this week

Last week was a nightmare between work and school.  BUT...this week, well, it is a whole other story.  This week is Spring Break and I decided to take the whole week off of BOTH work and school.  My youngest brother came in on Thursday night and is spending the week with us.  I am so excited to have him here as he is helping me do a bunch of stuff around the house.  Yesterday and today we did some major landscaping and yard work.  We borrowed a friend's truck and hauled THREE truckloads of mulch from the city yard to the house.  Thankfully, it only cost me a grand total of $3.00.  Yup, that ice storm back in January was good for something after all.  :-) I can't imagine how much we would have spent at the hardware store if I had bought bags of mulch.  My body is tired and a bit sore, but it feels so good to have accomplished a major task that I've been dreading.  I couldn't have done it without Jon!!  Tomorrow we are tackling a few projects inside the house.  We are having fun too...plenty of movies and the like.  

Saturday we went to OK to visit Miss Martinez on her first birthday!  It was so much fun to see her waddle around.  She is such a part of their family and it is incredible to believe that one year ago she was making her debut and her family was wondering how things would change.  I know that they wouldn't trade it for anything.  We had a great time...and are so glad we were able to make it.  

a real deal

I am SO excited!  I just played the online Old Navy coupon game and snagged a coupon for $50 off $100 purchase!!!  Apparently they reset the site everything Thursday (we just played at 11pm) and they have coupons for up to $75 off $100.  Not bad, huh?  Here is the link: www.oldnavyweekly.com  you just click around till a coupon pops up.  In other deals this week... I took three coupons to Walgreens and walked out with free shampoo & toothpaste and a pack of huggies diapers for $5.00.  I am pretty darn proud of myself. I took Jason with me to Walgreens, because I didn't want to be by myself if the cashier said something like "oh, you can't use these", but the cashier was congratulating me on my finds.  When I walked out I felt a little like a bandit. 

In other news though, I have two tests and a presentation this Tuesday night in class.  I am way nervous about my psychopharmacology test, but I am trying to do my studying early so that I won't have to cram it all in last minute. 

The baby is kicking like crazy....all day long.  I am half laughing now, but a little worried that if he is this active outside the womb, I might be in for a real race.  :-)  Either way, I am SO excited to meet him.  Still no closer on the name front.  But, we've got time, right?  That is what I am telling myself anyways. 

Well, I am off to bed to rest up before the nightly kicking rounds wake me up. 

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.