Makin’ Monday easy

Good morning! 

This was a darn good weekend. Why?  Because my Dad was visiting and got to meet his Grandson

We had a blast just spending time with the soybean and relishing the time we have together since it’s no short jaunt from WI to Cali. 

And we may have just done some wine tasting this weekend too.  Oh vino, how I missed you so…

I also got an incredibly thoughtful gift from my friend Laury:

She also sent Sawyer these:

Her Mom made the hat and I just can’t get over how absolutely precious it is.  Laury you are so sweet – thank you a million times over

And with that short recap of the weekend, I’m makin’ Monday easy and finishing this post with the 20 Questions survey that’s been floatin’ around the blogworld. 

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

Starting the day off with a great workout, a trip to Peet’s for coffee, an afternoon at the beach or perhaps a winery, followed by a dinner party with friends.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.

Vampire Diaries, Real Housewives, Top Chef

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?

Hmm, take I suppose, but I like to be able to capture moments with me and my loved ones.

4) Why do you blog?

I started blogging as a way to share some low-call but plentiful recipes and then somehow it evolved into a journal of my life and a way to share my daily experiences with my family and friends.

I continue to blog because I love the community and have made some amazing friends (you know who you are )

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

Gmail, Facebook, Google Reader, People, Twitter

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

Snooki, yup I went there

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

NuGo Dark bars, Chobani Greek yogurt, almonds, Think Thin PB bars, cheese/crackers

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

Yes!  3: Naava – a German Shepard / Chinese Sharpei mix and Myko and Neci – domestic short haired cats

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

iPhone, engagement ring, tv

10) What’s your favorite drink?

Nonfat vanilla latte in the AM, red wine in the PM

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

Yes!  Preferably with a glass of vino.  I prefer baking even more.

12) Do you have children?

Sure do My lil soybean (Sawyer) is 3.5 weeks old

13) What are your favorite hobbies?

Reading, getting pedis, shopping, working out, blogging

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?

More outgoing than shy.  I like smaller groups though – big groups can be intimidating

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

I’d improve my patience.  I suck at it and in turn it makes me anxious and irritable.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Can’t say I have a favorite.  Julia Roberts has always ranked pretty high though.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

Visited with my Dad and his gf

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

Far.  Too far!  Our family is in WI, VA, and FL.  We live in Cali.

19) List three of your talents.

Err, I lack talent.  I guess public speaking, shoe shopping (?), memorizing details and recalling them

20) What is your greatest attribute?

My independence (also could be a fault though)

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

Why do you blog?

Where have I been???

I haven’t blogged since last Thursday.  A lot can happen in just a few days.

Like, if you’re 9 months pregnant, you could have a baby.

Right?

Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Yeah, I didn’t have Sawyer yet   He’s still baking, but almost done – I can tell.  I did get a smile out of every tweet and message wondering if his arrival was the reason for my absence. 

Frankly, life got in the way.  It happens. 

But I’m back and will pick up where I left off.

I’ve definitely been enjoying my maternity leave and using every possible moment of it.  Productivity has been the name of the game and I am going to continue to push until I can get everything taken care of.  I’m almost there!  I’ll do some baby – specific posts coming up.

But Saturday I was able to celebrate something else very special with this girl:

Her sisters threw her a baby shower while she was in Cali so that more people could participate.  They did a fabulous job and you can tell the bestie was surprised:

It was so great to be able to contribute and participate in such a fun pregnancy milestone.  Sure 20 weeks is on the early side, but it’s never too early to show some love

She totally made a haul with all of her awesome gifts too! 

So happy for my bestie

Unfortunately the rest the weekend didn’t go as planned.  I was really hoping to get the Christmas tree up and decorated since our lil man could arrive any day, but it looks like the tree will have to wait.

I’ve also spent a good time at the mall recently looking for the perfect ‘going home’ outfit and that’s proven to be difficult – even after going to nearly 10 baby stores! Seriously!  Argh. 

At least I’ve been getting my cardio on and squeezed in another prenatal yoga last night.

And of course, the thing that makes every thing better –> Baking!

I’ve had a boxed pumpkin pound cake mix for nearly a year and decided I should give it a go – I just had to add the butter and eggs.  And of course, rather than use a traditional loaf pan, I used my mini-loaf pan.  The bestie and I agreed this is far superior because then you don’t feel like you’re eating as big of pieces (so, then you just have more..haha):

If you’re looking for a good pumpkin bread recipe from scratch, try this one from Fitsugar.

And because it’s the holidays, it’s only fitting to make some festive Hershey kiss cookies, right?

Oh and if you’re 9 months pregnant and becoming very clumsy with a giant belly, this may happen:

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?  I’m a sucker for a good frosted sugar cookie or gingerbread man   Sadly I don’t tend to make either.  Therefore, I’m willing to be sent donations!

Weekend of Gifts

Good morning my friends!

If you haven’t already, check out my giveaway.  You can enter to win a pretty great necklace that may be perfect for you or as a lovely gift for someone else!

Speaking of giving, let’s talk about gifts.

Gifts aren’t always the tangible, the physical, or of huge monetary value.  In fact, the best gifts, tend to be those that fall outside of the categories above. 

Maybe it’s the time of the year, or maybe it’s this beautiful gift growing in my belly, but I was reflective over the weekend

First is the gift of time.  I sort of love having my off-Fridays actually off.  It’s amazing to have that one extra day over the weekend to have a little ‘me’ time, to sleep in, to get all those things done that pile up over the busy work week. 

Another gift, is that of making new friends.  It’s not always easy making new girlfriends, particularly when you work in a predominantly male field and live in a high-tech area.  So I’m pretty grateful for becoming friends with an amazing blogger Shayla.  I feel like we’ve known each other for years and hanging out on Friday just solidified how awesome of a connection we have. 

Oh and yes froyo is also a gift.  We headed to ULove and their flavors are pretty damn faboosh.  I went with the peanut butter (to die for), the english toffee, and topped it with Kit-Kat, Snickers, Nilla wafers, peanut butter chips, Butterfinger, and…hmmm…that may have been it

She also bought this adorable knit monkey cap and booties for Sawyer (and maple cookies for me!):

Being able to nurture others through baking is a gift.  There are few things that bring me as much joy as baking something scrumptious and sharing it with loved ones.  Shayla and I tackled Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding on Friday as well.  It smelled and tasted amazing.  I’m going to make it again on Saturday with a number of tweaks and will post the recipe then (such a tease!).

Saturday Zach and I were met with yet another gift.  The gift of good friends and coworkers who hosted a joint celebration of newly purchased homes and also baby Sawyer.  I hadn’t anticipated the baby shower so didn’t bring my shower to take photos, but Zach managed to snap an iphone pic of the delicious cupcakes they had: lemon (with lemon crème filling) and mocha cappuccino.  Usually I’m a lemon person, but the mocha was out of this world good!  Thank you so much to Zach’s coworkers for hosting a fun day and all the adorable gifts!

The gift of seasons, and the gift of change keeps me awestruck.  I don’t know how many times this weekend I commented on just how breathtaking the trees looked.  I can easily say this time of year makes me the happiest – I’m very much like my Dad that way

What gifts are you celebrating?

Are you in love with Fall as much as I am?