the essence

The biggest grocery list of my life

I figured with less work this week a good goal was to cook a bunch of meals to freeze. Yesterday, I sat down & found the recipes I wanted to make (I was tired of the same ones I always use & was on the hunt for some new ones), made my HUGE grocery list & went shopping. I nearly exhausted the rest of the gift card Ray's dad got us for Sam's but it was definitely worth it.

I didn't get to start cooking until today &, while I did a lot, I still feel like I have quite a bit left. This could partly have to do with the fact I cooked the beef dishes first & saved the chicken ones for last - I just hate working with chicken, which makes those dishes less appealing to make.

I've also done a little bit of sewing, I have several projects I'm working on right now! One thing I love about new projects is new fabric. I find it so pretty I could just stare at it forever (maybe not forever, but I do keep going to look at it!).

Anyway, last week I took advantage of our newfound transportation & went down to Ikea & met up with Jen & her kids for lunch. I hadn't seen her since the kids birthday party 3 months ago so this was also my first time meeting 6-week-old Lily! She's in that lovely sleep-through-anything stage & slept for our entire visit!



I couldn't get a photo of all three girls looking at me at the same time, but they were so sweet sitting together! (poor Gabriel, I didn't get any photos of him, but he's grown SO much since the last time I saw him!)







Late Saturday afternoon we went up to Ray's dads'; we hadn't been there since Christmas. We first went to visit the eight miniature donkeys and the horse. The kids just love the animals but you have to watch them closely because the donkeys will nip at them. I got tired of holding Kate so I took her to the other side of the fence so I could put her down. Several of the donkeys congregated by us & Kate waved her little finger at them & started telling them all kinds of things. Then, she go up & put both hands on either side of their faces & pat them. It was so cute!

After the animals we went into town to a new New York Style pizza place - my favorite & the girls had fun coloring!



Tomorrow is my glucose test at the birth center but they're doing a new way of testing - no sugary drink and then waiting an hour before you get your blood drawn & can eat anything! Instead, you eat a normal breakfast & then blood draw an hour later. I think the old way was giving too many false positives sending the expectant mothers for additional testing only to find out they didn't really have gestational diabetes.