Baby Update - Week 12

Well, I am out of my first trimester and trucking right along. We had our first ultrasound last week and all is well with our growing babe. The baby measured 4.9cm and had a heartrate of 158 bpm. Baby was moving and active and seemed fit and healthy. My due date has been set for November 5th and baby measured right on that. So, we are moving forward and anticipating our next ultrasound in June when we will, hopefully, find out what our new addition will be. Will we add our fourth girl to the family or will we get that second son that Josiah is so hoping for? Only God knows right now, but I am prayerful that He can see the voting going on in our house and that He will make all three (Kate doesn't care, obviously) of my children very happy with another BOY! They have voted and they all want another brother. But they have been told that it isn't up to us and we will be blessed with whatever God gives us. But Josiah, is convinced it will be a boy and if it isn't it isn't coming home here. So, I am praying that God will change his heart or take pity on his father and I and give Josiah a brother. I guess we will see in a couple of months.

Thanks for caring about our family and our growing babe. Want to take a guess as to what the baby will be? Check out the poll in my right side bar and leave your vote!

Feeding a Crowd, or My Family

While we might not be the largest family around we are growing all the time and my children seem to eat more and more each month. I was given this little recipe from a dear older friend and I love the simplicity of it and yet how far it will stretch. Right now, it will still do two meals for my family and I normally serve one and freeze the other as this recipe works well for the freezer.

Chalupa

3lb pork roast            1 Tbsp cumin
1 lb pinto beans          1 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp chili powder    1 can green chilies
salt and pepper to taste

After the beans have been washed and soaked for at least 30 min. pour into the bottom of a large crockpot. Put roast on top of beans and add the seasonings. Add enough water to cover beans and more if needed during cooking. Cook on low for 6hrs. Remove roast and shred with a fork. Stir back into crock pot and mix with beans. Cook uncovered for the last 20 minutes to allow juices to thicken. Serve over fritos or any kind of corn chips, taco shells, or wrapped in tortillas and topped with your favorite taco toppings.

I have served this recipe for company many times due to the make ahead nature of it and I have never had anyone not LOVE it. Kids and adults alike seem to enjoy the meat's great flavor and tender texture.

Find lots more recipes for large crowds over at Raising Olives today.

Cinnamon Rolls

So Friday afternoon I did an experiment. I love creating in the kitchen and I am so grateful to now, most of the time, feel up to it again. I am out of my first trimester this week and moving on to better times. Anyway, I have been wanting to find a way to have the convinience of the refrigerated cinnamon rolls without the cost of those premade ones at the store. So, here is what I tried. I mixed up a batch of dough (Recipe to Follow) and let it rise once. After the first rise I rolled it out, brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and brown sugar. Added a few raisins on top and rolles it up! Then sliced it into about 1 1/2 inch sections and placed in a greased 9X13 pan that had a tight fitting lid. As soon as the pan was full it went into the fridge. The next morning I pulled it out and set it on the counter for an hour. Then I baked in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Once they were cooled slightly I iced with cream cheese icing. They were a huge hit!!!! Here is what they looked like

My husband said that these were the best cinnamon rolls that I have ever made. And they were really good if I do say so myself!!

Dough Recipe

2 Eggs with enough water to make 1 1/3 cups (needs to be warm)

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar (or honey)

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 cups flour (I use white and wheat)

2 1/2 tsp yeast

Mix all and knead thoroughly. Let rise one hour or until doubled. I place all of this in the order listed into my bread maker set on the dough cycle and let the machine do the work for me.

Donut or Doughnut?

What is the right way to spell it? Donut? or Doughnut?

Well, either way you spell it Katherine LOVES them. We have dear dear elderly friends that stop by every once in while just to deliver these round delights to my children. My children are truly loved by so many people. God is good.

I couldn't resist sharing these pictures after I captured them this week of Katherine enjoying the most recent "delivery".

And my Favorite...

I know this will all fit!

The Dirty Girls

Girls and dirt.

Dirt and girls.

Do they mix? Do your girls like to get dirty or are they afraid of the dirt?

Mine? Well, see for yourself....

This is a wedding cake that they were creating for the wedding that they were going to.

Icing the cake

The beautiful bride......

I love the fact that my girls can enjoy dressing up and fixing hair and fancy dresses, but they are okay to spend the day in the dirt as well. And when I say spend the day, I mean spend the day. Yesterday Maggie sat down beside me on the couch and unrolled her capris and the dust flew EVERYWHERE!!

They played hard all night, and the tub was nasty after bathtime, but it is spring time and they are girls. Dirty Girls.

Any Advice?

I am the mother to four, almost five now.

I was homeschooled through middle and high school.

I have been around homeschooling most of my life.

I love homeschooling.

I have a problem.

I don't know what to do about it.

I am hoping some of my readers can help.

You see, I have a struggling learner. I have a duaghter that is starting to dislike learning (ALOT). Her biggest struggle is math. It is a huge struggle. There are tears and fights and roadblocks everywhere I turn. Here is what I am searching for to use the next school year. I need a new curriculum. But I can't find one.

Do any of my lovely readers have any to reccommend? I need something that is mastery based and focuses on one or maybe two concepts each lesson. Something with lots of different reviews on the same page overwhelms her. She will be in thrid grade. Any ideas? Been here before? Please help me!! Anything you have to offer I would appreciate it. Because I am lost and overwhelmed and really wanting to stop this cycle. I want her to enjoy school again and I know it is possible if I can find a curriculum that works for her and with her instead of overwhelming her each and every day. Thank you for listening to a frustrated, tired, and discouraged homeschooling momma.

Giveaway Link

I have tried to cut down on how many posts I do about other giveaways because entering giveaways, while fun and exciting can be huge time waisters. So, I have decided that I only enter ones that would be truly useful to me or my family and pass by others. It has helped to cut down on my time in front of the computer but still allows me to enter, and hopefully occasionally win, really useful items. Today, I found one of these giveaways and she is offering an extra entry for a blog post. I know many of you are expecting or plan to be sometime later. So, here is a giveaway in which you can win a modest maternity skirt. These are hard to find and can be costly. Check out the awesome skirts available at New Creation. Then head over to Life in a Shoe and enter to win one!

Spring Happenings

Spring is here.

We have bought strawberry plants for a new patch we are starting.

We have planted flowers.

We have played at the park.

We have slept with the windows open.

We have visited the zoo. See...

We have taken walks.

We have visited the farm at my mom and dad's. (They have new baby chicks!!)

Josiah has gotten injured.

See?

Spring is here and we are busy. What early spring activities have you been up to?

Grow Baby Grow.

WOW! 10 weeks already I can't believe that I only have 2 weeks left in my first trimester. This time of pregnancy is always the hardest for me but I am almost done! It is going so FAST! Baby #5 is the size of a small plum now and weighs somewhere around 5grams. Baby is between 1.25 and 1.68 inches long now and is looking more and more like a baby. The tail is gone and the fingers and toes have seperated now. Baby is primed and ready for rapid growth in the second and third trimesters. Seeing the pictures that are availlable online is an amazing thing. It really makes you see that even though I don't feel it yet, it is a baby! And now it looks like one.

Now on to momma. Me, well I have good days and bad. Some days I can barely move off the couch. Other days I work and feel and function as if I wasn't even pregnant. I have had to learn to work on the most important things during the good days and make good use of the hours that I am blessed with. On the bad days, the girls and I do school on the couch, read a lot, and they help me around the house a bunch too. This time has been made easier this time around now that I have two very capable girls that are (usually) willing to help with whatever I need. Well, today seems like it is going to be a good day and there is lots to accomplish so I am off to get started. Have a great day and enjoy this great weather!

It's begining to look a lot like.....

SPRING!!!!


The weather has been warming up and the birds chirping, and the days are geting longer. It can only mean one thing. Spring is just around the corner HERE!! My family and I couldn't be more excited. We love being outside and enjoying the wide open spaces and the tired faces that a day outiside brings. Last week it was just beautiful on the day when I had errands to run so after I had finished my "chores" the kids and I ate a quick bite for lunch and then hit a local park. It is pretty intense having four MOBILE children at the park by yourself. Last summer Katherine was content to ride in the Moby snuggled next to momma. This year, not so much.

Sammy Jo is my jumper and climber. Nothing is too hard for Sammy to try. Yet, if she reaches a certain limit watch out! She will turn on the tears and want you to RUN to her rescue. She is so sweet and tender! I just love her soft little heart.

Maggie is such a huge help and Kate has come to depend on her and trust her like a second mother. I am looking forward to watching their relationship grow as they both grow. Sisters are a beautiful thing.

My only son! Oh how I love this little boy. He is all boy. Worms. Dirt. Tractors. Bikes. It's all energy all the time from this little man and yet he tell me "I love you Momma" many times a day. It melts my heart everytime. I love the fact that he calls me "momma". None of the other kids do but he does almost everytime. Those big brown eyes are just beautiful handsome (boys are handsome not beautiful he tells me).

I love this life that God has given me and the children He has blessed me with. He has blessed us so much it is hard to comprehend. What is a blessing that you are especially thankful for today? I would love to hear from your heart what God has blessed you with. Let's encourage each other as we name our blessing one by one!!!