3 year anniversary and 5 month turtle update

today marks 3 years of marriage for andrew and me. i'm proud we've made it this far. in some ways it seems like we've been together forever, and in some ways like we just got married. we've definitely been through our share of ups and downs, and we've sped through stages like they're going out of style - whirlwind dating/moving in together/engagement/moving somewhere new/buying a car/marriage/moving again/changing jobs at least 3 times each/moving again/getting a dog/buying a house and moving again/getting pregnant/re-homing a dog/having a baby (yes, pregnancy and baby are two totally different life stages!) - we've gone from single and mingling to settled and set, from relatively rich to pretty poor, from euphoric to exasperated and back agin, and we've done it all together. hallelujah, thank goodness we promised we'd be in it for the long haul, cause i definitely wouldn't have wanted to go it alone, or with anyone else.

3 years ago, to celebrate our wedding, we had a marriage ceremony in boone and a big fat party in blowing rock. many of you were probably there - or at least invited. and then we had a honeymoon in asheville, nc.

2 years ago, we had just bought our house and were in the throws of renovations, so i made dinner, we hung out at home, drank wine, and ate the top to our wedding cake. unfortunately, something didn't sit well with andrew, and he got sick that night.

1 year ago, i was 2 months pregnant and had significant food aversions going on, but andrew took me out to eat at 518 and surprised me with a replica of our wedding cake topper. it was ridiculously romantic and sweet :-)

this year, the turtle is 5 months old, i have a horrendous cold, and andrew got stuck at work late. we went to bw3's and had wings, and shared an ice cream from coldstone while trying to keep the baby from crying in the carseat on the way home. now andrew has taken tess to bed (after walking her to sleep), and i will be following shortly.

no, it's not romantic, and yes, we both drank water with dinner tonight because i was worried we wouldn't be able to afford our "night on the town", but really, who could want it any other way? we are evolving, and while it may not seem glamorous, it's life, and we're doing life together, and that's more than a lot of people can say.

...on to the turtle!

she turned 5 months old 5 days ago!
stats: unknown, but she feels HUGE!
fun facts:

• rolls both directions - a lot.
• gets mad once she's on her belly that she can't crawl, but seems to be more interested in bypassing crawling and going straight to walking.
• can sit and stand on her own muscle-wise, all she needs us for is balance.
• smiles and laughs at everything - a kid dancing at marbles, the dog, people, the tv... basically anything that moves or makes noise
• LOVES real food - she's been introduced to rice cereal, peas, butternut squash, prunes, and bananas so far. she loves them all. i believe she will be the next in the line of great "eatists" - don't know what an eatist is? ask me or melissa.
• is a total mama's girl, but loves her daddy, nana, and grandpa, and she recognizes their voices on the phone and looks for them.
• absolutely loves animals - the cat at mom's house, chloe, but especially lillie. they are practically inseparable.
• does not love sleeping. still. she has slept in the co-sleeper some and was really getting into a good habit... and then i spent my first night away from her to go to kim's bachelorette party, and she has been super clingy ever since. we'll keep working on it though.
• she has definitely said words. definitely. i'm pretty sure she doesn't know what they mean, but i've heard "hello" - LOUD AND CLEAR, several times when mimicking others, "yeah", "poop" - during a diaper change situation! and my personal favorite, "mama" :-) and yes, that one has been said straight to me, though not with enough consistency to be sure she knows what it means, but i'll take it.

tess the turtle with her BEST friend, lillie

holding hands

kissing

i'm sure there's much more to share about the little one, but my tired-mommy-sick brain is worthless at this point, so i shall wrap this up. HOWEVER! i can't forget to mention a huge congratulations to the farmer family on its newest addition!

isaiah terry whitfield farmer

born on 8/24/2010

8lbs 9oz

CONGRATULATIONS! and WAY TO GO, JEN!

today's proverb (25 for the 25th)

Proverbs 25

More Proverbs of Solomon

¹ These are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

² It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

³ As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴ Remove the dross from the silver,
and out comes material for the silversmith;

⁵ remove the wicked from the king's presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.

⁶ Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence,
and do not claim a place among great men;

⁷ it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here,"
than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.
What you have seen with your eyes

⁸ do not bring hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?

⁹ If you argue your case with a neighbor,
do not betray another man's confidence,

¹⁰ or he who hears it may shame you
and you will never lose your bad reputation.

¹¹ A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

¹² Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear.

¹³ Like the coolness of snow at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the spirit of his masters.

¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

¹⁵ Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

¹⁶ If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.

¹⁷ Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house—
too much of you, and he will hate you.

¹⁸ Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor.

¹⁹ Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.

²⁰ Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on soda,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

²² In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

²³ As a north wind brings rain,
so a sly tongue brings angry looks.

²⁴ Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

²⁵ Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.

²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

²⁷ It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

²⁸ Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.

turtle says...

"sick mommy is boring! i know, i will bite her (with my toothless gums) instead of eating nicely! that will make it more fun!"
mommy says. "formula sounds fun!"

heh.

i made gazpacho!

here's the ina garten recipe i used/loosely based mine on

Ingredients
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

HOWEVER, i used:
2 regular cucumbers instead of one hothouse (cheaper)
1 bell pepper (the other one was rotten)
7 cherry tomatoes (food lion didn't have plum) which i did NOT process, just chopped
4 cups of FRESH pureed beefsteak tomatoes rather than canned sauce
champagne vinegar instead of white wine (it's what i had)
... otherwise i followed the recipe :-)

i served it with avocado, and added a tad more olive oil to the bowl. unfortunately, as i had feared, a whole red onion is too much raw onion flavor for me, and i'd prefer about half the amount, so that's what i'll use next time. otherwise, i'm very pleased with my first go at gazpacho and my first run of my food processor! now, on to homemade baby food!

encouragement

Psalm 139: 1-18, 23-24

¹ O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.[...]

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Philippians 4:4-13

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.