A Friday Night Funny

My husband is really funny.  He isn't a comedian or jokester type, but he is funny in my favorite kind of way: almost always unintentional, dry, and somewhat sarcastic without ever being rude.  His one-liners come out of nowhere, completely naturally, and they linger on, making me giggle out of nowhere just thinking about it.  

And you might not think he's funny at all.  Maybe that's just what makes him perfect for me :)

Nonetheless, in hopes of giving you a little weekend laugh, I give you the following scene from last night:

Jonathan is in the living room, watching Game Seven of the World Series.  He was rooting for the Rangers, if you must know, largely because he is a Royals fan and henceforth will root against the Cardinals on principle.  Secondly, one of his best buddies is a lifelong Rangers fan living in Thailand for the two years that the Rangers have been in the Series.  In solidarity with his buddy, Rangers it is.  

So that Jonathan could give his full attention to the game, I covered all of the nightly rituals: tidying up the nursery, bath time, dressing for bed, story time, etc.  I decided to pop in a lullaby album that was given to us as a shower gift and had somehow remained in the case until now.  

As I dressed Riggs for bed for bed, I realized that the lullaby CD wasn't exactly my style: instrumental with a synthesized, techno emphasis.  Think Enya and Pure Moods meets Muzak.  It didn't bug me enough to walk across the room and turn it off, so I left it playing.  

With the little man all bedecked in his bedtime glory, he toddled out to say goodnight to Daddy, and I followed.  As small as our little house is, the sounds of the mediocre lullaby CD wafted into the room behind us.  Jonathan snuggled Riggs for a bit, and then up at me and said:

"What are you doing in there?  Putting the boy to bed or running a gift shop?"  

And I'm still laughing about it the next day.  It really did sound like hokey, canned music from a wannabe fine gift shop.  At least if I ever decide to open a shop selling porcelain figurines, button covers, and off-brand bath and body products, I'll know what to pump over the speakers!  

Link Love: Recipes

Even though this isn't a food blog, I still love to cook and whip something up most days of the week.  Meal planning has been tough with this pregnancy since for a long time nothing sounded good to me, so I've been relying on some of my favorite standbys.  Even when they don't sound good, I know they are good, so I just pick a few and plan to make them for our family in spite of myself :)  Many of my go-to recipes came from several of my favorite magazines, which are all online, so here are a few links to some of the repeat favorites at the Poe house:

Double Chocolate Brownies

First thing's first: a girl's got to have some chocolate!  After a long search for a great, basic brownie recipe that kicks a boxed mix's bootie, I have found my one true love.  This recipe is super-simple and can be made in one Pyrex bowl from start to finish.  I always have the ingredients on hand, and can whip up a batch in minutes.  They have the fudgy texture of a boxed mix brownie and a rich chocolate flavor with none of that underlying chemical taste of a mix.  (Confession: I just took a batch out of the oven.  My nap time craving got the best of me so I decided to take action!!!)  

Vegetable Enchiladas

Easy on the budget and the waistline, this recipe freezes well and has great flavor if you're into Mexican food.  I serve it with rice, and corn mixed with a can of green chilis and some sour cream or cream cheese.  These freeze very well, so I often split the recipe into two square pans: one for dinner that night and one for the freezer!

Pinto Beans

Last week was one of those weeks when I really needed my grocery budget to stretch.  Enter a budget's best friend: dried beans.  I like The Pioneer Woman's recipe for pinto beans.  We ate them one night with cornbread, and then a few nights later I mashed them, seasoned them with Mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic) and used them as the base for bean burritos.  Line your counter with Mexican rice, the beans, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, chopped cilantro, and jalepenos, and let everyone build their own burritos!  

Rosemary White Bean Soup

Are you sensing a theme here?  This student's wife gets creative with the beans!  :)  I've been whipping up this yummy soup ever since I first had it at Jonathan's Aunt Susan's house in Australia.  It won't win any beauty contests, but I will say that it was the first to go at last year's MOPS soup swap!  The flavor is amazing, it is cheap and easy, and it freezes beautifully!  Grilled cheese or crusty bread are perfect sides.  

Pot Roast

My hubby grew up eating pot roast for lunch almost every Sunday after church, especially in the fall and winter.  I can hardly remember eating a pot roast growing up, but that Poe family tradition won me over and now it is one of my favorite cold weather meals!  I tried The Pioneer Woman's method for the first time last year, and the process of browning the vegetables before the meat really does add some great flavor.  

Pizza 

We probably have homemade pizza about every other week.  Lately I've been enjoying PW's pizza crust recipe, although I often swap in some whole wheat flour.  Pizza night is usually Friday at our house, so I use it as a way to get rid of any leftovers: grilled chicken, cheese that I bought for another recipe, veggies, etc.  Last week, I combined leftover BBQ chicken (see below) with caramelized onions, bacon, colby jack, and cilantro for a pie that could have passed at California Pizza Kitchen!  

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This recipe was shared by a speaker at my MOPS group last year.  A mom of four, she shared about the importance of meal planning for your family's budget.  She was generous enough to bring print-outs of some of her go-to recipes that feed a crowd for less.  Several of the other moms in my group tried this one and loved it, so I finally got around to making it this week...we had it the first night as sandwiches with roasted sweet potatoes, sweet slaw, and corn, and then it made a second appearance a couple nights later as BBQ chicken pizza!  I am really learning that I can save a lot on groceries if I get creative with using the same ingredients in multiple meals.  

So here's the recipe: put a bag of frozen chicken breasts in your crock pot (about 6).  Stir together one 12-oz bottle of BBQ sauce, 1/2 c. of Italian salad dressing, 1/4 c. of brown sugar, and 2 T. of Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the meat, return it to the sauce, and serve on buns.  

October 15th

Although this day is not well publicized,  it is an important day that I want to remember here.  Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

I am in a season of life where babies are the big topic.  It seems that everyone in my age group is thinking about starting a family, trying to start a family, having trouble starting a family, pregnant, or in the early stages of parenting.  Every day it seems that I see yet another announcement of a pregnancy on Facebook.  In a recent gathering of women, after yet another one of us announced a pregnancy, someone said, "Who isn't pregnant?"  And it just wrenched my gut because I knew there had to be someone in that room who would give anything to be expecting a child, or holding the child she lost in her arms.

So many women are grieving the loss of a child.  Some of them never got to hear their baby's heartbeat.  Some of them got to hear that sweet sound but never hold their child or see him or her face to face.  Some of them got the precious gift of meeting their child, only to say goodbye far too soon.  Unfortunately, some of my dearest friends have walked these roads in the last few years, and while the pain of losing a child is something that I cannot understand, I have felt their grief and grieved alongside them in some small way.  You feel the excitement of a friend's joy like a sister, and you feel the disappointment and hurt and anger for them too.  

So today, I want to remember those sweet babies, my "nieces and nephews."  I want to remember that in the midst of all the joy, baby fever, and craziness, there friends in our midst who are hurting and aching for the child that they think of every day.  Their children's lives mattered.  They had meaning.  They brought joy to many.  And someday, when I get to meet Jesus, I just might ask him why we had to lose them, because I sure don't understand it.  But until then, I will remember.

If there is someone in your life who has lost a child, I think one of the greatest gifts you can give her is to remember.  So reach out when you can, and let her know that her child's life was significant to you.    

Eighteen Months!

Disclaimer: Better late than never, right?  And, apparently 17 month olds don't care to sit still long enough for a decent photo to be taken.  ;)  

September 29, 2011

Dear Riggins,

Another month has flown by and here you are, almost a year and a half old!  The big development this month has been your vocabulary.  I've always heard mothers say their child's vocabulary "just exploded" overnight, and now I know what they mean!  It seems like over the course of a couple of weeks, your use of words just took off, and you surprised us with at least one new word each day.  You now say: mama, dada, woof woof, quack, neigh, apple, Bible, hi, bye bye, cracker, "A" (recognizing the letter), hot, and more.  I adore your little voice, especially your "Hi," which is high-pitched and breathy, sometimes whispered.  Even though it took you awhile to use "mama" regularly, I always said it didn't bother me because I knew that someday soon you would say it all the time!  Well, my son, that was a wise prediction, because I now hear "mama" constantly!  I love it.  My favorite mama moment was when you spotted me from down the hallway during a fire drill at BSF, and you instantly yelled, "MAMA!!!" down the hallway!  

And speaking of mama, you have a bad case of the "mamas" these days.  It seems you like me just a bit, because the baby who never had trouble going to any nursery is now having a hard time!  At first I thought you were having difficulty because our morning activities interrupted your nap time.  Then I thought it was those blasted two upper molars that started coming in.  But then once those variables were controlled, you still cried through the mornings in the nursery, and that's when I knew that the problem was ME!  You're just in a little state of separation anxiety right now, which I hear is common at this age, but I'm hoping we can push through it!  You do enjoy your mornings at BSF, which I think is due to the structured routine; it's easier to bear being away from mama when you're busy!  In the church nursery, it's a bit more of a free-for-all, which I think makes the transition a bit more difficult for you.  You are even showing more of a preference for me over your Daddy when we are at home, so I guess it's just the stage we're in!  

You are a busy boy these days, constantly running and climbing.  You dance at even the faintest sound of music, and you clap every time you see someone clapping.  You throw your hands up when you hear "Touchdown!," on television, which happens a lot now that Daddy is watching college football again.  In spite of your busyness, you are still very affectionate and always stop for a quick hug and kiss.  You are also very affectionate with Weber, giving her kisses on the nose and patting her any time she walks by.  You never leave the house without saying goodbye to her, and you walk into our room to say hello to her the second we return.  This month you attended your first football game, the University of Memphis Tigers vs. the SMU Mustangs.  You loved the people watching and the marching band!  Favorite things include airplanes, tractors and trucks, dogs and animals in general, your yellow blanket, Goodnight Gorilla, "shows" (Baby Einstein and Praise Baby), Weber, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, walking down the sidewalk by yourself, learning letters on Starfall.com, dancing and music, and being outside.     

At 17 months, you take two naps if we are home in the morning, or one nap in the afternoon if we have an activity in the morning.  This flexible routine seems to be working pretty well.  You still sleep from 7 to 7 each night.  You have definitely exemplified the typical toddler appetite that I read would happen: some days you can't get enough to eat, and other days you don't eat a thing (you always drink your milk though)!  Your favorite foods include fruit of any kind (especially grapes), cheese, Ritz crackers, mac-n-cheese, meatballs and meatloaf, my homemade veggie cream cheese on tortillas, peanut butter, and muffins.  You're a good eater when you want to be!  

The biggest development in your little life these days was the announcement that you are going to be a big brother!  On the day you turned 15 months old, we found out we were expecting your little brother or sister.  This news doesn't mean much to you right now, but I know that you are going to be a wonderful big brother, and I am already praying that a close relationship develops between you and your sibling.  Until then, I am completely soaking up these months that I have left with you as an only child.  Our days together are so sweet; you are my best little buddy, the welcome tagalong to everything I do.  I know life will change a bit after next April, and that it will probably only get better, but I want you to know that these days of just the two of us will always be precious treasures in my heart.  You bring me so much joy, Riggins Thomas, and I love you so!  

Love, 

Momma

An Ode to My Guy

Last week, my friend Whitney posted about the importance of affirming our husbands.  Her rule of thumb: "Never bad mouth your husband to anyone.  Ever."  It's amazing how a group of girlfriends can get together and start sharing their struggles, and then before you know it everyone has said something less-than-flattering about the love of their life.  Whitney's words challenged me and encouraged me to be more intentional about publicly affirming my husband.  Pop over and read her post when you get a chance!

I can think of several times in the past few weeks that I have bragged on my husband to friends of mine, but I wanted to take a minute to tell you all about what a rock star the guy has been in the past few months.  I mean, he's always a rock star, but there are some things he's done in the past few months that have really stood out to me, and I want to make sure that he gets some credit!

Airplane watching with his favorite co-pilot at the Memphis Botanical Gardens

My man is in his fourth and final year of optometry school.  Needless to say, the last three years have been a fairly endless stream of trials and hard work.  I could write a novel about everything that Jonathan has been through to get to this point, from leaving a career in finance to obey God's calling to a new field, to putting up with being the oldest undergrad in all of his prerequisite courses, to the grueling first two years of school, to the last year and a half of rigorous days in the clinic and externships.  Add to that a wife, son, and energetic dog, and you've got a lot on one plate.

But there are two specific things that I have especially admired about my man recently.  First, is this guy's incredible sense of time management.  This fall, he is preparing for Part II of Boards in November.  In addition, he has five case study papers to turn in around the same time.  It would be easy for him to wait until the last minute to finish those papers or start studying for boards.  But not this guy.  Knowing that we have family coming for Thanksgiving and a fun weekend trip planned with friends in November, he went ahead and knocked out all five papers during nap times over the course of a couple weekends.  They are totally done!  

Then, during his days at the VA, he often has short breaks between patients.  Instead of joining his classmates in the lobby for chatting, he hops on the computer in his exam room and uses the online study resources for the board exam, getting in about 45 minutes to an hour of studying done each day.  That's an hour that he isn't spending on it at home, which means the world to me!  It takes a lot of planning ahead and sacrifice to fit those things into his schedule, but it makes my life so much more pleasant when he makes that effort.  Throughout optometry school, he has been so intentional about making sure that his academics don't make both of our lives miserable, and I don't think every spouse of a student can say that!  

The other thing that I so admire about my husband is his discipline.  His schedule at the VA requires him to be at the hospital at 7 a.m.  Jonathan is the type of guy who really thrives with physical activity.  He knows that exercise makes him feel better and that it is ultimately worth the commitment for his overall health.  It would be easy for him to cut that out that during this demanding season of life, or for him to go after work, which would cut into our family time.  Instead, the guy gets up at 5:40 three times a week to get a work out in at the school before heading to the hospital.  And at the risk of embarrassing him, I'll just say the hard work shows...ow ow!  ;)  I so admire his personal discipline (although my admiration might be hard to sense when I am rolling over as his alarm goes off!).   

In the midst of all that, he still managed to keep us all afloat during my first trimester, he watches Riggins four times a week while I work out at Jazzercise, he is taking on the role of coordinating worship at our church, and he is just an all-around spectacular husband and father.  He isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me, and I am so honored to be his wife.  

What do you admire about your husband?  Share in the comments or blog about him today!  

Pregnancy, Then and Now

The most common question of early pregnancy is, "How are you feeling?"  

At 13.5 weeks, I am happy to say that I am finally beginning to feel human again.  I have officially gone 3.5 days without even thinking about throwing up...Hoorah!  This pregnancy has been very similar to my first: not a whole lot of vomiting, but 24/7 nausea and severe food and smell aversions.  At any given moment of the day, I could easily bow to the Great White Throne.  But my experience has shown that unlike the stomach flu, when vomiting brings relief, pregnancy vomiting just makes me feel worse.  I have mastered the art of closing my eyes, breathing deeply, and thinking happy thoughts until the urge to lose my lunch fades.

Now here I am in the second trimester, and as Jonathan said with great relief, "You're back!"  My poor boys had been living in squalor and subsisting on boxed mac-n-cheese.  They were good sports.  But this week the house is decently clean again, dinners have been on the table, and I have not greeted my husband from the couch in pajamas at the end of the work day.  Progress!  

With this second pregnancy, a new most-commonly-asked-question has arisen: "Isn't it so much harder to be pregnant when you already have one?"  

And to that I say a big, fat, "No way!  It's a breeze!"  Here's why:

The last time I was pregnant, I was the Greek Life and Community Service Advisor at The University of Memphis.  In weeks 8-10 of that pregnancy, we were in the thick of fraternity and sorority recruitment.  With no exaggeration, I worked until 2 a.m. every night for a week (Panhellenic Recruitment), and then until 11 p.m. for another week (IFC Recruitment).  During sorority recruitment, I was either running around handling drama with the ladies or cooped up front of a computer in a room that had been filled with huge catering orders of BBQ and pizza that would then be left there all night for me to smell.  I ended up not being able to eat BBQ or pizza for my entire pregnancy.  During fraternity recruitment, I spent my nights driving around in a golf cart from house to house, making sure that young college gentlemen weren't using booze to sway their newest members.  And while I thoroughly enjoyed my job and the students I worked with, I dealt with lots and lots of drama, stupid choices, bad attitudes, and generally exhausting behavior.  

Even once the mess of recruitment was over, I still worked crazy hours.  Saturday morning service projects at 6:30 a.m.  Monday night meetings at 9 p.m.  Wednesday night recruitment meetings at 7.  All of that in addition to my regular office hours.  Oh, and since I am old school and did not share my pregnancy until later, I put up with all of that without the excuse of pregnancy!  (Although I did enjoy shutting my door for a daily lunch break power nap!) 

(Here I am with some of my darling Panhellenic women who threw me a fantastic shower!  I really do miss these girls!  Thanks to Tigers games and other university events, I'm able to keep in touch with many of them.  Riggins has quite the fan club!)  

This time, yes, I have my hands full with a busy toddler.  And I'm sure that as I get bigger and as he gets older it will be much more difficult to keep up with him, lift him, etc.  But for getting through the first trimester yuckies, my current situation has been a dream compared to the first time around!  This time, I can stay in my pajamas.  I have at least one, sometimes two, naps each day (You can bet that the second that nursery door is shut I have been bolting for my bed, sometimes sleeping the entire 2 hour nap time!  This week I've actually been able to stay up and get some things done, which is huge!)  He goes to bed each night at 7, which means that if I want to call it a night at 9, I can!  And even when he is awake, he is young enough not to mind if we spend the afternoon laying in his box house reading books, playing in his room as mama lays on the floor nearby, or snuggling on the couch for some Praise Baby or Baby Einstein.

So you can bet I am counting my blessings this time around!  All in all, being responsible for one sweet toddler is a whole lot easier than being responsible for 800 collegiate Greeks!   

A bitty bump shot at 11 Weeks, with my personal stylist in tow.  

Tiny Dancer

Three years ago, just after our move to Memphis, the city finished its renovation of the Levitt Shell, an amphitheater in the heart of Overton Park.  The site of Elvis' first public performance, the Shell is a historic gem.  To kick off it's new lease on life, the city began a series of free concerts from May to June and September to October.  On Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights in these months, there is a free concert, with a wide range of genres and artists represented.  

Between the price (FREE!), the ambiance, and the close proximity to our house, Jonathan and I have spent many an evening at Levitt Shell over the past three years.  Aside from the great music, half of the fun of a Shell concert is the people watching.  We've seen everything from interpretive dancers wearing Hammer pants and dancing to their own beat, to adorable couples who swing dance like experts!  

But the best entertainment comes from the crowd of children who end up congregating in front of the stage.    There's nothing like watching a child move to music without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the adoring giggles of onlookers, utterly unaware of what moves look cool or dorky.  

In the early years, when Jonathan and I speculated that we would like to start a family before leaving Memphis, I wondered if I would ever see my own child toddling in that crowd.  Then, almost two years ago, I sat with a burgeoning belly, listening to Derek Webb and feeling my little boy kick and somersault to the music.  And then in May of 2010, I tucked my two-week old into the Moby wrap for his first Levitt Shell Concert.  

(Boy, do we look TIRED!  And one of us looks a little chubby.  Are we ready to do this again!?! ;)

On Sunday night, some old friends passed through town for the evening.  In an attempt to pack some of Memphis' finest into just a few hours, we picked up Central BBQ take out and headed to the Levitt Shell to hear the University of Memphis Jazz Orchestra, Southern Comfort.  We picked out a grassy spot up front, spread out our blankets, and got settled.  

I don't have any pictures of the evening, but I want to paint the picture in my mind and remember it forever.  A cool fall night.  My seventeen-month old boy in a green and white checked shirt and conductor-striped overalls.  A mop of blonde hair waving in the breeze.  And dancing.  Lots of dancing. Before the band even began, there was my little man, bobbing to the beat of the music over the loudspeakers, toddling through the crowd and making new friends, attempting to climb on stage, high-fiveing a leather-clad biker, and inspecting a man in his wheelchair as though he drove some cool, tricked-out stroller.  

And then, when the band began to play and the colored lights began to glow and change, he was mesmerized.  He spent the entire evening dancing in front of the stage.  As I sat nearby, I took a mental picture: a blonde toddler in overalls, standing in front of the stage, hands and chin resting on the edge, looking up at the band and the huge Shell overhead, taking it all in.  I was desperate for my camera to freeze the moment forever, but instead I just sat back and tried to press the image into my mind. 

That night, as I tucked him into bed, I told him that he had made my dreams come true.  I got to watch my very own tiny dancer at the Levitt Shell.  And I will remember that sweet, simple night forever.