Nothin' ...

A whole day past the day I thought she would come. Abby and Grace Anne both came exactly 3 weeks before their due date. It's not a huge deal. I feel good and have enjoyed being pregnant. Her due date is somewhere between the 11th and 17th of April so she has time. I think she is going to be bigger than her sisters. Selah was 7 lbs 2 oz, Abby was 6 lbs 13 oz,  and Grace Anne was 6 lbs 6 oz. (they kept getting smaller!) There has been a couple times when I thought she was on her way, contractions strong enough that I couldn't sleep. Then I prayed, Lord, I've got 3 little ones to take care of in the morning, if this isn't for real please help me to sleep soon...and I did! I think I just needed to be reminded that He is in control! That I can rest in His time. That He holds my future! That I am His child! That small prayer reminded me of all of those things and sleep came. It reminds me of Psalm 127. Thank you Father!

Names..................

So we have...
Selah Joy
Abigail Lynne (Abby) and
Grace Anne Elizabeth
(funny....each baby came smaller but we gave them longer and longer names!)
We can't quite make up our minds for the next princess.
We have been calling her Chloe` because we were sure that's what we were going to name her...and we may still....but I love the name Avynle`.....I've been worried that it sounds a bit too much like Abby. We may use it for her middle name....Chloe` Avynle`...........but oh, I think it would be such a beautifully unique first name.
So here's the deal....when calling out the back door for the kids to come in from playing.....how does this sound...Selah! Abby! Grace Anne! Chloe`!
or....Selah! Abby! Grace Anne! Avynle`!
Yikes! I need to pray about this too. Names are important. Lord give us wisdom. Thank you!

The 4 names on the list are...

Eden ~ Delightful
Avynle` ~ Spring Meadows
Bella ~ Beautiful (the girls' favorite)
Chloe` ~ Blooming

Until next time...
Calle`

Yum...

I was in the baking mood today. We finished the banana bread from the other day and I was hungry for more. While thinking about that, chocolate cake started to call my name... hmm... choices choices .... Well, I didn't feel like making a choice like that so we made both! I also wanted to share our Tuna Burger recipe. We have a few pictures to go with these.

Something funny Abby said today, "Mom, smell my feet!" "Oh hunny, I don't want to smell your feet." "They stink! I've been wearing them a long time!" Sometimes I think we could write a book with all the funny things she says! Daddy took his girls to the card shop in town yesterday and they each got a few packs. I'm not sure who likes getting cards more, the girls or Daddy! They each have albums with their names on them and they are all sorted by teams. Selah is getting good at recognizing teams.

Selah and Daddy checking out Selah's new cards

Princess Abby with some of her cards

Now on to some recipes.

Tuna Burgers

2 cans of tuna drained

2 eggs

dash of garlic powder

dash of onion powder

dash of cracked black pepper

dash of season salt

1/4 c. mayo

1 tsp spicy mustard

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 c. crushed saltine crackers

Mix everything together. I like to add the eggs last so that I can taste the mixture to see if anything needs increased.

Put a little oil (we use coconut) into a medium hot skillet, using a spoon drop some of the tuna mixture into the skillet. Flatten out into patties.  

Flip when golden brown. If they are too thick the middles will be soggy so I try to make them kind of thin.

Yesterday we served them with cocktail sauce (ketchup, horseradish, with a touch of lemon juice)

Other times we've served them on toasted English muffins with an equal part mayo and dejon mustard, lettuce, sliced pickles and swill cheese. The girls will eat them plain...but they love fish!...they eat tuna out of the can. It's good for them! This is a really yummy recipe though. We came up with it when we couldn't seem to find any recipes that we thought had a lot of flavor.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Cake

1 Box of chocolate cake mix

1 cup of mayo

1 cup of freshly brewed coffee

3 eggs

Set the oven for 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans. Mix everything together and bake for 30 min. When it has cooled a bit remove from the pans, place on a cooling rack and place in the freezer to cool, it's ok and even easier to frost if they are a bit frozen. Frost and enjoy!

Selah wanted in the picture! and for spinkles...you guessed it....fish sprinkles!

I think Grace Anne approves

We all enjoyed a slice

Yum...

Laundry soap...

Today was our day to make laundry soap. It lasts us about 3 months (with 2-3 loads most days) and only costs about $2 to make a batch. They say it is a penny a load but because of one my favorite stores, E&S Sales, I can make it for a little less. I think it works well and am excited at how much cheaper it will make cloth diapers...if I can stick with them :o)

Our ingredients and a Selah girl sporting the necklace she made today

grate the soap

Melt it in 4 cups of water

Stir!

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half way with hot water, add the melted soap.

Stir in 1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax. That is Abby helping!

Fill the rest of the way with hot water, stir and there you go! Laundry soap for 3 months!

To use it, fill an old laundry soap jug half way with hot water and the other half with soap from the bucket. It really makes 10 gallons total because of this. Before you use it shake well, it gels up a bit. You can add a bottle of fabric softener to the bucket if you want to.

Selah and Abby enjoying one of their favorite games, Memory. Abby especially is very good at this game! See all her matches already? As I said previously, I have Swiss Cheese for a brain and so the girls love winning every time!

A picture of sweet Grace Anne, we can't leave her out. She is eating a really healthy breakfast of Marshmallow Pebbles...Yikes! I promise she had vegetables later!

This is a recipe for our favorite Banana bread. We made some today but don't have any pictures, sorry!

Banana Sour Cream Loaf

(Adapted from a Gooseberry Patch recipe)

2/3 c. Butter

1 1/3 cups Sugar

2 eggs

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup sour cream

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs and bananas, beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add dry mixture alternately with sour cream to banana mix, blend well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Test with a tooth pick to makes sure it is done. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. We love it with real butter spread on when it's warm!

Homemade baby lotion and soaps...

These were just some quick thoughts and fun finds on some homemade baby lotion and baby washes that I found. I have not tried them but will soon and post how they work. This is more or less so I don't forget...I've got Swiss Cheese for a brain right now!...make that Baby Swiss!

Baby Wash #1

1 Cup of Oats whirred in the blender

Sprinkle in the water and wash your little one.

Baby Wash #2

A splash of Goats milk and a dash of corn starch.

My thoughts on this is not to use corn starch but a sprinkle of the oats (oatmeal bath with milk and all!). Corn doesn't seem to agree with me and I'm not sure if it would be a bother to a little one's skin if they too have an intollarance.

Lotion

Equal parts Cream and Honey heated on the stove just until it mixes. Cool and keep in a jar in the frig for up to one week.

I think for this one I would use goats milk because of dairy sensitivity in our family. I am wondering if you could add bee's wax, or coconut oil as well? It may make it a little thicker.

I guess you can also use just coconut oil.

The first day of Spring!

Grace Anne is still not feeling well so we didn't make it to church. We were all a little bummed about that. With the need to "do something" as Selah would say, we worked on another craft. Goldfish bowls! The girls absolutely love anything to do with fish so it was a hit. At first we were going to use markers but because the plates had a wax coating crayons worked the best.

Green spiral noodles for seaweed and aquarium stones

Selah and Abby coloring their plates

Putting the rocks in place

Finished!

Abby is addicted to pacifiers...

Getting ready to glue the fish on!

My little lefty! She is a great little artist!

The finished product!

Grace Anne and Abby playing some tunes...

Grace Anne helping daddy get the poles ready...

The day ended with Selah, Abby and Grace Anne helping daddy take the line off his reels so he can put fresh on for the new fishing season. Like I said, they love anything to do with fish!

It's over!

Wow, 3 kids who can't keep anything down can be rough. I was concerned that I would get it as bad as they did...but I didn't! Thank you Father! I was not excited about having the stomach bug at 36 weeks along. It is now a thing of the past and I am greatful!
My Doctor is on vacation this next week (the week I have delivered my last two little ones, 37 weeks) but alas, I am NOT taking castor oil this time! Oh the horrid stuff! Chloe` will be coming on her own time and I'm ok with that! :o)
Today was spent cleaning. Scrubbing floors and floor boards (yes I said floor boards, and no this is not normal for me!), the stair case, windows, and walls up the stairs. I would love to call it "nesting" and maybe it is...but I wonder could it be pride? People will be visiting and by golly I want clean floors! ...another thing....I can't stop thinking about getting my carpets cleaned...Hmmm....
Selah was a great help today. She loves to clean and was all about cleaning the windows and walls. She has spunk. I am trying to teach her (as well as the others) that being a hard worker is a good thing...and so she would say, "wow, I'm a good hard worker!" You sure are sweetie!

Grace Anne not feeling well and using mommy's belly for a pillow.

I thought I would add this picture in. The day before she got the belly bug she got her own new big girl potty!

All three girls wanted to help with the window today. Yeah, we were still in our PJs...but hey, it's Saturday!

Selah came up with this really cute craft idea. The St. Patrick's Day lily crocus' are in bloom in the woods. When daddy takes the girls for a walk they love to come home with a fist-full. Selah decided to make her own by using a cut out of her hand. Here she was showing Abby how to make these fun flowers.

Another craft picture...I had to add this one becuase you can see the BEAUTIFUL yellow roses my husband gave me! Thanks Neal!