It just amazes me with the lack of consideration and compassion that people have these days. When we were on our way home to Fairfield to see my parents, we stopped by BK to get some quick food. A guy approached our car as we were in the drive-through and asked if we could spare him some gas. We said that we would and meet him at the gas station. My dear husband has a HUGE heart for helping people like him. He is very against giving anyone money, but he more than willing gives people food or gas or whatever it is that they are needing. So we met him. He had told Taylor that he had been asking people ALL day (it is almost 7pm) for help, and no one would. I just couldn't believe it. He then very shyly and almost ashamed asked if we could spare some fries. So we gave him our fries. I am so thankful that we have family. It makes me wonder how people end up on the streets. I know if Taylor ever lost his job, and we lost our house, my parents or his parents, or anyone one of our friends, would take us in a heartbeat until we were able to get on our own again. Do these people have no one? Do they have family or friends?
On a different note, guys!, if you hit someones car in a parking lot or run into their mail box, go and take responsibility!! I've been there, and it is embarrassing and you don't know what the person is going to say, but TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! A guy ran into our mailbox and ran over our recycle bin, mashing into pieces, yesterday, and did not confess. It just angers me so much. Reminds me a while ago when someone smashed a HUGE dent into our car and drove off. I did get angry, but then I prayed for that person. I admittedly prayed for conviction on that person. Just take responsibility.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My Girl
I am definitely falling more in love with our daughter! she is soooo beautiful...and we just love her to pieces. It is getting more and more fun each day. She has recently began smiling for us and starting to make cooing noises. We just cherish every moment.
This past weekend, we went to visit with Oma and Grampa (my parents). The car ride went great. She did really well and slept the whole time. It is about a 2 1/2 drive, so not terribly far. Oma and Big Mama (my grandmother - also known as Boozie) just could not get enough of her. Boozie thinks that Ellie will become a piano player because of her gorgeous long fingers. Of course Dad, or Grampa, is thinking his guitar player, or other stringed instrument. He tried to get my sister and I interested. But let's just say that didn't work out. We do not care what she chooses to be passionate about. We will support her, whether it is the piano or mandolin, or soccer, or ballet, or basketball, or photography, whatever she wants! That will be exciting to see her grow in something she loves! Dad also took us to see Anne and Bob. Anne is the one who made Ellie beautiful handmade clothes.
I didn't get a picture with Oma, but here is one with Ellie and Grampa.
He is so cautious around her, but he is definitely wrapped around her little finger. I was changing her diaper and she was crying a little, he came barging into the room at her crying to save the day!! It was funny. Other than that, she heard many stories from Oma, and watched basketball games with Big Mama.
We are going on an airplane this Saturday to see Nana and Papa (Taylor's parents) and everyone in Michigan. I am a little nervous about the plane trip, but my best friend, Angie, is going to be going up to Michigan with me with her little ones. We planned it to be sitting next to one another all the way! It will be a good day basically hanging out with them! But I am excited for the visit, but sad that Taylor is going to be missing her.
OH!! And I made something else scrumptious with my deep covered dish! Tortellini with ham and spinach and a cheesy sauce! Yummo!
This past weekend, we went to visit with Oma and Grampa (my parents). The car ride went great. She did really well and slept the whole time. It is about a 2 1/2 drive, so not terribly far. Oma and Big Mama (my grandmother - also known as Boozie) just could not get enough of her. Boozie thinks that Ellie will become a piano player because of her gorgeous long fingers. Of course Dad, or Grampa, is thinking his guitar player, or other stringed instrument. He tried to get my sister and I interested. But let's just say that didn't work out. We do not care what she chooses to be passionate about. We will support her, whether it is the piano or mandolin, or soccer, or ballet, or basketball, or photography, whatever she wants! That will be exciting to see her grow in something she loves! Dad also took us to see Anne and Bob. Anne is the one who made Ellie beautiful handmade clothes.
I didn't get a picture with Oma, but here is one with Ellie and Grampa.
He is so cautious around her, but he is definitely wrapped around her little finger. I was changing her diaper and she was crying a little, he came barging into the room at her crying to save the day!! It was funny. Other than that, she heard many stories from Oma, and watched basketball games with Big Mama.
We are going on an airplane this Saturday to see Nana and Papa (Taylor's parents) and everyone in Michigan. I am a little nervous about the plane trip, but my best friend, Angie, is going to be going up to Michigan with me with her little ones. We planned it to be sitting next to one another all the way! It will be a good day basically hanging out with them! But I am excited for the visit, but sad that Taylor is going to be missing her.
OH!! And I made something else scrumptious with my deep covered dish! Tortellini with ham and spinach and a cheesy sauce! Yummo!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Sleeping through the Night
Yay! Ellie officially slept through the night at 6 weeks and 1 day old. We shall see if she does it again tonight. We are going to Oma's and Grampa's today, so she will be in a different crib, but hopefully that won't throw her off. It was a good feeling when Taylor rolled over when his alarm went off to go to work and asked me, "Did she sleep through the night?" I smiled and said yep!! She proceeded to sleep one more hour before giving her 'I'm hungry' squawks. Yay! Another point for Babywise!
Things have been going pretty good. A few of my friends are reading through the Bible in one year, so I have decided to give it a try, starting at the beginning. It is so amazing how you can read a chapter a billion times, and something new always catches your attention. I enjoy Genesis.
I have also been enjoying friends very much! I have had many friend visits this week. First with my small group. We are going through twelve extraordinary women in the bible. Mostly we get together and eat wonderful food and chat! It is great! Then I visited with Miss Angie, and that was great! She has got some two great kids, and it was great going through all of her old girl clothes. She is very kind in donating them for a while for Miss Ellie. I'm excited to get her into some of those outfits! Then I had a visit with my sister! She treated me to an awesome molten cake at Chili's. Yummo! Then we had a lovely dinner with Kirby and J at their home! We are so blessed to have the friends that we do! God is so good!!
Things have been going pretty good. A few of my friends are reading through the Bible in one year, so I have decided to give it a try, starting at the beginning. It is so amazing how you can read a chapter a billion times, and something new always catches your attention. I enjoy Genesis.
I have also been enjoying friends very much! I have had many friend visits this week. First with my small group. We are going through twelve extraordinary women in the bible. Mostly we get together and eat wonderful food and chat! It is great! Then I visited with Miss Angie, and that was great! She has got some two great kids, and it was great going through all of her old girl clothes. She is very kind in donating them for a while for Miss Ellie. I'm excited to get her into some of those outfits! Then I had a visit with my sister! She treated me to an awesome molten cake at Chili's. Yummo! Then we had a lovely dinner with Kirby and J at their home! We are so blessed to have the friends that we do! God is so good!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ham and Potato Goodness
So I broke out the awesome Christmas gift - a covered deep dish, courtesy of Pampered Chef! I used a recipe from the Mixing Bowl magazine and a crock pot to oven conversion chart from Google and made Ham and Potato Goodness! Yay, first meal ready for Taylor when he got home. SUPER EASY!
1 lb ham - cut into cubes
6 medium potatoes - cut into slices
3 cups of cheddar cheese
1 medium onion
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of cream of mushroom
Layer half of each of the ham, potatoes, cheese, and onion, and use one of the cans of soup, and then begin again with ham, potatoes, cheese, and onion, and use the other can of soup. Top with paprika.
Crock pot: High for 4 hours OR Low for 8 hours
Oven: @ 325 for 2 hours
1 lb ham - cut into cubes
6 medium potatoes - cut into slices
3 cups of cheddar cheese
1 medium onion
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of cream of mushroom
Layer half of each of the ham, potatoes, cheese, and onion, and use one of the cans of soup, and then begin again with ham, potatoes, cheese, and onion, and use the other can of soup. Top with paprika.
Crock pot: High for 4 hours OR Low for 8 hours
Oven: @ 325 for 2 hours
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Cord Fell Off
My goodness did it take FOREVER for her cord to fall off. BUT, it finally did, and Ellie had her very first actual bath yesterday. I was expecting her to not like it. And I really could not tell what she was thinking. Her look was pretty emotionless. All she did was stare. But she was not shivering. So I guess that it was a better experience.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Cooking
Okay, so for those who don't know, Taylor is the primary cook in our family. He specializes in the grilling department, and he can make pretty tasty flavorful food. But now that I am home, I am going to try to do more meals. SCARY! Be very afraid!
My problem is that I usually make things that are extremely difficult, like stuffed eggplant or truffles, instead of starting with simple. So I am going to start learning to cook, and on top of that, learn how to grocery shop efficiently in ways to save us money. It will be become kind of like a job for me. I have already started the coupon clipping. I haven't used any yet, but I will :)
Yesterday, I used a friend's oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Oh my gosh did it make a TON of cookies, which is fine, because I had planned to give some away and use some for a party, and then of course have our own stash. They turned out great! Of course, I made it difficult on myself, and at the same time I was making cookies I was making dinner. SO two things at once. Note to self - I am not there yet!
I did make a good dinner though. We had biscuits and gravy, eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Now gravy is definitely one of my signatures. I learned how to make bacon gravy from my madre. Biscuits and gravy is definitely my favorite breakfast. Eggs were scrambled (I can do that). Now the potatoes were a little out of my comfort zone. I cut them up. And I put them in a skillet with butter. Now because I did not mike them, I was thinking I might need a lot of butter. I think I used a little to much in hindsight. But anyway, I cooked them on low because I have heard from Taylor and my mom that that will keep them from burning on the outside and staying cool in the middle. I cut up some mushrooms and onions and added those after the potatoes were mostly done cooking. Then salted and peppered them. They actually turned out pretty good!!
I am reading some magazines and cookbooks to find out what will be the next meal. This week, people from our community group/church are providing meals for us because they are AWESOME. Last night we had chicken alfredo. We had enough for two nights, but it was so good, I had like 3 servings and then had the rest for lunch the next day. So, I am doing my homework for the next week when we will be on our own. It will be fun! I hope....
My problem is that I usually make things that are extremely difficult, like stuffed eggplant or truffles, instead of starting with simple. So I am going to start learning to cook, and on top of that, learn how to grocery shop efficiently in ways to save us money. It will be become kind of like a job for me. I have already started the coupon clipping. I haven't used any yet, but I will :)
Yesterday, I used a friend's oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Oh my gosh did it make a TON of cookies, which is fine, because I had planned to give some away and use some for a party, and then of course have our own stash. They turned out great! Of course, I made it difficult on myself, and at the same time I was making cookies I was making dinner. SO two things at once. Note to self - I am not there yet!
I did make a good dinner though. We had biscuits and gravy, eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Now gravy is definitely one of my signatures. I learned how to make bacon gravy from my madre. Biscuits and gravy is definitely my favorite breakfast. Eggs were scrambled (I can do that). Now the potatoes were a little out of my comfort zone. I cut them up. And I put them in a skillet with butter. Now because I did not mike them, I was thinking I might need a lot of butter. I think I used a little to much in hindsight. But anyway, I cooked them on low because I have heard from Taylor and my mom that that will keep them from burning on the outside and staying cool in the middle. I cut up some mushrooms and onions and added those after the potatoes were mostly done cooking. Then salted and peppered them. They actually turned out pretty good!!
I am reading some magazines and cookbooks to find out what will be the next meal. This week, people from our community group/church are providing meals for us because they are AWESOME. Last night we had chicken alfredo. We had enough for two nights, but it was so good, I had like 3 servings and then had the rest for lunch the next day. So, I am doing my homework for the next week when we will be on our own. It will be fun! I hope....
4 weeks old!
Ellie will be officially one month old tomorrow! Crazy crazy! Everyone is doing great at the Norton household. Ellie's four week well visit was yesterday. She weighed in at 9.2 lb and measured at 21 3/4 inches long. She is growing! She is still wearing newborn diapers, but I think I am going to up her into the size one, even though they seem MASSIVE on her tiny booty. I just can't wait to get her into the FuzziBunz. They are still a little to wide for her tiny booty, but as soon as they fit around the waist, she will be in them. For those who don't know, FuzziBunz are a non-disposable diaper. Think what you must, but they will save the moola! They come in all sorts of fun colors, and they are one-size so she can wear them until she is potty trained. Oh gosh, I can't even think that far ahead...lol.
She is becoming quite predictable, all thanks to BabyWise! She is only waking up once in the middle of the night, and as soon as I feed her, she goes right back to sleep. She is having a really fussy time between 10 and 4 during the day. She just would NOT go down for naps. Then I got to thinking of a pattern. Whenever I would feed her in my bed, she would take her naps easily. But during the day, I had been feeding her while watching TV, then I play with her in the living room with the TV on, etc. So I think I have just been overstimulating her, and she won't go down. So I am testing it today to see if that is the case. Yesterday was hard to test it because I had a lot of errands to run. But today, I will try to feed her in a quiet place then have an undistracted playtime, which will be better anyway because she will have my undivided attention. We will also be starting tummy time today! It is getting more exciting now that she is interacting with us a little more. I feel less like a meal and more like a mom. Two mornings ago, she looked at me straight on the eyes, smiled, and made a cooing noise! My heart just MELTED!!! It was kind of like a light turned on inside me, and I thought yay she knows me! She hasn't done it since then, but that's okay.
Update on the rest of us: Taylor got a raise a couple of days ago!! Very exciting. Because I had quit my job, I was wondering how God was going to provide for us. We had made the decision for me to be a stay-at-home mom, and we knew we were going to be super tight. I was curious to see as to how God was going to make a way for us to be able to live with our heads above water instead of struggling to breathe every paycheck. And he provided us with a raise! Amazing! Makes me even more thankful and at peace with the decision to stay home. I just can't imagine going back to work and giving Ellie to a daycare. I would only have a couple hours with her every day before bedtime. Unbelievable. I know people do it, and it works for them. But I just can't even fathom it. Especially as the time is getting closer to when it would be time for me to go back to work. ANYWAY, Taylor definitely deserves it. He is very hardworking, and from everything I hear, they are really specializing him. He is good at what he does.
I remember when before we started dating, he was in my AutoCad class. The very first class, I remember checking him out, and thinking, okay there is my competition in this class. Of course he claims to beat me EVERY single time. I beg to differ. It was me that kept him on track into passing all of his classes. But it is true. The teacher used his work as the "key" for everyone else's. About that time, I decided to let that be his, and I switched to Accounting.
We are both feeling SUPER rested, which is a blessing. Trying to figure out how to do our quiet times. We both believe and love the Lord, but truly establishing that relationship of daily, hourly, minutely (is this a word) encounters with the one true Lord is hard, and I say that with much frustration because it shouldn't be. I am very thankful that we have groups of friends who are in prayer for us and are in this journey together. Because without their insight and accountability, I don't know where we would be.
We are both about to start playing outdoor soccer. He is going to play with the church team, and I am going to play with a competitive team. Don't know which team, but I am going to play. I am SUPER out of shape. I have not done anything since last spring, so this will be interesting. I just had such bad morning sickness, and work was keeping me really busy with long hours, I just could not find the time or energy to do anything. Angie and I are going to start P90X, which I have heard is excruciating hard. So, I am excited!
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