Names, coupons and a recipe

So, my post this time is exactly what the title says it will be. 

#1- Names.  

Jason and I have come to a distinct disagreement between what our version of "unique and different" mean.  But we both agree that we want a name that is fun, not entirely common (or used right now), and is easy for people to spell without having to always ask.  We have decided that we would each gather up a list and them come together and compare notes/lists.  I think that in that spirit I will ask for help from my friends.  We are looking for a shorter name (Jason likes one to two syllable names best).  So far, my favorite two are Finn and Silas.  If the child was born tonight, I think I would name him Finn.  Anyways...give me your ideas if you please!

#2- Coupons. 

Since we are trying to conserve money on all angles, I have tried my hand a coupon clipping.  Now, the Sunday paper doesn't give me a lot of options, but it is at least something.  Yesterday I found a $5.00 off coupon for the exact brand of dog food that I buy!  I have saved at least a few bucks that way.  So today, I was surfing some of my friends blogs and came across a new one that a college friend started.  It is called http://thefrugalmuse.blogspot.com .  She has been working at this deal hunting/coupon clipping stuff for a while and has a some great tips.  I was so thrilled about it that I've already printed off some coupons from her links and thought I should pass it along to you. Good luck to you.

#3- Recipe. 

I enjoy cooking, and have enjoyed it since I was a kid.  It has always been a fun hobby for me.  I am thankful that my mom wanted to teach me how to cook.  One thing that I have always suffered with though is cookies.  I LOVE a soft, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie.  But mine always turn out crispy and crunchy.  Last week while I was at the store I decided to go ahead and splurge, spend the extra $2.48 and buy a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate chips.  I just did the recipe on the back of the bag and presto...the cookie that has always alluded my skills!  I am pretty darn excited.  

In case you don't want to go out and buy a bag of the chips just for the recipe, here it is:

2-1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Cream together sugar and butter, add egg and vanilla...stir.  Add in flour, salt & soda...stir.  Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  

That's it!  :-)  Happy cookie making.

random news

Jason and I went to the Dr on Friday for the big ultrasound.  Our little boy (YUP...it is confirmed) is growing right along track and as far as we can tell...has all his fingers and toes.  I am still so awed by him and how God is growing him right now.  I feel honored to be his mother and cannot wait to meet his little face and tell him that he is mine!  Each day I can feel him moving more and more.  I didn't know that it was possible to love someone so much, when I haven't even seen him yet.  I have always heard other parents talk about how the moment they see their child they are smitten.  Even without seeing him, I can totally understand that sentiment.  We are continuing to pray for him that he will grow safe and healthy.  20 weeks feels like a long time still, but the past 20 weeks have literally flown by, so I know our final drive to the hospital will be here before we know it.  

We are excited to know for sure that he is a boy, and now I can start buying the necessities.  I am on the hunt for a pottery barn crib set with airplanes or sailboats on it.  No way that I can/will pay for the full priced item, but so far I've seen some good options on ebay and craigslist. The big news is that we FINALLY decided on a stroller.  Jason wanted something that wasn't bulky or plastic"y", which I totally agreed with, but trying to find one in our price range that fit the bill took some effort. We've settled on the Britax Vigour and the Companion car seat to go with it.  I am pretty thrilled...just doing some more ebaying to find an awesome deal on it.  

I took two exams last week and got my grades back.  Needless to say, I think I have found my niche for counseling.  My family sexuality test I got 104...all questions correct including the four bonus questions.  NEVER does that happen for me.  My Psychopharm test, well, let's just say that it was not a robust of a grade.  I told Jason my grade and he said "so, what you're saying is that when it comes to sex, you know all there is to know, plus some!"  I just might hang my hat as a Sex Therapist.  But, the negative is that no one would really want to admit that they were my clients.  Hmmm...pros and cons, pros and cons. 

This weekend has been great.  We went out for dinner with some friends on Friday night, and Jason worked ALL day yesterday in the snow to dig holes and start building the deck.  I am very proud of him and a little jealous.  I am such a wimp when it comes to the cold.  I don't want to be, but as a child of the tropics, I just can't help myself.  So, I did some laundry, puttered around the house and and am now writing a presentation on Sexual Aversion Disorder. (really, this sex class is quite fun and fascinating). Later this afternoon I am going to make a yummy lasagna and maybe pull out a can of paint to do some touch up work around the house.  Whatever I do, it will be with my sweetheart, so it is bound to be good.   Hope your weekends have all been as relaxing as mine. 

Flip flop

As of the middle of last week, I started feeling my baby move.  It is the wierdest and most exciting feeling ever.  Sometimes it feels like a thump, other times a little flip flop or a few times it has been a little jab.  I love feeling him inside.  It rests my mind at ease to know that he is ok and that he is enjoying himself in there.  My belly keeps popping out, I can't even wear some clothes that I did two weeks ago. I asked Jason to take a picture, but he said he would tomorrow when there is more daylight.  Sorry.  I tried. 

In other news, my little brother is coming here for a whole week in March.  He and I share the same spring break, so I am going to try and take that time off of work and just spend some time with him.  I also have a few projects around the house that I could use his help with.  For those of you that haven't met my youngest brother, you are missing out!  :-)  I told him that I have a list of things (ie: chores) I want him to do for me and his response was "Ok, sounds good!  I am looking forward to being there Liz".  What 16 year old says that?  Especially after learning that his week of "vacation" was going to be spent painting and packing and lifting heavy things for me!  I am a proud big sister and can't wait to spend some time with him.  it won't all be work.  I am sure we will manage to squeeze in some serious Mario Bros competitions. 

I think Jason and I are making a trip up to Wichita tomorrow.  One of his uncles passed away this weekend and the funeral is Wednesday.  So, we will leave tomorrow evening, go the funeral Wednesday morning and drive home again.  It is important to be there for the family.  In a weird way, I feel like I should go (not that I don't want to) because I haven't been able to go to any of my own family's funerals.  I dunno...

That's about it for now.  Hope everyone has a great week!  

a quick picture

I have been meaning to post and write, but honestly...not much has happened lately.  Just work, homework and house work.  Ewww...that isn't very fun to write about.  ;-) 

Anyways, my sweetheart took these pictures, and though I think my rear end looks like it is expanding as much as my "front" end, I thought I would post them so you guys can see how Baby Herron is shaping up.  My tummy just feels like it is stretching all the time.  Most of my pants I can't wear anymore!  Jason is fascinated by my belly and is convinced that I look VERY pregnant. Most people though say that I am hardly showing.  I dunno.  Here they are.

and the baby is a....

BOY! We went to the pregnancy center in town today for an ultrasound. It was so fun to see him stretch and move around in there. I couldn't believe how big he is already. :-) Here are a few pictures:
This one is his whole body. Look at his spine and the little dark spot in the middle is his heart.
Of course they can't say "for sure" whether the baby is a boy or girl, but this picture is looking at his bottom with his little legs bent on either side. The arrow is pointing to my little boy's "man parts".
This one is harder to distinguish what it is, but on the right side his little leg is bent and you can see a few of his toes.

We are SO excited to know what gender our baby is. I go at the end of the month to the doctor's office for the big 20 week ultrasound and so we will hopefully confirm that he is in fact a "he". I am excited about all the trucks and trains, dirt and bugs, boy scouts and camping and all the other BOY things that await us in the future. I love my son already.

In other news...Jason and I when to KC this weekend and had a blast. We ate at some SUPER fun restaurants, wandered around the plaza and saw that the world really is bigger than our little town. :-) BUT...perhaps our favorite thing to see was this:
We were passing a hotel parking lot and saw this! We just had to stop and take a few pictures. It's not often that one comes across the wienermobile.

baby it's cold outside

I usually whine at how ugly Oklahoma looks because of all the broken trees due to terrible ice storms. Looks like I am going to have to expand my whining to include Arkansas. Monday night it started raining...Tuesday the drizzle and sleet continued on and on. And well, today, the sun came out but it is too cold to do much. Our power has been out since yesterday morning and so I tossed all of my freezer items outside and am waiting for power to come back on before I tackle the stench in my fridge. Jason and I each have little caving headlights that came in awfully handy for cooking and reading last night. This morning though I realized that the novelty of not having power/heat/hot water/internet has completely worn off. Today I went to the university and got a hot shower in the locker room, and then successfully got stuck in the parking lot. Jason and I have bummed from place to place looking for heat, an outlet and some wifi. We have been successful. We are sitting in a little side room of the local coffee shop getting some internet stuff done and charging our laptops so that maybe tonight we can watch a movie all huddled in bed together. Fortunately our house only dipped to 50 degrees last night, so it was chilly, but not unbearable. Work and schools were all closed today....here are some pictures of our yard. LOTS of work ahead of us.

From our front porch, some of these branches fell on the house, but no damage that we can see.

My poor front tree...it gets uglier each winter and spring. We may end up taking it down, but I will greatly miss it.

This picture kind of shows the war zone our poor neighborhood is in.

Ok...so here it is..a belly picture. This was actually taken three weeks ago? But I don't think much has changed. I look awful in this picture and there is a wierd shadow in front of my belly, but here it is just the same:

The other day my husband and I took our dog for a frisbee run in the soccer field, he was being a clown, but I love this picture.
Ok...I am going to brave the roads again and go home. I better get the candles going again before it gets too dark. Hope everyone else is fareing well.

some challenges of mine

You know, it never ceases to amaze me at how God brings such great blessings and great trials at the same time. I think the blessings offset the trials, and I am trying to learn to be mindful of the daily "little" blessings that I tend to overlook during the "monstrosity" of my trials. The past few weeks have brought me both...

Trails:
Work. I think that when God created Adam and gave him a job that Adam truly enjoyed his job. But then, who wouldn't love hanging out with animals all day?! For me though, my job has been increasingly difficult and full of conflict and tension. It isn't that my actual work is all that hard. Sometimes I find myself short of patience with families that I work with, but on the whole it isn't that taxing to the mind or soul. However, in the past few months and especially the past few weeks my boss has taken quite a toll on me. I struggle with his micro-management style and his belittling demeanor. I know that his heart is in the right place (most of the time), but at the end of the day, I often walk out of my office feeling less than two inches high and second guessing every decision that I made. He oversteps the boundary lines of personal and professional life continually which has become profoundly infuriating. I find myself just thinking of retorts to his ridiculous demand. That is NOT how I want to live! I am praying for God to give me grace and patience, but also the guts to confront him.

Home. So, in preparing for this child to arrive, Jason and I have looked at our budgets and decided that it would be wise for us to sell our house this Spring. We will most likely move into a rental place while we build a smaller home. We learned a lot by building this home, and paid through the nose for it too. It is terribly bittersweet. We built this house as an investment and if all goes as planned, it should pay off. But, we poured so much effort, love and sweat and many tears into this home. It brought much grief and much joy at the same time. It is also saddening to think of not really putting together a nursery right away. I had in my mind a picture of how I was going to decorate one of our guest rooms and turn it into a fun baby room (granted, I have still only come up with ideas for a boy, so if it is a girl I will have some problems). It is a lot of transition, but we feel good about it and know that this is the right step.

Friendships. The past two months have been super busy and though on the Meyers-Briggs I am an extreme ENFP, I have never felt so introverted in my life. I haven't returned phone calls like I should, I have just kind of hid away in my house. But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I feel lonely. And hiding is safer than just admitting that I am struggling with that area of my life. I miss two dear friends that both moved away about 2 years ago. If I could pack myself up and move to Muskogee or Nashville, I would! This past weekend though I came to realize that this is still the situation I am in and there really ARE great people that live in my town and that I DO really enjoy spending time with. I need to quit hiding and make an effort. Chances are that someone else needs some friends as much as I do.

Perpetual Tiredness. I have entered the phase of pregnancy where really only 11 hours of sleep a night, coupled with at least one 2 hour nap will make me feel like I am not a zombie. I don't want to be so tired ALL the time. I keep thinking, this is only the beginning of the lack of sleep...I better learn how to cope with it. Stinks though that coffee, at least the caffinated version of it, should be avoided during pregnancy. That would surely help!

BLESSINGS.

Baby. I am now in the middle of 15 weeks. We will find out at the end of February if it is a boy or a girl. I am totally thrilled that this little child is on its way. It is zapping me of all my energy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I saw a 3 month old the other day and thought "I will soon have my own to hold". My belly is starting to really pop out. Monday was my first official day of wearing pregnancy pants. I didn't know that these things were so comfy! Why doesn't everyone have pants like this? No domes or buttons or zippers. Good stuff I dare say! This week our babe is the size of an apple. He/she has put on a WHOLE once since last week.

Co-workers. I have been totally blessed to work with two friends, who also happen to be pregnant. It is so fun to be able to spend my days with these girls. I will miss them greatly when they give birth next month, but am totally excited to meet their sweet babies. Also, I have about 8 students that work for me and they are SO fun and I enjoy getting to be a part of their lives. though I will not miss work at ALL when I quit this May...I will sorely miss interacting with those students on such a frequent basis.

Spring. Yes, I know that it is only mid-January. But, I feel like I have been suffering from a bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Today I went to the grocery store and saw pints of luscious ruby red strawberries. I refused to pay the $4.00 for a pint, but, it did give me hope that all the good things of Spring and Summer will shortly be on their way. I can't wait for flowers and gardens and green grass and walking barefoot in the creek.

School. Although sitting in class for almost 6 hours straight every Tuesday night can make concentrating a little hard, I think it is going to be a really good semester. I am taking Family Sexuality this semester, along with Psychopharmocology. Who wouldn't like taking classes on sex and drugs in the same night? Good times my friends...good times. ;-)

Husband. I really did marry my best friend and I am still honored to be his wife. Sometimes he drives me crazy when he turns EVERY sock inside out when he takes them off, or when his motto of "if it's worth doing, then it's worth over-doing" is taken a little to the extreme. But, he comes home every night and kisses me and says that he is thankful that he married me. We don't always see eye to eye, and we did have a spat last weekend, however...I wouldn't trade spending my life with him. God knew that I needed him, and that he needed me. It is nice to be needed.

God. This really shouldn't be the last on my list. It really is through the struggles that we turn to God and say "Dad, I need your help right now". I feel like I am growing in my journey of learning how to be reliant on Him. I see His blessings all day long and I am humbled by His love for me. I am reading through Exodus right now and I don't want to be an "Isrealite" who grumbles and complains at God despite the immense goodness that He has/is pouring out on me.

Ok....so there are some of the thoughts/things that have been rattling around my mind and soul for the past few weeks. God is good. I really DO promise to post pictures, but I am too tired to get up and go find the camera.