Simply Sara

Woohoo! 3.17.06 

I have developed a rather fond relationship with Kellogg's Special K Vanilla Almond. Low in fat (only 1.5 g) and made with whole grains, I eat this tasty treat as a meal and a snack. I'm eating some right now. Special thanks to Kat for introducing me to this delightful cereal. Our local Ingles has been running it on sale this past week, 2 for $4, so I stocked up. The milk is even on sale too, 2 for $5, making this treat yummy and affordable. Sweet, crispy flakes and crunchy almonds. What more could a girl ask for. By the way, you should go to Ingles. Everything is on sale. I picked up some lean ground beef today for $1.38 per pound. Now that's good for the budget. Low prices + good food = happy housewife

Lucas had a great time at cousin Kate's bridal shower yesterday with his Mimi and Poppy!  

Hello baby Elmo! 3.18.06 

Have you been outside? Wow! It is gorgeous here in the Upstate. I had my sunroof open on the way home from church today while Lucas snoozed in his carseat. He is always so subdued when I pick him up from the nursery. His demeanor says to me, "Mama, stop socializing and get me to my crib!" Well, church was pretty amazing. For those of you who were there you understand what I mean. The message was really intense and the response was amazing. I wish that we would do an alter call every Sunday. I think people would really respond to that. For those of you not in attendance, the sermon was on Temptation. Perry used the classic Biblical story of David and Bathsheba. The point that struck me the hardest is that I need to set some boundaries to deal with things that I am tempted by. For example, food is a big temptation for me. As Perry said, I too am a food picker. Even when I am finished with my meal, I will pick at the food that is in front of me until it is gone. It...

So, here's a new twist on brownies. Prepare a brownie mix as the box suggests, using three eggs instead of two for a cake-like brownie. Put cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Scoop 1 spoonful in each cup, sprinkle with peanut butter chips, and the scoop another spoonful on top. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Enjoy! p.s. Lucas rocks!! He's in the middle of a 3 hour nap right now! And he's learning to say "Annie". Actually that part isn't cool, because he's supposed to say "Mama" next! :)

Lucas said his first offical word tonight and from the title you can guess what it is, "Da-Da". I say official because Lucas started making this new sound Tuesday evening after we picked him up from his Mimi and Poppy's house. In the car ride home, he started babbling and instead of his usual "guh" or "ga", we heard "da". Tonight however, when Matt walked into the room, Lucas looked at him and said, "da-da". So that makes it offical. His first word. Brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it?

So this is what happens when you leave your camera at Ken and Meg's house for a week 

Poor cat 

Ken must really love his cats 

Have you noticed all the different types of Easter candy on the shelves? It's no longer just about hollow chocolate bunnies and sugary, yellow peeps; now every type of candy bar is made into the shape of an egg and wrapped in shiny foil. Tonight, Matt and I had a simultaneous craving for Easter candy. Our health-conscious meal of baked fish and veggies apparently sent us into sugar withdrawels that led us to pack Lucas into the carseat and drive to Walgreens. While perusing the candy aisle, both Matt and I found several of our childhood favorites; chocolate, gold coins from Nana, bubble gums eggs in a tiny carton, and of course, the classic hollow, chocolate bunny. After several exclamations of "that's my favorite" and "I remember finding this in my Easter basket" , we made our choices. A mix of classic and new candy filled our shopping bag- chocolate covered, marshmellow bunnies, Reeses peanut butter eggs, and M&Ms Kissables. Yum.

I look like a lobster. At least the front half of me does. The back is still winter-white. I had intentions of baking my backside today, but the overcast weather did not permit that. I am however, currently enjoying the noisy birds outside through my open door. A flock of black birds appears to have taken up residence in our backyard. And I wonder what they are chirping about..... "Move over!" "I claimed this branch first!" "Who's that fat bird weighing down the branch?" "Move it, chubby!" "Who wants to torment some squirrels tonight?" Or something like that...... Today I realized that my days of relaxing while Lucas is awake are over. He is into everything. Or at least he wants to be. This afternoon, Lucas and I took a quick jaunt to the public library to fill my craving for a good novel. I checked out three books, Mary Higgins Clark "Nighttime is my Time", Sue Monk Kidd "The Mermaid Chair", and Nich...

Lucas charmed the ladies at the Clinique counter today in Belks. I pushed him in the stroller so he could see everything and boy did he have fun! There was a small crowd at the makeup counter because it's Bonus Time, so we patiently waited to make our purchase. Lucas made sure he was showered with attention by cooing and coughing (no more runny nose!), laughing and smiling. I love the way he can make grown men and women make silly faces and talk in ways they never would in any other situation. I must get at least one offer a day from people who want to take him home. On a more random note, I saw the weirdest thing today on the way to the mall. A motorcycle was in the lane beside me and strapped to the back was a small child, possibly 3 years old! The kid was wearing a harness that attached him to the driver. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet or I probably would have freaked out and called the police. Aren't there laws against that?

Okay, so the cough isn't funny anymore. Not when Lucas woke up with a runny nose. I feel like such a bad Mommy for laughing last night. I called the doctor this morning, described his symptoms (dry cough, runny nose), and picked up a prescription at Walgreens. His first cold/allergies. But I think we caught it in the early stages and should be able to ward off real sickness.

Lucas started doing the funniest thing today. He taught himself how to cough for attention. When I first heard him cough this morning, I was concerned that he was coming down with something. Throughout Becky's birthday lunch, Lucas continued coughing, but nothing appeared to be wrong. So tonight, Matt and I were playing with him on the floor when we realized that he was coughing to get our attention. He even began to mimic me when I coughed! Everytime I would cough, Lucas laughed then coughed back! What a funny little guy! I'm so excited that we are seeing his personality emerge. He's such a happy guy, laid back and chill. I love seeing him be silly and interacting with us. So the next time you see Lucas, give him a little cough and see how he responds. Just make sure you aren't spreading any germs with that cough!

I have a new favorite musical artist. James Blunt. Completely unoriginal of me, I know, as his song "Beautiful" is number one on the charts, but I love it all the same. For a few weeks now, the song has been playing on the radio and I would ask Matt who the singer was, but it wasn't until today watching Oprah that I put a name to the unique voice. What caught me the most was the anguish in his eyes as he sang. Obviously this man has loved and lost. His second piece was self-described as a "miserable song" about saying goodbye to a lover. What happened to this man? The only good thing that I can say is that some very passionate and soulful music has come out of his pain. His one flaw apprears to be that he first toured with Elton John. But I'll try to overlook that lapse in judgement. Check him out sometime. James Blunt.

I received my first piece of mail from India today. A picture of the Taj Mahal was on the front with the title "A Poetry in Pure White Marble." My dear friend Kathryn has been serving in India for the past month as the leader of a missions group. Her emails about the people and conditions fascinate me. And make me question if I could spend a month in India or a country like it, not knowing the language and without the comforts I rely on every day. To be honest, I'm not sure that I could. I remember feeling desolate when we were without electricity for 3 days this past December. Shoot, I felt lost a couple weeks ago when our cable was out and the internet was down. No email? The thing is, I've "roughed it" before. I camped out in the woods a few times, pottied in a ditch, gone without a shower for 48 hours, but it was always with the knowledge that I would be returning to my soft bed, warm shower, and cable t.v. shortly. The reality that I don't...

I'm ready for another adventure! 2.28.06 

Yesterday was a great day. Matt was off from work which means that it was "family day". We have unofficially designated his days off as "family days" so that we are intentional about spending quality time together. And so we did. But first, we went to see Dr. Dale for Lucas's 6 month check-up. Our little man's current weight is 15 pounds and 7.5 ounces. And his height is 25.5 inches long. He continues to rate in the 20th percentile for both categories. One of my first questions for the good doctor was if his size now would indicate his size later. He said no. He then did some quick math by adding 5 inches to my height and averaging that number with Matt's to determine that Lucas could end up between 5' 10" and 6'. We discussed everything from baby food to sunscreen to sippy cups and carseats. We even talked about Lucas's new habit of biting while nursing. Ouch. Lucas is eating his pureed carrots everyday. We will move onto ...