So I decided to take a vacation from blogging during my maternity leave. As if you needed me to tell you that. You might have guessed this from the TWO months that I haven't been posting!
I have good excuses, though!
Remember that cold/flu bug that Little Boy had that kept us from attending the Super Bowl party? Yes, we tossed that around the family like a hot potato the entire month of February with my becoming so sick that I had to take a course of antibiotics to regain use of my air passages. Yes, that was good times, friends. Or not.
February gave way in to March, which brought on swelling, back aches, and the general feeling of heaviness that accompanies one who is nine months pregnant. I literally felt and looked ready to pop at any moment. In fact, two weeks before my due date, I had one woman in the supermarket tell me that I looked ready "to drop that baby on the floor this very second!" I was not amused.
Finally, five days before due day, my water broke! And so started the most painful 15 hours I have ever experienced and ever hope to experience again! But it was all worth it just to finally hold Baby Boy in my arms. He was born on Monday, March 16 at 12:14pm via c-section weighing 8lbs 1oz and measuring 19-1/2 inches long. He looks nothing like his brother!
For the last six weeks, we laughed, cried, did not sleep, and have enjoyed getting to know our baby. And I'm going to keep going with this blog vacation so I can continue to do all that with my undivided attention for the next several weeks at least. You can expect to see me back here in June as I really do want to continue this blog. I hope to return with far more interesting thoughts and posts than the ones about the weather. Ha!
And, in the meantime, I joined Facebook. So look for me there if you're interested in keeping up with the day to day of me and my chaotic life.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Bowl Commercials
Little Boy and I missed out on our church's Super Bowl party last night because Little Boy is fighting the latest cold and flu bug going around. I believed that he picked up his fever and cough at the pediatrician's office when we were there for his annual well visit this week. How ironic.
Little Boy hit the hay just before kick off, and I debated about whether or not to watch the game by my lonesome. No one to cheer with or against. No girly chit chat while we pretend to follow the game. No good food. But I did feel a certain amount of loyalty to my hometown (Go Steelers!) so I settled down in front of the TV with my PBJ sandwich and the two s'mores brownies I snagged out of the pan before Hubby whisked them away to the party.
Having to get up now and then for the bathroom or for more chips, I made a funny observation about myself. Normally during a TV show, you'd wait until the commercials came on before leaving the room. Last night I waited until the commercials were over and the game had restarted before jumping up to grab what I needed. Obviously I was mainly in this for the commercials.
Truthfully I'm disappointed in the quantity of good, funny commercials this year, but there were still a few winners. Here are my personal favorites from last night:
My #1 Favorite Commercial - Bridgestone: Taters
Career Builder: Tips
Monster: Need a new job?
Oh, and back to the actual Super Bowl game, how AWESOME was the record-setting interception in the last 10 seconds of the 2nd quarter?! I hear the end of the game was spectacular as well, but I will confess to falling asleep before then.
What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial from last night?
Little Boy hit the hay just before kick off, and I debated about whether or not to watch the game by my lonesome. No one to cheer with or against. No girly chit chat while we pretend to follow the game. No good food. But I did feel a certain amount of loyalty to my hometown (Go Steelers!) so I settled down in front of the TV with my PBJ sandwich and the two s'mores brownies I snagged out of the pan before Hubby whisked them away to the party.
Having to get up now and then for the bathroom or for more chips, I made a funny observation about myself. Normally during a TV show, you'd wait until the commercials came on before leaving the room. Last night I waited until the commercials were over and the game had restarted before jumping up to grab what I needed. Obviously I was mainly in this for the commercials.
Truthfully I'm disappointed in the quantity of good, funny commercials this year, but there were still a few winners. Here are my personal favorites from last night:
My #1 Favorite Commercial - Bridgestone: Taters
Career Builder: Tips
Monster: Need a new job?
Oh, and back to the actual Super Bowl game, how AWESOME was the record-setting interception in the last 10 seconds of the 2nd quarter?! I hear the end of the game was spectacular as well, but I will confess to falling asleep before then.
What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial from last night?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Prettier Today
Little Boy woke up this morning, looked outside, and shouted, "Look at the lots of snow!"
Poor child.
He cannot even tell the difference between snow and ice. His Michigan relatives will be mortified!
And yet, the branches, leaves, and blades of grass wrapped in thick ice did create a beautiful winter-wonderland kind of look. I much prefer these sparkling icicles to the slush of yesterday!
Poor child.
He cannot even tell the difference between snow and ice. His Michigan relatives will be mortified!
And yet, the branches, leaves, and blades of grass wrapped in thick ice did create a beautiful winter-wonderland kind of look. I much prefer these sparkling icicles to the slush of yesterday!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Yuck
Need I say more?Probably not, but I will anyway.
Just a mere 90 minutes north of here, our friends in Washington, DC are frolicking in lovely, fluffy flakes of snow that are actually lingering on the ground for their snowman-building pleasure. But here in Richmond we were granted one extremely dreary day complete with rain, slush, and ice chunks. Doesn't that sound fun?
I don't usually anticipate a snow with excitement anyway, as I like the ground and air nice and dry, even if it's cold. However, any precipitation is better than this!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A Pro & A Con
In regards to owning a flat top cooking stove...
Pro: The flat top is perfect for creating additional counter space when needed, especially after, say, a party...or something.
Con: Well, hypothetically speaking, one extremely tired individual could accidentally turn on the wrong burner when trying to make a cup of tea and accidentally catch an entire box of jumbo matches on fire since the flat top stove is serving as extra counter space for items that did not immediately get put away after a little boy's birthday party.
Then, hypothetically speaking, the fire alarm would go off for at least five minutes, and a little family of three would need to huddle under blankets while, in the middle of January, all their windows are open to air out the thick smoke that now fills the lower level of the house. And hours later, when someone comes down stairs for a drink of water after going to bed, the kitchen may still smell like a soggy camp fire, giving one serious concern about how long the smell may actually take to evaporate.
I'm just saying.
That could be a possible con or disadvantage.
Hypothetically speaking, of course.
And on one last hypothetical note...the blaze was actually quite small when discovered. The thick smoke resulted mainly from sulfur in the matches. Absolutely no other items were in danger of also being caught on fire.
Pro: The flat top is perfect for creating additional counter space when needed, especially after, say, a party...or something.
Con: Well, hypothetically speaking, one extremely tired individual could accidentally turn on the wrong burner when trying to make a cup of tea and accidentally catch an entire box of jumbo matches on fire since the flat top stove is serving as extra counter space for items that did not immediately get put away after a little boy's birthday party.
Then, hypothetically speaking, the fire alarm would go off for at least five minutes, and a little family of three would need to huddle under blankets while, in the middle of January, all their windows are open to air out the thick smoke that now fills the lower level of the house. And hours later, when someone comes down stairs for a drink of water after going to bed, the kitchen may still smell like a soggy camp fire, giving one serious concern about how long the smell may actually take to evaporate.
I'm just saying.
That could be a possible con or disadvantage.
Hypothetically speaking, of course.
And on one last hypothetical note...the blaze was actually quite small when discovered. The thick smoke resulted mainly from sulfur in the matches. Absolutely no other items were in danger of also being caught on fire.
Clear As Day
Rest assured, friends! Baby K is most definitely a boy! I know you were worried after I recounted my pregnancy dreams about him arriving as a baby girl, but at my recent doctor's appointment, we took a sneak peek, and the ultrasound was clear as day! No little girls in our most immediate future!
Seeing Baby Boy in action is such a joy and so exciting! He sucked his thumb, waved his arm, and wiggled his fingers at us. He did not care for the ultrasound in the least! He kept rolling away, and at one point, leveled a well aimed kick straight at the wand, causing the wand to bounce off my belly and shake the whole screen. The doctor gave him a stern "Now just a minute there, little man!" while we all laughed.
Ten more weeks to go! I can't wait! Naturally I just want to hold my sweet new baby! But I'll also be glad to pass off the severe back aches and swollen feet that are beginning to make an appearance as Mommy begins hitting the round and rounder stage.
Fun times, friends!
Seeing Baby Boy in action is such a joy and so exciting! He sucked his thumb, waved his arm, and wiggled his fingers at us. He did not care for the ultrasound in the least! He kept rolling away, and at one point, leveled a well aimed kick straight at the wand, causing the wand to bounce off my belly and shake the whole screen. The doctor gave him a stern "Now just a minute there, little man!" while we all laughed.
Ten more weeks to go! I can't wait! Naturally I just want to hold my sweet new baby! But I'll also be glad to pass off the severe back aches and swollen feet that are beginning to make an appearance as Mommy begins hitting the round and rounder stage.
Fun times, friends!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Nesting
While pregnant with Little Boy, I can't say that I nested in a traditional way. We moved to Richmond four months prior to his birth, and I found myself mostly absorbed with unpacking, cleaning, shopping, meeting new people, and such. I spent a great deal of time on the nursery, but everything I did felt necessary as a result of our recent move, so I never truly felt like I was nesting. Little Boy then arrived two weeks early, so I never even partook in the last minute nesting that manifests itself in frantically vacuuming and dusting an hour before going in to labor!
Again, this pregnancy has been different in so many ways, and I've definitely caught myself nesting in ways that are common but still surprise me, mainly because I find myself doing tasks that absolutely don't need done at that specific moment but that feel so necessary and urgent to me. I've found myself nesting in three different ways:
(1) Photo Organization: Lately I've been in an absolute panic every single time I open iPhoto. I spend hours looking through, deleting, labeling, and organizing photos that I've taken over the last two years. With another baby due in about 10 weeks, I've become fully aware that I have only developed about four pictures of Little Boy but have hundreds and hundreds of unorganized photos of him in my iPhoto folders. I've made huge strides in the last two months with my photo organization and feel like I might actually have first and second year albums finished of Little Boy before Baby Boy arrives!
(2) Home Organization: Closets, the attic, the buffet cabinet, the laundry room - you name it, and I've been cleaning it out and organizing it lately, usually when I should be resting, shopping, cooking dinner, or paying bills. I actually sent Hubby to Lowes on Christmas Eve to buy shelves for the laundry room. When he returned, I asked him to hang them immediately, and I then proceeded to clean and organize the whole laundry room. That room looks great now, but seriously! One, we should have hung those shelves the week after we moved in and not on Christmas Eve two years later, and two, I should have been cleaning the house and making beds for my mom and sister's imminent arrival, not stacking paint paint cans and cleaning supplies on shelves in the laundry room. Talk about inappropriate timing (a trait that I'm finding is synonymous with nesting)!
(3) Home Decor: We've lived in this house for over two years now, and I find myself looking at it through new eyes. Broken blinds, crooked shades, nicks in the paint, lack of family photos on the wall...it's all driving me mad! I realize that decorating a home takes time and is usually completed over the course of several years, especially at our young age when we're still accumulating decor. But nowadays I am seriously fighting the urge to decorate everything at once and all before the baby is born! I want to hang pictures, repaint rooms, sew curtains, clean carpets, change light fixtures, replace old windows, buy new dining room furniture, and more! I hope that some of that is done before Baby Boy's arrival, but I need to pace myself as well and realize that Rome was not built in a day (or the K house will not be decorated in a day). Big ticket items especially (ahem, new windows and dining room furniture) will not be making an appearance any time in the near future!
I feel as though I'm going crazy, and you can help me feel more sane by sharing the ways you nested (or are nesting) while waiting for baby to arrive!
Again, this pregnancy has been different in so many ways, and I've definitely caught myself nesting in ways that are common but still surprise me, mainly because I find myself doing tasks that absolutely don't need done at that specific moment but that feel so necessary and urgent to me. I've found myself nesting in three different ways:
(1) Photo Organization: Lately I've been in an absolute panic every single time I open iPhoto. I spend hours looking through, deleting, labeling, and organizing photos that I've taken over the last two years. With another baby due in about 10 weeks, I've become fully aware that I have only developed about four pictures of Little Boy but have hundreds and hundreds of unorganized photos of him in my iPhoto folders. I've made huge strides in the last two months with my photo organization and feel like I might actually have first and second year albums finished of Little Boy before Baby Boy arrives!
(2) Home Organization: Closets, the attic, the buffet cabinet, the laundry room - you name it, and I've been cleaning it out and organizing it lately, usually when I should be resting, shopping, cooking dinner, or paying bills. I actually sent Hubby to Lowes on Christmas Eve to buy shelves for the laundry room. When he returned, I asked him to hang them immediately, and I then proceeded to clean and organize the whole laundry room. That room looks great now, but seriously! One, we should have hung those shelves the week after we moved in and not on Christmas Eve two years later, and two, I should have been cleaning the house and making beds for my mom and sister's imminent arrival, not stacking paint paint cans and cleaning supplies on shelves in the laundry room. Talk about inappropriate timing (a trait that I'm finding is synonymous with nesting)!
(3) Home Decor: We've lived in this house for over two years now, and I find myself looking at it through new eyes. Broken blinds, crooked shades, nicks in the paint, lack of family photos on the wall...it's all driving me mad! I realize that decorating a home takes time and is usually completed over the course of several years, especially at our young age when we're still accumulating decor. But nowadays I am seriously fighting the urge to decorate everything at once and all before the baby is born! I want to hang pictures, repaint rooms, sew curtains, clean carpets, change light fixtures, replace old windows, buy new dining room furniture, and more! I hope that some of that is done before Baby Boy's arrival, but I need to pace myself as well and realize that Rome was not built in a day (or the K house will not be decorated in a day). Big ticket items especially (ahem, new windows and dining room furniture) will not be making an appearance any time in the near future!
I feel as though I'm going crazy, and you can help me feel more sane by sharing the ways you nested (or are nesting) while waiting for baby to arrive!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Books We Loved
Little Boy LOVES to read books! We read for at least one hour every day, and he usually spends an additional 15-30 min each day paging through books on his own. Naturally with this much reading time, he gets bored with his own books. So about once a month we trek down to the library and check out a boatload of kids books. I dig through the bins while Little Boy colors, builds puzzles, and plays with toys provided by the library. I love our library days!
We've certainly checked out our fair share of duds, but we've found a great many new favorites as well. Everyone knows and reads Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton (The Belly Button Book and others), but here are several more great finds we ran across this year, loved and approved of by both us and Little Boy:
Llama Llama Red Pajama (Anna Dewdney)
Bee Bim Bop (Linda Sue Park)
Saxaphone Sam & His Snazzy Jazz Band (Christine Schnieder)
Captain Bob Sets Sail (Roni Schotter)
Pirates Don't Change Diapers (Melinda Long)
Such a Silly Baby (Steffani Lorig)
The Race Car Alphabet (Brian Floca)
We've certainly checked out our fair share of duds, but we've found a great many new favorites as well. Everyone knows and reads Dr. Seuss and Sandra Boynton (The Belly Button Book and others), but here are several more great finds we ran across this year, loved and approved of by both us and Little Boy:
Llama Llama Red Pajama (Anna Dewdney)
Bee Bim Bop (Linda Sue Park)
Saxaphone Sam & His Snazzy Jazz Band (Christine Schnieder)
Captain Bob Sets Sail (Roni Schotter)
Pirates Don't Change Diapers (Melinda Long)
Such a Silly Baby (Steffani Lorig)
The Race Car Alphabet (Brian Floca)
Toddlerobics Animal Fun (Zita Newcome)
If you're interested, Llama Llama, Captain Bob, and Pirates also have other fantastic books in the same series.
If you're interested, Llama Llama, Captain Bob, and Pirates also have other fantastic books in the same series.
We're always looking for new books to try, so what library treasures did you find this past year for your avid little readers?
Friday, January 2, 2009
Pregnancy Dreams
Supposedly dreaming becomes much more frequent, vivid, and intense during pregnancy. I can't say that I found that to be true when pregnant with Little Boy, but this pregnancy has been much different from the start, and lately I've been having two rather startling recurring dreams.
First, I dream that the baby is born, but I keep forgetting to feed him. And I don't mean one missed feeding. I forget to feed him for days! Every night I have the dream the length of time I forget to feed him increases. Two nights ago, I dreamt that almost a month passed without my nursing him! In the dream, when I finally remember to feed him, I become panicked and start looking frantically around the house for the baby because I've also forgotten where I last put him! But when I find him, he's perfectly happy, content, and plump, as if he didn't miss any feedings at all. At least that's a relief! I've heard this is one of the most common pregnancy dreams women have, but having not experience these kind of dreams before, I always wake up confused and startled, wondering how I could possibly do such a thing!
Second, I dream that I'm in labor and the baby is just about to be born. The doctor catches him, and everyone looks down in stunned silence. He turns out to be a she! I always ask the same question in the dream - "Where's his little boy part?" (those exact words) - and the doctor always looks confused and answers me the same way - "I don't know!" I wake up from this dream confused and startled too, but I'm also becoming paranoid that the technician made a mistake with the gender, so much so that I'm thinking about asking the doctor to recheck at my next appointment! (She has an ultrasound machine in her office, though she usually only uses it your first couple and then last couple of visits.) I've heard about ultrasound techs mistaking a boy for a girl but never the other way around.
Anyone else experienced crazy pregnancy dreams? And have you ever heard of a ultrasound tech mistaking a girl for a boy? Is that even possible?
First, I dream that the baby is born, but I keep forgetting to feed him. And I don't mean one missed feeding. I forget to feed him for days! Every night I have the dream the length of time I forget to feed him increases. Two nights ago, I dreamt that almost a month passed without my nursing him! In the dream, when I finally remember to feed him, I become panicked and start looking frantically around the house for the baby because I've also forgotten where I last put him! But when I find him, he's perfectly happy, content, and plump, as if he didn't miss any feedings at all. At least that's a relief! I've heard this is one of the most common pregnancy dreams women have, but having not experience these kind of dreams before, I always wake up confused and startled, wondering how I could possibly do such a thing!
Second, I dream that I'm in labor and the baby is just about to be born. The doctor catches him, and everyone looks down in stunned silence. He turns out to be a she! I always ask the same question in the dream - "Where's his little boy part?" (those exact words) - and the doctor always looks confused and answers me the same way - "I don't know!" I wake up from this dream confused and startled too, but I'm also becoming paranoid that the technician made a mistake with the gender, so much so that I'm thinking about asking the doctor to recheck at my next appointment! (She has an ultrasound machine in her office, though she usually only uses it your first couple and then last couple of visits.) I've heard about ultrasound techs mistaking a boy for a girl but never the other way around.
Anyone else experienced crazy pregnancy dreams? And have you ever heard of a ultrasound tech mistaking a girl for a boy? Is that even possible?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Turkey Leftovers
The weather has been unseasonably warm this past week, and I could not muster the motivation to make the usual turkey soup from my Christmas dinner leftovers. Who wants hot soup on a warm, balmy 68 degree evening after we've played outside all day without even wearing our jackets? No one. Plus, having gone slightly overboard in preparing mashed potatoes this year, I still had a large container of leftovers sitting in the fridge that I didn't want to waste. Then I remembered seeing a great-for-turkey-leftovers recipe on another blog, so I decided to give a new dish a try.
Turkey Shepherd's Pie
2 C prepared stuffing
1 C peas, warmed
1 C corn, warmed
1 C shredded carrots
2 C shredded or cubed turkey
1 C turkey gravy, warmed
2 C mashed potatoes, warmed
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Layer the ingredients in the dish as listed in the recipe. Bake for 45 minutes on 350 degrees, covering the dish if the cheese starts to become too brown.
Super easy and super yummy! This is certainly going to become a permanent addition to my recipe box for leftover turkey. I also read one comment that said assembling the dish on Thanksgiving/Christmas Day while cleaning the kitchen saves room in the refrigerator and means that you have one less dish to prepare in the days to follow. If you have great holiday lefovers ideas, post below!
And Happy New Years Eve!
Turkey Shepherd's Pie
2 C prepared stuffing
1 C peas, warmed
1 C corn, warmed
1 C shredded carrots
2 C shredded or cubed turkey
1 C turkey gravy, warmed
2 C mashed potatoes, warmed
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Layer the ingredients in the dish as listed in the recipe. Bake for 45 minutes on 350 degrees, covering the dish if the cheese starts to become too brown.
Super easy and super yummy! This is certainly going to become a permanent addition to my recipe box for leftover turkey. I also read one comment that said assembling the dish on Thanksgiving/Christmas Day while cleaning the kitchen saves room in the refrigerator and means that you have one less dish to prepare in the days to follow. If you have great holiday lefovers ideas, post below!
And Happy New Years Eve!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas & A Babymoom
We had a splendid Christmas this year! We decorated, baked, and shopped. We drove through Richmond's Tacky Light Tour and visited the GardenFest of Lights at the botanical gardens. My mom and sister came down from Pittsburgh, and we enjoyed a candlelit Christmas Eve service and a Christmas Day filled with present opening, big meals, napping, and playing with toys. I loved watching Christmas through the eyes of two year old Little Boy. We read a children's version of the Christmas story before bed for over a week, and he insisted on also singing "Jesus songs" as part of the bed time routine! What a joy!
The Saturday after Christmas, I surprised Hubby by picking him up at work and having him follow GPS directions to a surprise location (historic Smithfield, VA) for a one-night, pre-baby getaway! As we drove, he said, "Let me guess! The trunk is full of luggage and we're off to Jamaica for the night!" I said, "Well, the trunk is full of luggage..." and he laughed and said, "Sure it is!" Little did he know I was serious! Eventually he caught on, and we had an extremely relaxing night away while Little Boy spent the time getting spoiled to death by Grammy and Aunt Missy! I doubt he even missed us.
The highlights of our babymoon:
-The peaceful drive through farm land and small towns to reach Smithfield
-Antique shopping on Main Street
-Purchasing two beautiful acrylic paintings for our living room in a quaint store called Perspectives
-Visiting the Olde World Tea Shoppe, smelling canister after canister of aromatic loose leaf teas, and bringing home a black currant tea and a strawberry green tea
-Dinner of soup and salads at the famous Smithfield Inn
-Our queen-sized, jacuzzi suite at the Church Street Inn Bed & Breakfast
-Cookies and hot chocolate by the fire in our room before bed
-Huge, fluffy homemade pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast
-A quiet, warm, and breezy stroll on Sunday morning looking at historic houses and landmarks in Smithfield; all of the house were decked out in beautiful Christmas garland, bows, and lights
-Visiting the historic St. Luke's Church
-Driving past the Smithfield ham packaging plant; Hubby keeps telling everyone we heard the squealing of pigs in the distance, but we absolutely did not!
-The stunning view of the James River from the Civil War Fort Boykin
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
The Saturday after Christmas, I surprised Hubby by picking him up at work and having him follow GPS directions to a surprise location (historic Smithfield, VA) for a one-night, pre-baby getaway! As we drove, he said, "Let me guess! The trunk is full of luggage and we're off to Jamaica for the night!" I said, "Well, the trunk is full of luggage..." and he laughed and said, "Sure it is!" Little did he know I was serious! Eventually he caught on, and we had an extremely relaxing night away while Little Boy spent the time getting spoiled to death by Grammy and Aunt Missy! I doubt he even missed us.
The highlights of our babymoon:
-The peaceful drive through farm land and small towns to reach Smithfield
-Antique shopping on Main Street
-Purchasing two beautiful acrylic paintings for our living room in a quaint store called Perspectives
-Visiting the Olde World Tea Shoppe, smelling canister after canister of aromatic loose leaf teas, and bringing home a black currant tea and a strawberry green tea
-Dinner of soup and salads at the famous Smithfield Inn
-Our queen-sized, jacuzzi suite at the Church Street Inn Bed & Breakfast
-Cookies and hot chocolate by the fire in our room before bed
-Huge, fluffy homemade pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast
-A quiet, warm, and breezy stroll on Sunday morning looking at historic houses and landmarks in Smithfield; all of the house were decked out in beautiful Christmas garland, bows, and lights
-Visiting the historic St. Luke's Church
-Driving past the Smithfield ham packaging plant; Hubby keeps telling everyone we heard the squealing of pigs in the distance, but we absolutely did not!
-The stunning view of the James River from the Civil War Fort Boykin
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A Relaxing Hour
This holiday season I have found myself out and about, busy and running around almost every day since mid-November. Despite feeling great and even resting good most nights, I am in a constant state of tiredness. In fact, the most relaxing hour of this week so far has been the hour I sat in the dentist's chair having my teeth cleaned. How sad. Especially since I usually hate going to the dentist. Having my teeth scraped with a metal hook ranks right up there with listening to nails on a chalkboard in my opinion.
And yet I enjoyed every moment of laying down and having my feet up for an hour; of not feeling guilty because I was sitting down instead of cleaning the house, shopping, wrapping presents, baking, or paying bills; of not having to watch Little Boy like a hawk to make sure he's not yanking ornaments off the tree or unplugging the computer... in all honesty, I could easily have fallen asleep! I wonder if that would have been a first for the hygienist!
Thankfully this week will end with my having a much more relaxing hour than a visit to the dentist. I'm off to Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa tomorrow for a 50 minute pregnancy massage! Hallelujah! I have been looking forward to this day of my pregnancy almost as much as I looked forward to finding out the baby's gender, and I can hardly wait!
And yet I enjoyed every moment of laying down and having my feet up for an hour; of not feeling guilty because I was sitting down instead of cleaning the house, shopping, wrapping presents, baking, or paying bills; of not having to watch Little Boy like a hawk to make sure he's not yanking ornaments off the tree or unplugging the computer... in all honesty, I could easily have fallen asleep! I wonder if that would have been a first for the hygienist!
Thankfully this week will end with my having a much more relaxing hour than a visit to the dentist. I'm off to Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa tomorrow for a 50 minute pregnancy massage! Hallelujah! I have been looking forward to this day of my pregnancy almost as much as I looked forward to finding out the baby's gender, and I can hardly wait!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Easy Christmas Treats
Every year we like to give our neighbors a plateful of treats, but I'm not usually up to baking 10 different kinds of cookies and packing up heavy laden plates to give away. So my sister-in-law gave me this fantastic idea last year:
M&M PRETZEL CANDIES
What you'll need:
Bag of square pretzels
Bag of Hershey's kisses
Bag of Christmas colored M&Ms
What to do:
Place square pretzels on a cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with one Hershey's kiss. Bake at 200 degrees (no higher) for 2-3 minutes until Hershey's kiss is slightly melted. Pull from the oven and immediately top with one M&M, pushing down slightly. Cool until chocolate is hardened again.
This year I'm making the following for the neighbors using an easy recipe courtesy of my friend Rachelle:
TOFFEE PRALINE BARS
1/2 box of graham crackers
1 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1 to 1-1/2 C chocolate chips
1/3 C chopped or sliced almonds, toasted if desired
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Layer the graham crackers on the bottom of the sheet. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Boil for 3 minutes on medium heat. Pour evenly over graham crackers. Bake for 8 minutes. Pull from the oven and immediately top with chocolate chips. Once chocolate chips are soft and melted, spread evenly over the toffee layer. Top with almonds. Cut in to bars while still warm (important!) Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until firm. Break in to pieces.
And speaking of Rachelle and recipes (since she has the best of anyone I know), here is an amazing recipe for cucumber sandwiches that are absolutely a holiday party staple:
CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
8oz cream cheese
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix (.7oz)
2 loaves french bread
2 cucumbers
Dill (optional)
Blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, and Italian dressing together. Refrigerate 2-4 hours, though overnight is best. Slice the bread and cucumbers. (The Pillsbury bread loaves you bake are the best.) Spread each slice of bread generously with cream cheese mixture. Top with one cucumber slice. Sprinkle with dill if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
If you have a super easy, super yummy holiday recipe, share below! I'm especially glad that I have no need to watch my weight or waistline this holiday season! Bring on the goodies!
M&M PRETZEL CANDIES
What you'll need:
Bag of square pretzels
Bag of Hershey's kisses
Bag of Christmas colored M&Ms
What to do:
Place square pretzels on a cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with one Hershey's kiss. Bake at 200 degrees (no higher) for 2-3 minutes until Hershey's kiss is slightly melted. Pull from the oven and immediately top with one M&M, pushing down slightly. Cool until chocolate is hardened again.
This year I'm making the following for the neighbors using an easy recipe courtesy of my friend Rachelle:
TOFFEE PRALINE BARS
1/2 box of graham crackers
1 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1 to 1-1/2 C chocolate chips
1/3 C chopped or sliced almonds, toasted if desired
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Layer the graham crackers on the bottom of the sheet. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Boil for 3 minutes on medium heat. Pour evenly over graham crackers. Bake for 8 minutes. Pull from the oven and immediately top with chocolate chips. Once chocolate chips are soft and melted, spread evenly over the toffee layer. Top with almonds. Cut in to bars while still warm (important!) Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until firm. Break in to pieces.
And speaking of Rachelle and recipes (since she has the best of anyone I know), here is an amazing recipe for cucumber sandwiches that are absolutely a holiday party staple:
CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
8oz cream cheese
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix (.7oz)
2 loaves french bread
2 cucumbers
Dill (optional)
Blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, and Italian dressing together. Refrigerate 2-4 hours, though overnight is best. Slice the bread and cucumbers. (The Pillsbury bread loaves you bake are the best.) Spread each slice of bread generously with cream cheese mixture. Top with one cucumber slice. Sprinkle with dill if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
If you have a super easy, super yummy holiday recipe, share below! I'm especially glad that I have no need to watch my weight or waistline this holiday season! Bring on the goodies!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Quote
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
-Maya Angelou
-Maya Angelou
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Difference Between Sons and Daughters
Among the many differences between sons and daughters, this is one that I realized the other day...
When a daughter asks to fix her Mommy's hair, she brings a brush, hair bands, and bows.
When a son says "I wanna fix Mama's hair," he carts over his Handy Manny tool box and winds his singing pliers in to your hair before yanking hard.
Fun times, friends. Fun times.
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