Pumpkin in July

Hey friends!

We survived another weekend and if you were me, it would be just barely.  You see, I had a particularly tough personal training session on Saturday morning and somehow didn’t refuel enough throughout the day.  Then I indulged in a few glasses of wine over several hours at a going away/engagement party and, well, I ended up feeling like crap Sunday!  I couldn’t even make it to my 9a spin class.  Argh.  But I did manage to eek out 25  min of high intensity on the elliptical along with some ab work.  Somethin’ is better than nothin’ right?

The mother’s group I hosted on Friday was lovely!  I wish I would have taken a pic of the spread, but suffice it to say the chocolate fudge donuts went over quite well

Best part of the weekend?  My bestie is in Cali for the week to visit her family and show off tater tot!  She, her hubby and the tot spent last night with us and will spend Friday night with us.  And it also just happened to be A’s birthday a couple weeks ago so per her request, I made a pumpkin cake!

I followed this recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake with only minor mods: no nuts, an added dash (or two) of cinnamon, and dark chocolate chips instead of toffee (bestie loves dark chocolate).  And I used ~4 full graham crackers to get the 1 cup coarsely chopped.  My cake took about 53 min at 350 deg.  Check it out:

Pumpkin in July was a huge hit!

Oh and I wanted to say thank you for the supportive comments on my last post about mother’s guilt.   It is a dialogue I’d like to probe into more and perhaps find some solutions to alleviate this guilt many of us are experiencing.

What can you eat despite the season?  Pumpkin is an obvious one for me as is froyo in December

Let’s catch up, shall we?

I think the one week hiatus was one of the longest I’ve gone since starting my blog (in May 2010 <—wow!).  Like I said, I just wasn’t feelin’ it.  I’ve gone back and forth recently on whether I want to keep it up as much as I have.  I’ve enjoyed blogging to record what’s gone on in my pregnancy and now with my lil’ Soybean here, but other than that, I’m not extremely motivated in the HLB  community as of late.  Perhaps that’s because my blog really doesn’t fit in the “healthy living blog” genre.  Ultimately my blog is just a diary of my life…

Anyway…

Let’s catch up.

Valentine’s Day was spent with little hoopla and fanfare.  Instead we opted for some vino, spaghetti and meatballs at home with the bean.  He splurged on some formula.  What a wild man. 

Wednesday I went to a Mommy and Me class that was fabulous.  I am loving bonding with new mommies and spending the day talking about all the craziness we’re experiencing.

Thursday 2 of my new mommy friends came over for a lunch date and more gossip.  We tried convincing the lil ones to pose for a pic, but Sawyer was not having it.  Poor guy!

Friday Zach’s brother arrived along with his fiancé to meet the soybean!  He’s so lucky to be so loved by all his family   Despite having a 7 week old, we were able to do quite a bit in the short time they were here:

Saturday: Coffee shop in the AM, SF in the afternoon – Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and drinks at McCormicks, then Little Italy for an early dinner.

Sunday: AM walk to the coffee shop, excursion to Nebbia Winery in Half Moon Bay, followed by lunch at Moss Beach Distillery, and a stroll and sparkling wine at Ritz Carlton.  

We capped off the visit with some Cali staples: In & Out and Pinkberry.  Btw, the salted caramel froyo is ah-maz-ing!

So there ya go.  That’s what’s been happening in a nutshell.  And while you’re reading this, I’m at at follow up doctor’s appointment with the OB.  Wish me luck!

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?