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“Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving…”

Yesterday was beautiful, so I rolled down the windows to hear the horrible sound of a “POP.”

Remember how we had to get our car fixed? The front right door needed to be replaced because someone hit us in the Jamba Juice parking lot on campus (and since then, I’m terrified to drive through there).

Long story short and explanation aside,  the people fixing our car missed that the window track or whatever it’s called is slightly broken and to fix it, it will cost $120. And we would have to pay for it, not that other driver (live and learn). So needless to say, I was slightly annoyed. Nope. Scratch that. I was very annoyed.

Do you ever feel like you just can’t catch a break? It’s almost the holidays and Santa is bringing us hospital bills this year… so yeah, $120 is a LOT. Driving the car back home, I started to cry. And then I thought,

Pull yourself together, it’s just a car window!

And the window isn’t even broken. In fact, the piece that is broken isn’t even a huge deal, it just makes an annoying sound half of the time. Not even all the time.

So, I stopped crying (why can’t I do that more often?) but I was still in a bad mood.

The little story continues. When I got home, I baked some fudge for our Relief Society activity last night and while stirring, I had another thought,

I should think of all my blessings… that will make me feel better.

I started to list them off in my head. T.J. The baby. Our home. Family. The gospel. This fudge. Chocolate. The Office and all of my favorite TV shows that make me laugh. Water. Flowers. Cold medicine. Our down comforter.

It went on and on.

And within five minutes, I wasn’t grumpy anymore. My day had completely changed just because I decided to think of all my blessings. And boy, I have a LOT to be thankful for.

Anyways, silly little story. But I just wanted to write it down so I’d remember that, even in times that may seem hard, we always have so much to be thankful for. And when we are aware of those blessings, it can change our entire attitude and outlook on life.

What are you thankful for?

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Losing My Mind

Morning after morning now I have woken up because of this stupid cold–not being able to breathe. It’s been going on for TWO weeks now. Two. It is ridiculous and out of control. I cannot tell you how many Tylenol Cold pills I’ve taken (with the approval and recommendation of my doctor), how many orange juice jugs I’ve drank (how I haven’t gotten a cold sore because of it is beyond me), how many cups of soup I’ve eaten (please don’t make me eat another bowl of chicken noodle), and how many tissues I’ve used (I should have bought the lotion kind). I am up again before 7 and so the only question I have right now is,

Am I supposed to learn something from this cold?

Because that’s the only reason I can see why it’s dragging on. Maybe it’s to help me get up in the middle of the night so I’m ready with the baby. I don’t know. But currently, I would really like it to LEAVE ME ALONE. My nose is chapped (even with vaseline) and I’m sick of sounding like a smoker.

Pleaseandthankyou,

Sick and Tired

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Holly Samantha Derrick

A new baby has come to the Derrick family today. Lindsay, T.J.’s brother’s wife, had her baby this afternoon. We got to visit them this evening and, boy, is she a doll.

The new parents!

The happy mother, Lindsay!

You better believe I cried while holding her. Two more weeks, two more weeks!

So much hair! Oh my goodness, and she has curls!

The new Grandpa!

Her cute little feet!

Getting practice holding a newborn!

They told us they wanted grandkids… I don’t think they knew they’d get three within a year!

One down, two to go!

Congrats, Dustin and Lindsay! You two will be amazing parents to little Holly Samantha.

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“Newborns are Slippery.”

Last Saturday, my friends threw me a baby shower and it was just lovely, plus it was great to catch up with old friends. We got a lot of gifts, including a diaper jeanie, playmat, clothes, and books. All we need now is the baby!

Check out this spread… don’t I have the greatest friends?

Thanks to Hannah, Erin, and Amanda for all that they did! The baby and I appreciate it!

Oh, and to go along with the title of this post… make sure you watch this clip from The Office: Baby Shower episode.

 

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A Few Words on the Subject

About a week ago, I found out about the Justin Bieber-Baby Daddy Scandal. When my friend told me, I turned down JB’s Christmas album so I could get some more details.

I’ve been reading up about it and am PRAYING, okay not really praying, but WISHING on 11/11/11 at 11:11 that it is not his baby. (It’s not his baby, baby, baby, ohhhhh.) But seriously. If it is his, he will be losing one of his biggest fans. Not me, obviously, I’ll love his music no matter what. But I’m sure another big fan will stop loving him.

Saturday night, I was in one of those “blah” moods because I had slept all afternoon and evening (stupid cold) and T.J. said he would watch whatever I wanted to watch…

So, I put in Never Say Never-Justin Bieber’s movie/documentary. (Lucky T.J.) Believe it or not, T.J. was really impressed by the end. I didn’t make him watch all of the songs, we would just fast-forward to the commentary. It made him realize that, even if he’s not a fan of his music style, that he really is talented and that he just came from a humble background. The movie really makes me believe that Justin is not the type of person to get a girl pregnant. (Crossing my fingers.)

To close, Justin… Please take a paternity test ASAP as possible. And to the baby mama, if it is Justin’s baby… Didn’t you ever listen to Justin’s song, “Kiss and Tell.”

 

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Pinterest Creation

Here is one my creations, inspired from Pinterest. Just some simple artwork for our living room. I had all the paper and paint on hand-all I had to buy were the frames which were $1 each at Walmart.

And, I thought I would share this cute photo. At the end of one of our Book of Mormon study sessions last week, T.J. was zonked out. Needless to say, he had to go back and reread 🙂 Also, you get to see how big the LoveSac is. It takes up a lot of room, but it is soooo comfortable!

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My Aussie Grandmother

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A Glimpse

The family cradle in our bedroom with a hand crocheted blanket I got from my mother-in-law.

Some of the books we’ve got lying around that I’ve been reading (thanks to all the reminders of my mother).

The darling elephant board my sister-in-law made us.

The changing table and wall art (thank you Pinterest for the idea).

Our beautiful crib, a gift from T.J.’s parents.

A little bunting I made to decorate the crib.

Another beautiful blanket made by a close family friend back home-Nancy Doran.

A stack of baby clothes that will be traveling to the hospital with us.

The adorable baby swing/bouncer.

We are just missing one thing… the baby!

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Chicken Crepes

This week I’ve had a cold, so I stayed in, except for a couple of  little walks and picking up T.J. from school. By Friday, I realized I hadn’t worn makeup for days or worn a cute outfit so I decided I’d have a delicious dinner ready for T.J. when he got home and be dressed up… to show him that his wife is still in there!

I’m trying to use ingredients we have on hand right now and not but too many groceries, so I decided I would make chicken crepes. I don’t have any pictures, but I will tell you they were delicious and it made enough for leftovers which have been great.

First, while I thawed about eight chicken tenderloins, I made the crepe batter. I let that sit in the fridge while I cooked the chicken on the stovetop and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Next, I made a roux. I actually made half of what the recipe called for and it was still WAY too much. I don’t like white sauce too much, plus it’s really fattening. So, I’m moderating the recipe a bit so next time I remember to make just a little bit. Then I made the crepes, folded them and lined them in a bottom of a baking dish, layering the cooked chicken, some white sauce, and two crepes to cover them on top. Sprinkle it with cheese (just a tinnnny bit of shredded cheese), and broil until the top is kind of crispy.

Next time I make it, I’m going to add some vegetables like tomatoes and mushrooms, but I didn’t have any fresh on hand. So, anyways… it turned out great and T.J. was very impressed that I had done my makeup and hair! But the sad thing about all of it was that at the end of the night, I was so tired/sick with the cold I didn’t feel like going on our date. Oh well!

Crepes

¾ cup of milk
½ cup water
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sugar

White Sauces

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups milk
salt & pepper
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Your opinion?

So a couple of people have told me that I should watch some birth videos before I have this babe. Back in high school, I closed my eyes for the Miracle of Birth. Back then, I was so disturbed by the idea of all of this, I told my mom that I was never going to the “lady doctor” and if they forced me, I would want to be put to sleep before the doctor came in and wake up after he left. I finally got over that, and after having so many doctor’s appointments when you’re prego, it’s is not a big deal at all. BUT it still leaves me at the fact that I haven’t seen a birth before. I keep looking them up and almost watching them online but then chicken out.

What do you think? Do you think I should go deliver this baby knowing what is ahead of me and watch the videos? Or should I go in there blind? I’m thinking blind… ignorance is bliss, right?

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