Not What I Expected To Be (but still pretty damn good)

Whew, has this been quite a week! I'm happy every week when Friday comes, but this week it seems especially wonderful because this week, particularly the last two days, have been fairly hellish.

First, here's my 29-Weeks Belly Shot:


I'm in disbelief every week that I've gotten this far along; that I'm adult enough to be creating a family; that in just about 2 1/2 months I'll have a baby of my very own that I've wanted for so long.

However, all of this bringing a baby in to the world stuff is not as easy as I expected. I really thought I'd be all calm, earth-mother, taking it all in a stride. I've been fairly the opposite: an anxious mess, worrying about every weird new symptom that has come about, worrying about whether I can really do this, and being generally very uncomfortable, especially lately. Don't get me wrong, there are many times when I love being pregnant, especially when I'm sitting comfortably and the baby's kicking. Or when someone notices I'm pregnant and I get to talk about the baby.

This week has been one of the worst anxiety- and comfort-wise. I had my glucose screening on Tuesday, which wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, but then I got the news back that my glucose levels were a little high (7 points above the cut-off for normal), and so I have to go back in for the three-hour glucose test next week. I'm really not looking forward to this; carb-loading for three days, fasting for 12 hours, and then having my blood drawn 4 times in 3 hours, the last three times after I've had to drink the Glucola again. Last time my sugar dropped and I felt sick after about 2 1/2 hours, so this should be fun.

I also have low iron levels in my blood, so I'm adding an iron supplement to my daily vitamin regimen. Which isn't such a big deal, but let's just say that I haven't had to deal with one of the most common, uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms, but my chances are going up with the iron supplements. Woohoo!

In addition to these two things, I've also been in quite a lot of pain since last Thursday evening. I have a constant dull ache along my right side, especially around my lowest rib on that side. It gets worse as the day wears on and even worse if that day is spent sitting in my office chair. The doctor was a little worried at first about preecamplsia, as upper right abdominal pain is one of the symptoms, but I don't have any other signs - my blood pressure is normal, no protein showing up in my urine, etc.

Just to double check everything was all right, they had me do 30 minutes of monitoring at the office, which I know some women complain about (and I might if they do it during my labor), but I absolutely loved yesterday. I got to sit and listen to my baby's strong, regular heartbeat for half an hour, and it's the sweetest sound in the world to me. I also got to hear her kick the monitor quite regularly after the first 15 minutes; apparently she got tired of being pressed on in the same place for so long. She passed the non-stress test with flying colors, so that along with the other normal test results, makes the doctor figure I just somehow wrenched something or it's my body carrying the baby weight all out front. Which means I get to wear this for the rest of the pregnancy:


I don't know if you can really see it well in the picture, but it's a Prenatal Cradle, meant to support my growing girth in order to relieve abdominal and back strain. They prescribed this to me a while ago, but I had put off getting it, preferring, apparently, to suffer through it. This past week, though, the pain has been fairly unbearable so I caved. I'm kind of excited about having this to wear so I can get some exercise (walks longer than about 100 feet) which has been unbearable since about 20 weeks. It's going to take some getting used to for wearing at other times. It's not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn, but it's not horrible either.

Next week at this time I'll be 3/4 of the way done with this pregnancy, and despite all of my complaining above, I think I'll miss it a lot. More than that, though, I can't wait to meet my baby girl. It's so exciting I can hardly stand it. And completely worth being the frantic pregnant woman I've turned out to be.

To top it all off, we're getting about 100 more cable channels tomorrow

It has been an incredibly busy past few days, including my mom and sister coming to visit (and going out for yummy, yummy Indian food), finally starting work on the blanket I'm crocheting for the baby, work, work, work, and finally, today, my glucose screening test and first Rhogam injection. I took the day off of work today in case the "glucola" made me feel nauseous or exhausted. Aaron took the day off due to the injection as I have had reactions to vaccinations in the past and he was worried about me.

Everything turned out fine (so far - I won't have the results of the tests for a while), except for a stunningly fast blood sugar drop at about noon (after drinking the glucola at 9:30) that left me shaking and ravenously hungry. So I wolfed down my lunch, a piece of banana bread, and then a piece of gooey butter cake in order to satiate my need for food. It was pretty crazy; I haven't been that desperately hungry for quite a while.

Following the large meal I was suddenly exhausted, so Aaron and I laid down for a 2-hour nap, which was wonderful. We were pretty excited about having the day together with not too much to do. We also watched Martha Stewart and Ellen, neither of which Aaron had seen before, and he was pretty entertained by both. We're still sitting around just enjoying each other's company and not worrying too much about anything but that.

Since my mom and sister were here Sunday and Monday, I didn't get to my usual Monday Meal Planning Post. Sorry about that! But I do have two delicious meals to share.

First: Pot Roast. I've been craving pot roast lately, and so I went searching for a pot roast recipe that could prepared in the crock pot so I could make it on a work day. I found one, bought the ingredients, and then didn't make it until Sunday so my reason for needing it to be a crock pot recipe was moot, but I don't mind too much, because it was DELICIOUS. We added a few crushed cloves of garlic and browned the onions, then used half of the water to loosen the brown bits left over from browning the beef and onions (and added a little more water because a lot of what I added to the pan evaporated). Served with some fresh baked rolls, this is a homey meal that is the very definition of comfort food for me.

Second: Risotto. I had some Arborio rice sitting in the cupboard, and ran across this recipe for Risotto with Tomatoes and Sausage last week at We Are Not Martha and decided that it looked like it was worth a try. Plus, Aaron demanded that the next time I make risotto it was more meal-like than the apparently too-side-dish-like risotto I made the last time. This recipe definitely fits that requirement, and is a meal in a bowl. Very delectable.

Aaand...with that I'm out. I'm still pretty tired, and I want to spend the rest of the evening cuddling with my husband (and probably doing a little more work on the baby blanket). Belly pictures won't be posted until tomorrow night, at the earliest. We're really working on taking it easy this week.

Weekend Baking 1.6

Ridiculously Delicious (and Fattening) Edition

Quite a while ago, I was watching Paula Deen discuss her restaurant in Savannah, and their bestselling desserts. Since I bake weekly, my ears perked up because I'm always looking for recipes to try. Then I sort of forgot about it for a while.

Near the end of January I was reading an entry from Linda at All & Sundry, and she mentioned one of the desserts I'd heard about on that episode of Paula's show. Actually, she more than mentioned it, she practically raved. That's when I knew I'd have to try it sooner rather than later.

Still, it took me almost an entire month to whip up a batch of my very own Gooey Butter Cake. Although, I'm kind of glad I did, because I may have gained a lot more weight than I have to this point. That's due to the fact that Gooey Butter Cake is delicious, and it's all I can do to keep from constantly shoveling some into my mouth instead of something more healthy and balanced. It's more of a bar than an actual cake - a crust made with butter, egg, and cake mix, topped with a cream cheese mixture that's much sweeter than cheesecake, but nearly as delicious. In a word, it's AWESOME. Just to make it a little more delicious, we've been eating it with sliced strawberries and whipped cream on top, but it's more than perfectly fine all by itself and best served at room temperature or warmer.

The reason I made it this week is that I needed a dessert for a co-worker's going away party (sob! - she's one of my favorites, and my favorites are dropping like flies!) but I wanted to make a a batch for us to eat so I could make sure it was good before I thrust it upon my unsuspecting co-workers. So I made a batch on Wednesday. Shortly after it came out of the oven, I couldn't resist sampling it because it smelled so incredibly good! So, I went to the kitchen and cut a slice. Then I inhaled it and called my mom to tell her to make a batch. Soon after I went into the kitchen and helped myself to a second slice, slightly embarrassed that Aaron would know that I ate so much of it before it was actually "dessert time".

Aaron got home and smelled the cake as soon as he walked through the door. He bee-lined to kitchen to see where the aroma was coming from, and exclaimed, "You already tried it!"

"Well, yeah," I said, "I had to make sure it was edible before I made you eat some."

"Well, what about the second piece you had?"

"The baby heard me talking about it and demanded a slice for herself."

"Gotcha," he said with a laugh. Apparently that excuse doesn't fly just yet.

Awesomeness/Selfishness

I just realized something that is exciting to me for purely selfish reasons: Mother's Day can now be celebrated in my honor! The reason this is exciting for me, besides the fact that I get to be a mom and I've been waiting for that for years, is that it's a gift-receiving occasion outside of my current one-month gift period. See, my birthday, our anniversary, and Christmas all occur within less than a month, so any presents that I get during the year come only at that time. Not that I want lots of presents, but it is fun to receive something, even something small, sometimes. And since all of those events happen in close proximity to one another I tend to receive one or two big gifts instead of separate gifts for each occasion.

I know this whole thing sounds completely selfish, and I'm a little embarrassed at the moment. And it's also true that I greatly prefer giving gifts rather than receiving them. Again, though, it's nice to get a little something every now and again, and now it's more likely that it will happen more than once per year.

And for something(s) completely different:

I am so excited to share this week's Weekend Baking recipe. I craved it all day today and wasn't smart enough to take some with me for lunch. I'm making a second batch of this treat tonight to take to a dessert potluck (a.k.a. pregnant lady heaven) tomorrow at work.

This next month (plus one week) is going to be super busy for us, but we're incredibly excited about all of it. Activities happening include: my sister and mom coming to visit for the weekend (this weekend), parenting classes starting up (next weekend and the following two weekends), a friend's surprise 30th birthday party, a friend's older sister (who is also pregnant and due a few weeks after me) coming to visit, and my baby shower! I'm super excited about the baby shower because my best friend, who I haven't seen since August because she lives in D.C., is the one throwing it. I miss her so much, and I can't wait for her to get here!

I have about a million baby-related crafts spinning in my head, and not nearly enough time to get to any of them, but I need to start the baby blanket I'm making for my little sweet pea. If I have time, though, the crafting is about to get crazy up in here!

Closing in on single digit weeks

Here's the belly at 28 weeks:


Excuse the way I look; yesterday was a long day. I worked really hard all day, rushing around and stressing out, trying to get an impossible work load in by quitting time, only to have someone possibly render all my hard work useless. We'll see how it goes.

Aaron heard the annoyance in my voice and decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up something sweet for me, but then couldn't decide what to get and then got nothing because he couldn't decide. Then he told me about it. He's since learned that was the wrong choice, and that in these circumstances, anything sweet will do. Really. Anything.

We also finished up watching the 2nd and final season of Rome last night. What a great show! Not great if you have an issue with nudity/sexual content or blood, but a great story. We were a little sad with one of the people who didn't make it through to the end, but overall we love it and are sad it's over.

I have my last monthly doctor's appointment this morning and then I start going every other week. I still can't believe how fast this is all going. My baby shower is only about a month away, we start parenting classes in a week and a half, and it's suggested that we get our car seat installed in the next couple of weeks in case the little Miss "Ca" decides to come early. I'm just amazed by the whole thing and can't wait to meet her.

Monday Meal Planning 2.6

FEEDING THE PREGNANT LADY'S CRAVINGS EDITION

Getting right to it this week because it's almost dinner time and I'm starving:

Monday: Taco Salad

Toss together in any quantities desired: lettuce, pinto beans, browned ground beef prepared with taco seasoning, tomatoes, onions, crushed Doritos, and Catalina dressing. Yum! If you want to make more than you'll eat for dinner, just add the Doritos and dressing to each serving.

Tuesday: Pasta with Broccoli, Sausage, and Roasted Red Peppers

Toss cooked pasta with steamed broccoli (2 to 3 stalks), browned bulk Italian sausage (1/3 lb.), 6 cloves garlic (minced and sauteed with sausage), chopped roasted red peppers (about 1/2 cup), olive oil (1 to 2 Tbsp.). Add pasta water as needed to coat, and sprinkle each serving with about a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas and Mexican Rice

For fajitas, I use a purchased fajita seasoning mix (like this one), saute strips of chicken with onions and green peppers, and put it all on tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and avocado. Anything with avocados is a winner around here lately. Maybe we should buy stock in an avocado farm.

I make my own Mexican rice instead of using Rice-a-Roni or similar. Here's my super-secret recipe: Make rice according to package directions, except for 1) use 2/3 water and 1/3 jarred taco sauce for the amount of water it calls for, and 2, I throw in a chicken bullion cube when I'm boiling the water. That's it. Aaron loves it, and so do I. Although we might smother it in cheese and sour cream as well. It's like I said before about the toppings.

Thursday: Piggy Pudding and steamed green beans

This recipe is a favorite comfort food around here, and super easy to make. Leftovers are good for weekend breakfast too.

Friday: Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Another household favorite, and one of my current top cravings.

Saturday: Dinner out.

We went to Red Robin and I got the burger with the most pickles on it. How stereo-typical pregnant woman can I get?

Sunday: Fancy Grilled Cheese

I made this sandwich one day based on a craving for grilled cheese and the feeling that I should probably add some vegetables to my diet. For each sandwich you'll need two pieces of bread (duh, sorry) and you spread one side of each piece with butter. On one piece spread some Alouette or similar herb cheese spread (on the non-buttered side). Place this, butter-side down in the pan, sprinkle with shredded cheddar, and layer on sliced tomato and sliced avocado. Top with other slice of buttered bread (butter side up). Flip when bottom is brown to brown the top piece of bread. Eat, and then if you're like us, make another.

(This list so did not help with the starving thing. I'm even more hungry now, and I didn't think that was possible!)

Weekend Crafting 1.3

Every now and again I stumble across a blog that I could spend days reading, over and over again. Sometimes it's because they're funny, sometimes incredibly interesting, but most often it's because it's a craft or food blog and I start daydreaming about all these wonderful things to make.

Earlier this week, I found a blog that fits that last description: How About Orange. I am absolutely loving this site, and would spend all day browsing her archives if I had the chance.

She features some items on her sidebar, and the one that really caught my attention was a tutorial she put together on making covered thumb tacks. I love little touches like these and they are just so cute and fun! And, it appears, pretty easy to make as well. I might have to head to the fabric store this weekend to pick up the supplies and make myself a batch.

Although, it would probably be a better idea for me to make if I actually had a bulletin board or other use for the tacks.

Weekend Baking 1.5

LEMON COOKIES!

With sprinkles just to make them a little more fun. I've been wanting to make these for weeks, but just got around to it last night. I figured that Valentines cookies were probably best on Valentines Day. Am I right? So I got my butt in gear and baked them. Boy am I glad I did that.

I took in 1 1/2 dozen to work today and they were gone, no problem. Aaron was a little sad that I gave away so many of them (he always is). He says his favorite part is the frosting - a lemon glaze. One of my favorite coworkers said she liked the cookie best - kind of a lemony shortbread. I like the two things together, personally. They work together perfectly.

Of course, they don't have to be just for Valentines day, as you can cut them into whatever shape you want. I just pulled them from a valentines day issue of a magazine a few years back.

Anyway, here's the recipe. If you make them I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Lemon Cookies
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens


Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
Lemon Glaze (recipe below)

In a small bowl stir together flour and baking powder; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an eletric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Add teh sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in lemon peel.

Chill dough in refrigerator approx. 3 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out dough with cookie cutters. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are golden. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack; cool completely.

Lemon Glaze:
In a large bowl stir together 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Color as desired, and spread or pipe onto cookies.

2 Down, 1 To Go

First things first:

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

Here is the belly at 27 weeks, a.k.a. the last week of my second trimester:


For the occasion, here are my current pregnancy symptoms:

Kicks (my favorite, not happening as much as I'd like. I apparently have a quiet baby.)
Hungry, all. the. time.
Peeing, all. the. time.
*cough* stress incontinence *cough*
Hip pain
Sciatic Nerve pain
Round Ligament pain
*cough* flatulence *cough* (which Aaron thinks is highly hillarious)
Mood swings (Aaron's least favorite, especially when I cried over cream cheese this morning)
Fatigue
Excitement, sense of anticipation (can't wait for her to get here; it's getting so close!)
Nesting (slight; I really just want to get some things set for her)

I can't believe I've made it this far already. It seems like just last month I found out I was pregnant. It's going so fast, and yet not nearly fast enough.

Also, send kicky thoughts to ease my worry. Please.

Also, the dishwasher is still leaking

Today is, again, one of those days. I am having a BAD hair day (shouldn't have experimented with hot rollers), I'm hungry but nothing sounds good, and I forgot to take my COMPUTER with me to work. So I came home. But I have to go back in at noon because of my afternoon full of overlapping meetings. Fun! Add to that the fact that the baby is not kicking as much as I would like her to kick, and you get a day that is not my favorite day.

I also found out that I seriously suck at trying to take pictures of myself using our new tripod. Therefore belly pictures are forthcoming as soon as Aaron comes home tonight and takes a picture of me. Hopefully I will have figured out a way to tame my hair by then.

I take back something I said earlier: something does sound good but I have to wait until Saturday to eat it. I am seriously craving a really good hamburger. I have to wait for Saturday because the restaurant we go to is on the other end of town next to the store where we're registering for the baby, so we don't want to make more trips (on icy roads since we've had so much snow the city is running out of salt) than are absolutely necessary.

On days like today I either need a reset or a fast forward button.

/whining

Quite the List

Before I get to the list, I have to share a funny moment from this morning.

Here I am, sitting in the living room, when from the kitchen I hear Aaron say, "It's Fergalicious!"

No other context, nothing was said before or after, just apparently something was "Fergalicious". So I laughed. And he turned red. And now I'm sharing the moment with everyone else. (Maybe it's more funny to me than everyone else, because I'm still chuckling about it a little bit.)

Anyway, a la Frema, here's my Giant To Do List before the baby gets here:

1. Start IRA for Aaron. He needs to start a retirement fund, and I feel like if we don't get money into it before the baby is here, we won't ever do it.

2. Finish baby registry. We have a few important things left to add, such as a car seat and stroller.

3. Decide on crib. There are a few re-sale shops around here that sell fairly new cribs at about a quarter of the price of a new one, if not less. Now we just have to decide if we're going to buy one now or when we move. Which brings me to...

4. Decide if we want to buy or rent. We want to move out of our current apartment. It's not a bad apartment, and we like it here, but things are starting to break and we kind of want our own, non-attached space. So we have to look for a house. There are a lot to rent in the area and even more to buy at a really reasonable price. We just have to decide because we have to be out of here by July 1 (6 weeks after the baby is born if she's born on time).

5. Crochet baby blanket. I have the pattern, and I bought the yarn. Now I have to get crocheting so I have a chance to get it done before she gets here (just about 3 months from now!!!).

6. Get car seat installed and checked. This needs to happen, of course, after we decide on and buy/receive the car seat.

7. Find child care. I will be returning to work 12 weeks after the baby is born, so we need to find someone to take care of her during the day. We're pretty sure we'll be using a day care center, but we have to research them some more, do some visits, and get on some waiting lists. Complicating things is the fact that we want to only use the day care 3 to 4 days a week (I'll telecommute the other 1 to 2 days). A lot of places give preference to full-time kids first, so that will make it harder to find a place to take her.

8. Decide on a name. The baby does not have a name yet. We have narrowed it down to two that we like and now we have to pick between the two. That's the hard part. We may have to wait until she's here and see which fits her best.

9. Write wills. We're going to be using the Suze Orman will and trust kit. But first we have to download it, and fill it out. Of chief concern: who will we ask to take care of her if something were to happen to Aaron and I. (Which I hate to think about, but I figure it's better to prepare.)

I'm sure there are more things that I'm forgetting, but I have to get ready for work now. And looking at that lists starts to make me panic a little bit. I can't believe she's going to get here so soon!

3 Words

Two Below Zero.

2 for 1

First up: Weekend Baking 1.4!

I think I've shared this recipe before, but here it is again, because it is always a huge hit:

My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these for our Super Bowl "Fiesta" last weekend and they went faster than any other food we put out. Delicious!

I scoop the dough onto the pans with a regular-sized ice cream scoop, which is a lot easier than using a quarter cup measure because the dough comes out a lot easier. These are big cookies, but so good!

Next: Monday Meal Planning 2.5

Monday: French Lentil Soup with bread.

This is the best lentil soup I've made yet. I'm still having some pretty strong meat aversions, so I'm doing whatever I can to get in plenty of protein and iron and this accomplishes that wonderfully plus adds in lots of veggies. Yum!

Tuesday: California Vegetable Pizza

We make this nearly as the recipe prescribes, with the following exceptions: we use a pre-made thin pizza crust (like Boboli), and cook it in the oven. This is one of my favorite meals, especially when I'm craving something very fresh tasting.

Wednesday: Spaghetti, Salad, and Garlic Bread

Use your favorite recipe, or ours. We use a jar of our favorite sauce and add in browned ground beef, and sliced mushrooms and zucchini that we've sauteed.

Thursday: Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa and rice pilaf

Aaron said that he asked Cayenne nicely to stop rubbing the chicken, but he wouldn't. (He's a comedian!)

Friday: Queso Dip and Chips

This is my mom's recipe and what we served for our Superbowl party, along with Pico de Gallo (which I highly recommend) and guacamole (and the above mentioned cookies).

Here's the Queso recipe:

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 1b. Velveeta
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
Chili powder, garlic salt, and hot/taco sauce to taste.

Combine in a crock pot (you can cook onions and green pepper before adding, if you'd like) and cook over low until the cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

A Week/Day Late

So, I never ended up taking a belly shot last week, but I did have Aaron take some pictures this week. Here they are, 26 weeks belly shots:

Here's what I see when I look down:


Also, here's what we're dealing with:


That picture was taken last night at around 5 p.m. and we got even more snow after that, for a total of 8 1/2 inches. I'm working from home today so that I don't have to navigate the snow and ice-covered roads.

Out Sick

My computer, that is. Not me. Aaron found a virus on our home computer last night so I'm not allowed to use it to upload pictures until he fixes it. We even remembered to take belly shots last night!

The virus also appears to be my fault, so I'm not allowed to complain to him about it. Oops!

In the meantime, I want to ask you if you've ever played my "favorite" game. "Favorite" because I'm being facetious. This game involves putting several kinds of vegetables in your shopping cart and then having to tell the checkout person what each and every one of them is. Especially when you buy "exotic" (sarcasm again) vegetables like I did yesterday.

"Hmmm....what's this?" the guy behind the counter asked, quite seriously.

"A red onion."

"And this?"

"Zucchini."

"Oh, OK."

etc.

So, have you ever played this game? Do you think, like I do, that people need to introduce more vegetables into their diets? And probably cook some non-processed meals at home? Geez!

Monday Meal Planning 2.4

You Tell Me Edition

I have cook's block. I have no idea what to cook and/or eat. It's so bad we even got pizza for dinner tonight even though neither of us really wanted it. It was the only thing we could think of and we're both tired after a late night watching the Super Bowl last night.

So you tell me: what's for dinner tonight at your house?

Early Riser

I think we may be in trouble. This baby is totally taking after me in the early waking department, except for the fact that she likes to start kicking a little earlier than I usually get up. I woke up this morning at 5:30 following a swift kick to the bladder. I tried to go back to sleep, but then she started doing back flips (at least that's what it felt like) and delivering kicks/hits to both sides of my belly simultaneously. I don't mind it too much though; it's like our private time when we can be close to daddy, who is still sleeping, but still do our own thing together.

I have always been an early riser/morning person. When I was little I'd routinely start my Saturday mornings at around six or even slightly earlier. My parents didn't mind this too much when I was a little older, because then I could take care of my brother and sister and my parents could sleep in. On the rare morning that I was sleeping in a little (read: nearly 7!) my mom would try to wake up and sneak out the front of the house. However, the fastest way to wake me up is to shut my door, or basically any door in the house, so I usually followed her immediately, ruining her early morning alone time.

After witnessing my paternal grandmother's morning routine, I see that I come by this naturally, so it should be no surprise that my daughter may be just like me: incapable of sleeping in. My grandma wakes up early early. Like four in the morning early. A few years ago she had a mild heart attack at around 8:30 in the morning. The doctor asked her what she was doing when she had her heart attack, and she answered, "Drying my fourth load of laundry and putting the finishing touches on vacuuming the house."

Of course, now that I've left the cozy confines of bed, the baby has stopped kicking. Kick, baby! Kick!

Weekend Crafting 1.2

More Valentines! Edition

Inspired by both Miss Zoot crafting with her daughter and Alica Paulson at Posie gets Cosy, I decided to make a Valentines Day Bunting out of some scrapbook paper I had sitting around.



Materials:
Paper - in various colors/patterns
Card Stock (I used 8x8, but any size would work)
Glue
String, ribbon, or yarn
Hole Punch

Cut out various sized hearts from the different colored/patterned paper. Cut equal sized triangles from the card stock; here's a drawing of the way I drew triangles to cut out, resulting in 6 identical-sized triangles from each 8x8 inch piece of card stock (check out my mad (ha!) Paint skills:


I glued hearts to each triangle in various patterns, punched holes in two corners of each triangle, and strung the triangles on the matching yarn I had in my stash.

The thing I like about this the most? I'm planning on using them as decorations above our baby's crib in a few months. Girly as it is, even Aaron likes it as a decoration.

This is a totally easy craft that could even be done with kids to practice their cutting skills. Hope you enjoy!

Weekend Baking 1.3

Custard Goodness Edition

When I asked Aaron what I should bake this weekend, he suggested something in pie form. As soon as he said it, I knew exactly what I was going to bake:

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

This is a custard pie, and is rich and delicious. Much better cold than fresh from the oven, but definitely edible warm, as I just couldn't wait to cut into it until it was completely cooled. The main reason I chose this recipe is that Deb at Smitten Kitchen showed it in tart form, and I have a tart pan I got for my birthday that I have yet to use. However, the full recipe makes way too much filling to go into a tart shell, so I decided to just go the pie route like it was meant to be.

It's not the best pie I've ever made (banoffee pie and key lime are tied for that honor), but it is definitely quite good. If I had fresh raspberries or blackberries to put on top, along with a little whipped cream, I would be in heaven.