A City Life For Me

My first trimester is coming to a close soon .   I seem to have entered a new phase.  Breakfast doesn’t make me nauseous anymore.  I’m getting up earlier in the morning and surviving on no nap or a short nap (as opposed to many naps or long naps).  My back is killing me!  I couldn’t stand in the choir on Sunday or during the invitation.  The medical bills for lab work and the ultrasound are starting to arrive.  Having a baby is expensive!!!    I would describe right now as the “I can’t sleep at night – my back hurts – everything I eat gives me heartburn – my clothes don’t fit right – I have a headache” stage.  It’s the sleeping and the heartburn that is killing me!  When I have cravings it is usually Chick-fil-A nuggets and fries or a Panera turkey sandwich and Asian chicken salad.  I could eat them every day!  Unfortunately my budget won’t allow that.   So that’s it…the pregnancy so far.  12 weeks, 5 ...

Today I decided to finish up a couple of projects that have been in the “to do” pile for a while.  This is one of them…a visualized children’s song that our Pastor likes to sing in the Sunday School opening.  It can sound pretty awful from a group of unenthusiastic adults, but with a piano and a group of kids it is a great song.  Here it is - “Get the New Look from the Old Book.”         I was pleased with the graphics I was able to find, and the whole thing only took me about an hour to complete.  Why didn’t I finish it earlier???

  Today I picked up my first baby clothes!  I couldn’t resist the great bargains at the thrift store.  Two of them have baseball stuff on them – to make Daddy Ben happy!  (No, I’m not saying it’s a boy.  Even if it’s a girl Ben will have her throwing a ball before long).  I have a baby afghan in progress, I picked up some cloth diapers on clearance, and the wipes & baby wash were nearly free with coupons!

We live in Emerald Point Apartments.  Our court is next to the swimming pool, which is very poorly maintained.  About a week after they covered it for the winter the cover came off on a corner.  It was never fixed.  Recently the whole cover was removed, although they won’t drain, clean, and refill the pool for over a month.    There is a family of ducks that usually shows up when the cover is taken off.  The other day I threw some bread crumbs into the pool area for them to eat.  Today when I parked in front of the pool, I was surprised to see 12 little ducklings swimming single file, spanning the length of the pool.  Meet the newest residents of Emerald Point!   These are the male ducks – I have named them Harry & Willie   Meet the fam!  It’s a little hard to see, but there are about a dozen ducklings there.  Apparently Harry or Willie is a daddy!  Mamma’s name is Daisy.

It’s a tradition my mom started…take a family picture at church on Resurrection Sunday.  I carried it over to my new family, although Ben is not always thrilled about getting his picture taken!       Ben, Andrea, and Baby

I attended the Virginia Beach Tax Day Tea Party on April 15, 2009.  I enjoyed myself, but it would have been more fun if I would have had a “buddy” to go with me.  The PA system was very poor, and even in the middle of the crowd I could not hear most of the speakers.    Former US Representative Thelma Drake, who was voted out in November, addressed the group.  She shared about the opposition she received when she voted against the T.A.R.P bill and stimulus packages last fall.  It was an excellent speech.   Here are some pictures of some of the signs. It was reported the the interstates were jammed as people tried to exit at the Tea Party.  Our US Senator Jim Webb (D) refused to acknowledge the Tea Party taking place right outside his office.   The front and back of my sign   “Keep the Change!  And let us keep ours”   Left: “The problem with socialism is the eventually you run out of other people’s money: R...

Here’s wishing you a blessed Resurrection Day as we celebrate our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!   “ He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6

We had our first ultrasound today.  Actually they call it a “pregnancy confirmation appointment.”  Now that the doctor has said I am pregnant, I really am pregnant!  They do this ultrasound to confirm that baby is there, and I will have my actual first OB visit in about a month.  I am 10 weeks along, and here is our first sighting of baby!   You can see the little leg sticking up in the air!   Baby has his hand up by his head!  (By the way we don’t know it’s a he and we aren’t planning to find out until baby arrives!)

  Join conservatives across the country in a nationwide tax day “tea party” reminiscent of the Boston Tea Party of the American Revolution.  Speak out against socialism, higher taxes, bail-outs, and generational theft.  Visit this website for more information, to locate your local tea party location, and to R.S.V.P your involvement.

This recipe came from Gizelle Greene in Shelby, NC.  I enjoyed it so much I thought I would share it with you!   Ingredients: 1 lb. lean ground beef 1 med. onion 1 can Veg-All mixed vegetables 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies 1 can cream style corn 1 box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice 1 large can tomato juice Muenster cheese   Instructions: Brown beef and onion, drain grease.  Add other ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for one hour.  Serve with shredded muenster cheese and bread.  It is so easy, and so filling!  Perfect for a rainy day!

I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get the last of the Israel pictures posted.  I was gone last week to attend the 20th Anniversary Bible Conference at Ambassador Baptist College, and I was sick before that.   Our last day in Israel was not as busy.  We went to the Davidson Center which is a museum on the Southern side of the Temple Mount.  We explored the southern side of the temple wall and saw the Hulda Gates and ritual baths through which people would have passed to get to the Temple.  We went to an outdoor market, and then had some time to pack before our visit to the Garden Tomb.  After our last dinner at the hotel we went to the airport and the rest is history!   This is Ben and I next to the Temple Wall.  You can see how large the stones are that were used to construct the wall.  The we are standing in front of is called a Herod Stone because King Herod had all the edges of the stones beveled.   This view looks over t...