but we do have a few little tips that we will continue to use on cruises here after. We love to travel and the only way we can travel a lot is to keep each trip cheap cheap cheap. It's a common misconception that everything is free on a cruise while in fact, food is the only thing that is free.

Here are a few tips to save money or get the most for your money.

1. Listerine bottles. If you like to have a few drinks when you are on vacation, sneak some on. Do you remember seeing my drink on this post? It was $14 and the ONLY drink we bought on the trip, but it's not the only thing we drank. Before we left, we bought Listerine, carefully cut the seal (without taking it off) and emptyed it out into another bottle. We washed them and poured in our alcohol of choice, then we put in a few drops of food coloring, 3 blue and 1 green. Perfect, right? (However, make sure you get the Listerine smell out before you pour in your alcohol)

2. Take the sit down dinner option. It is 10 times better than the buffet every night. Come on, you get the buffet during the day, why not take the nice option for the evening.

3. Don't buy into the "sales." The massages, spa treatments and pictures are NOT worth the money. I don't know how many times I heard people say, "why not, we're on vacation." No people, you still have to pay for it when you get home and I promise, you can get it cheaper at home. If you want pictures of yourself, take a camera.

4. Excursions: When you book your cruise, look to see what excursions you want to do and then look online and find a local shop that does the same excursion for a lot less (make sure you read the reviews) . Jarrod saved about 80 bucks on his dive.

5. Get a basic room. I've had a nice balcony room and it was great, but as little as you are in your room, it's worth saving a little extra money. The only reason I enjoyed the balcony was waking up and seeing the beautiful scenery as you come into a port. However, it's easy to walk up the stairs and enjoying the same thing.

6. Always take the stairs (I realize this has nothing to do with money). If you like to eat as much as we do, you need to find a way to walk it off. There are 10 plus floors on these boats and all the entertainment is usually on the top floors. If you go with a basic room, your floor will be one of the lowers ones which makes a perfect little workout. At the beginning, we promised each other to only take the stairs and not ride the elevator. I think when Jarrod was feeling his worst we took a ride but that was it.
7. If you go with Carnival, once you book your cruise, check the price as often as you can. Carnival will price grantee your trip depending on when you book it. If what you bought goes down in price at anytime before you leave they will give you that credit back. We saved about $80 because Jarrod checked it everyday. We actually got it refunded back since they hadn't charged the second half to our credit card yet. However, if you've already paid you just get ship credit (so you can buy these crazy expensive drinks).
8. They give you beach towels in your room, don't loose those because they will charge you $25 if you do. If you need a towel when you are exploring the destinations, just take a plain white bath towel. If you loose it, it doesn't matter.
9. Read the fine print of your itineraries. Some ships do a cocktail hour one night where you get free drinks.
10. The last one I learned from the 2nd cruise I did. We went to an art auction where I found a painting I absolutely LOVED. I waited around to see if anyone would bid on it. Yeah, it went for over 16,000 dollar. No way would this girl be getting that painting. They had the painting in a brochure and I took it back to school for my friend (who will remain nameless since she might not want people to know she did this, you know who you are) to see if she can paint it. I told her I wanted it for a wedding present. In a matter of hours she had it done and it now hangs in my kitchen. She made it slightly different so she wouldn't feel guilty about stealing working, but I absolutely love what she did. Thanks Friend.
Welp, that's it, remember these are just suggestions! Happy Cruising everyone.

Vacation Part 11: Swimming with sharks

2011-07-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

If we ever go somewhere with water, I'll be sure to know that Jarrod will dive. He loves it and I support that. I just wont go along. Ha. This was the first time I got to ride in the boat with him. I didn't realize I'd be the ONLY one in the boat while they were down there but I was. The guy left me a loaf of bread the feed the fish so I could be entertained. When I started to feed the fish I had the attention of many birds. I started to get freaked out so I stopped but then the birds all lined up and waited for me to feed them. So, why not? Those birds had me laughing so hard that I felt a bit stupid all by myself. They were hilarious lining up then catching the bread as I threw it. Sounds stupid I know, but really, you would laugh too. While I was playing with the birds, Jarrod was playing with these guys. Do you see those sharks? Yeah, I was pretty sure I was coming home alone. The guy told us he'd never seen a shark bit in the 20 years he'd taken people to this spot. My response, "There's a first for everything." Luckily my husband made it out alive and was able to see some pretty cool stuff.

Vacation Part 10: The Island

2011-07-06T08:50:00.001-05:00

We had two stops on the cruise, Freeport and Nassau. Jarrod dove in Freeport and I road along on the boat. In Nassau, we went paddle boarding, snorkeling, and took a historical walking tour around the island. We had a great time but the one thing we regret, is not going to the beach. Who goes to the Bahamas and doesn't go to the beach? Yep, we do.

Vacation Part 9: Getting Fancy

2011-07-05T13:22:00.004-05:00

I lOVE to dress up, I guess it's the inner child in me but I jump at the chance whenever I can. You don't have to dress up this much on a cruise but I do and poor Jarrod has to too. So fun.

Vacation Part 8: The Food

2011-07-05T08:27:00.016-05:00

One reason I love a cruise is all the food. I love to eat fancy and I love multiple courses. There isn't much to say, you can see for yourself how good we ate. I guess I was too excited about the desserts because I have NO pictures of them or the sushi bar we ate at a few hours before dinner everyday. Oh and the ice cream, yes the soft-served ice cream was a frequent stop throughout the days at sea. Can you tell how much I love to eat? I do, I really really do.

Vacation Part 6: The Ship

2011-07-04T08:19:00.072-05:00

The ship was beautiful. It's the biggest one I've been on, however, it sure did rock like crazy. The first couple of days were good but the last day was a bit out of control, and it made Jarrod feel awful. He tried his best to stay involved but look at him. He looked rough. I'm usually the one who gets sea sick on boats but it was him who couldn't handle this one. Our last "fun day at sea" Jarrod slept the WHOLE day, while I had fun making my way up and down those water slides pictured above. They were so much fun! However, the ship itself exceeded my expectations. There is a never ending list of activities to do aboard and that is why we love to cruise.

Vacation Part 5: Fairwell Charleston

2011-07-03T13:01:00.019-05:00

We were so happy to finally be on the ship. The weather was warm but the sky was cloudy and the city looked so lovely. Our ship left a little after 3 and hours leading to our departure I had doubts we should be going. Zeda was with Jarrod's family since we'd been gone. Sunday night when we had skyped with her she looked miserable and was pretty much coughing up a lung. The morning we were leaving Charleston Sherri (Jarrod's mom) took her to the doctor and they found out she had Asthma, I talk about it here. I wasn't able to find out much about it before I lost cell coverage. At the same time Jarrod was on the phone with his mom, I was on the phone to Mitchum's Jewelers asking for MORE jewelry for the 417 shoot. Needless to say, things were going wrong back at home and I wouldn't be able to check on a single thing for the next 4 days. Awesome. However, once we were off, I forced myself to focus on my hubby. Doesn't he look so cute. :)

Vacation Part 4: Charleston

2011-07-03T08:46:00.010-05:00

We've heard from many people that Charleston is a wonderful town to visit. While, we did have fun there, it wasn't our favorite place. I think under different circumstances we would have loved it but we still just couldn't move from our hike.
The morning after the hike we left for Charleston. Once we settled into our room and took the first shower we'd had in two days, we decided to hop on the trolley and hit the town. We only had one night there so we wanted to make the most of it. The trolley dropped us off downtown and we began to walk. A bit miserable, we decided to eat at the first restaurant we saw that we'd heard about: Hyman's Seafood. It was really good. The table they put us at sat right in front of a naked mermaid, and of course, I'm the one that had to face it. I couldn't stop staring. Anytime Jarrod would start a conversation with me, I just laughed. This mermaid was right behind his head and it was hilarious. Jarrod said I acted like a 12 year old boy since I took a picture and sent it to my family. Jarrod said, "There are little boys walking and not making a big deal of it like you are." Hahaha. Really, I couldn't look away. After dinner we decided to walk a little bit before we went back to the trolley pick up. Once we were ready and waiting for a trolley, we realized it was Sunday and the trolley ending hours ago. No problem, we'd call a cab. After waiting over 2 1/2 hours, we were DONE with the city. We could have walked the 5 or so miles to the hotel but everyone kept telling us the area of town we'd have to walk through was too iffy and we probably shouldn't, plus I was awesome and wore heels when I was already in so much pain. After we finally got to the room, we drank a bottle of wine and went to sleep. Oh Charleston, we'll give you another try someday.

The next morning after breakfast we left early for the cruise ship.

Vacation Part 3: To The Finish

2011-07-02T13:44:00.033-05:00

I'm going to take a minute to be slightly transparent. I'm not one to talk about what makes me tick or things I learn about myself; however, I definitely discovered something about my personality and my approach to most things in life on our LONG hike that day. Since walking for hours, and no engery to have a conversation, I had some time to think and reflect. I discovered that I have a distint desire to finsh. Here is how I came to that conclusion. The begining of the hike was rough for me. We stopped to take a break about every 15 minutes and I kept thinking over and over how there is no way I can do this all day. I think it took us an hour to go 1 mile. My sweet husband stopped whenever I wanted to but I'm sure he was secretly getting frusterated. On the second half of the journey I was pumped, speed walking and encourging Jarrod to pick it up. Once I could see the end (about 3-4 hours left), I got a surge of energy, I had to finish. In Jarrod's mind, he saw it as, "we're a good team, we pick eachother up when the other is down" Which is the case too. :) But I saw it as more...Every morning when I run, the first 4 minutes are HORRIBLE. I want to stop and walk everyday. Those first four-five minutes never get easier for me. However, usually by the end, I'm ready to keep going. Unfortunately, I have to stop so Jarrod can leave for work.
For some reason, I have the hardest time starting something. My mind gets the best of me and I don't handle new beginnings/change well. On the hike I discovered the reason is because I HAVE to finish and I have a fear of failure.
Examples of not being able to handle change:
1) The summer before I left for college, I was so scared of moving out that I became sick with coughing fits. I would cough for serval minutes multiple times a day and there was nothing wrong with me. Poor Jarrod had to sit and listen all summer long but by the time I got to school, and loved it, I was all better.
2) The summer I got married, I freaked out. I couldn't handle the fact I was about to live with a boy and begin a new life with him. I'll spare you details but I'm pretty sure Megan had doubts I was ever going to make it to the alter. Once we settled into married life, I couldn't have been happier.
3) Deciding to have a baby. I went off and then back on birthcontrol a couple of times, including a frantic call to my ob office asking for a new precription for more. As you can see from reading my blog, motherhood was the absolute best "new begining" I've ever had.
I'm glad to have this new perspective about myself. I sit and contimplate everything forever, but once I do decide to jump in, it's always the right decision.
No wonder, it took me years to start an event planning business. If it wasn't for my partner Meg, who jumps right into anything, I would probably still be siting back "thinking" about it.
So, if you question why I've worked at the same place since college, now you know. :)

Vacation Part 2: Hiking in the Smokies

2011-07-02T08:48:00.097-05:00

Our hike, oh our hike. I had a love hate relationship with it. It was amazingly beautiful, challenging, and left me with a sense of accomplishment. However, it was 9 hours of climbing up and down, up and down. When we were finished I could. not. move. I thought I was somewhat physically prepared before we left but I wasn't prepared for the toll going DOWN steep hills does to your joints. And the fact of simply "being" on your feet for 9 hours is pretty daunting by itself.

Our first clue to not go on this adventure was the mere fact the ranger warned us over and over again about the bears. I mean, he kept telling us to put all food away at night but we didn't think they'd actually be a problem. Well, as we were walking to the trail from the site, the ranger decided to tell us about the bear who had devoured a tent at the camp ground the night before. Luckily, no one was in the tent and their guess was it smelled like beef jerky but still, a bear was dangerously close to us. He assured us not to worry and just make a lot of noise as we're walking. I put change in a metal cup and shortly became very annoying to my lovely husband. About 3 hours in, I started to annoy myself and put the cup in my backpack. I felt relaxed about the bears at that point, or just tired, whichever.
The route going up was steep. We climbed the mountain at a pretty fast rate and made it to the top by lunch time. We had packed our lunch and found a nice spot at the top by an old fire tower to sit and eat. After resting a bit and taking about a thousand pictures of the beautiful land, we felt refreshed and ready to head down the mountain. We had a choice. We could go back the same steep 5.5 miles we came or we could take a different route that was 10 miles but looked easier. Since we felt so good and accomplished and didn't have anything else planned for the day, we thought, why not take the longer more leisurely path. Ha. SERIOUSLY? It might have been a more gradual climb but still a terrible mix of up and down, up and down. By mile 7 we were dead but had to keep pushing, we were afraid of loosing daylight and then the bears would come out to eat us. :)

Once we were so close to the campsite, we saw some really amazing waterfalls and scenery. Now I wish we would have taken pictures, however, there was no way I could muster the energy to do so. There was no, "I'll be sore tomorrow." We were already sore and knew that tomorrow would be 10 times worse.
Looking back...I wouldn't trade that time with Jarrod for anything and it's pretty cool to say I've hike on the Appalachian Trail

Vacation Part 1: Camping in the Smokies

2011-07-01T13:30:00.008-05:00

Our first stop was two nights in the Smoky Mountains. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. The first night we arrived just in time to set up the tent and cook dinner. We had stopped in Nashville at Trader Joe's to grab food for our campfire. Once dinner was over, we played a riveting game of rummikub and then settled in our tent to read for the night. Yes, we sound super old, but from our crazy weeks we had leading up to the trip, it was glorious. The next morning, we made a hearty breafast before we ventured on a day hike. I'll explain our hike in the next post. Let's just say, 9 hours later, we came back to our site, barely able to more. After dinner we hit the sack.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the camping experience. There is something so peaceful about being out in the open, listening to nature as you fall asleep. I couldn't have asked for a more calming, meditating place. It was exactly what we needed.

5 Year Anniversary Trip

2011-07-01T08:08:00.007-05:00

Today starts our anniversary month. July 8th will be 5 years for me and my handsome man. To celebrate, the next 8 days I will post a slightly obnoxious charade of our wonderful anniversary trip we took in May. So, sit back and get ready for a TON of pictures.

Daddy Dress on sweet baby Ava

2011-06-30T10:48:00.000-05:00

For Father's Day, my sister had her mother-in-law make sweet Ava a daddy dress from a shirt of Matt's. She wanted to surprise Matt with some photos of Ava for his office so we set out one hot morning and snapped a few. Ava was a trooper, you can see at the bottom that she got a bit sleepy by the end.
These Daddy dresses have been a big hit, I can't wait to get one made for my Zeda girl.

We recently featured these dresses on Social Graces.

Work day on the farm

2011-06-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

A week ago today, Sarah and I had our first work day on the farm. It was so much fun. You are required to do one work day during your CSA but I think I'd like to do another. It was a good workout and we had a beautiful day. The temps were in the low 80's and there was a cool breeze the whole time.

The intern, Dennis was the guys we were assigned to. Poor Dennis, sometimes Sarah and I can be a bit much when we are together. We laughed. A lot. However, Dennis was a trooper and pretty much ignored us the whole time.

It was a good day of meeting new people, learning where our food comes from and living the farm life.

A few highlights:
Dennis making us kill the squash bugs with our bare hands
Learning about the 25,000 ladybugs they release in the fields.
The dinner bell ringing at lunch time
Playing with the Millsap's 8 girls
Calling beets radishes
And, last but not least, taking a peek at Rachel's (the other farm intern) living quarters. She lives in an old chicken coop. I so wish I would have taken a picture. That's Rachel in the picture below with my sister.

Peanut Butter Mocha Muffins

2011-06-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

These puppies just came out of the oven. I'm enjoying one with my afternoon coffee while I work and Z naps. So. so. so. good. I made a few alterations so I wouldn't feel bad about having one for breakfast every morning.
The recipe and photo found here.

2 cups all purpose flour - I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cups white flour and 1/4 cup milled flaxseed
1 stick butter, room temperature - I used 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup peanut butter, divided
3/4 cup sugar - I used a little less
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup brewed coffee, room temp
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl mix the butter, 1/4 cup peanut butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla and room temperature coffee. In a separate bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry mix to the wet mix. Stir only until incorporated. Add about 1/3 cup mix to each muffin tin, filling almost all the way to the top. Top with about 1 tsp of peanut butter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a fork inserted comes out clean.

Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan then finish cool n a wire wrack.

Big Girl Bed

2011-06-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

For about a week now, Zeda has been in her big girl bed. I was really resisting it (like everything) because I didn't want to do the work of making her get back into bed every night and stretching out bed time longer then it already it. However, like everything, Zeda is a champ and hasn't tried to get out once. It was a super easy change.
When I was putting her into bed tonight, she melted my heart and I hope I never forget the moment. Sometimes, I write posts to let people know what's going on at the Murdaugh's, this post, however, is for me to remember when she is 16 and hates me. Ha.
Zeda asked me to lay with her and I said I would, but only for a couple of songs. She said, "lay down mommy and close your eyes." I did and started to sing. She said, "no mommy sing, Zeza." So I stopped and she put her hand on my face and said all the words to Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, You Are My Sunshine and The ABC's. When she was done, she paused and I opened my eyes. She was looking at me and said, "I wove you mommy." It's one thing to hear her sweet little voice say it when you ask her to, but it's another when it's all on her own and she says it because she feels it.
Those little words turned a rough day into something glorious. I'm so thankful for my sweet Zeda girl.

Evidence of Mercy

2011-06-23T09:11:00.001-05:00

I have a new thing. Ha. I always have a new thing. I'm one of those people that love a lot of things. I get hooked on something for awhile and then move on to the next "thing". Running, is my new thing. I actually hate to run, like REALLY hate to run but it's something that needs to be done. I want to take care of my body and to stay healthy in my older years. However, I have the hardest time getting my booty out of bed to actual do it. For weeks now, I've been getting up 3 maybe 4 times a week but I really want more consistency. Jarrod has been working out for about 20 minutes everyday for the past two years. He kept talking about the books he's been going through since working out. I never really thought that sounded appealing, until now. I really, really want to read. However, there are a hundred things I really want to do. I'm one that could never get board at home. There are so many things I could do, blogs to write, blogs to read, DIY's to do, recipes to make, shows and movies to watch or games to play with Zeda. Reading is something that gets pushed to the back burner. Since starting to run, I haven't really listened to music while running. I mean, I like music, but it's not something that motivates me. I can stop in the middle of a song with no problem. However, a week ago, I started listening to the book below and have ran longer and farther then I have since starting. Also, I've been able to get out of bed everyday because I can't wait to hear what happens next. I'm in love. Mainly because I'm "reading" and working out all at the same time. So, I have about 10 books on hold right now at the library. Let's hope this "new thing" sticks.

Zeda's boyfriend

2011-06-22T11:57:00.001-05:00

My sweet friend, Bonnie took some pictures of her son Luke and Zeda at her birthday party. They are really really cute. You should check them out here.

Finger paint

2011-06-21T07:59:00.000-05:00

We had a fun session with Meg the other night. Since Z isn't smiling very good for pictures, I thought I would try something more fun. She got finger paints for her birthday from Kendall so I thought, why not?
It was fun. However, she's like her daddy and doesn't like things on her face. :)

Check out the rest here.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday morning I made Jarrod waffles for Father's Day. He liked them. Zeda made him a card, it was pretty cute watching her give it to him.

I can't get enough of this stuff

2011-06-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

My new favorite drink. I've had one almost everyday since Zeda's party last Sunday. So. So. So. good. Today, my mixture is all gone so I now must move on but I will miss this little concoction.

1/2 Jar - Special mixtures

1/2 Jar - Sprite

1 shot - gin

Special mixtures - Last Sunday was Z's party, to drink I had a mixture of lemonade, frozen strawberries and fresh cut lemons. After the party, the lemonade was gone leaving me with a TON of fruit. So I poured a large amount of water in the container and let it sit overnight which created my "special mixture" It was too stout to just drink as juice so I made other plans for it.

The sprite was also leftover from the party, therefore, I will not have that in my house either. Sad day my favorite drink is gone, I guess I will create another. :)

Doll House

2011-06-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

Zeda got a doll house from her great aunts and uncles for her birthday. She LOVES it. I can't get her to stop playing. Sweet sweet baby Zeda, I love watching her play and grow her imagination. Love.

CAN. NOT. BELIEVE.

2011-06-16T10:17:00.002-05:00

My Zeda Girl is TWO! Love you baby Z
Photo by Meg White Photography

Tuesday

2011-06-15T10:56:00.001-05:00

I've decided that Tuesday mornings will be Zeda and Mommy time. Since I've started Social Graces I try to blog and research and answer emails whenever I get a second. I tell Zeda no a LOT and have her go play by herself. This method isn't working for me so well. We made the decision for me to MOSTLY stay at home with Zeda so that we have that quality time together. So when I'm cooking dinner in the evenings and she wants me to hold her, I wont feel bad saying no because we've spent the day together. Since I am still working at the church about 16 hours a week and trying to get Social Graces up and running, I thought it's time to make a schedule for myself. To start, Tuesdays are Zeda's day and I can still work a little during nap time. The harder we play, the longer the nap. Perfect.

Here is what we did yesterday... (after a short trip to the bank)

Story time at the library. Of course we couldn't leave without picking out some books to take home

A trip to the Zoo

Chalk time. She always wants me to draw "our family"

After nap we went to the farm to pick up our CSA

Look at all those yummy veggies!

After dinner we met Nik and Meg for a little photo shoot. I took pictures of them, you can view them here and she took some of our family for Z's two year pictures. I'll post those when they are finished!

It's a girl!

2011-06-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

My college friend, Brooke is having a baby and I couldn't be more excited for her. She has been such a good friend of mine over the years and I can't wait for her to experience motherhood. There is just nothing like it. Last Tuesday, while swimming with friends and our babies I got a call from Brooke asking if I could make her a cake with the gender color in the middle. She was finding out the next day at 5pm (LA time) and there wasn't a bakery in Springfield that stayed open until 7pm. Well the next day was Zeda's birthday and we would be at Silver Dollar City. Since it was going to be 90 out, I knew we wouldn't be there all day so I agreed. I baked the cake on Tuesday and got home right at 7pm Wednesday to ice it. I started to ice the bottom and top so when she called all I needed to do was fill the middle with pink or blue and finish the sides.

I decided to try a new look. I'm not a cake decorator by any means but my friend, Jen said these roses were really easy to do. You didn't need to be an expert. Well, the girl was right. I think they turned out pretty good for my first time and I was able to do it in a jiffy! Click here to read the rest of the story.

Congrats Brooke and Jarod! We love you guys and I can. not. wait. to hold your little girl.

Zeda's Party

2011-06-13T13:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Z's second birthday party. We had a blast and so did the birthday girl. Today, we have been playing with all her new toys and currently she is taking a nap in her princess tent. I'm still a bit exhausted but I'm getting the house put back together one step at a time. Thanks to all who really helped! I'd like to especially thank Mae Mae for helping set up and for taking pictures (I'll post more when I get them). I didn't take a single picture all day!
Love you all. Thank you so much for loving and supporting my little one. It means a lot to me.

Birthday Week

2011-06-06T13:52:00.001-05:00

It's my baby girl's birthday this week. I no longer can call her my baby. She's a big girl now. Love love love her. I can't get enough. :) Let the celebrating begain!

My little munchkins

2011-06-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

I love having all three of them. Jey and Zeda entertain themselves so I get some quality time with baby Ava. So fun.

Happy Birthday Mama!

2011-06-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

Friday was my mom's birthday and we celebrated with dinner and a little dessert. Mom's favorite sweet is strawberry short cake. I made/tweaked a SSC recipe that will come out July 4th week on Social Graces.
Happy Birthday Mama! We love you so very much!

Price matching

2011-06-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

I finally did it. I price matched at Walmart. Since couponing, I've wanted try price matching to get an even BETTER deal but lets be honest, coupons are hard enough work by itself and then add the juggling of adds? No thanks. However, since we've been trying to sell our house, I haven't been couponing much. Monday morning, I had to run to the store before my girls come over for breakfast. The night before, I looked at the adds and found a couple of things I needed for what seemed to be less than Walmart's prices. So, I cycled the items and took my adds to Walmart the next morning. Turns out, it's quite easy. Plus, I was surprised with the price difference.
Here are some of the items I bought...
Strawberries - .99 (Walmart's price - 1.88)
Zucchini - .59 lbs (Walmart's price - .79 lbs)
Cantaloupe - .99 (Walmart's price - 1.50)
Watermelon - 2.99 (Walmart's price - 4 something)
Lay's chips (for Zeda's party) - 1.88 (Walmart's price 2.50)
Green bell peppers -.59 (Walmart's price - .99)
Tomatoes - .59lbs (Walmart's price - .99lbs)
Blueberries - 1.88 (Walmart's price 2.49)
I usually only go to Walmart when I don't have coupons but I think I will do the price matching more often. It really didn't take long at all.
Hope you have a good weekend.

Vacation

2011-06-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

Vacation pictures are coming soon. I'm trying to go through them tonight, however, when I came across these two, I just had to share.
Jarrod and I travel REALLY well together and it's because we each contribute in our own way. :) If you want to know Jarrod's and I "roles" see below...
He does this...

And I do this...

He does the "business" side (custom forms, money, passports, tickets) and I take the pictures. Works out perfect if you ask me :)

Joplin

2011-06-01T21:20:00.002-05:00

We spend Saturday night and Sunday in Joplin with Jarrod's family like we do every Memorial Day weekend. I felt funny going to hang out by the pool while there is still so much to do in that city. However, Jarrod's mom said Sheila (Jarrod's aunt) needed a little pick me up. She's an ER nurse for Freeman Hospital (The hospital that didn't get hit) and was working the night of the tornado. I didn't ask her any questions (not wanting her to relive the night) but I did over hear a few stories and my heart just broke. Today, Danielle from my small group came by work because she had a meeting there. I told her one of the stories and we both started to tear up. It's all so very sad.
On our way out Jarrod asked if I wanted to drive through the city a bit. I was hesitant but decided I wanted to see. It was the same day the President was there doing a Memorial service. We listened to it as we drove. I was proud of him, our country and the city of Joplin.
I took a few pictures as we were driving, I wanted to be as respective as possible so I didn't take pictures of the areas where people were working.
The thing that struck me the most was the randomness of the storm. One side of the street had houses with only windows broken and the other side completely obliterated. There is absolutely no way of knowing where to go. It's all so scary and seeing it close up made it real for me.
Joplin we continue to keep you in our prayers. Your city will be whole again.

If only...

2011-05-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

This morning I actually woke up at 6:20 and went for a run. I can't tell you how amazing I felt when I was done, so I'm not sure why I can't MAKE myself get out of bed early every morning. I soooo wish I was a morning person. My morning has just been delightful. If only I could have this every morning.

Kale Chips

2011-05-26T08:22:00.001-05:00

These chips are delicious. We received Kale in our CSA but Jarrod does not like it raw so my friends Megan and Cheri told me about these yummy little treats. They are so crispy and a great replacement for potato chips.

How to:

Lightly brush kale with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Happy Birthday Baby Ava

2011-05-25T08:15:00.003-05:00

Today is my niece's birthday! Baby Ava is 1 which is hard to believe. I got the chance to watch her yesterday and I just loved it! I took her outside for about 3 mins to snap a few shots. She had a massively dirty diaper so I had to be quick. I can't wait for her birthday party on Saturday! Happy Birthday sweet girl - Aunt Bebe loves you!

Joplin

2011-05-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

Jarrod and I have spent many weekend in Joplin due to the fact that his Aunt and Uncle live in a big beautiful house there with a pool. Luckily they are just fine and so is their house. Sunday night was crazy in Joplin and it just breaks my heart. I am so very thankful that our family is safe but pray for all the other families that are suffering. There are so many ways to help, please find someway that your efforts could be in use.
Convoy of Hope or the Red Cross are two great ways. Also, if you live in Springfield, there are many many places around town that are good drop off spots for clothing, toiletries, and food. Also, please please pray. This will be a long process of healing and clean-up.

Photo found here

Sorry Babe, I had to do it.

2011-05-20T09:16:00.002-05:00

Jarrod makes fun of my driving all the time. So does my friend Meg. Let me just say, I'm not the one that smashed my mirror.

We got back into town on Sunday morning and went straight to bed. When Zeda woke up, my parents brought her to us. We played and unpacked all morning so I thought we should go to lunch at Panera and then to the library to check Zeda out some books.

Jarrod was the last to park my car in the garage. He parks as close to the wall as possible to have enough space in the middle to walk and carry stuff. I couldn't get in the passengers door so he needed to pull out. As I was waiting in the drive, I heard the crunch. I assumed he would stop. Nope, he kept coming and was laughing about it. I put my arms up in the "WHAT!" position and he was like, "It was supposed to pop backwards" Once he realized he broke the mirror he wasn't laughing so hard. While we were in the car for 17 hours the day before we talk about being on a spending freeze after vacation. Then he goes and breaks something. Ha. Good Job Babe. I just had to tell everyone :)

Isn't He Sweet??

2011-05-19T09:10:00.003-05:00

Jarrod carried these flowers in for me...sweet right? They came from our yard. Ha. He and Zeda picked them for me while I was in the house making dinner. What a sweet little surprise. I didn't even know we had a bush growing flowers. I should walk around our house more often.

Yummy Pizza

2011-05-18T14:33:00.002-05:00

After I brought my CSA home I made this delicious thing with some of the veggies I got and using a crust recipe from the cookbook my mom got me. It was great. Zeda and Jarrod loved it.

I realized three pictures is a little much, but it really was that good.

CSA is Here!

2011-05-17T20:55:00.004-05:00

Today was the first pick up of my CSA share. We have LOTS of greens at my house, and I love it!

Here is what I picked up:

Green Onions

Kale

Swiss Chard

Cut Salad Greens

Asparagus

Head Lettuce

Bean sprouts

Cilantro

Spinach

Cucumber

Strawberries

For Christmas, my mom got me this cookbook and I am so very excited to try out these recipes with my CSA produce. Also, somehow my sister received 30 DOZEN eggs from the Amish so I have about 25 eggs at my house. Lots of omelettes with veggies for us.