Deep in the HEART of Texas...

So Mission Serve 2012...What a week!

I can basically understand why so many people thought I was crazy for going.  I officially believe I was.  But I would have done it again.  What a blast...*sigh.*

Our days consisted of waking up at 4am, baking muffins and scrambling an extremely large amount of eggs.  Then we would prepare a main dish like biscuits and gravy or french toast, etc.  Monday 4am was fine.  We were focused...had some minor hick-ups we worked through, but by Thursday I was rapping and Friday we were pretty much laughing dead zombies just walking around the kitchen.  Very entertaining, I'm sure, to watch.  After breakfast we would plan our shopping trips for the day to get everything we need for dinner and for breakfast the next morning so the cycle would start again.  Restaurant Depot was usually our first stop.  It was like Sam's only even BIGGER quantities.  Their freezer section was actually about 1/3 of their store where you would borrow a coat and walk into this floor-to-ceiling door where the temp would drop to about 45 degrees and there was your frozen food and refrigerated meat.  Mind-blowing really...  Then we would head to Sams for things in slightly smaller quantities, then Wal-mart for bananas and a few small things (more for us and personal shopping), and then Aldi's for our baking ingredients that we didn't need much of at all.   Then we would head home, take and hour-ish nap, wake up, and start the dinner festivities.

Our menu:

• Sunday Night: Spaghetti
• Monday Morning: Biscuits & Gravy
  Dinner: Pulled Pork & Corn on the cob
• Tuesday Morning: Pancakes
  Dinner: Chicken Nuggets & Mac 'n Cheese (More like Chez with some noodles- YUM)
• Wednesday Morning: French Toast
  Wednesday was Free nite at the Historic Stock Yards in Fort Worth
• Thursday Morning: Biscuits & Gravy
  Dinner: Homemade Pizza
• Friday Morning: Smorgasbord- Leftover B&G, Egg Casseroles, and Pancakes
  Dinner: The church made us TRUE Mexican Fajitas!  YUM!!

Here is the crew.  Those pans would be stacks of chicken nuggets waiting for the oven on Tuesday nite.  

L to R: Emily, Wendy, Troy, Dad aka Mark, Stacy, Me & Sue.  Pretty stellar team!

The hard stuff...Ruthie hit a growth spurt while we were there.  I grew out of 2 pairs of pants that I had tried on and packed.  My bathroom routine in the middle of the night was slightly difficult in that I had to walk a good distance to the nearest loo.  My ankles turned into small pork tenderloins.  I could work for long periods of time and they wouldnt bother me, I would just look down and be like, "Holy Cow, I should prob sit down."  

Dallas was about 5 to 10 degrees cooler than home everyday, so heat really wasnt a problem.  And the only time I would go outside was for shopping trips and lunch.  

I also left part of my heart in TX.  My dear Tricia MG has moved to Dallas for Seminary.  She is one of those wonderful ladies that keeps me grounded and reminds me that I'm still a girl besides being a wife and soon a mom.  Without her, I feel like an adult.  With her i feel like a girl.  I will miss her terribly.... TERRIBLY!  Love you, Tricia!

I love seeing my husband serve Jesus.  If we could get paid to do this the rest of our lives that would be amazing.  We was resilient under an almost impossible job, petty criticism, he ran in 4pm Dallas heat (slightly crazy), and he still checked on me every night to see how I was holding up. What a man.  

I become a football widow now that we are home.  Practices start every night this week.  Fall has basically begun.  We also had GREAT news that we bought our first house.  I'll post about that soon! VERY SOON.    All in all, Dallas was a crazy, hot, successful trip with lots of memories, and food, and JESUS!  

Pinterest Project COMPLETE!

I just love when I can check things off the ever growing list of thing I must get done before October and this week I accomplished 2!  TWO!  That's huge!!

About 2 months ago, Mom gave me a stroller and car seat that she bought when Bella arrived that was in pretty great shape and the stroller is a jogging stroller which is what I REALLY wanted.  Downfall...Jack the Cat, my sister's cat, who has a peeing problem, found it first.  But, I was determined to majorly clean it, get the cat pee smell out, and make it work!  I soaked the seat in mild yet "you better get the heck out" chemicals and then washed it twice, and then let it dry in the sun.  I had to replace a piece of particle board which was the biggest feat but we survived and now, I HAVE A STROLLER & AND A CAR SEAT!  (No pictures, but come on.  You know what a stroller looks like.)  

NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT!

I finished a Pinterest Project!!!!!  YAY!  This was also on the list of projects to get done, so last night while I slightly moped, while my family was playing volleyball and I wished I could have played, I stayed home and created.  

This was my inspiration...

I know that it's been pinned about a gazillion times, but I was determined to make it with my own twist.  It's taken me a REALLY long time.  I've had my canvases covered for MONTHS!  But, here is the final project!

I think I will still look at it and touch up with a marker here and there, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  (Please disregard terrible picture.)  Not sure where it will go yet, but I like.  

Now for my next projects to finish...

The Ornament wreath I started before LAST Christmas for my front door.  

This sweater I saved so I can turn into leg warmers.  I think Ruthie with LOVE them!  

I think I am going to glue the letters together and screw hooks into the bottom of them for the wall to hang bows, or jackets, or ANYTHING.  

This is supposed to be a large rug that I started crocheting out of T-shirts.  I have the t-shirts, it's just cutting them up that's the hard part which I still have to do.  Ugh.  

So, craft on, I MUST!  I also have to refinish a cedar chest for a toy box, and paint/assemble a coffee table that I have, and I am determined to make another print with the quote that says, "Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will move mountains."  that I will put above her crib.  Not to mention, I would like to have some new tree skirts done to sell before Christmas.  Why am i still typing?!?!

The WIERDness of being Preggers...

I apologize if pregancy/babies/food is all i've talk about around you, on here, in general everywhere lately.  It quite literally has consumed my life, and my body for that matter and it's a new experience for me that I have yet to get used to.  I understand they have books about this, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "Child Birth for Dummies," but they scare me, they are large, and i have a general understanding that many people have done it without them so I'll be just fine, I'll just be kind of in the dark.

Also, seeing as how I generally avoid ANYTHING that has to do with hospital-ness, medicine, I have experience some crazy things that come with baby that I had no idea.   Then I get on TheBump.com or BabyCenter.com and read..."You may be experiencing...(fill in the blank)..." and then I feel better.

But stuff that I didn't know that freak me out for 5.7 sec and then I'm ok...

• I got my hair cut the other day and usually the hair dresser oos and ahhs about how soft and healthy my hair is..."Do you flat iron your hair?  Or blow dry it?  Your ends are really wimpy.  Have you been shedding a lot lately??"  WHAT?!?  It is growing REALLY fast though...
• My stomach is hairy.  Not like what Nathan refers to as a "man sweater"  but my tummy glistens with my blond hairs all over.  I laugh when i look at it.
• No major details here, but I'm pretty POSITIVE this constipation business was involved just to get you prepared for the birthing process!!  Misery.
• Because your skin stretches, it itches.  I'm sure I look like an ape scratching my tummy and my sides.  
• My co-workers make fun of me because I have a food stash box at work...It includes
• lemon heads
• rice cakes
• caramels
• club crackers & wheat thins
• microwave popcorn
• almonds
• easy cheese
• powdered donuts
• granola bars
• fruit jerky
• bananas
• I'm extremely hungry often, so I get something to eat and then eat it really fast.  Then b/c I ate to fast, I get sick and the vicious cycle starts again.  The other day at Jimmy John's, Nathan just laughed at me.  Especially when I couldn't get my shoes on fast enough so I ran to the bathroom barefoot.  I laughed too, so no harm.  Now, if he notices, he tells me to slow down....lol he takes care of me...:)
• I drink a half gallon if milk in two days.  Then, I feel like I pee for two days straight, but  it tastes sooo good!
• I waddle. BAHAHAHAahaha.

I know that this may not be her topic of choice, but I love talking to Tricia about this kind of stuff, b/c she generally find most of these things weird also, and then I don't feel like such a bad mother-to-be.  I am soooo happy that I am generally not moody.  I have notice times where my sarcasm with my boss especially may be slightly harsh, but that's when I say I'm pregnant and you just have to deal with it!