Selah's Birth Story

My due date was May 19, 2012.  I went to the doctor the first week of May and there was nothing happening...meaning my cervix was completely closed.  My OBGYN (whom I just love) said that if nothing happens by my next appointment on May 14th, we'll have to talk about inducing.

Honestly, I didn't want to induce.  I really, really wanted a natural birth.  In fact, I wanted to go to have a water birth with an OBGYN, Midwife and Doula present but that wasn't possible where I lived.  The birth didn't go the way I planned but that's ok.  The important thing is that Selah was born completely healthy and I did just fine by God's grace.

On May 13th, we celebrated Mother's day with my mom, aunt and our families.  We went out for Asian food and shortly after, my Husband, Mom, Dad and I went to take a tour of the hospital.  Right before we left, a nurse told me that there was a woman who left the hospital after a tour and came right back that night because her water broke.  After the tour, we took my mom shopping.  I came home exhausted and unable to sleep.  We rented the movie "Warhorse" and watched it.  I was on my exercise ball for the last 45 mins. of the movie.  Finally, I went to bed at 2:00 a.m. 

At 3:15 a.m., my water broke in the middle of my sleep.  I remember it so well.  I felt like I had to rush to the bathroom but couldn't control anything.  I woke my husband up and told him I thought my water broke and he kept asking me if I was sure.  Well, considering this is my first time giving birth, I wasn't 100% sure but sure enough.  My OBGYN asked me to call a number to get a hold of him after hours.  He got back to me within 5 mins. of calling him and asked me what was going on.  I told him I 'think' my water broke and I hope I didn't wake him up in vain.  He asked me to make my way to the hospital and he would meet me there.   I took a shower and woke my parents up.  It was like my dad was just waiting for me to wake him up.  I just went into their room and he immediately sprung up and asked if my water broke.  Gotta love parents!

We got to the hospital at 5:30 a.m. and a nurse checked my cervix.  Ok, I wasn't prepared for the sheer pain of the exam.  Even though my water broke, I had almost no contractions.  I had what felt like mild cramps but nothing severe.  My OBGYN came in and checked me and said he had to induce me.  I think I cried at that point.  I was doing great for a couple hours after inducing, feeling exhausted but strong at the same time.  My husband, brother, dad, mom, aunt and twin cousins were in the room with me.  It was so comforting seeing all their faces and knowing that they were there for me.  I thank God for such an incredible family!

After a couple hours, my cervix was still shut and my doctor said they had to bump up the pitocin to get the contractions going.  I literally went from 0 too 100 in a couple minutes. I was completely unprepared for how strong the contractions were.  I felt like punching my hand through the wall.  I tried to get up and walk around but was bowled over by the contractions.  I was resisting the epidural until a nurse asked me to take it.  My heart rate was through the roof and my OB told me that if I hadn't agreed to take the epidural, he would've tried to convince me.  I needed to relax.  I prayed every step of the way.  My husband was so sweet and had my favorite worship music playing in the room.  I was so tense but right after I got the epidural, I was able to relax.  So much so that I started sleeping through my contractions.  It was wonderful!  My blood pressure went way down though and they gave me a mask so I could breathe.

After what felt like hours, I had this sudden urge to push.  It was so strong that I couldn't stop it.  My OB checked me and said that I was at 10 centimeters and it was time to push!  What a relief!  My husband held one leg and my mom and aunt took turns holding my other one.  I pushed for almost 2 hours and for the longest time, I could hear my 2 wonderful nurses telling me that they can see the baby's head and she has a ton of hair!  I was so tired I started dozing off in between pushes.  My doctor looked at me and said, "it's time to toughen up".  That's all I needed to hear.  I gave one really hard push with all my might, and mostly with the Lord's strength and there she was.  Selah Grace, born at 6:31 p.m. on May 14, 2012, weighing 5 pounds, 15 oz., measuring 20.5 inches.  Pure perfection.  And boy did she cry!  LOUD!  I know it was good for her to cry but I was so sad when she did.  My heart just went out to her.

As difficult as labor was for me, I am sure it was infinitely more hard on her.  Here she was, in a warm, cozy environment for over 9 months, and all of a sudden, she comes out into this world, not knowing what's going on.  They took her and lightly cleaned her before they put her on me.  The SECOND they put her on me, she stopped crying and went to sleep.  Oh precious one.  My heart just melted.  I have never felt so hard in love so fast.  It was an unexplainable feeling.  Sudden urge of emotions that were so intense.  I wondered at that moment if it was possible to die from feeling so much love.  The nurse took Selah away to give her a bath. They had to wash her hair 3 times because she had such a head full of thick, luscious hair.  I couldn't stop crying....for at least 5 minutes.  I was so glad birth was over and that I was holding my baby in my arms.  I dreamed of this moment for 9 months.  She is all we dreamed of and so much more!  We love you sweet Selah.

 

LOTS of changes...GREAT changes!

Well, a LOT of changes have taken place since March 2011.  Here is a rundown:

• My brother got married in April 2011 to my amazing sister-in-love Tharini.  I couldn't have asked for a better sister and a more perfect match for my brother.  Goodness I love her!  She is all kinds of wonderful..not to mention beautiful! 
• At the end of July, my amazing uncle, aunt and twin cousins (David and Anita) moved from India to San Antonio of all places!  They moved to India from California originally to be with my grandma (who has since passed) but now they are back..and this time in TX!!
• Sometime between July and August, a door opened for us to move to San Antonio, where my family lives. We truly believed that God was going to bless us with a child soon and I wanted to be closer to my family.  My husband's job offered to transfer him.  With a lot of prayer, we decided we would most definitely move. While we miss our friends in Houston, we couldn't be happier with this decision. God knew what lay ahead of us.
• At the beginning of September, we took a short vacation to Boston, Maine, Quebec City, Montreal and Vermont...talk about wonderful and exhausting all at the same time!
• The BEST news of all.  We came back from our vacation on September 10th and on September 15th, I found out I was pregnant!!  This part deserves a post on it's own and I will get to that.
• On October 1st, 2011, we put all our things in storage and moved to San Antonio.
• On May 14th, 2011, our beautiful daughter, Selah Grace came into this world and man, I never knew such joy existed in this world! 

There...now you're all caught up!

What's for lunch Honey?

Today, I just wanted to make a quick and healthy lunch. Lately, I've been craving Tuna. Weird, huh? (Mom, if you're reading this, no, I'm NOT pregnant!). I remember a time when I used to detest Tuna. I hated the taste of it and thought it smelled so strange. As I got older, my taste started to change. Does that happen to any of you?

Anyways, yesterday, I went to Costco and got some Tuna. I personally love Costco's Kirkland Solid White Albacore Tuna. Starkist is my favorite brand of Tuna but Kirkland comes a close second. Plus, our Costco doesn't carry the Starkist cans...only Chicken of the Sea. I was searching the web for a good Tuna salad sandwich recipe but the ones I liked involved copious amounts of mayonnaise. We've been trying to eat as healthy as possible around here so I just came up with my own recipe.

It uses sun-dried tomatoes (also bought at Costco for a ridiculously low price..less than $8 for 2 pounds!), celery, parsley, mustard, and a few other ingredients. I also used Kirkland multigrain, 100% whole grain bread. The result was a delicious, delectable, healthy sandwich. The best part? When my husband bit into it, the first thing he said was...honey, how much mayonnaise did you put into it? I was happy to tell him that I only used 1 tbsp. of light mayonnaise! See for yourself. ;)





Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

One 7 oz. can of Solid White Albacore Tuna
1/4 stalk of celery, cut
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. mustard (I used dark brown mustard)
2 tbsp. fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. pickle relish (dill or sweet)
1 tbsp. light mayonnaise


Cheese to taste
Broccoli Sprouts (optional)
4 slices of bread (for 2 sandwiches)
1 tbsp. Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (for browning the bread)

Method:

Combine the first 9 ingredients together using a food processor. If you don't like your Tuna salad smooth, just chop the celery, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley and mix it with all the ingredients.

Heat a skillet and melt 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. Once the oil is hot, lay 1 piece of bread on the skillet, sprinkle with some cheese, top it with the Tuna salad and broccoli sprouts. Then, place 1 slice of bread on the sprouts then flip the sandwich to brown the other side.

My favorite part about this sandwich was the coconut oil and sun-dried tomatoes. The coconut oil gave the bread such a wonderfully sweet, distinct flavor while the sun-dried tomatoes added a zip. Trust me..you won't miss the mayo!

I LOVE Target!

I have been consistently couponing for the past few months and I LOVE it! I found this awesome website which helps me get great deals (www.hip2save.com). Look at the wonderful things I scored today!

Here is what I got:

1.) 4 Bottles of Mr. Clean with Febreeze All Purpose Cleaner
(You know, because of all the cleaning my husband LOVES to do....and yes, I'm being serious. ;) Ok, ok, I don't know if he really loves it but he really does a LOT of it! Yes, I am a BLESSED woman! )

2.) 3 Packages of Huggies Wipes
(No, we don't have kiddos yet but trust me, we do LOVE to babysit and do a lot of it! :))

3.) Kandoo Flushable Wipes

4.) 2 Bottles of Downy Fabric Softener

5.) 2 Packages of Pledge Wipes

6.) Fiber One Toaster Pastries
(Ahem, to reward the hubby for all the cleaning he does!)

7.) Market Pantry Frozen Mixed Veggies

8.) Target at Home Wall Cabinet
(Saved the best for last!)

I was good. I didn't deviate much from my, except for the Wall Cabinet. But wait until you hear how much it was! You ready? It was on clearance for $14.98, down from $29.99 and I had a $10 off coupon for a Target at Home Bath Furniture item. But here comes the best part...when I went to check out, it rang up at $7.48! So, I got it for FREE plus coupon overage!! Yay!

The best part is, I only paid $10.27 for EVERYTHING! Plus, I saved $37.81! Gotta love Target!



Beautiful Wall Cabinet....FREE!



Check out all these items!



I couldn't believe it either!



Thank you Lord!

Target Shopping Trip

Today, I went to Target and dragged my husband with me. Let me just say, he is a BRAVE soul for going with me. He is so accommodating...I am a very blessed woman. Look at all the great stuff we scored!

We went to 2 different Targets. We just wanted to see if there were any price differences between both the stores. Guess what! There was (on one item anyway)! Due to the amount of coupons we had, we both stood in 2 separate lines in one store...things go a lot smoother this way.

Combined, we bought $57.41 worth of items for....drum roll please....$19.81!! That's a savings of $37.60! Woohoo!

Take a look at all we got.


Thank you Jesus!








Here is a breakdown of the items you see above.

Green Works Detergent
Price: $11.99
My cost: $5.99

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Bars
$4.08 for two boxes
My cost: $1.00 for both

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Cereal
$2.79
My cost: $1.04

Willy Wonka Chocolate Bar
$2.29
My cost: $0.29

Snyders Pretzels
$5.78 for two bags
My cost: $1.78 for both

Nature Valley Granola Bars
$4.78 for two boxes
My cost: $1.78 for both

Bagel Bites
$2.24
My cost: $0.24

Soft Soap
$0.97
My cost: $0.47

GE Reveal Lightbulbs
$4.00
My cost: $2.50

Juicy Juice
$4.38 for two packs of 8 boxes
My cost: $1.38 for both packs

Bear Nake Granola
$7 for two packs
My cost: $2.50 for both

Sobe Lifewater
$2 for two
My cost: FREE

Chef Boyardee Ravioli
$0.99
My cost: FREE

The weird part is, the Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars were $2.70 a box in one Target and $2.04 at another. Thank God we got the ones with the lower price. :)

Ahh...don't you just love couponing. :)

I won a Chili's gift card!

Sweeeeet! One more date night for my husband and me! There's a game called Ode to Awesome on the Heinz Ketchup Facebook Page. First, you must "like" Heinz Ketchup. Then, you must put together a phrase using the words they give you and the phrase should include the words "Heinz Ketchup" and "Chili's". After putting the phrase together, you enter your e-mail address and submit the phrase.




According to Heinz, they are giving away 157 Chili's gift cards, per day, valued at $30. There are also 2 grand prices for a $500 Chili's gift card and a year's supply for Heinz Ketchup! I always wonder how they calculate a year's supply. I mean, how much do folks really go through each month? Can you imagine if you won that though...never ending meals of meatloaf, fries, burgers...anything with ketchup! Anyways, you can play to win, once a day, until August 1st.

I couldn't believe I actually won a $30 Chili's gift card! Thank you Lord! Woohoo! You guys should play and let me know if you win! ;)

I HEART COUPONING!

A few months ago, I subscribed to the Sunday paper. Let me just say.....my eyes have been open to the world of couponing! It's a lot of effort and work but it's so worth it! Now, I won't even buy anything if it's not on sale. I feel like I'm throwing money away if I do! Let me tell you about a sweet deal I scored this week on milk. (We go through milk like it's water so this was a HUGE deal for me).

Yesterday, I bought 2 cartons of Smart Balance milk for...drum roll please...$.33 (total) with no problem. Tonight, I went to buy 2 more cartons. When I went to the check out counter and handed the cashier all my coupons, there was a negative balance of $.42. Well, he said that was not possible. Therefore, he took away one of my coupons...oh well. I ended up paying $1.77 for 2 cartons this time...still really good. So, in total, I spent $2.10 for 4 cartons of Smart Balance milk. Normally, they sell for $3.49 per carton! If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself. (Plus, I played a game on Kroger.com and won a FREE Bob Evan's side dish, valued at $3.49!)

There are folks out there who are so good at couponing that they get their milk for free....I'm still working on getting there. ;) Now, if I can only find a good deal on toilet paper. ;) If you have any tips, let me know.




Smart Balance Milk...yum!






See the savings for yourself...93%!




83% savings this time...but still not bad, huh?!

Worry

The past week or so, the Lord has been dealing with me about sin in my own heart. I have made a habit of worrying about everything, big and small. So much so that it has become a way of life for me and I didn't even notice it. Until last week. I've been going through some personal health issues. Nothing too big...but I made it big in my own head. This afternoon, I have an appointment with a specialist and I have allowed myself to worry and be paralyzed with fear.

When I think of sin, I think of lying, stealing, coveting, etc. For some reason, worry just doesn't come to mind. In reality, the definition of sin is: Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God; To violate a religious or moral law. Furthermore, sin separates us from God. In Matthew 6, the Lord commands us not to worry. God, in His own gracious and merciful way keeps gently reminding me that worry is a sin. Period. When I worry, I show God that I don't trust Him. Nothing good can come out of it. It hinders my walk with the Lord. It affects the relationship I have with my husband. If I allow it, it might even affect our children.

Starting this week, I am making a conscious effort not to worry. I've recruited my husband to help me with it. Each time I worry, I stop myself and confess 2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love and of a sound mind. I am also learning to pray more and just give each situation over to the Lord. He is the only one with the power to change any and all situations. I will confess...it hasn't been easy to let go and do this. However, it feels so great to just cast all my burdens on my Heavenly Father.

This morning, I was reading a great article about worry by Jill Briscoe. If you'd like, you can read the article by clicking on the following link: http://www.tellingthetruth.org/common/productbrochurehandler.ashx?id=7e462745-d34a-427b-bbf9-79ae59b76df6.

Thank you Lord for loving me as much as you do. No matter how many times I fall, you pick me back up and keep on loving me.

Off to Virginia!

Tomorrow, I will be going to Reston, VA to visit my sweet Uma Chitthi, my darling cousin Abisha and my dear Raj Anna. It's been over 5 years since I've seen all of them! I can't wait!! On Friday, I will be going to Virginia Beach to see my best buddy, Grace. She's almost done with Law School and I've been promising her a visit for 3 years now. Finally, the time has come! Gracie, we're going to have a blast!
So long Texas and bye sweetheart.....I'll really miss you.

Raise your hand if you think my husband lives like a king

I love the days when my husband works from home. It's not like we get to hang out together or anything. We both sit in the same room and do our own work. However, just knowing that he is near me makes my day. Also, we get to have lunch together...it feels like a date. :)

On the menu today: Parotta with Chicken Salna/Chalna. Parottas are buttery, pillowy, flaky morsels of bread. Chicken Salna is a curry made with chicken, onions, tomatoes, coconut and lots of spices. In Tamilnadu, these dishes are often served together. We brought the Parottas from India. They were made by Amuda Akka, a wonderful woman who works in my in-laws' home. I made the Chicken Salna using a recipe I found online.

Here is a picture of this lovely lunch. Hope you enjoy! Happy Friday. :)



Parotta with Chicken Salna....yum!

Our trip to Jaipur

Finally, the long awaited post about our recent trip to India (particularly Jaipur). :) We had a fun time in India with our families. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary (on February 8th) in Jaipur. My sweetheart planned the entire trip. He is such a great planner! Also, our uncles and aunts wanted to bless us by sending us on this trip. We are incredibly grateful to them!

We stayed at The Sheraton Rajputana. It was one of the best hotels we've stayed in. The customer service was amazing. Our room was gorgeous and not to mention so comfortable! The pillows on the bed were so soft that I wanted to steal them! Don't worry though...I didn't. Our favorite part of the hotel was the breakfast buffet. It was unbelievable! They had everything you can possibly imagine! After eating Indian food for 3 weeks straight, I was more than ready to have an American breakfast. My stomach just doesn't handle spicy food very well. They also had plenty of Indian food on hand, which made my husband very happy. :)

My uncle and aunt arranged for a tour guide to take us around Jaipur. The first night we were there, we went to a place called Chokhi Dhani. Chokhi Dhani is set up like a typical Rajasthani Village. We watched a puppet shows, a couple of Rajasthani dances and went on a manually run ferris wheel (my personal favorite). A man jumped on the ferris wheel and start spinning it around by jumping from one end to the other. It was crazy! We also had a traditional Rajasthani meal. We were shocked at the amount of ghee (clarified butter) they used but the food was good.

The following day, our tour guide took us to the City Palace. Along the way, we stopped at Hawa Mahal, which forms part of the City Palace. Hawa Mahal is a palace in Jaipur which was built in 1799. It was built so that royal ladies could observe everyday life in the streets without being seen in public. Once inside the City Palace, we went on a fun, elephant ride. Our rider was trying to overtake the other elephants! Some things in India never change! ;) The City Palace includes the Chandra Mahal and many other palaces and buildings. The architecture of all the palaces were striking. The rich, colorful tones of the palaces were breathtaking.

I could go over all the different palaces but I don't think I can do it justice. If you'd like to know more information, please check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Palace,_Jaipur. We also did quite a bit of shopping. Jaipur is known for it's gems, silk paintings, rugs and block printing on bed linens and clothes, among other things. We didn't get any gems (sigh) but we did get some bed linens. We also bought puppets, clothes, costume jewelry and shawls.

Below are some pictures of our trip. If you want to know more about this beautiful city, feel free to e-mail me. Enjoy the pictures!

Our beautiful hotel, Sheraton Rajputana


Rajasthani dance at Chokhi Dhani





Manual Ferris Wheel



Enjoying a traditional Rajasthani Meal. (Doesn't my sweetheart look cute??)



Elephant ride at Amber Fort



Hawa Mahal



The City Palace

I've been a very bad girl

This is my apology post. I haven't blogged in quite some time. No excuses....just didn't blog. The good news is though, I have SO much to blog about! We just got back from our trip to India and I can't wait to tell you all about it. Particularly our trip to Jaipur. I have lots of beautiful pictures to show you. Pictures which were taken with the Canon Rebel T1i that my sweet honey got for my birthday. :) Is he the greatest or what? I've been using this camera for 3 months and LOVE it!! Anyways, stay tuned for an update. Happy Saturday!

Happy Birthday Cat!

Happy birthday Cat! I pray that you have a super duper day and an even more super fabulous year! You are such a thoughtful, kind, caring, generous, loyal and dependable friend. I am so grateful to God for our friendship. Even though we live hundreds of miles apart, you are still close to my heart (ooh, that rhymed!). I adore you to pieces!

I'm sorry I can't be with you today but I'll see you real soon next week! I love you with all my heart! Muah!

Stuffed Chilli Bhajjis

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I last posted! I am so sorry. November rolls around and we get crazy busy every year. So much has happened these past 3 weeks. We celebrated 2 birthdays (my mom's and mine), while I finished physical therapy (yay!), and today, my sweet sister-in-law Deepa, is coming for a visit. I am so excited!

I have so much to tell you I can't contain it! Wait until you hear about the lovely present I got for my birthday from my sweet husband! I can't stop looking at it, talking about it, talking to it and using it. First things first though.

A few weeks ago, I promised to post about the banana peppers from the Farmer's Market. Please forgive me for the delay. Here's what I made....Stuffed Bhajjis! Bhajjis are Indian snacks. They're basically vegetables which are deep fried in a spicy batter. I deseeded the peppers and stuffed them with a spicy potato and onion mixture. I completely underestimated the spiciness of these suckers! I couldn't get to the seeds with a knife so I used my hands...and my hands were on fire for a whole stinkin' day!

They were definitely worth it though. One of my Indian friends (ah-hem, Joseph), had one bite and couldn't handle it. He kept saying that his tongue was on fire. I admit, these things had a ton of heat! The funny thing is though, our dear Minnesotan friend Jake, whose idea of spicy is garlic powder, ate a whole pepper! Without flinching!

Anyways, here are some pictures of these wonderful peppers.

Cleaned Peppers


Potato Stuffing


Ay Caramba! These look hot!


They WERE hot!!


Oh, but they were so good!


Pepto, anyone?

Cactus Poriyal

As you know, I bought some Cactus (or is it Cacti?) from the farmer's market on Saturday. I was amused by the prickly little thing and decided....hey, why not try cooking it? Needless to say, I got quite a few thorns stuck on my fingers. I had no idea how to clean or cut it. Thankfully, I had the Internet to show me how! Thanks Internet!

Growing up, I never understood why my mom and aunts would "Indianize" everything. Let me explain. For Thanksgiving, they would make 'masala turkey'..enough said. Well, it looks like I'm following in their footsteps because I Indianized the cactus. ;) I made Cactus Poriyal. For those of you not familiar with this, poriyal is a South Indian vegetable side dish. We cook veggies using mustard seeds, onion, cumin, coconut, turmeric powder, red chili, etc.

So, here it is people...Cactus Poriyal. :)


Thorny Cactus


The Cactus after it was cleaned..it looks like it was cleaned by a 5 year old. I had to wear gloves and use a paring knife.

Cut cactus

Cooking the cactus

Tada!!

The Cactus was quite slimy, like Okra. The more it cooked, the less slimy it became. I was surprised by the taste. It tasted sour and lemony, which I happen to like. My husband on the other hand, didn't care for it too much. He doesn't fancy sour things too much.

Will I make this again? Probably not. Only because my husband didn't care for it and I'd rather save all this work for making something he loved. I am happy to try something new, fun and different though. :)

p.s. Later on this week, I will show you what I made with the Banana Peppers from the farmer's market.

Farmer's Market Association

On Saturday, I went to the Farmer's Market with some friends. I've been wanting to go for some time now but could never wake up early enough on Saturday mornings to go. Folks have told me that if you're going to the farmer's market, go early because that's when they have the best produce. Also, many farmer's markets close by Noon. Well, I found one in Houston that's open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays...and I didn't get there until Noon!

It's called the Farmer's Market Association. It's an open air farmer's market with lots of different vendors. They had tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, chilies, cactus, bananas, apples, oranges, guavas, pomegranate, peaches, peas, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, green beans, methi leaves, cilantro, yuca, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, peanuts, cinnamon, and so much more! Plus, you can bargain! It's every Indian's dream. ;)

Here are some pictures I took just for you. :) The sights and smells reminded me of the open markets in India. It was an exhilarating, nostalgic experience.


I had to take this picture. It reminded me of Jack Fruit in India. ;)


Fruits and veggies galore!


These tomatoes have my name written all over them!

Reminded me of the mini bananas in India.

I wish I bought the cabbage...my husband loves them!

I had a $20 bill and thought...man, I wish I had more cash on me. You will be AMAZED how much $20 in a farmer's market will get you! I got some peppers, cactus (yeah, I know..cool, right?), potatoes, apples, oranges, cliantro, methi leaves, avocados, tomatillos and limes. Guess how much I spent?? LESS than $10!! When I came home, I told my husband that we're going to go vegetarian this week! ;) (We better, especially after the meat fest at Fogo last week).

I also told him that I can't wait to go back! He said...sweetheart, we can go every week if you'd like...sweet man. I'm sure he was thinking...imagine how much we can save on our grocery bill! ;)
p.s. Stay tuned for my next post...I'll show you what I did with the cactus.

Husband's birthday post...a.k.a...a post about food!

My sweetheart's birthday was on Monday, October 19th. We had a wonderful weekend celebration. My parents and brother came on Friday, October 16th. We spent the whole weekend together and it was glorious! For lunch on Saturday, we all went to a wonderful Greek place called Niko Niko's. Then, we had my husband's birthday dinner at home on Saturday. We all went to church on Sunday and my parents took us out to Cheesecake Factory, again, for my husband's birthday. I know everything sounds like it revolves around food in Houston...well, it does. That's what Houston is famous for...good food. ;)

On Monday, I took my sweetie to Fogo De Chao. If you've never been, it's a Brazilian Churrascaria. At close to $50 a head, you want to make sure you go on an empty stomach. As soon as they seat you, they bring out piping hot cheese popovers, crispy polenta, fried plantains and mashed potatoes to your table. Then, you help yourself to their beautiful salad bar, full of fresh veggies and cheese. They have asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, smoked salmon, rice and beans, swiss cheese, parmesan cheese, tabouli, etc. Each person is given a coaster which is red on one side and green on the other. If you want meat, you turn it to the green side. If you're done having meat or want to have a break, you turn it to the red side.

When it's green, gaucho chefs come to your table and give you your choice of meat. They have filet mignon, rack of lamb, garlic beef, leg of lamb, chicken legs, sausage, parmesan pork, ribs, and much more. The assault of meat in your face is quite unforgettable. Our personal favorite was the rack of lamb. We would go back just for that. They also give you a complementary dessert if it's your birthday. We chose their papaya cream....highly recommend it! However, I just don't see how people dine there so frequently. After we ate, my husband goes, ok, no more red meat for the next month! Haha!

The funniest part of the night was meeting and talking to our server. He was a very animated man and you can tell he loves living life! This past year, he dropped a whopping 50 pounds! He did this by running 12 miles a week and get this....cutting out red meat and alcohol! How's that for irony?! I figured, if he dropped so much weight, in spite of working at Fogo, anybody can!

Oh, and if you want to know about what I ended up giving my husband, it was the practical gift of cash. :) After shopping for days, I just decided to give him cash....on one condition. That he spends it on HIMSELF. Not on me, not on groceries, not on fixing the car...but on himself.

I hope he had a wonderful weekend. Honey, I love you more than you will ever know. I am so blessed to be married to you!

God knows our hearts.

I will eventually give you an update on my husband's birthday weekend and the mice situation. Right now, I just want to write about what's going on in my heart. I'm not going to get into too many details here but let's just say I've been burdened the past few days.

It may be PMS, thyroid, hormones, something else or just me but needless to say, I've been on an emotional roller coaster all week. I'm trying to attack my emotions by spending time with the Lord, because that's the only real way I know how. I'm not one of those people who can hide their emotions well. What you see is what you get. I haven't really admitted this but I've been feeling like a failure, especially as a wife.

Yesterday, a couple things happened which totally made my day! Let me start out by saying that 'words of affirmation' is my strongest love language, followed closely by 'quality time'. God must totally know this. My husband's primary love language is 'acts of service'. If you don't know what I'm talking about, pick up the book "The 5 love languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman...great read.

Yesterday, I got a call from an older gentleman named Ernest, who's one of our customers. I don't even remember what he called about but at the end of the call, he said: "You are the first person who has helped me, all day. You totally made my day young lady". Mind you, most of the time, I deal with complaints and disputes over the phone. So, to hear a customer actually thank me, for anything, is a big deal. There was something about the way he said it...you could hear the sincerity in his voice. Mr. Ernest, thank you. You totally made my day.

I've been praying for more wisdom because I genuinely feel like I lack this. So many times, I'll say and do things foolishly, only to regret them 10 seconds later. It's a bad habit I know I need to break. Not just for the sake of myself but for the sake of my family, particularly my husband and our marriage. Last night, before I went to bed, my sweet Shankari Chitthi shared an encouraging word with me on Facebook. She said: "I know your heart Kannae, and I sense the Lord saying that "He is so pleased with you." I was like, what??! Honestly God?? I haven't done very much that is pleasing to you lately. I had a hard time believing it but I received that word by faith in Jesus' name! She doesn't even know this but after she wrote those words, something just lifted. I had tears in my eyes and the burden just lifted.

So, Shankari Chitthi, thank you. You have NO idea how much that meant to me. You have no idea how much YOU mean to me. I love you so much. Above all, Lord, I love you so much. Thank you for giving me grace, even when I don't deserve it.

Outwit, Outplay, Outsmart

We woke up this morning, hoping to find mice in our traps but alas, we found nothing. I slept lightly all night, just waiting to hear snaps. I thought I heard one, but it was probably just wishful thinking. Although, we found that one of the traps was empty. The mouse cleverly ate all the chocolate leading to the trap and the chocolate on the trap. We must not be very good mouse trappers.

Per my friends' suggestions, I'm going to buy some peanut butter. I know we're dealing with a very smart mouse. There may even be more than one mouse. We don't know. What's the best way to deal with a smart mouse? Yup, outsmart them. I'll probably buy some crazy glue and put it on top of the peanut butter too. The battle is on baby!

Can't sleep

It's 1:36 a.m. right now and I just can't get to bed. It was another busy day, but a great day. Among other things, the maintenance guy came over with more mouse traps today. We have strategically placed 4 snap traps and 2 glue traps all over our kitchen and living room. My sweet friends Cat and Grace were kind enough to give me great mouse trapping advice. Thanks guys! I knew I can count on you!

We didn't have any peanut butter but we did have some 3 Musketeer bars. My sweet husband put trails of chocolate by each trap. Now, I am just sitting here waiting. I know that if I turned the lights off and went to sleep, the mouse/mice will come out. I'm usually not a wuss when it comes to these things but since we live in a 767 sqft. apartment, I can hear everything that goes on in each room.

I am going to pray and make myself go to bed now. Hopefully, we'll be hearing the mouse traps snapping tonight. Hey, a girl can hope right?