Happy Easter!

I made a traditional Italian Easter Bread for my campus kids this weekend.  I hope they enjoy it!  I've seen similar recipes around the web, but they all have dyed eggs in the center or around the sides.  I didn't have any eggs to spare and didn't want the eggs to go bad sitting in a guy's dorm room, so I chose to skip the eggs and just make the "nests".

Week 27

How far along? 27 weeks.

Baby is the size of: A rutabaga (similar to a turnip, but way bigger).

Maternity clothes?  I'm still looking for a black skirt for work. My hips seem to be expanding, so the few non-maternity bottoms I've been wearing are on their way out. Sigh.  Looks like I'm bound for all things elastic.

Rings on or off? Still on...

Sleep:  Not much the last few days.... the back pain is making me restless and uncomfortable.

Belly Button:  I'm calling it a half-n-halfie.  The top part sticks out and the bottom part sinks in.

A Taste of Erin

No, I have not turned cannibalistic... Erin, as in Ireland.  Not Erin, as in my cousin. That's just weird.

As promised, here's a look at my specific sandwich craving from last week.  It's a take on a sandwich we used to make at the sandwich shop I worked at during college.  I've only had it a few times and it's been YEARS since I worked at the shop. But, there I was, sitting at work... zoning out working hard and suddenly, it hit me.

Like a rock.

The craving that is.  I didn't actually get hit with anything.

Week 26

Do I look as tired as I feel?

How far along?  26 weeks

Baby is the size of:  An eggplant (or a head of iceberg lettuce).  I couldn't find an eggplant big enough since they're not in season right now.  So just imagine him a little wider and longer. 13.5 or so inches long and around 2.5 pounds!

Maternity clothes?  Even the stretchy panels on my maternity bottoms feel tight on my belly sometimes... sigh.

Rings on or off?  Still on! Yes!!

Sleep: Sadly, not much.  Sleeping on my left side is easier now, but I still struggle with some numbness and tingly-ness in my leg when I stay in that position very long.  Lots of tightness in my neck and shoulders... which means I'm asking for back rubs ALL the time.  Thanks, honey...

Belly Button:  Not innie or outie right now... kind of just level with the rest of my tummy.  On the up side, it's easier to clean it now. :-)

Exercise: I'm looking into working swimming into my routine as soon as it gets a little warmer.  This week, I did pilates for 3 days and walked on the treadmill 2 days.  I'm finding it more difficult to do stairs these days, but I try to make an effort to take the stairs to my office at least twice a day (we walk back and forth to work twice a day and I work on the 4th floor).

Biggest eggplant I could find...

Food cravings:  Chocolate, Marshmallow Fluff (marshmallow creme), and Dijon mustard.  Just not at the same time.  Ew.  I read somewhere that eating enough healthy fats help satiate you and diminishes sugar cravings.  I tried upping my healthy fat intake this week and it really did help with the sugar cravings!!  Although I've been craving chocolate, I find myself preferring dark chocolate, up to 80% cacao, over milk chocolate, which is too sweet for me. 

Movement: I'm definitely noticing cycles.  He'll get really quiet for a couple of hours, then bounce around a whole lot for a couple of hours, then get quiet again.  I wonder if he's wearing himself out, then taking a nap.  This week, he kicked my ribs for the first time. Up til now, he's been sitting in a breech position and kicking me down low.  We're not too concerned about his position yet, since I still have more than 10 weeks left to go, but it was encouraging to feel that he's practicing flipping over into a vertex position (head down). 

Best moment of the week: Registering for my shower.  M had fun "shooting" things with the scanning gun.  My only beef with Target is the scarcity of "green" options and the very small selection of classic children's books.  I was very surprised that they didn't have any classic Little Golden Books, just 2 or 3 adaptations of current Disney movies.  Sadness! No Poky Little Puppy or Scrawny Tawny Lion!  They did at least have Curious George, though.

Fun fact:  He has eyelashes now! 

Symptoms:  Achy side muscles and neck/back/shoulder tension.

Mood?  Roller coaster... Sometimes irritated, sometimes down, sometimes excited.  

Blessings of the week: I'll be sharing this in a future post, but just want to say it was encouraging this week to define my "sweet spot" (the type of work/service God has created me for).  What a blessing to know that He designed me for a specific purpose and I can see now more of what that purpose is.  It is freeing to realize that I don't feel like I fit where I am right now, not because I'm a failure, but because I'm not supposed to fit here long term.  This phase in my life (the past 6 years) has been beneficial and I have learned a great deal, but it was only ever a passing phase - a stepping stone - to what I'm really created to do.

St. Patty's Day Colcannon

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  In honor of the holiday, and because the ingredients were on sale, I decided to make an Irish classic... Colcannon. 

It's a rustic dish, really... as M says, "It's like lettuce in your mashed potatoes."  Ok, so not quite, but sort of.  It's better described as potatoes mashed with butter and milk, mixed with bacon, onion and cabbage.

It's very warm and filling... perfect for cool, damp, spring days.  Perfect for March 17th...

You can substitute chopped ham for the bacon and chopped spinach for the cabbage, if you'd like.  Or, just stick to the recipe below.

Sometimes the simple things are best... "A little pleases a poor man." - Irish saying  Enjoy the simple things - start with colcannon.

Colcannon

by Raye

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: stove top entree potato bacon cabbage St. Patrick's Day spring

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 3 lb potatoes (any kind will work - I prefer Russet)
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon, cooked and chopped
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4-1/2 lb chopped green cabbage
• 2 small or 1 large spring onion, chopped
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes; place in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook and chop the bacon; set aside. Chop the cabbage and onion.
3. When potatoes are done, drain them in a colander, then return them to the pot. Cook over low heat for a minute or two to dry the potatoes out. Add butter and milk to the pot and mash to your desired consistency.
4. Stir in chopped bacon, cabbage and onion. Continue to warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. (Cabbage will still be somewhat crisp. If you prefer the cabbage to be softer, simply steam or boil it in a separate pot for about 5 minutes while the potatoes are cooking.)
5. Spoon into serving bowls, top with additional butter and salt/pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

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Week 25

How far along?  25 weeks

Baby is the size of:  A head of cauliflower

Maternity clothes?  Need more cami's and tank tops!!!  I noticed this week that a couple of my tanks were a little too short in the belly...

Rings on or off?  On... yay!!

This tank top has pretty much reached it's capacity

Sleep:  Iffy... but hanging in there.  Just excuse me if I fall asleep on you.

Belly Button: It's half innie and half outie... M says it's cute. I still think it's weird.

Exercise:  Had some back pain this week and that slowed me down... only got to work out 3 times this week.  I am learning some labor prep exercises and trying to remember to do them each day - Kegels, squats, cat/cow stretches, sitting 'tailor' style (I always called it Indian style) and practicing good posture to help keep the baby (and my back) in alignment.

Food cravings: I had a very specific craving for a sandwich this week... I'll blog about that (with pictures!) later this week.  I've also been craving butter and bacon.

My main man!!

Movement:  Small, light movements early in the day, but gets VERY active between 3 and 4 p.m. and stays pretty active all evening... especially when I'm trying to fall asleep.

Best moment of the week:  Postponing the glucose test until my next appointment.

Weight gain:  17 pounds total  

Symptoms:  Achy back and fatigue.

Mood?  Still cranky at work...  And I feel sort of clingy...

I learned ...  that I should be eating about 100 grams of protein each day.  Whoa! I don't know how much I have been eating, but I'm pretty sure it's not that much.  I'm looking for ways to up the protein content in my diet (without using a highly processed whey protein powder).  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Looking forward to:  Maternity leave. :-)

 

Chicken Parm Panini

Confession:  I have an addiction to anything related to chicken parmesan right now.  Blame it on the munchkin, if you will... but I know better... I've always been a fan of chicken... and cheese... and marinara sauce.

Put them all together and I'm one happy chica.

Make it into a sandwich and I'm in heaven.

Date Night: Fire + Ice Theme

I came across a cute ice themed date night idea here.  I was inspired to tweak the idea and make it a "Fire and Ice" theme for us.  It turned out well and we had a good time!

I printed off some clues (word puzzles) onto 4x6 cards - I gave M a card before each part of our date and he had to solve the puzzle before we went on.  The puzzles were really simple, just some clip art that stood for each word, so he solved them really quickly.  Except for the last puzzle... he had a hard time figuring out what "ice cubes + old lady in glasses + movie reel" meant.  So finally, I just let him open up the Netflix envelope and see what movie it was (Ice Age).

Part 1:  Dinner
The most important part! :-)  We started our date off at Firehouse Subs.  Yum!

I had a grilled veggie sub and an Honest Tea.  M had the Smokehouse Beef and Cheddar Brisket and Salt+Vinegar chips.  Hit the spot, I'm telling you.

Week 24

How far along?  24 weeks

Baby is the size of:  A cantaloupe

Maternity clothes?  Oh yeah.

Rings on or off?  On... still!

Sleep:  Meh. Depends on the night.  Tried some nose strips earlier in the week, it helped my stuffy head a bit.  Most of the congestion seems to be gone now... that may be due in part to the fact that it rained most of the week and that kept the pollen down.

Belly Button: Innie... for now... 

30 Before 30 Update: February 2013 Edition

I met my 30 Before 30 goal of reading 1 fun book and 1 educational/devotional book this month.

I read these two books this month:

1.  Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery.  This is the sequel to the fun book I read last month.  It's another collection of short stories about life on Prince Edward Island.  I fell in love with many of the characters; they were so endearing!  My favorite story was, "The Brother Who Failed".  It's a moving story about what the true measure of success should be.  I found it interesting that this book was published without L.M. Montgomery's knowledge or permission.  Apparently, all the stories that appear in this volume were rejects - stories she did not feel were worth publishing.  I will admit, I didn't care for a few of the stories, but the book is still worth the read.

2.  Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado.  This is an excellent book!  I've been so inspired and encouraged by Lucado's words.  Where is my "sweet spot"? It was so freeing to realize that I'm not defective, I'm don't have to be something I'm not.  Instead, I can serve God best simply by identifying, developing and using the skills, interests, abilities and experiences He has given me.  If you're struggling to find "your spot" - the place you feel you fit, I would encourage you to pick up this book.

I finally decided on a quilt pattern... this applique quilt.  (Although this quilt came in a close second!)  I'm using a combination of green, brown, white, and aqua prints.  I'm looking for graphics to use for appliques next - I plan to do frogs and lily pads. I'll post pics of my progress next month! 

Also this month, I did a healthier upgrade of 1 recipe in my Recipe File, Banana Bread.  1 down, about 50 to go... :-)

Week 23

How far along? 23 weeks

Baby is the size of: A grapefruit

Rings on or off?  On!  I actually remembered to put them on every day this week.

Sleep:  Never enough....

Belly Button:  Weird and stretched out.  It's not even round anymore... it's like, oval.

Exercise:  Still not feeling good this week (recovering from my allergy attack, or cold, or whatever it was), so only did pilates twice and walked on the treadmill twice.

Food cravings:  Chick-fil-A waffle fries and lemonade.  I didn't get any though...  Oh, and carbonation.  I really, really, really, really, wanted soda.  But it wasn't the sweetness I wanted, it was the bubbles!!! I solved the problem by buying a 2 liter of club soda and mixing it with some juice or unsweetened tea.  Worked like a charm!

Grapefruit size this week!

Movement:  I think he's pushing off one side of my stomach and bouncing into the other side, then turning and bouncing back to the other side.  At least that's what I imagine he is doing.

Best moment of the week:  I went to JoAnn Fabrics today and bought some fabric for the little munchkin's quilt that I will be making.  They were having a sale and I was able to use some 40% and 50% off coupons! Awesome!

Fun fact:  His face is completely formed now!  Just needs to gain some weight from here on out.

Symptoms:  Had my first Braxton-Hicks contraction this week.  Kinda freaky.  I laid down on the couch and drank a big glass of water and it went away after a few minutes.  I hear this is a normal occurance at this point and can be caused by dehydration or physical stress.  Looks like I need to keep calm and drink more water... sounds like a T-shirt slogan or something.

Mood?  Irritation!!!! And some nervousness about labor, but I'm working through that.