Being a Mamma

Being a mamma means bags under your eyes that make up could never cover ...

but this bedhead is worth it!

Being a mama means lots of feeding problems...

but, oh, that double chin is worth it.

Being a mamma means experiencing some pretty terrifying things during labor...

but the fulfilling feeling of a sleeping baby on your chest can't be replaced.

Being a mamma means learning all over again how to be a wife...

but seeing this every bedtime is so worth it. 

Being a mamma means having perpetually messy floors...

but watching her learn is worth it.

Being a mamma means stretch marks, 

confusion on how best to care for your child,

needing more patience than you ever thought possible,

and learning that the world doesn't revolve around you (and it never did)...

but I am so thankful God chose me and gives me the strength for this calling.
I am privileged. I am blessed beyond words.

And thank you to my mother. I have no words to express how thankful
I am for your sacrifices.
 I could not know how much you did for me, without first experiencing
 these things myself.
I love you!

I love this little app called *Instagram.* For a busy mommy like me, I don't have time to blog or journal, like ever, so this is a fun way to track the highlights of our daily life! 

Love Multiplies

What started as giddy, excited, new love...

2010

soon would be anticipating, love without seeing, but knowing...

2011

 our lives and love would never be the same when our beautiful daughter made her appearance... 

2012

and became steadfast, faithful: LOVE through real life.

A peek into the last 5 months

It's been 5 long months since my last post. It's been the most difficult and the most wonderful. Pregnancy has slapped me upside the head in a way I never expected. Somewhere I got the idea that pregnancy was easy, wonderful and like a bed of roses. In my case it definitely has not. 7 months of morning sickness later and now reaching the point of complete misery at 36 weeks and believe it or not, I am ready for this baby to come!

In the last 5 months we bought a HOUSE! God allowed us this additional blessing of a place to call our own with less living expenses. We've had fun fixing rooms up as much as we can for now, and it's wonderful to get to enjoy our hard work (and the hard work of our talented family. We wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much without their willingness to work).

Today marked a significant change in my life as I've known it. As of today, I am a stay at home mom. Whoa, looking at the just make me feel old. No offense, I just have this weird idea of myself still being 16. Mr g is working hard so that I can have a month before the baby arrives to rest and finish up a few projects without working. I'm blessed to have such a wonderful husband that is willing to sacrifice so I can be with our baby!

 I'm excited and overwhelmed trying to prioritize and organize how my life will look like from now on. I have so many expectations, but I don't want to burn myself out in the first week! So many ideas, so many projects... but at least until the baby comes, my top priority is sleeping in till 9am everyday! :)

Just for fun, here are a few before and after pictures of our bathroom:

BEFORE

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

My new canvas artwork found at Ross for $12.99. It completed my look.

What we did: replaced that icky blue carpet with vinyl tile, removed the nasty sliding glass doors in the shower, modified the vanity so the door could open completely (making the room feel much bigger), pulled down that lovely  blue wallpaper, repainted the walls and trim, replaced the toilet and replaced the vanity light.

A little of what I do...

I thought I'd share a little project I created this morning at work. 

Jealous that I get paid to do something this fun?!

The Lord has dealt bountifully with me

That's right. We are parents of a precious little baby, due in May 2012. 

It's been nearly impossible to contain mr g's excitement about our new addition and because of that I've realized how blessed I really am. Nearly one year after our vows and I've found myself falling even deeper in love with my husband just because of this baby that is barely the size of a fig. 

If I didn't already know of mr g's love for me, it's become even more apparent in the last 3 months. He's been so completely selfless, attentive and just keeps sacrificing himself time and time again. 

His words the other day touched me: "If you will allow me to take care of the house, cook and take care of you during these 9 months, I am sure you will more than make up for it by taking care of me after that."

 I am blessed that I have a husband who considers it a woman's highest calling in life is to be a wife, mother and homemaker.

 I am blessed that he is willing to sacrifice his wants and needs for me and baby g.

I am blessed he wants to protect and provide.

I am blessed when he stops several times a day to place his hand on my tummy
and prays for the tiny life inside.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Gracious is the Lord, and
righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
...
Return to your rest, O my
soul.
For the Lord has dealt 
bountifully with you. 

Psalm 116: 5,7

Lagoon Trip 2011

I really love this photo. Yes, I  do realize that I look 14 and my bangs are doin' their own thang. 

It's the feelings expressed that I love. 

my mr. g is:

Safety 

joy

comfort

LOVE 

confidence

STRENGTH

tenderness

rest

my everything.

Update: Life is busy, wonderful, an amazing blessing.... which is why I am not getting the chance to blog a whole lot. And that's ok... my mr g, he forces reminds me to enjoy life as it's happening, in the moment.

"One day at a time, this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be trouble about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering." - Unknown

Summer Lovin' 2011: Downtown Seattle and Creation North West

Here is a brief re-cap of our summer vacation to Washington!

We drove to Enumclaw, Washington on Tuesday morning, then set up camp for our stay at Creation North West. That evening we drove 45 minutes in search of a BJ's and feasted on the their famous pazookie (see photos below).

Wednesday morning and afternoon we spent in downtown Seattle. We had an amazing time, visiting our favorite good eats that we found on our honeymoon: the bakery Le Panier and Pike's Place Chowder.

Late Wednesday afternoon we arrived back in Enumclaw for our main destination: Creation Northwest (4 days of Christian concerts). I was in for a little shock when we walked up to the Main Stage and I heard the blaring music and felt the thumping bass in my chest. I will admit I panicked more than slightly, not believing that I had paid money for 4 days of  headache! But I grew accustomed to the noise and we really did enjoy the next few days of worshiping our Creator, despite the extreme exhaustion from lack of sleep, endless walking, standing and ummm... moshing. :)

Tyler and I left Saturday afternoon for some time on our own, drove halfway back home, spent the night in a nice hotel and enjoyed our drive back to our lovely home this afternoon.

::: Enjoy the snapshots from downtown Seattle :::

Our favorite bakery and coffee shop in Seattle

I didn't take a picture on our honeymoon (I guess my mind was
 elsewhere),but this is the hotel we stayed back in November.

We drove 45 minutes for this: The Pazookie at BJ's

On left: Summer 2011 === On right: 8 months earlier on our honeymoon!

Six on Sunday: Time, Energy, & $$$ Saving Meal Tips

One of the things I strive for as a wife is to make delicious meals for Mr G. I'll admit we've resorted to Ramen Noodles many times for the sake of budget or time (and sometimes Mr G requests them!), but overall I like to cook as much from scratch as possible. It is a little difficult to accomplish this every day with our work schedules but, here are some time and energy saving tips I've learned that at least help make meal prep easier.

1. Have a plan: At the beginning of each week, take a few minutes and jot down menus, assigned to a specific day, based on your whatever your  upcoming schedule may look like. Then make your grocery list. This will save both time and money, since you won't wonder and wander at the grocery store. The easiest way to spend too much money is not having a focused list for very specific items.  
2. Prepare multiple meals: When cooking casseroles, meats (chicken & turkey work the best) soups, sauces or just about anything else that will freeze well, make two more meals at a time. My favorite is to make lasagna for dinner for tonight, then make another to put in the freezer for later. 
3. Freeze homemade baked goods: I make a huge batches of fully baked cookies, rolls, bread sticks and cinnamon rolls(these stay in dough form) every time I get the chance. It's just not worth it to take the time to make homemade yeast breads for 2 people, so the extras go in the freezer to later pull out to thaw in the microwave or oven when needed.
4. Pre-Chop your vegetables & fruit: This works well if you have your menu planned for the week since you will already know their uses. When you get home from the store, just chop what you can and put them in baggies for the weeks use. Just be careful with vegetables or fruits that brown easily. Those should always be chopped at the last minute.
5. Don't be afraid to buy in bulk: Even with only the two of us, it's still worth it to buy in bulk. Just utilize your freezer! It will save you time from the grocery store and can save you money if you buy things at the right price. If you are like me, I'd rather NOT spend my time in the grocery store.
6. Left overs are OK!: Yes, it's okay to pick one night per week that you eat up the remnants from your meals. You can either create something new with those leftovers, or just have samplings of each thing. The key to staying in budget is not to be wasteful!

Here is what our last week's menu looked like, so you get an idea how I used these tips.

Monday: Turkey Fettuccine Alfredo with Veggies, Homemade Bread Sticks :

I used fully cooked and chopped turkey from the freezer, and chopped broccoli and cauliflower from the fridge. I also made the bread sticks from scratch this time, but put 1 dozen extras in the freezer for later.

Tuesday: Taco Salad in Homemade Tortilla Cups : 

I used ground beef purchased in bulk 3 months ago!

Wednesday: Dinner at Family's

Thursday: Leftovers :

From Monday's meal and the previous weekend

Friday: BLTs on Homemade Rolls, Green Salad & Fresh Pineapple :
Used frozen dinner rolls from the freezer, and bacon that I had stocked up on 2 months ago.

What you'll currently find in my freezer:

Chili Verde Green Sauce

Enchilada Red Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

1 dozen Italian Breadsticks

1 pan of frozen Cinnamon Rolls (still in dough form)

1 dozen Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Stocked Ground Beef

Stocked Chicken Thighs

Frozen Egg Whites

Please comment and share your meal tips, I'd love to hear them!

To the Weekend

My Dearest Weekend,

For once I actually find myself excited to meet you today at 5pm, since your plans do not include anything that may seem unappealing. All 30 of your hours will be spent with my besty Mr G and I anticipate much sunshine, giggling, sun dresses, delicious ethnic food at the world fair, and of course a latte' or two.

Signed, the ecstatic and won over
mrs g.

Don't worry, I haven't completely disappeared... at least not yet.

It's been quite the month since my last post, and well, God is still working in my heart, despite the changes that have come into our life. God's faithfulness is why I hope to keep blogging, even though my free time will now be at a minimum.

And, just because I like lists, that's the way I'll update today, maybe with more details later.

• Mr G has embarked on a new career, and we couldn't be more excited. No more lonely weekends, or quiet evenings, since he won't have to work!

• Mr. & Mrs. G went on their first road trip together. So far, it's my favorite memory of married life.

• I purchased our first Bountiful Basket last week and we are absolutely loving it! It's really delicious produce for a great price, and it's inspiring me to cook better.

• Speaking of things for a great price, I've started "couponing." My results have been small, but victory none the least in defeating our monstrous grocery bill. Mr. G has been helping me with it too, but that's a secret... so don't tell!

• I've convinced Mr. G to try running with me. We're off to a good start, if you consider a good start the fact that his "jog" is my "sprint"?!

• Mr. G has discovered that his new favorite dessert is my White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Olive Garden's will do too.

• What I'm most excited about: our new season of life will make it possible for us to do everything (aside from work) together: visit with friends, hang out with family, serve at church, find steals of deals couponing, RUN! play Mr. G's new Wii, you know, those things best friends do together!

A Sorry State

My poor true and tried recipes 

are in a very sorry state ever since I got married.

See? 

 Nothing more than scraps of paper with a few very sloppy chicken scratches. 

And if someone ever needed instructions, well... they aren't there. 

It's just abbreviated ingredient lists and the directions are in my head.

I brought all my cookbooks with me, but what got left behind at Mom's house were

all the handwritten recipes,

 (which include our favorites from friends and family

that have been collected over the years, plus Grammy's fabulous family tradition recipes).  

Not to mention my mom's worn Home and Garden Cook book that was

her wedding gift.

 It's fondly called the "The Orange Cookbook."

When I need a recipe, I call up my mom and scribble down ingredients and then it gets 

thrown in this generic white (and maybe slightly sticky) binder. 

Being a person that likes to call herself organized, this of course, drives me near insanity.

The solution and rescuing of these precious recipes to come soon...

Update at 7:50pm: Biscuit recipe is MIA. Tyler probably threw it away, and I wouldn't blame him... those scribbles could only mean something to me. Guess what I had to do? Call up my mom. Again. Not that calling her is a bad thing, I just hate calling for the same recipe twice.