A long weekend!

Finally, a long weekend to get A LOT accomplished and some time for kicking back too!

Saturday- In the morning Mom and Dad came over while Mike was at work and were a HUGE help! We got so much done and such a weight has been lifted that we now have a place for the little baby should I go into labor anyday now! We set up the cradle next to our bed in our room. (It took some compromise & re-arranging to make it work, but it's there and it's adorable!) We also got the computer set up in our room, desk and all. Lastly, we turned Mike's nightstand into a temporary changing table for the interim.
What a relief!
When Mike got in after 1, we had some lunch together and then I got to kick back for a few hours while he did some more taping/mudding upstairs. We picked up a fresh bouquet of flowers for Kathleen and headed over to her "housewarming." We stayed about an hour, dropped Kate off at John's gig, grabbed a couple of pizza's and headed home to veg. (My feet were KILLING me, I had completely overdone it!)

Sunday- I feel like Sunday was spent at the grocery store! Between the two of us, we went to the store 3 times! He grabbed some things early morning while I was still sleeping and surprised me with a huge delicious breakfast- scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast and fresh strawberries. I relaxed for a few hours while he went to work upstairs and later I headed to the store to do the "full" shopping. I got home, pleased by how well I did ($$) at the store and while putting everything away, I realize I completely passed by the meat section by heading right to the ice cream. Go figure!!
Mike took a break and we grabbed Stella and headed to the track for a nice walk, After 1 lap we had to go because Stella was beat and thirsty. (Seriously) I could have gone for another round. Back to the grocery store it was to grab steaks, chicken, ribs, you name it. We headed home to kick back, make potato salad and grille. I like how I say we, we did drive home together, but I did not participate in any of the food-making. That was all the Mr.

Monday- I think I slept in, my memory is really poor right now. The Cartwright's came for a visit- Mr. & Mrs. & Dawn, Mike and the kids. The kids headed straight for the fish pond to find frogs while we got to show the folks the progress on the nursery. They visited briefly and then we decided to hit the road on the hunt for some seafood for lunch and ended at Flanders fish market. We shared some clam fritters, chowder, salad and had fish sandwiches. Umm. Then we headed home and relaxed out the rest of our day. I washed all the bedding from our room and Mike hooked up the A/C. Thank god too, Yesterday was all I could take of the heat!

Perfect weather

Today is the nicest weather we have had this year. A perfect day to be lounging on a boat on the water- or in a field of grass- anywhere but at the office!
After lunch I drove over to sunset pond to get a breath of fresh air- It was refreshing just to watch the fish and listen to the frogs under a clear blue sky!

Mocktail

This is my special pregnancy 'mocktail'- so good with fresh strawberries and even better when someone else is making it for you!

The one with the cravings

Really and truly the one with the food cravings has been my husband! He was craving ice cream cones so he went out to get some the other day and hands me this, very excited while I am laying on the couch the other night. This is Rocky Road ice cream and then he crushed our coconut cookies from Iguana Raunas and covered the ice cream with them.

I won't lie- it was a deliciously perfect summer treat. Afterall... I am pregnant!

Delicious "whole in the wall" mexican

We spend every other day lately going back and forth to Middletown for either a Dr.'s appt or a class. Last Friday night we went when we didn't have to, to grab some mexican at Iguana Raunas Taqueria. (Bev's suggestion) WOW! This tiny little place on main street we must have driven by a million times and never once thought to pop in, we didn't know what we were missing! You order at the counter and they bring you your food to the one of 6 tables they have for you to seat yourself at. Plastic utensils and napkins..if you're lucky to get some- This place was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Seriously one of THE BEST meals we have had out.

90% of the time we eat out and drop over $100, we always leave thinking we make better at home, but not last Friday!

We tried a variety of items to share:
A carnitas (pork) taco, a carne asada taco, chicken taquitos, chips, salsa and guacamole (the chips were piping hot, you had to let them cool down for a bit first!) and we ordered the "suicide" burrito. It was a 15" tortilla stuffed with a chicken stuffed chile relleno, 4 different hot sauces...hence the suicide, rice, beans, cheese- Mike had a Corona and I enjoyed a non-alcoholic Sangria- & for dessert I had a slice of flan and we brought home a zip locked baggie of "cocatos" delicious coconut cookies-

& Now for the bill- With tip we spent $36, I kid you not!

There was also this photo on the wall we thought was pretty neat-

Before & After- Nursery Dresser

Mom found this great old/huge/heavy dresser on Craigslist in Chester. We all went and picked it up some early morning a couple of months ago. Well, Mom it refinished black to match our crib for the baby's room and it looks incredible!!

I cannot wait for it to move to it's permanent home in baby Cartwright's room!

A rainy day baby shower

So Sunday was my shower. I am usually really uncomfortable when it comes to parties like that, you know, being the center of why people are celebrating...but it was GREAT FUN!! Kathleen and Katie  threw a very special day for me at a cute little place in town (The Stonehouse) and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.  A huge surprise was my first roommate in college, Nadya!
There were about 60 people, friends and family and it was a lovely afternoon. I was DRAINED afterwards.
Katie had some cute activities like a questionnaire about how well people knew Mike and I, and they had onsies on each table for everyone to decorate, present bingo and a baby pool for those to guess to day and sex- There was lots of food and the cake Mom had made was AWESOME! We are lucky to have our family and friends so close by!

35+ weeks & off to my shower in the rain!

Mike got a snapshot before he brought me to the shower on Sunday- WOW what a belly!!!

Homemade Pie by yours truly

I don't know, maybe it's what they call "nesting" or just "Ms. Suzy home-maker", either way, I baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie on Saturday night. Wait a second....I need to re-read that. I DID WHAT ON A SATURDAY NIGHT?
Oh boy, how life changes. Anyhow, with fresh rhubarb from Beverly, I followed the recipe to a tee and took the pie out after 45 minutes like it said and let it cool for hours and when we finally cut into this beauty, it was the runniest, most un-edible pie ever. So we thought, people bake potatoes twice, why not a pie? We covered that pie completely with foil and then uncovered it after an hour and let it cook another 20-30 minutes and WOW...best pie ever!!

Lilacs in Bloom

Our lilac bush in front of the house bloomed last week so I picked a few of these and placed them in the little glass bottles on my windowsill. The house smells amazing!

Live, Love, Laugh...A Wedding Gift from Beverly

Amazing artist friend, Beverly,  has been working on a wedding gift for Mike and I since she heard of our elopement last July. About 10 months ago she had us place our bare feet in soft clay to leave an impression. We had no idea what she might be doing with the mold...until last night.

She arrived with this, beautiful stained glass creation she made for our window in our den. The large clear piece of glass is both of our footprints symbolizing us getting married barefoot in the sand- The callalilies on the bottom she painted and fired....several frustrating :) times to get the right color...symbolize my favorite flower and the flowers I had in my bouquet. The Live, Love, Laugh she etched in mirrored glass symbolize the cover of our picture albumn and lastly the seaglass, starfish and sea shells to symbolize us being married on the beach.

Have you ever seen anything so cool? The time and effort she put into making this for us is just so thoughtful.

Beverly, it looked beautiful as this morning's sun came through the back window!

WE JUST LOVE IT!! & WE LOVE YOU!!

Dear Baby

Mom & Dad finished week 5 of our childbirth preparation class last night! We hope we retain the bountiful information we've learned in such a short time when it comes time for your arrival!

Today I ate a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie and I saw you literally kick your feet out the top right side of my belly. It stuck out about 2 inches. Do you have big feeties or are you as big of a fan of mint chocolate as Mom is??

:)

33/34 Week check-up

Mom got to go with me to my appt. this morning. It was a great one- Blood pressure was 112/74- I did not gain any weight since my last appt. but I guess that is totally fine for this stage of the game- I have my pre-registration forms for the hospital and it's just a matter of weeks now! The baby's heartbeat was jumping between 141 & 147 and the Dr. said it is good that it goes up and down- I told her how active he/she has been lately and she said she always likes to hear that!!

She told me I may start to experience some contractions in the upcoming weeks and not to worry, simply lay down, drink some water and relax, but if I feel them occuring 4-5 times within 1 hour to pick up the phone and call! We are up to regular weekly appointments now from today on!

Forbidden City

For my birthday last year, Mike said he had reservations at Forbidden City in Middletown, but that was an act so he could pull off my big surprise party. Last night he actually took me there. We had calamari as an app. and a curried beef in a puff pastry. For the Main course, Mike had chosen Salmon for me, however the waiter disagreed and decided I should have the Sea Bass. Though it looked very pretty and Mike thought it was great... my pregnant-self decided I wasn't as big of a fan of Sea Bass as I had originally thought, once the dish finally came out. Mike's steak on the other hand was pretty terrific! It was nice to have a dinner out. That will probably be our last...for a long while!

Jewelry Box

Kate & John got me this lovely distressed wooden box for my birthday. Immediately I thought it would make a perfect jewelry box. I picked up some "cup hooks" on my travels yesterday and added 5 hooks to the top  to hang necklaces and such. There is a little drawer for rings too. I can't wait to hang it in the new bathroom or new bedroom!

Quick and easy for dinner for Meatloaf lovers

I might have said this in the past, I DESPISED meatloaf growing up. Now, I love it.
I used 1.6 lbs of 85/15 ground beef. Add 1 raw egg, parmesean cheese, chopped onions, mushrooms, green & red jalapenos, salt & pepper, A-1 sauce and ketchup, mix and place loaf in pyrex. Glaze top with A-1 and ketchup, cook on 400 for about 45 minutes- Serve with fresh green beans and a farfalle pasta!

A quick breakfast burrito

Sautee chopped onions and red bell pepper in butter, add scrambled eggs and milk, cover with monterey jack cheese, a dash of fresh ground black pepper, place in warm flour tortilla, serve with fresh salsa and sour cream. Delicious!

Saturday seed day

Saturday morning I awoke early and made my mess in the kitchen with the seed starter pots, potting soil and tomato seeds. I have 4 different kinds starting in the window sill- What fun!!!! Usually Mike and I do this together, but he was roofing all day, so I am very eager to see how my plants turn out this year!