It's a Girl!

Last Saturday we had our big ultrasound. Everything went great. Baby was measuring about 10 ounces already and looks like it has all of it's parts! And the most exciting news?!?! Even though I was sooo convinced we were having a boy, it's a girl! The tech said she was 99% sure that we're having a girl! We're just thrilled. Of course we would have been happy either way but every mother wants a little girl! And we're not 100% sure yet, but right now we're thinking of calling her Emma Claire. Emma because we like it and Claire for Eric's grandmother who passed away a number of years ago.

Good Eats in Philly

Last Saturday Eric and I were visiting a friend in the hospital in Philadelphia. After the visit with our friend, we had dinner at Horizons, a gourmet vegan restaurant, right by South Street. One word--yum! Everything was delicious! We started with the Viatnamese bruschetta and barbeque seitan. So good! For dinner we shared a couple of dishes--a platter with different kinds of mushrooms, stuffed and unstuffed and crispy tofu with hearts of palm crepes and chickpea curry. I couldn't recommend this place highly enough if you have plans to be in Philly!

Baby Stuff!

Since finding out that I was pregnant back in mid-December, my brain has been consumed with all baby stuff all the time! Lately, I've been kind of obsessed with craigslist! I've gotten some amazing deals on there! 13 pieces of maternity clothes for less than $40. Then a few days later, I got a beautiful wooden $185 rocking horse for $35 bucks. I'm hoping to find a rocker/glider for a good price next!

I've also been scouring lots of websites for good deals on cloth diapers. Yes, we're cloth diapering. And they are not your cloth diapers of years ago with rubber pants and diaper pins. We've already gotten some super cute ones--veggies and farm animals and Dr. Seuss. Look at some of these diapers. How cute are they?

On March 28th, we have our big ultrasound. Hopefully, Lil' Sprout cooperates and we can tell if Baby is a boy or a girl! Our bets are on boy but who knows, really? We'll be delighted either way! If it is a boy, one of my first grade students suggested the name Indiana Jones. Eric really liked that name too!

We spent the weekend baby furniture shopping. We think we found something we like but we're going to wait a little longer to order. The room needs new carpeting and a paint job first before we bring furniture in!

Our Big Secret

So I have an excuse for my lack of frequent blog posts these past few months. Can you guess what it is? I'm pregnant! Eric and I are so excited! The baby is due August 24th. These past couple months, I've had hardly any energy. I come home from work, lay on the couch and eat take-out most nights these days. Now that I'm in my second trimester, I'm hoping the energy comes back!

A Bucket List

I stole this list from Jenn's blog because it looked like a good time-waster for a Sunday afternoon.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Does Rock Band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and Disneyworld too!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (I rode in a gondola in Vegas though!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (I have seen it from the outside, just never been inside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (no way!)
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Puppy Bowl V

Well, Eric is in his glory right now watching the big game. But I was happy to watch another big game earlier in the day.

Puppy Bowl V. Last year was the first time I had even heard of the Puppy Bowl and I made sure we watched it on the commercials. But this year we found out that the show would be on from 3--5 and then repeating itself for the rest of the day. So we watched it as a sort of pre-game I guess you could say.

It was so cute. If you have never seen it, Animal Planet puts on it's on Super Bowl knock-off with lots of cute little shelter puppies. They get to chase each other around a faux field, play with toys and score touchdowns. The half-time show was kitties!

This years MVP was Matilda, a beagle. She scored a lot of touchdowns. I saw a few puppies I'd like to bring home but Eric said no.


Here's Elvira. She was one of my favorites!

Early Valentines Day Gift

Yesterday I received an early Valentine's Day gift in the mail. The tag on the gift was not filled out but I correctly guessed that the gift was from my hubby! Eric sent me a box of vegan chocolates from Farm Sanctuary! They are amazing. The chocolates are actually from Rose City Chocolates in Boonton, NJ, not too far from where we live. I think the chocolate will be gone way before Valentine's Day though...

Susan and Timmy's Wedding

Yesterday was the wedding of very good friends of ours. Susan made a beautiful bride and they were both so happy. We are so happy for them and wish them all the best! Here are some pictures of their big day!

Cake Cutting!

McKenzie, Susan and I

Greg, McKenzie, Timmy, Susan, Me and Eric

Baby Pics!

I have not blogged in such a long time. I've been thinking about it but things have just been hectic and I've just not had anything to blog about! But I thought I would post some pics from the holidays. The first one is of my niece, Kayla, and my cousin's son, Vincent. They are almost a year old already! Time flies!


And here's Kayla with the Curious George jack-in-the-box we gave her!

Pizza Night and Brunch!

We had some friends over this weekend for an overnight so that gave me the opportunity to create pizzas--and brunch in the morning! What fun!

So last night we made a couple pizzas with our vegan cheeses we got from Pangea the other day. First, I made the dough with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer using the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. The pizza sauce came out of a can! The first pizza was to be a buffalo tempeh pizza! So we used Katie's recipe for the tempeh. However, the sauce was altered a bit. We like it spicy so used 4 T of margarine, 4 T of hot sauce and 1 T of agave. While the tempeh was bakin', we sauteed up some red onions and crimini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms for the 2nd pizza. So our first pizza was mozzarella teese and blue sheese with pizza sauce and buffalo tempeh and the second one was just the sauce, mozz and mushroom combination. Both pizzas had an awesome thin crust. Definitely the best pizzas I've made yet. We ate every last crumb of both pizzas!

Here's Eric enjoying a slice of the 'shroom pizza!


This morning, while Eric and our friends were still sound asleep, I woke up bright and early to make Tofu Florentine from Veganomicon! It involved home fries, broiled tofu and cheezy sauce, toast and steamed spinach. It was some breakfast! Sorry for the crappy picture but here it is.

Wintry Weather Yumminess

(Dr. Cow cheeses courtesy of Vegnews)

I'm not really delighted about this rain/snow/sleet/ice we're getting today into tonight into tomorrow. But in case, I am stuck at home tomorrow, at least, I've got plenty to munch on!

I love Silk Nog! Have you tried it? It's 90 calories per half cup, so instead of drinking it by the glassful, I use it as coffee creamer with my winter coffee beans. Yum! It's the perfect thing to wake me up in the mornings! (Even though, I'm not really up in the mornings until I arrive at work after an hour drive! I HATE leaving my house in the dark of morning!)

I ordered a few different things I've been eager to try from Pangea a couple days ago! Wow, and fast delivery! I placed the order on Tuesday and it arrived on Wednesday! How cool is that? I'd been eager to try some different vegan cheeses that aren't even available at Whole Foods! So a log of Teese mozzerella, a wheel of Sheese blue cheese and a tiny little hunk of Dr. Cow raw cashew cheese. The only one I've tried as of yet is the Dr. Cow cheese.

And. Wow. Everything I've read about this cheese was correct! Yes, it's expensive and I only got 3 ounces. But it was awesome. Aged goodness. I could have eaten the whole three ounces. But I restrained myself.

We're planning on doing good things with the blue cheese. A buffalo pizza with tempeh and blue cheese. Yummy! And we'll use the Teese for pizza as well.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with Follow Your Heart soy cheeses. I think they are tasty eaten raw or melted. But it's nice to have other options!

Look Who's Vegan

Eric brought me home a Rachael Ray magazine last week and the last page featured rocker Bryan Adams. I was surprised to find out that Adams has been a vegan for the past 20 years. He ate completely raw for one year and now tries to eat 50% raw. Wow, look at him! Now, thats a picture of good health. Adams most certainly does not look like he's 49 to me!

Here's a link to his pineapple-ginger juice recipe.

Ah Craziness

I can't believe I haven't blogged in a month. Things have just been crazy. I haven't uploaded pics from my camera in a gazillion years! I need to write a blog posting, a real blog posting! I just wanted to post this message to let my readers know that I am still alive! I promise you a better posting--and soon!

Yes, We Can!!!

We did it! Go Obama--our next president!

Anxiously Waiting

Hope everybody voted today! Now I'm glued to CNN waiting for results.

Starbucks was giving out free coffee today if you told them you voted. I took advantage of that offer at two different locations.

Election

With the election in two weeks and a day, it's hard to focus on anything else--even if you're a first grader. Our students will also "vote" for a new president as part of a schools-wide election. When I asked one of my first graders who he would vote for, he choose Obama, of course. I asked him why he would like to vote for Obama and here is the short of it.

"He's brown and has a man helper."

I just thought it was pretty funny.

Electric Orange

Did I mention how much I love my new juicer? Since I've started juicing this weekend, I've made several different kinds of juices and smoothies. Here's what I made for my after-dinner snack and it'll be my breakfast tomorrow too. The juice came out bright orange and it's vibrantly sweet.

Electric Orange juice
2 servings

6 carrots
1 orange
1 apple

Juice the carrots with the orange and apple! That's it!

My apologies

My apologies for my recent lack of blogging! The last month has been very hectic! I meant to blog about the corn maze we took Norton to but that hasn't happened yet. I would have had a great blog post because we almost went to a rally in Scranton, Pa today with the Bidens and the Clintons! But Eric and I were both feeling a bit under the weather so we opted to stay home and relax today.

Last weekend, we celebrated my thirtieth birthday! Woo hoo! We partied with friends on my actual birthday and the following day, Eric took me to New York to see Mamma Mia and have dinner at Candle 79. The show was great and dinner was amazing.

Yesterday, we used up some of our wedding gift cards to buy a Breville juicer. So we spent our lazy Sunday making juice, napping, and making matzah ball soup.

I owe you guys a real blog post one of these days with actual photos and all. Excuse my laziness as of late.

Watch out for 'em hot peppers!

I should be blogging about what could have been an awesome salad, all put together without the help of a recipe. It was black beans and fresh corn, tomatoes and green bell pepper, avocados too. Some garlic and onion and why not a small red hot pepper for a little spice? As my salad was just about ready to be dressed, my face started feeling hot. And it was red. My nose was burning and my lips too. Then my face got swollen a bit and the splotchy red started to appear on other parts of my body, my shoulder and my hand. I had to send Eric out to get me some Benadryl so I could get some relief. I washed my face and used my Neti pot to get rid of some of those spicy irritants! I drank some ricemilk too.

Unfortunately, I had to throw the entire salad away. With all of that spice of one small pepper, not only did it taste like fire, but it wasn't worth dying.

I don't even know what kind of pepper it is. It came in a box of assorted hot peppers from the farmer market. I think the whole container has to go in the trash now.

My hands still feel hot but I'm definitely feeling better than I was--

Thanks to my darling hubby who, while on a quest for Benadryl, brought me home some Purely Decadent ice cream.

How we spent our Labor Day weekend

Around the middle of last week, upon realizing that Eric and I had no plans at all during our upcoming three day weekend, I suggested we spend that time painting our bedroom. Though not a fun chore, we decided it was the only time in the near future that we had to undertake this job. No sooner than we had started collecting paint samples did the bbq and other party invitations start rolling in. We were invited to three barbeques and (I to) one shopping excursion. Unfortunately, we missed all but one of those events (and that was only because the party was walking distance away)!

We painted our bedroom a Martha Stewart color called "Mixing Pot." It reminds me of a buttercream. It really is a pretty color and it's a nice change from the aqua that was on our walls and ceiling before that! After putting our bedroom back together today, we set up our new duvet and other bedding accessories which we received as shower gifts back in May. As Eric stated earlier this evening, now our bed looks like a hotel room bed!

Now summer really has come to an end...back to school tomorrow for me!