Memorial Day Weekend: Three Movies, Two Magazines and a Book

Can someone please explain why we don't have three day weekends every week? Three days off in a row was heavenly. Waking up Sunday morning and realizing I had two full days of whatever I darn well pleased in front of me was an amazing feeling.

We spent the weekend in town, relaxing and generally doing whatever sounded fun. For me, that included three movies, two magazines, one book, a shopping trip and a pedicure. For Brian, that included a whole lot of golf. We also had some yummy meals and spent Sunday at a BBQ with friends. Again, I say, heavenly.

Friday night I saw Water for Elephants with some girlfriends.

For a movie based on a book I really liked, I thought this movie was very well done. The acting was good and they stayed fairly true to the story line of the book. I thought it moved a bit slowly but I tend to get bored easily in the movie theater so that's probably just me. (I like almost any movie better if I can watch it on my couch with a magazine or the computer on my lap.)

Saturday night after dinner, Brian and I watched Tangled.

I've been telling B I wanted to see this movie so he added it to our Netflix queue and was sweet enough to watch it with me. We both really liked it! I'm a sucker for a good Disney movie and I thought this one was adorable and fun. I'll have to get it on DVD so Baby B can see it someday.

Sunday, we had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and I resisted the urge to get a piece of their amazing Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel Cheesecake. (Where's my medal?) After lunch, we saw The Hangover, Part II.

Yes, it was the exact same story as the first movie. And yes, I laughed my butt off. I thought it was hilarious.

I also started and finished Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison. (It's not hard to finish a book rather quickly when you find yourself wide awake from 4am to 6am most days.)

This was such an entertaining, engaging read. Not knowing a thing about life inside a women's prison, I was instantly drawn into the story. I also appreciated the fact that the author was able to tell her story without shirking responsibility, placing blame or forcing the social agenda of prison reform down the reader's throat.

The two magazines, if you're wondering, were Entertainment Weekly and Southern Living. I think I tore nearly every recipe featured out of this month's Southern Living. If you haven't read it yet, get your hands on a copy for the recipes alone! 

Did you see or read anything good this Memorial Day weekend?

Spokesperson For Hire

Edy's....are you out there?  It's me, your biggest fan.  Have you noticed your stock climbing steadily over the past few months?  You're welcome.  I'm certain it's due the (giant) bowl-of-ice-cream-per-day habit I've acquired. 

First, I sung the praises of your Slow Churned Drumstick flavor.  Delicious. 

But there's a new favorite in my freezer.

We're on carton number two of Triple Cookie Fudge Sundae...this week. Even Brian, much to my dismay, has helped himself to a bowl or two of this ahhh-mazingly delicious ice creamy goodness.  There just might be a carton number three in my future before I move on to another flavor.  Perhaps my old favorite coffee?  Time will tell.

So, Edy's, if you should need a spokesperson - give me a holler.  All set on spokespeople? How about taste testers?  I could definitely do that.  If nothing else, please send coupons. I fear I'll spend my future daughter's college tuition on ice cream before this pregnancy is over. 

Your biggest (and now widest) fan,

Mel

*This post was not compensated in any way. But I'm open to that. Edy's - Seriously. SEND ICE CREAM. xoxo BFF

Bits & Pieces

Happy Tuesday! Since I'm eating lunch in the office (an all too rare occurrence), I thought I'd take a little break to blog and play on Pinterest.  Hope you don't mind if this is a bit random and all over the place - I have to make it quick!

* I saw Something Borrowed this weekend. It was okay, fairly entertaining. It's been years since I read the book, so the departures from the original story didn't bother me as much as they might have had I read it more recently. John Krasinski was definitely the high point. However, the exaggerated faults of both Darcy and Rachel made me want to smack them both throughout the movie. I wasn't expecting much so I wasn't disappointed but if you haven't seen it yet, I'd say you could definitely wait to rent it.

*  The circus is in town. The Casey Anthony trial started this morning and my office is a block away from the circus tent courthouse. It's pretty crazy out there! The major news outlets have all arrived in town to cover the spectacle and there are tents, news vans, and cameras everywhere. The news is reporting that people have traveled to Orlando from all over the country on "vacation" to witness the trial and people were lined up at 5:30am (the earliest they were permitted) to try to get one of the 50 available seats in the courtroom. To put a cherry on top of the crazy sundae, apparently a woman was removed from line this morning for being drunk! For the love!  I feel sorry for the litigators in my office who have to go to court while this is on-going. I'm happy to be able to sit in my office and avoid the insanity. However, I am hoping to run into Anderson Cooper* about town...

* By happy accident, I created a really yummy side dish the other night. I had some leftover bruschetta toppings in the fridge (tomatoes, basil, garlic & olive oil) and didn't want to waste them. I boiled some orzo, threw in the bruschetta toppings and stirred in some goat cheese. It was delish! I'll definitely be making Bruschetta Orzo again.

* I spoke too soon in my last post about shoes. It seems being pregnant is affecting my footwear options after all.  Saturday, I went to the mall to try on the adorable strappy TB wedges from the last post and it did not go well.  The opening for my foot was fairly small and I was struggling to get my foot inside. It's pretty difficult to bend over these days, even while sitting, as I've got a giant belly in my way. I was so embarrassed as I struggled to get my foot in the darn shoe. By the time I got them on, I was sweating. No lie. Luckily, the sweet saleslady did not laugh at me and we agreed that while cute, they were not the best option for me.

* I gave in and joined Pinterest. As expected, it is a total time-suck. And quite fun. Like I needed another distraction.

* We scheduled a 3D ultrasound to get another look at Baby B. I was initially opposed to this idea as I find the 3D images a tad bit creepy. To me, the babies seem to look squished and a bit alien-like in those pictures. I didn't want to see our little girl looking squished or scary - I know she's beautiful! However, the sonogram tech at our 20 week ultrasound made the mistake of saying these words to my husband: "We can never be sure with girls. We've been wrong before." That was all he needed to hear to worry that they had called it incorrectly.  For peace of mind, he wants another look. I'm happy to indulge him if it makes him feel better. Not sure what we'd do with all the monogrammed clothes, dresses and pink bedding though...

* I finished two books recently - If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster and Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe's memoirs. Unfortunately, I found both rather "eh" and lackluster. I'm a fan of Jen Lancaster's previous books so I was disappointed I didn't enjoy her first attempt at fiction more than I did. And, it turns out, a love for Sam Seaborn was not enough to make Lowe's memoirs a fulfilling read. There were some interesting bits but overall, nothing great.

Better get back to work. I've made some progress in the decorating department so I'll have to get some pictures and blog about that soon.

*I'm pretty sure Anderson Cooper is in Joplin, MO covering a legitimate news story and not this goat rodeo we've got going on down in Florida. Way to go, Anderson.

Pregnant in Heels

I'm not talking about the TV show on Bravo (which I find absurd yet addicting), I'm talking about myself.

I wear heels to work on a regular basis.  This seems to baffle people.  I get so many comments about the fact that I'm pregnant and wearing heels. Coworkers have said, "I can't believe you're wearing those shoes. I'm not pregnant and I wouldn't wear those." and "Wow, can't believe you're still in heels. I gave those up when I was pregnant." Even one of my doctors has commented. At my 20 week appointment, my OB said "Hey Carrie Bradshaw, you might want to lose the heels."  And this from a woman!

Is there some high heel cut-off date that I've missed?  I really don't understand what all the fuss is about.  It's not like I'm not rocking stilettos - my heels are all of an office appropriate height.  I wear Tory Burch flats on occasion (the most comfortable work-appropriate shoes I own) and I haven't noticed that my back or feet are any less sore on those days.

Nevertheless, I'm growing tired of all the comments. So, I hit the interwebs in search of some practical flats to wear to the office. Here's what caught my eye.

Can you say fail?  No flats and some of those aren't even office appropriate. What can I say, I'm a girl who knows what she likes.  And I really like those strappy TB wedges.  Those might have to come with me...

But really, what is this strange fascination with my footwear? Why the heck do people care if I'm in heels? Shouldn't people be happy for me that at 7 months pregnant I can still fit my feet into something other than flip flops?  It sure makes me happy!

28 Week Bumpdate

Twenty-eight weeks. Wow. Can't believe we've come this far. By "we," I mean me and the little peanut you've come to know as Baby B.  She has another name now and I'll share that with you soon.  Her daddy and I love calling her by her name. It puts a smile on my face just to say it. To hear it. I can't wait to see the sweet face that belongs to that name. 

Sometimes it feels like I've been pregnant forever and sometimes I feel like there's so much to do and so little time left. It's true, the list of things to do before we bring our daughter home is long. But it will get done. For now, I'm just enjoying this time. And shopping. Lots and lots of shopping. A pregnant leopard does not change its spots. Or some b.s. like that. 

Because pictures are always the best part of any weekly update post, let's just hop right to that, shall we?  Full disclosure: This picture was taken a couple weeks ago. But it's the best I have for now. I'll try to update with something more current soon. 

This is my "I have a baby in a bar" face.

Beardy and Preggo.  The beard is gone; the belly remains.

28 Weeks

How Far Along: 28 weeks. We've officially entered the third trimester.

Gender: A girl!

Size of baby: According to my BabyCenter emails, she's approximately 15 inches long and weighs two and a quarter pounds.

Total Weight Gained: Not sure, I'll find out at my appointment today. It was 15 pounds as of 24 weeks. Hopefully (but not likely) it won't be much more than that. Mama B really loves her cereal.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely. I wear dresses almost exclusively, as they're just more comfortable. It is too hot in Florida to wear pants while 7 months pregnant!

Movement: She's become much more active in recent weeks. She kicks and moves pretty frequently and sometimes it feels like she's doing somersaults in there. 

Sleep: Sleep has been rough this week. I feel like I'm dreaming constantly and half awake most of the night. I was up at 4:45am yesterday and 3am today. (As I write this, it's currently 5am. My doctor's appointment is at 8:30 (glucose testing) then I have to head to the office for a full day of work. I'm a little concerned someone will find me head down, asleep on my desk at 3pm.)  Rolling over in bed is getting tougher too.  Must be my body's way of preparing me for sleepless nights ahead with a newborn.

What I miss: I wouldn't trade a thing I'm missing for Baby B! That said, I miss my back not aching constantly. I miss being able to find a comfy position on the couch or in bed.  

Cravings: Still cereal. Fruit. Ice cream for dessert.

Aversions: Sleep, apparently!

Symptoms: A continually sore lower back and the dreaded puffy, preggo face. This has been a very easy pregnancy so far so I really cannot complain at all. Baby B has been so good to me.

Best Moment this Week: As Brian and I were saying good-bye on the phone yesterday, he said to me "I love you. Tell Baby B I love her, too."  My heart melted. I just love how much he loves her already.

Dusting Off My Apron

After a hectic couple of weeks, I finally got back in the kitchen. I made dinner four nights last week, breakfast on Saturday and did a little baking too. It felt great to mix and measure and stir once again. I'm pretty sure I heard my Kitchen Aid mixer whisper that she missed me.

On Tuesday, I made Giada's amazing Penne with Spinach Sauce again. It was just as good as I remembered. When made with whole wheat pasta, this is a fairly healthy dish. I plan to make it for my dad when I go home to visit next. He's on a quest to eat a bit healthier since his recent heart troubles. (He continues to do GREAT - thanks for all your sweet words and well wishes!)  I think Dad would love this with some grilled chicken and cherry tomatoes tossed in.

These turkey zucchini burgers are another fast, healthy meal - perfect for a weeknight dinner. I served them with oven potatoes. (My go-to lazy side dish. Cubed potatoes of any kind, tossed with minced garlic, olive oil, and S&P. And fresh herbs if I have 'em. Bake at 450 until crispy on the outside and tender inside.)

Thursday night, I made soft tacos. I'd eat tacos five nights a week but Brian grows tired of tacos much more quickly than I do. (I assume. I've never turned down a taco.  Resisting urge to make TWSS joke...) To make taco night a bit more exciting for B, I decided to make a new side dish. A Mexican restaurant my family frequented when we lived in CA served a scoop of spoonbread with their entrees, so I thought it would be a good accompaniment to tacos. It sure was! This was a home run. Brian loved this. He ate one measly taco and a giant scoop of this spoonbread. We ordered pizza Friday night and he had more spoonbread with his pizza. In fact, he ate the leftovers as a side to every meal we had until they were gone. I can't guarantee you'll love this as much as my husband did, but it was very tasty and would make a great side for Mexican food.  I think it would also be great with a spice rubbed pork. 

Spoonbread, recipe and picture from Noble Pig

1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) creamed corn
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin/corn bread mix (I used Jiffy)
1/ 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine corn, creamed corn, sour cream, eggs, butter, corn muffin mix, salt and pepper.  Place corn mixture in an oven-safe baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm. (*Note - I despise canned veggies of all kinds and ordinarily wouldn't touch creamed corn. But I loved this. Don't let an aversion to canned veggies stop you from trying this.)  

Saturday morning brought a craving for pancakes. I tried a new recipe and it's the best I've tried yet. (Only change - skim milk instead of Silk. Faux milk gives me the heebie jeebies.) I've used Alton Brown's recipe previously with varying success but this one topped it. They were fluffier and the recipe was less fussy. I'm still searching for the recipe that will give me diner quality, mega-fluffy pancakes but these were pretty darn good.

It was my sister's birthday on Saturday (Happy Birthday JB!), so I made her favorite - Mud Pie. I made it for her last year too but she didn't want something new this year. It's so easy to make, I didn't bother to argue.

In the spirit of attempting new things in the kitchen and trying to keep things somewhat healthy, I'd like to try my hand at quinoa. If anyone has any tips or good recipes for a healthy quinoa dish, please share them.

Weekend Update

It was a great, low-key weekend for this lazy preggers and her equally lazy husband. Sure we have LOTS to do to get ready for Baby B (including decide on a middle name for the poor girl so I can share her name with you guys) but instead we did quite a bit of eating, tv watching and lounging. It was heavenly.

Friday night, I broke my long-standing rule and went with Brian to Super Target. Nothing against my ever-so-sweet husband, but shopping the Super T is an activity I typically prefer to enjoy sans his company.  Unless it's the rare, rushed trip where I need to grab one item and go, I prefer to savor my Target shopping experience. I like to get a drink at Starbucks then slowly make my way through the store, browsing the "fun departments," even if nothing is technically needed. I like to peruse the earrings, scope out the clothes, magazines and DVDs, and now, make a trip through the section of things for small people. Brian, on the other hand, likes to make a list and head directly for the items on said list. No iced lattes, no browsing. No bueno.  Anyway, Friday night I made an exception and we went together to Super Target for some boring necessities. We didn't do much browsing but there was some unnecessary lingering in the flower section (they had peonies!) so the trip wasn't a total loss. We picked up a pizza for dinner and watched some DVR'd shows.  I was fast asleep on the couch by 9:30pm. Yes, I am super exciting. Try not to covet my glamourous life. 

Saturday - more rule breaking! B and I went to the mall. Together. For the above stated browser v. list-maker reasons, this is something we almost never do. I am just not one of those girls who enjoys the company of her husband at the mall. Or really, the company of almost anyone while I'm shopping. With the exception of my sister and my parents, I shop best alone. (My dad is actually a great shopping companion. He'll help pick things out and will wait patiently while my mom, sister and I try things on. And he always offers to pay and carry bags. My dad is the best.) 

Anyway, Brian and I went to the mall and it was a very successful, albeit short, trip. After months of looking, I finally found a chair for an empty nook in our living room at Z Gallerie. We ordered that, then headed for Baby Gap. I had a 40% off coupon that was burning a hole in my pocket. We found a bunch of adorable things for little B. Let me tell you, baby jeans might be the cutest little things I've ever seen. We picked her up a pair for winter, plus some comfy sleepers and a few adorable dresses. And a little knit hat. Oh my goodness, the cuteness of the tiny hats. (And then I went home and placed another order online. Have I mentioned my serious weakness for baby girl clothes?)

Saturday night, we tried a realtively new New Orleans style restaurant called Tibby's. We had to try the fried pickles, of course.  Pregnant or not, these were so tasty. The po boys were good too. We went home and knocked more shows off the DVR. Parks & Recreation was hilarious this week, as usual. Community's second annual paint ball season finale was awesome too.

Ron M-f'n Swanson

Sunday we had brunch/lunch at an awesome new mexican restaurant for my sister's birthday. Because I'm a total failure of a blogger and a sister, I took no pictures of the food or lunch company. We'll definitely be going back to Cocina 214. Hopefully next time there will be pictures.

After brunch, we had some time to kill before our movie, so we took a stroll down Park Ave, a local street with great restaurants and shopping. We ended up back at another Baby Gap (seriously) and walked out with another bag. If their stock didn't open up this morning, it wasn't for my lack of trying. We saw Bridesmaids and it was hilarious! Tons of hilarious moments. (Though, if you ask me, it could have been twenty minutes shorter. It was 2+ hours long and didn't need to be.)

After the movie, we took another unheard of joint shopping trip, this time to the grocery store. It must been some lucky twist of fate that B came with me to the store, because I nearly cried in Publix. In a rare appearance of pregnancy hormones, the insane Sunday crowds and store being out of a needed ingredient really got to me. Luckily, B calmed me down before I turned into the cliched pregnant lady, crying in front the deli meats.  I poured myself a glass of non-alcholic wine when we got home and it almost did the trick. Not as good as the real thing but better than nothing.

I made a mud pie for my sister's birthday and watched the Survivor finale and that was the rest of Sunday. In all, it was a rather uneventful yet wonderful weekend.

(Sorry for the long-winded, picture-light post.)

ramblings of a pregnant woman

Lots of random things on my mind tonight - and most of them are either food or baby related. Sorry, that's just the way it is these days.

* We've made major progress with Baby B's nursery. We ordered the glider (thanks Mom & Dad!), purchased the armoire, and ordered her bedding. I can be very indecisive so deciding on these things was big for me. I'm glad to have them checked off the to-do list.

* The gallon of milk I had in the fridge went bad two days early. I discovered this after I shoveled a giant bite of cereal in my mouth this morning.  No bueno. To make it up to my mouth, I went to Starbucks for breakfast instead. I love the banana loaf - and just about everything else in the pastry case.

* Today, the receptionist at my office asked me if I was pregnant. For reals lady? I'm the size of a house. I had to get a bathroom Blackberry picture just to give you guys a frame of reference for how ridiculous a question this was.

Bless her heart. 

* Embarrassing admission: I cried during Survivor last night. (We're catching up on a lot of recorded TV.)  In my defense, it was a very sweet moment and I am 6 and half months pregnant. I realize my hormones are to blame but I'm still pretty embarrassed. Crying at Survivor is pretty high on the lame scale.

* I wish my couch had cup holders. Okay, not really because that would be ugly but it would be convenient.

* A frozen yogurt store opened up next door to my favorite taco place. Danger Will Robinson!

* Anyone read Jen Lancaster's new book Wish You Were Here? I just got it and am thinking about putting aside Rob Lowe's book to start it. So far, Rob's memoirs are not quite as compelling as his abs. (Have you seen the Vanity Fair cover? Wowza!)

* I made Fruity Pebbles treats on Sunday. Somehow, nearly half the pan has disappeared yet I've only had three. (only three - ha!) Can't imagine what happened to them since B claims he doesn't like sweets. Maybe we have a mouse...

* I'm living in a constant state of fear that my hands will swell and my rings will get stuck on my fat fingers. I've heard too many stories about women having to get their rings cut off their fingers and really don't want that to happen. I also don't want to ditch my rings unnecessarily. So, constant state of fear it is.

That's probably more than enough pregnant lady chatter. I'll see if I can think of something other than food and babies to write about next time - but no promises.  

Counting My Blessings

Please excuse my absence from blogging this past week.  I promise my lack of posting was justified. This handsome guy decided to give us quite the scare this week. 

On Monday morning, my dad boarded an airplane. He wasn't feeling well but thought it was probably indigestion. As the plane was taxiing down the runway, he began to feel much worse and decided to ask the plane to take him back to the gate.  Thank goodness he did!  They took him to the hospital, ran some tests and found that he had four severely blocked arteries. On Thursday morning, my dad had  quadruple bypass open-heart surgery.  Today, he was up and walking around the hospital floor unassisted. How amazing is that?!?!

We've spent the last four days by his hospital bed as he recovers. While quadruple bypass surgery is very serious and recovery has been rough, my dad is doing so well.  I am so impressed - he's such a tough guy and is making great progress. I am beyond grateful that they found the blockages before he had a major heart attack and that surgery has been so incredibly successful. I know once he's fully recovered, Dad will feel even better than he did before. Good thing because soon he'll have a grandbaby to chase around!

And while it wasn't under the best circumstances, I'm also glad I had the opportunity to spend Mother's Day with my beautiful Mom. Even sitting around in a hospital room is fun with you, Mom!

My mom is the absolute best. She's smart, hilarious and the most generous, selfless person I know. She's the best mom a girl could ask for. I can only hope I'm half as great a mom to my little girl as my Mom has been to me. Happy Mother's Day Momma!

It's going to be a very busy week as I try to get caught up at work and at home but I'll try to be better about blogging this week. I know Dad has a lot of free time on his hands right now so I better keep him entertained. (Yes, my Dad reads my blog - when he has time. And he's even sweet enough to pretend it's interesting. Best Dad ever.) 

Hope all you moms had a great Mother's Day today and that everyone else had a fun, relaxing Sunday.

The Hit List

What I'm loving right now:

*Slow Churned Drumstick Ice Cream

(It's Edy's in Florida but I guess the brand name is regional.)

Vanilla ice cream with fudge, chocolate covered peanuts, and waffle cone pieces. SO GOOD.

*So many dresses at Anthropologie.

Bocagrande Dress

Callimusa Frock

Diamond Lattice Dress

 Edelweiss Shift

Sunbaked Shift

How crazy would it be to buy these and hang them in my closet until I can fit my post-baby body back into them?  Pretty crazy, you say? Yeah, I figured.  

*Tina Fey's book Bossypants.

This is not your typical memoir.  Rather than hit the chronological highlights - childhood, teenage years, marriage, children - she shares snapshots and stories of her life. It was great.  Absolutely hilarious. By now, I'm sure you've read an excerpt from the book, her prayer for her daughter, on countless blogs. The rest of the book is just as funny and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a witty, entertaining read.  

*The May issue of Cooking Light.

So many recipes in this month's issue look delicious - I want to make them all.

*My husband has shaved his playoff beard!  The brief backstory - before the NBA playoffs began, Orlando Magic players started growing beards and said they would not shave until their playoff run ended. Fans of the Magic were encouraged not to shave in support of the team. My husband's boss sent an email encouraging male employees to participate so my husband decided to give up shaving for the playoff run. Within a week, my handsome husband looked like a lumberjack.  (I'm not categorically opposed to facial hair - I just prefer B without it.)  Well, Thursday night, the Magic went out of the playoffs in the first round.  Today, B finally agreed to shave off the beard. I'm so happy to have my handsome, clean-shaven husband back.

What are you loving right now?