Pineapple Casserole {recipe}

As Easter weekend approaches I know most of us enjoy a traditional ham lunch of some sort on Sunday and with that comes one of my favorite “holiday recipes”. It’s super easy and actually pretty southern (read: not health) which if you know me know I’m not at all the “southern type”. Anyways if you’re not from the south or never had the pleasure of enjoying this goodness spread over your ham then I suggest whipping it up.

Pineapple Casserole

20 oz canned pineapple chunks

½ cup sugar

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 TBS flour

½ stick salted butter, melted

½ cup Ritz crackers, broken

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Reserve 3 TBS of pineapple liquid

3. Mix undrained pineapple chunks, sugar, cheese, and flour in a bowl; pour into greased 9x9 casserole dish

4. Mix melted butter, reserved pineapple liquid, and crackers in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of mixture

5. Bake 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Like I mentioned this is a small side dish for the ham so either serve next to it or on top! Sweet, buttery, crispy goodness!

{His} time.

Alot has been going on lately that I haven’t shared because it wasn’t time. Now it’s time. The thing is we’ve been praying and trusting and praying and wearily trusting and praying some more on what God’s plan and direction would be in our lives. For a several months Davy has not been in a good job situation and it was not only taking him away from the family having to work 10 hour days and most Saturdays but it was also eating away at his easy going fun loving personality. It became a daily struggle to overcome the unethical immoral situations that were arising and it felt like weekly we were being tested with another issue. He had been applying for jobs, going to interviews, and even got an offer but every single thing fell through. We trusted that the Lord had a plan for us even if it meant staying put at this job which was a very hard thing to understand. To be honest I didn’t understand; why would we be stuck here? Why wasn’t anything working out? We were committed to Him yet here we stood month after month in the same spot. We were anxiously waiting what His plan for our live would be this coming year with the baby and if or when the job would ever change.

And then it happened. And in His most perfect timing it came by way of something completely out of the blue and 100% not our doing. See what He did there….made sure we knew He and only He was in control (oh so totally God!). A few phone calls and a meeting later Davy is now in a new job. A wonderful job. Eight weeks before my due date I’m on the phone with insurance companies swapping everything around and smiling knowing His timing really was perfect because the cherry on top is we will no longer be paying an arm & leg (and possibly the other arm) to have this baby. The timing is so perfect and we had absolutely no idea it was until it happened. We feel so blessed for His deliverance, so soaked in His love and protection, and overwhelmingly excited about this year.

Davy’s only just begun and I’m already excited about the new things we’re experiencing. We all wake up within the same hour now and get to see each other before work! We pulled out of the coffee maker last night and I dreamed of being that couple who enjoys a cup of coffee before work together (or at least wakes up to the smell of coffee in the house). And the very best part is his cheerfulness; it’s contagious!

Says the Big Brother {wordless wednesday}

{bump} countdown

The curiosity and fears have started to creep in. Between nesting desires and budgets post baby and getting baby gear together I’ve failed to remember I actually have to give birth again. Ideally I want to try to go all natural like I tried last time but why is it just now dawning on me I might need to prepare for such a thing? I think all the memories of labor pains and contractions of pushing out a human are starting to float back into memory and my first thoughts are flee and run for help; it’s going to be "too painful" to "deal with" and I’m already counting myself out. Just recently I started reading natural birth stories and digging back into research and while yes they’re raw and maybe make me remember too much there is a common thread shared between all the stories and that’s empowerment. Empowerment over this incredible ability God’s given women to grow and then birth a child; taking your body into your control and being in tune from start to finish. In the end if it doesn’t work out that’s okay too but I want to feel brave and ready when the day comes. I’ve committed the rest of this pregnancy to be dedicated into getting my body and mind ready; practicing labor positions, reading more stories, reminding sweet Hubs how wonderful he was last time, and being present.

24 weeks

As for a physical update: I feel huge. My weight gain has been slow and steady (up a total of 27 lbs at my 33 week apt yesterday) but lately I feel like the belly and extra weigh are starting to take a toll on my body. The simple things like getting out of bed or sleeping comfortably have become a challenge. And the peeing, oh the peeing. With Moses I’ve never experienced being large in the warm months and after a small taste of 80 degree weather this month I started to freak out. I have nothing to wear, I’m going to melt, and I can’t survive the 90’s that are coming! I plan to live in dresses the next 7 weeks and the rest of the post partum summer and I can already tell my daily mantra is going to be: you just had a baby, give yourself a break.

25 weeks

 

We’ve pulled out most of the baby gear and I kid you not I died over the cuteness of little baby outfits at least 17 times while unloading a storage tub. First it brings up wonderful memories of Moses sporting those same outfits but then I kept saying "no way will the baby be that small" or "no way there is really a difference in 3 or 6 month outfits" which I know firsthand there are. The tub and pump and Boppy were less eventful but it feels great to know we have about 80% of the things we need and now I just need to find a place for everything in a tiny house!

30 weeks

Overall, this experience has been great. We talked labor prep and just labor in general at my appointment yesterday and it all just felt surreal. We are in the home stretch, 7 weeks left, and we’re having another baby.
Two things: I need to take a 33 week picture and add it because this last one does not do the belly justice...objects in mirror are wayyy bigger than they appear! And another thing: I swear I don't wear black all the time! It just so happens I'm wearing black a lot of the weekends when I've been taken pictures but in reality I only own 1 black tank and 2 black tops :)

Bounce out the silly! {4th Birthday Party}

This year he really got it. He counted down and eagerly awaited January 5th because "THAT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I’LL BE FOUR YEARS OLD". In true Davy fashion a few days leading up to his special day he started making comments like "because I’m the birthday boy I’d like…" or "please let’s get a treat because it’s my birthday" and of course we ate it up. For his party we did his most favorite thing to do; go wild. We had all the friends and family get together for lunch then headed over to a bounce house and arcade to jump out all the sillies. I love seeing year after year the same gang of kids growing up and those who used to be fearful of jumping on the trampoline were now flipping off the top of the bouncy slides. Moses tends to think a lot of teenagers and adults are just as much his friends as they are ours and he absolutely loved having everyone he knew in one place. We are so thankful for the love and support these people have shown us since day one!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to smallfry.com I was inspired to do a birthday art project that he could enjoy for years to come and I love the way it turned out! Finger prints of most of our guest to make up a big bunch of balloons!

Playlist {March}

Always eclectic because if I had to listen to one style of music all month I may go crazy. Some oldies but goodies and some really random like ...Pink…never ever did I imagine myself putting Pink on a playlist but that song is catchy and Nate Ruess’ voice is fun! (pun intended) Happy Friday!

Love Lust by King Charles

Surrender by Ball Park Music

The Dress Looks Nice on You by Sufjan Stevens

Re: Stacks by Bon Iver

Just Give Me A Reason by Pink & Nate Ruess

Sun by Two Door Cinema Club

Zooooooo

This one will be filed back where it belongs (cough January cough) but for now I wanted to share one of my favorite memories of 2013 so far and it happen to take place on the very first day of the year. We are not much for impromptu trips due to work schedules and money and my over planning mind but this weekend was different; we both had the day off and Saturday afternoon I found myself calling to make sure the Zoo was open and H&M was open. Jacksonville, here we come.

We didn’t tell Moses this morning car ride was turning into an adventure until we hit I10 which made it all the more fun; we sang and talked and sang and talked and eventually pulled into the mall parking lot to load up on toddler H&M clothes. In and out as fast as we could because we had lions and tigers and bears to see!

 

The zoo had visitors but was never busy. The weather was cool but hot at the same time. We were kicking ourselves for not having enough time only to find out we had plenty of time. The experience was new and glorious.

My most favorite memory was the giraffe exhibit; as we walked up the ramp we were overwhelmed with the several very large creatures standing so close by. I was thrilled we had some vacation cash on hand to be able to feed the giraffes and I may have been more excited than Moses. We savored the few seconds it took for that long purple tongue to wrap around the branches and swallow them whole and I think both of us had smiles plastered on our faces long after it was over.

We started off the New Year right and to be honest it’s been going pretty great ever since!