Proper Attire

Two young Christian men have compiled a modesty survey, which was taken by other Christian men online in January. The results are in, and they are interesting.

Jason and I find ourselves in more frequent conversations about modesty and appropriate attire these days...thinking of Hallie wearing some of the clothes we see around us sends a chill through her daddy's spine. I don't agree with all of the findings of the survey, and I am hesitant because of the legalism that such "rules" could engender. But I think it's helpful to think about the specifics of feminine attire and the practical application of the Biblical instruction to "dress modestly, with decency and propriety." (1 Tim. 2:9)

"Please Come to Boston in the Springtime"

Our jaunt to Boston this weekend was great--good friends, lots of good food, and fun. Hopefully I can post a picture or two here in the next couple of days.

I am happy to report that we braved the extremely icy conditions without a single fall, but I think it's safe to say that our next trip up north will be a spring or summer vacation!

Cookie Deprivation

I have to go have another gestational diabetes test next week because my blood sugar was too high on the last one (thanks, Mom). I'm not really that upset about the fact that the next test takes three hours, and consequently three blood draws. I AM upset, however, that the nurse tells me this on the day the Girl Scout cookies that I ordered arrive. Now I can't even eat those delicious Tagalongs without worrying that they're causing problems...

Cutie in 4D

Hallie had a 4D ultrasound today, and we got lots of pictures! Here is one of her smiling (more of a smirk, really).

Poison in the Pantry

Jason and I discovered what made him sick for over two weeks last month: our peanut butter. We threw away two jars this morning, which were contaminated with salmonella.

Peter Pan peanut butter has a recall on any jar with the numbers 2111 on the top.

Hell on the Tarmac

Tomorrow, I am flying to Boston with my husband. For the first time in a while, I am flying anxiety-medicine-free because of little Hallie. However, if this happens to us, someone better have something I can take! Otherwise, you'll be reading about me in the headlines.

Isn't it ironic?

Don't you think?

Sugar Rush

Today is my personal "Fat Tuesday." Tomorrow morning, I have a doctor's appointment, where they will test me for gestational diabetes. If I fail the test, they'll likely put me on a very restricted diet. The test is standard at 28 weeks, which is where I am in my pregnancy.

I am slightly concerned that my family history may haunt me here (read: a mother with gestational diabetes and a grandmother with diabetes). So, I've decided to ingest enough sugar today to tide me over for the next couple of months, just in case I can't have much sugar beyond tomorrow.

Thanks to my husband's Valentine's Day gift of dark chocolates, I am well on my way to a full-blown sugar high. And just maybe a Blizzard from the DQ is in order tonight...

UPDATE: I went with a humongous blue coconut slush from Sonic instead of a Blizzard...more straight sugar that way. And an added bonus: my tongue is still blue this morning.

Now, that's a relief!

Some scientists have figured out how to have "the Noah's Ark of food," built to withstand the imminent doomsday from global warming. Somehow they fail to realize that God saved the species on Noah's ark, not men.

A Rude Awakening

I realized something this morning: I am not going to sleep for the next decade of my life.

The thing is, I didn't even know how good I had it before getting pregnant. For twenty-five years, I would go to sleep and would not wake up until morning. I never got up to go to the bathroom, I never tossed and turned. It was heavenly. Then I got pregnant, and I have not had an uninterrupted night's sleep since.

And it's only going to get worse. Instead of merely dealing with my own discomfort, I will be tending to the needs of an infant during the night. Gone are the days of a full night's sleep, not to return until my last child is about 3.

So, if I'm in a haze for the next ten years or so, you'll have to forgive me. I'm semi-permanently sleep-deprived.

Progress Report

Happy Third Trimester Day! Today marks our official move into the homestretch (and into more sleepless nights, I've heard).

"The Time-Money Trade-off"

Interesting article from the ABA Journal about billable hours.

Things are Heating Up over Global Warming

As you might expect, your friendly "In My Defense" blog is on the cutting edge. It appears that, since my James Spann post a few days ago, Mr. Spann has come into the national spotlight. His blog-initiated battle with the Weather Channel over global warming has earned him time on the Drudge Report, as well as a spot on Hannity & Colmes tonight. (Spann believes that the recent warming of the globe is a national phenomenon, not a man-made catastrophe.)

Clotheshorse

It's a shame there isn't a facebook group called "my unborn daughter has more clothes than I do." Perhaps I should be the founding member.

Dragged onto the Bandwagon

Thanks to my husband's insistence (and the fact that he created a profile for me), I am now a member of facebook. And it's every bit the time-waster I knew it would be. So why can I not help but log in?

We're Not in Birmingham Anymore...

I was awakened from my Sunday afternoon nap by tornado sirens. And, as anyone in my family can attest, those sirens usually send me into a state of slight paranoia. While Jason went to check the weather reports, Archie and I hung out in the guest bathroom until given the "all clear."

After emerging from Tornado Headquarters, as we affectionately call our guest bath, I watched a little bit of Montgomery's version of weather coverage. And I was actually shocked to not be able to find my weather expert James Spann. It seems that, because we got Birmingham stations while we lived in Tuscaloosa, I had assumed that James Spann reached the entire state. I had not stopped to realize that in Wetumpka I would depend on someone else for weather updates. And, after watching about 15 minutes of Montgomery weather coverage, it's safe to say that I miss James. I'm pretty sure that I could have done the weather better myself yesterday afternoon.

While a program interruption by James Spann can be annoying, I'm hoping, for the sake of my television set, that these Montgomery guys don't need to break into any regularly scheduled programming anytime soon. And, as anyone in the South knows, more tornado alerts are imminent as Spring approaches.

UPDATE: Apparently Mr. Spann has a webpage, which links to his blog, and I'm not his only dedicated fan.

Happy New Year!

And we're back. I hope everyone had as good a vacation as I did. More posts to follow in the near future...

NASCAR goes cosmetic

Apparently I'm way behind on this, but Jason and I saw a commercial last night for a Daytona 500 cologne. Do people really associate the Daytona 500 with a pleasing fragrance?

I find the combination questionable, and as I told Jason last night, I'd prefer it if he didn't smell anything like the Daytona 500.

Passing the Buck

My husband, instead of formulating an opinion on the various nursery bedding that I've sent him, has taken the decision to his blog. Feel free to scan and vote here.

A Ray of Sunshine

Remembering my love for all things Rachael Ray, my friend JB sent me this link.

The video, in addition to being entertaining, pretty accurately sums up why she drives me nuts. But you can't deny--she has amassed a following to rival the less-irritating Food Network celebrities. So, JB and Carla (and any other Boston natives), go on and line up for the book signing. And say something clever if you get to the front of the line ... she just may let out a snort for you.