Guest Post on Inspiration-Driven Life: What Having a Baby Taught Me About My Marriage

Sarah invited me to contribute to her Wedded Wednesdays guest series, in which bloggers share a glimpse of what marriage really looks like.

For me, my marriage is currently entering a new phase as we take on our roles as parents. We are five weeks in... and we're experiencing so many changes.

Hop over to Sarah's blog to find out what having a baby taught me about my marriage.

All Good Things

If there is one word to describe how I've been feeling lately, it's "overwhelmed." Unfortunately, when I have a lot going on, this little space usually falls down the priority list. So I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much, but the good news is that everything going on is good, fun, exciting.

Scott and I have been traveling a lot: Notre Dame for my sister J's graduation, Houston for my sister A's engagement celebration, one weekend "off," and then Minnesota for Scott's cousin's wedding. Now I'm heading home to Kansas for my first baby shower, wedding dress shopping with A., and Father's Day.

In the midst of all our weekend travels, work has been busy. I have a great mix of projects right now, and it feels like momentum is building. It's sometimes scary because I'm encountering a lot of new opportunities and challenges, learning as I go. But it's exciting because this is what I want, what I've been working towards. The little wrinkle in all of this... I have two months until my due date. And I'm still working on the best way to handle taking a "maternity leave" that allows me some time to adjust and get to know our new addition without losing this wonderful momentum.

Last week, Scott and I also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 6 years since our first date and 3 years since our wedding day. After Scott came home with an armful of flowers (yay! I'm a lucky girl), we went out to dinner to celebrate. We're treasuring the days of sleeping in, going out, and having the flexibility of just being the two of us, but we're also so looking forward to meeting this baby!

In other news, I hit the 30-week mark on our anniversary. Now, we're sitting at 31 weeks, so less than 9 to go. Lately, I've been wanting to sleep and eat a lot... although both are becoming tougher as the baby grows, my belly expands, and my other internal organs feel more squished. My goal, throughout this pregnancy, has been moderation. I'm still doing yoga, should be taking more walks, eating a good amount of healthy foods, and definitely treating myself to plenty of sweets.

30 weeks!

My favorite maternity work-out top. So comfy!

Fruit salad (I could eat fresh pineapple all day, every day)

Fresh-from-the-oven brownie & ice cream

Banana-chocolate chip bread

Oh, and I got a haircut. For whatever reason, I decided to get some shorter layers in front, just to add some interest. I'm still getting used to the change, but it's fun to do something different.

That's it for my little update! Until next time...

Our Big News!

As some of you already know, Scott and I are expecting a baby! I'm moving into the second trimester and finally feeling a bit better (which explains some of the sporadic posting over the past several weeks). We can't wait to meet our son or daughter in August!

It's a bit unusual these days, but we're waiting to find out if the baby is a boy or girl until s/he is born. While it's tough to wait, the surprise factor makes the birth-day fun—and might help me get through labor and delivery...

I can tell you... this process is truly a miracle. Even though this pregnancy was definitely planned, every milestone makes it seem more real... the positive pregnancy test, telling our families, seeing the baby and its heartbeat on the first ultrasound, hearing the heartbeat. It's amazing how two people, with God's help of course, can create another life. And the baby grows without any conscious effort from me (just a lot of resting and nausea!). All the major organs and systems are already in place; now it's time for growing and developing.

I've learned yet again that I'm not in control. Like so much else in life, I can only do so much—in this case, I can make healthy choices and take care of myself. We don't know what the future holds. This time requires a lot of faith and trust that everything is going as it should, that we'll be able to handle whatever happens. And as they say... you'll never stop worrying. There is always something to worry about, but I also know that's no way to live, especially when something so wonderful is going on. So I place my trust in God's plan and try to enjoy every moment (easier said than done when you're feeling queasy, but hey, I try).

Already this baby has changed my life. The past two months have been a little frustrating. I haven't been able to do as much as I usually can, so I just did what I had to do and tried to be patient with myself. I ate small amounts every hour or two, drank tons of water, and spent more time in bed and on the couch than I care to admit (a nice perk of working from home!). It's all worth it, but I realized a baby can change your life before it's even born! I also know that everything will continue to change—our home, social life, sleep, work. But this is something I've wanted my whole life—a family of my own.

So happy to share the news with you all!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It's a little early, but I'm taking the next few days off to spend time with family and friends, eat lots of good food, exchange gifts, and celebrate the reason for the season—Jesus.

Let's take this time of year to focus on what's important in life and count our blessings, slow down, be kind, make memories.

Happy holidays, my friends! Enjoy!

Our Christmas cards (as of 12.20.12)

This Year's Holiday Cookie Exchange

On Sunday, my sister-in-law and I hosted a cookie exchange at my place. Everyone brought about three dozen homemade cookies each to swap, and I served up a few new appetizers. It was such a fun and "sweet" way to celebrate the holidays!

My cookie contribution... mini Caramel S'more Cups. Super easy recipe with a chocolate chip cookie base, a Rolo tucked inside, and mini marshmallows + chocolate on top.

Caramel S'more Cups
From Betty Crocker

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
36 round chewy caramels in milk chocolate, from 5 (1.91-oz) rolls, unwrapped
108 mini marshmallows (1 cup)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. 

Make cookie dough as directed on package, using butter and egg. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Place 1 ball into each muffin cup. 

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven; firmly press 1 candy into center of each cookie until flush with cookie top. Top each with 3 marshmallows. Bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed. Cool 30 minutes. Loosen edges of cookie with small metal spatula and remove to cooling racks. Cool completely. 

Place chocolate chips in small resealable freezer plastic bag. Microwave on High about 1 minute or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over marshmallows. Let stand until hardened, about 10 minutes.

Here are the appetizers I tried. I think I'll keep them in the mix for future parties!

Seven Layer Mediterranean Dip
From greens and chocolate; originally from Circle B Kitchen

20 oz hummus
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 large)
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3/4 cup olives, diced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Pita chips for dipping

In large glass bowl, spread the hummus in an even layer.  Then add cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and cheese.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.  Serve with pita chips.

 
Prosciutto and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
From greens and chocolate

Makes about 20 mushrooms

16 oz package of whole button mushrooms
3 tbsp salted butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs (store-bought or homemade breadcrumbs seasoned well with Italian spices)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 thin slices of Prosciutto, sliced into small pieces
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup shredded white cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pop out the stems from the mushroom caps.  Finely dice the stems and set aside.  Heat a saute pan and add 2 tbsp butter.  Toss the mushroom caps until they begin to release their liquid, and are partially cooked.  Be patient, as the mushrooms might take awhile to begin releasing their liquid. Remove from the pan, and set on a baking sheet, open side up.

In same saute pan, add remaining tablespoon of butter and saute the green onions and garlic until softened slightly, about 3 minutes.  Add the diced mushroom stems and cook until all ingredients are softened.  Turn off heat.

In bowl, combine the mushroom and green onion mixture, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Lastly, add the grated parmesan and chopped prosciutto.

Stuff the caps with the mixture and top with grated white cheddar. 

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until cheese is browned.

Taste better than they look (greens and chocolate has much prettier pics!)

Artichoke Wonton Cups
From Taste of Home 
[My mom suggested mixing in some diced jalapeno for more flavor, and after trying the original recipe, I agree that it could use a little boost. But who can resist what's essentially artichoke dip in a cup?!]

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise 
1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 
1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped 
1 package (12 ounces) wonton wrappers [I used mini fillo shells instead; find them in the freezer section]

In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir in mozzarella cheese and artichokes; set aside.  

Coat one side of each wonton wrapper with cooking spray; press greased side down into miniature muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

 Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon artichoke mixture. Bake 5-6 minutes longer or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: about 4 dozen.

Sweet & Tangy Meatballs [great crockpot recipe!]
From Table for Two

Large pack of frozen meatballs

1 16 oz. jar grape jelly

1 12 oz. jar of chili sauce [I used the Heinz version]

In a small pot on medium high heat, combine jelly and chili sauce until they’re combined and jelly is not chunky.

Put the entire bag of meatballs in the slow cooker insert and pour the jelly chili sauce on top, stir the meatballs around until they’re all coated.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Toss every couple hours or so to re-coat the meatballs in the sauce. Serve hot.

The picture's a little steamy...

 What are your favorite holiday cookies and appetizers?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I'm counting my blessings... my faith, family, friends, home, health, food, and work I love to do.

Thank you for following my little blog. I hope it inspires you to try new things, to create, to not be afraid of messy rough drafts, to gather your friends and family close.

This year, we're celebrating with Scott's family. When I married Scott, my family grew and now includes even more wonderful people... and for that, I'm thankful.

I'll leave you with a few peeks at last year's Thanksgiving festivities at my parents' house :)

My mom sets a beautiful table...

The main entree

Side dishes!

Pies galore...

Game time with the fam

You Know You Have Baby Fever When...

... you happily volunteer to babysit your friends' and family members' children.

... you start receiving catalogs from baby stores in the mail (after buying baby shower gifts) and actually look through them before tossing.

... you blurt out first names to your spouse and it's clear you are suggesting future baby names.

... you browse the baby section of stores for no reason except to look at the cute little things.

... you randomly Google questions about pregnancy and babies.

... you like to follow along with other people's pregnancies and keep track of due dates.

... you check out other people's strollers as you pass on the street.

... you actually like to look at people's iPhone pics and Facebook albums of baby photos.

... you somehow end up looking at the maternity section of clothing websites and thinking That's kinda cute.

... you come across various dressers, rugs, prints, etc. online and think That would be perfect for a nursery.

... you enjoy caffeine, booze, and all those things you'll have to give up when you're pregnant "while you still can."

... you think about the kind of father your husband will be someday.

via

Oh, the list could go on, but we'll stop now so my husband doesn't get too freaked out :)  Of course, I'm not saying that I do all these things (right? right!).

To be honest, I think I've had a touch of baby fever ever since we got married (ugh, this feels like such a confession), but for now, we're enjoying our time as a couple and will be very happy to start a family someday in the future.  And I know having a baby and raising a child isn't all cute and wonderful, rainbows and butterflies, but dang, I'm finding baby stuff absolutely adorable these days...

What other items would you add to this list?  Please don't tell me I'm alone in this "baby fever" thing!

Share Your Story: Jill Tydell

This is a guest post for the "Share Your Story" series (learn more about it here!).

I'm excited to introduce you all to my sister-in-law, Jill. She recently asked if she could write a post for this series, and I happily welcomed her to contribute. Her story warmed my heart!

***

Is there room for one more?

Five months ago, I did something I never thought I would do.  Those of you who know me know what I’m talking about.  I became a mom, or mama, mommy, even mum if you'd like.  I have never had anything against being a mom, but I had always felt that we were already overpopulating our once ample planet and consuming its ever-shrinking resources. There were already so many tiny little souls in the world without parents, without homes and without regular access to food and water; it was hard for me to consciously choose to add another.

Now that our son is here, I find myself reflecting on this new experience with humility.  I feel deeply grateful, but almost ashamed at times, that we are able to offer our son so much that so many other moms around the world cannot. He has his own room with a clean, brand-new crib.  Actually, he has brand-new everything: clothes, furniture, blankets, and humidifier.  His possessions grow daily.  I contrast this with my experience of caring for young mothers in Nepal during a recent OB GYN mission trip there.  Whole families live in one small room with no bathroom, no sink and no electricity.  There are no Pottery Barn cribs, organic cotton baby clothes, BPA-free bottles or “sleep sheep.”  There certainly are not video baby monitors to watch your little one sleep while you are off in your own bed.

Those are just physical possessions.  For me, the most humbling aspect is being able to provide his most basic needs without stress or worry of whether I am able to.  I drink as much clean water as I want each day.  I am able to nurse him when he is hungry because I can eat enough and drink enough to provide him with his nutritional needs.  He has clean bath water, clean clothes and a clean place to sleep.  Worrying about providing these basics is commonplace in most of the developing world, where notably, the majority of the human population resides.

Finally, I welcome the addition of the new mundane mom activities—begrudgingly at times.  The car seat carrying, the bottle washing, the diaper bag organizing and the bum wiping.  These tasks and chores remind me I am one very fortunate mama.

Jill Tydell is a family medicine physician who practices in Racine, WI.  She regularly participates in medical service trips abroad and appreciates the perspective this provides.  She lives in Illinois with her wonderful family and is honored to practice primary care medicine.

The People Who Help Me Succeed

My freelance writing business is still pretty young.  But I'm pursuing this dream career of mine with everything I have.  The journey is full of excitement and joy, as well as disappointments and uncertainty.  And I can't go through it on my own.

A lot of different kinds of people help me to move forward in my business.  In thinking about it, I could roughly bucket them into three groups (with a good amount of overlap, of course!).

People who believe in me.
This group supplies unwavering support and encouragement.  They believe I can do anything and know I'm doing what I'm meant to do.  They are my ultimate cheerleaders!

People who challenge me.
This group is made up of those who push me to think bigger.  They give suggestions, come up with ideas, and look at the big picture.  With their enthusiasm, they help me push past my fear.

People who inspire me.
This group includes some people I know personally and some I've never met.  I look to their amazing successes and stories for guidance, inspiration, and (sometimes) a reality check.

I'm so incredibly thankful.  I couldn't continue to grow my business and work towards success without ALL of these people--and all of you, my wonderful readers.  Thank you, thank you!

Now tell me, who helps you succeed?  Who believes in you, challenges you, inspires you?

A Wonderful Weekend with My Mom

My mom visited this weekend.  She helped my sister move into her senior year apartment at ND last week and arrived at our place on Thursday evening.  I made a turkey taco meatloaf and we opened a bottle of wine, then spent the evening catching up.

On Friday, Scott had to go to work (well, they got to watch the Air & Water Show practice from a downtown rooftop!), so my mom and I had a "girls" day.  It was gorgeous weather all weekend.  We started the day with coffee and fruit & yogurt, then headed to the lake for a long walk.  Lots of people were out and about, especially with the Air Show practice going on.

We found that my bubble necklace had arrived in the mail (only $28 through Accessory Auctions!).

Apologies for the blurry picture!

After a nice lunch at Joy's Noodles, we headed out to DSW and Marshall's for shopping.  I found two great pairs of pumps, Mom picked out a couple cute pairs of flats, and we each had some great finds at Marshall's (a dress and two nice skirts for me!).  What we love about these stores: good quality at affordable prices.

We grabbed iced coffee and a scoop of ice cream at Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins before heading back to the condo.  Scott came home and a couple of my girlfriends stopped by after work for happy hour: champagne and snacks.  Scott, Mom and I went to Wilde for a late dinner and then stopped at Paciugo for gelato!

Happy hour!

On Saturday, we had a relaxing morning and stopped over at the small farmers market by our place.... picked up some peaches for that evening's dessert and flowers.  Another girlfriend came by to say hello and catch up before Scott, Mom and I went out to the suburbs for dinner at Scott's parents' house.  It was so great to see his family... and they made an amazing meal.



My mom with my nephew, Liam... after five children of her own, this lady is a pro with the babies.
Photo by Scott's dad :)

Mom and I were in charge of the dessert... so we decided on a fruit cobbler/dump cake served warm with ice cream.  (It's basically this recipe minus the sugar and using peaches rather than blueberries... very easy and adaptable.) Yum, yum!

On Sunday, we went to Mass and to Melrose Restaurant for brunch before my mom had to head to the airport.  Sad to see her go, but we really had a wonderful weekend together.  Beautiful weather, lots of great food, and fun conversation.  We could have taken more pictures (my mom has a few on her camera) but it was refreshing to just be in the moment.  Can't wait to see my family (all of them!) in a few weeks...

Party Time... Happy Graduation!

As of this weekend, I'm officially finished with grad school (!!!).  Since the actual ceremony was scheduled for Sunday morning at 8 am outside the city (ugh), I decided a party at our place would be a more fun way to celebrate.

Family and friends came over on Saturday.  The party was "BYOM" (bring your own meat)... so we fired up the grill and dished up dips, sides and desserts.  Thanks to everyone who brought food to share!

Our porch was full throughout the evening, we had a total of three babies and a puppy in attendance, and I sipped champagne most of the night.  (Those of you who gifted me with bottles of bubbly know me well... you're awesome.)  It was so great to hang out and celebrate with everyone who has supported me through the last two years.

A big thank you goes to the one guy who has dealt with all of my late nights of paper writing, weekends full of homework, evening classes, stacks of books, and stressed-out moments... my wonderful hubby.

Of course, here's a peek at our party spread...

Recipes: cheeseball, 7-layer dip, artichoke-jalapeno dip, oatmeal carmelitas, Reese's bars

Thanks to: my mom for baking and shipping the chocolate cake & to Scott's parents for bringing fruit, cheese, and cookies!

In case you were curious about the tray on our coffee table above, here's a close-up I snapped a week or two ago while we were savoring some margs.  This fun little item is from Target (only $24.99!)... and it was the inspiration for my feature on Glitter Guide today, a round-up of seven pretty trays that will instantly organize your home.