let's start from scratch

Our goal tonight was to make fish tacos and huevos rancheros. We usually make these every few weeks because there's the perfect blend of black beans, rice, avocados, tomatoes, tortillas and fish/eggs. Aaron loves his eggs runny so we make them sunny side up.

Tonight, we felt adventurous so we made tortillas from scratch. First there's the flour, baking powder and salt, which is blended with a little oil and water. Roll it into a large ball to sit for 20 minutes. Cut and roll into golf-ball size dough balls and then roll them out.

In the end, fresh made tortillas taste so much better than prepackaged, store-bought tortillas. I am sold! Plus, Aaron made it look easy to make.

my frugal husband

I love my husband dearly. His frugalness was one of the attractive features of his husband-ness as we both are conscious of the amount of money spent on day-to-day things. However, since I usually have more free time, I'm the one who runs the errands for necessities such as toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, etc. You know, things you need.

Last night, while out and about town, we stopped by Walmart to pick up a movie for our weekly movie nights. Nothing looked good, especially since Aaron had many of the upcoming movies on his computer. So we strolled through Walmart for my daily "walking" requirement...although it was more like waddling down the aisles like a penguin.

We needed things like cocoa butter, body wash, B6 for my nausea and dish soap. Simple enough. Let's just get the cheapest and be on our way home to jammies and couch time. Standing makes my joints rather achy.

But being the frugal man Aaron was, this trip to Walmart was not short. We sat in the cocoa butter as he read the ingredients for 5 bottles of cocoa butter creams. Not only did he compare the ingredients but the price per ounce too! Boy was I the pregnant wife sitting in a Walmart aisle just gazing apathetically as the frugal monster went to work.

Onto the dish soap where we calculated price per ounce, sniffed scents and tested the thickness of soap consistency! Aaron literally tilted each bottle to the light to see just how runny each brand was. Talk about weirdness!

Finally, what was suppose to be a 15 minute trip turned 45 minute trip ended as we headed up, but not without a few minutes of light joking. I love Aaron and although I know his frugalness is a blessing, it can be annoying for an 8-month pregnant woman who just wants to get things done quickly.

He certainly keeps life interesting.

Things to ponder

Aaron and I were driving home when we saw many cop cars and flares blocking the entrance to Walmart. We thought it was really odd that there was so much traffic congestion around that intersection but chalked it up to Sunday crowds. Coming home, we discovered there was a shooting at the Walmart, leaving 2 dead and 3 wounded, including a suspect. No one knows what started the shooting so all Walmart patrons were locked inside for questioning. Walmart quickly closed for the evening following the questioning.

The scary thing is that THIS SPECIFIC Walmart is directly across the street from my house. Thank God we didn't run errands to Walmart today. That would have been incredibly scary. Prayers go out to those affected by the shooting an any manner.

My dear friends messaged, called and texted us to make sure we were okay. Gosh, I love my friends.

Something to cheer you up. A video of my sister shaking oranges loose from a tree at a local park. It's like the skittles commercial.

Blessings Abound

My students, along with their parents, threw me a baby shower during school. It was so cute as they decorated the classroom with pink streamers and doorway. All the other students were jealous as they heard laughter and chatter coming from another room.

One of the parents made a very cute baby bum cake. Made with my favorite strawberry cake and cream icing, all of my kids were bouncing off the walls. It made the trip to the library a little harry with sugar pumping through their veins.

The following day, my good friend Fel orchestrated a baby shower with many of our Navy friends. There were over 20 people planning to attend so Aaron and I, being such party planners, made a crazy amount of food. Food included ramen salad, vegetable fried rice, sausage fried rice, turkey sandwiches, hummus with vegetables, potato fries, and swedish meatballs. Others brought fruit salad, vegetable trays, pirate's booty popcorn, pasta (orzo) salad, croissant sandwiches and an array of cheese. People were stuffed and we were so pleased that everyone enjoyed their time at our house!

Aaron and I enjoyed opening presents galore with bows, streamers and wrapping paper. We feel extremely blessed that people in our lives love us and our baby girl so much to share in our joy. It makes this transition much smoother to have a support system and friends to ask questions on what to do.

As you can tell, Aaron was a trooper when opening presents. Pink, pink, pink galore!

Baby blues

Hello readers,

It's been a very long time since I've blogged but I'm hoping to revive this blogspot so others can understand how my life has progressed.

If you don't know, today I'm 32 weeks pregnant. Looking back at the very day we found out we were pregnant, Aaron and I couldn't have been more elated. We had talked about starting a family for a few months and behold, sudden feelings of sickness triggered the "am I?" questions. I was busy working at a festival food stand the very minute the urge to puke overcame me. Too bad the feeling didn't subside the rest of the day so I slept on the couch the following days thinking it was the stomach flu.

The "am I?" questions consumed my mind when the nauseous feelings didn't subside and 3 pregnancy tests confirmed our suspicions. Aaron and I hugged and cried in joy when all 3 tests showed three, clearly marked "plus signs."

My first trimester was fairly trying as nauseous feelings overcame me. Household duties and daily errands were put on the back burner for awhile. Cravings squashed any pre-planned dinner ideas. Tiredness had me glued to the couch. Luckily my doc prescribed B6 and Unisom for nausea. Hooray for medical intervention!

My second trimester was a joyous time. The belly popped under my clothes and I walked around with a permanent smile. "I'm pregnant and proud of it" was written across my forehead. I patiently answered any questions from strangers or purposely mentioned my pregnancy to whomever cared to know. Carrying and lifting things become more difficult as my clothes grew tighter and tighter. Thank God for the maternity section at Goodwill. Elastic jeans and stretchy clothes accommodated the growing belly.

My third trimester has been fairly normal although my trip to Florida was agonizing. At 28 weeks pregnant, my husband and I sat in a cramped airplane for over 8 hours. Little air circulation and tight quarters left me anxious and stir-crazy. My husband lovingly made way for me every hour to walk up and down the aisles. He even talked with me while I stood in the aisle just so I didn't look like a weirdo. In Florida, the heat had my feet swollen in pain and skin itchy with an insatiable itch.

Now at 32 weeks pregnant, I've become more accustomed to the baby's growth and active kicking in my belly. I know to anticipate the constant urge to pee, regardless of time of day. I know that it'll feel like my lungs are being stabbed by pens after I eat. I know my center of gravity makes it difficult to get up from a sitting position. I know I've still got 8 weeks to go! When, at 30 weeks, I was rushed to the labor and delivery ward after experiencing preterm labor with contractions every 4 minutes, I was worried baby girl would be affected. However, she seemed oblivious to everything going on and I was ordered a week of bed rest to recoop.

The things that makes this journey bearable is my support group. My family, twin sister and husband have been the greatest emotional therapy for this growing journey. My mother calls me constantly to make sure I'm not lifting heavy things and getting enough rest. My twin sister texts me lovely letters to read to baby girl. Most of all, my husband has become my sidekick by compensating for the changes with me.

He's by my side the second I need a lift from the ground. He'll give me a push from the couch when my urge to pee means get.me.up.right.now. He lets me sleep when I fall asleep on the couch and answers my cravings with a smile. He tells me I'm beautiful when I'm sad about my stretch marks. He rubs my belly when the pressure makes it hard to breath. He picks things off the floor when they fall and makes sure the house is warm.

He's an awesome husband.

Although there's 8 more weeks to go, I can't wait to hold baby girl. I can't wait to become a mother. I can't wait to be back to my old self.