My Cloth Diaper Stash

After the baby arrives and after the newborn stage is over, I plan on using cloth diapers. I think that they are better overall. Better for the baby, for my budget, and for the environment. I like o plan ahead so I have been assembling my diaper stash slowly. Here it it:

-- 5 Kushie All in Ones (although I think I am returning these)
-- 2 Green Mountain Diapers fitted
-- 2 Under the Nile fitted
-- 2 snappies
-- 7 microfiber doublers/inserts
-- 4 Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers
-- 2 Happy Hiney pocket diapers
-- 2 Bumkins covers
-- 10 Bummis whisper wraps
-- 9 contours
-- 24 Chinese Prefolds

Here they are in pictures:

Prefolds and contours

Bumkins covers and Bummis Whisper Wraps

Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Heiny Pocket Diapers

Doublers/Inserts and Snappies

Fitted Diapers


Kushies All in Ones

Turtles, Frogs, and Noah's Ark oh my!

I had a dentist appointment today and after it was over and in celebration of the fact that I had no cavities nor did I have any evidence of "pregnancy gingivitis" I stopped at the kids resale shop across the street for a little shopping.

Noah's Ark set, new with tags and still on the original hanger. Oh, it has a fuzzy whale on the butt!


Two sleep and plays, one with turtles and one with frogs



A terry towel, robe and booty set, new with tags and still on the original hangers.

I also got a blue long sleeve T-shirt for me, but that isn't nearly as cute as the above items. 9 items total for $30.00. I didn't think that was bad at all since none of the items show any wear whatsoever and most are brand spanking new!

Baby's First Pictures

Here you can see a profile view of our little one's face with a hand/thumb in his/her mouth

Here you get a more inclusive profile with a body attached (still sucking on his/her thumb)


It looks like we have a self soother! :)

Please Excuse This Rant...

First of all I want it known that I do NOT watch the news because it makes me mad, consistently. That being said I had a local morning program on this morning before I left for work and they were promoting a talk show type show and the hook they were using to get you to watch was "Should sex offenders who are parents be allowed inside their children's school?"

I just have to clear up this little misconception... Not all sex offenders are child molesters or "child predators." Generally speaking, serial sex offenders have a certain age group or profile that they are (for lack of a better word) attracted to. If their target group is adult women, then they aren't necessarily a threat to children. Along those same lines if they did prey on children then you need to make the distinction between pedophiles (those attracted to children under 12) and ephebophiles (those attracted to children over 12). Generally, they don't switch from one group to an other.

This is, of course, a very sensitive subject and that I completely understand. I have the same visceral reaction when I hear about "sex offenders" or "child molesters" but the news media and the masses need to understand that not all sex offenders are child molesters although all child molesters are sex offenders. And, inside of the category "child molester" there are subcategories that SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED!!!

That is all.

When daddy isn't around....

snuggle with your brother!

Final Bedroom Renovation

So hubby and I finally finished renovating our bedroom... YEAH!! Our furniture was delivered on a Saturday and here is the end result.

We kept the bed we ad, but here is my dresser and in the corner you can see part of a nightstand. Oh and Jax on the bed too!

Here is a nightstand.


Here is hubby's armiore and our new mounted TV.

Sunday Morning Puppy Lovin'

Beo (blue) and Jax (purple) snuggle with their Daddy.





Hubby is UNDER Beo.

Pregnancy Update

This is pretty exciting. Hubby was able to feel the baby move. I have been being kicked for about a month now but hubby had to live vicariously though me until this weekend when I felt a good hearty kick from the outside and called him over to fee it too. And to put finally post a belly pic...



This huge white moon-shaped object in the bottom of the picture is the belly. You can see my feet, so far away now, for comparison. On the upside, I've only gained 6 pounds!

White Whole Wheat Challah

So I have been raving about the white whole wheat flour for a few weeks now, but have yet to post any pictures of things I made with said flour. Until today... here is what is left of a loaf of challah made with white whole wheat flour. This loaf is a little denser than I would like because I didn't think about stuffing 1.5 pounds of dough into a 1 pound loaf pan. Oh well, it still tastes good!

Updates coming...

There are blog updates on the way I promise... with the bonus of lots of pictures. I will post when I get home from work!

Topics to include:

--Finished Bedroom Renovation
--Other Home Improvements
--Baking with White Whole Wheat Flour
--My Cloth Diaper Stash
-- Banned Books Week

3 Years Ago Today...

We were married.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Yard Sale Success

Yesterday was the yard sale. Both my mom and I did really well and count it as one of our most successful for 2 reasons: first, we made a decent amount of cash ($200 combined) and are bringing very, very little back into our respective houses.

Of all of the items purged from my 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
-- 2 hot lights
--1 laptop dock

the only things that came back in were:

-- 1 18-gallon storage tub of clothes
-- 1 laptop dock
-- 1 basket
-- 1 poster

Everything else was either sold, sent to Goodwill, or sent to a local shelter. Of the items that came back in the house, the tub of clothes will go to a consignment shop when I find one, the laptop dock is going on ebay, the basket will be part of a Christmas gift for a friend, and the poster will be hung in my office at work.

I swear I just heard my house breath a sigh of relief!

Muffin Makeover

This weekend was a long and grueling one for me. Mom and I had the yard sale yesterday which was a huge success, I will post on that in a minute. Last night hubby and I went to see Jim Gaffigan perform, very funny, but I really wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until Monday. Sadly, not a possibility since I have to work today (Sunday).

Anyway, hubby got the dogs out of bed and let me sleep until 8:00 (blissful) while he slept on the couch in our family room. When I sis get up I wanted to make a little treat for breakfast and I remembered that I had printed out Tammy's recipe for French Breakfast Puffs. My mom used to make these when I was a kid and I thought that they would be perfect this morning. I did adapt the recipe a little bit and it was a huge success. First of all, in place of the AP flour I used my new obsession, white whole wheat flour. In addition, I used my one-bowl method for making muffin. instead of creaming the butter and sugar, I melt the butter and then sit in the sugar. I then add all the dry ingredients on top of that and then the egg. I mix it all together and then bake according to the directions. They were very yummy and I am not ashamed to admit that I had three of them, after all they were made with whole wheat flour, that means they are practically health food!

Pregnancy Brain Strikes Again

Part pf my job as the education and human sexuality library at this university is to teach graduate students how to research in either the education or sexuality field. The fall is the busiest time for this and today was no exception. At 10:15 this morning I was supposed to go to a graduate research class and talk to the students about library services, databases, searching, etc. I had written down on one calendar that the class was in the K building in room 213. This is where this class has been held for a few years now.

So, at 10:10 I gather up my materials and my umbrella, since its raining here, and head from the library to the K building. I find room 213, knock on the door and walk into the room loudly proclaiming "I'm here!" Only, instead of the graduate students and friendly professor I was expecting there was an undergraduate biology class going on. Oops! My bad, I must have the wrong room. So I back out of the class, and rifle through my materials looking for the paper with the class number on it. I don't have it with me, because, I remember, I left it on my desk. So, back to the library in th rain to find the paper with the room number. I open my office and there is the paper on my desk, alas no room number is written on it.

Oh poopy! I log into my my email (which is slower than molasses in January) only to discover that I deleted the email I need. I am now 5 minutes late. I hate being late. I am NEVER late! Wait... I haven't emptied my email trash for a while so maybe the email is still there. I open the trash folder, and search. Oh thank you Mr. email man, the email is still there and the room number is K 324a. Ok, so out of my office I fly back to the K building in the rain. I opt for the elevator and as the doors open on the third floor I am looking right at room 324a. Only it says "Janitor's Closet" next to it.

Why are they holding a class in the janitor's closet? I think, before it hits me that there is another K building, but it is on the other side of campus. Great, just GREAT! I am 10 minutes late now, so by the time I head over to the other K building I am 15 minutes late. There is no elevator so I huff and puff my pregnant, asthmatic, out of shape self up the stairs to the right floor, find the right room. Luckily for me the class and the professor are still there. The right class and the right professor, I might add. So, after taking a few minutes to compose myself, I teach the class. All is right with the world and the students and professor are pleased.

Now, and for the rest of the day I will holing myself up in my office and not talking to anyone. Thank you, that is all!

Thank God Today is Friday! ;)

Updates

The purging continues... So far we have added to the huge pile of stuff leaving the house

-- 2 hot lights (used for photography)
-- 1 laptop dock

I am sure that between now and Saturday morning there will be more to come.

Tracking Cash -- Wednesday/Thursday

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)
Wednesday: $2.99 (a drug store for cushioning inserts for new shoes), $1 (snacks at work)
Thursday: $0 spent

Total to date: $139.04

There is approximately $5.00 left in my wallet at the moment and since I will be going to the bank at lunch, my week is officially over. The $5 will be tucked away for holiday shopping or some other special purchase. That is what I do with left over cash each week. Whether it is $1 or $20 dollars it is collected and saved and then spent on something special like vacation, holidays, spa trip, etc.

It was interesting to see it in print. This week I spent more than I usually budget for a week, but there were a few special expenses in there like the moving mens' tip and the dry cleaning. All in all, not too bad. Of course, there is always room from improvement.

Tracking Cash -- Wednesday

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)
Wednesday: $2.99 (a drug store for cushioning inserts for new shoes)

Total to date: $138.04

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!