Virtual Running Date No. 50: A Camping we will go!

Good morning, Crushers!

If this was a running date (and I've been cleared for running again - whoot!), I'd tell you all about our camping trip.

We got back from our camping trip on Sunday night, and I would like to say it was a total success. We had perfect weather - upper 70's-low 80's - and less mosquitoes than I thought. Like many northern states, Wisconsin could claim that the mosquito is the state bird during summer. I'm glad it's really the robin though. I digress...

View from top of the fire watch tower.

People told us to our face that we were nuts for taking a 3 month old camping. I even thought it when I saw how packed our SUV was just to take two adults and one tiny person to Peninsula State Park for 2 nights. So. Much. Stuff. We may cave and get a minivan before you know it. Or a truck. Anyway...

We camped with our friends Adam and Erin and their three girls (ages 5, 3, and 1.5). They camp like pros and bring everything you could possibly need for five families. Now that's some awesome preparation. The only things we forgot were a light blankie for Ellie and a bottle brush. Not too bad for our first camping trip with a kiddo!

Hiking with Ellie! (Yes, she had a hat, but I took it off for the photo)

 Our eggs and sausages with the chopped up veggies made breakfast easy. Erin and Adam had noodles with their girls the night before, so they asked if we could add them to some of the eggs. Scrambled eggs and noodles? Apparently it's a family recipe from their German heritage. No matter, it was surprisingly delicious! The breakfast cookies were also a hit. Only four ingredients and it was nice to just have a quick breakfast before packing up the tent!

Playing in the shade with daddy!

Erin made tacos and had all the fixings for dinner. Tacos while camping? OK! Again, delicious. We had a picnic lunch by the beach after seeing a lighthouse and climbing a fire watch tower. Camping was great.

Now to do it all over again next weekend... We are nuts.

And we're back...

Hello Crushers!
Sorry for the nearly three months (tomorrow!) of silence. I've been a little busy with a brand new person taking up most of time and attention. Wait I take that back. I'm not sorry. I'm LOVING my daughter, and don't mind her taking up my time. She's pretty amazing.

Hi, I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you.

She has captivated our hearts and minds since the day we met her. And she took her sweet time getting here, too! Must take after her mother...

In addition to all things baby, Steve and I have been balancing a lot more of the cooking. He's a pretty awesome cook. And I've been learning how to eat all sorts of things one handed!

Last night we made patty melts on the grill. YUM! We used the recipe for Wildtree's Best Burgers, grilled them, and then toasted buttered bread on the grill and added some delicious, melty cheddar. I should have taken a picture, but with a baby in one arm and a sandwich in the other, I did not have the ability to take a picture!

More amazing food has happened like fried chicken, skillet lasagna, potato soups and lots of garden veggies! I'll try and post more often now, but we'll see. I may be dropping down to a part time worker, but that doesn't mean I won't be a busy Mama! Start a neighborhood association? Travel up north and camping? Re-do my syllabi for this coming year? Get back into running? Continue with Friday devotions? And be the best mama I can be? Challenge accepted!

Faith-filled Friday: Patience and grilling

Hello Crushers!

Yes, I'm still here. The baby has not decided to pick her birthday yet, so we have reached full term at 40 weeks!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

We are very fortunate that our baby has made it to full term and we "shouldn't expect" any major developmental problems that preemie babies would have. Other than the gestational diabetes, I have been very blessed to have a relatively uneventful pregnancy. We've been so, so blessed!

Last night, Steve caught me talking to her. I was doing nursery rhymes to see how many I remember. I started joking that I hope she gets Steve's memory for songs and his singing voice. But I hope she gets my skin, arms, hair and ability to remember names. And our love of food and cooking and nature. And Steve's ears. And my grandpa's memory for places. And Steve's grandma's craftiness. And our moms' patience. And so many qualities that I don't even know if you can pass on to another person! 

While we wait for her arrival, Steve is planning on grilling out tonight thanks to the beautiful weather we're having! It's in the 60's today! We can sit out on our back patio and grill up some pork chops, asparagus and maybe even try some hassleback potatoes on the grill. I'll let you know how they turn out!

If you don't hear from me for a little while, it'll be because Baby Girl has finally decided to show up. Otherwise, I'll work on that patience part and catch you on Monday for a Virtual Running Date! Have a great weekend everyone!

Virtual Running Date No. 48: Still here, and Spring made an appearance too!

Good morning, Crushers!

If this were a virtual running date, er walking for me, I would tell you, "Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I'm still pregnant. Yes, we feel as ready as possible. No, I'm not sleeping for more than a few hours at a time. Yes, we're excited." I think that covers most of the questions... Oh! "How am I feeling? Round. I'm feeling round."

Just in case you ever need to know what NOT to say to a pregnant person, here is a fairly comprehensive list.

Anyway, I'm happy to say that although the baby has not arrived yet, spring has started to show itself. We had a gorgeous weekend filled with family time. Here is a photo recap of the weekend:

The Wisconsin Badgers have made it to the Final Four!
Here's a picture of the bump in team colors. Future fan!

All of the snow is finally gone from our backyard!
There is a bit yet on the north side of the house, but that's OK.

I found these two awesomely ridiculous ceramic snails with pots on their heads
hidden among the brush. Steve raked the whole yard!

We tried out our Ergo Baby Carrier with our nephew Dylan.

 

He fell asleep in two minutes in the carrier. Look at that little nose!

On Sunday night Steve grilled outside in shorts and a t-shirt.
The first burgers of spring taste so good!

 I hope spring is springing around you, and that you're able to enjoy some nice weather. We are predicted to have a "wintry mix" later this week, but I'm pretending that it's not going to happen. Let's hope the weather stays nice for everyone!

Virtual Running Date No. 47: That's where he gets it from...

Good morning, Crushers!

If this was a running date, please allow me to say I'm really sorry if I gave anyone high hopes for the weather over the weekend. It was all lies. You would have needed at least 2-3 layers to run. It never really got warmer than 40 degrees. Tonight's forecast calls for an inch of snow and a high of 22 tomorrow. Ick!

If this was a running date, I would tell you that no less than 5 strangers and 3-4 non-strangers have asked me, "When are you due?" Either I look really pregnant or I've started to walk funny. I hope it's the former and not the latter. I am refusing to waddle. I'm still wearing (low) heels for goodness' sake! Anyway, I think the kiddo should wait to make her arrival until we get some solid 40-50 degree weather. No need to rush into the cold!

If this was a running date, I would have to tell you about one of my new favorite shows. If you live in Wisconsin, you know that we take our cheese seriously. In fact, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association sponsors the World Championship Cheese Contest. Although no American cheese maker has one the top prize since the 80's, Wisconsin earned the most gold medals of any American cheese maker - a whopping 33 gold medals! Anyway, I found this new show called Wisconsin Foodie and they were featuring a grilled cheese cook-off. Doesn't this sound like something fun to do with friends on a weekend? 

If this was a running date, I would tell you that I'm not sure if this kiddo will take after me or her dad in the kitchen. Only time will tell. So far, she match us in active nature, but we are two very different cooks. As you know, nothing Steve ever makes turns out the same. It usually always tastes good, but he never finds a reason to use a recipe. I like recipes and will veer off course to add an ingredient or try something new, but using recipes is like doing good research. Research is something that I preach to my students every week!

If this was a running date, I would tell you how Steve's parents dropped off about 10 jars of "hot beans" which are now taking over our fridge. Fortunately, these things are delicious. It's like pickled green bean with dill, vinegar, garlic, and a few other things I can't quite determine. You know why? NO TWO JARS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME! I even saw part of a cinnamon stick in one of them! Now I know, that's where he gets it from. Steve made chili over the weekend, and despite some identifiable items like beans, beef, and tomatoes, it's as random as the hot beans. In fact, some hot beans made it into the chili.

There's two reasons I needed to take a few antacids on Saturday night - the chili and the Badgers' exciting win.  Seriously, I do not even have to watch the game. I could just sit upstairs and listen to Steve and the guys yelling at the TV in the basement man cave. "WHERE'S THE FOUL?" "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" "OHHHHHHH!" Nothing boring around our house!

Faith-filled Friday: Get excited!

Happy Friday, Crushers!

While we've been studying Jeremiah at Bible class lately, I just can't post some of his confessions this morning. It is too nice of a day to think about snotty Israelite people from 2,500 years ago who got captured by the Babylonians and the prophet they refused to listen to. Just can't.

Instead, I typed the word "rejoice" in the search engine of BibleGateway.com. You know how many results came back? 154. That's a lot of rejoicing. Sometimes people rejoiced with tambourines and dancing. Sometimes people rejoiced after a long hardship. Sometimes people rejoiced just because they could. All of them are good reasons to be happy and share the happy.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4-7

We have hit week 37 of baby-watch. That's right. We are so close! See? Good think the passage for today also speaks about being patient and not anxious. Because, seriously? I'm pretty excited to meet our little person!

BUMP

I must admit that I'm also really excited by all the cute spring and summery clothes in stores. It's a beautiful day here in Wisconsin!

Hello, Sunshine!

Granted, it will be back down in the 30's (today's high is 50) tomorrow, but one day in the 50's is better than a foot of snow!

Also, last night, I was at the Wauwatosa Woman's Club and I met this fantastic photographer, Kevin Miyasaki, who is from Tosa (as we natives like to say). He has done a number of travel, fashion and food assignments. Go check out his website, especially the Perimeter project. Go ahead, I'll wait.

He brought two cookbooks for a drawing and I WON ONE! I am stupid excited about this book because it's a memoir about one of my local kitchen crushes, Sanford D'Amato, or Sandy to his friends. I've eaten at Sanford (the author's restaurant), he's cooked with Julia Child (YEE!), and he is opening a cooking school in Massachusetts (road trip?!). I repeat, "YEE!"

Also, it's signed by the author and the photographer. I cannot wait to read it cover to cover and try out some of the recipes. I'm not sure I can try all of them because he has surgeon-like precision with his dishes, and well, you've seen my food photography. But I can try!

So let's all try and find something to rejoice about today whether you've had a good day, you're coming out of a hardship, or maybe you need to save rejoicing for another day. You can do it!

Virtual Running Date No. 44: Ready for Spring and a tip for dredging chicken

Hello!

If we were on a virtual running date, I would tell you that I'm ready for spring. This past weekend, we decided that we are done with winter. Just done. And this is coming from two people who get REALLY excited about snow. You know how cold it was when I woke up this morning? NEGATIVE 3 degrees F. That's cold people.

Currently, it's a whopping 16 degrees F, but the windchill makes it feel like about 5 degrees F. Can we get a 30 please?! It's too cold to run comfortably. Or at least without a lot of layers. Brrr...

Anyway, I decided to "shop my house" a la Kari Anne at Thistlewood Farms for some springy decorations. Remember how I made that St. Patrick's Day wreath last year? Well, I could not find the grape vine wreath that I used last year for anything. I know it made it to the new house, but I'm not sure where. Since it's been so cold, our Christmas wreath still looks pretty green. So I decided to dress that up. I just tore off the pine cones and big red bow and added a few shamrocks. See?

Ridiculous? Yes.
Do I feel like I'm extending the life of my wreath? Yes.
Win-win.

I also decided to take down all the red and white and gold on our mantle from Christmas/winter decorations and lighten things up with some of my grandma's milk glass and tea cups that I inherited.

It's amazing what some fresh white, pink and blue glassware will do for your psyche and mantle!

If this were a virtual running date, I'd tell you that we also figured that we need to put together more baby stuff since our kiddo is due to arrive sometime in the next 5-6 weeks. YES, I said weeks. Yes, that's slightly alarming, but mostly awesome. We're ready to meet our new person, but we're also totally content to wait a few more weeks.

From left: car seat to be installed, pack-n-play, seat/rocker and
hand-me-down stroller that needs to be cleaned up in the background.

We're ready. Heh. Or at least we look ready!

One last thing I'd tell you if we were on a running date? I have been watching a lot of America's Test Kitchen lately. Good old Christopher Kimball and Julia Collin Davison were talking about how to make a really great Chicken Parmesan without it getting soggy or rubbery. They also skipped a step of the flour-egg-flour (bread crumbs/whatever) dredging that you normally do when breading chicken. Instead they whisked egg and flour together for the first step, and then dipped it in the bread crumbs. Um, hello! This is way easier! Plus, it cooked nice and even.

I would show you a photo of that, but mommy-to-be got hungry before she could take a photo. Oops! If you want, head over to America's Test Kitchen and read the recipe. It's so good.

Note: Only the current season's recipes are available online. If you are reading this a few years from now, you'll have to pay to see it. Or you could just trust me and know that it works!

Virtual Running Date No. 42: Baby Shower "treats"

Happy Monday Crushers!

I don't know about you, but my weekend was jam-packed with nieces and nephews and babies and showers and now we have SNOW showers. AGAIN! We're supposed to get 4-7 inches of snow. One of the girls in my office has to travel to Kuala Lumpur, and I have a feeling that she's going to be spending lots of time in airports over the next 36-48 hours!

Like I said, we did a lot of running around this weekend, but not in the "Hey, I went 3 miles" kind of way. We did a lot of laps around tables talking to people and thanking them for celebrating the soon-to-be-arriving Baby Girl. Our shower was so cute! It had a travel theme with Steve's and my family, and now I wish I had taken more photos. Fortunately, that's what sisters-in-law are for! Thanks to Melissa for all the wonderful pictures!

This blanket was made by Steve's grandma before she passed away.
It's perfect with bunnies since Baby Girl will be here in time for Easter!

Cupcake "rattles"

My sister and mom made this adorable diaper cake!

The tables all had maps on them along with diapers for messages and candy airplanes!

Salad bar!

All the good stuff I'm allowed to eat!

Later on when I was unpacking it all, I discovered that our baby received so many blankets!
Most of them were handmade! She can never be cold.

My foot compared to the tiny little socks!
And yes, I can still reach to paint my own toes...

Some very talented friends made these "treats" and bouquets out of
rolled up burp rags, wash cloths, bibs and onesies. So crafty!

I have to admit that I got all teary when I was unpacking them at home. I can't believe she's on her way! Well, then she gives me a good kick and I can totally believe it! HA!

Faith-filled Friday: Love is all around

Hello Crushers!

We had a very interesting day at our office yesterday. They are doing work on the floor above us. It sounds like drilling, sawing and dropping heavy objects. All. Day. Long. It's kind of ridiculous how loud it is. Fortunately, it's not an all day thing.

You know why? Because yesterday afternoon they hit a major pipe and there was water coming through our ceiling!

Fortunately, it wasn't over my desk. It was over the space between our cubicles, but there was some splashing going on. The ceiling tiles got all soggy and gross, and there was a real steady stream of water coming down. At the end of the day, we were all asked to clear our desks and cover our computers and phones with gigantic plastic bags.

My desk looked so empty. I took all my pictures down and hid them under my desk. I have a fun picture of Steve and I from our wedding up with the passage below on a post it next to it:

Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go - Solomon 3:4

I haven't put all of the photos back up yet. I might not do that for a little while, since the banging, sawing and clamor started up again about an hour ago. You never know when another pipe might break!

However, I did put that photo of us back up. After all, I found him. I will not let him go.

Whoever you're with today, whether it's a family member, your spouse or significant other, or friends (new or old), show them a little love today on Valentine's Day. For God so loved the world that he gave us his son. The least we can do is show extra love to each other today and every day.

Quilt update:

It's all done and waiting for a little baby to love it.

Nursery sneak-peak and French Onion Soup revisited

Hello!

One of my fitness and foodie blogger crushes was talking about doing some nesting/house repairs for the baby they're expecting over at Carrots N Cake. Tina and her husband, Mal, have big plans. Oh, and don't forget to check out their cute pug, Murphy!

Since there's lots of baby love going on with Baby Lincoln at Iowa Girl Eats and the baby that Jenna and her husband are expecting over at Eat, Live, Run , I thought I would share a nursery sneak peak with you all!

Here's a roundup of a few of the projects that I've done and totally filled up the walls:

Steve found this great map, which is flanked by art from Naptime Diaries and original art from my sister.

This is a Jen original that is going on the book shelf.

Remember when I figured out how to install a floating shelf?
I made the art on the right and just framed a greeting card on the left. The tea cup was my grandma's.

This is a total Pinterest copy-cat project. The lighting is funky here, but it works in the room.

Last, but not least, we assembled the crib! It's adorable. I'll give you a full tour after the baby shower in two weeks.

An early shower gift from my parents!

So, French Onion Soup. It only has about 8 grams of carbs per serving (so I could have a really big serving) and I'm allowed to eat a whole 45 grams for dinner to fit in my gestational diabetes diet! 15 g will be taken up by a wholesome glass of milk, but I'm thinking grilled cheese croutons for the other 15 grams...

Yes, I know that in this French Onion Soup version that I made last time, I was all about the gratinee process of melting cheese all over the place. Yes, I'm still pro-cheese. Have no fear, there will be cheese, but when you see these cute bites from Ina Garten, how could you resist? Also, I'll be omitting the wine. Obviously. No booze for me even if it's in the soup!

I'll let you know how it all turns out!

Virtual Running Date No. 40: Italian Beef Sandwiches

Good morning, Crushers!

If we were on a virtual running date this morning, I'd tell you to get back inside and put on a sweater. We would NOT be running today. It'd be very dangerous. It's another chilly day in Wisconsin. The news said that today's high is a whopping 17 degrees F. It was -5 when I woke up. No one likes or wants frostbite.

Fortunately, yesterday was spent all nice and cozy at home after church. We cleaned up a few more boxes from the move, I worked more on the baby quilt and we made Italian Beef Sandwiches for watching the Super Bowl. I must admit that I was looking forward to the food more than the game. I am not a Seattle Seahawks fan, but I do love Russel Wilson and appreciated the speed and athleticism of their team. Plus, I think the Broncos forgot that it was the Super Bowl or something. They obviously did not bring their A-game. I actually gave up on watching the game when Downton Abbey came on. At least there was more action!

I just need to go buy some fabric for the back!

Anyway, between sewing, catching commercials and other fancy moves by the Seahawks, we had these amazing sandwiches:

Yes, that's a bit of mozzarella cheese peeking out at you!

They were just the perfect amount of spicy and juicy! Plus, since I ate my open faced, I only used up one of my "3 carbs per meal" allowances. Then I could enjoy a few chips and guac, too. Yum!

Since we had such a low key weekend, I'll just share the recipe with you.

Italian Beef Sandwiches:
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of beef roast (you're cooking it low and slow, so you can pick a less fancy cut of beef)
1/2 cup water
1/2 jar of jalapeno peppers (or a milder pepper if that's your thing)
5-6 white mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1-2 tbsp of Wildtree Italian Dressing Mix or other Italian mix
Hamburger buns or rolls
As many thin slices of mozzarella cheese as you'd like

Gear you'll need: a Crockpot or slow cooker, measuring spoons, knife, cutting board, and will power.

Directions:
Place the roast in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour in a the water. It doesn't have to be a lot, but just enough to make the bottom of the cooker wet. Then sprinkle the roast with the seasoning giving it a good coating. Put all of your sliced veggies and peppers on the roast. We even used some of the juice from the jalapenos. Let that mix cook for 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Since you're cooking it for so long with all these fantastic juices, you don't have to use a fancy cut of beef. It'll all become melty and tender.

About one hour to one half hour before you're going to dish up these great sandwiches, pull the meat out of the slow cooker and shred it. You can do this by using two forks and pulling them in opposite directions to pull the meat apart. At this point, you can trim off any fat, and return the meat back to the slow cooker for a bit longer. Give it a stir and try not to eat it directly out of the pot. Trust me, this is harder than it seems.

Serve up on buns or rolls with a slice of mozzarella cheese and even a pepper or two for garnish. Be prepared to use napkins because these things are juicy! It should make 6-8 servings. So maybe make that lots of napkins?

Gestational Diabetes trick:
Eat them open faced or bun-less with carrots or pickles so you can enjoy other Super Bowl snack carbs like a serving of veggie chips (15 g), 3 pizza rolls (13 g), and a glass of milk (15 g). If you have heartburn while prego, I really suggest the glass of milk or using a really mild pepper! Hot stuff!

Enjoy!

Mini Frittatas: Why haven't I made these before?!

Good morning Crushers!

As you know, I'm embarking on a low carb, low sugar diet for the next few months to keep this baby healthy. I'm swapping out my usual breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins or cereal for a high protein, low carb option: eggs. However, you can only eat eggs so many ways. Plus, I like to stay in bed as long as possible in the morning before having to get up and get going.

Unless it's summer and I've got a race to train for, of course.

Anyway, I was watching the Biggest Loser, and I remembered that they made some Turkey Bacon veggie frittatas that looked amazing! I know that there have been lots of recipes for this floating around the Internet and Pinterest. I've even bookmarked/pinned a few of them. However, I never actually tried them.

Thanks to Steve having the day off yesterday due to another day of weather being in the high negative numbers (seriously, we had colder temperatures than most of Alaska), he braved the cold and went out to buy a bunch of veggies and eggs for me! Love that guy!

We didn't have all the ingredients from the original recipe from Jennie-O, so here is what I used and how I did it:

Breakfast Frittatas
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 dash parsley
1-ish tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 cup spinach, chopped up
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 slices of cheese, crumbled up
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Gear you'll need: A large bowl, a skillet, fork or whisk, a muffin tin, knife, cutting board, measuring cup and cooking spray.

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet on the stove top, heat the oil. I did not measure the oil exactly, but I know it was not a full tablespoon. No need to add more oil! Anyway, throw all your diced/chopped veggies in the pan and cook until they are soft (about 5 minutes).

Lovely veggies! No idea why I can't rotate this darn picture...

While those are cooking away, mix the eggs, milk, cheese, and parsley in a bowl. I suggest a bowl that has a spout for easy pouring. Once the veggies are cooked, add them to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

Mixin' it up!

Then pour or spoon about 1/4 cup of the mix into each muffin tin cup. This will fill it up about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes or until it's set.

Pre-oven

Then enjoy! (Or put them in a sealed container and pull out two for breakfast the next morning - only needs about one minute in the microwave!)

Eating Clean for the Kiddo

OK, I maybe should not have posted that picture of pecan pie yesterday. It turns out that I have gestational diabetes! As many of you know, I try to eat really healthy. I really do! I'm a huge fan of fruits and veggies. Too bad I'm also a huge fan of OJ too. Hidden carbs...

According to the nurse, "You just have to eat like you're keeping a New Year's resolution and do a finger poke four times a day." I'm hoping that I can keep this all in check with diet and exercise.

Heads up: this blog is going to feature some very healthy dinners for the next 10 weeks or until the kiddo shows up! You will be seeing less noodles and carbs, and lots more veggies! Good thing I've been loving spinach lately...

Virtual Running Date No. 39: Cold? What cold?

Good morning Crushers!

I kid you not that the temperature in my car dropped from 20 degrees F to -1 degree F in the 25 minutes that it took me to drive to work. Almost all of the schools in the entire state are closed today for "dangerous freezing weather conditions". The governor actually called a state of emergency due to difficulties people are having in getting adequate heat fuel.

Before the temperatures really dropped, Steve and I took ourselves to a local county park to do some snow-shoeing and skiing. He skied. I walked. It was nice.

My spiffy snow shoes!

Curry Park

29 weeks and bundled up!
If it weren't for me holding my hands under the baby bump,
I'm not sure you'd be able to tell that I am pregnant since I was wearing so many layers!

Besides getting out and getting some exercise, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing are just plain fun! Snow shoes are a nice option for me right now since they have these spike things on the bottom so I can't slip on ice. The only problem is bending over to get them strapped on. I needed Steve's help. I can still tie my own shoes, thankyouverymuch, but the buckles were a little hard.

We went out for dinner and my pulled-pork sandwich was lovely, but let me tell you about this pecan pie. Yes, it's a horrible photo, but oh was it good! I don't normally like pecan pie, but this was just like a slab of caramel and pecans. With ice cream. I had about 5 bites and said Steve could have the rest.

We took care of that!

I have never found a recipe I liked, so I don't have one to share, but if you do, PLEASE share it in the comments. This pie may have to be investigated.

In other news, we worked on the baby's room this weekend. One wall is a dark blue, so my mom found these super cute vinyl letters. The only problem is that they are VERY DIFFICULT to put up. Not only because they lacked instructions, but because they were skinny letters.

Yay instructions!

Um, blank reverse side. You had one job...

The end result (after much stress and anger at a few words).

We also packed part of our hospital bag. Considering the crazy weather we have, I either over packed the baby's "going home" outfit or I didn't pack enough. Who knows?

That's it for now! If you went running this weekend, I salute you. If you did some other form of exercise, I also salute you. If you hid from the cold, I understand. It's chilly!

Have a wonderful week!

Virtual Running Date No. 38: Baby stuff

Good morning, Crushers!

If this were a virtual running date, I would first confess that I haven't run. I probably won't run much until after the kiddo is born because it's icy and slippery and falling is bad.

My second confession is that I'm not a mommy blogger. Will I talk about baby food and toys and post pictures of my kid? Probably. Will I offer advice that is brilliant? Probably not. Will I at least share with you some cool stuff I find and maybe some things that work for me? Yup. Most likely.

If this were a virtual running date, I would tell you that this past weekend felt like it was all about babies. I went to a baby shower for a friend last Friday and it was really fun. We made mocktails, ate food (BLT dip?!) and talked about baby stuff and other stuff. Three women there were moms; three were prego; and three were just engaged. It was funny to hear every one's perspective on babies and care and what you really "need".

Speaking of what you want (more BLT dip?!) versus what you need, have you seen the baby section at a department store lately?! So much stuff. If you're reading this and you're registering for baby stuff, here are three pieces of advice:

1. Do your homework before you go (I highly suggest the book Baby Bargains), but it's COMPLETELY OK if your sense of "dang that's cute" overrides common sense a few times. Can't leave the store without scanning that fuzzy pink onesie? SCAN IT!
2. Pack snacks. Something that's an energy booster is a good idea. Plus, no one, and I mean NO ONE ever seems to mind a prego lady having a handful of pretzels or raisins. 
3. Leave when you feel overwhelmed. 50 kinds of pacifiers and you're not even sure you want your child to use one? Feel free to skip that and come back later, if ever. 

Speaking of registries, I should go check that I took all those accidental doubles off the list...

So, this is a food blog, right? Baby shower food is pretty darn good. We had BLT dip (have I mentioned that?), sweets, veggies and dip, taco dip, and cheese and crackers. Fun finger food plus mocktails = a great evening friend shower. So nice!

I'm not allowed to know anything about my shower. I was just supposed to supply a list of names and addresses and I'm sure someone will tell me when to show up.

We took a baby class at our hospital over the weekend. It was very informative and fun despite talking about one of the messiest, but coolest things that your body could ever do. No cool food to mention there. They did give us snacks, but that's about it.

Yesterday, I did make jambalaya, which I'm fortunate to have leftovers of today! Sunday afternoons spent cooking while football is on in the background is very nice. As much as I wish the Packers were still on their way to the Super Bowl, I enjoyed a day where I could just be a football fan. If I had to pick a bandwagon to jump on, I'd go with the Broncos. I have more family and friends that live in Colorado, plus I really can't stand Seattle's coach. Ugh.

If this were a virtual running date, I could at least mention that I did safely walk on a treadmill for 2-3 miles at a stretch. Kind of boring, but it beats slipping on ice!

Virtual Running Date No. 37: It appears I owe you another one

Hello Crushers,

If we were on a virtual running date, I would tell you that it's been one of those days:

Between Friends by Sandra Bell-Lundy

I keep this cartoon at my desk because sometimes, you need to be reminded that if you can't say something nice, then you shouldn't say anything at all.

Mostly this has to do with other non-blog related stuff, but I will confess that it's been a little hectic around here. Between making art for the baby's room:

Can't you tell that's hand-painted with love?

Someone learned how to install floating shelves. BOO-YAH!

Pinterest inspired. And oddly lighted...

And getting ready to teach next semester:

That's my beast of a laptop from 2005.

It's been crazy. Fortunately, I have my freezer meal workshop tomorrow night. I'm VERY EXCITED to get to try out a bunch of new Wildtree products**. Here are the meals we're going to be making:

1. Spanish-style garlic shrimp
2. Italian marinated flank steak
3. The best burgers EVER
4. Smoked mozzarella and tomato meatloaf
5. Chipotle lime fajitas
6. Italian medallions
7. Honey balsamic chicken drumsticks
8. Crockpot chipotle lime chicken
9. Adobo chicken (I'm actually making mine with pork)
10. Mozzarella and tomato chicken pasta

Don't those sound good? Yum!

Uh oh, now the prego lady is hungry again...  Good thing I made Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie last night for dinner. That might mean there are leftovers to enjoy later!

**As always, I'm not getting paid or compensated by Wildtree in anyway. I just really like their products