Kissed by an Angel

This past weekend I couldn't seem to shake the memory of the time I was kissed by an angel.  It was a day I would rather forget, one of the hardest of my life.  I am thankful that day is mostly a blur now, but I distinctly remember the comforting, soft, kisses of an angel. 

She was an ultrasound tech in a sterile setting.  I was uncomfortable in a cold, unfamiliar place.  My husband and I were hopeful to see our little baby's heartbeat for the first time.  In my heart I knew the inevitable because I just wasn't feeling pregnant anymore.  The spotting had started earlier that day.  We were hopeful nonetheless.  Afterall, I had made it past that "magical" twelve week milestone. 

When she started the ultrasound, everything looked as it should.  We saw the circular space that held our precious little bean.  But something was missing...that magical flicker of a heartbeat.  My own heart sank as tears poured from my eyes.  I knew she shouldn't have, but the tech told me maybe I was mistaken about how far along I was.  I shook my head because I knew.  That is when she kissed me.  She showered me with kisses all over my face.  She hugged me and kissed me and told me how sorry she was. 

It wasn't until I suffered my first miscarriage that I realized how very common they were.  Did you know that 1 in 4 pregnancies ends this way?  I believe it is necessary to raise awareness so that we can be a support to those who feel like they are suffering alone.  Here are a couple of helpful links that I love:

• http://www.nationalshare.org/
• http://www.mend.org/

Looking back, I remember so many things that people said to comfort me, but their efforts failed.  Nothing was as comforting as those angel kisses.  I am so thankful that God puts people in our paths, even strangers, right when we need them the most. 

~A

What's Your Weakness?

What's your weakness?  I actually have a few of them, but I will disclose just one at a time here on my blog so I have things left to write about before my 365 day journey ends...

I have mentioned before how Costco is not my favorite place.  That subject definitely deserves an entire blog post all on it's own, (note to self: bring camera to Costco) but I will give you just one of the reasons why today.  Look what I have staring me in the face every time I open the fridge:

My husband loves to buy that enormous tub of cookie dough. You know the one!  I am embarrassed to say that sometimes we eat the entire bucket before even baking a single cookie.  Although the message, "do not consume raw" is clearly labeled on the lid, we cannot help ourselves.  We use it as an ice cream topping, or straight off the spoon.  Disgusting, I know!

So, what's your weakness?

TGIF!
~A

Picture Day

Today is Picture Day at the kid's school.  I don't know why it stresses me out.  I started stressing last night around bedtime.  I had it in my head that the kids needed to get to bed early because it was "Picture Day tomorrow!"  That in turn, stressed the kids out. 

We went to the closet to pick out their outfits so that we wouldn't be stressing about it in the morning.  That was fun!  McKinley has a new pact with herself never to wear pink, and "especially not on picture day!" while Everest just rolled around on the floor groaning about wearing "church clothes" to school. 

I explained to them that Mommy has to pay for the pictures whether they turn out good or not, and Grandma and Grandpa are going to hang them on their walls along with every other relative we send them to, and the pictures will forever be in their school Yearbooks.  If that didn't stress them out even more, then this next part may have...

I showed them a picuture of me on Picture Day in 6th Grade:

That did the trick.  We were all officially stressed out about Picture Day!  But not to worry, my kid's looked absolutely adorable when I dropped them at school.  McKinley even thanked me for helping her get ready.  What I think she meant was, "thank you for not making me wear an argyle sweater with a side pony tail on picture day!"

Hopefully the photographer got to them before lunch and P.E. Oh great, now I'm stressing again! ;)

~A

Sour Apple Lunch Snack

As most of you know, I am not known for my cooking.  But I can be quite creative when packing my children's lunches.  There is just something about them being out of my direct control for that many hours in a row.  I often think about them during the day and wonder:

• are they using their manners?
• are they playing nicely?
• are others being nice to them?
• are they washing their hands?
• are they hot? or cold?
• did I dress them right today?
• and the BIGGEE... are they eating what I pack them for lunch?

My guess is, not always, but I seem to have hit the jackpot with a recent snack I "invented".  It is called the "swirled up sour apple" and both of my kids love it.  In fact, my daughter asked for a picture of the "machine" I use to cut the apples the way I do so she could show her friends.  She is getting a lot of attention at lunchtime because of her apples, and she loves it!  I told her I could do better than just a picture!  I promised to blog about it.  So here goes, (drum roll please!)  the secret recipe for the swirled up sour apple...

SWIRLED UP SOUR APPLE:

1. Wash a granny smith apple.
2. Place apple on the Pampered Chef Apple Slicer Corer.
3. Cut apple.
4. Put in a ziploc.
5. Squirt lemon or lime juice in the center of the apple (keeps apple from browning and it tastes great).
6. Pack in lunch.

There are a couple of variations of course.  Try with different types of apples, you can prepare with or without the apple skin, you can use natural lemon or lime juice rather than the bottled up version.  :)

I love how the simplest things can impress a child, while at the same time, they can be so unimpressed with the things we put such great effort into.  Forest Gump said it best with, "keep it simple stupid!"

Now pull out those apple, corer, slicers and start impressing your kids the simple way!  I hadn't used my "apple machine" in ages because it was shoved deep in the cupboard somewhere.  Now it sits on the counter and I use it everyday.

Let me know if you try it, and better yet, if your kids LOVE it!
~A

Computer, I am the boss of you!

Don’t you just despise those days when your computer decides to control you?  You do the same things as always, press the same buttons as always, but somehow nothing works right.  Pictures won’t upload, emails are missing, error codes pop up.  You are sure someone has hacked into your computer!  But then you realize there is nothing on your computer worth hacking because you’ve plastered it all over facebook and your blog already.   I’m convinced it’s just a way for our computers to let us know that they are really in charge.

Today was one of those days for me.  I finally put the baby down for his nap, and sat down at the computer to write my daily blog.  It’s a time I look forward to.  A time where I get to let out all those little thoughts that run around in my brain.  It’s a time I get to reflect on what in the world I am doing! It keeps me in touch with the simple things that I occupy my time with, and makes them seem a bit more important. 

I signed into my blog account and aghast!  My family picture was missing!  That may seem simple enough to replace, right?  Oh, not if you have the number of pictures stored that I do.  It required pulling out the hard drive and viewing the thousands of pictures there, waiting for each thumbnail to load... 

Once I finally found my picture, my computer decided to load it up all funky and leave off my title! Not only that, it is a tad off center and the box around it is smaller. Of all the nerve!  I tell you, I did nothing different that I did before! 

A call to my husband was definitely in order.  Of course, I must remain calm.  You see, I find when I call him at work with my frantic "computer" emergencies, he doesn't quite understand the urgency sometimes.  Doesn't he get that this is my sanity at stake here?!

Long story short, I have a picture again, but I still have some design work to do, and this ranting will have to do for my blog post today.  I've spent my baby's entire nap time trying to show my computer I AM the boss of it!  But just to be on the safe side... I'm going to change my password!  ;)

Footprints

Don't worry where your feet have been... just concentrate on where they are going next!

Yes, my little guy's feet were actually this filthy, but they washed up as good as new in the tub. 

Thank you Lord, that you do the same for me everyday. 

Happy Sunday to everyone!

~Alisha

Apple Seed Maternity & Baby Boutique

I stumbled upon the greatest maternity and baby boutique online.   Apple Seed's stuff was so adorable, I would almost want to be pregnant again just to wear it!  I mean, where was this stuff just last year when I had my baby?  It's where style meets comfort as far as maternity wear.  No more frumpy ruffles and bows...  This selection of maternity wear resembles what SJP would probably wear if her character were expecting.  Apple Seed has a unique selection of tops, career, jeans, and even intimates. 

http://www.appleseedboutique.com/




One of the best things about this site is an 8 part video series on making your maternity wardrobe work for nine months.  The series includes choosing basic pieces, accessorizing, and changing your wardrobe for the seasons.  You've got to check it out! http://www.appleseedboutique.com/apsemavi.html

Having had my little one already, I was especially interested in searching the baby products Apple Seed has to offer.  They carry some of my favorite products like Bugaboo, Petunia Pickle Bottom, and Trumpette socks.  They even carry a whole line of organic skincare products for Mom and Baby.



This diaper bag for Dad termed the "Diaper Dude" was my absolute favorite! 


After searching the site, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted for me, or for my expecting Mommy-to-be friends, so I was happy to see that they have gift certificates available too!

http://www.appleseedboutique.com/