Saturday Photohunt - Bags (1 year ago today)

Saturday Photohunt this week is bags. And since I am setting this to post while I am in the middle of moving, I thought I would post a pic taken last year on this day:

MOVING

Today is the day that I leave for the West Coast of Newfoundland. I will be staying with my MIL until Prince Charming arrives on November 1st. The girls will be spending Halloween with Grandma Great and their cousins. It should be fun for them. I am super-stressed about the things that I am leaving for Prince Charming to get done. I am a control freak leaving the rest of things to get done by someone else. Cross your fingers for me guys! Once I get there, I will get a couple of days to take it easier before the truck arrives and I have to unpack everything and get in my new home.

I may not have internet access for a week or two after I get there. Prince Charming will for the next couple of days and he will be checking in.

Thursday Thirteen #87

Thirteen Things that suck about moving: Having to pack all those boxes Finding all those little bits of things hidden in corners. Trying to decided what to take and what to throw away. Trying to get help loading the truck. Trying to budget for all the money it takes to move. Trying to budget for all the unexpected things that come up when you move Trying to get the house clean after all the stuff is loaded up. Trying to unload the truck. Trying to find things in boxes after you get there. Trying to figure out where to put things. Trying to figure out what to do with things you can't find a home for. Trying to find the things you lost during your move. Trying to do all of this while over 7 months pregnant!

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Holy Cuteness!

Princess Magpie has been super-cute lately. I am loving so many little things that she does:

• When I had one foot up on a footstool, she stood at my feet leaned against me and put one of her feet up on the stool beside mine. It was just so sweet.
• She has a game where she hands you her toy, her cup or her spoon and you say "thank you," pretend to use it, and hand it back saying, "here you go". And she repeats your words and repeats her game over and over. Just too cute for words
• I have to add here that she constantly amazes me on her flexibility. Princess Belle was just so rigid in sticking to her routine or holy heck would break out. (could be aspergers related I guess). But with Princess Magpie, we will change something and then duck for cover waiting for the ensuing screaming. But none ever comes. We changed her naptime bottle to water. No big deal. We switched her to sleeping in a playpen for the next few days until our move so that she can sleep in it at Grandma Great's house. No big deal. She never gets upset over changes. I LOVE it!!
  

Wordless Wednesday - Favorite Pictures from Home

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Some pictures taken when we previously lived where we are moving.

I am woman! I am invincible! I am pooped!

Update

I am so busy hurrying, hurrying to get everything done over the next couple of days. I am leaving on Friday and I still have so much to do. So if you don't hear much from me, please know it is nothing more than I am buried in moving stuff.

Just a note

Just had to pop in and say that some people have way to much time on their hands. I don't know what I do that is so darned interesting that people I hardly ever see will sit around and gossip about things they know nothing about, are completely misinformed about and are none of their business. Whether we choose to homeschool our children, where and how we arrange our upcoming move doesn't matter. If you aren't invited, you have no say.

okay rant over, back to sunshine, rainbows and lollipops now.

Pregnancy Belly laughs

If only I'd known I was going to trade...

• Monthly PMS for nine months of weeping
• Lacy thongs for cotton tents
• Sex for gas
• Zinfandel for Ovaltine
• Birth control for laxatives
• Going to the gym for getting up to pee
• My waist for a hot-air balloon
• Kickboxing for kick counts
• My innie for an outie — a way-outie
• Sleeping for groaning
• Freedom for the most intense love I've ever known

Just so you know

I have been neglecting my blog a little lately and for that I apologize. I promise to spend more quality time with all of you, my blog friends, when I have more time to do so. I am thinking that will be after the move. I have put two counters on the top of my page so that you can see how far along I am in my pregnancy and so that you can see how far away my move is. My idea being that if I suddenly disappear for a day or so, and you see my move counter has hit D-Day, that would be the reason why. So bear with me guys, I promise to be my normal witty self sometime soon . . . okay maybe at this point I just promise to share more after my move, witty may have to wait until I unpack, survive Christmas, and give birth to our third and final child.

As I rattle around this house, too tired to get out of my jammies before heading down to the dungeon basement and pack up that mountain of junk that has magically gathered there in the last 4 years, I repeat my mantra "this too shall pass . . . . this too shall pass . . . this too shall pass". Only I peeking my head up out of the deep cold depths, to appear bleary-eyed and achy ready to make someone's supper, change someone's bum, or wash the dishes, ending my days by passing out on the couch.

But, I am positive. I have bright thoughts in my head. I am looking forward to it being over, I am looking forward to settling in to my new place, I am looking forward to the baby arriving and somewhere in the middle of that, Christmas will come as well. Busy . . . Busy . . . Busy, but this will all lead to better days. I know it.

If you want to know about the small place I am moving, check it out here: Loch Leven or here in the second paragraph : Touring Routes

Tea Party

When I got up the other day, I was greeted with an excited Princess Belle who was all dressed up and had planned a lovely tea party for us to have in the living room while watching her favorite shows. It was too cute. She was all dressed up in a dress with her jammie bottoms on, a scarf and and a hat, she had made popcorn, and gotten herself a glass of water and warmed up a cup of leftover coffee for me. She had my coffee and a handful of popcorn sitting beside the loveseat in the living room and she had set up a little station for herself on the floor next to the couch, with a big bowl of popcorn and the tv remote right next her. I had to take pics.

When Princess Belle finds the Camera

You never know what wonders are going to be left for you to find when Princess Belle finds the camera. She just can't resist the urge to take pictures of whatever things catch her attention. It is often an adventure in and of itself just to take a peak and find what she has discovered. In this particular case, she apparently went on a hike through the basement with the baby monitor.

Wordless Wednesday - Silly Princess Magpie

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You Can Homeschool (video)

Monday Menu Plan

Monday Menu Plan
Monday, October 19 - Sunday, October 25

October 19: Quick Bacon Pasta
October 20: chili Macaroni and cheese
October 21: Beef Fried Rice
October 22: hash brown casserole
October 23: Chicken and Corn Chili
October 24: Sweet Orange Pork
October 25: Pizza

October 19: Quick Bacon Pasta

1/2 pack bacon
2 cups Any Dry Pasta like Macaroni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I'll use cheddar as it is what I have on hand)
Olive oil
Butter (I'll probably just use oil and some of the grease from the bacon)
1 cup Milk
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 Onion
Salt / pepper — to taste

Get a large pot of water going on the stove. Meanwhile, cut up the bacon into bite sized pieces. Fry the bacon in a skillet at low heat until extra crispy, remove to a paper lined plate and blot the oil. Set that aside for now, in the oven if you want. Taking it out of the pan and then adding it back only at the very end keeps the bacon more crispy. If you don’t care about that, you can leave the bacon in the pan and continue.

Drain off all but 1 tbsp or so of fat. Add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Add onion and brown. Turn up heat to high and deglaze the pan with chicken stock and milk, scraping it well. Reduce heat and simmer mixture for 5-10 minutes. You want it to thicken a bit. (I added a little cornstarch) Watch out for the mixture foaming over though. You might need to add a bit of water and reduce heat.

When water boils, salt it and add macaroni. Cook till al dente then drain (don’t rinse or sauce won’t stick to pasta). Add pasta to skillet and toss well. Add parm cheese. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more. Off heat add salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved bacon, mix and serve.

October 20: chili Macaroni and cheese
2 box of macaroni and cheese
2 can of chili
prepare a box of macaroni and cheese and heat a can of chili. Then serve the chili scooped over the macaroni.

October 21: Beef Fried Rice
Ingredients:
3 eggs
Dash pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
2 cups cooked long-grain rice
2 small onions, chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
1. In a bowl, beat eggs and pepper. In a skillet, heat oil. Add eggs. Cook until partially set. Lift the edges, letting the uncooked egg flow underneath. When eggs are completely set but still moist, remove from skillet. Cut into strips; return to pan. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Gently cook and stir for 5 minutes or until heated through.

October 22: hash brown casserole
1 pkg hash browns
2 cans cream soup
cans of
chicken
1 cup grated cheese

cook chicken, combine with rest of ingredients

except cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. put cheese on top, cook for 5 - 10 minutes more.

October 23: Chicken and Corn Chili
INGREDIENTS

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or about 8 chicken thighs)
* 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 1 (11 ounce) can corn
* 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans (or black beans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken and salsa in the slow cooker the night before you want to eat this chili. Season with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 hours on Low setting.
2. About 3 to 4 hours before you want to eat, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot, and continue cooking.
3. Stir the corn and the pinto beans into the slow cooker. Simmer until ready to serve.

October 24: Sweet Orange Pork
Ingredients:
5 pounds pork chops
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 cups orange juice, or as needed
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Place chicken into a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir together the orange marmalade and orange juice; pour over chicken. Sprinkle in the cranberries.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink, and the juices run clear. Check occasionally, and add more orange juice if necessary.

October 25: Package made pizza
Pizza crust
pizza meat
pizza sauce
pineapple

Grandma Great

My Mother-in-law is sweet. She is concerned about me overdoing it. She saw my 28 -week pictures and said that I looked too tired. She is worried that I am wearing myself out. She said that as far as she is concerned, I am supermom doing way more that any mom should. I LOVE her. I love that she is concerned. I told her not to worry. I am tired now but it will be better after the baby is born and I am not so tired all the time.

The truth is I am tired. It is a lot to be doing right now being 7 months pregnant, with a 14 month old, and homeschooling my 7 year old and packing up my house to move. But this is temporary. Once I am finished moving and I manage to get through Christmas and having a baby. Life will settle to a more normal pace. I just have to survive the next few months and it will all be okay.

28 Weeks - 7 months - LAST TRIMESTER!

Well, it seems no one can agree when the third trimester starts, but no matter when they say it starts, everyone agrees that by the time you are 28 weeks pregnant, you are there. And HERE I AM!!! I made it. There has been so much going on this pregnancy that it is just flying by. Circumstances being what they are, we had no option but to move across the province while I am in my third trimester, but even I agree that it seems a little crazy. I am exhausted already.

But we are doing okay. So far I have gained less than 10 pounds, my blood sugar is okay and there has been no signs of high blood pressure yet. So none of my previous complications have raised their ugly heads yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Every evening, I sit quietly and feel the baby moving and kicking inside me. I love it. It feels like our little mommy-baby bonding time. It is a lovely feeling that I will miss when it is gone.

Your pregnancy: 28 weeks

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.

At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.)

Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

PhotoHunt: Free Week

Saturday Photohunt this week was A Free Week. So I decided to share some pics of Princess Magpie eating her first donut. It was really cute, she was so focused on her prize.

Too sweet!

Grandma Great submitted some pictures of Princess Magpie to a provincial magazine called the "Newfoundland Herald". I knew nothing about it and was surprised when a neighbour told me she was in the magazine this week!

One of the things that was keeping me busy and out of blogland today was grocery shopping. It isn't an exciting thing to be doing but it is a production when you take the whole family and it can be quite exhausting when you are about 7 months pregnant. While we were out shopping, Prince Charming reminded me that we should pick up a copy of the Herald. Now Prince Charming was tired this morning so he decided that his best job was to keep Princess Magpie occupied driving her up and down aisles while I did the majority of the actual pickup of things. This system worked for me and I was tickled to hear that while he was driving her up and down aisles he was being the proud daddy and showing all the store clerks that she was in the Herald and proudly displaying her picture for all to see.

Cute Magpie pics

Just a few pics of Princess Magpie playing for a busy day. Hopefully I will have time to post more later.

Wordless Wednesday - Walking Magpie

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Random Kid moments

I love catching random moments of my girls being sisters. Prince Charming and I were in the living room chatting when we looked down and on the floor surrounded by toys were our girls laying on a pillow together with Princess Belle reading to Princess Magpie. It was really sweet.

And last night, Princess Magpie was playing with the living room curtains playing Peek-a-boo with us. She kept hiding her face behind the curtain and then popping out giggling and saying, "HI!" It was so funny and sweet.

Princess Belle has been really helpful lately. She helps me tidy the living room, picking up the toys and movies that Princess Magpie scatters all over the place. She is so great about it. And today, she helped me take out the garbage and so excited with herself for doing so.

And a couple of nights ago, Princess Magpie found one of Princess Belle's crayons and a sheet of paper. She picked them up and studiously started trying to write on her some paper. I am not sure I actually got the crayon and paper in the pic but I tried.


I was at the "Healthy Baby Club" this morning and another mother there had a bunch of stuff for Princess Magpie. She had shoes, winter coats and clothes for Princess Magpie. It was really cute stuff and I was really grateful.

I am loving feeling the baby moving so much now. It such a wonderful feeling. And Prince Charming has actually felt the baby kick. A couple of nights ago, he was laying with his hand on my belly and the baby kicked his hand.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian Friends

Aww, that's sad

I just found out that the lead singer of the band, Boyzone, that played our wedding song has passed away.

Our wedding song meant a lot to me. We had to face a lot of obstacles in order to get together and the lyrics in this song really spoke to me. Our biggest obstacle was religious, my family and my church wanted me to marry within my religion and I knew that by choosing to pursue a relationship with Prince Charming I was taking a big leap of faith. But I also knew that no matter what they thought and no matter what they said, this felt right, he was the one that was meant for me. Prince Charming's family were under the impression that we moved to fast, that we rushed into things. They couldn't understand that in order to be together we couldn't do this casually, because of my religion we had to jump in with both feet or to just walk away, we had to decide if the battle was worth the victory. I have always known that it was. And to top it all off my best friend was giving us a hard time because although she was engaged to someone else, she had a history with Prince Charming and kind of wanted to keep him as her back-up plan or the one who pined his life away waiting for her.

When I heard the lyrics, especially "No matter what they tell you, No matter what they do, No matter what they teach you, What you believe is true" and "No matter what the end is, My life began with you. I can't deny what I believe, I can't be what I'm not, I know, I know, I know this love's forever, That's all that matters now, No matter what"

Here is our wedding song:

No Matter What
Boyzone Andrew Lloyd Webber (music)/Jim Steinman(lyrics)

No matter what they tell us
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach us
What we believe is true

No matter what they call us
However they attack
No matter where they take us
We'll find our own way back

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know I'll love forever
I know, no matter what

If only tears were laughter
If only night was day
If only prayers were answered
Then we would hear God say

No matter what they tell you
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach you
What you believe is true

And I will keep you safe and strong
And sheltered from the storm
No matter where it's barren
A dream is being born

No matter who they follow
No matter where they lead
No matter how they judge us
I'll be everyone you need

No matter if the sun don't shine
Or if the skies are blue
No matter what the end is
My life began with you

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not
I know, I know
I know this love's forever
That's all that matters now
No matter what

Sunday's Rambling Thoughts

I love Sundays. I love my relaxed approach to the day. I always have a long list of things I want to do on that day, but I always just take my time and get at things when I get at them. I don't hurry, I just get up, nurse a cup of decaf, and relax. When I am done, I get up and make something special and different for breakfast for the family. Usually breakfast is big enough that we are picking at it all day. I get at the housework that I have fallen behind on. I do extra laundry, tidy up, clean the kitchen, just putter away at things on my to do list. At the end of the day, the house isn't perfect, but I am relaxed, and the house is better than it was when I got up.

Yesterday, Princess Belle and I were studying about the forest and one of the things we discussed were important things to have with you for safety reasons. Today, for fun, she was drawing pictures of the things that she had to take with her and she made sure to include a "First Date Kit". Which made us smile, it just sounds so much more fun than a "First Aid Kit".

Incidentally, today I made Cranberry Raisin Bread Pudding and served it with a home made caramel sauce.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

* 3 cups milk
* 6 - 7 cups cubed or torn stale bread
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
* 5 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cranberries.

Preparation:
Heat the milk just until scalded. Place bread cubes in a bowl; pour hot milk over bread. Cool. Add the sugar, salt, nutmeg or cinnamon, eggs, cranberries and raisins. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until set. Serve with a dessert sauce or whipped topping.

Cake site

I just had to share this website. It is just too funny and cute!

Sisterly Love

I turned my head and caught this little scene. I had to capture the moment even if it wasn't a perfect shot, even if Princess Belle wasn't looking and Princess Magpie had an odd expression, even if they were sitting surrounded by the mess they had both created and even if Princess Belle had a huge bandage on her head from where she fell and cut it, it was a lovely Sisterly Love Moment to capture.

Fire Prevention Week

We had fun doing Fire Prevention Week. We found some great stuff:

• for fun stuff for her to play with: Sparky
• We did these two: Checklist
  
• Get Out- a fire safety song for young children: Fire Safety Song
  
• This one was good: NFPA Safety Information we did the origami dog and that was a big hit.
• And we watched some videos from here that were wonderful: Dan Doofus
  

Woohoo!!!

My move budget has drastically improved! Now, I can afford to both move and eat this month! LOL! I am just so glad that this is all going to be okay.

Thursday Thoughts

There are days when we have a rough start to our homeschooling day or when she is particularly tired and restless that I wonder if I am doing the right thing for my girl. Not so much if the school is a better place for her, her teachers, her Principal, Prince Charming and even Princess Belle herself all agree that the school environment is not the best place for her. But I am sometimes scared that I am going to screw this up, that I am not going to do it right. I just want so badly to do right by her.

Then there are days like today when things go so well, and she is happily working away on her science project, skipping back and forth to show me what she has accomplished and when we have to search high and low to find her science and social studies text books because she has been reading them in her spare time and I am so happy to be doing this. I am so glad that I get to foster that love of learning. I have never seen her take such joy in learning new things before. She comes up to me with shows she wants to see because she can learn about things while she watches them, she has projects she wants to try, she takes time from playing and watching tv and doing other things to read text books and plan for things she wants to try later.

On those days I know that however tired I get, no matter how hard it is for me sometimes doing this while caring for her sister and being 6 1/2 months pregnant, I am doing right by her. I remind myself that this is the only year I will be pregnant and homeschooling and this is the only year I will be homeschooling with a toddler and a newborn. When we make it through this year, I will never be doing this as tired as I am now. And I remind myself how lucky I am that I get to see those lightbulb moments when she finally gets a hard concept, or when she is taking pride in her work, or when I say she did something well and her face lights up and she hugs me. I would never give up those moments and certainly not for extra sleep and more time!

Wordless Wednesday - Snacktime Smiles

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Tuesday Talk

I am feeling particularly pregnant today. It is one of those days where I am feeling very big, very tired, and very clumsy. But that is a part of this wonderful process of being pregnant.

I do have an appointment tomorrow. I will get everything checked out and then find out what is involved in getting all my future appointments switched to someone closer to where I am moving.

I am hoping that I can get some boxes again soon. I need to get all my packing done. I am moving in three weeks and I need to get this all done.

The Reason I Homeschool

I saw this video and was really touched by it. It helped me to remember that even when I am having a rough day, I am doing the right thing by homeschooling my special girl.

Monday Menu Plan

Monday Menu Plan
Monday, October 5 - Sunday, October 11

Another menu plan following in my quest to have cheaper meals to save as much as I can on our grocery bill until we move.

Monday: Chili Casserole
Tuesday: hash brown casserole
Wednesday: Ground Beef Curly Noodle
Thursday: Tater-Topped Dogs
Friday: Hamburger Jazz
Saturday: Chili Dog Casserole
Sunday: Spaghetti

Chili Casserole

Ingredients:
1/2 pound macaroni, cooked
1 (15 ounce) can chili with beans
1 (15 ounce) can sweet corn, drained
1/2 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili seasoning mix
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, chili, corn, beef, hot sauce, onion, seasoning mix and cheese. Mix well and spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.


hash brown casserole

1 pkg hash browns
2 cans cream soup
chicken
1 cup grated cheese

Roast chicken in oven, combine with rest of ingredients except cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. put cheese on top, cook for 5 - 10 minutes more.

Ground Beef Curly Noodle

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 pound ground beef
* 3 (3 ounce) package Oriental flavored ramen noodles
* 2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain off grease.
2. Stir in the flavor packet from the noodles, tomatoes, and corn (with their juices). Break up the noodles slightly, and add them to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Stir occasionally to break up any clumps of noodles.

Tater-Topped Dogs

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package hot dogs
2 cups mashed potatoes
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Ketchup and mustard

Directions:
1. Cook hot dogs according to package directions; Split each not dog. Top each with small scoops of mashed potatoes; sprinkle with cheese. Place on a baking sheet; broil 4-in. from the heat for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with ketchup and mustard

Hamburger Jazz

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup long grain white rice
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Crumble the ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain off grease, and stir in the cream of mushroom soup, tomatoes, and uncooked rice. Cover, and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven's broiler. When the rice is done cooking, transfer the contents of the skillet to a casserole dish. Cover with a layer of cheese.
3. Broil until the cheese is melted and toasty. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Chili Dog Casserole

Ingredients:
8 hot dog buns
8 hot dogs
1 (15 ounce) can chili
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Tear up the hot dog buns and arrange the pieces in the bottom of the dish evenly. Slice the hot dogs into bite size pieces and layer the pieces over the buns.
3. Pour the chili over the hot dogs, sprinkle with the chopped onion, then spread some mustard over the chili and the onion. Top off with the cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Spaghetti

1 lb of ground beef, browned and drained
2 large can or jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 lb of spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
Parmesan cheese

1. Combine ground beef with sauce in large saucepan or in skillet.
2. Cover and simmer. Heat thoroughly. I prefer to simmer at least an hour, until the hamburger texture changes.
3. Serve over hot pasta.

VARIATIONS:

Brown onions, peppers, or garlic with ground beef.
Add sliced mushrooms or capers.

26 Weeks

I am 26 weeks pregnant now. I am getting really tired and feeling heavy. I don't have time to wallow in it though, I am too busy with move stuff, a 14 month old baby, homeschooling my 7 year old and trying to take care of the housework. In the meantime, I have an appointment this week, so we will see how things are really going.

Your pregnancy: 26 weeks

How your baby's growing:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

How your life's changing:
Around this time, your blood pressure may be increasing slightly, although it's probably still lower than it was before you got pregnant. (Typically, blood pressure falls toward the end of the first trimester, and it tends to reach a low at about 22 to 24 weeks.)

Preeclampsia — a serious disorder characterized by high blood pressure and protein in your urine — most often shows up after 37 weeks, but it can happen earlier so it's important to be aware of the warning signs of this condition. Call your caregiver if you have swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, or rapid weight gain (more than 4 pounds in a week). With more severe preeclampsia, you may experience other symptoms. Let your caregiver know immediately if you have a severe or persistent headache, vision changes (including double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, sensitivity to light, or temporary loss of vision), intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen, or vomiting.

If your lower back seems a little achy lately, you can thank both your growing uterus — which shifts your center of gravity, stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, and may be pressing on a nerve — as well as hormonal changes that loosen your joints and ligaments. Plus, the extra weight you're carrying means more work for your muscles and increased stress on your joints, which is why you may feel worse at the end of the day. Walking, standing, or sitting for long periods, as well as bending and lifting can all put a strain on your back. A warm bath or hot compress might bring relief. (Some women, though, find cool compresses more comforting.) Try to maintain good posture during the day, avoid activities that require bending and twisting at the same time, take frequent breaks when sitting or standing, and sleep on your side with one or both knees bent with a pillow between your legs, using another pillow (or wedge) to support your abdomen.

Where I'm goin

I thought I would share some pics of where I am going. The first pic is of my new home and the rest I took when I lived there before. It is way out in the country away from all the nosy neighbours in the world. I am going to love living that way where I don't have to see anyone I don't want to but I get to see the ones I love as much as I want to.