Free Bulbs

I am not much of a gardener, but I can't turn down free. Last year, and again this year a Brecks Bulb Catalog showed up in the mail. On the cover was a "gift certificate" for $25. Buy something over $25 from the catalog and they will take $25 off. Buy something under $25 and your oder will be free. That sounded way too good to be true, so I gave it a try last year and low and behold there was not hitch, there was not hidden fee. I order a bag of daffodil bulbs and a bag of grape hyacinth bulbs, the total for which was less that $25, used my "gift certificate" and got the bulbs for free.

This year when the catalog showed up I jumped at the chance and ordered 2 more bags of daffodil bulbs totaling less than $25 and got them for free. They showed up in the mail on monday and I can;t wait to get those babies in the ground.

If this keeps up I am going to be overwhelmed by free flowers. Never a bad thing.

Give it a try yourself. Hop on over to Brecks.com, order a free catalog and then order some free bulbs!

The Urge to Purge

Once upon a time, a young couple began redoing their mater bedroom...

Last week we went and ordered our new bedroom furniture so I can officially say that the redo is now complete. Hopefully I will have some pics to share in a day or two. Since the furniture was being delivered on Saturday we had to move the old stuff out Friday night. Hubby's dresser was being moved into the soon-to-be baby's room to act as a changing table (repurposing... yeah!) This meant that some furniture in the baby's room had to be moved out to make room for the dresser.

The long and the short of this story is that there was a lot of moving going on. During this process, it became obvious to me that it was time to purge the house again. I can fully understand the phrase "embarrassment of riches" I was embarrassed at how much STUFF we had. So I started to purge.

In three days of purging I have collected the following items to be removed from out house:

-- a dresser
-- a nightstand
-- a butcher block table
-- a floor lamp
-- a table lamp
-- a TV
-- 3 25 gallon rubbermaid totes of clothes and shoes
-- 1 XL ziplock bag of halloween costumes
-- 1 XL ziplock bag of decorative pillows
-- 1 bag of kitchen items/tupperware
-- 7 Trader Joes bags of books
-- Assorted laptop bags, camera bags, and pocket books
-- 1 poster (unframed)
-- 1 Longaberger basket with liner and protector
-- 1 electronic dartboard
-- 1 step (a la step areobics)
-- 1 Trader Joes bag of "disposable cleaning products" that I got for free
-- uncounted chochkies (junk)
-- 1 diaper genie
-- 3 formal dresses
-- 1 suit

The amount of stuff I have purged so far took over my dining room. Luckily my mom and I had planned a yard sale for this weekend so I was able to ship most of it to her house. More will go over later in the week.

How did we possibly accumulate so much STUFF?????

Tracking Cash

I thought it might be fun... well, not really fun, but informative to track my cash spending for a week. Since I go to the ATM on friday after work, my week began then.

Friday: $25.79 (odds and ends at supermarket)
Saturday: $30 (tip for furniture movers)
Sunday: $0 spent
Monday: $33 (at dry cleaners), $33.70 (birthday presents at Marshals)
Tuesday: $8.40 (at post office), $4.16 (at Starbucks)

Total to date: $135.05

Ouch! Although in my defense this week had some unusual expenses like the moving men and the dry cleaner. I will fully admit that the Starbucks was superfluous and unnecessary.

What will the rest of the week bring?

Oh, was the tip too much? How much do you tip movers? There were three of them so it is only $10 a piece. Thoughts?

My New Baking Obsession

I have always loved to bake, moreso even than to cook. I have started reading many food blogs and one of my personal favs is The Perfect Pantry. A little while back The Perfect Pantry featured White Whole Wheat Flour and I was intrigued.

I stopped at the market on my way home from work on Friday and picked up a five pound bag. I needed to actually bake with myself to see if it was any good. I decided to make my tried and true challah with the White Whole Wheat Flour that way if I didn't like the results I would know that it was the flour and not the recipe. Anyway... I LOVE IT! It is lighter in color than regular wheat flour but has all the goodies and nutrition (12 grams of fiber per cup!) of regular whole wheat flour with the resulting taste of white flour. In fact, after making the challah yesterday, I made pancakes this morning for breakfast.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am and always have been a whole wheat girl. But there are times when you want the decadence of something made white white flour. This is the perfect compromise. As far as I know King Authur Flour is the ony company producing this but I could be wrong and if I am please correct me. If your local supermarketdoesn't sell it, you can order it direct from King Authur here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C90&id=3311.

Enjoy!

Casserole Love

I love casseroles. I don't exactly know why. They are truly humble food, but they are real home food. Restaurant's don't serve casseroles normally. My hubby is not a huge fan of casseroles, but he is usually good sport and eats them when I make them. I can, hands down, tell you that hubby would not eat the Duggar's Tater Tot Casserole, but I have such a desire to make it that its not even funny.

TATER TOT CASSEROLE
2 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
3 2lb bags tater tots
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken
Brown meat & place in large cass. dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup & milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes 2- 9”X13” pans

Why is this so appealing to me? Anyone made it? Is it any good?

Shiver Me Timbers

September 19th is Talk like a Pirate Day!

My New Starbucks Obsession

Hi, My name is Molly and I am an addict. (all respond, Hi Molly!)

I used to have a very powerful and expensive addiction to Starbucks. Specifically their Venti Non-Fat Sugar Free Vanilla Lattes. It took alot of willpower but I was able to break myself of this addiction. Since I found out I was pregnant I have cut all caffine and all sugar substitutes out of my diet. (It also helped that I threw up for 6 weeks and did not feel like drinking coffee) I stopped going to Starbucks, I had money in my wallet. That is until Friday.

After my doctor's appointment I decided to treat myself a little and get an herbal iced tea at Starbucks.

There was a very very pregnant woman infront of me in line and she ordered a pumpkin spice frapaccino. I commented that that sounded good, she said she was addicted. I am not a huge fan of frapaccinos, so I ordered the latte when it was my turn.

I paid and went to the other end of the counter to pick up my drink. The barista had mistakenly made me a pumpkin spice frapaccino, so while he was remaking my drink he said to just take the frapaccino too. I am not one to turn down a free... well anything, so I took both the frapaccino and my latte. And in a huge moment of gluttony I drank both of them, thank you very much.

Ever since that pumpkin spice started to surge through my veins I have been jonesing for more, more, MORE!

Apparently I am not alone. Both Ariela at Baking and Books and Amy at Motherload share my addiction and both have come up with copycat recipes.

Here is Ariela's: http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2006/10/10/pumpkin-spice-latte-ii/

Here is Amy's:http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2006/11/pumpkin-spice-lattes.htm

I will be trying both recipes and reporting back. Until then, I will sit here and try and dry my pumpkin spice addicted ass out.

Swiffer Solutions

I own many a Swiffer product. Two of my favorites are my swiffer wet jet and my swiffer sweep and vac. Yes, I do own both a regular mop and broom, but on my huge kitchen floor filled with the hair of two dogs, neither seems to be very effective.

I have struggled with using both of these products because of all the consumables that they require. A few months ago I thought I had found the solution to this problem. I purchased some microfiber cloths from the autocare section of Target and put them on the sweep and vac. They worked very well and I could wash and reuse them. I "hacked" my Swiffer wet jet and have been refilling the bottle with my own solution. it works just as well as the solution Swiffer sells but without the extra packaging. As far as the pads for the wet jet go, I took Amy's (From Motherload) advice and bought terry cloth pad for the bissel steam cleaner and put them on the wet jet. They didn't fit perfectly, but they did get the floor clean.

All of these solutions were working until I started to worry about all of the dog hair I was putting in my washer. Shortly after we bought our house we had a clogged stack pipe which was a royal pain in the you-know-what. The toilet on our lower level would overflow if I did laundry, I don't EVER want to deal with this again. It required not just a plumber to fix but a "sewage guy" with an industrial strength roto-rooter like piece of equipment. Anyway, I started to become concerned that all of this dog hair I was washing out of these cloths was going into the stack pipe and contributing to another backup. I decided that I would go back to using the disposable cloths for the sweep and vac. My supermarket makes a generic brand that are very affordable and work great.

I then had a stack of microfiber cloths lying around. I did use them to clean with, but there had to be another use for them

The terry cloth pads I was using on my wet jet were proving to be cumbersome. They blocked the nozzle if not put on just right, I wasn't really pleased with how this was working out. But then I thought of my microfiber cloths. I decided to open up my sewing machine and do a little experiment. I took some of the cloths, double them over, and zig zag stitched around the edges to hold them closed and make the "pad" double thick.

Well, they looked like they might work, but would them stick to the wet jet. I ran downstairs, got the wet jet and slapped a pad on. Yup, they stick. Hummm.... would they stay stuck if I used them to mop the kitchen floor? A couple of squirts and a lot of scrubbing proved that they would stick.

YE HAW! I found a solution to my swiffer problem using things I already had in the house. :)

I never in a million years thought that I would get so excited about moping my kitchen floor, but I did and I am.

More Pregnancy Updates

I had my 20 week check up today and (thank heavens) I am measuring right where I should be. The baby's heartbeat was 147 pbm, also right where it should be. I have only gained 4 pounds, but for someone who started out pleasantly plump (chubby, ok, ok, fat) that is good.

I don't know why I worry so much about these things, but for some reason I had it in my head that my doctor would tell me the baby wasn't growing. What am I basing this fear on.... absolutely nothing, but it was in my mind anyway.

Hubby took some arty belly pics last night and hopefully will be finished the processing of them over the weekend, so I really will have something to show you. :)

Doggone Mess!

Before we left for vacation, our big dog, Beo, started acting out. It was his way, I suppose of telling us he wasn't pleased that we were leaving him home. Anyway, he started acting out by pooping in the house.

This is so out of character for this dog that I took him to the vet thinking that maybe he was sick. Turns out he was just being bratty.

Anyway... I had to figure out a fool proof way of getting these stains out of our tan carpeting and the smell out of the house. I have, I think, tried every carpet cleaner that they sell.

Spot shot-- works well on small stains, too chemically for me to use while pregnant.
Woolite OxyPOD -- Didn't really do diddly.
Resolve -- works well, but too chemically again.

The list goes on and on.

Then I thought.... simplify Molly... and I did... and it worked.

My recipe for getting pet stains and odors out of carpeting:

Mix @ 2 cups of the hottest tap water your kitchen will produce with 1 tsp. of dish soap and 1/2 cup -3/4 cup white vinegar.

Dip scrub brush in the sudsy mixture and scrub the carpet stain. Keep dipping and scrubbing until it appears the stain is gone. The carpet will be sudsy.

Get another container of clear water and a clean towel. Soak the towel in the clean water and ring out. Blot the carpet until all of the suds are removed. Dip in water and ring out periodically.

Let the carpet dry.

Once the carpet is dry sprinkle with baking soda. Let baking soda sit for 10-15 minutes. Vacuum carpet.

Not only does it work, it is cheap! Can't beat that.

Pregnancy Updates

So far so good!

Hubby has always said that we would not have to worry about paying for college for our children because they were all going to be field goal kickers. I have always had my doubts about this since they share half of my genes and I hate sports, but alas, I think he may be right because this baby is kicking up a storm.

It is so COOL! a little strange at the same time to realize that something is moving inside of you, but so cool!

I thought the morning sickness was behind me and replaced with heartburn, but I barfed this morning, so who knows.

We have our 20 week ultrasound on Monday. We are not planning on finding out the sex. We figured that since we would find out eventually (i.e. at the birth) we would just wait and be surprised.

We started a baby registry. The mothers are planning a shower (that's all I know or want to know about that).

We will have to start getting the baby's room ready, stripping wallpaper, painting, and buying some furniture. The bedding will be ordered shortly as a gift from hubby's mom.

That's all that I can think of for the moment.

Hopefully I'll have a belly pic to share in a day or two.

Ebay Deals

I love ebay. Although I do not go here first, I have gotten some great deals, some of which I have posted about before.

Recently, As we began to think about putting the nursery together, I feel in love with this crib bedding.

I have been unable to find it in any brick and mortar store close to me, but have been lucky enough to find several store online that sell it. The package comes with bumpers, sheet, dust ruffle, quilt, diaper stacker and one valance.

I do think that having everything in a room coordinate is overkill (and a little tacky to boot) there were a few extras that we would need for the nursery not included in the package. For example, I really love the mobile, so we would need to buy that separately and since there are two windows in that room, we would need an extra valance.

The mobile retails for $39.99 plus shipping and the valance for $16.99 plus shipping. Humm... I wonder if I can get it cheaper... oh! lets take a look at ebay!

SO I did, and I was able to get the mobile for $9.94 and the valance for $12.99 (shipping included in both prices).

So... instead of playing $56.98 plus shipping I paid $22.93... a savings of $34.05!

I was so pleased!

I'm back!

So my blogging vacation is over, since my real vacation is over. Hubby and I spent the last week on a beach south of here. It was wonderful!

I am not frugal on vacation. I am not ashamed of that either. We rent a condo which means that we can cook some of our meals at home, which is I guess, actually sorta frugal. However my spending/shopping on vacation was not frugal. I was able to do the bulk of my holiday shopping which was really nice and pick up a few things for myself while I was at it.

I did get a could GREAT deals though...

Maternity jeans from K-Mart for $3.00 (regular price $19.99 which is still cheap). I thought they were going to be a steal at $6.00 but I read the sign wrong and they were 50% off of the sale price. :)



I also got a new umbrella from K-Mart for $2.00. Once again it was marked $6.00 but was apparently on sale :)

Since there were outlets close to where we were staying and since the outlets were having their end of the season clearance I was able to get a linen, fully lined Eddie Bauer skirt for $4.99. I can't wear it at th moment, but I will need something to wear next summer as the baby weight comes off.

And my big splurge of the trip was my Vera Bradley diaper bag. It isn't a diaper bag per say, but just a large tote with lots of pockets and room for baby necessities.

A Book Meme (or It's a Really Slow Work Day)

I found this at Rocks in My Dryer and thought it looksed like fun. Please feel free to play along, just leave me a comment so that I can check out your answers.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Hardback, but that is only because that is what the library buys.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon.com or BN.com.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Nobel. They have stayed truer to the notion of a "book" store.

Bookmark or dogear? Depends. Library books get book marks, my books get a combination of both.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Well, First they are seperated by subject, then by author, and then by title. (I AM a librarian after all!)

Keep, throw away, or sell? Some I keep, some get donated to wither Goodwill or the local library's book sale, some I sell at my semi annual yardsale. I NEVER throw away a book!

Keep dustjacket or toss it? If they come with them I keep them.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Usually keep them on and use the little flap for a bookmark.

Short story or novel? Novel. Although Poe's short stories are divine.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? A little from column A a little from column B.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter all the way!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Chapter breaks is what I aim for although I don;t always make it.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Both are trite and overused.

Buy or Borrow? Borrow from the library when possible. Buy when necessary or truly coveted.

New or used? Depends on the book. More and more are being purchased used.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Well, I do most of my professional purchasing based on reviews. I don;t really take recommendations because my tastes vary from day to day. Browsing, or as a library school professor used to say "the serendipity of searching" works too.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Sad to say I prefer a tidy ending. Life IS the ultimate cliffhanger.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? All day reading.

Stand-alone or series? usually stand alone but I do have a soft spot in my heart for a few series.

Favorite series? The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

Favorite children's book? Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Behind the Attic Wall. A children's book which I reread once a year. Oh so good!

Favorite books read last year? A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Favorite books of all time? Jane Eyre. Gone with the Wind. Outlander.

Least favorite book you finished last year? I didn't really like The Quite American.

What are you reading right now? The Last Tempation by Val McDermid and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.

What are you reading next? Not Buying It and Birthing from Within.

Ok so I lied...

I'm not really taking my leave of absence yet. I will be shortly but I had to share this recipe that I created last night that I LOVE. Hubby did not, so I won't be making it very often, but anyway here it is.

Turkey Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 can pink beans (or white beans or kidney beans)
Tabasco to taste
Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper
1 can stewed tomatoes (homemade or frozen would be fine)
1 can tomato sauce (homemade or frozen would be fine)
1 1/3 cup baking mix (Bisquick, but I make my own)
2/3 cup corn meal
1 Tbs. parsley flakes
2/3 cup skim milk

In a dutch oven or a large pot with a lid, heat the oilve oil. When oil is hot add the garlic and the onion and saute until tender.

Add the turkey. Once the turkey is cooked add the beans, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tabasco, and spice. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl combine, baking mix, cornmeal, parsley, and milk. Mixture will be thick and crumbly.

When 10 minutes are up, uncover the "chili" and drop spoonfulls of cornmeal mix over top. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook another 10 minutes until dumplings are dry to the touch.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top and enjoy!

Offline

I will be off line for the next two weeks or so. Fear not... I will return!

Molly's Firday

-- Wake up, feel lousy, call out sick from work.

-- Get out of bed around 9, get a shower, put on comfortble clothes and head downstairs to lie on the sofa.

-- Spend whole day on couch.

-- Miss dinner with with in laws and brother-in-law. Go to sleep at 8:00.

Molly's Thursday -- A little Late

-- Woke up at 4:00 to use the bathroom, ear hurts... must be getting sick.

-- Got up at 7:30, forgot to set alarm., throat is starting to hurt

-- Made bed before dogs got back in it.

-- Got shower, threw up, brushed teeth.

-- Got dressed, did makeup, put hair up in French twist.

-- Went downstairs opened the curtains, let the dogs out.

-- Made breakfast and assembled snacks for the day. Didn't have to worry about lunch since I was meeting my mom at Panera.

-- Ate bagel with peanut butter in the car on the way to work. Drank chocolate soy milk instead of gingerale. We are making progress.

-- 9-1 WORK

-- Meet mom for lunch at Panera, have chicken noodle soup and half a chicken tomesto sandwich. Decide I really am sick, call out of work for the rest of the day.

-- Go home, let dogs out, get changed into PJs and lie down of the couch.

-- Sleep/rest as much as possible.

-- Hubby comes home, sends me to bed.

Molly's Wendesday

-- Alarm goes off at 7:15, snooze until 7:30 get up. Make bed.

-- Shower, brush teeth, throw up (when will this end), re-brush teeth, get dressed, put on make up, twist hair into French twist.

-- Pack up yoga clothes

-- Put away clothes that were dried and taken down the night before. Thanks hubby for bringing the laundry basket upstairs.

-- Head downstairs and open curtains.

-- Head to the kitchen to make breakfast and get lunch together.

-- Let dogs outside. Hear a lot of barking and see raised hackles, go outside to see what is going on. See that dogs have cornered a raccoon in the back of the yard, try to get the dogs inside so that we don't have to go to the emergency vet again. Luckily the little dog listens and goes inside. The raccoon scampers off but the big dog is not deterred. I lure him away from the back of the yard with the leash and the promise of a treat. I get the leash on him and bring him inside.

-- Once both dogs are inside I can get back to breakfast and lunch. Dogs are throttling themselves against the sliding glass door to get back outside. It ain't gonna happen boys!

-- Gather up lunch items: Chicken noodle soup, grapes, dried apricots, and animal crackers. Toast bagel for breakfast, spread with peanut butter (more protein than butter).

-- Put up baby gates to contain big dog, put the little dog in his crate, give everyone a treat and then head out the door. Eat bagel in the car with ever present ginger ale while driving to work.

-- Decide I need coffee. Stop at Wawa to get said coffee with milk and sugar.

-- 8:45 - 4:30 WORK

-- After work head to Goodwill to see if they have any good maternity clothe, baby clothes, books, or anything that could be used as a gift. I end up with an armful of books for me and the baby. I will post picks later.

-- After Goodwill I head to my parents house to visit with them and kill time before yoga begins.

-- at 5:50 I head of to the yoga studio for my prenatal yoga class.

-- 7:45 leave yoga studio and head home. I'm home by about 8:10.

-- Greet hubby and the dogs. Put my bags away and lunch containers in the sink. Eat dinner (a bowl of shredded spoonfuls and soy milk) ok 2 bowls of shredded spoonfuls with soy milk. Read my mail.

-- Put dinner dishes in the dishwasher which is full and needs to be run. Add dishwasher detergent and start dishwasher.

-- Hubby and I head to the family room with the dogs to catch up on Rescue Me on DVR.

-- Watch the episode we missed and 3/4 of the new episode before heading upstairs to bed.

-- Brush teeth, remove makeup, wash face, get in bed with body pillow @ 11:00.

-- hubby and the dogs come up a few minute later.

-- I am asleep immediately.

Molly's Tuesday

-- Woke up before alarm at 6:59 because the big dog ripped a hole in a heating pad and there were buckwheat hulls all over the bedroom carpet. Hubby was not pleased. I told him to not worry about it and I would vacuum when I got home from work.

-- Went back to sleep and finally got up at 7:30 with my alarm.

-- Got in the shower. Kissed hubby goodbye (while in the shower), brushed teeth, DID NOT throw up, went to get dressed.

-- Got dressed while watching the morning news. Put on makeup, twisted hair into french twist. No point in blowing it dry as it is pouring for the third day in a row.

-- Open up curtains in living room and dining room.

-- Go downstairs to the kitchen to get my lunch together and make breakfast. Lunch was left over mac-n-cheese with green peas. Cut up two peaches to go with, and pulled together some snacks for the rest of the day: string cheese and V8, dried apricots, animal crackers.

-- Toasted sesame bagel for breakfast, spread with butter. I will eat this in the car with my ever faithful ginger ale to accompany.

-- Let dogs out one last time. Let dogs back in. Make sure sliding glass door is locked. Put baby gates at the steps to contain the big dog, put the little dog in his crate. Give both dogs treats. Tell them to be good and I am out the door to work at 8:20.

-- Drive to work in the pouring rain. Find a great parking space. Walk to the front door of the building with my bag, my purse, and umbrella, and a carrot cake in the cake taker all the while trying to keep my pants from falling down. Some pants I can wear unbuttoned without the zipper falling down. Note to self: these are not those pants!

-- 9:00 am to 4:30 pm WORK

-- Left work and stopped at the drug store on my way home to pick up my prenatal vitamins, a new buckwheat heating pad, and other assorted sundries.

-- Headed home. When I got in the door I put my stuff down, let the little dog out of his crate, and then both dogs outside. When they came back in it was time for their dinner and then their after-dinner carrots.

-- While the dogs were eating I checked the messages and brought in the mail.

-- When the dogs were finished eating I grabbed the vacuum and headed to the bedroom to clean up the buckwheat hulls from this morning.

-- I vacuumed, emptied the canister, and put the vacuum away.

-- Headed back to the bedroom to get changed, make the bed that didn't get made in the morning, and put away from clean clothes that were washed and dried over the weekend.

-- Once all of that was finished I went back to the kitchen to wash out the dog bowls, do the dishes that had been left in the sink from this morning, read the mail and get a big glass of water.

-- Once all of that was done I headed upstairs to start cleaning the bathroom.

-- Finished cleaning the bathroom just as hubby walked in the door.

-- Talked with hubby, decided to order sandwiches for dinner.

-- While waiting for delievery, I made a spinach quiche for Wednesday night since I will have yoga and not get home until 8:00.

-- Ate dinner, cleaned up kitchen, headed to the family room to hang out and watch TV.

-- Fell asleep on the sofa @ 9:15. Woke up at 9:45, hubby suggested I go to bed. I agreed.

-- Went upstairs, let the dogs out and then back in.

-- brushed teeth, removed makeup, washed face. Went to bed.

-- Woke up at 1:40 with heartburn. Took 2 Tums went back to bed.

Molly's Monday

I thought I would play along with Candy's Chronicles, and detail what it is I do every day of the week.

-- I was off from work, so I got to sleep in until 9:00. It has been years since I did that.

-- I got up, made the bed, pulled on my bathrobe and fixed breakfast (soy milk and shredded spoonfuls).

-- I poured myself a big glass of water and headed downstairs to do a load of laundry. While the laundry was going I watched TV and hung out with the dogs for half an hour.

-- I got the laundry out of the washer, split what was to get hung on the drying rack (it was raining) and what was to go in the dryer. Hung some clothes, turned on the dryer, and headed upstairs to get a shower and get dressed.

-- Showered, brushed teeth, thought I was in clear, but alas I threw up. Cleaned up from that, brushed teeth again, went to get dressed.

-- Got dressed, put on makeup, gathered up towels, the bathroom mat and other miscellaneous things and put them in the washer. Turned the washer on.

-- Let the dogs out, then back in. Put the little dog in his crate, gave them both a treat and headed out the door to the warehouse club.

-- At the warehouse club I stocked up on: tissues, TP, Claritin, Breath Right Strips, animal crackers, dog treats, canned chicken, hot chocolate mix, and Tide.

-- After checking out and loading the car, I headed to the mall to have lunch with a friend. I parked on the opposite side of the mall, so I would gt a nice walk in. I was a little early, so I stopped at Border's to get some magazines for our upcoming vacation. I always buy magazines I never read so I got: The Utne Reader, Saveur, and Pregnancy and Newborn.

-- Met friend for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Had a delicious sandwich with grilled chicken, avocado, herbed mayo, lettuce and tomato on Navajo frybread.

-- After lunch we walked around the mall and I did a little window shopping.

-- Drove home in the rain, unloaded the car, except for the Tide which I really too heavy for me to lift.

-- let the dogs out and then back in, and gave them a treat.

-- Put all of the goodies away, took the finished laundry out of the washer, put that in the dryer, and started another load.

-- Brought the mail inside. Sorted and read with mail while having a snack and another large glass of water.

-- After a little respite, I made cream cheese icing to go on the carrot cake I made yesterday. I iced the cake, did the dishes.

-- Tended to the laundry again! Hung some, put some in the dryer.

-- Time to feed the puppies. Gave them their dinner and their after-dinner carrot.

-- Hubby called to say he was on his way home.

-- Hubby came home from work a little on the early side and since he wasn't feeling well, got in bed to rest.

-- I made dinner for me. Macaroni and cheese with green peas. (It has a TON of folic acid!)

-- Cleaned up from dinner, refilled my water, and headed to the family room to put my feet up.

-- Watched some TV, Big Love in on Monday's and I'm addicted. Also, Notorious on the Biography channel.

-- After Big Love, I headed upstairs, @ 10:00. Let the dogs out one last time. Made sure all the doors were locked, closed the drapes, turned off the lights.

-- Brushed teeth, took off makeup, washed face. Got in bed with hubby.

-- Got myself situated with my body pillow and was asleep by 10:30.

Recalls

SO I am beginning to think that it might be easier for the news media to provide a list of the products that HAVE NOT been recalled instead of what has been recalled.

Is it just me or is everything being recalled recently? I am sure that it is not the case, but it certainly feels that way.

Anyway, I found two great websites with up to date information about product recalls:

http://www.Recalls.gov

http://www.iparenting.com/recalls/index.php

Both great sites to bookmark and check on a regular basis

Dog Days of Summer

Jax

Beo

Good will to Babies II

I stopped at Goodwill on my way home because I had this urge to shop and I can't really do too much damage there. I really lucked out. I got two really cute sleep-and-plays and a great kids book about Passover.

I am gaga for all things Noah's Ark (how could I resist?)

This one have cute animals all over it.

and finally, who can turn down a book for $.30

Cake Mix Cookies

Last night I finally got around to trying out Mrs Wilt's recipe for Cake Mix Cookies.

Waiting to be baked:



Fresh out of the oven:



They are a nice, quick option for homemade cookies. They do retain a marked cake mix flavor, but I actually kind of like that.

Aprons

I love aprons... I really do. Not because they have any sort of symbolic meaning to me, but simply because (as my husband will tell you and anyone else who will listen) I am really messy. I always spill or drip something on my when I am eating, I have a tendency to wipe my hands on my pants when I am baking, I am just messy.

Aprons help with this particular problem. I have two aprons at the moment. One vintage apron from the 50s that I got at a yard sale as a little girl with which I used to play dress up. My other apron is a chef style apron that my mom made me for Christmas when I had my first apartment.

I am thinking that I would like another apron, one that criss crosses in the back like this one

I know how to sew and I have a good machine, I just haven't had the inclination recently. However, before I put away the machine when we turn our guest room into the baby's room, I might have to whip up a scalloped apron from the Paisley Pincushion.

Summer Fun Update

Since I posted yesterday about all of the things I didn't get accomplished this summer, my hubby would like me to report on the things that he did get finished this summer, specifically, the fact that he planted somewhere between 15-20 hot pepper plants which happen to be thriving.

Good Job Baby!

Irish up!

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous! You drink everyone under the table.

Who's Your Inner European?

Summer fun

So here we are in the second week of August and I started thinking about all the things I said I would get done this summer. For example,

• Pick strawberries and make jam
• Clean out the Linen Closet
• Hang ALL of my laundry outside
• Plant Herbs
• Walk the dogs
  
• Cross Stitch

So, how many of the above things have I actually accomplished this summer... zero.

Am I upset about that? Not really. I did get some cross stitch finished when I was on bed rest, I don;t really need 40 jars of strawberry jam, the laundry got finished even if it was hung on the drying rack inside, I always kill the herbs, so why bother planting them, the dogs get plenty of exercise chasing tennis balls (bunnies, lightening bugs, butterflies, each other) in the back yard, and the linen closet will wait for me no matter how many times I assure it its ok to clean itself.

So what have I been doing? Well, aside from throwing up... I have been reading. For pleasure. ALot.

This is the summer in a VERY long time where I have not been looking at classes in the fall. I will not have assigned readings, I won't have anything and it is glorious.

Currently I am knee deep in a few books, all of which I would recommend:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

*Wonderful recounting of personal experiences with
eating local, growing/raising your own food and the movement to eat in season.

Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende



*The story of the life of Inés Suárez a fictional Spanish woman
who fought like a conquistador and helped to settle Chile.

And Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy



*Poking fun at pregnancy and its discomforts.
A little too much info at times, but it cracks me up!

Goodwill to Babies!

It has been a LONG time since I went to Goodwill. I needed to get out and about today (even thought it is 105 today!) so I thought I would check out Goodwill for some babygear.

For the grand total of $11.20 I got

5 onezies in a variety of greens and yellows. One even has the cutest little lizards on it! ($5.00 total)

A Long sleeve maternity blouse for me this fall ($4.50)

A package of drawer stops, you can never be too careful ($1.00)

And 2 board books, The Very Quiet Cricket and Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z. ($.60)

Cravings

I am almost 15 weeks pregnant and the one question I get asked the most aside from "How are you feeling?" is "What are you craving?" I usually answer nothing really, aside from lemonade which I could drink gallons of everyday and never be satisfied.

However, I realized that this is not an entirely true statement. I do have cravings its just that they change from day to day. For example, I am at this very moment craving macaroni and cheese in the worst possible way. Not just any macaroni and cheese, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, you know the blue box, the orange powder, the chemicals... yum!

Anyway, It stuck me Saturday night that this craving for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese was an honest-to-god craving as I was standing over the stove eating cold, congealed, Kraft Mac 'n Cheese out of the pan with a fork and wishing, wishing that I had more.

Is it wrong...

That it is 90 bazillon degrees outside with 125% humidity and I want to bake cookies? Specifically these cookies from Mrs. Wilt because they seem so deliciously bad for you?

I'm just asking is all...

Have a great weekend everyone!

I promise to post actually photos on Monday!

I Heart Yoga

I am not an exerciser. In fact, I can admit, that although I have "worked out" in the past, I absolutely hate to exercise. It is not that I am a couch potato or anything like that, I would rather just be active than have to carve time out of my day to actually exercise.

I knew that when I got pregnant I would have to change my ways a bit and make sure that I was active, it would help me keep the weight gain down (lost 6 pounds so far, and I'm not trying, I eat everything I swear), help me with labor (or so I hear), and would be good for the baby. So I started looking into activities that I could do as a woman who is pregnant and out of shape. I found yoga. Specifically, prenatal yoga. And I love it! Not only can I feel my body strengthening and stretching, becoming more supple, it is just so darn relaxing. I kinda feel like a bowl of Jell-O when I get done, a strong, powerful bowl of Jell-O.

I am so pleased that I started this... hopefully I can continue with this through the rest of my pregnancy and after.

Did you do anything special exercise wise when you were pregnant?

P.S. The Yoga Mama and Yoga Baby tank set is from a company called Sugartush (www.sugartush.com) a friend of mine owns/runs it with her sister in law. Such cute things!

Bedroom Rennovation IV

So, some of you might remember that hubby and I were in the process of renovating our bedroom. Well, we finally had new carpet instaledl yesterday... let me check that off of the list.

1. Paint Bedroom
2. New Bedding and Blinds for Bedroom
3. New Carpet for Bedroom
4. New Furniture for Bedroom
5. New Curtains We decided we didn't need curtains with the new blinds
6. Get Really Big Mirror

We are officially one step closer to being finished with the bedroom.

Now on a somewhat lighter note:

I am pretty sure that my big dog is a Buddhist, or at least very Zen. Any time I start to get a little too materialistic or prideful, he makes sure that I an snapped right back into the correct balance and gt my priorities straight.

For example, yesterday after the carpet was installed I vacuumed a couple of times to get up the new fuzz, and was marveling at the new addition to the bedroom and really at how good it looked. The carpet installers had left maybe, maybe 10 minutes prior when my big dog walked into the bedroom and barfed all over the new carpet. The spot he chose to deposit this gift? 2 inches from the threshold... one more step and he would have been in the hallway... but no... my priorities were out of wack and he needed to let me know that.

Thank you Beo, for setting mommy straight. :)

Making Vanilla Extract

Under normal circumstances I am an avid baker. Now that I am pregnant I seem to have lost some of my baking zeal, although I did make a wicked good batch of butterscotch blondies the other day.

Baking is a great way to keep your food costs down. Plus you as the baker have complete control over what you put in the food you make. There are a few ingredients that I use all the time that are fairly costly, nuts, chocolate, and vanilla extract.

I have been keeping my baking costs down by buying both chocolate and nuts in bulk and by making my own vanilla extract. It is really easy to do and the results are fabulous.

First you will need a clean glass bottle (I reused a mini champagne bottle, 6-8 oz is a good size). I washed mine in the dishwasher to make sure it was good and clean.

Then you need vanilla beans. I get mine at Trader Joes. They are 2 beans for $5.00 (when buying vanilla beans make sure that they don't rattle in the bottle. If they rattle they are old and dried out)

Lay the beans on a cutting board and with a sharp paring knife slit open one side of the bean (try not to cut all the way though)

Put the beans in the clean bottle. Cover with Vodka or any other clear liquor.

Let it sit for 2 weeks before using. Shake before using, the vanilla seeds settle to the bottom.

After every use, be sure to refill the bottle with vodka, that way the vanilla keeps fermenting and your extract lasts for a good long time.

Some Days My Heart Just Hurts...

I was reading the news at CNN.com and Michael Vicks' hearing for the dogfighting charges he has been brought up on. I hope he is found guilty... I hope his punishment is to be treated the way fighting pit bulls are treated.

Some days my heart just hurts from all of the cruelty in the world.

On Tuesday I took Jax (the little dog) to the vet to have his nails trimmed. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw both a SPCA van and an Animal Control Van and wondered what was going on. It seems animal control picked up a dog that was too severely injured for the SPCA to treat so they brought it to the only emergency vet in the area. It seems the dog's owner had thrown him off a bridge. The good news is that they arrested the owner and it seems the dog can be helped. I hope the owner is found guilty and I hope they throw him off a bridge.

I don't know how anyone could hurt an animal intentionally, but it makes me wonder how these people treat other people.

Some days my heart just hurts from all of the cruelty in the world.

(It seems one pit bull got revenge on Mr. Vick... very funny)

High School Meme

I found this at Rose Cottage Lane... have fun an consider yourself tagged!

High School Spirit Meme

1. Who was your best friend? Hummm... Joy, Sara, Katie

2. Did you play any sports? Yup, Cheerleading

3. What kind of car did you drive? I didn't have a car in high school.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? In my family room with my friends, their boyfriends, and my boyfriend.

5. Were you a party animal? In my own way yes I was.

6. Were you considered a flirt? Not just a flirt... I was considered THE flirt.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Orchestra... I played the flute.

8. Were you a nerd? Smart yes, honors student yes, nerd, no.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? Nope.

10. Can you sing the fight song? I don't think we had a fight song.

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Blake. He died at 36 and we didn't get to finish out the year with him... it was truly tragic.

12. What was your school mascot? Black Panther (the animal not the militant group)

13. Did you go to the Prom? Yup. I wore a short flirty red dress too.

14. If you could go back, would you? Sure, I had a great time in high school.

15. What do you remember most about graduation? Not being able to throw my cap in the air because it was bobby pinned to my head.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? We didn't have one.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? I babysat all though high school, college, and into graduate school.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? The cafeteria with my friends.

19. Have you gained weight since then? Too much to mention, although I am pregnant so lets blame it on that. ;)

20. What did you do after graduation? We had "Senior Celebration" where our entire graduating class went on a dinner cruise until the next morning.

21. What year did you graduate? 1994

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Neal VanHoeven, my boyfriend at the time.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? Nope, I don't do reunions. If I really liked you I'd still be talking to you now.

First Trip to Aldi

I have been on vacation the last couple of days. It was nice to be home and not at work, but it was not nice to be without Internet access.

Yesterday, my mom and I made a trip to Aldi. She had been to one store in the past, and I had never been, so we were looking forward to this adventure. We really went just to scope things out and see if all of the things that Amy (Motherload) and Meredith (Like Merchant Ships) said about Aldi were true.

Both mom and I were pleasantly surprised. The store was very clean and well organized. No frills to be sure, but who really cares about that anyway. The prices were PHENOMENAL!!! As I haven't tried any of the items I bought I can't attest to the quality just yet, but I will let you know what I think when I open something.

For $9.80 I got

2 dozen large eggs -- 2 x 1.24
2 cans tropical fruit salad -- 2 x .69
1 can mushroom stems and pieces -- .45
1 bag (6) cinnamon raisin bagels -- .99
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls (soo bad for you yet so good!) -- 1.89
1 Pineapple -- 1.89
1 bunch of Dole bananas -- .72

I am doing my regular marketing on Sunday and will calculate how much this would cost me there.

I don't know that I will completely make the switch to Aldi, but I will certainly split my marketing between my regular store and Aldi.

Rockin' Girl Blogger

Thank you, thank you, thank you... it is such an honor to accept this... oh wait... I'm not at the oscars I'm at work... bummer.

Anyway, Katie at How to Save Money the Easy Way nominated me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger.

Hehehe... I love it! Thanks Katie!

So here is how this works:
If you would like to participate, the rules are simple:

-Place the badge on your blog. (Check!)
-Give credit to the person that started the award Roberta http://www.robertaferguson.com/ (Check!)
-Pick 5 rockin’ girls of your choice and add them to the list (Check!)

Below is the list of those who I have been named Rockin’ Girl Bloggers.

1. Julie at A Little Pregnant (Who knew infertility could be this funny?)
2. Ari at Baking and Books
3. Eric at Librarian Avengers (Striking a blow for librarains everywhere)
4. Not Martha
5. Amy at Motherload: The Mom Advice Blog

We Heard the Heartbeat!!!!

Finally! We heard the baby's heartbeat yesterday. at 160 beats per minute our little hummingbird is right on track. :)

Here is what is sounded like:
http://pregnancy.about.com/library/media/audio/fetalheart.ram

Who Piddled in the World’s Cheerios?

Why is everyone so surly? Why does it seem that everyone is having a perpetual bad day? Why does it seem as if everyone I come in contact with on a daily basis had had their cheerios piddled in?

I have a 20 minute commute to work through the streets and main roads of suburbia USA. I do not have to drive on highways on my way to work. There are lots of trees and lots of flowers and usually not too many people overly stressed and under caffeinated. That is until this morning. I was flipped off, given the bird, given the finger, shown the middle finger salute, etc. twice (that’s 2 times) on my 20 minute drive to work.

Now, I would understand this behavior had I just cut someone off, had I run a red light, had I run over someone’s dog or child or husband, etc. But both times today I was being NICE to the other person.

For example, instance number 1. I was sitting in stopped traffic in front of a convenience store. There was a car waiting to exit the parking lot. As traffic in front of move began to move I stayed stopped and waved to the driver in the parking lot that she could go. She inched ever so slowly toward the street and then stopped and shook her head. I could see that there were no other cars coming so I waved her on again. She mouthed “I can’t go, I can’t see” to which I mouthed “I can, you’re ok” meaning I can see in the other direction and there are no others cars. I then smiled which has apparently taken on some other meaning in today’s society which roughly translates to “you’re a big doo doo head and I hate you.” She throws up her hand in exasperation (I don’t exactly know what was so exasperating) grips the steering wheels until her knuckles turned white, stomped on the gas peddle and sped off while GIVING ME THE FINGER!!!

Uh… sweetheart… what exactly did I do, other than be nice and try to help you that was worthy of that particular gesture?

The second time was, really, even more precious. There was a mother (or maybe a young grandmother) walking with a little boy (maybe 3 or 4). The little boy was skipping and prancing, it was cute. I looked out the window, and smiled at the mother, grandmother. She kept walking by, not really a big deal and then gave me the finger behind her back so that the little boy wouldn’t see. HUH?

Did I forget to have my fangs filed down? If there something so off putting about my smile or my attempt to connect with other people and make the world a little more pleasant that is making these people lash out? What is going on with the world?

Generous Friends and Baby Gear

Saturday hubby and I went to visit friends and attend their son's first birthday party. They really lucked out as the weather was beautiful and all of the kids could play outside in the pool and with the slip and slide.

After most of the other guests left we stuck around so that we could visit and my friend says to me... come up to the attic and lets see what baby stuff I have for you. It seems that even before I was pregnant she had been saving some of her almost brand new baby gear for me. How generous!!!

I was pleased to accepts almost $1000 in baby stuff most of it in pristine condition.

She gave me

• The Ocean Wonders Acquarium Cradle Swing
• Baby Papsan Infant Seat
• Peg Perego Infant Carrier with base
• Extra Base
• Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Gym
• Medela Breast Pump
• Lots of Playtex Bottles
• Lots of Burp Cloths
• Bibs for every holiday (e.g. baby's first thanksgiving, etc.)
• Lamaze First Mirror
• A Bundle Me for the infant carrier
  

I am so thankful that she thought of us and so grateful for her generosity.

There is more to come too... in January there is a Jumperoo and an Exersaucer coming our way.

And if its a boy... more baby clothes than I know what to do with.

Thank you dear friend... thank you!

I Completely Forgot...

to mention that I made Meredith's (Like Merchant Ships) cobbler for our Fourth of July BBQ. I am not a fan of cobblers, crisps, brown bettys, buckles, slumps, etc.; but, this cobbler changed my mind! It was super easy to make and was a big hit with the whole family. I even liked it. I used blueberries instead of the blackberries Meredith used. I would highly recommend this recipe!

How to Make a Cobbler

Cleaning... hummmmm

SO I went to yoga last night instead of dusting the entire house and windexing all the glass surfaces. Tonight, since it is Thursday, I should be at home vacuuming all of the carpets, but I won't be. I will be watching the newest Harry Potter movie instead. This is why Friday is a "nothing" day in my cleaning schedule, it gives me the opportunity to make up what I missed during the week. What a rockin' Friday night I will have, dusting and vacuuming.

Do I know how to party or what?

Since it looks like I will be sticking with this prenantal yoga class I will have to do some rescheduling as far as cleaning goes.

Cheap Flea Treatment

My dogs, Beo and Jax, are truly my babies. I would do just about anything for them. I want to protect them from getting lost, so I had them microchipped. I want to keep them safe from deadly doggy diseases so I have them vaccinated. I want to keep them free of worms, fleas, and ticks so they are both on a heartworm preventative and on a once-a-month flea and tick preventative.

What I don't like about the flea and tick preventative is how darn expensive it is when purchased from my vet. $24.00 per month for both dogs. I looked in to buying it through mail order catalogs like Drs. Foster and Smith and those places advertised on TV like 1-800-petmeds and PetRX but I wasn't impressed by their prices either.

The best deal I have found so far is on ebay.

Instead of paying $36 for a three month supply for one dog ($72 for three month for both dogs) I was able to get a three month supply for both dogs for @ $50.00 with shipping. Thats a $22 savings.

And I assure you it is exactly the same thing I would buy from my vet.

Ebay its a good thing! (As Martha Stewart would say)

Pregnancy Lifesavers

Although I am not yet out of my first trimester, there are a few products that are making my pregnant life a whole lot easier.

I have been lucky enough to escape the horrors of morning sickness, and have actually lost 5 pounds to date.

With this said, my waist line is disappearing and much of the clothes in my closet no longer fit.

That is why I am loving... my bella band!

This tube top like contraption allows me to wear regular pants and skirts unbuttoned and unzipped without them actually falling off.

I am also employing bra extenders on a daily basis.

I have a large bust (38 DD to be exact) and I swear it is getting bigger by the minute. The bra extenders help prolong the wearing of my old bras.

I am also very thankful someone invented Breath Right Strips!

The extra progesterone in pregnancy causes the membranes in your nose an sinuses to swell, making it feel like you have a stuffed up nose and making it more difficult to get a good nights sleep. These little babies are a lifesaver!!! I can breath all night long and more importantly... I can SLEEP!

Bathrooms... check!

I am pleased to report that both bathrooms were cleaned last night. The tub sure needed a good scrubbing and new everything is sparkly and fresh.

Since tonight is Wednesday I am supposed to Dust the Entire house which would entail:

• Actually Dusting the Entire house
• Windexing the glass coffee table
• Windexing the living room windows with nose prints on them

However, tonight I have my first pre-natal yoga class, so I think all of the dusting and windexing will be put off until tomorrow.

I hate dusting more that just about any other housecleaning task, so putting this off a day is really no hardship for me.

Success!

The kitchen is clean!!!!! When I got home from work I fed the dogs and just started cleaning. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Since today is Tuesday it is time to clean the bathrooms.

For me this entails:

• Windexing the mirror
• Cleaning the sink and countertop
• Cleaning the outside of the toilet
• Cleaning the inside of the toilet
• Cleaning the bidet (It came with the house and we use it as a water fountain for the dogs)
• Scrubbing the bathtub
• Wiping down the shower walls
• Vacuuming the floor
• Mopping the floor (If I really feel ambitious)
• Windexing the trashcan and the scale

Neither bathroom is very big and the second bathroom is really just a powder room (no tub or shower) so cleaning bathrooms doesn't take very long... 30 minutes tops. Plus, I use Sun and Earth as my cleaner and it smells so good that I don't mind at all.

Housecleaning Routines

This is how I feel about cleaning most days... but not today!

Today is my first day back to work after a week of bed rest. I am really hoping that I will not be overly tired when I get home tonight since my goal is to begin my housecleaning routines again.

I have to admit, that I have not cleaned my house in over thee weeks! (the shame, the shame!) I was too tired, it was too hot, you name it, I have been using it as an excuse.

I can't stand it anymore, so I am starting up tonight.

My cleaning routines look something like this:

Monday	Clean Kitchen
Tuesday	Clean Bathrooms
Wednesday	Dust Entire House
Thursday	Vacuum Entire House
Friday	NOTHING :)
Saturday	Laundry
Sunday	Laundry

Since today is Monday I will be cleaning the kitchen. This entails:

• Cleaning all counter tops
• Wiping down all the things that sit on the counter tops (Knife block, toaster oven, etc.)
  
• Cleaning the stove
• Cleaning the front of the oven, trash compactor, dishwasher, refrigerator
• Scouring the sink and shining the spigot
• Vacuuming and mopping the floor
• Cleaning the kitchen table
• Windexing the sliding glass doors to remove puppy prints
• Shaking out door mats

My kitchen is huge, which means this is a really big job. The kitchen alone takes close to an hour if not more to clean.

I will keep telling myself that it is easier to maintain clean than it is to get it clean in the first place!

What is your cleaning routine?

As Promised... Pictures

So here are some of the things that I have been up to today, now that I am allowed back on my feet...

Making Cards



Baking a loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread



Walking around the yard looking at my flowers in bloom

Roses



and Hydrangea



I also did 4 or 5 loads of laundry and ran a few errands, but they aren't very photogenic.

I hope everyone has a great weekend... I need to go feed the dogs. :)

A Few Changes...

So I thought I was due in January... it turns out that I am due on February 1, 2008, so I was not nearly as pregnant as I thought I was. Oh well....

I had some bleeding over the weekend and although it was minor it was still scary. I had an ultrasound on Monday which is how my due date got recalculated. The best news is that they had a positive fetal heartbeat, even though my doctor tries with the Doppler in the office and we still can't hear it yet. I don't really care if I can hear it as long as its in there beating!

I was on "modified" bed rest (as my OB put it... you can get up ad go to the bathroom... uh... thanks) for the last 2-3 days and since I haven't had any bleeding since Sunday am free to resume my regular life. YEAH!

That's a quick update. I promise I will post some pics tomorrow of what I have been up to.