New "Friends on the Web"

My dear friends John and Christy, who are missionaries in Mexico, have started a blog of their own. (Fun background note: Christy has been one of my best friends since high school and 4 years ago she married John, who is my second cousin!) Anyway, they minister to school-age kids through an afterschool program and to the community at large in dozens of ways. I am always amazed at the challenges they face and overcome by God's enabling. I encourage you to check out their blog and learn more about what the Lord is doing in Croc, Mexico.

Benjamin's

A few days ago Zach decided that he wanted to take me out for a nice dinner at Benjamin's, one of the more upscale restaurants in town. (We realize that we are running out of time for this kind of dining experience.) It was fabulous! I think I have a new favorite restaurant in Indiana. Too bad most of you live so far away because this place is definitely worth a visit. We started with roasted red pepper/tomato bisque that was sweet and creamy, then moved on to house salads with a creamy Italian dressing that was so delicious we started dipping our bread into it. (I know, not very elegant table manners, but we couldn't resist.) Then it was a chicken breast with lump crab meat and red peppers in a basil cream sauce for Zach and tenderloin medallions stuffed with Boursin cheese in a Merlot sauce for me. And as for the dessert tray...let's just say I wanted one of each thing they showed us but exercised restraint and split caramel cheesecake with Zach.

Sigh. Delicious food makes me so happy! Eating delicious food in a romantic setting with my husband makes me even more happy. If anyone out there is interested in babysitting an adorable baby (I'm sure he will be) in a few months so we can go back to Benjamin's, just let me know!

Texas Shower

I took a little trip to Texas this weekend for a baby shower thrown by my mother-in-law Becky and her sister Debbie. These two sweet ladies went all out to make sure that it would be a special day for me--the table you see is filled with my favorites like chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, fruit salad, and cheese. Austin continued to get spoiled by his friends and family as we received some wonderful gifts like his stroller and car seat, lots of adorable outfits, and some diapers. Pregnancy has made me realize how blessed I am to be part of not one but two families that love me and my unborn child so much!

M.F.E.O.

I think Zach and I were Made For Each Other, as the little girl in Sleepless in Seattle would say. Of course today is not the first time I have thought that, but being Valentine's Day it's been on my mind. I really cannot imagine another human being complementing me as well as he does. He gets my sense of humor. He shares my love of chocolate and other sweet goodies. He rubs my big belly and tells me I am beautiful. He hasn't moved downstairs to the guest bed despite the fact that between me and my pillows, sleeping with me must be like being in bed with a baby elephant. A baby elephant who rolls over a lot, taking his blankets with her. In short, he is just about perfect. I am so thankful that God gave him to me as my precious husband.

Zach and I decided to make dinner together to celebrate our sixth Valentine's Day as a married couple, and our last one as a family of two. We have cooked most years rather than go out; it's something we really enjoy doing together and especially now that we live in Indiana, our going out options are kind of limited. We made Pork and Apricot Ravioli with an Apricot and White Wine Sauce. It was quite tasty. The sauce was really sweet but it paired nicely with the savory pork in the ravioli. I remember now why we don't make homemade ravioli very often, though: it is a lot of work! I was pretty tired of standing at the stove by the end and actually had to sit down while Zach worked on the sauce for a while. I think all our efforts were worthwhile, though. It is a nice feeling to end up with a beautiful, delicious meal that you can share with the one you love.

Zach making the ravioli

Ready to eat!

Good News

My doctor called me this afternoon to tell me that the results of my three-hour glucose test were good. I am thankful that this turned out to be only the smallest of trials in my pregnancy. I really feel kind of bad sometimes that my pregnancy has gone so smoothly. Why does God give some of us such an easy time while others suffer so much while they're waiting to meet their little ones? There's no good answer to that, I guess. I will just try to keep a grateful attitude for all the mercies of health He has shown me for the last six months.

Finished at Last!

Yesterday I finished a cross-stitch project that I have been working on for nearly seven years! Putting the last stitch in was a very exciting moment for me--there were so many times I thought it would never get finished! I started it the summer Zach and I got engaged. I planned to finish it in the year before we got married so we could hang it in our bedroom. That obviously didn't happen. But three bedrooms later it is almost ready for the wall. I just need to iron it and have it framed.


My next project is going to be a wall hanging for Austin's room. Needless to say, I have chosen a much simpler design this time. Of course I hope to have it done before he's born, but no promises.

Baby Updates

Zach and I went to our first "Birth of the Family" class last night. Most of the information was stuff I already knew: the stages of labor, terms like presentation, effacement, dilation, etc. But most of it was new to Zach, so I guess the two hours were worth it. Next week we'll start learning breathing techniques and labor positions, which ought to be more interesting. I can hardly believe it's already time for us to be learning this stuff! My pregnancy has really flown by.

On the not-so-good side, I did the one-hour glucose test on Monday and my results came back too high so I have to do the three hour test. I am not so excited about that but am trying to remember that I have been blessed with an incredibly easy pregnancy so far and if I turn out to have gestational diabetes it will certainly not be the end of the world.

Weekend Trip

Zach and I spent the past two and a half days at Fort Myer, VA with nineteen tuba and euphonium players from IUP. The occasion: the United States Army Band's annual Tuba and Euphonium Conference. We had a good time and I think the students did, too. Just imagine, two whole days of tuba and euphonium recitals, open reading sessions, and all the horns and mouthpieces you could wish to try!

Okay, so if you're like me, that doesn't really sound all that appealing. But I wasn't about to sit at home by myself for the weekend when the chance to explore Washington, DC was at hand! I went to a few performances with Zach, but each afternoon I took the Metro into the city to visit the Smithsonian. Friday I went to the National Portrait Gallery and Saturday I went to the Museum of Natural History. I think my favorite parts of the Portrait Gallery were the temporary exhibition about Katharine Hepburn (I learned that one of my favorite movies, Bringing Up Baby, wasn't very popular when it came out but is a hit now) and the Presidential portraits. The highlight of the Natural History Museum was probably seeing the gems and minerals section, including the Hope Diamond and a bunch of other amazing gemstones.

All that exploring really wore me out, though. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that at six months pregnant I don't have my normal stamina for sightseeing. Kudos to the Smithsonian museums for having plenty of benches.

A little update

Once again there have been some requests for an updated Courtney picture, so here you go. I want to point out the curtains on the window. Mom made those (this room would be so boring without her talents!) and we hung them yesterday. The room is getting cuter by the day!

My New Kitchen Toy

Finally, I have a slow cooker! I have been wanting one since we got married but I have always put off buying one, thinking I don't really have space for it. Now that we own our house, the realization set in: there's not going to be any more space than I have now! Plus, I am on the planning committee for the Women's Club annual Chili Party and one of our main responsibilities is to bring a batch of chili. Obviously, a slow cooker greatly facilitates the transport and serving of this chili. So my fellow committee members encouraged me to use this as an excuse to buy an item I've wanted for so long.

So friends, besides taking chili to the Chili Party, I don't really know what to do with my new appliance. I know a lot of you use your slow cookers regularly, though. Please send me recipes--I would love to have some tried and true favorites from friends!

Grandma and Daddy's Hard Work

Austin's grandma and daddy put in a lot of work on Austin's nursery this week. I am so thrilled with the results! We have quite possibly the cutest nursery in Pennsylvania, if I do say so myself. Maybe I should say nursery-in-progress; you'll notice that there isn't actually any furniture in it yet, but that will be changing in the next few weeks.

Here's the progress so far:

From plain white storage room...

...to pretty colors that look ready for a baby!

Search the Scriptures

Since Christmas I've been using a book called Search the Scriptures in my quiet time each day. (Thanks for telling me about it, Ashley.) The book takes you through every verse in Scripture in three years, with two or three questions every day about the passage you've read. I just finished the first part of the book, 25 studies which take you through Luke 1:1-9:56, and already I've dealt with questions like "What is the purpose of salvation?" and "What is the cause, nature, and outcome of repentance?" There are also a lot of personal application questions. It has been so helpful for me to have questions like that to focus on as I read the Bible. I am thinking more deeply about the things I read and how they apply to my life.

As a lot of you know, moving away from Grace Church and the amazing preaching there has been a challenging transition for me and Zach. God has really used this time to bring me back to the importance of my own personal study of His Word, though. I am growing in the faith that He and His Word are truly sufficient for me. Church can be a blessing (and I certainly believe He wants us to be part of a church), but it is possible to rely on church too much for growth, a pattern that was very easy for me to fall into in California. Now I am relying more on Him to teach me from His word and I'm seeing the blessings of deeper personal worship.

Just sitting around

Mom came to town a few days ago to help us paint our nursery and put up a wallpaper border. Since I'm not allowed to paint, I have spent a lot of time just sitting around while Mom and Zach are upstairs working. I'm trying to find things to do so that I don't feel completely useless but I'm running out of ideas! I can't wait to see the finished room, though. I have peeked in the door (trying not to breathe much) and the colors look great so far!

"Sneaky" Cooking

My sister gave me a great cookbook for Christmas, The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. Perhaps some of you have heard of it? It's pretty new and I think it's gotten some media attention because of its somewhat-controversial approach to healthy eating. The basic idea is that you (as a parent) hide healthy ingredients in the foods your kids like. The book is full of recipes for typical kid favorites like pancakes, macaroni and cheese, chicken strips, spaghetti, and of course desserts.

Now I don't really agree with the author that it's a good idea to use deception in order to get your kids eating healthier. (I won't try to explain her whole philosophy, which is basically the first half of the book. Suffice it to say that mealtime is not where she chooses to pick her battles with her children.) However, it's hard to argue with the fact that eating more vegetables and whole grains is a good thing and this book gives lots of fun ways to do that.

One strategy that is used really often is using small amounts of fruit/vegetable purees in recipes. I have tried two so far: Orange Puree, which is made of carrots and sweet potatoes, and Purple Puree, which is blueberries and spinach. (Recipes for both are on the Sneaky Chef website if you'd like to try them, along with a few ways to use the purees.) We have tried the Orange Puree in several dishes this week with great results every time: in French toast batter (believe it or not), mixed in with store-bought pasta sauce, in macaroni and cheese (both homemade and from a box), and in grilled cheese sandwiches. The food still tastes great; in most cases you don't even realize there is anything extra there but it's nice to know you are getting a health benefit.

I just made Purple Puree today. I have tried it in two recipes so far and I think they both turned out pretty well.

The raw ingredients of Purple Puree

The finished puree

Purple Puree Recipe #1: mixed into our meat/bean/taco sauce mixture for taco salad

Purple Puree Recipe #2: "Health by Chocolate" Cookies. Besides the puree, these are made with wheat germ, whole wheat flour, and less sugar than most cookies. Still tasted good, though.

I would love to hear if anyone else has used this cookbook or has any similar strategies. I may be an adult but I still find it challenging to eat enough veggies sometimes. The Sneaky Chef is making it more fun to "sneak" healthy stuff into my own diet!

Baby Stuff

Zach and I made another trip to our "big city" shopping destination of Monroeville today to buy some stuff for Austin. The first of many major purchases for our child, I'm sure. Apparently we spent enough to set off the fraud alerts at our credit card company because we had a message for us when we got home asking us to verify one of the purchases! (Kind of nice that someone...a computer, at least...is looking out for us, huh?)

So what did we get? Well, we ordered our crib and changing table/dresser. They will arrive in 7-14 days. That means that by the end of January our second bedroom will be well on its way to looking like a nursery because my mom is coming for a visit next week to help us paint and hang up a wallpaper border. So exciting! We are still looking for a glider and an area rug.

Second, we bought a camcorder. Zach, bless his heart, has done hours of research on the subject over the last two weeks. (I have no patience for that sort of thing. I'm really content for him to decide what we want, buy it, learn how to use it, and show me the basics I need to know.) But anyway, we walked into the store with a few models in mind. The very helpful Circuit City employee actually talked us into a different model, an HD version that we hadn't considered before, but we feel pretty good about our purchase. The picture quality on HD camcorders really is a major step up, even if you're shooting in standard format. (We were given a very convincing demonstration of this at the store.)

So I'm hoping to learn how to use the camcorder to post videos on my blog, but don't count on it. Like I said, I'm not one to devote lots of time to figuring out tech stuff. But maybe Zach will learn how and teach me!