Sisters know best. A Birthday filled with love.

Sisters know best. Or should I say siblings?

It was the eve of my birthday when I found three...yes, three!...letters for me from two of my sisters and my brother, wishing me a Happy Birthday. Not only did I feel blessed, but I felt loved because all of them are currently traveling or living away from their home. But they still remembered me. Receiving calls, texts, emails, and small gifts from my parents, other siblings, and friends truly made the day extra special.

I really enjoyed everything I did to celebrate my special day. We began it with a yummy breakfast of baked eggs in avocado, grapefruit, sauteed red cabbage, and cultured salsa. I enjoyed being able to eat good food with my husband.

Before dinner, Marshall and I went to the shooting range to shoot our Christmas gingerbread house. It was time for it to go to the grave, and shooting it with a .22 is so much more exciting than tossing it in the dumpster. Plus, don't we all need an excuse to shoot something?

As much as I love having people over for parties, I needed a quiet celebration (so much so that I didn't even blow out any candles). I made an Indian dinner of Saag Paneer, homemade naan, rice pilaf, and steamed buttered carrots. There is a lot of satisfaction in creating a meal where everything is homemade, including the cheese and bread.

I know the meal was a success because when I asked Marshall, "So how did you like this vegetarian meal?" he answered with, "this was vegetarian?" oh yeah. sweet success!

We all know Indian food doesn't look very appetizing. But I happen
to be a huge fan of it. So just pretend you can taste the amazingness of it!

Dessert was a succulent, full-bodied dark chocolate cake, topped with real whipped creme fraiche. What I loved about this cake was how nutrient dense it was. It was made with real eggs, butter, and homemade dark chocolate. The leftovers will be savored ever so slowly :).

Of course a birthday wouldn't be a birthday without silly pictures!

Fishie face!

Trying to attempt a straight face. It didn't really work.

My mother and sister-in-law made an awesome hat and scarf and we were
just having fun being silly.

And Marshall was a good sport to let us take a
picture of him too :) Gotta love that boy.

Comments

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee

I'm Pregnant! .....

...or so I thought. And you did too. Happy April Fools Day! I had been having baby dreams and feeling nauseous on and off during spring break, and I knew I would test immediately when I returned home from our road trip. The test was barely visible and I didn't believe it, so I said nothing to Marshall. That night I had a dream where the next pregnancy test I took was a solid double line. Well, two days after the first test, I got my obvious positive. I was so excited. Not knowing if it would be a good pregnancy or not, I tested again two days later and the line was darker, so I felt confident. The past two pregnancies I miscarried at approximately 6 or 7 weeks both times, so I was pretty nervous about this one. What if it happened again? Would I be strong enough? Knowing that I needed extra strength and prayers, I asked roughly 40 of our family and closest friends to fast and pray with us on Easter Sunday. That Sunday I was on the top of the world. I felt so strong an

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

Tender Mercies

Search This Blog