Dyed Rice

Oh goodness! Does time fly or what? It's been 3 months since I have posted! I am finally to the point of actually taking pictures and posting of the things that we have been doing. I started homeschooling Hannah in September, the same time that I had Gianna, crazzzzyyyy!! But now that Gianna is 4 months old, I am at a point where things are easier most days! Hence posting a creative activity post!

So, what spurred on the dying of rice? My husband's phone took a wash in the washing machine and he tried drying it out by putting it in a bowl of rice. It helped a little bit but he needs to buy a phone. He can receive calls but can't make any and cannot see what is on the screen of his phone. So, what do you do with rice that can't be used besides throwing it out?? Dyed Rice!!

Materials:
- white rice
- rubbing alcohol
- food coloring
-mason jars with lids (I used two because that is all I had)
-a net or strainer (I used an fish net from our fish that passed on)
-paper towels (LOTS)

I used for each jar:
4 tbsp of rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup of rice for each color
4 drops of food coloring
(I used some gel coloring and just let Hannah squirt it until it was the color that she wanted)

Stir coloring until dissolved. Add rice. Shake and let it sit until after you make the next color.

While you are waiting....play around like we did!

This was my favorite color! It sort of looked Turquoise.

This was Hannah's favorite color! Pink!

Spread two sheets of paper towels on a cookie sheet and dump the rice then spread it out to dry.

When it is all dry, either combine the colors, or keep them separate. We liked doing a rainbow of colors.
But you can also do colors depending on the holiday.
Valentines Day: Pink & Red
St. Patrick's Day - Green and Yellow
4th of July - Blue & Red and then don't dye some for "White"
Christmas - Red and Green.


I hope you enjoyed!!

10 Weeks Over Due

About 10 weeks ago I posted my last post. A LOT has happened since then. 1.) I had our baby on September 4th!! We had a baby girl named Gianna Marie and she weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz. I had an all natural delivery and it hurt! I came into the hospital at 7cm and 5 hours later she was born!! I have an awesome husband who helped me tremendously through the laboring and through the delivery! And he thinks that I am pretty awesome for doing a natural delivery! :-)

35 Weeks and Counting!

I was possibly 32 weeks in this picture in front of the gate. I should definitely take another side shot of the belly. It has definitely grown! It's amazing how 3 weeks can make a big difference.

Here is me and my little girl at the pool. It's a little hard to see the belly but it is there! I am 35 weeks today! I'm feeling pretty good most of the time but ready to meet our newest addition!

Feeling Better!

At just shy of 33 weeks, I am feeling much better than precious weeks! My midwife recommended Iron Supplements, which I have been taking and there is great improvement! ALSO....I don't have Gestational Diabetes!! I still have to watch what I eat when it comes to sugar and carbs, but my blood sugar goes back down after 1 hour!! This whole thing has been such an eye opener for me in such a good way. I am so aware of what carbs and proteins do to my body. Eating protein is so important in order to balance out your blood sugar! I am still pretty strict on what I eat and trying hard not to eat carbs without protein. I LOVE potato chips and tortilla chips with salsa and could seriously just eat that. But I see that it really affects my body in a bad way. I am not eating ice cream everyday but have switched to a "carb friendly" ice cream and will eat a little bit of that occasionally. I am SO happy to have passed the glucose test so I wanted to share!!

On not so pleasant stuff...I am getting HUGE!! And this baby is all over the place and kicking and poking. She really gets restless when I am on the computer. I guess she doesn't like the position I am in when I am sitting in the chair. :-) I still walk 3-4 miles a day or every other day with our doggie, Molly. Jonathan has jumped in and started walking her too, which lessens the stress on the days when I can't wake up at 6am to get an hour in. I have a hard time with hills. I DO NOT LIKE HILLS!! And our neighborhood has some steep ones.

That's about it. I don't have any pictures...just thoughts, which is rare. Over all, I feel good. And I am very happy with our soon to be extended family! This week and weekend we will be finishing up the baby's room!! I will definitely have pictures for that!

Easy Curls

I was reading in a magazine and a "top notch" hair stylist said that the easiest way to get curls in your hair is to wash your hair at night and then put it up in a bun on the top of your head. I decided to try it with Hannah first. I REALLY like the way it comes out. The only problem, for me, is that I take showers in the morning. So, I still put it up in a bun on the top of my head but it takes a long time to dry. One day I will need to shower at night...and then I will have beautiful curls like my daughter did when I put a bun on her head.

Ya like??

Pregnancy Woes

I am 30 weeks today!! Only ten more to go. It seems like you will never get to this point and then it happens and speeds up.

My pregnancy has been great up until about 2-3 weeks ago when I started getting RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome) in full force. So much that it has kept me awake most of the night. It is awful! I had it first when I got pregnant with Hannah and then had it occasionally since then. I have noticed it so much more during this pregnancy and worse! I found out that I am anemic and after researching tonight, I am noticing a link with iron deficiencies and RLS. The doctor recommended an iron supplement, which I have been on for 3 days. she says it take about a week for it to start working.

I am SO desperate for a good nights rest that I drank Chamomile Tea before I went to bed last night, and I have to say I had awesome sleep. I know I woke up a couple of times but it wasn't due to RLS...it's just because I am pregnant and toss and turn constantly to find a good position. Oh well, that will definitely end in 2 1/2 months when the baby is out and I can sleep on my back and possibly tummy. I despise sleeping on my sides. I wish I could take my arms off for the night and then put them back on because they just get in the way.

I also, possibly have gestational diabetes. FUN!...not! I took the 1 hour glucose test and failed and now just waiting for the paper work to do the 3 hour test. I keep telling myself, "this is not my fault". It is supposedly because of the placenta excreting a hormone that blocks the insulin from working and I should be fine once this little girl comes out. Until I take the 3 hour test, I am checking my blood sugars with a diabetic tester of my husband's...religiously. If you know me...I can verge on the line of OCD until I figure things out. Well, I haven't figured things out regarding carbs to protein ratio to figure out how it will affect my blood sugar spikes. So, I will most likely drive myself crazy figuring it out.

I had an awesome day today, though. I started charting my numbers so I can show it to my doc when I see her. My blood glucose #'s have been well in range and not going high at all. It takes a lot of work though. But I remember charting and calculating all of the calories that I was taking in when I lost 20 pounds. I was a fanatic but it worked. I need to see what these carbs are doing to my body.

Here are my reasons for being a fanatic. My baby's health...my baby's health....my baby's health.

God has blessed me with another baby and I want to take care of her the best that I can. That is good enough reason to eat the best possible way that I can.

Happy Father's Day!

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We had a great Father's day day yesterday. It's fun to take a day and celebrate someone, especially a loved one. Even though we are to do it everyday, the one day makes it extra special. My mom took Hannah over night and we picked her up after church on Sunday and had brunch together. Then we took naps. Jonathan plays on a co-ed soccer team every Sunday so we all went and watched him then went out to eat afterward. See the cake? Hannah and I made it for him. It was a chocolate boxed cake with peanut butter frosting and Reece's peanut Butter Cups cut in half and placed around the outer rim of the cake. He was a happy guy! I am still coming down from the sugar high even as I type this.

Happy Father's Day to my hubby! Love you!

Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili
2 Carrots
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
3/4 cup of corn niblets
..............
2 cans of Diced Tomatoes
4 tbsp Chili Powder (I used Fiesta Chili Powder but regular is fine)
1 tbsp Garlic Powder (Feel free to use diced garlic cloves)
1 tbsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
...............
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of White Cannelloni Beans
1/2 cup dry Lentils
2 cups of Veggie Broth

Saute in olive oil, carrots, peppers, corn until a little soft. In a blender, combine diced tomatoes, chili and garlic powder, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Blend well. Add to the sauted veggies. Add the Vegetable Broth, beans and lentils. Stir and turn on high till it starts to boil. Turn down and simmer. Stir occasionally.. I simmered it for about an hour to get the seasonings tasty and so that the lentils cooked.

I also added a baked potato on the bottom of the bowl then added shredded cheese and sliced avocados on top.

Saute Sugar Snap Peas with lots of yummy seasonings. It stays crispy and SOOOO good!!
(I also got this idea from my friend, Genelle.)

Food Cravings of the Week

I am craving popsicles, ice, fruit, ice cream....or anything in those food groups. It's hot here...really hot. I would much rather have this weather than cold freezing snow. So, I am not complaining but I am pregnant and I want my insides to be a little cooler. So, these are some things that I am craving:

Mango Popsicle

Ingredients

2 cup mango chunks, peeled and pitted

sugar, to taste

¼ cup vanilla yogurt

¼ cup water

silicon cupcake molds

Chocolate Pudding Pops

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Peach- Mango Popsicles
1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Watermelon Frosty
2 1/4 cups frozen watermelon cubes
1/2+ cup water
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 banana

Disney Dole Whip Float
From the looks of it, it seems like it has:
Ice cream
Dole Pineapple Juice

Visit to Knoebels

Seriously....this is one of the best amusement parks....ever! Knoebels!!!
If you live within the vicinity of Pennsylvania..it is worth the day trip or you can stay at one of their cottages. Or you can camp here too. We go here every year. Sometimes twice a year. Thankfully, we have family the is 20 minutes from the park and we just stay at their house.

A rainbow pose!

On the "Kiddie Whip". She was scared to go on this last year but smiled and gave me a thumbs up while riding it this year.

Here comes the W-H-I-P!!

Here are the go carts for little kids. I wouldn't want to be the attendant to this ride. He was a little uptight..but I can see why. Kids at this age cannot drive. Hannah spent most of the time riding in a circle but she got stuck so he had to get her unstuck.. While he was getting her unstuck another child would ram into his legs. Constant ramming at the legs. Poor guy!

My dad, her Pap Pap, went with Hannah on this really really wet ride. It about a 50 foot drop. I heard her scream from where I took the picture....which was far. But she loved it! So, you get wet going down it and then you stand on the bridge over head and get more wet!

Pretty Cool, huh!?

This a train that takes through the back of Knoebels and into the mountain/wooded area. Love it!

A ball pit. I didn't think about it till now. I would be surprised if they cleaned it. Maybe they do, I am not sure. Never mind, I don't want to think about it.

Just a random statue by the river. I thought he would make a fine picture!