Brianne says,

"Happy October!"

Still Thinking Pink

I've been working with my team, Annie's Angels to raise money for breast cancer research. Each member of the team needs to raise at least $2300 in order to walk. One of my teammates (way to go Aunt Muff!) has already surpassed her minimum, but the rest of us are still working at it.

We are having a garage sale this Saturday. If you would like to donate anything for us to sell, please contact me. Thanks for your help and support!

Fringe Benefits

I realize no one will be offering me a contract as a hand model, but I wanted to get a picture of my nails.  They only grow this long when I am pregnant.  It isn't just the prenatal vitamins, because I have taken those at other times when I wasn't pregnant and it didn't have the same results.  I am grateful for a little bonus like this, especially since morning sickness has returned with a vengance this week.  Thanks to Marianne for taking the picture.  She did her best, but told me there was no way to hide my wrinkles!

Cupcake Heaven, Finally!

I know that Marianne is the cupcake expert in the family.  Thanks to her, I have eaten (too) many delicious cupcakes and visited most of the cupcake bakeries in San Diego.  We have both been disappointed in the cupcakes we've found close to home.  I won't name names, but one neighborhood store we visited was downright disgusting. We wholeheartedly recommend Sprinkles in LaJolla and Babycakes in Hillcrest, but both of those are a bit of a drive for us.  Plus, it is also tough to find parking in Hillcrest and you have to be comfortable with the rainbow rich environment there.

Finally, we have a delicious local alternative!  Cupcakes and Beyond has just opened.  They make fabulous cupcakes with organic ingredients.  They are in a convenient shopping center and are cheaper than Sprinkles or Babycakes.  Plus they have discounts for 6 or more cupcakes!

Here are the ones we tried:

Clockwise from upper left:   
Raspberry Lemonade is perfect!  It is slightly tart with a fresh raspberry on top.
Carrot Cake doesn't look fancy, but it is full of good stuff.  I know some of you are haters, but seriously this is wonderful.  The cream cheese frosting is just right--not sickly sweet.
Chocolate has a great ganache filling.  This is the chocolate cupcake you've been waiting for.  Yum!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut has the perfect taste and texture--not too dry and not overly moist with a crunch on top.

If you're in the area, give them a try.  The storefront is very simple and it looks like they are in the process of decorating. They are a brand new business that just opened and I'd really like to see them around for long time!

Another Surprise

Leighton Anne made her arrival tonight!

She is 6 lbs 9 oz

19 inches long

and

very beautiful!

Do You Want the Truth?

I have been thinking about my Mom today.  I think about her every day, but today she has been in my thoughts more than usual.  It is nearly a year since she died.  Last year at this time my sister and I were taking turns at her bedside in the hospital.

One year ago, I already knew my mom would not recover. A week previously, I had spent a sleepless night on the cloud bed* listening to her breathe, ready to help her at any moment.  I prayed over and over for her to recover.  Then a horrible thought entered my mind.  "What if she doesn't make it?"  No one at the hospital had even hinted at such a possibility. So I asked God the question, waiting for comfort and reassurance.  "Heavenly Father, Mom isn't going to die is she?"  The answer came quickly, but it was not the one I wanted.  I couldn't even begin to imagine life without my mom.  I sobbed and sobbed, only stopping because Mom needed help and sadly, protection from the hospital staff.

In the morning I tried to deny the answer I had received, hoping it was just a terrible dream. I wasn't sure why God had told me the awful truth.  Probably because I asked.  But no one else seemed to be able to see it.  And I didn't feel it was my place to tell them. One of Mom's doctors didn't believe she was dying until the day before she went home for hospice.

I know that God only speaks the truth.  He gave it to me gently and only when I asked, but it was still almost too much for me to bear.  Yet, I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father is a God of truth.  He will never deceive or manipulate me.  I can trust Him to always do what is right and what is best for me, even if I don't understand it.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 

*Cloud bed is the sarcastic name I gave to the fold-out chair that Jenny & I took turns sleeping on.  It was like laying on springs and metal bars.  To try and ease the discomfort, I asked for extra pillows.  I put them over the so-called mattress and then fitted the sheet on top of them.  As long as I didn't move or roll over (ha!) it was almost bearable.  Looking back, I should have brought an eggshell pad from home, but at the time it never occurred to me.  I guess the physical pain just seemed appropriate at a time of such emotional anguish.

A Month From Now . . .

I will have a beautiful new granddaughter.
Elder Aaron will be in the MTC learning Korean.
My dad and Carolyn will be married in the San Diego Temple.
I will only have one month left to train for the 3-Day Walk.
I will have my bedroom closet and my kitchen cupboards cleaned and organized.
I will be 5 months pregnant.
I still won't know the sex of the baby. (That is about 6 weeks away.)


And to answer Rachel's question:  I only had 1 ultrasound with Ryan and none with Aaron so I didn't know they were boys until they were born. (My doctor was old-fashioned and low-tech.  He didn't even have one in his office.  BUT, he was awesome.  He called me personally before he went away for the weekend, just to make sure I didn't have any signs of labor.) I found out Marianne was a girl about 6 weeks before she was born.  My doctor thought Evan was a boy, but never got a good enough view to be certain.  Now with ultrasounds being much more common and accurate, I am excited to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl.  I definitely don't need to wait to be surprised.  Just being pregnant is surprise enough!