Happy, Happy Birthday

To my amazingly wonderful and exceptionally handsome hubby.

I love you, Corey Maple, and am so blessed and happy that you were born on this day...for me. :)

Leaving, on a jet plane...

For Seattle.

So happy. So excited.

Corey is in a wedding on Saturday. And then we are staying...to celebrate our birthdays.

Mine is the 7th. His is the 10th.

And, the 49ers, his favorite team, is playing in Seattle on the 6th. So, yes, we're going. To endure the cold. The blustery, rainy cold weather. Which I love.

And...and...our hotel is, mmm...one block from Anthro and Urban. And H&M.

Like I said...so happy. So excited.

Enjoy your week :)

Happiest Turkey Day,

To You.

Thank you,

So. Excited.
The time is finally here.

Time to eat, that is.

And give thanks.
Lots of that, indeed.

Now, off to Pazzo's, with C in tow, for Pint Night.
Newcastle. I am thankful for you.

Have a lovely Wednesday night.
I sure will.
Am so thankful. Am so blessed.

So it's Tuesday...

Exhausted tonight. Not quite sure why. Just got home from yoga....which I struggled through...which was...disappointing. Usually I'm so determined and come home feeling so energized and refreshed. And, tonight...simply tired.

Anyway, I'm sulking in my self-disappointment. Thinking of all the delicious Turkey Day meals ahead, and thoroughly convincing myself (and working quite hard to convince C...I think I almost have him) that we need to go...


here.

Agreed?

I certainly think so.

....and....most importantly, a Hudson update. I guess the Doctors have said that some babies heal quickly, and some slowly. Unfortunately for the Harris family, and all those worried and praying for Hudson, he's a slow healer. He's still in ICU, still struggling to regulate his own body functions, in serious condition though, not critical. So, he's not quite out of the woods, and is progressing slowly, but being such a little trooper and really working hard to pull through. So, please keep praying. And thinking about Bo, Geneva and baby Hud. He needs strength, and I know they do as well :)

Goodnight, ya'll. Goodbye, Tuesday.

Have such a good Wednesday.

Sigh of relief.

So happy tonight for the Harris family. For those of you awaiting the update, surgery went well. Not without a bit of a scare, but the Doctor's were able to take care of this little man and that teenie little heart of his. So, so happy. Not only for baby Hudson and his new chance at life, but for Bo and Geneva, and the inevitable sigh of relief they must be feeling. God has given them a healthy baby boy to bring home and love on.

Love you guys. So much. Love you, little H-man. Can't wait to feed you chocolate cake. And ice cream. And include you in our kitchen dance parties. And teach you all the embarrassing things your parents never wanted you to know about them. Because your heart is strong, and we can do that now :)

Hmm...

So it's been raining. All day. And I've been driving. All day. Which means I've had time to think...maybe too much...about too many things:

{brilliant photo above via Made You Blush}

Have I told you I'm obsessed with Bikram Yoga? If not, I am.

I want to go on vacation. Like, to the beach. And lay in a hammock. All day.

I want another dog. A bigger dog. A wheaten terrier, named Barley. So I can teach him to hang out the very back window of the 4Runner. (Poppy can't quite figure that one out).

I'm terrified of spiders. But I would probably eat one if I could only have a dishwasher. A real one. Not me. Or C.

C is off to Vegas this weekend. I should be sad. (I am). But, I'm also secretly excited to sit around and do nothing. Except read. And get a pedicure. And organize our closet. And make Christmas decorations. And watch movies...that he would loathe. And go to Bikram Yoga. Everyday. Maybe twice a day. Just kidding...but really, everday. And...go shopping? Hmm...

I want to be Martha Stewart. Not really. I just want to be able to hire all the brilliant people that work under her and make her millions. Yes, that would be nice.

I want to go to Guatemala. And Ethiopia. And love on all the babies and children and people who need love more than anyone else I can think of.

I want to adopt.

I can't wait for Seattle. In December. And sleeping in. Drinking coffee. In Pike Place. The Pike Place. And watching sea planes land in the Sound. And celebrating our bdays.

I sometimes think C is brilliant. Or maybe all the time. You should see (or taste) what he does in the kitchen. And he just makes it up. I mean...come on. I have to follow a dang recipe.

So...yes. Too much time to think. Thank you rain. And windshield wipers. And my job.



Oh, by the way...please remember my good friends in the morning (see post below). Surgery is 7 a.m.!

Big prayers for little H.

We're really needing each and everyone's support in prayers throughout the rest of this week. Our good friends, Bo and Geneva brought sweet baby Hudson into this world this past July. He's such a little gift, straight from God, and has blessed Bo and Neeva to no end...not to mention all of his "Aunts and Uncles," myself generously included. This little man is so wonderful....such a delight...and he needs all the prayer and support he can get at the moment.

Baby Hudson will be undergoing an extensive open-heart surgery this coming Thursday, November 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio. This sweet baby boy was born with a heart that simply doesn't function properly, which can be a common health concern among down syndrome infants. My heart hurts...so much...for baby H...and his parents. Life has a tendency of throwing us challenges, and I know this surgery must be one of the biggest for such wonderful, loving parents.

Please pray that the surgery on Thursday will be performed perfectly...that the surgeon's and nurses' hands will be blessed, and that baby H and his heart will be blessed with an undeniable strength....that he will endure the surgery just fine...and have an incredibly fast, smooth and blessed recovery.

Please pray that Bo and Geneva will find absolute peace in their hearts and their minds the rest of this week, especially on Thursday. Pray that there will be no fear...only excitement and anticipation to be able to raise a healthy baby boy with a strong heart that functions perfectly. Please, please...pray for the Harris family. And if prayer isn't quite your style, please, please keep them in your thoughts.

* photographs complements of the ever-so-talented Kristin Tatem Photography.

B, for Banana.

:::

So, C came home from work the other night with an armful of overly ripe bananas. He was so excited to bring them home to me, calling me and saying he had a surprise, and, I have to say, I was just as excited to receive them! So I've been baking. And baking some more. And it's been lovely. Last night C and I made a family staple--the banana cake that we all love so much we served it as dessert at our wedding. It didn't disappoint. And tonight I continued the banana bake-a-thon by whipping up my favorite healthy banana bread recipe. It's torture sitting here waiting for it to cool, so I thought I'd distract myself and pass along the recipe to all of you.

To bake a loaf of your very own healthy banana bread, you will need:

1/3 C natural apple sauce
3/4 C brown sugar
3 egg whites
2-3 very ripe, mashed bananas (I use 3, of course).
1/3 C water
1 2/3 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

After digging around your pantry and accumulating the above ingredients, you will:

Preheat your oven to 350.
Mix apple sauce and sugar.
Stir in eggs, then bananas, then water.
Stir in dry ingredients.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

*A few tidbits I feel compelled to share:

My loaf always bakes much more quickly than 60 min. Tonight 40 minutes happened to be the magic number. Keep a close eye out.

I add at least one more little dollop of apple sauce to ensure against dryness. Very precise, I know. :)

Two bananas certainly does not satisfy mine or my husband's palette. Three hardly does. Use your taste buds' discretion.

And, enjoy, knowing that you are biting away at a delightful loaf of bread made with wholesome ingredients. No processed, white sugar or white flour.

Mmm...this will surely make my morning.

Get-a-way.

::: , via :::

Trying to pack,

:::

to take a trip,

:::

to the sea coast,

:::

where time drifts slowly,

:::

to celebrate our very first wedding anniversary.

Cheers to a lovely October weekend.