My New Love

Music has always been a love of mine, and just recently I have found a group that I have absolutely fallen in love with now. I am not only in love with them because the lead singer is HOT, but the music is amazing. The lyrics to a lot of their songs mean so much to me. I don't usually get overly emotional about music, but I find myself feeling a range of different emotions when listening to this groups.

Anyway, I just thought I would share. If you are looking for a little something new to listen to they are totally worth checking out.

Introducing Maxwell Preston

Boy has it been a while since I updated this blog. I have been a little busy as you can see.

Okay, on to the big news. Maxwell Preston was born November 14, 2008. He was 8lbs 12oz, 20in. long. It was a pretty rough birth, but we made it through.

He is by far the sweetest, most laid back baby I have ever seen. He only cries if he is hungry or needs a diaper change. I adore this little boy. The girls are absolutely in love with him too. Claire is constantly kissing his head and wanting to hold him. Madeline is a little more stand offish, but I think it is because she thinks she might break him. :) She loves to help go get diapers and such.

Anyway, my little man is calling, so I must go!

I will update soon. (I hope.)

My Sweet Angels

I have to brag on my two sweet girls. I was cleaning the dishes the other day, and I noticed that the girls had left the table a mess after eating. I asked them to just clean up their places at the table and nothing more. Well, I look around after finishing the dishes, and they are sweeping the entire kitchen floor as a team. Never once did I ask them to sweep the kitchen, but they did it anyway. After they finished sweeping they started scrubbing the table. Claire cleaned all of the knobs on the cabinets. Madeline cleaned all the counter tops. Well, Claire got tired of doing it and dropped out after a while. I told Madeline that was enough you don't have to do this, and her reply was, "I want to help you Momma. And I want to take care of my house. I'm proud of my house." She then proceeded to scrub the floors on her hands and knees while I'm begging her to go and play. She said, "No, I want to be your maid today." Too sweet and cute. I promise you she cleaned for an hour and a half. This will probably never happen again which is why I am documenting it now. They are both just so sweet and try their hardest to take care of their poor old momma.

Big News!

Okay, so you haven't heard from me lately, and I'm about to tell you why. I'm pregnant! We are very happy and excited about this. I'm due November 10th. Unfortunately I have had to postpone school until after the baby is born. I will be allowed to start back right where I left off, so that is a great thing. This was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make, but because of my plantar fasciitis I need to take this break. For those of you that don't know what plantar fasciitis is I have posted a definition for you.

The plantar fascia is a very thick band of tissue that covers the bones on the bottom of the foot. This fascia can become inflamed and painful in some people, making walking more difficult.

Risk factors for plantar fasciitis include foot arch problems (both flat foot and high arches), obesity, sudden weight gain, running, and a tight Achilles tendon (the tendon connecting the calf muscles to the heel).

This condition is one of the most common orthopedic complaints relating to the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is commonly thought of as being caused by a heel spur, but research has found that this is not the case. On x-ray, heel spurs are seen commonly both in people with and without plantar fasciitis.

The reason I got plantar fasciitis is because I gained around 60 lbs very rapidly when I was pregnant with Madeline. This in turn screwed my feet up. Now when I gain extra weight it starts to stretch and become very painful, and inevitably I will gain with this baby too. I have already had horrible pains in my feet and have to wear an air cast on one of my feet. So you see I can't stand for 5 1/2 hours while at school. Anyway, I was very disappointed at first, but I have come to terms with everything. I am now very happy and looking forward to the future. Now, what's up with you guys? Please share.

Spring Break!

Well, I finally have a break from school. I am needing this break more than anyone knows. I have felt completely drained lately and questioning if I should even be doing this right now. I know it's just the fatigue talking, but it can bring a girl down. I am doing very well in school. If I get the grade I think I am going to get in my last class I should have a 4.0. I am very proud of that accomplishment and it's what keeps me going. I have to tell myself that I'm not a quitter, nor do I want to teach my children to be quitters. Anyway, enough of my belly aching. I will post some more pictures of my last class on here soon.

Dead Dough Showpiece

Today for our final practical exam we had to make a dead dough showpiece about spring. Dead dough is just dough that is not edible. I had envisioned a giant cross covered in dogwood behind what you see here, but time did not permit. Instead I have a basket to hold bread you can eat, what you see in the basket is lavosh and grissini. I also place a goblet, grapes and faux flatbread and challah. I am thinking of finishing out my original idea here at the house. If I do I will post a final picture, but for now enjoy what I halfway have done.

The Actual Bread Class

This is from our bread baking class. It was three weeks long and ended today. This is just a sample of what we did. The first is of soft rolls braided and tied. The second is of challah. The third is of foccacia topped with garlic, mushrooms, asiago, artichoke hearts, and peppers. It was yummy!