Sick.

Still here. Not in labor. Just had a busy few days and now I feel sick! :( booo.... Going to the doctor today.

The update and Chicken Satay Wraps

Ok! Well I didn't get "checked" at yesterday's appointment, but that was fine with me! I did end up scheduling my remaining appointments though, which there are only 4 left!! So, I go back on Monday and he said that's when he'll start taking a look at things and seeing how Judah is progressing. SO exciting!

The baby shower yesterday was so much fun! All of the hostesses were so sweet to put it together for me and I was really overwhelmed with how amazing my friends are! The shower was a diaper/book shower, which is so adorable, and we came home with diapers of all different sizes and some of the cutest little books I have ever seen!

I had a lot of fun, ate one of the best cupcakes I have ever had, and loved every minute of it. Thank you so much sweet friends!!!

Judah's room still isn't completed decoration wise. In fact, I haven't done a single thing more to it! I know it doesn't really matter and he wouldn't know the difference anyway, but just getting it done before he arrives would be nice so that would be one less thing to worry about when he gets here. Sheesh.

Wes has been a trooper. He has taken on so much stuff around the house and with Eli, which is kind of hard to do considering he did so much already! He still isn't feeling 100% yet. Last week he went to the doctor and was tested for the flu. He'd already had the seasonal flu shot, and tested negative for that, but the doctor didn't rule out swine flu. So... we really don't know if he had it or not. Eli and I seem to be fine (other than a little cold Eli has had for a few days) but I feel so bad for Wes! He's done his round of Tamiflu and hopefully now it's just some sinus thing or something. Say a little prayer for him. :)

Now on to the recipe for today! Ok, so when I first read this one, I was thinking... ew. But! As long as it's chicken, Wes and I will try pretty much anything! So if you are thinking "ew" at first, you might just go ahead and give this one a shot. My friend from high school used this recipe and he said that his boyfriend loved it and they make it all the time! It takes no time at all (like 15 minutes total!) and is delish! I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Satay Wraps


prep/total time: 15 minutes

ok, this one is super easy and fast!

This is like an Indonesian appetizer that is yummy!! You can serve the chicken on skewers and dip it in the sauce or you can make it in a wrap. We ate it as a wrap and for a meal.

2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. creamy peanut butter
2 green onions chopped
1 tsp. soy sauce (I actually put about 2-3 in mine)
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups sliced cooked chicken (I just put a little oil in a pan, sliced up some mostly thawed chicken breasts and cooked them in the pan with a bit of salt and pepper)
1 cup coleslaw mix (I don't really like coleslaw mix that much so I did like 1/4 cup coleslaw and the rest chopped up lettuce)
some flour tortillas (we did like some whole grain ones, but any flavor would be good I bet!)

So, in a bowl you just whisk the oil, peanut butter, onions, soy sauce, and pepper until combined. I did this before I cooked up my chicken so the flavors could sit together longer.

Then you just add the chicken and toss it around to coat.

Put some lettuce/coleslaw mix on a warm tortilla, top with chicken, roll up, and they are ready to eat!

I served this with some rice and made a salad from leftover lettuce. YUM!

Let's revisit my last 36 week appointment

So, here is what I had to say with Eli's 36 weeks appointment in 2007. Today I am going to Judah's. Please note that my child was HEAD DOWN... and I ended up with a breech baby. Y'all. My dreams are for real! More to come later today with updates and baby shower pics! I like to put things from the past in italics... like a flash back or a dream. Let's just thank Wayne's World for that.


So, I went to the doctor on Monday. My 36 week appointment was MUCH different than my regular check ups that I have been going to. Oh we started with the regular, weight, blood pressure, urine sample. But then there was a sheet on the exam table, and you know what that means...this time the exam would be much more in depth.


Eli's progress:

• Well first of all his heartbeat is loud and strong. I still LOVE hearing that! That has been my favorite part of this whole experience when I'm at the doctor's office!
• He is head DOWN! whoo hoo!! I, for some reason, had it in my head that he was breech. And even last night I had a dream that he was transverse (laying across me) and that I could feel his ear...haha...who knows. So, I'm very happy about that!
• I didn't get any possible weight or length measurements, but I'm measuring right on track so I'm assuming Eli is as well.
• I haven't started dilating yet, and he said that was normal to not be dilating at 36 weeks.
• And that I am also 50% effaced and Eli has already dropped and is in position! :)

Have gnome, will travel

Hey guys! Well we have been gone for the past several days traveling with Wes and the Jeff Johnson Band to Shawnee, OK! We wanted to get in one more family "vacation" before Judah is born.

It was a really fun and sometimes difficult trip. Wes might have possibly (or might possibly) have the swine flu. I am almost 36 weeks pregnant, which equals to uncomfortable, complaining, tired, in a significant amount of pain, over emotional me. And then we have our 22 1/2 month old who has a little cold but pretty great for the most part!

So, when you mix up a tired flu feeling dad with an all of those things me, we didn't have some of our best moments. But! I will say that Wes and I have pretty much mastered the art of seeing that the root of the thing is never the thing, and chalked most of our moments up to being tired and not feeling good. And, truly, they were only moments so most of the time we were having SO much fun! Eli and I LOVE traveling with them and getting to hang out with the band, our family.

What made it even more fun is that all the band wives were there (Sarah! Jouleen!) and Mandy was there who basically runs everything behind the scenes and makes everyone's life so much easier. AND Drew Worsham , one of our very close friends was there doing his illusions for the kids. He is precious!

And then there is Afhsin and Meredith Ziafat. What's crazy is that when I was like a sophomore or junior in high school, our youth minister Michael brought in this guy named Afshin Ziafat to speak to the youth. I'd never heard a name like before (if you've been to Levelland you can see why... just small town, West Texas, just... different). Anyways, I remember him speaking about how he became a Christian. He was raised a Muslim (first time I had ever heard of that... obviously pre 9-11) and become a Christian and then of course was ousted from his family.

What's so crazy is that I remember that story completely changing so many things about how I thought about thing. It really truly gave me a more global perspective of Christ. Anyways, here I am, 10, 11 years older and Afshin (and his fantastic wife Meredith) are now friends of the band and me! It's so crazy! His story is beautiful and hard and honest and if you ever get a chance to go see him, or Jeff Johnson, or Drew Worsham then do it! You won't be disappointed!!

Now sweet Jeff is super giving and last year bought Eli his Halloween costume, that adorable little black spider. Do you remember that?

Well a month or two ago, Jeff showed me this picture of this garden gnome Halloween costume and we thought it was one of THE cutest things we had ever seen! So we go to Oklahoma, and Mandy and Jeff pull out this little garden gnome costume and I about died! So, that evening for the fall festival at the church on Halloween, we had a perfect little gnome (aka a 22 month old smooshed into a 2T costume that almost didn't fit, which actually made it cuter!) who was dancing and playing the drums and running around all night. Thank you Jeff!!!

We had a really fun time and I love that band and friends so much. They truly are part of our family.

Southwestern Skillet Burgers and Ghost Brownies

Can we all stop a minute and pray for Stellan?

Now I didn't take that picture, but that really is what they end up looking like! This is a Taste of Home recipe that Wes and I love!

Southwestern Skillet Burgers


ok. This recipe makes well over 6 servings, so I cut it in half and it feeds 3 people plenty! 

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes with onions and garlic
some shredded cheddar cheese

You just combine all the beef and bread crumbs and taco seasoning in a bowl and shape them into thick burger patties.

Throw them in a medium heated skillet and cook them for a few minutes on each side until they are browned, then drain any sick juices.

Add the tomatoes into the skillet with the patties that you put back in there and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover it up, and let it simmer until all the pink is gone from the patties... around 10 min or less.

Sprinkle them with plenty of cheese, cover them up again and watch until the cheese is melted.

Then serve them up! They are GOOD!!! ** now the real recipe calls for a can of bean and bacon soup also. I hate that stuff so I didn't put it in there and it was still delicious! suit yourself :) **



Ok, the Ghost Brownies come from Brittnye. Brittnye is like this cake genius that makes all of these adorable cake designs and has all of these cute ideas. Well, she normally doesn't share her secrets because I'm pretty sure she sells most of her stuff (who could blame her!) but she did spill the beans on this one!

Now this picture is of the actual ghost brownies that Brittnye made. Aren't they adorable?! They reminded me of something you would make Yomaida!

Ghost Brownies

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1 jar of white icing
1 package of giant marshmallows
1 tube of black decorating icing

It's really easy. You just make your brownies like the box tells you to.

After they have cooled, just cut them up in little squares and put them on whatever you want to serve them on and place a giant marshmallow on each brownie.

Melt some of your icing in the microwave. I would melt in something with a spout so that when it pours, it's an actual pour and not like a spill over so you can control it.

Now watch your icing. You don't want to pour it when it's completely runny melted because it will make a big mess all over your brownie. You want to pour it when it's a little thick so it will pour over the marshmallow and stick and not run off.

The icing will thicken and cool quickly, so you might even want to have a few practice sessions with the "ghosts" before doing it on the brownie.

After you've made your ghosts it's time to add their little faces! Just put on their tiny eyes and mouths and your ghosts are complete! So fun!

In print

Some of my super adorably sweet friends from work (Leny, Liz, Julie, and Tiffany) are throwing me a cute little diapers and books baby shower next week. So far they've only had one person who was invited say, "oh. Is this a 2nd baby shower?" haha... YES! It is! :) Anyways, they delivered me my invitation and it is SO precious!

I love every word on the invitation, especially seeing my sweet baby's name in print! It was the firs time Wes and I had seen Judah Miles Martin written out on something and it made us all teary! Thank you so much girlies for having this little party for me! I cannot wait!

Completely off topic, but I really do not need to watch that Unwrapped show, even though it makes me so happy, because, I am SO hungry when I see it! sigh...

Yesterday it was raining and cold in the morning. I do realize that many people (oh gosh... what is the word??! not migrate... not travel... not transfer... ugghhh!! what is that dang word?! oh! got it!) commute to work with long tedious drives. However, that is not me. I'm from small town West Texas, I love being a part of a community, I actually do like seeing my students around town since that is how I grew up, and so I only work like 7 or 8 minutes from my job depending on which lights I hit.

Well, when it rains in Dallas it seems like people completely forget how to drive. Like one of my teacher friend's was saying yesterday morning, it's like they either drive 30 mph faster or almost stop driving all the car which causes all kinds of wrecks.

We have this light in front of our school that's a pretty big intersection for our area and when there are wrecks there, it's pretty bad. That's what happened yesterday. I don't know what happened to those poor people in the wreck, since I was so far back, but it took me 35 minutes to get to work. You know, I don't think I even have a point to this story. Y'all. This pregnancy... sorry for wasting a few moments of your life! ha! But I did include a picture! I could have sworn I had something to say about this...

So the leaves are ever so slightly starting to change on the trees. Can you see it? Wes and I are out of town again this weekend and I'm so excited because we're going to Oklahoma! Everyone keeps talking about how beautifully the trees change there so it will be so fun to show Eli and see them for myself!

I kind of was in shock at work yesterday because I was trying to finalize my syllabus for next 6 weeks and I noticed that after this week, I only have 3 weeks left before Thanksgiving and maternity leave! yikes! 3 weeks?! Obviously part of me is really excited to have a break, meet my baby, and spend some good time with our new little family, but it really does kind of bother me to leave my school kiddos for so long with someone I don't really know. They are really awesome and will be fine, but I really actually like them and will miss them!

Did you watch the Jon and Kate Plus 8 question and answer session last night? I know a lot of people are sick of them and all of that, but I have watched their show since their early specials before they were a series and still watch them! Anyways, I still think it's sad, for everyone involved. But I liked watching the episode because their earlier Q&A episodes are some of my favorites. :) So much has changed... it was just a little over a year ago that they renewed their vows in Hawaii. What I take from all of this is how important it is to invest in your marriage. I have no idea obviously what went on really with them, but it's just a great reminder to me to pay attention. It's one of those things where I don't think anyone is immune to distance creeping in to your relationships, no matter what kind of relationship it is. And for us, our marriage is top priority and we have to actively work at keeping it that way, especially when Wes travels so much. I don't know. Many times when I hear about them or see them in a magazine, I just try to say a prayer for them and then remember to say a prayer for us. I really need to be more diligent in that as well.

Love you friends!

"BUG!!" (says my screaming child)

Yesterday, well, about 10 minutes of yesterday, was terrible. Eli and I just got home from getting groceries and I was letting Ebony out and he always to go with her. So, out the back door they went. I can see Eli through the kitchen windows and he was doing his usual thing of finding random outdoor toys and playing with them. As I was putting the groceries away I heard Eli crying! I looked out the window and then I heard him screaming!

I ran out there as fast as I could and he was holding his hand screaming "BUG!" It was awful! I looked at his finger and there was a stinger on the side of his pointer. I scooped him up, ran inside, sat him on the counter and took out the stinger so I wouldn't lose it. He just kept screaming and crying "mama, MAMA!" and I just kept trying not to panic.

I washed his hands, gave him some Motrin and called Kelli (nurse) who is married to Justin (pharmacist) to see what I was supposed to do! By this point (probably 10 minutes after the sting) Eli is already running around the house, playing drums of course, and is no longer crying. He just would kind of whimper when he would hit his finger or try to use it. Kelli and Justin gave me the scoop and all was fine with Eli.

I tried to find what stung him but I couldn't. What does it look like to you? A bee? A wasp? I have never been stung by anything besides an ant before so I have no idea. Y'all it was terrible. Just seeing him in pain like that!! (shudders) It totally freaked me out. But, he is fine, thank you God, and apparently wasn't allergic to whatever hurt him.

We aren't completely done decorating Judah's nursery yet, but my mom found the most adorably precious wall art at Kirkland's on sale and thought they would be perfect for his room! I can't wait to get it all done! She also found some blackout curtains for a good price on Amazon, so hopefully we'll be able to get those too! Eli and Judah's rooms face the sun at all times it feels like! It's great to have fun bright rooms but really annoying when the light doesn't chill out!

I am continuously getting bigger and bigger. I feel full term. I walk full term. I complain full term (sorry Wes). But, I am not full term. More than the frustrations and uncomfortableness of being pregnant, I just truly long to see my new son. I can't wait to see him, smell him, hold him, kiss him, and be near him (without that whole him living inside my body thing). Five and a half more weeks...

Wes and I have really been good at trying to stay connected and intentional about spending time together as a family, which was one of our reasons for eating at home more often. Well, in August I started the good ole family calendar for the fridge where I can plan meals, write down when Wes will be gone, when I have appointments, when we have dates, just whatever. It's actually been really nice because it's seeing both of our calendars on one central location, but it has also opened our eyes to how much we plan in our lives. Each month starts off kind of empty and then more and more things come our way, we say yes to most of them, and the calendar begins to fill.

I think Wes and I both love being with our friends, seeing our family, working, stuff like that. But sometimes, we just feel like we're missing out on each other or our family of 3 time. I'm going to be better at scheduling those times for us on our calendar, and not just scheduling time for everyone else.