One Reason Why I Think it's Cool That I'm Turning Into My Mom

My mom is pretty much a genius in the kitchen. She can whip up the most delicious food at a moment's notice, and it doesn't seem to take her any time or effort at all (I know it does, Mom - but you sure do a good job of masking it). My kids talk about eating breakfast burritos at Grandma's house, complete with freshly homemade whole wheat tortillas & all the fixin's. Mind you, whenever she cooks, she has to prepare enough for her own 6 ravenous sons and 2 daughters and now all of their spouses and children. It is no small feat, that's for sure. My mom is famous in our small town for making a few things, one of which is her rolls. I have heard many references to Marla's Rolls and people wishing they could make rolls like Marla. My sister and I are among these hopefuls; somehow the roll-making gene was not passed on to us. It is amazing to watch my mom make rolls - she forms them so effortlessly and they turn out all soft and perfectly round...and not a single drop of dough sticks to her fingers while she's doing it. I remember the first time I made rolls as a married woman - I thought I was pretty cool and that my husband was gonna LOVE me - it was not nearly as easy as Mom made it look and I failed quite miserably. First of all, I can not shape them without getting at least half of the dough stuck in between my fingers, and then they are all misshapen and ugly. And most of the time, they don't rise at all so they just end up being tough and lumpy and really not desirable at all - nothing like the soft, melt-in-your-mouth Marla's Rolls.

I have tried everything and nothing has worked. I have even lived at different altitudes and tried several different recipes and ovens...nothing. I have resigned myself to the fact that I may never be able to make yummy rolls like Mom and that they may as well be called biscuits when I make them. (That's for you, Dad)! But yesterday, I had a breakthrough: I thought I was going to be taking dinner to a lady down the street so I decided to try the rolls again. I made bread too, which I can do, so I figured if the rolls didn't turn out then I'd just give her some bread with her dinner instead. What happened was magic. The dough just worked with my fingers and they just formed so effortlessly, with almost no help from me it seemed. They rose beautifully and baked to perfection. I tasted one later and felt like I was literally eating one of Marla's Rolls. Really, it was that good.

Now unfortunately, my sweet neighbor ended up having dinner with family so she did not get to sample this delightful culinary creation of mine but my family sure enjoyed them. In fact, they were dug into and halfway eaten before I had the thought to take a picture. I really hope that this was not a fluke occurrence and that I'll be able to make rolls this delicious again...thanks, Mom, for teaching me everything I know in the kitchen and everywhere else. I couldn't ask for a better mother.

P.S. If anyone wants the recipe for my mom's famous rolls, just look in any Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook...it's their basic roll recipe. Somehow, they just taste better when Marla makes them.

Somebody Help Me Out Here

So when I was pregnant with Cade, I got a great idea for a boy name: Willem. Jeff & I both have Williams in our family history but I liked this variation better. Jeff basically vetoed it from the get-go but I continued to ask other family members and friends for their opinion. The basic response I would get was "Hmmm. Willem? Really? Hmmm. No, I don't like it. Actually, it's kind of an ugly name." Of course, since we are expecting another boy and struggling a little in the name area, I decided to bring it up again. Again, shot down by my dear husband. And again, no one else seems to appreciate it either. I've given up hope of ever being able to use this awesome name but it would be nice if I could find someone out there who sees how cool it really is. Anyone?

Also, I like the name Crandall. It is a family name but I had never thought of it until I read it in my baby name book and I fell in love with it. Pretty sure it's one of Jeff's least favorite names ever (it's a toss-up between that and Willem) so it is definitely out as well. What's your take on this one?

Your Memory of Me

I thought this was such a cute idea that I had to do it.

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!


2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. :) If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Happy Birthday Cole!

Tomorrow is my little boy's 3rd birthday - I can't believe it! The time has gone by so quickly, it is hard to believe he is 3 already! Cole has always been such a pleasant little guy, from the second he was born. He is very laid-back most of the time, but has a little stubborn streak in him that I can't quite figure out where it came from. Cole is a snuggler and often comes up to me and gives me a hug and says, "I love you." Most of the time he doesn't want to be a big boy but prefers to be a little boy and says that he "doesn't want to grow up." That is, unless I tell him that he can grow up to be big and strong like his dad and uncles. Here he is:

Cole at 1 year

Cole on his 2 yr. birthday

Cole at 3 years (almost)

Cole just barely learned how to ride his bike without training wheels (actually, he didn't really have to learn. Jeff said he just pushed him off once and he started going). He is really really good at it but the funny thing is, he is scared to death and thinks he's going to fall. So he will be pedaling down the street doing such a good job but yelling & crying the whole time. It is such a crack-up.

Another funny thing about Cole - the other day I accidentally called him 'sweet pea' and he quickly informed me that Madlyn is 'sweet pea', not him. I asked him what he wanted me to call him instead and he said "Big C Courtesy". That is what Jeff calls him, ya know, after the Courtesy Chevrolet commercials. I thought that was pretty funny. He is definitely a daddy's boy. Oh, and he only likes to be told that he is 'sharp', not handsome, because that is what Grandpa Davis called him one time and now every time I call him handsome he gets upset and says that he is not handsome, he is sharp.

Well, Happy Birthday Cole! We love you and are so happy you are in our family.

In the Summertime, When the Weather Gets Hot

So we all know it gets pretty stinkin' hot here in the Valley of the Sun. But it is just brutal when your home's air conditioning goes out in the middle of June! We came home on Saturday night about 9pm and our house was 83 degrees, which isn't terrible, but our thermostat was set to 78. Yuck! Long story short, by Sunday night our house was a whopping 95 degrees hot! And it was hot, I'm pretty sure that one or more of my family members were about to die. How did we survive? Well, we spent Sunday between our neighbor's house, church, and our hometeacher's house. We are so grateful to everyone that opened up their homes to us - it was no small thing. Sunday night we borrowed a portable air conditioning unit from our neighbors and we ALL slept in the living room with that and 3 fans blowing on us. Jeff & I slept on an air mattress in the middle of the floor with only a sheet for covers (like we needed anything) but when I climbed in bed after making sure that Cade was settled, I was surprised to find a wet sheet on top of me. You know it was hot since I was actually OK with sleeping under a wet sheet. Madlyn asked for one as well so Jeff got 3 pillowcases wet and put them over the kids. Ugh! It was a miserable beginning but by the morning, our living room had cooled to about 85 degrees so it was definitely more liveable. Thankfully, we were able to get the problem fixed by about 9:30 on Monday morning and I'm happy to say we are cool once again. Phew!

A Rare Occurrence

For those of you who wonder if I ever relax, let down my inhibitions, and just cut loose, let me clue you in on a little secret: it does happen...occasionally. (By the way, those of you who have ever seen my interpretative dancing already know this little tidbit). For example, last week I had the opportunity to take a little road trip. This is how it went:

"Love, love me do. You know I love you."

"I want to hold your ha-a-a-a-and."

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away...oh, I believe in yesterday."

"I don't care too much for money, and money can't buy me love. Can't buy me love, love."

"All you need is love!"

"Get back, Loretta!"

"Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude. Hey Jude-y, Jude-y, Jude-y, Jude-y, Jude-y, Jude -y!"

That's right. It was three hours of me, the minivan, the open road, and these boys:

It was a fun 3 hours! It took me back to a similar trip 7 years ago when my brand-new fiance let me borrow his truck and all of his CDs to make the drive up to my parents' house. My CD of choice then was the same as this trip: Beatles 1. Good times.

I had the sad realization that the only time I ever let go and have a little fun like this is when I am absolutely and completely alone, usually driving. It makes me feel bad that no one else gets to see the beauty and charm of me singing at the top of my lungs and even bustin' a move every now and then. I'm not sure what happened to me when I became a grownup but I used to be a lot more fun. Hmmm, maybe it's time for a change.

Pregnancy Update

I haven't talked this pregnancy a whole lot but that is not because I am not excited. Here is a recent photo of our cute little guy - doesn't he look darling?
OK, this pregnancy has been a complete different experience (and in some ways harder) for me than any of my others. Actually, I have physically felt better than my other pregnancies and that is definitely a blessing. I think the Lord knew that I could not handle one more kidney infection...because I have been spared thus far. Whew! I started this pregnancy 10 pounds lighter than I started each of my other 3 and so I think the weight gain has taken longer to take its toll on my body. I am still feeling pretty comfortable and agile (OK, I don't know if I could ever be described as agile, but you know what I mean). For some odd reason, I have been in denial about my tummy getting bigger and have avoided wearing maternity clothes for as long as possible. But I think the bump is here to stay and now that it is starting to move inside and feel like a real baby, I am OK with it. I have yet to experience my usual astronomical swelling of my appendages but I'm sure it will be here soon, what with all the heat and all.

So physically I've been good, but...emotionally I have been all over the place. We have been pretty busy and have had lots of other stresses, so I think the pregnancy stress (eustress, not distress) just added to everything else. But one thing that has made this pregnancy a little more trying than usual is the fact that we got some unsettling results from our first ultrasound. The doctor called me a few weeks ago and let me know that the baby's bowel was brighter than it should be and that that has sometimes been associated with Down's syndrome or other problems. He was very reassuring in telling me that he has seen this before and it has only been indicative of other problems once and that there were other things wrong with that baby. He said that otherwise, our little boy looked extremely healthy and normal. BUT...of course we had to get the triple screening blood work done and a Level II Ultrasound. Logically, I wasn't extremely worried but it was difficult for my emotional side not to imagine the worst. I felt at peace about it all though and knew that even if our baby were to have any problems, he would still be just as precious and a blessing to our family. About 2 weeks ago, we got the results back from the triple screening test and everything was NORMAL. And then on Monday, we had our Level II Ultrasound. It was mostly fun because I wasn't really worried any more. At the end of our appointment, our technician told us that "the doctor probably won't call you with the results, hint hint". We feel pretty confident that our baby boy is normal and healthy and we are so grateful. We feel truly blessed and humbled by this whole experience. On a light note, we were able to get a few 3D shots of our little guy, which was so much fun! I had never seen 3D of any of my others so I was pretty excited!
It might be hard to make out, but the placenta is on the left and his right cheek is smashed up against it. Can you see his cute smile? I wonder if he will come out looking anything like this since he still has about 8 pounds to gain (he only weighs 1 lb. 5 oz. right now and I have big kids), but his smile is totally his daddy's.

So that's that. I really am soooo excited for this sweet baby to join our family. We have about 4 months to go still, which is good since I have plenty to keep me busy before then, but I can't wait to meet this precious child of God. I truly feel it a privilege to be a mother and only hope that I can teach my children to love their Heavenly Father and to desire to do good with their lives.

P.S. If you have ANY ideas for a name, please pass them on because we are seriously scrambling to find something that we like. We are pretty traditional but like unique too...nothing too trendy or common. If we can't think of anything else though, we just might have to name him Tuff. :)