Can you tell me…how it is already August? Seven months have disappeared in the blink of an eye. Somehow time snuck up on me and now I must face the month that will try to kill me. We travel (by CAR!) to Philadelphia this weekend. My friend’s wedding stuff occupies my schedule all month. I will have to pick up more intensive lessons for the Sunday class I lead. Life continues on its mad course. Busy, busy, busy month ahead. Also, in August, a portion of each post is going to share something random from a list of topics being shared among bloggers. I got the idea from Lisa. Today’s topic is a guilty pleasure of mine. I would have to say my guilty pleasure is being able to stay in my pajamas or workout clothes all day if I so desired. Can you tell me why we all can’t just agree that sweats and tees are appropriate attire for everything?

Next up. Can you tell me HOW I’m supposed to fit all the shower information onto this tiny invitation?

And where this shower is even going to be? Or who to send the invites to? Since I can’t get addresses from the bride or the friend who is organizing the hotel room on the phone.

Can you tell me…why can’t we eat birthday cake every day? Yesterday we celebrated my nephew’s 3rd birthday. As usual with our family, it was a mad house of chatter and kids scrambling everywhere. All calmed for the cake. Oh, the cake!

I used to despise birthday cake. I blame Makenzie for my current infatuation with it. I never liked cake, ketchup, or candy corn until I became pregnant with her.

Can you tell me…could Makenzie BE any cuter? Well maybe without bangs in her eyes and peanut butter smeared across her face. Nah! She’s perfect.

Can you tell me…why is writing so fulfilling? I love putting my thoughts into words and onto (cyber) paper. I got a fair amount of writing done yesterday – my next fit pregnancy article (please CLICK), my Healthy Tipping Point story for Caitlin, and a lot of brainstorming for something special.

Can you tell me…why it is so hard to know God’s plan? I 100% am willing to follow Him where He leads me. And lately I have been getting these thoughts that wedge into my mind and cling onto my heart. They feel good, but there is a problem. How do I KNOW they are from God, not just something I come up with out of pride or because it seems cool? How do I know if  I should pursue them? Or is fear holding me back and am I trying to find a reason not to follow these things in my heart? For example, I have something that I would love to do on the blog and I think it could promote something amazing for every woman out there. I don’t want to just dive in without knowing it is something from God though because it is that important and dear to me. I guess all I can do is pray about it for now.

Can you tell me…how the body is so smart? Yesterday I was not that hungry. I had a light breakfast of my beloved egg/laughing cow/tomato/Morningstar sausage sandwich. Then had this lovely plate for lunch awhile later.

I ate an early dinner at the party, which was one taco of salsa, cheese, and beef plus a small slice of that cake. Then, I wasn’t hungry the rest of the day and ate nothing that night.

Today, however, I have been a bottomless pit. I devoured a quick, delicious breakfast of waffles with pb + syrup and some Morningstar Farms sausages. Then, I needed a heftier meal for lunch and convinced the hubs to hit up Atlanta Bread Company for my sandwich craving. I was STILL hungry! But, if there is one thing I know, it is to trust my body and let it do its thing. So, I’ll be munching something here shortly.

Can you tell me…if you are on my new Blogger Love page? I updated the page with the blogs that were on my previous list and all the new, fabulous people I have come across recently who requested to be included. Please check your link and let me know of any problems. If I missed you or you still want to be on the page, please let me know in a comment below. Help me spread the blogger love!

Now, can you really tell me…

• …how your weekend was?
• …your insight to any of the above?
• …you own “Can you tell me?” question?
• …did you click my link? I had to throw it in there!

Mark your calendars! August 26th will be here faster than we think. For what? To find out if the baby bean is a boy or a girl. What a great birthday present, since my birthday is the 23rd. I can’t wait. Even though I already know it’s a boy. Okay I don’t really know, but it’s what I think. Mother’s instinct counts for something, right?  Just as the instinct to listen to my body counts for something.

As I mentioned before, I do not feel it is important to know the # on the scale or how much gain I have during pregnancy. I trust that I will gain just what I need to for the baby by listening to my body, eating when hungry, eating what I crave, making healthy food choices most of the time, and being moderately active. I simply want to know if my gain is healthy or if it needs to be adjusted one way or the other.

I told all this to my nurse when she weighed me. She said everything looks perfectly healthy and that I stayed the same. Didn’t I just say don’t tell me anything? I told her I didn’t need to know that and she made a point that the midwife might want to mention it. Okay. Fine. The midwife did mention it. She said everything looks great but there will need to be some gain by the next visit. I had to assure her I’m not afraid to gain weight. Heck no! This whole thing isn’t because I’m afraid of the scale. I just don’t believe in it. I trust my body. My 90/64 blood pressure, strong baby heartbeat, and popping belly tell me all is well. That is what I need to know. Not a number on the scale. Plus, my body went through this same process with baby M. I gained most of my weight then during months 5-7.

She should also know that I do eat. Within 10 minutes of getting home from my appointment I inhaled this large bowl of deliciousness. Quaker Oat Squares + Blueberry Crisp cereal.

I have yet another thing to mark my calendar for. On Monday I am finally getting to the hair salon. My hair seriously demands a trim. I also am wavering with the idea of getting my hair died back to its natural color. I either need to do that or get highlights done again since my roots are B.A.D. I am sick with the upkeep (and cost!) of highlights. How do you think I would look with slightly darker hair? Not dark because my natural color is sort of a dark blonde, very light brown.

Now one last day to open up on your calendars. A day to whip up the Stuffed Bell Peppers I made last night. I will admit something. I learned that I don’t care for cooked peppers. I adore raw peppers, but the cooked wasn’t for me. However, the filling made me quite proud. So, if you like cooked peppers, this is a winner for you! If you don’t like cooked peppers…make a batch of the filling and use it in a wrap or just eat it out of a bowl with some extra veggies. Yum!

1. Take your bell peppers and slice them around the top, pulling out the center, membranes, and seeds.

2. Place them topside down in a microwave safe dish. Cover with plastic and microwave 2 minutes to soften the peppers.

3. Dice up onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sautee in a pan with a smidge of olive oil until tender.

4. Add tomato sauce and brown rice to the veggies. Stir evenly. PS – love the No Sugar Added Ragu. Much cheaper than other tomato sauces with recognizable ingredients. This girl’s on a budget!

5. Simmer mixture for an extra 5-10 minutes. Spoon evenly into the four bell peppers. Bake for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven.

6. Let cool and eat! The filling had so much flavor. And would be good with so many different veggies.

Ingredients (Refer above for how to use them)
- 4 bell peppers big enough to hold filling
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 large zucchini
- 10-15 baby bella mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 c tomato sauce
- 2 c cooked brown rice

Time for me to wrap up this post. A thought to leave you with…Never forget all the blessings you have in this life. Food to eat, a shelter to live in, a body to move, people to love, and so much more. All we should ask of God is our “daily bread” or our daily needs. Yet he gives us so much more, including his own son. Not because we deserve it or because he has to. Simply because He loves us. Help that thought cheer up your day. And know that I love you and sincerely hope you all have joy in your lives.

• What is a food you thought you would love, but realized you didn’t? I used to adore cooked peppers so I was shocked last night. I still had a great dinner though.
• What things or thoughts help cheer you up and bring you joy?
• Help on the hair decision! Please!

Please CLICK to read my tips on staying cool in the heat. This one goes for anyone! Click click click!