Notice

To: All those who will be visiting my house in the near future

Dear Concerned Party,

I am glad you have found the time to visit my humble home. I thought I should provide you with the following information.

I will not be cooking. I will not be cleaning. The house will be full of dog hair and crumbs and Kool-Aid residue. I will probably be sleeping on the couch for the duration of your stay, including your waking hours. I hope you will not find this offensive.

Adam knows where the local Pizza Hut and Kroger are.

And if you eat my Doritos, prepare to die a cruel and painful death.

Thank you,
Current Resident

Notice

Baby Mania

I am about to fall asleep at 8:35 on a Friday night, but for some reason I felt like I needed to write something.

Somehow in the last 24 hours, I have acquired for the baby a swing, stroller, bouncy seat, and promise of a carseat, Boppy, and exersaucer. Holy cow. And Adam and I are probably buying a crib tomorrow at the consignment sale at church. I feel a little insane. 1. We don't have room for this stuff! AHHH! 2. I am only 10 weeks pregnant and so in a way I am scared. There are all sorts of tales about not buying until you are done with the first trimester. In some places they don't buy anything until the baby is actually born. So you don't jinx anything. The doctor made me feel very positive that everything was fine and I had no reason to be worried, but of course I am worried anyway. As long as I am sick, it actually makes me feel better because I know something is going on.

Amanda recently posted about how having a baby is a great picture of faith. During this time when I am not showing and can't feel the baby, I just have to believe it's hanging out in there, getting bigger like it should, its little heart beating happily. A great thought.

OK, now I'm really exhausted. YAWN!

Baby Mania

Grammar

I am a copy editor, which by definition makes me a grammar nazi. Every day, I read lots of blogs. I read a couple blogs that are pretty famous, some that aren't, some of people I know, some of people I don't. And every day, I encounter some of the same issues. Mostly, people don't know the difference between its and it's, and they don't know to put a period or comma INSIDE a quotation mark. "Like this." These things drive me insane and really put a damper on my enjoyment of certain blogs.

So I don't mean to be offensive, really. But you would make all the psychos of the world so much happier if you would follow a few simple grammar rules on your blogs!! For your enjoyment and education, here are Strong Bad's grammar songs.

If you want it to be possessive, it's just I-T-S
But if it's supposed to be a contraction, it's I-T-APOSTROPHE-S
Scalliwag.

Y-O-U-R
Y-O-U-Apostrophe-R-E
They're as different as night and day
And don't you think that night and day are different?
What's wrong with you?

And I don't care how they spell things on the Internet
When you e-mail me, you spell out the whole word
And I don't care if your cell phone has a camera in it...


I've been tempted to hang the y-o-u-r song on my door at work. You think anyone would be offended?

Grammar

Foodstuffs

Oh my word. I just saw Paula Deen make this on TV. I wish there were a picture because it looks like heaven on earth. I. Must. Have.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Pie: 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2-sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts, optional

Whipped cream: 2 pints (4-cups) heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) pie plates; set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, and mix until fully combined. Fold in the 3 cups chocolate chips and, if desired, the walnuts. Divide the dough between the prepared pie plates and smooth the tops with a spatula.

Bake about 30 minutes or until pies are golden and slightly firm to the touch but still soft. If the pies begin to darken too much before they are baked through, cover with foil and continue baking. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack.

While the pies cool, whip the cream and confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form (tips curl). Fold in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to use. Spread the whipped cream over the pies and serve.


Unfortunately I am getting to the point where I am eating normally enough that I don't feel like I can eat whatever I want. I am still mostly eating whatever I can stomach. I don't throw up but I feel like I am going to about five times a day. Yuck. Just the thought of chicken is enough to make me want to be sick. I'm really kind of amazed at the chicken aversion...which I can no longer talk about because that involves thinking about chicken. Which would be stupid.

I'm off to Bible study tonight. Maybe I have time for a quick bubble bath before then....the perfect antidote to stinky days at work. Not that work is bad, it's mostly me. I am going through the "what have I gotten myself into?" phase regarding the child in my womb! Scared!!!!

Foodstuffs

Khao Lak

Two years ago this week, I left the good old US of A for Thailand. It was something that completely fell into my lap. I have always, always wanted to go to Thailand--since I was in fifth grade. That year, as part of GAs (Girls in Action...kids' mission-education group they have in SBC churches) I wrote to missionaries who lived in Bangkok. I just picked them out of the Foreign Mission Board directory and wrote. Unlike most of the missionaries my fellow GAs wrote, mine wrote me back!

We ended up writing back and forth for many years. When they went on furlough, my family and theirs actually met at the Missionary Training Center in Richmond. I still have a scrapbook of all of their letters. It was a huge influence on my life, really. I still have a pretty big drive to do foreign missions.

So, back to this trip. I think they ran in the bulletin at church for one week that this trip was going to happen, and the cost was unbelievably low. It was supposed to be in November 2005. I asked about it, I applied, and although the November trip was full, I was added to a trip the next March, 2006.

The purpose of the trip was tsunami relief. I'm sure you remember the devestating tsunami in December 2004. When I applied for this trip, it was April or so after that, soon after relief starting pouring into Southeast Asia. By the time I got there in March 2006, relief had seriously trickled off. We Westerners do have rather short memories for bad things and the emotions you undergo right after they happen. The Thai people we worked with could not believe Christians were still willing to come to help them.

My team was so awesome; I got to be very good friends with two ladies, Marian and Deb, who are sisters, and a man named David. We trekked down to the market together, ate squid, played games, and worked our tails off in 100+ degree weather every day. I have never been anywhere else so sufficatingly hot. Being that close to the equator is just insane. Being out in the sun for 15 minutes is enough to make you pass out.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to go on this trip and to get to meet the people I met, both the Thai people and the Americans I went with and the missionaries that lived in Khao Lak.

It almost seems like a dream now, as I find most of my travels do. When I am living my everyday life, nauseated, tired, watching March Madness, it is hard to believe I am the same person who took classes in Chinese, rode an elephant in Thailand, and had lunch with a sheik in Brazil. Most days I honestly can't believe I've had such amazing opportunities when I am such a boring person!

I long for that post-trip feeling, though, of appreciation for my "normal" life. Most days I find myself so wrapped up in housekeeping, making dinners, watching TV shows, and so on. Things that have no importance whatsoever. What matters is relationships, whenever and wherever they are formed, and how these relationships tie into Jesus.

Khao Lak

Better Mood

Well, I am 1000 times happier than I was the other day. Probably because I didn't have to work today and I had 14 hours of sleep last night. I was actually going to blog last night but at 7 I got so insanely tired I couldn't fathom doing anything.

I was really proud of myself because I actually cooked a complete meal for the first time in, oh, 5 weeks? Mr. V loves Thai sweet chili sauce, and so when I asked him what to do with pork chops, that was his suggestion. So I brushed them with the chili sauce, coated them with bread crumbs and garlic powder, and baked them. I also made Mustardy Mustard Greens and whole-wheat couscous. I'd forgotten how much I love couscous. It is so so easy to make and tastes good with everything!

Here's the recipe for the Mustard Greens (it's from Rachael's Ray "Get Real Meals" cookbook). Of course, I just type as I remember it because I'm too lazy to go get the cookbook. I omitted the bacon last night and it didn't taste quite right, so I'd leave that in!

Mustardy Mustard Greens

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 T oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 cups chopped mustard greens (2 bunches--make sure to soak well and get all the grit out)
1/4 c yellow mustard
1/4 c cider vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 c chicken broth

Fry the bacon in oil until done, remove pieces with a slotted spoon to a separate plate. In the oil, saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add mustard greens, mustard, and vinegar. Toss well. When it's wilted some, salt and pepper it lightly. Add the chicken stock; bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes or until the greens have lost their bitterness (TEST!). If the stock all boils off, you can add more. Sprinkle with the bacon and serve.


Today has been wonderful. The weather outside is lovely. Chester and I went to Kroger to get my prescription filled and to pick up salad fixings for Sunday, then to the dog park. He had a big old time. I gave him a bath once we got home and worked a little on a freelance project.

If you are a dog person, please go over to The Pioneer Woman and check out the dog posts. They made me laugh a lot today. Dogs are so goofy. Also, I'm dying to make the carrot cake she posted at The Pioneer Woman Cooks. But Mr. V doesn't eat carrot cake. Anyone want to come share it with me? I think I'm reaching the starving part of pregnancy!!

Better Mood

Frustrating Day

I honestly didn't realize being pregnant would be so frustrating! First, I have major, major food aversions. There is pretty much nothing at all I want to eat. When I do eat, I feel bad about eating junk and not healthier things. I am already tired of being constantly nauseous. Just not a lot of fun! Also, my emotions are insane. I lost it at work today and had to shut my door and cry. I feel like I am spending 80% of my time stressing over either the baby, work, or selling my coworker's antiques on eBay.

I don't like to talk about work here, mostly because I think nobody cares, but they are talking about changing my job by combining two positions and making all of those people the same position. Unfortunately these two positions have completely different capacities. If it changes, I will have to do some detailed technical computer work. I am a complete idiot when it comes to computers. I am a quick learner, but it is not something I can wrap my mind around very easily, and I have been so worried about the whole thing. Especially since I will be 8 months pregnant when they change the job if they do that. Sigh...

Well, I think I am going to watch last week's Top Chef premiere and then maybe go to bed. I don't know if I will make it through this week's. It has been an insane day and I just want to sleep.

Frustrating Day

Wish List of Randomness

Things I am wanting right now:

1. DVD of "Enchanted." I love it. I need it. If you want to buy it for me, you can click on the link to my Amazon wish list over to your right. And I will love you forever, right after I learn all the lyrics to "That's How You Know" and go dancing down the street.

2. "Middle of Nowhere" acoustic album. You can only get it on hanson.net or I probably would already have given into temptation and bought on iTunes. Yes, I am a Hanson dork. No, I don't care.

3. To beat Mr. V mercilessly at March Madness this year. Since I pick all my teams at complete random though, this doesn't usually happen.

4. To have Friday off work to sleep...oh yay, I do!

Things I am Loving Right Now

1. Sleep.

2. Google reader. It has saved me so much time in surfing to sites multiple times a day to see if they have posted. I adore. I have 32 subscriptions. I know there is a way to share what they are, but I don't know how, so oh well. If you really want to know, I'll tell you.

3. That this will be the third year we will have Easter with our good friends Jake and Nicole. Easter 2006 was the first time I ever met them and they invited us to their home for a holiday! They are amazing and I can't wait for Sunday!

4. And, of course, that it is Easter. That Jesus Christ died for me. That there's nothing I can do to make Him love me more, and I can't be bad enough to make Him love me less. He intercedes for me to the Father. I am so blessed and thankful to be a child of God.

Wish List of Randomness

Ministry in 2018

Just realized this article I have to read for a meeting in 54 minutes is 6 pages long, in small type, and might involve actual thinking. Thinking no good for preggo brain. My attention span is about 3.2 minutes right now--and that's being generous.

Yikes!

Maybe the article will give me some roaring insight to write about here, though.

Jess

Ministry in 2018

Bad Blogger

I have really become a bad blogger lately. I will blame it all on aforementioned pregnancy which makes me:

1. so tired I can't do anything after I work all day
2. so sick all I can think about is whether I am going to toss my cookies or not
3. completely brain dead

I'm sorry, because I usually really do enjoy writing! My friend Carolyn keeps bugging me just to write every day whether I have anything to write about or not, and I guess I should do that. I thought it would be easier now that the cat's out of the bag, so to speak.

We had supper club today, and for the first time since I've joined we had brunch. We cook all food from Cooking Light magazine, although when you eat everything there's no way it's light! I was worried today because I have had such insane food aversions the last several weeks. I was scared of all the egg, especially. But I had some fruit, grits, turkey sausage, and a tiny bit of a ham strata, and about 11 glasses of orange juice! ;)

I love being with these ladies and couples and always enjoy our get-togethers. There are very excited about having a Supper Club baby too. I didn't eat what I brought today, which was Stuffed French Toast, because of the egg, but everyone assured me it was very good.

Tonight Mr. V is going to watch basketball (welcome to the next three-four weeks of my life...) and I was thinking about hooking the laptop up in my bedroom and watching my Netflix movie. Very low key. I've already done plenty today, though, and have a long day tomorrow and I need to rest. My mom keeps telling me it's my job to grow a baby and I shouldn't worry about anything else. So until the ants start marching in the kitchen, I guess I will be slothful. :)

Bad Blogger

Lunch

I had the strangest lunch experience ever today. My friend Jennifer and I were going over to a place that is very near our office and where we've been before. It's been there two years and I was pretty sure what I wanted. Well, when we got there, they had changed their menu so the thing I wanted was not there (chicken salad plate with fruit). Jennifer simply asked the waiter what had happened to that item.

The waiter leaves and brings back the manager or owner or somebody, who proceeds to give us a very long spiel over how they are now using all local-grown and fresh ingredients and nothing out of a can; how the new chicken salad is twice as good as the old chicken salad; how the new ideas matched their ideas of keeping the original building. Oh my word. It took forever. Then he said he would bring each of us a small dish of the NEW chicken salad and NEW fruit salad and if we didn't like it, it was on the house.

So he brought it. I did not like the new chicken salad, although the new fruit was very good. And so when he came back, I told him that. I asked if I could instead have sweet potato fries, which they are famous for.

When he came back again, he brought us two dishes of the OLD chicken salad, and one dish of plain fruit. And no fries. He acted kind of snooty and threw them on the table. So I ate some of the old chicken salad and all of the fruit. Then we remembered the fries. We asked the waiter if he could please bring them, once we were able to get him to pay attention to us after about twenty minutes.

So he did finally. Thankfully they were free. All of this took over an hour and a half. It was insane and I felt awful for being out of the office for so long.

And then I came back and threw it up.

Probably because I'M PREGNANT! SURPRISE!

Or maybe they tried to poison me. I promise I wasn't trying to be trouble. They made it that way.

Lunch

Better Blogs than Mine

Most blogs are better and more entertaining than mine, and since I've been updating less frequently I am sure you are overwhelmed with the need to see into someone else's life. May I present Euros Ate My Dollars?

Way back in high school I knew these two kids, Ben and Brittany. I was fairly good friends with both of them freshmen and sophomore years (after which I became decidedly uncool. Somehow I managed to deceive people until then, I guess). Ben liked Brittany, and I think I was the go-between as her 14-year-old self coolly rejected him.

Now, I haven't seen these people since graduation day, but of course, we're Facebook friends and I ran across their blog through that. Apparently they are now actually in a relationship and traveling around Europe and Asia together. They are both really good writers, and I've adored reading their blog entries. Of course, their recent posts on Thailand and elephant trekking are especially close to my heart since that is something I can actually relate to--I've never been to Europe.

So don't be dismayed at my lack of posting; instead, hike it over to Ben and Brittany's and have a good laugh.

Better Blogs than Mine

Snowy Day

It snowed a few inches last night, which of course means everything in Nashville will be shut down today. No one will leave their house today. I, of course, should have bought milk since I think my milk expires today. We obviously will die without fresh milk, or so it seems the day before a storm when you're at Kroger.

Unfortunately, today is the first day in a long time I've felt like I wanted to go out and do something. I think it's just my rebellious nature. There's no way I'd attempt to dig out the car just so we could, say, go bowling or to a movie. But I am not exceedingly excited about sitting here all day while Mr. V watches basketball games. Perhaps I could muster up enough energy to clean something (unlikely).

Yesterday we had a lunch at work for a new co-worker. It was nice to get (almost) everyone together to just hang out for a while. Our team has felt so disjointed for several months. I have started dreading going to work because the whole place is covered in negativity. Not to mention diseases and surgeries seem to be spreading through the halls. All in all, it's depressing. I am trying very hard to go with the flow and take everything in stride, but it's not easy or fun.

Snowy Day

The Little Things

Do you ever wonder what that weird thing is that everyone remembers about you after they've met you? I was thinking in the car on the way home yesterday, again about my girls that I did summer missions with. Man, did we have our quirks.

#1 really liked goats and was an insomniac.
#2 loved her a capella group and was doing vocal percussion all the time.
#4 was allergic to metal and couldn't drink dark-colored sodas.

(I am #3.) Yes, we were a strange group, but we loved each other intensely--and still do, I think! I love them, at least. And we created our very own weird things together.

But I was sitting there thinking yesterday...what is the weird thing about me? The fact that I hate getting out of bed in the morning and was known to growl at people? My imagined relationship that summer? My shared hatred of capri pants (which I have forgone since then...)?

I really want to know. Unless it's bad and the secret is that everyone hated me.

The Little Things

The Single Life

Mr. Vanderbilt is off to be smart sometime soon at a conference, and I am going to be all alone for the better part of a week.

If I were cool, I would spend the week being a single woman for the first time in three and a half years. He's never left me alone for more than a weekend. Probably scared of what I might do to redecorate the house or that I might dye my hair purple with green highlights.

If I were cool, I'd call up my friends and insist they go out with me to someplace really cool downtown. I'd wear high heels and designer jeans and sparkly shirts, and not care that I had to be at work at 7:30 the next morning. (Ignoring the fact I can't wear any heel without being in writhing pain due to my bad ankle sprain last January.)

I am so not cool.

My big plans are cleaning out our guest room if I can find the energy, and sleeping a lot. Volunteering extra days so I won't be too lonely. Eating Spaghetti-Os.

I am sure you are so insanely jealous.

The Single Life