Our Little "Pea"

As all of you know by now, we are expecting our first child.  I am almost seven weeks along and have my first doctor's appointment on Oct 31.  The baby right now is the size of a pea and in a couple of days will be the size of a blueberry.  And yes, we were "trying" to get pregnant...kinda...we decided to leave it up to the Lord and He chose to bless us with this baby.

The subject of having children is something that I have struggled with for the length of our marriage.  All my life I knew I wanted to have children "one day" but that day was always far far FAR in the future.  From the moment we were married til about 2 months ago I viewed having children as a "the end" for me and Bradley.  There goes our freedom, there goes our ability to just pick up and go on a trip, there goes being able to just skip supper and have dessert instead.  All I was concentrating on was how much I wouldn't be able to do if I was tied down to a child or children. I was also concentrating on my selfishness and how I wanted it to be just me and Brad for at least 5 or 6 years because once you have children, you're "stuck" with them for 18 years. 

I feel so horribly guilty for feeling that way.

I have been looking at it all wrong.  Children aren't just "things" that come into your life to ruin it or make it more difficult and just suck all the life out of you.  They aren't preventers of fun.  They aren't complete money pits (if you're smart about it).  They aren't any of those things.  They are a gift from God.  Period.  They bring even more joy, happiness, and love into your life. They give you even more of a reason to be a Christian example.  They will watch you as they grow and learn from you and teach you lessons you would never learn otherwise.


Psalm 127:3-5
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb a reward.   

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!"

So with all the nausea, exhaustion, being grossed out by just about every food, and everything else "negative" that comes with this pregnancy, I am enjoying every minute of it knowing that I am going through this so that our baby can grow and be nourished.  It helps that Bradley is an amazing husband and is more supporting than I believe I would be if the roles were switched.  All of this is more than I deserve and everything I have ever hoped for.  Thank you Lord for our little miracle.

Love,

Hannah Elise

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Hello again!  All of you fall/pumpkin lovers will LOVE this recipe.  I've made two so far and they have been pretty stompin' good, as my mother would say.  I will put a disclaimer out though:  it is a long process.  Totally worth it though, you'll have to try and see!

First gather all the ingredients...

Cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla  (recipe calls for 3/4 tsp but why not make it a full tsp?)


Then line a 15in X 10in X 1in baking sheet with wax paper.  Spray it VERY GOOD, lest you have pieces of cake peeled off later on.

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks til they get lemony yellow and thick.  

Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin.

 Like my yellow yolks?

 The star ingredient

Now in a small bowl beat your 3 egg whites til they form small peaks.  Add the other 1/2 cup sugar slowly while beating the eggs til they form stiff peaks.  This part is fun because you get to watch the egg whites go from clear to glossy shiny airy white!

 Here we go...

My soft peaks

 Live-action pic

My stiff peaks...they're looking back at me!

Fold this into the pumpkin mixture.  FOLD, do not stir or mix, as you don't want to smush all the air out of the egg whites.  This is VERY important for the cake texture so you can roll it later.

In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

 Fold this into the pumpkin/egg white mixture until it's completely incorporated.  This usually takes about 5 minutes.  Be VERY gentle with this.  Also, maybe you wanna dip your finger in to try it?  :)

Spread it evenly onto your wax-paper-covered-baking sheet.

 Place it in an oven preheated to 375 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes.

While it's baking, sprinkle powdered sugar all over a CLEAN kitchen towel.

When it comes out lookin all pretty, take it off the pan and immediately flip it onto the towel.

 Peel off the wax paper and roll that baby up!

 Let it cool down completely.

Now for the filling, mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar.  Beat until fully incorporated.

After the roll is completely cooled...

...unroll it and slather the cream cheese filling on there!

Marvel at your finished product and how scrumptious it looks.  You're gonna want to freeze this for awhile...it's great to make ahead of time!  All you have to do is pull it out of the freezer 15 minutes before you plan to serve it and slice it up.  You may want to sprinkle more powdered sugar on top as it does kinda melt when the roll thaws.  Doesn't it look just amazing?

I made this last week for our annual family reunion at Oma's house and...well...let's just say there were no leftovers.  This is such a perfect dessert to eat with a nice cup of coffee (especially with Aldi's pumpkin spice creamer!)

If you would like to get the recipe to print, here is the website:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pumpkin-Cake-Roll-4 

Oh yeah, and one more thing:  WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!  Well, technically, I'm pregnant but Brad helped!  I won't post the picture of the test because I don't think y'all want to see that.  We are going to the doctor on Oct 31 to have our first sonogram so be on the lookout for a nice alien baby picture!

Love always,

Hannah Elise