Pregnancy Highlights

One of the blogs I follow (Life's a Beach) does this and I thought it was super cute!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 8 weeks and 4 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 2 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Wearing regular clothes still but my mother-in-law and parents have bought me some maternity clothes for when I need them.

Gender: Not sure yet but I think it's a boy!

Movement: No movement yet that I feel...Although I've read that he/she is moving.

Sleep: Wish I could sleep all the time instead of working or doing anything else. Usually come home from work ready to crash.

What I miss: Allergy meds! haha. It's allergy season and I can take Tylenol which does nothing for me.

Cravings: Baked potatoes!

Symptoms: still a few cramps and then just my belly hurting period. Been nauseated but thankfully have not thrown up (yet).

Best Moment this week: Seeing the baby and the heartbeat...Had my first ultrasound on Monday, April 18th, and it was amazing! Doctor couldn't get a good picture and she also said there was a shadow, I asked if I should be worried about it and she said no it just means there maybe more then one baby! So I'll have another ultrasound on May 16th.

Size of baby: .63 inches/.04 oz

Baby is the size of a:

Come back weekly for updates :) I'll try to start updating on Monday's when my weeks restart :)

Friday Fill-ins

And...here we go!

1. Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon??.

2. Free is a good deal.

3. I was surprised to find that I really like ice hockey (love it!).

4. Charlotte Checkers is one of my favorite forms of entertainment.

5. Hi, my name is Kasi and I'm pregnant! :)

6. Staying inside on summer afternoons.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to been relaxing all day because I've been off but I plan on relaxing some more and crocheting some, tomorrow my plans include going to a wedding and Sunday, I want to celebrate that Christ is ALIVE!!!

When Darkness Falls by James Grippando

When Darkness Falls, which Booklist called at the time of its publication "by far the best in the [Jack Swyteck] series," is now available as a free e-book in three parts. Part 1 includes two special essays by James Grippando that offer insight into the writing of When Darkness Falls.

About When Darkness Falls:

From the moment Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is called upon to defend a new client—a homeless man jailed for threatening to jump off a bridge—it's obvious something is amiss. For one thing, the man called Falcon manages to come up with the $10,000 bail...in cash. Then the body of a brutally murdered woman is found in the trunk of the abandoned car he's living in.

But it isn't until a panicked Falcon takes a group of innocent people hostage, including Jack's best friend, and barricades himself and his prisoners in a motel room that Swyteck realizes how much is truly at stake. For Falcon has a bigger agenda than suicide, and Jack Swyteck must get to the root of a dark history and bitter secrets before Falcon decides he has nothing to lose by killing them all.

My Review - I can't wait to read part 2 and 3 of this book. This book sucked me in and now I'm left wondering what happens to Theo, Falcon, and all the others. Already started part 2.

My best friend...

My best friend, Erica, has a blog too...And she's a sewer and she has this one post that needs some attention...So if you'll click on over and vote that'd be lovely!

Vote NOW!!!

Blink of an Eye by Ted Dekker

Seth Borders has one of the world's highest IQs. Now he's suddenly struck by an incredible power, the ability to see multiple potential futures. Then Seth stumbles upon Miriam, a beautiful Saudi Arabian princess who has fled her veiled existence to escape a forced marriage. Cultures collide as Seth and Miriam are thrown together and forced to run from forces determined to kidnap or kill Miriam. An intoxicating tale set amidst the shifting sands of the Middle East and the back roads of America, Blink engages issues as ancient as the earth itself . . . and as current as today's headlines.

My Review - I've been very unfocused and not reading much but this book sucked me right in and I loved it. I loved the story between Seth and Miriam. The stories between her adopted father and her real father kind of threw me because of their names but I ended up comprehending it! haha. This was also my first Ted Dekker book and I DO plan on reading more!

Six Word Saturday

I have some news, I'm pregnant!

So a few weeks ago during the Six Word Saturday I told about how I was glad that God was in control. I also posted that I was trusting the Lord with getting pregnant and with the PCOS. Well, it wasn't but a few days later that I came home from work and took an at home pregnancy test. And it was positive. Actually that was March 23rd and I went to the doctor on March 28th. The doctor confirmed that I was pregnant. :) My husband and I are so excited. When I came home on March 23rd my husband asked me when I was supposed to start (that was a Wednesday) I said well I was supposed to of started on Monday or Tuesday. He said well, when are you going to test. I said well I've gotta pee so why not just do it now. haha. So I went in the bathroom and took the test. Well, I was still in the bathroom and my husband comes in and says what are you doing I said um, finishing my business! He looked at the test and said it says pregnant Kasey. I said no it doesn't, that's a really mean joke Jamie. He said I'm not joking and proceeded to show me the test. And it said Pregnant (it was one of those digital ones). So we went and bought two more digital ones and a dollar tree one. They all said pregnant or positive. So then I went to the doctor and their test said positive too. I'm almost 7 weeks and my due date is November 28, 2011. I go back to the doctor on April 18th (only 9 days but who's counting?! haha) and I'll have my first ultra sound and all that good stuff. I'm so excited but so scared all at the same time. BUT just like I was glad God was in control before, the good thing about it is I know He still is in control and that makes me less scared. So thanks for letting me share my wonderful news with you!

Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris

Natalie Sinclair is working to eradicate the diseases decimating whole villages in the Republic of Dhambizao when she meets Dr. Chad Talcott, a surgeon on sabbatical from a lucrative medical practice now volunteering at a small clinic.

Meanwhile, things are unraveling in Dhambizao. Joseph Komboli returns to his village to discover rebel soldiers abducting his family and friends. Those that were too old or weak to work lay motionless in the African soil. When Chad and Natalie decide to help Joseph expose this modern-day slave trade---and a high-ranking political figure involved in it---disaster nips at their heels.

Where is God in the chaos? Will Chad, Natalie, and Joseph win their race against time?

Romance and adventure drive this Blood Ransom Ebook, by Lisa Harris, a powerful thriller about the modern-day slave trade and those who dare to challenge it.

My Review - This book was good. Got a little lengthy in some places but for the most part it was really good. I loved Natalie and Chad. And I loved the ending.

Six Word Saturday

Distracted and unfocused, reading on backburner...

If you've read my blog before then you've seen my book reviews. And I usually have a review to post on Saturdays. Well, I have been so distracted and unfocused that I haven't been reading as much. And I actually miss it. I'll sit down to read and be able to read for a little bit but not long at all. Anyhow, hopefully get back into it soon.

Six Word Saturday

So glad, God is in control.
When I could worry about so much going on in my own life and also in the world, I don't have to because God is in control. ALWAYS! I've come to realize (again) that God will provide when He sees fit. I'm on His schedule not Him on mine. And this is how I came to realize that...

I've been off birth control since January 2010. Jamie and I finally decided we were ready to have a child. We didn't really start "trying" until July/August 2010. But then in February I found out that I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which has been why I've yet to get pregnant. The doctor has recently put me on metformin and clomid. The metformin is basically to keep the pcos under control and the clomid is to help me hopefully get pregnant. So here's praying that I'll get pregnant and the metformin will do it's job keeping the PCOS under wrap.

Red Church by Scott Nicholson

"Hold onto your pants, because Nicholson is about to scare them off."--J.A. Konrath, Origin

For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of problems: Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant pest, Melanie Ward either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ won't stay in his heart. Plus he has to walk past the red church every day, where the Bell Monster hides with its wings and claws and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer McFall is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend midnight services with her.

Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red church for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak accident at the church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting to see his brother's ghost. And the ghost keeps demanding, "Free me." People are dying in Whispering Pines, and the murders coincide with McFall's return.

The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls are descendants of the original families that settled the rural Appalachian community. Those old families share a secret of betrayal and guilt, and McFall wants his congregation to prove its faith. Because he believes he is the Second Son of God, and that the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.

"Sacrifice is the currency of God," McFall preaches, and unless Frank and Ronnie stop him, everybody pays.
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Professionally formatted by Dellaster Design. A Stoker Award finalist and alternate selection of The Mystery Guild Book Club, my spiritual thriller "The Red Church" explores a boy's struggle with faith when his mother attends a haunted church. Inspired by real-life legends in the Southern Appalachian Mountains where I live, the novel mirrors my own search for faith, love, and deeper mysteries. I hope you'll try my other novels DRUMMER BOY, THE SKULL RING, and SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD. I invite you to contact me at or at Amazon Central. Thanks for sharing this journey with me.

My Review - I gave up on this book...I mean I started it on March 9th and was only 75 pages into it by March 16th. So I gave it up, don't usually do that on books but couldn't get into it.

Wisdom by Amanda Hocking

Wisdom - the fourth book in the My Blood Approves series... For her eighteenth birthday, Alice Bonham takes a vacation to Australia only to have her trip cut short by an unexpected murder. While Alice tries to understand what happened, she regrets some of the choices she's made, especially the more permanent ones.

My Review - I liked this book so far the best out of the series. I knew right away that Leif had something to do with Alice and Milo and I honestly thought we'd have to wait til the next book to find out what it was but I'm glad we didn't. I hated Jack and Alice fussing so much but I also felt sorry for Jack because of everything Alice is put him through with Peter and with lying. Can't wait to read the next book when it comes out!

Flutter by Amanda Hocking

Flutter - the third book in the My Blood Approves series...

Being undead doesn't make life any easier for Alice Bonham.

Her younger brother's love life is heating up, while hers is... more complicated. Mae is falling apart, her best friend Jane is addicted to vampire bites, and if Alice doesn't get her bloodlust under control, someone will end up dead.

Alice volunteers for a rescue mission with Ezra. But going up against a pack of rabid vampires might be too much, even for him.

My Review - This book was kind of long (598 pages) compared to the other books in the series. It was pretty good and I liked it okay. I really liked Jack and Alice. And Maw was unbelievable. I never saw that coming with what went on between her and Ezra. I'll be moving on to the next book in the series now.

Fate by Amanda Hocking

Fate - the second installment in the My Blood Approves series... Alice Bonham thinks she's found a balance in her life between the supernatural and real life Milo. Jack - her sorta vampire boyfriend - keeps her at arm's length to keep her safe. As for his brother Peter... she's not sure where he's at. When tragedy happens, Alice finds herself struggling with a terrible choice...

My Review - I liked this book and it's twist. Alice kind of started getting on my nerves a little but that was toward the middle/end of the book. I thought the twist with Milo and then with Jane as well was good. Moving on to the 3rd book...

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Review - Although this book is very disturbing it was pretty good. How did Collins come up with this idea for a book? It amazes me the ideas for books but this was an exceptional one. Rue had a special spot in the book for me and I thought the exchange between Rue and Katniss was extra sweet. When the book started out I was confused because I thought Katniss was a boy and Gale was a girl but I eventually figured out that it was the other way around. Also I can't wait to see what happens with Katniss and Peeta in the second book. And will the second book be as disturbing as the first?

Six Word Saturday

Being sick is no fun period.

So I'm sick :( And it's just no fun but other then that life is going okay. Mom is at home still and doing pretty good. Work is going good and the Husband is wonderful too! :) So just get rid of being sick and everything will be great!

Friday Fill-ins

And...here we go!

1. Family will ALWAYS be there and is the most important thing after God..

2. Life is all about ups and downs.

3. Trust God.

4. Try for the best.

5. Parents should love their children but also they need to disciple them..

6. You should know what was said.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include laundry and hoping I feel better and Sunday, I want to worship!

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

 How can you know someone you’ve never met? Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair. Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time. When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why…

My Review - This was just okay for me. But I'm really not into romance usually. And although this wasn't a major romance book it was still the main theme. I knew what was going to happen and then at the end there was a twist and so I thought it wasn't going to happen but the author proved to impress me with the ending. I give it a 2 out of 5 stars because it was, as I said, just okay.

Cooking...

So I haven't cooked anything in a while but I'm going to get back into it so that hopefully it'll help us save some money. Anyhow one place I'll be getting my recipes from is...

Recipe Shoebox

Go check it out...She's got a really cool blog.

Random Post

So lately I've been on a reading frenzy, or in January I was. I mean I read 8 books just in January! But sadly I've slowed down some. Don't worry, I'm still reading but not as fast.

We are a one car family now. Jamie's Volvo died last Saturday while I was driving it to go babysit. I babysit for some awesome people and they let me borrow their car for a little bit but we returned it last night so now it's just us and the Honda! But on Monday's and Tuesday's I'll drive but every other day Jamie will take me to work and then he can pick me up on Wednesday. And the only days that I'll have to find a way home are Thursday and Friday. So all in all we'll be okay.

I've thought about changing my Blog Name to something cuter but I had a friend tell me she likes my name just as it is. :)

Jamie gave me Hockey tickets for my birthday :) We'll be going to see the Carolina Hurricane's on February 19th. I'm so excited. I know everyone loves football but I like HOCKEY!!

So one of my new favorite verses is...Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties. -Psalm 139:23

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

Teenager Alice Bonham's life feels crazy after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave, he's unlike anyone she knows. Then she meets his brother, Peter. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. Falling for two guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood.

My Review - At first I wasn't sure if I'd like this book because I read that it was like Twilight. It took a little bit to get into the book but once it started going for me I was hooked. I'm going to read a few other books before I jump to the 2nd book in the series but I WILL be reading it!

You Are More...

You Are More
Watch the video and then read...

So I've been kind of discouraged lately about a few different things and I was looking through other videos and listening to other songs like Crawl by Superchick which is one of my favorites but then I came across this one and it was just a good reminder that I am MORE with Him.

Six Word Saturday

So thankful, my Momma is HOME!!!

Just last week I posted that Mom wasn't home and I couldn't go visit her because of all the sickness that I'd been around.Well, obviously if you've read my Six Word Saturday you can tell she's home! I am so thankful and excited that she's finally home. She came home on Monday (January 24). Her blood pressure being so high has caused her to have a place on her brain and given her PRESS Syndrome. Basically she can see clear if she closes one eye or the other but if she has both eyes open then it's almost like she's cross eyed she said. But the doctors say her vision should clear up. So thank you for the prayers and keep em coming through her recovery! :)

Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

My Review - So this is my first "zombie" book. And my verdict is that I liked it! I liked Amanda Hocking from her other books I read so I decided to borrow this from someone on my Nook. It was pretty good. I liked how it wasn't JUST about zombies but it was also about people working together and love. Although I did dream that someone was chasing me a few times while I was reading this book it was still good. I liked Remy and the way she acted while going through all this.

Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

Thirty-six-year-old Emma Rae Travis has been baking specialty cakes and melt-in-your-mouth pastries at The Backstreet Bakery in historic Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, for the last six years. But here's the rub about her job as a baker . . . Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crème brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she's never even had one full slice of it.

When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It's going to be a really rotten day.

Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?

My Review - This book was just okay for me. I'm not one who usually likes romance stories but this book was free on my Nook so I thought I'd try it. I knew right away who was going to end up with who right down to Emma's assistant BUT reading how they got there was what made the book readable.

Six Word Saturday

Missing my mom, wanting her home! 
 So I haven't posted an update on here about my mom in a while. And I'm sorry about that. She's still in the hospital but they have been talking about sending her home. She hasn't had dialysis since January 12th which is awesome but now she has a headache. They think it's from her blood pressure being high but they can't get rid of the headache or the high blood pressure. So they gave her some migraine meds and they made her out of it so much that she can get out of the bed like she was. I know she's ready to come home and I know my Dad is ready for her to go home too BUT we don't want her coming home when she's not ready to. As of tomorrow she'll have been in the hospital for 4 weeks. I haven't seen her since last Saturday/Sunday. I didn't go this weekend because I've been around a lot of sickness this week and I didn't want to chance carrying anything to her and she didn't want me doing that either. But thank you for the prayers and if you'll continue to pray I'd be very thankful as would she!

Enchilada Casserole

Another recipe...I made this one tonight. It's pretty good but next time I'll probably put more seasoning in it.

Enchilada Casserole

1 (10 oz) can of Enchilada Sauce
1 and 1/2 pound Ground Beef
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 (16 oz) can of Refried Beans
1 (12 oz) package of corn tortillas
1 (8 oz) bag of Shredded Mexican Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown beef and drain out the fat. Mix beef, refried beans and 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. Dip enough corn tortillas to cover bottom of a casserole dish in the enchilada sauce. Then put beef mixture on top of the tortillas, put a layer of cheese on top of that and then do the corn tortillas again. Continue layering. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Then let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Chocolate Heaven Poke Cake

A few weeks ago I found this recipe that I really wanted to try for Chocolate Heaven Poke Cake. It was so good. Next time the only thing I will change is to poke more holes! (I was kind of reserved in my hole poking!) Sorry the picture is blurry. I took a ton of them and this was the best I could get with the camera I was using. Anyhow, here's the recipe...


Chocolate Heaven Poke Cake
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Jar of Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping
1 Jar of Hot Caramel Ice Cream Topping (doesn't have to be the Hot kind)
1 large container of Cool Whip (make sure its thawed)

Mix the cake as directed and bake in a 13x9 inch pan. When the cake is done remove it from the oven and take the handle part of a wooden spoon and poke that cake like you mean it. Lots of poking. Make holes all over the cake. Don't take out to much aggression though, you don't want it to fall apart. Heat up the ice cream toppings and pour them over the HOLY cake. Use a spatula and spread the toppings thoroughly. Let it cool and top with Cool Whip. (I just put Cool Whip on it when I was serving it instead of all over the cake.)

Ascend by Amanda Hocking

The final book in the Trylle Trilogy..

With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy's fate seems sealed.But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can’t save the ones she loves.

Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it's all coming to an end.

This is a young adult paranormal romance with some mild language and mild sexual situations.

It also contains a bonus excerpt from "Jenny Pox" by J. L. Bryan.

My Review - I loved it! I loved who Wendy ended up with. I loved how Wendy and Tove handled the situation. I also loved how the whole book just played out...I was sad that the series ended but everything good must come to an end...I'm just glad I have other books from Amanda Hocking to read! :)

Torn by Amanda Hocking

Torn - the second book of the Trylle Trilogy...

Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but everything changes when the rival Vittra come after her.

She's caught between two worlds, torn between love and duty, and she must decide what life she is meant to lead.

My Review - I liked this book almost as much as the first. I'd always if the Princess was going to marry a certain someone. But I also wonder what a few other people have to do with the story and how it'll all pan out. I've already started the 3rd book and I'm loving it. Can't wait to see how the series will close out.