Shut In!

Today we are taking it easy. I love days like this, although I do wish it were snow instead of rain and wind. We have a Nor'easter coming through Hampton Roads and everything is closed down. These days, although rare, are wonderful because:

1. You can stay in your jammies all day and no one notices

2. It's a great day to drink lots of warm coffee and have some yummy soup for lunch

3. Parking yourself in front of the TV to catch up on shows and watch movies is recommended

4. It's a good time to be creative. We are planning on making Grace a sock puppet today. I also hope to scrapbook sometime today.

5. You can watch the storm outside from the warmth inside your home- on your TV set!

5. School is closed! I'm hoping I won't have to go in tomorrow too. Yes, teachers are just like the kids in hoping school is closed!

I am so excited to have a day when I can stay home all day and get some things done!

Grace is 9 Months Old!

Grace had her 9 month appointment yesterday, two weeks late because I couldn't keep the first appointment I made her. Nevertheless, we braved the wind and rain to head to the doctor. My little doodlebug weighs 19 pounds, 1 ounce, her height is 27 3/4" and her head measures 17 1/4". In other words, she is perfectly average for her age! Now the only thing I have to worry about is whether or not I should give her the H1N1 shot. I went into the office yesterday convinced I didn't want her to have the shot, but then Dr. Goodwin and I discussed it and I'm not sure. Definitely have to put it to prayer.

In the meantime, here are a few firsts:

Crawling

Holding Her Own Bottle

First Sippy Cup

First Halloween

Prayer Request

I'm putting this out there for all of you who know my dad. I won't go into a ton of detail because there is too much to even write here. My dad needs the Lord to intervene in his life, and bring healing, restoration and wholeness to many areas. Bottom line is he is very sick but refuses any type of medical care because in his eyes that would be a lack of faith. I just pray that God will make himself incredibly real to my dad, reveal the truth, expose lies and bring physical and mental healing where needed. Our family is in great need of your prayers because at this point, only God, though his grace and mercy can intervene.

For now, I am resting in this verse: Philippians 4:6-7
"BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"

It's Pumpkin Season

My absolute favorite thing about fall: PUMPKINS! I am crazy about anything pumpkin. Here are some of my favorites:

Dunkin Donuts' Pumpkin Latte
I have taste tested both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and I'm shocked to report that I prefer Dunkin Donuts. Plus, this week all of their small lattes are only 99 cents. Can't beat that!

Pumpkin Raisin Cookies These are my all-time favorite cookies beside chocolate chip and I look forward to making them every fall. They are WELL worth the effort!

Iced Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbs. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins

For the glaze:
2 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ tsp. milk, plus more as needed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
To make the cookies, over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the brown and granulated sugars, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture in two additions, beating well after each addition and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and raisins.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pan, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the glaze, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, adding more milk as needed. The glaze should be thick but pourable.

Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Makes 36 cookies.

Pumpkin Decorating These shimmery pumpkins from Martha Stewart are heavenly!!

I'm baaaack!!

So I suppose I should blog. (Not that anyone will even read this!) I really have been wanting to, I just have been having a hard time prioritizing and making time. Sad, but true. A LOT has happened since my last Easter post. We have moved to Virginia, I have a new teaching job, and Grace is 9 months old! Sadly, our house in South Carolina is still for sale. We are starting to think about renting. But I have serious reservations! Here are my thoughts about renting.
1. No one takes care of your stuff like you do. Enough said. We have taken very good care of our house and I would want it "returned" to me in the same condition it is in now.
2. If we hand it over to a Property Managment company, they will control most decisions, including WHO rents. This makes me so nervous! I would want to choose who rents our house. I would be SO picky!
3. What happens when it's not rented? Will we be able to deal with two mortgages or our mortgage plus rent here in VA if we decide to rent?
4. Will it be hard to buy? It will most likely be harder to buy.

So, as you see, I have more questions than answers. Sometimes I just think we should keep it on the market. It's just hard for me to think about not having our own space until spring. That feels like a loooong way away!

Oh, and I still haven't figured out how to post my pictures WITHIN my post. Ugh.

Easter Weekend

Mike and I went home to Virginia last week to show off our sweet little girl. It was a very busy few days and we went non-stop. But, we had a wonderful time with family and friends. My only regret is that we didn't get any pictures of Grace meeting her 93 year old grandmother Dix...Here are a few pictures from our visit.

I'm officially on Etsy!

So I've been thinking and praying about what I am going to do to make a little extra money once I stop working. I feel like there are tons of things I want to do- but I feel kind of ADD about it. Where do I start? So I decided to start by making an Etsy shop. I LOVE that website and have already spent way too much money there. I made a ribbon lamp shade for Grace's room and a lot of people who have seen her nursery have commented on the shade. So, I decided to make a couple and post them on my Etsy account and just see what happens. I've looked and I haven't found any other ribbon shades similar to the ones I have made, so I am hoping that will help me out. I also plan on painting too- probably mostly things for nurseries. The three watercolor birds I did for Grace's room are hanging over her changing table and she is fascinated by them. She studies them and stares at them, and then she coos and makes all her cute little baby noises. I love it that she has taken such an interest in them! Mike doesn't like the trim I used on the pink and black and blue and white ones. The custom shade is the one I did for Grace's room but I couldn't find that same trim at Hobby Lobby. So, that said, check out my lamp shades (there's only 3) and let me know what you think.

Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7071299