Spicy Magnolia

We Caved

Mirriam-Webster defines the verb “cave” as “to cease to resist—to submit”. That’s exactly what we did.

When Matt and Brennan ventured to Chick-fil-A for breakfast after our 4D ultrasound two weeks ago, I wrapped up my appointment meeting with the physician’s assistant whereby she gave me two important things: 1) the icky orange drink for my glucose test and 2) a sealed envelope as per my very spontaneous request.

We sat through the 45 minute ultrasound appointment not wincing once about the gender. Based on the ultrasound, I would say Skittles was a boy, maybe because the profile pictures looked so similar to that of Brennan’s, and well, you always see things that make you wonder, “I bet that was…you know.” Our family was captivated by the images we saw before us that they at least distracted us for awhile. Weeks leading up to the appointment, it was getting harder and harder to not know. For Brennan’s pregnancy, it didn’t seem difficult to wait, but this time, it was eating at me.

When I joined the boys for breakfast and told Matt a sealed envelope with the gender secret was sitting in the car if we ever wanted to open it, he was astonished. He couldn’t believe I was the one who was caving in, because in the past, I’ve been the one strong enough to hold out. In fact, he was caught so off guard, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. He did a complete flip on me and was holding ground to wait.

So wait we did. The envelope was a burning force in our home constantly beckoning me. Temptation with a capital T. I was at times tempted to secretly open it by myself, but I promised Matt I wouldn’t. Most of the time I wanted the precious secret to be revealed, but there was a nagging unsettledness in me wondering if it was because I wasn’t trusting God with the baby He’d set apart for us from the very beginning. Not that I think finding out the gender of a baby is innately wrong or that it’s a trust issue for everyone, but I had to make sure that it wasn’t an issue in my heart before I could find out. Mostly because I’d always envisioned having one of each gender. I am amazed at how completely head over heals I am with baby boys and would gladly love a brother for Brennan; it was a matter of giving over years’ of envisioning having one of each, probably because that’s what is in my family of origin. I also didn’t want to be eaten with guilt for finding out or feel anticlimactic. So I wrestled. Daily. Several times a day. Vacillating back and forth. So wait we did.

We had dinner with our dear buddies, Chris and Jill, four days later on the Sunday before her doctor’s appointment where she was planning on asking her doctor if there was a way for her to have her c-section that day instead of waiting another week and a half. As we scarfed down our Rudy’s sausage like we hadn’t eaten in years, I threw out a wild proposal. Again, completely spontaneously.

I told her that if the doctor said “yes” to delivering the next day and she went ahead and had baby boy Hays, I would open the envelope and find out whether Skittles was a boy or a girl in her honor. She’s always dying to know, threatening to find out from the doctor since we have the same one. Somehow, Matt just laughed at me, likely thinking ‘slim chance’ she’ll have Hays the next day.

Fast forward to Monday. Jill’s body was saying, “No, not yet”.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning. I groggily pulled myself out of bed and read through Facebook status updates; I know, not the greatest first read of the morning. But that morning, it would be a marker for two families. Behold, Jill’s water had broke and she was on her way to the hospital to deliver Hays! We’d missed the birth by one day! I say ‘missed’ because she lives in Dallas but was set to deliver in Austin, so we missed seeing Hays in Austin by one day and the wild proposal of finding out Skittles’ gender was also foregone.

That morning, the desire to find out boy or girl was so strong I couldn’t take it anymore. And I’d had time to speak with Jesus about my heart and submit to His plan, to cave into Him.

Matt was still in the shower when I said with a gleaming smile, “I want to open the envelope. We missed the agreement with Jill by just a day. Let’s still do it.” As if that would hold any real sway with him. But he said, “Ok, we’ll do it this morning when Brennan wakes up.” He was also pretty excited and ready.

The two of us bounded upstairs with the envelope burning in Matt’s hand, walked into Brennan’s room to greet him for the morning and open up his blinds to let in the sunshine. It was a gorgeous morning on Tuesday, April 19th.

The three of us sat on the floor next to Brennan’s train set and let the moment sink in. It felt surreal and wonderful and life-changing all at the same time. We prayed together as a family, submitting this before Him, recognizing the precious gift of life He’s blessing us with, asking that we wouldn’t feel guilty but joyous in the discovery of the amazing secret only He has known from the beginning.

After praying, the boys sat across from me, Brennan on Matt’s lap and my hands held open before Jesus to receive the announcement. Brennan has been learning the sounds of the letters so he and Matt slowly opened the envelope together and Matt asked Brennan, “What sound does this letter make?”

Stay tuned in tomorrow for the outcome…

Just kidding! That would be cruel, yet fun <grin>.

If I remember correctly, Matt had to ask Brennan what the sound of the letter was twice and finally, the sound of the ‘G’ came perfectly formed out of the mouth of my priceless boy who is going to be a great big brother.

Yep, there on the piece of paper that had been carefully sealed was the written message, “Congrats! You are having a baby GIRL!”

We are thrilled and so thankful for this healthy, precious gift, and we can’t wait to meet her!

Jill happened to be the first person we called, having found out in her honor of course <grin>. An hour before Hays’ delivery, she knew we were having the baby girl she was so sure we were having.

Caving in was delightful. Knowing in my heart I caved into Jesus’ plans first made it all the sweeter.

Simply trusting,

*Forgive me for any typos or errors; I’m just so excited to get this out to y’all I haven’t edited or crafted it very well.

 

Recipes to Tantalize Your Taste Buds

With a piece of my Momma’s chocolate cream pie next to me, my toddler asleep upstairs for hopefully at least an hour, and Rachael Ray on TV, it feels like the perfect time to post a couple of recipes I’ve made lately that were huge hits with my family and special guests. They’re fairly easy as well, one perfect for a family dinner option and one perfect to serve guests during the summer for a special occasion or a fun dessert option. 

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

This is superb! I came upon this recipe in a fun recipe exchange some of us participated in at play group. The original source is unknown. You can use either corn or flour tortillas. If you zap the corn tortillas for a few seconds to soften them, they will be easier to roll, or you can easily layer the casserole instead.

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce (I prefer the Hatch red sauce)
• 1 can chopped green chiles (again Hatch brand is my preference)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• eight large flour tortillas, or approx. 16 white corn tortillas
• 1 cup salsa
• 3 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown the meat and add taco seasoning and water. In another skillet, sauté garlic and onion. Add beans, sauce, and green chiles. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Roll up, place seam side down in lightly greased baking dish. Spoon sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until warmed through and bubbly. You can top with chopped green onions and/or salsa. Other side suggestions include a side salad of chopped lettuce and tomatoes and Mexican rice. Guacamole would be a wonderful, indulgent side as well.

Lemon-Almond Tarts

A recipe from Southern Living, June 2010, I was first introduced to these treats a year ago when Jillie made them for us. I am not a huge lemon fan, but these had me at first bite. They’re the perfect addition for a Ladies’ Tea or an Easter brunch.

Vanilla Wafer Crusts

• 75 vanilla wafers
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Lemon-Almond Filling

• 1 (7-oz.) package almond paste
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 TBSP melted butter
• 2/3 cup lemon curd
• 2 (6-oz.) packages fresh raspberries

1. Prepare crusts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse vanilla wafers in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together crushed wafers, powdered sugar, and butter in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture on bottom and up sides of 6 lightly greased 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms.* Place on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely (about 30 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, prepare filling: reduce oven temp to 325 degrees. Beat almond paste and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour mixture into crusts.**
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown around edges. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Spread 1.5 TBSP onto each tart. Cover and chill 1-24 hours. Remove tarts from pans, and top with raspberries just before serving.

* You can find these tart pans at Bed, Bath and Beyond for reasonable price.

** I goofed the first two times I made this recipe and included the lemon curd in the mixture with the almond paste, eggs, sugar and butter and baked all five ingredients together. It tasted just as yummy so I’ve actually modified the recipe and kept making it the goofy way.

One day, I hope to post my Momma’s chocolate cream pie recipe, the green chile corn bake, and the breakfast casserole she made for Easter. The problem: at least two of them are recipes stored in her head, family recipes! I’ve got to get them down on paper because I have a little guy who will want a chocolate cream pie for his next birthday, following in his momma’s sense of taste.

Enjoy friends, and stay tuned for some exciting and very unexpected news in the next couple of days!

Here’s a question for you: What good recipes do y’all have for hard boiled eggs? I’m at a loss and have a dozen eggs I’d like to use in something <grin>.

Simply trusting,

 

 

Easter Weekend

Last week we were counting down the hours until a certain loved one named Pops made his way back to Texas from Florida to spend Easter weekend with us. Our home was bustling with preparation and excitement. Mees and the puppies drove up from San Antonio, and we commenced the weekend together Friday afternoon with Easter egg dying. It was much less messier than last year’s Easter egg dying.

 

What do all Texans crave after being away from their home State for a number of days? Mexican food, baby! We hit Chuy’s and savored every bite. We rolled out of there with smiles on our faces, but I was crushed that I forgot two wonderful boxes of leftovers in the trunk of the car. Sacrilege! We went to Good Friday service, which was filled with powerful testimonies of the Lord’s grace and healing in the midst of trying, very painful hardships and difficulties…the messiness of this life that we all will walk through.

Saturday was a perfectly relaxing, lazy day at home. Pops and Mees took the boy when he woke up to get their weekend coffee at Starbucks while Matt and I enjoyed lingering in bed. Y’all, I stayed in my PJs all day! Everyone else was dressed, and I ate every meal at the table in my PJs, quite content not to change. After my shower before bed, I went from one set of PJs to another. So yes, I’m the glamorous one in some of these pictures. Saturday was an extended birthday celebration of mine, so that was my excuse <grin>.

For breakfast: Rudy’s tacos.

For snack after naptime: watermelon.

 

 

The boy was pretty much inseparable with Pops all weekend, and the puppies were a constant source of entertainment, perfect for an energetic toddler.

 

My momma labored in love this weekend, making an incredible birthday dinner! We snacked on crackers and cheese with wine spritzers (with special preggo ‘wine’ for me), then feasted on grilled beef kabobs with an assortment of fresh veggies, green chile corn bake, and a huge salad.

For dessert, we indulged in my momma’s homemade chocolate cream pie! Oh, y’all, it’s heavenly! She must know me pretty well and knew I’d enjoy having some extra slices this week, so she made two pies!

We have an extra person this year that had his first slice of chocolate cream pie, so all the more reason to make extra, because Brennan LOVED it! I mean, LOVED it! Here’s some proof (you'll be able to tell we were quite amused by him).

Pie! Mmmm, Pie! from Meg @ Spicy Magnolia on Vimeo.

Easter morning service was beautiful and gloriously celebratory, just as it should be.

By the way, the purple matching colors were not really planned. I bought my dress and Brennan’s outfit, which both happened to be purple but not on purpose. But then once Brennan and I both had purple, I dug out Matt’s purple tie and voila: matchy-matchy! Pops ended up wearing a new purple shirt, too.

Despite wearing a belt, I can never get Brennan’s shirt to stay tucked in.

 

 I love these two so much!

 

One of the very few pictures the hubby and I have of just the two of us in recent years <grin>.

 

I’ll always be a Daddy’s girl.

 

My boys. My priceless boys.

 

We went home and had a delectable brunch with a breakfast casserole my momma made; Wolferman’s English muffins (the best ever); an asparagus, tomato, and feta salad; and some lemon raspberry tarts I made. I’ll post some recipes soon; I have a lot to share!

My beautiful momma. We are standing next to my new squirrel-resistant bird feeder. I’m hoping for some regular sightings of cardinals and blue jays.

You might notice the little boy has a very dirty face in the picture above. It’s actually chocolate. He scored another piece of chocolate cream pie, and once again, it was like he was transported to heaven just with a single bite. I scored some lovies by giving him the piece, too.

 

 

Daddy had to leave early in the afternoon to head back to Florida and it was very sad to see he and Mees go. I haven’t been this sad about an anticipated event coming to an end in a long time. Brennan and Molly both wanted to leave with them.

 

After nap time, we gave Brennan his little Easter basket filled with a couple of water guns (which the boys had a blast with this afternoon), plastic tools, and the first ever sewing project I took on with my friend, Emily: a tool belt.

 

Then we went on a little Easter egg hunt. He was most in love with the plastic eggs filled with chocolate (that’s no surprise), but he also took an interest in the eggs filled with a bit of pocket change to put in his piggy bank.

Molly was interested in the chocolate as well.

 

Our little cowboy on “Bullseye”, hyped up on nothing else than chocolate!

 

Hope y’all had a wonderful Easter with your families! May the glory of His resurrection continue to be steeped in your souls.

A Winner and A Wee One

Hi, ladies and gents! This post is being written much later than I anticipated due to technical difficulties. The only reason I'm not pulling my hair out and screaming is because my hubby is a computer genius, and I simply passed along the problems to him to fix. He's still working out kinks, but at least I have a backup method of writing to share the news you've all been waiting for today!

I absolutely LOVED your comments! They made me laugh. They made me smile. And I have some awesome book recommendations to line up on my Kindle and movies on Netflix. The baby names are a good start for Matt! He's someone who needs time to process and think through major decisions, which for the most part, I appreciate. The downside is that I can wait forever and a day for him to make up his mind. We've discovered one thing in our marriage that helps us avoid conflict when it comes to how we differ in making decisions: he can process as long as he needs to about a decision until the deadline that I set is upon us <grin>. So babe, how about we say you have until June 1st to present your baby names to me?

Ok, drumroll please. The winner selected at random for the Reader Appreciation Giveaway is:

 

 

Number 5: Cassie! Congratulations, sweet friend! Let me know what fun giftcard you'd like to receive.Thank you all for participating!

As for the wee one, the three of us managed to make it out of the house early this morning for our 8 a.m. sonogram appointment. My friend, Tracy, who is pregnant with her third, happened to find out the difference between the 3D and 4D ultrasounds: "The 4th dimension is time, so if you get a video, it is 4D, if you just get still pictures, it is 3D." Nice...we have a 4D video!

It was incredible! Brennan did a great job sitting through the appointment, and we were all very excited to see Skittles on the big screen. When we walked in, we were told we had been scheduled for a sonogram for TWINS! Talk about feeling woozy. But alas, there is only one. Phew! One precious little baby that thankfully, is healthy and growing very well. Currently measuring at 1 lb. 7 oz., if Skittles keeps growing at that rate, the birth weight is estimated to be 7 lbs. 7 oz., just about the size Brennan was, with an estimated due date of July 31st, which sounds much better to me than extending it into August!

Skittles looks amazing and has very similar features and a profile like Brennan's in utero. Skittles is head down and very low. Oh, so low.

Nothing less than a God-given miracle!

You’re Appreciated: A Giveaway

*Updated deadline*

Normally, I’d be napping right now, but I had to get on this blog to drop my dear Internet peeps a note! We had a special guest in our home for ten days and are thankful for that time with her. Now, we’re getting back into the swing of things again, missing her company. I got used to having another adult around and talking like one! One of the most exciting things that is slated to occur this week is our 4D ultrasound with my OBGYN! A lot of people have asked me what the difference is between the 4D ultrasound versus the 3D. I have no idea. If any of you do, fill me in, but until I know for sure, I’ve simply told people 3D. But we’re so excited! We will take Brennan to the appointment to see Skittles. After a baby shower I attended this past weekend, it’s become much more difficult not to fall into the temptation of finding out if Skittles is a boy or a girl! It is so much harder this time around! But I think we’ll stay strong. Or maybe we’ll find out but won’t tell anyone <grin>. Just kidding. Although that would be a fun game to play with y’all.

Speaking of games, while I have a number of catch-up posts to write over the next week or so, I wanted to announce a fun giveaway! A few years ago, I randomly designated April 14th as my Reader Appreciation Day…a day to appreciate y’all, dear Internet peeps! You’ve sure stuck with me through the meaty and skimpy seasons of this blog (this obviously being a skimpy season <grin>), and it’s an honor for me to get to know you all better, to share life with you. April 14th also happens to be the day of our big ultrasound. So, here’s the deal. You have until Thursday, April 14th at 7 a.m. 2 p.m. CST to leave a comment on this blog to tell me any or all of the following:

• What’s your favorite movie?
• Offer a suggestion of a boy and/or girl name for Matt (I have names I love already, but hubby needs to get it goin,’ or I’ll be naming this child.)
• Something you’re looking forward to about the summer
• A favorite book recommendation
• The funniest thing you’ve heard lately

Sometime the afternoon of April 14th, not only will I post a prized picture of Skittles from the ultrasound, but I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments (one comment per person). The winner has a choice of a $25 gift card to one of the following: Amazon, Apple (the store or iTunes), Etsy, Zulily, or Starbucks.

I’m as sentimental as it gets, so I hope you truly know that it is a pleasure having you accompany me through this blog. I appreciate y’all!

Are you game?