Introducing...Zachariah Nathaniel Didreckson

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this.  Zachariah Nathaniel Didreckson (Zachary) was born Saturday, May 21st at 7:00 am straight up.  7 lbs. 9 oz and 20 inches long.  Mom and Zachary are doing well.


30 hours of labor and an unmedicated VBAC!!!  I feel like bragging...sorry!!  He is here and I am so happy!

 

Zachary

Luke and Zachary

Microwave Peanut Brittle with honey

I have used this recipe on two occasions and it comes out perfect EACH time so I thought I would share.

Normally I am not a proponent of using the microwave for cooking or even for warming food.  I use it VERY sparingly for multiple reasons I will not get into for this post.  If you are interested in some of the reasons, you can find them here. 

I also do not use corn syrup in any of my cooking or baking.  My family does not ingest corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup for again, a multitude of reasons but one of which is the following:  Most corn grown commercially is genetically modified to contain it's own pesticide within the corn itself.  So much so, that the FDA no longer categorizes it as food.  It is actually now under the category of pesticide.  I am NOT making this stuff up people...go look it up for yourself.  It is public record!  Crazy, huh??

Sooooo....the fact that I am posting a recipe for brittle and using the microwave is a very odd thing indeed.  However, I was able to find a recipe that at least did not use corn syrup, but used honey instead!!  It is a good tasting recipe, it sets up each time and my family loves it.  I use it for special occasions.  Today I made it for 2 special occasions.  #1 - Yesterday was my birthday and #2 - I am pregnant and CRAVING peanut brittle.  ; )

The recipe is as follows:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
1 c. peanuts
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine sugar and honey in a 2 quart, microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high (100%) for 3 minutes.  Stir and microwave on high again for another 3 minutes.  Stir in peanuts.  Microwave again for 1 minute.  Stir in vanilla and butter.  Finally stir in the baking soda until light and foamy.

Spread onto lightly buttered jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.  Cool.  Break into pieces and store in an airtight container (if it lasts that long in your house).  YUM!

You can also find this recipe at cooks.com.  Use this link.

So I hope you try it one day.  If so...let me know what you think!

39 weeks...

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant.  I am excited and a little on the scared side too.  I have all the typical things running through my head:  "What if I can't handle 2 children?", "What if something goes wrong during labor?", "What if I never go into labor spontaneously and I have to have another C-Section?", "What if, what if, the sky starts falling?".  Blah, blah, blah.  *sigh*  It's tiring just thinking about it!  I know I need to just trust in God, I do.  I just need to trust a little bit more apparently.

I am tired.  I nap during the day during "quiet time" and I sleep at least 8 hours at night.  I feel like a lazy bum.  I know this is typical for end of pregnancy,  but I feel lazy none-the-less.

Little Zachary has found this cool new thing to do at the end of the day when he is most active.  He stomps or pulls or hits these nerves that run from my groin down the inside of my leg.  He will hit these nerves so hard it nearly knocks my feet out from under me.  I can no longer drive as I am not 100% certain when he will get the hankerin' to really get going on me.  It's VERY painful and frustrating because it makes it to where I can't walk around and get things done, on top of the not being able to drive thing.

Ok, ok, enough whining about pregnancy related issues.  I SWORE I would not do it...but, there it is.  I am done now. 

I am SO very excited to meet my little man.  I am so VERY blessed to have such a 'normal' pregnancy.  I am so VERY blessed to have such an wonderful and understanding, helpful and loving husband.  I need to focus more on THESE things.

38 Weeks!!!

Friends,
I have made it to 38 weeks gestation!  This is the most pregnant I have ever been!  LOL!  As I mentioned before, I have had to change OB's due to insurance reasons.  However, this has now afforded me the opportunity for a VBAC!

We are so excited!  The Dr. is ok with letting me go to 41 weeks gestation to see if I go into labor spontaneously.  If so, they will let me do a VBAC (or trial of labor).  If not, they will schedule a C-Section...and I am ok with that as I DO NOT want to be induced.

So for all my praying friends out there...please pray that I go into labor on my own (BEFORE 41 weeks) and have a safe VBAC experience. 

Now we just wait...

Dyeing Eggs with homemade dye Part II

In my previous post I stated that I made 5 colors.  The green didn't work AT ALL.  I put an egg in the green dye and left it in for over 3 hours and there was still no color.  So, mental note...don't try spinach again next year.  I even added some broccoli for good measure while I was boiling.  Oh well.   Perhaps by next Easter I will find a plant that has a stronger green color that might work.


Anyway...here are what the dyes looked like:

Here are what the eggs turned out like:

I thought they turned out quite nice for my first try.  Next year...for the brown I would definitely use coffee instead of tea.  I think it would be a nicer color.  But I really liked the blueberry blue and the beet pink!!  The paprika orange is nice because it is kinda streaky looking...just a little different from the norm.  It's interesting at least!  ; )

It was fun and I enjoyed it.  I will certainly do it again next year!  It was worth the extra effort.

Dyeing Eggs with homemade dye Part I

One of the blogs I follow had a this wonderful tutorial or recipe for making homemade dye for Easter Eggs.  As eggs are pourous, it only makes sense that we should be mindful of what we dye them with (if they will be consumed afterward, like at my house).  So I was excited to try.  I made the dyes this afternoon.  We will be dyeing eggs this evening after my husband gets home.  I will post later with pictures of how the eggs turned out with the colors I chose.

I did the following colors with the following ingredients:

Brown - Black Tea
Green - Spinach leaves and broccoli
Orange - Paprika
Pink - homemade canned beets
Blue - fresh blueberries

Wish me luck!

CA Healthcare Craziness

The health insurance coverage I am currently on is ridiculous!  I will withhold the name of the heath insurance for multiple reasons.  It covers my all my Dr. visits to my OBGYN (Dr. Leslie) which is good and I am grateful.  However, the hospital where she delivers has just recently stopped taking my insurance so she can't deliver my son!!  I'm not kidding.  I can see her,  but I cannot go to her hospital (which also happens to be the closest one to my home).

I will be able to continue to see her until week 37 at which time I will have to go to another Dr. (also covered by my insurance) in order to be delivered by that Dr. at a hospital which takes my insurance.

Here's the real kicker.  I have been told by someone in the medical field (again, withholding names) the following information about maternity and the California HIPPA laws.  I have not verified this with any research as of yet, so please don't take this as the gospel truth...just what I was told.

Apparently, regardless of the type of insurance you have...if a pregnant women checks in to a hospital ER contracting regularly and in pain, they cannot transfer her to another hospital.  Hmmmmm...interesting.  So, even though the hospital where I WANT to deliver my baby will not take my insurance and therefore will not schedule a c-section for me, I can walk into the ER with steady contractions (and in pain which goes hand in hand) and they have NO CHOICE but to deliver my baby either by VBAC or c-section anyway.  Last minute and unplanned.  That HAS to be more expensive?!?!?

Interesting....ridiculous, but interesting.  It's no wonder our health care system is going down the tubes.  None of this makes any sense!