25 Weeks

Last night I was up until midnight. What was I thinking? We were all partying like banchees. It was a good time. I like it when we party at my house. I can disappear at anytime, gather all the animals, and go to sleep. Luckily I can sleep through anything. I'm hoping our baby will be a deep sleeper too. 


Lasher is still tuckered out this morning from the late night. Of course this is no different than any other day for him. Eventually we'll begin "baby training" with Lash. We plan to try and desensitize him to the sounds of a baby crying. That should be fun times... I'm sure she has already started getting used to hearing him bark. He's not a horrible barker, but it's loud and deep. And he really hates UPS & FedEx trucks.

Hummus Variations

Hummus has become one of my go-to recipes. So much so that I don't even use a recipe. -shocking for me I know!

My food processor is one of
my favorite items in my
kitchen

I eat it mostly in wraps. I'll shmear some hummus on a whole-wheat tortilla wrap and pile in some veggies or left over roasted chicken and whoa la! I have a great, nutritious lunch. 

Basic Hummus Recipe:

1 can chickpeas - drain & rinse, but save some of the liquid

~ 3 garlic cloves

~1/4 cup tahini - I use one heaping spoonful

juice from one lemon

olive oil - start with about 4 tablespoons then add more until consistency is correct

ground cumin - to taste, about a teaspoon I think

salt & pepper - to taste

Throw everything in a food processor. Chop until desired consistency has been reached. If too thick add more reserved chickpea liquid or olive oil.

24 Weeks

   

It's been a quiet week.

My uterus is the size of a soccer ball...
that's kind of crazy to think about when I
stare at my tummy.

How far along?  24 Weeks  

Total Weight Gained? 11 pounds    

Maternity Clothes?  Yes

Stretch Marks?  No

Sleep?  A few good nights but several not so good    

Best Moment the Week? Baking cookies. I was reminded of baking cookies with my Mom. I look forward to doing this with my little girl. I wonder if she will find it as comforting as I do.     

Miss anything?  Raw oysters. We went to a raw bar with friends the other night. They looked so good. I was jealous.   

Movement? Lots!!!   

Food Cravings? None, but I am having lots of cooking/baking cravings. Not sure if this is pregnancy related or just summer related. I baked several things this week and plan to continue on through the weekend. 

Container Gardening

Gardening. I have idyllic visions of me going to my garden and picking vegetables for an afternoon lunch; perhaps a nice tomato and basil salad. Or having so many zucchini that I'm running out of friends and neighbors to deliver homemade zucchini bread.

Yes, these are nice thoughts. Unfortunately in the past it wasn't practical to grow a garden while I traveled nearly every week for work. But things are different this summer. I no longer travel for work. My unattainable, intimidating yet very enticing garden dreams could actually come true.  -These were my plans for this summer.

Time to be like Nike and Just Do It.

23 Weeks

What a great & busy week! I had a doctor's appointment (all is well), decided upon paint, bought fabric swatches and went public on Facebook. It was a great week for our baby too. She received her first gift! Aunt B sent this adorable little Cowboys Love Bug music box.

While I don't really condone Cowboys stuff (wink wink), I know it's inevitable since husband bleeds blue & gray. And since the Cowboys have pretty colors and lots of cute stuff... it's not terrible.

We had a Sherman-Williams coupon which was just the kick I needed to decide upon the shade of gray (ha ha - no, I haven't read that book). We'll be painting 3 walls one of these colors. To be decided this weekend - presently I have big swatches painted on the walls of each color to help us decide.

And one wall pink to match the crib bedding and curtains. Perhaps something like this...

 I think the room is going to turn out great. Can't wait to get started painting...  

Irish Ice Cream with English Toffee Bits

This recipe has become a trademark of my husbands. Generally he enjoys ending all of his amazing dinners with a unique ice cream, but this one, well it's truly special. 

And seriously, what's not to love when you combine Guinness and Heath Candy Bars in an ice cream. If you ask husband he'll tell you, as serious as a heart attack, that Guinness is the elixir of life and the cure to everything. 



The recipe is adapted from an official Guinness book: Guinness: Celebrating 250 RemarkableYears, page  104. It's a cool little book on the history of Guinness with lots of pretty pictures and a few fun recipes in the back like this one.

Fresh Peaches

Peach season has just started here in South Carolina. The local farm now has peaches in abundance.

I bought my first carton already. They are quite delicious. Now I'm looking for the right recipes to satisfy my baking "need" and my sweet tooth. I tried a Barefoot Contessa recipe for Peach Cake. Although friends  told me it was great, it was 3 am. I'm not trusting their judgement at that time of night. Personally I felt the recipe needs a little doctoring before I will be satisfied and share it with y'all.

My challenge: find my signature peach dessert recipe this summer.

22 Weeks

Future nursery

This week our baby is almost a pound and the length of a spaghetti squash. She can also hear us now.

I started preparing her room. We are changing the spare room into a nursery by moving the cats upstairs and emptying the "spare" closet which has been home to our formal dresses, tuxedo, winter coats, gloves, etc -all the things we haven't needed here.

To splurge I went for a pedicure. The funny part is that there were 3 other ladies getting pedicures - all of us pregnant. 

My goal for next week? Try to find fabric I like for crib bedding. Something similar to this: 

Wall of Travel Photos

We took a lot of great photos from our time in Asia that we'd like to display somehow. I still toy with creating a photo book, but it feels like such a daunting task. - So many pictures! How do I pare it down to capture the essence of each unique experience??? I know I should just set a small goal and begin with our first adventure...

The final product - even looks professional!
Top Row:  Li River near Guilin, China;  Great Wall - JinShanLing Section; Bodhnath in Katmandu, Nepal; Prayer Wheel in Shangri-La, China; World Financial Center & Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China;  Small Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, China.

Bottom Row:  Giant Buddha in LeShan, China;  Terracotta Soldiers in Xi'an, China; Mount Everest taken at Base camp, Tibet; An Ancient Temple discovered in the Taklamakan Desert, China; Fuji Mountain, Japan; Taj Mahal at sunset, India

Israeli Breakfast (Eggs in Tomatoes, Chickpeas & Feta)

Most mornings I eat Greek yogurt, berries and homemade granola. But I'm out of my granola and need to buy more oatmeal before I can whip up another batch. I tried without the granola yesterday, but it's just not the same without the crunch. So what am I in the mood for??? Well, I happened to have chickpeas and canned tomato in my pantry. And most importantly, feta cheese in the fridge. I thought of this filling Israeli recipe from a Bon Appetit, issue December 2011. I've made it once before. I love the flavors - something very different than my normal fare.

21 Weeks

Today is June 1st and week 21. Means we are officially in our 5th month of pregnancy. Crazy!?!?!!!

I bought a few things today to celebrate! Couldn't really help myself. Nothing practical. Just two things that make me smile.

I made my first purchase on Etsy at Amy's Buttons and Bows. I love her collection of headbands and ruffled bloomers. I can't wait to dress up my little girl in one of these beautiful headbands.