Happy Halloween

It's hard to believe how fast the year is flying by. Here we are at the beginning of the holidays already. I've had our bowl of candy for a week already. Although Brian claims to not like sweets he has definitely been picking away at the candy bowl this week. It must be his male pregnancy hormones :-) I'm usually the one with the sweet tooth and I've honestly not eaten much candy at all. Brian will be getting off work early tonight so he'll be able to partake in the trick or treaters. Gizmo goes crazy every time the door bell rings...he seriously tries to attack the door and anyone on the other side so our plan is for Brian to hold the dog and I'll hold the candy bowl. I'm so excited to see all the trick or treaters. Last year we had quite a few because it was our first year in the house all of our neighbors were curious to see us and our home. I hope we get another good turn out this year. What's even more exciting is that next year we'll be parents to our own little trick or treater.

Our Sunday

Sunday we decided to go to another State Park. We are so fortunate to have so many parks and things to do close to where we live. We went to Washington Oaks State Park. It is so beautiful there. They have flower gardens that you can walk through but we had Gizmo with us and dogs aren't allowed in that area. Then they have a river wall that you can fish off of and several benches to sit on. We stopped by Subway and picked up lunch on the way there. We ate lunch then usually it is just Brian fishing but the fish were biting so much I decided to fish for awhile and caught 3 or 4 fish myself! I also got bit by a fire ant for the first time. It wasn't too bad but there were tons of fire ant mounds there.

Our Saturday Evening

On Saturday night we went to 'Haunted Trails' in Palm Coast. It was put on by the Humane Society and Agricultural Museum. They had pony rides, hayrides, haunted houses, trick or treating, storytellers, etc. We met our friends and their son Cohen there. He is such a cutie and is already 8 months. He is such a good baby! Brian held him for awhile and was making noises and Cohen would mimic him...it was really cute.

Cohen on the pony ride

One of the haunted house characters with a baby skunk

Today I'm moving to another building to a larger office. My boss refers to it as the "office suite" I'm so excited!!! It's going to be a long day but you can guarantee I'm not doing much lifting-just packing and unpacking.

Not so Tasty Tuesday

With Halloween approaching in just a couple of days I felt that it was important to post this in lieu of a Tasty Tuesday recipe. Make sure you tell others about this!

RECALLED HALLOWEEN CANDY

Don't eat the chocolate coin candies!

The little chocolate coins are not safe for kids to eat this Halloween. They are made in China and contain the Melamine that childrens deaths were related to recently!!!!!!! With Halloween coming soon, pass this on to your family and friends.

Sherwood's Milk Chocolate Pirate's Gold Coins from China contain melamine. It is true, Read the full story at the following link from Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

Just want to sleep...

Last night I started feeling nauseous and very tired. So Brian grilled out hamburgers and I made some veggies and pasta. I took a couple bites but couldn't bring myself to eat. The nausea was so bad and I just didn't feel good at all. Brian kept saying "You have to eat something" so I managed to eat all the veggies and about half of the hamburger. I took a shower then laid down for a few minutes to rest around 8p and ended up falling asleep. A couple times I woke up thinking I was going to be sick but tried everything to keep myself from actually getting sick. So I slept from 8p-11:30p then I was wide awake until about 1a. From 1a until 6a I was up every hour and honestly can say I hardly got any sleep. Then at 3:30a I got up to eat a banana because I was starving from not being able to eat much dinner. As I went back to the bedroom Gizmo didn't see me, just my shadow and starts barking up a storm and Brian flys out of bed thinking there's someone in the house. Thankfully he was able to quickly fall back to sleep.



Now it's much harder to sleep because I love to sleep on my back but they suggest during pregnancy to only sleep on your side. See the article below



Finding a Good Sleeping Position
Early in your pregnancy, try to get into the habit of sleeping on your side. Lying on your side with your knees bent is likely to be the most comfortable position as your pregnancy progresses. It also makes your heart's job easier because it keeps the baby's weight from applying pressure to the large vein (called the inferior vena cava) that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs.

Some doctors specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side. Because your liver is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus off that large organ. Sleeping on the left side also improves circulation to the heart and allows for the best blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Ask what your doctor recommends — in most cases, lying on either side should do the trick and help take some pressure off your back.
But don't drive yourself crazy worrying that you might roll over onto your back during the night. Shifting positions is a natural part of sleeping that you can't control. Most likely, during the third trimester of your pregnancy, your body won't shift into the back-sleeping position anyway because it will be too uncomfortable.

If you do shift onto your back and the baby's weight presses on your inferior vena cava, the discomfort will probably wake you up. See what your doctor recommends about this; he or she may suggest that you use a pillow to keep yourself propped up on one side.

Try experimenting with pillows to discover a comfortable sleeping position. Some women find that it helps to place a pillow under their abdomen or between their legs. Also, using a bunched-up pillow or rolled-up blanket at the small of your back may help to relieve some pressure. In fact, you'll find that there are many "pregnancy pillows" on the market. If you're thinking about purchasing one, talk with your doctor first about which one might work for you.

I think I will be investing in the snoogle pregnancy pillow sooner than I thought. It's a $50 pillow but at this point of little sleep it's not about the money but all about the comfort and rest.




Also I've had a horrible sinus headache all weekend so I left the house early this morning so I could stop at Walgreens to get some Tylenol Sinus and of course they aren't open...I just want to go home and back to bed. Go figure-last week I was feeling awesome and talking about how great it was to be done with the first trimester because all the symptoms were gone, well I guess I spoke too soon... :-(



On a positive note-Brian and I had a great weekend. We went to a Halloween Fest on Saturday night then yesterday we explored another state park and I took lots of pics, so I will post later this week.

Another Gift

My mom had said a few weeks ago she and Dad had a gift for Brian and I but hadn't got to the post office to mail it. So yesterday when I got home from work there was a package. She sent us a picture frame with a printed copy of the ultrasound pics I had emailed to her. It is so cute and the saying on the frame is even cuter. Today is also my Mom's Birthday...Happy Birthday Mom!!

Pregnancy Journal

My mom had urged me to start a pregnancy journal as soon as she found out I was pregnant. She said it would be great because one day our child could look back and see everything that I was experiencing and feeling while pregnant. So a few weeks ago I finally bought a notepad and started journaling. I try to journal at least a couple times a week and I've really enjoyed doing it so far. I think it'll be great one day to give it as a gift when the child is old enough to appreciate it.

Our Weekend

On Sunday we explored another State Park in our area. We went to Faver Dykes State Park. It was pretty desolate and not much to see. There was a campground, picnic area and boat ramp. There was only one nature trail. The park is known for kayaking and canoeing in the river that runs through it. We took Gizmo with us and he was so excited. I think the car ride is his favorite part. Once we were done at Faver Dykes we headed on a drive through St. Augustine then up A1A. We stopped at a seaside preserve that had a long dock that overlooked wetlands. We then hit up Wendy's for some ice cream and headed home.

Tasty Tuesday

Easiest Ever Beef Roast Crockpot




1 boneless beef roast
1 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 cup water
1 onion, sliced



Rub roast all over with the Onion Soup mix. Mix any remaining soup mix with the water and pour in the crock pot. Place the roast in a crock pot.

If desired, thinly slice onions and place on top of roast. Keep the crock pot on low all day. At least 8-10 hours.

No peeking necessary :-)

First Maternity Gift

Today I received my first maternity gift in the mail. It is the cutest gift. I received it from my father-in-law's wife, Beth. I can't wait to gain more weight so I can proudly wear it! I think Brian is jealous because I'm starting to have more red sox apparel than him...haha!

Crockpot

One of my favorites things about the fall is cooking in the crockpot. I love to cook but when the weather cools off the crockpot comes out. This morning I went to the store and got a nice big roast and it will be cooking for 10 hours. The crockpot recipe is super simple-look for it on this week's Tasty Tuesday post. So around 8:30p tonight we will be eating tender slow cooked roast-I can hardly wait!! Trying to keep Brian from opening the crockpot is hard to do. I tell him he can look through the glass cover but he always wants to opens it. He's such a curious george. I also made a favorite that my mom always made when we were growing up that I had a huge craving for...Cucumbers in Vinegar. I also cut up some fresh strawberries (between me and Brian we will have these gone by tonight!)

My favorite fall pastime-Cooking in the crockpot

The roast and onions cooking

Cucumbers in Vinegar

Fresh cut strawberries with sugar

The taste tester and food critic. Haven't had a bad review yet :-)

Creekside Festival

Last Sunday Brian and I decided to go to a little festival by the house. It was called the Creekside Festival at Princess Place Preserve. They have various tents with arts and crafts, candles, clothing, unique gifts, etc all for sale. They had a photography contest, storytelling, live music, gemstone mining, blacksmith, tractor tours, pumpkin painting and fun stuff for kids. We took a tour of the house and barn and then of course we had to eat...they had several vendors set up serving food so I got a gyro and Brian got an Italian sausage. The food was soooooo good. We walked around then headed home. Unfortunately I took home more than good memories from the festival which I found out this morning. Yesterday when taking a shower I noticed a new mole on my stomach. It was very light colored and looked basically like a skin tag. The skin was a little red around the base of it. I debated whether or not to pull it off but didn't want to bleed so I left it be. So this morning I'm getting ready to shower and notice it's much much larger and dark black...oh great is all I'm thinking. Now I think that I have a cancerous mole growing on my stomach from all the sun exposure since living in Florida. As I lift it up-still assuming it's a skin tag I see tiny legs...Yep-it was a TICK...I almost died-well not died but almost fainted literally. I ran and woke Brian up and told him the new mole I thought I had was really a tick. I had to lie on the bed for a few minutes because I was so lightheaded...how am I ever going to deliver a baby if I get lightheaded pulling a tick off...haha. So needless to say I took home a much unwanted souvenir from the festival.

Our Parents

Our parents have been so excited since the big news. My mom emails me everyday with links to websites with nursery decor and quilt designs (she's making us a quilt-Yay!), my Dad calls often to check in and see how I'm feeling and if the nausea will ever go away (which thankfully it has), my father-in-law already has his name picked out for when the baby arrives- "Capt.Pa Pa" which I think is absolutely hilarious and so so cute and he also emails frequently to see how I'm feeling and how everything is going, and my mother-in-law is anxiously awaiting to hear what names we pick. I'm so glad everyone is so supportive. It really makes this time even more special knowing we have such supportive families backing us. We are truly blessed.

Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. ~Anthony Brandt


The love of a family is life's greatest blessing.

Tasty Tuesday

Recipe from Womans Day Magazine

Ghostly Treats

INGREDIENTS

1 box (6.2 oz) Rice Krispies Treats (8 bars)
8 (8- or 12-in.) cookie sticks
2/3 cup white ready-to-use rolled fondant (we used Wilton's)
Confectioners' sugar
16 mini–chocolate chips
Styrofoam or floral foam

PREPARATION

1. Roll each Rice Krispies Treat into a 2 1/2-in.-long bullet shape. Insert a cookie stick into flat end of Treat, then stick into foam to stand straight.

2. Scoop out 8 rounded Tbsps of fondant. Dust surface and rolling pin with confectioners' sugar. Roll a Tbsp at a time into a 6- to 6 1/2-in. circle.

3. Drape fondant over Treat. Press on chocolate chips for eyes. Repeat with remaining fondant and chips.