18 weeks...and we're coookin:)

Good morning!

It's snowing once again here in good ol' Illinois. Braden and I woke to a cold house, but a warm living room thanks to daddy and his awesome fire-stoking abilities. Today, I'm thankful that he wakes up 3 times a night to fill the stove with wood so we can wake up to a warm room.

Nora is still sleeping, as always...so I try to enjoy being with Braden during these couple of hours. Even if he won't let me touch him, I enjoy looking at him.

So I wanted to give a little update on life around here. We had a crazy weekend, worrying about Nora and some things related to her health. However, the Lord answered 3 specific prayers and things have been looking up ever since! She is healthy and well and we are pleased. Our God never ceases to amaze me. He is concerned with the smallest details of our lives, and our faithfulness to loving Him with our whole heart is a great reward in time of need (and every other time;)

I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago. You saw it briefly in the picture I posted of Ashley and I at her baby shower, but I thought I'd give you a better look...

I love it! I have always loved my hair short and feel so refreshed and stylish without having to do much. Daniel loves it too, although Nora wasn't a huge fan at first. She's gotten over it though and now just says, "I like your hair, mommy...it will grow back!"

Oh, speaking of Ashley--

She had baby Shawn yesterday morning at 10:39 am! He was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 20 inches long. He is beautiful, bald and has his daddy's long toes.

Ash & Jer, we love you both so much! I have always loved sharing our lives with you, since we were just crazy kids in high school...but now, it is so enriching to see our friendships take us into parenthood together. You'll be great, and I'm so happy for you!

And now...speaking of parenthood--

I am officially 18 weeks today!

We have another appointment tomorrow and will get to see Emery again! I cannot wait because I know he has grown so much. I can feel him moving, but not as often as I'd like. A couple more weeks, though, and it will be constant so I'm trying to enjoy the quietness of these days. I have been pretty uncomfortable over the weekend with a few things going on in my body, but am feeling much better today! According to my scale, I haven't gained any weight this month...but my belly has definitely grown! I am currently at 125 lbs.

So as you know by now, I haven't been able to cook much for my family since becoming pregnant. This is much different from pregnancies past, but for some reason the sight and smell of food has me gagging in the corner. However, I bought groceries last week and was determined to get over this little setback. I cooked chicken fingers the first night and they really were good! Last night, I made Garlic and Herb crusted porkchops, and had a few requests for the recipe on facebook. So, without further adew...


Garlic & Herb Crusted Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1/3 cups butter; cubed

2/3 cup butter & herb-flavored mashed potato flakes

(I only had regular flakes, so I mixed in some of my own seasonings like lemon & herb and lawry's seasoning salt)

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp garlic powder

4 bone-in-center-cut pork loin chops

(I used boneless, butterfly)

2 Tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

* In a shallow bowl, melt butter. In a large resealable plastic bag combine the potato flakes, cheese, and garlic powder. Dip chops in butter, then place in bag and shake to coat.

* In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side and Enjoy!