Book Club: Tuesdays with Morrie

I am thrilled! I have just joined my first book club! A friend at work, Lindsey, invited me to join a book club that she is in. I absolutely love to read... so joining a book club is right up my alley! Lindsey mentioned it to me a few weeks ago. They have met a few times before, but were looking for some new members. I was honored that they asked me to join.

They are already chosen the book for the month of February, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. I read this book several, several years ago... I think maybe in college. I loved it and loved the "life lessons" that were shared throughout the book.

At book club we eat dinner and then discuss the book. One person, who is in charge for the month, brings questions then we discuss. It's a blast!

Tuesdays with Morrie is about a relationship between an older college professor and one of his students. The relationship dwindles after the young man graduates from college, but then is rekindled when he hears that his beloved teacher, Morrie,  is dying. Every Tuesday he makes the trip to visit his professor and they share life lessons together. One common thread that kept coming up in our discussion was Morrie's attitude. He remained so positive even though he was on his death bed. He found the good in everything and in every circumstance.

I highly recommend this book. It's an easy read and not too long!

At the end of book club, the host presents three books to read for the next month. Then everyone votes on what they would like to read. We voted for Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. I received his new book for Christmas, but haven't read it yet. So I am super excited! Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors!

Good Memories

This past weekend one of my good friends from Auburn got married. Christina Smith became a Christina Wagoner on Saturday. She and Mike make a perfect pair. I absolutely love Mike too! They are honeymooning in St. Lucia right now, which I am extremely jealous of!

Christina and I met our Freshman year at Auburn. We both pledged Alpha Chi and both lived in the Quad. I remember when she called me up during the Fall to go to a social with her. I barely knew her, but went anyways. Of course we had a blast! I still remember the social was "Red or Dead" (dress up like a redneck or a dead head). The one picture I have of us from that social is too bad to post. Christina would teach me how to dance at the socials, since I was a terrible, terrible dancer. Here is picture from our Spring Formal Freshman year.

Our friendship continued, and I spent many days and nights in her room on the hall sophomore year. Junior and Senior year I was the Palace Girls (where Tina and five of my other close friends lived) "other roommate." We had so much fun together and so many memories!

This is one of my favorite pics of the Alpha Chi Girls. This was before our Carnation Ball our Junior Year. Here I am with the "Palace Girls" and a few extras! 

Christina was in my wedding and I really wanted to be there for her wedding... 

I had full intentions of attending the wedding, but after my "episode" with kidney stones I just wasn't sure about making the trek to the big ATL. I prayed about it all week, and finally Thursday night I just didn't have a peace about going. I felt like I needed to stay here and rest. I think this was the right thing to do. That may have been my last weekend of rest. The last two days I have not slept well at all... we are talking I have slept maybe 4 hours each night. I just can't get comfortable and my lower back is killing me. I am praying for some rest tonight, and maybe hitting the hay at any minute.

For something a little fun this weekend, since I was bummed about the wedding, Gunter and I went and had pictures made... and of course Heath had to join us. I found a great photographer in Enterprise. I adore her and am pleased with the pictures. She is going to take John Turner's newborn pictures too. I'll post some pictures soon!

I also went to the doctor today for my 32 week check-up. Everything is going well, and I am pleased with my progress, except for the weight gain ;(    I think that it is mainly water-weight or so I am hoping. I am thirsty all of the time! Only 8 weeks left and I hope that it flies by!

The glider also came today! Yippee! I will post pictures of that too... when I can find my camera cord. It's still MIA.

Yummy Strawberry Cake!

This has been an interesting week... I woke up early Monday morning with terrible back pain. I was in tears, and Gunter had to get up and get me my heating pad and some Tylenol. I didn't go back sleep. When I got up, I was feeling a little better, but not great. I called the doctor. I went in to see him, and he told me that I had passed another kidney stone! This is horrible! I have had two kidney stones since I have been pregnant, and passed four before I was pregnant. This summer I am going to the urologist to figure out why I continue to have stones.

I am feeling much better.... and still in the Valentine's Day mood. Tomorrow is our Valentine's party at school, so I just finished addressing the Valentines to the kids in my class! I all this talk of pink and sweets has made me want a delicious dessert - like Strawberry Cake!

I love strawberries! I can't wait for the strawberry patch to open right outside of town. They have the most delicious strawberries! I did find some yummy strawberries at Publix. I had a delicious Strawberry Cake at a shower the other weekend. I begged the friend that made it for the recipe. She sent it to me the other week, and I made a Strawberry Cake for another friend who just had a baby, passed some out at school, and Gunter and I ate the rest by ourselves!

Here is the recipe for Strawberry Cake, compliments of Shari Crim...

1 package of white cake mix

1 package of strawberry jello

1 cup of oil

1/2 cup of water

4 eggs

1/2 chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 3 cake pans. Mix first 5 ingredients. Add strawberries. Bake for 25 minutes.

Icing: 

1 stick of butter

1 box of powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Let cake cool before icing. Shari usually make 1 1/2 of the icing recipe, and I did the same. Keep cake in the refrigerator. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. 

The cake is very moist and delicious! A must try, because it's easy and strawberries are in season! 

I wish that I could say this is my picture... but it is not. 

I can't find the cord to connect my camera to the computer :(

This picture is just a one layer cake, my cake was 3 layers - more icing, more yummy! 

Thanks Shari for letting me share your recipe! 

Nursery Update: Curtains and Bedding

Finally I have a minute to sit down and post some pictures of the nursery! I have just a few more thank you notes to write, but they can wait a few minutes....

The nursery is really coming together and it makes me so excited! Now all we need is a little baby! He will be here before we know it. I can't believe that I am already 30 weeks. Only 10 weeks left. It has flown by! I can't wait to see what God has in store for our family in 2011!

Without further adieu here are the new pictures from the nursery!

Relaxed Roman Shade on the window. 

Fabric is the blue and green houndstooth that I found from New York. 

Panels that open and close. 

Also in the blue and green houndstooth. 

The bassinet is going to be moved and the rocker will go in front of the window! 

The crib is ready! 

Bedskirt is in the green fabric with gray and blue circles. 

The bumper pads are green and white gingham on the outside and white fabric on the inside. 

I monogrammed the bumper pads! I was so proud of myself! 

Close up of the bumper pads. 

This is the bedspread that was in the green bedroom before it was turned into the nursery. 

Mom made a pillow out of a green, white and gray plaid for the bed.

The piping around the inside of the pillow is the houndstooth in the curtains. 

You can see a tiny bit of the rug in the bottom of the picture. It's a gray "shag" rug. 

Mom found this when she was cleaning the other day! 

My grandmother, MeMe, made all of her grandchildren shoe holders. 

The bottom house on the left is her chicken house. Growing up she used to raise chickens. 

I loved it! John Turner only has one pair of shoes, but I know he will soon get some more! 

Our glider/rocker is supposed to be shipped today. So hopefully it will arrive in about 5 days. My plan is to put it in front of the big windows. The bassinet will be moved to our bedroom. I am finishing the bumper pads for that. Pictures to come soon! Once the glider gets here then I will hang all of the artwork and pictures on the wall! It's all coming together! 

Thanks to my mom for all of the hard work that she put into the curtains, bumper pads and pillows! 

The Craziness of Life

I know I said that I would post pics of my nursery next time... but life has been a little crazy. And honestly, I have not even put up all of the gifts that we received from the shower yet. More are streaming in on a daily basis! Thank you and more on that in a minutes. At the end of the week before last, I woke up with a  terrible ear ache. I have not had an ear infection since I was at Auburn! When I was little I lived with an ear infection year- round. I am praying John Turner does not do the same.

Around lunchtime I decided I needed to go to the ENT to get this checked out. Sure enough I had the beginning stages of an ear infection. That is terrible pain! I was prescribed an antibiotic and started feeling better the next week (last week). But on Friday, my ear started hurting again.  I knew that I couldn't make it through the weekend, so I called the ENT. No appointments. I decided just to head to the "doc-in-a-box" and see what they said. The doctor there prescribed me some drops to use for the rest of the weekend, until I could make it back to the ENT.

So Friday night, Gunter put the drops in my ear (which was supposed to be 10, but they came out so fast... no telling how many drops I got!) Then I put some pain relieving drops in my ear. About an hour and  a half later I got up to brush my teeth and I noticed that my mouth felt a little weird. I walked into the bathroom and this is what I saw....

Ok... maybe I am exaggerating a little bit. But my not too much! The left side of my face was so swollen. My lip was huge, my left nostril was swollen, my eye, not sure about my ear.... didn't even look I was so upset. So I decided not to put the drops in anymore.

Sure enough when I went back to the ENT today, he said that I was allergic to an antibiotic in the first drops that I used. Stay away from those!

But to make my day better I got home to find this sitting at my door...

A box from Tiffany's always makes your day much better. It was a gift for John Turner from my dear friend Stefani, who lives in New York and couldn't make it to my Birmingham shower. Inside I found this...

Adorable keepsake dishes for John Turner! 

Thanks Stef! 

Gunter wanted to open the gift, but when I saw it was from Tiffany's and wrapped in bubble wrap, I advised him to be very careful. I can't tell you how many dishes he has broken from just unloading the dishwasher! 

Well, I am off to shower for my friend from work, Kara, who is due four weeks before me! I am taking this... 

Onesies I appliqued for her! 

Pictures of the nursery coming next post! I promise!