The Final Countdown 0 Days to Baby Semmy

Well today is what was first due date, then there was the slight change to September 24th, and then back to today.  Where is this baby?  I am now starting to get a little anxious.  I am adamant about not getting induced until it is necesarry as I want to do everything I can to avoid a c-section.  I am not dilated, effaced, thinned out or anything at this point which is what is frustrating.  I know this is not an indicator of when you are going to go, but at least then you are on your way to if you need to be induced you can.  Even if I wanted to be induced right now, my doctors are onboard with me in the sense that my c-section rate will be even higher since my cervix is not ready.  I thought if there was a change today that if we didn't have the baby over the weekend, then Monday would be the day.  The latest they will let me go is next Weds. which is reassuring, but I am just hoping for a change.  I could have sworn that this baby would come early.  I have been so active between working out regularly, walking, running around for work, and maintaining my normal energy level that it just made sense.  Obviously I was wrong, and Nicole's planning is just not working out.  A part of me is wondering that because I am not 100% relaxed yet, that I am causing the delay.  I have been working hard to wrap things up this week for work, while trying to negotiate a buy in for one of our centers.  While it is distracting me from the waiting game, it is of course getting me fired up.  I love negotiating and going through the process but no matter which was you slice it there is some adrenaline there that is not the same as relaxing. 

So the waiting continues,  I am praying Baby Semmy will greet us this weekend.  I am officially the last one of the 8 people we know having babies this month to go.  I am off to walk, stairmaster, and bounce on a birthing ball.  I appreciate everyones thoughts and prayers! 

Blueberry Muffins! Stolen From Aunt Terri

Both John's Aunt Terri and his dad are really awesome cooks so I am lucky enough to steal some great recipes.  My current obsession is baking blueberry muffins.  I had to laugh last night when John said "Why do you keep baking all of these blueberry muffins? I don't even really like blueberry muffins"  I think I am nesting.  Anyways they are delicious and I love them and want to share the recipe with all of you!

Blueberry Muffin Recipe


4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, & salt. In a mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, milk, & vanilla; mix well. Stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Combine sugar & nutmeg; sprinkle on muffins. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen muffins. These freeze well.

My Favorite Things September Edition

I am trying to mix this up to include some non-clothing items as well but I will not lie I am very excited about losing these baby lbs. and getting back into normal fitting clothes!  It was extremely difficult to get through this past spring/summer dress season without buying anything!  Now I have indulged in a few select pieces to work towards a goal of fitting into as soon as possible.  But only after careful consideration.   I never really bought maternity clothes with the exception of a few dresses, I just bought bigger sizes from stores, and I have to say my favorite maternity dress ever was $14.50 from Forever 21 and is unfortunately sold out so I have no link to post.  But I was surprised at how many soft maxi dresses I found for very little money.   Anyways enjoy some of my favorites (some I have yet to buy, but love the look!)

1.  J. Crew Strapless Embossed Beach Dress:  Probably one of my favorite dresses of all time, I literally have four in different colors.  At the end of the season it is the best time to buy because they are super cheap and right now they are only $19.99!!!!!!!!  Some sizes are sold out but they do run a bit big. 

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/dresses/eveningdinner/PRDOVR~37418/99102247553/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~20+17+4294967097~90~~~~~~~/37418.jsp

2. J. Crew Sash Skirt:  I love, love, love this skirt but am putting it on the once the baby weight is off list to buy as a reward.  I love it in the gray and the pink.  The catalog shows the grey, with a white turtleneck and black tights very cute.

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/skirts/partynoveltyskirts/PRDOVR~47317/99102449017/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~90~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~sash%20skirt/47317.jsp

3.  Pacifier Clips: Little Sunshine Designs on ETSY.  Lots of people having babys and I thought it would be cute to put on the gift instead of a bow. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64302895/purple-and-pink-owl-pacifier-clip

4. Baby Hats:  I scoured ETSY looking for a gift for a friend and came across this listing.  Reasonable price, great seller, and super cute!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/58811576/moby-whale-hat-free-shipping

5. Loft Cozy Top:   I ordered a few of these on sale to lounge around in after Baby Semmy is born.  I am a huge fan of finding the perfect cozy top and this fits the bill.  I would definitely hold out for the next 30-40% off coupon though!

http://www.loft.com/loft/product/product%3A270540/LOFT-FP-tops-091911/Draped-Cowl-Neck-Top/270540?colorExplode=false&skuId=10063279&catid=catl000011&productPageType=fullPriceProducts&defaultColor=8652

6. Labor Earrings:  I am starting a new trend in labor and delivery.  If you have to wear a ratty delivery gown then I think people should wear labor earrings and a cute head band.  My husband thinks I am crazy on this one but I don't care.  Obviously if you get a c-section the earrings and head band are out but I like the idea at least.  Maybe I will brand it? Start my own line?  Who knows! 

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/jewelry/earrings/PRDOVR~54358/54358.jsp

7. Tom Ford Raquel Sunglasses:  My birthday present from the hubby, love these and you can find them at Eye Vision Eye Wear on Ebay for half the price as Nordstrom!

8. Crystal Light Peach Green Tea:  I love this stuff!  Unfortunately  it has caffeine so everything in moderation!

9. Gownies:  Going with the whole hospital delivery theme, I was advised by a nurse at the hospital to invest in one of these babies.  It is packed in my hospital bag ready to go!  Makes for a great baby shower gift!

http://www.gownies.com/index.php/delivery-gowns/gownie-test-1-21.html

10.  Last on the list for the month of September is......another cute ETSY shop baby shower gift idea for everyone!  I am trying to mix up the favorites but have been getting ready for baby and buying baby gifts so I had to share.  I got this for one of my good friends new baby girl Miss. Olivia.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72139401/monogrammed-and-fully-lined-green-or-any

A Tribute to Miss. P

February 18, 2010 was the day that John, myself, and my mother in law went to pick up Palin from the breeder and bring her  home.  That day our lives where forever changed.  As we are now embarking on an entirely new level of life change with the excited anticipation of our babys arrival hopefully (today) any day now I found myself reflecting on our love for this dog, and laughing at my craziness about bringing her home.  Never really having a dog of my own as a teenage it was definitely a new experience.  I remember getting ready for her arrival, similar preparation to a baby.....something to sleep in, something to wear, something to play with, food, you know all the necessities.  Even the light bickering between John and I was similar.  He had gotten this ginormous crate for her, and I remember giving him a hard time about it.  It was de ja vu when it came  to painting the babys room as there I was again giving my poor husband a hard time about painting recommendations.  Somewhat funny to me, maybe not to John. We were so prepared for Palin, just like we are for Baby Semmy.  Yet oddly, I am less nervous about the arrival of this baby then I was about bringing a puppy home. The night we picked up Palin she looked so adorable, and cuddly and I immediately fell in love with this little fur ball.  She slept in a laundry basket the whole ride home, and when we took her into our back yard that night for the first time she couldn't wait to play.

 I had a schedule all planned  for Palin, and that first night remember the books saying don't pick her up or take her out of her crate if she whines.  We didn't, instead we slept next to her crate so she could feel us close by. My mother in law had just gotten home from Afghanistan and was going to end up being with us the first week Palin was home.  Mind you this was also going to be the longest period we had spent together ever, and I am marrying her son in five months.  To say the least I think I repeated to her a thousand times that first week I promise I am going to be much better with a baby then I am with this dog.  I mean I had baby experience nannying, babysitting, and helping with the triplets.  Every time she would laugh.

 

Palin's first week home was a blur because I was so fixated on making sure that we were following the schedule in the dog book, not letting her chew, bringing her outside every five second to let her pee, etc. We were exhausted, as you can tell by this picture...

 I was telling John the other night that I feel like I didn't enjoy Palin's first few weeks home  the way I should have and even the first few months because I was so focused on making her obedient vs. just enjoying her and realizing she was a puppy.  I followed that dog around like a nut making sure she didn't get into anything, didn't chew anything, didn't pee anywhere  that it was almost overkill despite our success in ensuring that she didn't do those things.  I learned from this and am positively sure I am going to enjoy every second with our baby.  People say to prepare for a baby get a dog.  This is true, dogs are a lot of work and we are already accustomed to getting up at the crack of down because each morning we awake to the thump of Palin jumping onto our bed and then feel her eyes staring at us until we say hello.  Palin has made us laugh, and brought so much joy to our lives that lately I find myself completely enthralled with her at all times.  I keep saying to John "Can you believe how much we love Palin, but we are going to have a human being we are going to love even more like next week".  It is crazy to me how an animal that weighs 35 lbs, can have such an effect on a person.  She is truly the best dog ever, and over the past year and a half that we have been her parents we have enjoyed countless Palin milestones and captured the adorable face in hundreds of pictures that just make me smile.  When the baby comes people say that Palin will not be as important, I tend to disagree.  For example  Palin already  has her spot on ottoman in the babys room where I know her curious self will lay quietly as we read our baby books each night. She will always be our little girl, our first daughter, and the one we could never imagine life without.  So here are some of my favorite pics and videos of our little girl over the past year and a half.  There are so many it was truly hard to choose! Enjoy!

First Bath

First Halloween

First Thanksgiving

Announcing She Is Going To Be A Big Sister (Kind of a bad hair cut in this one)

First Birthday

Napping With Dad

Sleeping

 First Florida Rain Storm

Golf Cart Rides

Kissing The Baby Bump

A Walk In Augusta

Palin Practicing Her Tricks!



Dancing Lobster

Palin's First Birthday

Palin's First Swim

Loving All The Joy & Happiness

Happy Friday everyone, it's a beautiful day, we are going to have a baby any day, and I am feeling so lucky and blessed for so many wonderful things in my life right now. In addition I am just loving all the joy and happiness that is occurring in so many special peoples lives around me these days.  It is refreshing, wonderful, and exciting.  People are having babies, getting engaged, getting married, getting new opportunities, losing weight, reaching goals, and I think it is just fabulous.

While Facebook is addicting there is nothing more exciting to me then seeing the updates of all these wonderful thing happening in peoples lives and being a part of them.  Being in FL it is hard sometimes because we don't get to physically share in the joy of these times every day but emotionally I am always there.  It makes me feel so blessed to know so many wonderful people, and have so many great friends both old and new to share these moments even from afar. 

All of these special moments are what truly make life wonderful.......Have an amazing weekend!

Only A Few More Weeks....Or Maybe Even Days

It's official the countdown to the baby's arrival is on.  It could be three more weeks or it could be tonight, who knows but our little munchkin.   I stopped traveling about three weeks ago, and am happy to say that we are ready to go.  I had a long list of things to get done before the arrival of the baby and for the most part with the exception of printing some pictures, and tidying up the office we are in great shape.  I find myself more relaxed then I have ever been, despite the aches and pains that are starting to catch up with me.  It is this odd peacefulness that is settling over me that I have never felt before.  I have spent a lot of this pregnancy having anxiety about work, and my career and that mental transition.  I am proud to say despite a few stressful calls here and there, that I have begun to relax, and live in this moment.  I have spent the past two days working on a memory book of this pregnancy to someday give to our baby as a special gift.  I truly believe that one of the greatest things about modern technology is all the resources we have at our finger tips to capture and document life's experiences at the touch of a button.  It is amazing!  I was giving my mom a hard time at the Boston shower because I could only find a few baby pictures of me, and it made me appreciate how far things have come to not have to worry in the future about digging through old albums. 

As this pregnancy has progressed I have found myself looking at the world around me differently.  I find myself thinking about things more, and worrying about things more as well.  Some have told me it is the mental transition to motherhood.  I find myself appreciating the conversations I have with my mom in a different way.  I find myself looking at John about to burst into tears at any second because I never knew it was humanly possible to love a person so much. I have also been reflecting on the things that I have learned as I have grown as a person, and reflecting on the things that are important to me as a mom to make sure we instill in our baby.  While John and I are in agreement in the way we want to raise our children, and are excited to embark upon that journey together these are a few that as a mother I want to make sure they resonate in our children's ears as they grow up.

Inner Beauty Is What Matters Most:  This is somthing I heard from my mom throughout my entire life, and has always stuck with me because it is so true.  Outer beauty is nothing, if you are not a beautiful person inside.  Inner beauty is kindness, caring, compassion, respect, honesty, love, humility, passion, genuity and many more.  Treating others the way you want to be treated, and being the best person you can be to make this world a better place. 

Simple Pleasures Are What Matter, Not Material Things:  While it is nice to have nice things at the end of the day the things that matter and provide true happiness are lifes simple pleasures.  I want our children to grow up appreciating the simple things in life such as playing a game as a family, building sandcastles on the beach, relaxing on the back deck enjoying a nice meal, being together with family, dancing in the kitchen, hot showers, singing in the car...the things that don't cost money but are the memories you always hold onto in your heart.

If You Work Hard and Are A Good Person Then Good Things Will Come To You:  Life is hard, there are ups and downs, good times, and bad times but I have always believed that if you stay positive work hard, are a good person, then good things will come to you.  The thing that drives me crazy today is when children feel entitled, and then they become entitled adults.  If you remember back to my blog post on when we decided we were ready to have a baby, it was because we wanted to bring a child into this world to make it a better place.  In order to do that we need to take the times as parents to teach our children the value of hard work, giving back to others, and doing things to make the world a better place not just giving them everything they may ask for.

Dream A Big Dream And Go After It With Vigor: We have one life to do everything that we want to do, and I want our children to know they can do anything they want to do if they put their mind to it, pursue their passion, and go for it. 

 Be The Best Person You Can Be:  Give more then you receive, smile a million times a day, embrace every moment with enthusiasm and appreciation, love with all of your heart and know that you are loved a million times over little Baby. 

While these are just a few wishes for our baby, there are so many other things that John and I want to teach our baby.  It is a magical, scary, exciting time but we are ready to take on this challenge and make this little baby in my belly grow into an amazing person.

The Media and Their Constant Scrutinization of Woman

 Typically I try to keep things light on the blog but lately things that the media have been putting out have really been bothering me.  This magazine cover is case and point, are you kidding me?  Let's see one of the male political candidates portrayed on the cover of Newsweek like this, with the message below.

I am fed up with the media overly scrutinizing every female politician that has had the gutso to get out, stand up, and speak their mind.  I am not just talking about strong republican woman such as Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann, but Hillary Clinton who has also  been scrutinized to the tenth degree in the past.  It seems like every day there is something in the media about some mistake these woman have made, and a whole lot of criticism from every media outlet on the planet.  My view is that people are intimidated by woman that stand up for what they believe in.  People are intimidated by the Hilary Clinton's, Sarah Palin's  and Michelle Bachmanns of the world because they rock the boat and they are different.  At the Iowa GOP Debate a few weeks when Michelle Bachmann was asked "If she was a submissive wife" I almost fell of my chair.  Would that ever be rephrased differently to another one of the candidates on that stage that night?  Absolutely not.  Would the question be asked to a man?

I am fortunate to know many strong woman in my life.  Family, friends, colleagues, that are successful and have rose to the top despite the challenges that woman are faced with.  I just read this article yesterday on women in health care C-Suite positions, and the future of health care reform. The message is precise, and crosses throughout all industries.  While woman have come a long way, we still have an uphill battle that  we will eventually win.

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-financial-and-business-news/shattering-glass-ceilings-women-in-the-hospital-c-suite.html


These are just a few reasons why I like woman such as Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Hilary Clinton to name a few. It is because they do rock the boat and they inspire woman both young and old that they can do anything if they dream a big dream, work hard, have passion, and stand up for their beliefs.  Take away the politics and look at the big picture of what these woman stand for, they are the ones that are paving the way for woman in the future to get after it,  and not be afraid to run for president, or be a CEO, or stand up in a board meeting with all men to speak their mind.  In a month I may be holding a daughter in my arms, and my wish is that as she grows she will dream big, reach for the stars, and have passion to go after whatever she believes in to accomplish those dreams because of woman that have started to stand up for what they believe in today.  Woman have come a long way don't get me wrong, but we still have a long way to go and we need to support, encourage, and push one another to get to where we want to be.  With that said will  Michelle Bachmann win the race to be the next president of the United States?  Only time will tell, but my view is that with the challenges and scrutiny the media plays in this game she will not.  I also think that because woman still have a long way to go in our country, and nations around the world that our country is not ready for a woman president.  Not because she may not be good, it is because she is different and as much as this countries needs a change that may be too much.  Yet at the end of the day we as woman will still be one step closer, we will get there, and that is what matters.

Gifts To Cherish

Well folks nesting mode has officially kicked in and I got around to thinking about some of my favorite gifts that I received over the years and still use today.  I love buying gifts for people and taking time to find the perfect gift that will put a smile on someone I love's face.  Lately I will admit I have been giving more gift cards, but am determined to get back into thoughtful gift mode.  One of my favorite places to shop for fun and unique gifts are small boutiques and ETSY!  ETSY is my obsession and I am one that gets excited when one of the blogs I read features a new shop they love.  It is so hard to weed through them all!

I figured I would feature a handful of my favorite gifts that have stayed with me through numerous moves, and life changes.  One has even survived being broken into small pieces and glued back together by my grandfather.  I love things that are homemade, and that reflect my personality.

This was a gift that I received almost 8 years ago from my dear friend Kerry Kopec for my birthday.  I have a strong superstition that this sign is good luck and plan on having it forever!

Complimentary Cereal bowl this gift was given to me by my volleyball teammates on my 20th birthday.  I still use it everyday and even got it for John almost 7 years ago for Christmas our senior year of college. 

Love sign, this was a wedding gift from our extremely creative friends the Gainor's who always find the most perfect gifts!  This is a gift I often give along with a registry item just to add something a bit more personalized.  Etsy shop link below:

Nancy Nelson Painting:  My mom got me this about five years ago for Christmas.  Nancy Nelson is a Cape Cod artist who paints beautiful, bright floral prints.  I love her work!

Quote Frame: I actually bought this for John and I but I love it and have also given it to people as wedding gifts before. ETSY link below

Tiffany Vase and Candle Sticks: This was a special gift from my BF Erin for our wedding and I love looking at these simple but elegant candle sticks in our dining room everyday!

Palin Stuffed Animal for the baby, I just got this gift from Aunt Darlene this past weekend and am in love with it!  I am sure our little munchkin will be too! It is amazing how much it resembles our first baby.

I realized as I walked through my house that I have a lot of favorite gifts, and have even more from our baby showers!  I love our guacamole bowl we got as an engagement gift from Naya, our handmade crochet baby blanket from my stepmother Michelle, and John's former nanny when he was a baby, the baby's taggy blanket from John's cousin Christie, plus many more!  The bottom line I think the key to gift giving especially for bridal showers and baby showers is to buy something off the registry and send something personalized as well.

Here are links to some of my favorite ETSY shops, please feel free to share your favorites too!

Super Cute Boys and Girls Monogrammed Dresses and Jon John's
http://www.etsy.com/listing/74187050/monogrammed-seersucker-jon-jon?ref=pr_shop

Dog Collars With A Southern Flare!
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=pecan+pie+puppies&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

Quote Frames From Above:
http://www.etsy.com/people/thesugaredplums

Love Plaque Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/people/PrettyMyDrink

Addison Logan Leashes and Collars:
http://www.etsy.com/people/AddisonLogan

Monogrammed Onesies/Burpies:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/kalamitykids?section_id=7806639

Perspective

Last night when we got home from Baby Prep Class our house was hot.  At first I thought it was just because JMS had turned down the AC and then come to find out the unit outside was not working.  Lately I have been thinking a lot about how lucky we are, and things are really starting to gain a whole new perspective for me as I get closer to giving birth to our first baby.  While I am a person that takes time at least once a day to look around and appreciate what I have no AC, 8 months pregnant, in the middle of a Florida summer got me a little grumpy.
 
For five hours we had no AC, but thank the lord we were able to fix the problem and get cooled off.  I will admit that I complained and got irritated with the situation at first .  But then took a deep breath and thought to myself why am I being like this?  At least I, A. Have the option of AC in the first place B. Have planned for emergencies and  to be able to pay for something like this if it did ever happen.  C. Had Kevin the AC man was on call.  When I snapped out of my little frustration is when I started thinking.  There are people out there that do not have AC,  there are children starving in Africa, there are soldiers in the dessert fighting for my safety in 130 degree heat with combat gear on, you know where I am going.  The point is that those five hours reminded me about the importance of putting things in perspective.  No matter what in life little things will happen that are not convenient, are uncomfortable, are challenging, etc but at the end of the day everything in life happens for a reason, and there is always someone that is going through something harder.

My belief has been if you are a good person, work hard, make a difference then good things will come to you.  I don't believe in entitlements if they are not deserved, and believe that by proper planning and being smart with your decisions that you put yourself in a position to be "ok" if a challenge in life may arise.  I think a challenge in our society today is that too many people expect to be given things, rather than planning and finding a way to work hard to get through things on their own. In two months we are going to have our first baby and each day I day think about the important values and wishes that John and I have for our child.  That is another blog post for another day.  But it is important to me to make sure that as our child grows that he/she understands the importance of perspective and reflecting on the little things they will be so fortunate to have.  It is about appreciation, understanding, hard work, and not taking things for granted.  I think that not enough people sit back on a given day and think about how fortunate they are for those little things such as air conditioning, food on the table, and good health. 

This article attached is another thing that made me once again think about how lucky I am this week.  When I thought up this idea to raise money for Make A Wish during my time on the NCAA Division II SAAC, I never in my wildest dreams thought it would turn into what it has today.  But it has, and I am so proud of the NCAA and Division II student athletes for continuing these fundraising efforts to make such a huge, impact, and difference in so many lives on an annual basis.  While the story brings tears to my eyes for sadness in what this little girl and her family have gone through, but they tears of happiness for the work that has been done to make a difference for families and children like this. 

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/resources/latest+news/2011/july/make-a-wish+family+thankful+for+dii+efforts?&utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NCAA%20News%20Direct


It is truly inspiring.  As the weekend draws to a close I urge everyone to take the time this week to reflect on the little things, put things in perspective on your own, and enjoy each day because we can.

Two Of My New Favorite Recipes

Well....I guess some could say the nesting instinct has started to kick in for Nicole.  I always enjoy cooking, but over the past week I have been scouring cook books, and organizing pretty much everything in our house.  Therefore I believe I am nesting.  Today I wanted to share the recipe for my favorite Chocoloate Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies and my Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad.  I am trying to perfect the art of cookie making before our child enters this world.  My mom is great at many things, but it is a running joke in our family that she is not a baker.  What matters is the effort, and she will read this so I will reminisce on the time she wanted to make sugar cookies with pink sprinkles for my birthday in  kindergarten.  To say the least they were very good, but the sprinkles had trouble sticking and the shape was a little off.  They were made with love so in the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter :) Love you mom

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Stolen from Ina Garten herself: (My intention was to put a pretty picture of the freshly baked cookies, on a nice dish....well as you can see there is one left after two days so I guess that is a good sign)

1/2 Lb. Unsalted Butter Room Temperature
1 1/2 Cups Light Brown Suger, Packed
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Lb. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (This weekend I used half chocolate/half white chocolate)

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Mix butter and sugars until light and fluffy in electric mixer
Add the eggs, one at a time
Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and mix
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the batter mixing only until combined
Fold in Chocolate Chips

Bake for exactly 17 minutes, I typically use an ice cream scoop to lay the cookies on the cookie sheet and they make a medium sized cookie.

Southwest Chopped Salad

This is the perfect salad for a hot summer night!  I paired this with a Simi Cuvee we got in Sonoma last December for my husband to enjoy :).  Any riesling or slighter sweeter wine compliments nicely

1 Head of Iceberg lettuce chopped into small pieces

1/2 Red Onion chopped into small pieces

1 Small Can Black Beans, Drained and washed

1 Small Can Shoepeg Corn, Drained and washed

1 Small Red Pepper

1/2 Pint of Cherry Tomatos cut in half

1 Large Avocado

2 Breasts of chicken chopped into pieces, cook on the stove with cumin/paprika seasoning

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

1/2 Fresh Squeezed Lime

Sprinkle With Mexican Cheese

Top with Tortilla Strips

Dressing: Any Chipotle Ranch you find that you like!  I feel like everyone has different tastes for dressing!

Pregnancy Favorites

Once again I find myself constantly thinking about all the blog topics I want to write about each day and my struggle to find the time to do it.  It has been a crazy few months and we are in the final stretch before we meet our little munchkin.  To say the least I am getting really, really, excited to meet our little munhckin.  As I have said in previous posts I have had a great pregnancy, and feel very blessed for this.  I have been eating healthy the majority of the time, and working out everyday to keep my energy levels up.  I haven't had any super weird cravings with the exception of the (mushroom, meatball, and pickle pizza one night) but have certainly developed a list of favorites in my diet.  We just came off a three week trip up North where to say the least I indulged in some fabulous New England eats.  The ice cream in New England is like nowhere else, Florida does not have any homemade Ice Cream places like my hometown fave Carter's in Bradford. I figured I would share some of my pregnancy favorites from food to miscallaneous items.  I will try to keep the list at bay!

1. Terra Blue Potato Chips: Amazing, Jetblue serves these on their flights and that is where I became addicted.  You can find them at pretty much any grocery store and they are better then real potato chips!

2. Fruit Salad: easy enough, my favorite mix is strawberries, bananas, razzies, bananas, kiwi, peaches, grapes, and cantaloupes

3. Simply Lemonade:  This is actually a big pregnancy craving as I typically don't drink sugary fruity drinks and I need this everyday.  I usually do half water half lemonade.

4. Summer Sanders Prental Work Out:  I tried a half a dozen prenatal DVD's and finally stumbled across this one.  The challenge is many pre natal DVD's don't make you sweat or make you feel like you have worked out.  Yes you are suppose to keep your heart rate under 150 but if you are in shape you want something more and this does it!  I usually add in a couple of cardio boosting moves in between sets to get the heart rate up a bit.

5. Crocs Adrina Jelly Slippers:  Traveling through airports in heels has not been working for me these days!  I discovered these great shoes that are super comfy!  I have always been a fan of Crocs Mary Janes, but these are just kind of fun, and I get a lot of compliments on them!

6. Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches:  This is my way of trying to control the ice cream craving, they work the majority of the time. 

7. Belly Buds:  I just bought a pair of these babies, and I love how they stick on your stomach and allow the baby to hear music without you having to hold headphones to your tummy. 

8.  Erin and Timmy:  Erin is my massage therapist at SB Spa in Tampa and I love her.  Timmy is my pedicure guy at Venetian Nails and the man gives the BEST foot massage in the entire world (besides my husband of course) This is going to be a hard one for people to get unless you visit Tampa.

9. Dear Baby Blog:  I have a whole list of baby blogs I follow but Dear Baby is one of my favorites.  Melissa also just started blogging on Babble which is another great blog I follow.

http://dearbabyblog.com/

10. Dad's Pregnant Too Book: John and I had a date to Barnes and Nobles early on in my pregnancy to pick up some books to start reading to the baby, and for us to read as well.  John had gotten some great books on preparing to be a dad from others but this is hands down the best one and a gift I will certainly start handing down to friends that become pregnant for their husbands to read.  It is hysterical!

11. PopCorners: I am obsessed with this snack as well! The thing that stinks is I can not find them in grocery stores.  I am going to order direct from the website this week.

12. Whole Foods Chicken Salad:  We were up in Boston and the Whole Foods there did not have the same chicken salad as the Whole Foods in Tampa which was a major bummer because it is my favorite.  The whole foods classic chicken salad is delicious.  These are the ingredients I can tell are in it: Scallions, Cilantro, Red Onions, Chicken, Mayo,Basil, Lime and I don't know what else but sssssssoooooo good!

13. Snoogle: This is a ginormo body pillow that keeps me in place at night considering I am always flipping on my back. 

14. Guacamole: See previous post, but avocados and guac have been my favorite. I actually got into a disagreement with a woman at Whole Foods about avocados being healthy for your baby.  Too say the least this woman had the nerve to say to me that eating to much avocado each week was bad for the baby and that she was a nutrionist.  My response was "Actually they on the top ten best foods for your baby while pregnant, and I am going to eat as much as I want." Then walked away with a bag of six avocados.

15. Pirates Booty: Yum! Enough said!

16.  Last but not least my husband......I am the lucky one to only have him but my favorite part of being pregnant has been John singing to our baby, dancing with my stomach, reading books to the baby, kissing my stomach, and doing so many wonderful things to make this easier for me.  I am truly blessed and feel so fortunate to have him.  I also love how he is not afraid to show outward affection to the bump.  One of my favorite moments was him dropping me off at the airport, getting out of the car to give me a kiss, and kissing my belly in front of about 50 people in the baggage line and having the steward say how sweet it was.  He is truly the best!

Decorating Complete...For Now At Least

I have been meaning to publish this post for months now.   We moved into our new house September 1st and now in May we are finally feeling settled.  The newest addition to my decorating woes would be the nursery.  Which you will see in one of my photos below....it is a mess right now and for some reason I am being extremely indecisive about decorating.  This is very much unlikely me, as I am normally one to make a decision and get moving on it. 

Here is a tour of our new house.  One of the things I wanted to provide some detail on is our paint colors.  I feel like one of the hardest parts about decorating is finding the right paint color.  I wish I had taken before pictures of this house.  The entire house was painted bright yellow!  We repainted the whole house to make it more neutral.  Conveniently enough we had just built our house in GA and had really liked the paint colors we picked for the main areas in that house so we went with the sames ones here in Florida.  The color throughout our main area is called Kilm Beige by Sherwin Williams.  The darker accent color is called Latter by Sherwin Williams and is on the same paint swatch.  Being a very plain decorator I wanted to add some color to my office, bathrooms, guest bedrooms, and laundry rooms.  Under each picture I will write the paint color used.

The biggest challenge for us was finding a resale home in a devastated real estate market.  Unlike the Georgia market, Florida is much different when it come sto styles of homes and availibility of new homes.  When we lived in Augusta there was a huge inventory of new homes and we were able to build ours from scratch with everything that we wanted.  It took a little getting use to when we moved to Florida and everything was stucco, tile roofs, and tile floors.  I had Southern home withdrawals for a bit and wanted my dark hardwood floors, molding, and southern glazed cabinets to be converted to our Florida house.  Unfortunately in Florida those types of things really don't go with the houses down here.  When we moved to the Tampa area last July there was barely any new construction going on because the market was so horrible.  In Florida there are a lot of gated communities and "lifestyle subdivisions" to choose from that fit your needs.  When we started looking at homes I really thought we would never find something that we liked.  We literally looked at about 100 homes.  All of them needed work, many didn't have even the simple things we were looking for like granite counter tops.  Finally we came across this house and when I walked in John smiled at me because by that point he knew that I would like this house.  Now mind you I am a woman, and there are still a list of things that I would like to change with this house. But right now I have to say I love our home, I love our neighborhood, and we finally are settled and ready to add another beautiful member to our family!  Although there are days when I miss Boston so, so, so, much, my family, my friends, the seasons, etc.  I have to say I love living in Florida.  It is a relaxed lifestyle, it is nice all the time, there is no state income tax (so you get a raise if you move from MA), and the cost of living is half of what it is in Boston.  Yes, this is my sales pitch for everyone to move down here :)  Enjoy!

Front of the House

Grand Room: Paint Color Kilm Beige Ben Moore

Kitchen : Paint color Latte Sherwin Williams

Dining Room : Paint Color Latte & Kilm Beige Sherwin Williams (Yes I still have not put pictures in many of the frames in our house)

Sitting Area (That white couch is ruined now that we have Palin. For some reason she seems to migrate there to prop herself up and look out the front door)

Master Bedroom: Kilm Beige

Guest Bedroom: Paint Color November Skies Benjamin Moore

Guest Bedroom 2: Before emptied out for the nursery, Color Nantucket Breeze Ben Moore

Now a mess trying to figure out what we are going to do for the nursery!

Office: Paint Color Silver Sage Restoration Hardware

Lanai

Our Favorite Spot at Night to sit out and relax with the cool Florida breeze!