Announcing...

The impending arrival of another Baby Tidd! That's right! Reagan is entering her 14th week of pregnancy, and we are so excited to announce that the due date is August 24th. We could not have been more surprised and overjoyed at the news! Greer is excited, too, and often gives the baby kisses before bed. Chad is hoping for another little girl to add to the household, but that news will have to wait for a few more weeks. Reagan feels great, and is looking forward to the hottest summer of her life. We would covet your prayers for God's will concerning this child and our family!

Love Your Family- Write a Will

I am embarrased to admit that Chad and I don't have a will. We never got around to it, and then decided to move to SC (a will must be current in your state of residence), so we planned on doing it, but haven't gotten around to it. Blah, blah ,blah... Anyway. My sister and I were talking about it the other day, and I told her that I needed to post some of the resources that I have found. There are so many things available to help this process go smoothly, and to give you and your family the assurance that in a crisis everyone will be considered. The title above is a link to Crown's FREE Will Planning Kit.

In my work with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in our will brochure, we provided a brochure that gives you a run down of what to provide to the executor of your estate so that he/she doesn't have to start at square one going through your personal documents. I think that we will probably buy Crown's Set Your House in Order Workbook to have a consise place for all our information.

Next, finding a lawyer- again, at BGEA we recommended the Christian Legal Society if you don't know where to start. I am thankful to have a wonderful aunt that is a lawyer and just happens to work within walking distance to the Walhalla Steakhouse, so I am going to get on the ball and give her a call. (You would think the food would be incentive enough.) I would be glad to pass her name along for any of you that need a lawyer in the SC Upstate.

There we go...a start. I am going to print the Crown Will Workbook out, so that Chad and I can work on it this weekend. I hope that this inspires many, many of you to do the same. For our peace of mind and those we love!

Stir Fry Recipe

I like to keep stir-fry vegetables in my freezer for an impromtu meal when things are getting tight around here, but I am also really anti-prepared foods aka stir-fry sauce. The other night I needed something to put on my chicken and vegetables, and felt certain that I had plenty of ingredients to throw something together. Before starting, I consulted some recipes in Southern Living's Ultimate Cookbook and discovered a very easy sauce that I will probably use many times in the future. Here it is: 3/4 c. chicken broth, 1/4 c. soy sauce, and 1 T. flour or cornstarch. Mix together and add to your skillet after (1) browning your meat, (2) adding your frozen vegetables until warm, and cook until reduced to desired consistency.

The following night I also found an easy way to make fried rice. There is a "steamer" product of some brand that is rice, carrots, peas, and corn. I put some canola oil in a pan and fried up an egg, added the warmed rice mix, and soy sauce. Viola! Feel free to customize with what you have on hand. When I really make fried rice I use onion, red pepper, and a little chili garlic paste (or chili powder and garlic powder). Just know that the package barely fed Chad and me, so you might need a few of them for a large family. Happy Cooking!

Be My Valentine

Chad and I found ourselves laughing so much yesterday, that I finally told him that I would have to blog about all of our wonderful adventures! Can we begin with last week? Chad graced me with a wonderful iphone on Saturday, and gave Greer a docking station "so that she could dance"- really an excuse to give me yet another present. I was totally surprised and have been having so much fun enjoying them. Then, Sunday...

Chad left us to board a plane for Reno, NV. Bless his sweet heart, Chad had a cold all week. :) Needless to say, he really missed home! He left notes for me to open each day, and he managed to come up with things that he likes about me to share each day. Thanks for all your planning, Chad! It really meant a lot. Greer and I had fun together and managed to survive.

Yesterday, we had breakfast with some old friends from Marshall, Christi and Simon. Thanks for broadening our horizons to Denny's, Simon! We tried to rent a movie, but found out that we are old and cheap. Instead, I got ice cream and chocolate from Publix to make a yummy snack. (Add hungry to old and cheap.) We headed back home to meet Michael, Kate, and Amelia before they left for Costa Rica. It was fun to see Greer and Amelia really play together this time! There was lots of hugging and chasing this time compared to previous stares.

Now the best part...dinner. Chad wanted to take us to dinner at an Asian Restaurant (name intentionally left blank to protect the innocent). We showed up around 5:20 thinking that we had beat the rush and could all enjoy a nice dinner together. There were only about 3 couples on the list and waiting with us, so we sat down and had a good time waiting together. We even got to know the couple sitting by us and the wife helped read Greer a book. About that time we looked at the clock and it was 6. Still same 3 couples, no sign of progress. Apparently we had been trumped by all of the planners that called ahead. Chad graciously told the hostess that we were leaving, at at 6 pm, we decided to head for Zaxby's. Zaxby's must have something against us, because we never order a salad and actually get what we ordered BUT that just added to the humor.

Today, Chad thought he would redeem himself with lunch after church. We just laughed as we entered into the parking lot to see a special sign that read "Closed for cleaning on Feb. 15." Who told them that we were coming? Oh well, we found a new Qdoba instead! Thanks Chad for a terrific week! I am glad we have each other to laugh with at all of life's frustrations!

Greer helping me make a Valentine's Treat: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart

Eating Chocolate Chips

Updated House Pics

Here are some pictures of our house with furniture... Breakfast area
Kitchen

Living Room

Dining Room

Sitting Area (don't you love the big green ball!)

The front door is to the left of this picture, if that helps you with the layout of the house.


The Upstairs

Our bedroom- It is messy, but I wanted to include the wall color, the curtains, and the chair rail we had added.

Greer's bathroom- we had beadboard added and walls painted.

Guest room

Loft complete with TV and lots of play space.

Another view of the loft.

Chad's Birthday

Sorry these are late! Chad's birthday was January 28th.

Greer helped me prepare Chad's cake with candles.

Birthday kisses for Daddy! Greer eating cake and strawberries.

For Chad's actual birthday dinner, his parents came down and took us to Outback. In this picture Greer is eating the carrot cake that they ordered.

How often do we get pictures of just the two of us? It is nice to remember all the wonderful years we have had together celebrating Chad's life. I hope that we have many, many more! I love you Chad!

Escape Artist

For the last couple of weeks, I have been finding Greer undressed when I get her in the morning. Usually, it is a good laugh, but not too annoying. This weekend, however, she removed her very dirty diaper while still in the bed and we had to take her directly to the bath tub and her bedding to the washing machine.

SO...Mommy and Daddy decided that something temporary needed to be done. I have been putting a pair of shorts on over her pajamas, and this has seemed to stop the diaper removal for the past few days. We'll see how long it lasts! Here are some pictures I took this morning. As you can see, she can still unzip and partially remove her pajamas.

You can see the pink shorts in this picture! :)