Nesting?

I don't know about you, but these weeks just continue to fly by!  Another weekend bites the dust.  This one was notoriously short, although productive.  We finished the painting and trim work in the other spare bedroom, aka our soon to be play room.  So far we've hung curtains and moved the bassinet in there.  Justin also boxed in an outlet in the closet and did some drywall work.  I tell you, he's becoming quite handy.  I guess I'll have to keep him around. We also had our last "Prepared Birthing" class.  Justin was so proud he successfully swaddled our fake baby.  My cousin Cindie had her baby shower, which we missed because we were in class, but my mom took photos for us of her opening our gifts.  We're only two weeks apart on our due dates. It's getting close folks.  And lastly, I've thrown in a picture of my younger sisters in their new Easter Dresses, which they sent me photos of last night.

I did get some items completed for my sister-in-law's upcoming bridal shower and bachelorette, although photos will have to be postponed (wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for her if she happens to pop on here!)  Other household chores went by the wayside however.  I completed some loads of laundry, but they've yet to be put away.  I guess I know what I'll be doing during the week when I get home from work, presuming I have enough energy.  Our little four-pounder (his last measurement from 3/20!) must be going through some serious growth spurts because I have had little to no energy lately.  "I think I can, I think I can..."  Surprisingly though, I did have enough energy to whip up a good meal the other night.  I had fresh parmesan cheese and buttermilk in the house so I made a homemade parmesan cheese sauce with pasta (recipe here, substituted half of milk called for with buttermilk) and some Oven Crisp Chicken (my Aunt Lynda's recipe, below).  It was so yummy.  Really hit the spot.

What are the signs of nesting?  I'm pretty sure I'm on the cusp of this phase.  I have so much I want to get done at home!

The Bonsai Run

Top o' the morning to ya!  How are we feeling today?  Tired?  Hung over?  Imbibed a little too much in the green drink yesterday?  Ah, I remember those days.  The most I "imbibed" in was an extra scoop of rice pudding.  Oh so good, but I digress.  This holiday weekend was jam packed full of a little bit of everything.  Guess I might as well just get to it.

The great majority of Saturday was spent in the first of two "Prepared Birthing" classes the hubs and I are signed up for.  Our instructor Judy has way too much energy for a Saturday and the class instructions of "bring a yoga mat and a snack" for a 10a-2p class should have been translated to "if you need to eat lunch, bring freaking lunch."  Now I know for next week.  Anyways, the class so far has been pretty informative and I can honestly say we at least feel comfortable asking questions and participating in the class dialogue.   We also realized we need to get going on writing up a birthing plan/wish list.  I guess you really shouldn't just wing it.  We followed up our class with a great lunch at Panera, a tux fitting at Men's Wearhouse, a trip to Macy's for some nursing bras (ahhhh! sizing is such a headache!!),  Lowes for some supplies for the future playroom, Harbor Freight for tools, and lastly Walmart for some last minute grocery items including the fixings for homemade Irish Soda Bread.

Mr. Sandman

I have heard and read several articles about strange dreams during pregnancy.  Up until now I haven't had too many that I could recall upon waking.  Last night however was the exception.  

• We were in a tropical location.  Think: wooden huts over water.  Gorgeous.  Not too shabby for a dream.
• We were there for Thanksgiving.  This didn't strike me as particularly odd. I've contemplated going on a cruise for this holiday before. 

The Man Shower

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."  ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Not too many people can count themselves fortunate enough to experience a Man Shower in their lifetime.  For those with dirty minds, I am referencing the baby shower held in my husband's honor at work today.  It came as a complete surprise, although in retrospect it really should have come as no surprise at all considering how wonderful his work family is.  Under the guise of a faulty conference room telephone he was ambushed with this outpouring of kindness. I cannot wait to get home to see all the nice things that were purchased/made for the baby.  I know I speak for the both of us (the three of us?) when I say we feel truly blessed to have a wonderful support group of not only family and friends but coworkers as well.  

Have you found something to be thankful for today?

Furry Friday: Bonding

It feels like ages ago that I've written a blog post about my little buddy Riley.  He's still alive and well.  Since I last wrote about him in February, he's been enjoying his Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone and snuggling up with his mama.  I swear that bone was the best investment we made at Christmas time for him.  Even when its out of rawhide refills, he loves to sit and chew with this for hours.  It must be because he can get a better grip on it with the ball.  

At any rate, you might recall that we prematurely got him groomed in February on the same day as my dreaded Glucose Test. I love how he feels after he's groomed though.  His fur is so soft like a little teddy bear.  However, even though he really needed it, his new short haircut doesn't make him too fond of the great outdoors especially on days like today when the weatherman continues to forecast snow.  So we spend a lot of our time bundled up together on the couch in the evenings.  As I'd mentioned in my ESP post, this is the time that he just loves hugging up to my belly.  I finally got some shots of it to share on here.  I hope this is a good sign that he's already bonding with his brother.

Any pet experiences to share?  Particularly how your pet was during the pregnancy and once the little bundle of joy arrived?

Juice Head

Contrary to popular belief, the above title is not a reference to Jersey Shore.  Although, I caught the tail end of a segment on E! last night about Pauly D and something about being the DJ for his own wedding??  I didn't realize he was in a committed relationship.  Guess I'll have to google that later... 

Original image found at www.djpaulyd.com

Getting back on topic, I wanted to tell you all how wonderful having my own juicer is.  This past summer my mother and I attempted to make our own grape jelly with the grapes from my yard. I had a 30 gallon garbage can FULL of grapes that I needed to use up.  Let me tell you, the process would have gone a lot smoother if I'd had a juicer and a lot of grapes would not have gone to waste.  That being said, this year I'm prepared thanks to my mother-in-law Jean and her guy Dave.  My Christmas gift from them this year was a Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer Express.  This puppy purrs.  Seriously, it sounds like it is purring.  I can't believe I've waited until now to test it out.  I was a little intimidated at first but it was so easy to use, easy to clean, and the juice I made tasted amazing.  My husband and I finished the 2 quart container of juice I made in 3 days.

Cake Boss of Schenevus

“You know how I’ve got a guy for everything? Well, they’re all in New York. My suit guy, my shoe guy, my ticket guy, my club guy… and if I don’t have a guy for something I have a guy guy to get me a guy. And oddly enough, his name is Guy.”  ~Barney Stinson

Like Barney, I've had a go-to cake maker for the last few years.  It started with the offer to make the cakes for my parents' 25th Wedding Anniversary and since then I can't bring myself to buy an ordinary cake when a special occasion arises.  So for my Dad's 50th and my Husband's 30th, I of course reached out to the Cake Boss of Schenevus, aka my Aunt Michele.