Weekend Photos

Whenever the Husband is out of town I end up taking a ton of Iphone photos so I can quickly text them off to say, "This is what we are doing now!"  I know it makes him smile.  Though admittedly when I'm out of town I love getting the photos because I need to know what's going on but they make me a bit sad too because I'm not there.  Anyways, here is my Iphone photo dump from the weekend.

Friday's Soup Lunch (Noah had a fever Thursday & Friday morning).

Post nap he was feeling SO much better.

So we went out to eat at Nantucket Cafe.

Enjoying Nantucket's free cake.

Sampling South Durham's Farmer's Market Saturday.

Morrisville Fire Dept's Open House.

Noah is ready to leave the Fire Dept- nap time!

Tucker took a nap Saturday while we were out. (I did make the bed before I left).

Saturday night bath- Noah's saying DADA!

Sunday morning vehicle line up.

Enjoying Noah's nap time with a little Sunday afternoon sunbathing.

Gotcha Day

Today is Tucker's Gotcha Day.  The story of how we got Tucker is HERE.   But there is more to the story.  There always is with Tucker.



This is Tucker's/Bob's website ad.  A co-worker's sister worked at Greenwood Vet and told me about Tucker and we looked him up online.  I'm not sure I think that Tucker really looks like his ad in real life.  The day we visited him he had just gotten neutered and was very drugged up.  He tried to jump out of his crate, which was about 4 feet off the ground.  Of course, his legs didn't work.  He was very happy to see us though.  It took about a month to get the adoption together.  I think there we were one of three people who put in an application.  The vet wasn't sure we were a good fit for Tucker.  One of the other applicants had a lot of acres and no fence and just wanted Tucker to run around (hello! he would never come back). Another had a little lap dog who needed a friend (um, befriending lap dogs is not Tucker's forte either).  So finally we were reluctantly chosen.  I think it's worked out for the best.  

Though Tucker's ad should be edited a bit.  It should say, "Bob loves to cuddle and lick you incessantly until you cannot take the sound or feel of it anymore." And, "He is very friendly with adults, (he does not like animals or children) and needs constant attention."

9 years ago I picked Tucker (who was named Bob) up from what was the Greenwood Vet on Highway 55.  The Husband (to-be at this point in time) was playing tennis with a friend (a girl!) from college and couldn't make it.  So I picked him up after work; paid the $125 adoption fee and went straight to a pet store in New Hope Commons Shopping Center that is now a 5 & Below store.  I didn't have a leash or a collar so that was pretty interesting.  We borrowed a crate, but I needed, food, bowls, toys, pretty much everything.  This dog does not do cars.  Even with a car crate he gets carsick on occasion.  Without a car crate he will try to jump out of any open window (yes, he tried to do this) or just run around in the car.

Sometime later, the Husband came to my apartment to start our life with this dog.  We quickly renamed him Tucker after looking at baby name websites. Tucker didn't make much noise when we first got him.  It was probably two weeks before he barked for the first time and we remember exactly why: his lion toy got stuck behind the couch while he was playing with it.  Those that know Tucker, know that he now has no problems letting his voice be heard.

After 9 years he has provided us with a lot of funny and not so funny stories.  He's eaten a battery, ran away, eaten 3 dozen Christmas cookies to just throw them back up all around our house.  He's terrorized puppies, gotten a bloody nose from a Boxer, caught a squirrel, befriended several large brown Labs.  He's lead us home on hikes when the trails have vanished, he's been attacked by two cats, he has an unhealthy fear of water.  We love Tucker and are so happy to have him in our lives.   

We have more pictures of Tucker than we do of Noah by a long shot.  Hey, we've had him 9 years! Noah's hasn't even been with us 21 months yet.  This is one of my favorite photos from May 20, 2003 the day I moved into my new apartment.   

What's unique about this photo is that both of Tucker's ears are down.  Tucker is similar to an orca whale.  Most of the time his right ear is floppy and his left ear is perked up.  Tucker lived with me at this apartment the summer of 2003; he moved into the Husband's townhouse in August.  For the whole summer his ears were both down.  In the website ad, both his ears are perky, which he has done a few other times also.  But when he's comfortable, he has one perky ear and one floppy ear and that's what makes him the cutest!  And I think he deserves a treat on his Gotcha Day!

Fashion Friday Link up- OOTD

I'm linking up with LC at The Brunette Bride for Fashion Friday's Outfit Of The Day!

I feel like I need to explain ... err justify... my outfit a bit.  Noah has a fever and we are more than likely not leaving the house much today.  But honestly I do really like this look; it's very me for Spring/Summer.  But no, it's not glamorous.

(clearly I have issues taking pictures of myself)

Embarrassingly the whole outfit- shorts, t-shirt, and sweater are from Ann Taylor Loft.   I definitely won't be going in there today!

• I love the neutral gray short and like this length for me. 
• The t-shirt is very soft and has an open neck, but not quite a V.  This is important because Noah likes to pull on my shirts making my V's belly button deep by days end.  
• And the sweater is from the sleep/swim section.  It is very me and while I wouldn't wear it to sleep in, I would definitely throw it over a bathing suit.  In this fantasy I have my pre-baby body and am also on a boat.   
• The flip flops are Flirty Braided Rainbows from Nordstrom.
• Fingernails are Essie Navigate Her and toes are Ole Caliente

 

What are you wearing today?

Time to get to work

We are almost two months away from a beach trip and I have some serious work to do.  Every other blog I read touches on this issue at least occasionally.  And posting about it gives me some accountability.  I'm unhappy with how I look.  Welcome to the female gender, right?

2007, 2008, 2009 I was in great shape.  It used to be relatively easy.  I'd run or elliptical and do exercises from Shape Magazine.  Probably 90 minutes of exercise 5 days a week.  I could eat desserts, ice cream, yumminess and never gain a pound.  If I fell off the exercise wagon or went on vacation, I'd just run for a week or so and boom I'd be back.

While working, I would eat the same thing every day.  Breakfast: cheese and egg white omelet with one piece of toast or oatmeal with brown sugar.  10am Snack: Goldfish.  Lunch: turkey and cheddar sandwich, banana, and a granola bar.  3pm Snack: Goldfish.  Anyone I worked with can attest to this exact schedule.

On September 4, 2009 (my 29th birthday), I was in the best shape of my life and we decided to start trying for a baby. I got pregnant 3 cycles later.  I lost the baby weight initially, but I am not strong, toned, muscular; let's just say I no longer have a 4 pack.  But I've gained a few pounds over the winter.  And I'm lazy and tired and have all the excuses of a mom with a toddler.  But no more!

I have a random number I'd like to hit weight wise, but it's more about how I look in and out of my clothes and how I feel.   I want my XS undies to fit right; I don't want to tuck my stomach into my jeans; I want to have a flat stomach in my bikini at the beach and forever more!  In the words of Jacqueline Laurita from RHoNJ, I want my belly button to look surprised again (I'm paraphrasing).  The number is 127.  I was 124 when I got married but I can only maintain that weight for about a week surviving on rice cakes and Goldfish alone.

I'm not 28 anymore and I've had a baby.  I still have leaky sneezes. (If you've had a baby you know what that means. If you haven't then you'll find out when you sneeze for the first time after delivering your bundle of joy. If you are a man just delete that sentence from you memory.)  I eat differently now.  More food while Noah's napping, more frozen yogurt, more snacky foods and a lot more coffee.  This is now going to take some time, effort, work, and I'm going to have to be more patient for results.


I bought Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and 6week Ab workout.  (How could I not? It was $14.00 on Amazon. And in unrelated Jillian news, I have a huge hair crush on her.  I think she has the most beautiful hair.)  I'm keeping in mind more what I'm eating and when.  I'm doing my spinach smoothie in the mornings, cherry smoothie at night.  I'm running and ellipticalling.  Wrist injury be damned I did dips yesterday!  Exercising is moving up on the list; which means I'll probably be showing up to some playdates stinky and in running clothes.  Hopefully a small price to pay for getting a bit of myself back, feeling and looking better even though in the short term I'll be looking a little worse out in public.

I debated about including a picture - it's goofy but it tells the story of a missed pre-baby belly.

2008

I won an Award!

Thanks so much to LC for nominating me for my first every blog award! I'm SUPER excited.

I nominate the following for a Liebster Blog Award:

1. Amanda
2. TIffy's Tearoom
3. Sarah
4. Samantha
5. Kim

Congratulations ladies!

Here are 5 Random Facts about me:

1. My favorite snack food is Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.  I eat a BIG box of them about every two weeks.
2. I'm a random history buff; the subject matter is always random but I'll learn everything I can about that particular history subject: The Vanderbilts/The Biltmore Estate, the Titanic, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Amelia Earhart, etc.
3. I've broken each of my wrists twice.
4. I was born in Paterson, NJ.
5. My music tastes run WIDE, very wide.  But my all time favorite music is 90's R&B & Rap/Hip Hop- R. Kelly, Aaliyah, Puff Daddy (his 90's name), MJB, Tyrese, Jagged Edge, Ginuwine, Usher.  I'll finish with I've seen Bone, Thugs, & Harmony in concert...

SO, You've been nominated!? Here's what to do!

Each Nominee Should:

1. Choose five up and coming blogs to give the Liebster award to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they’ve received the award.
5. Share five random facts about yourself!

Tuesday Love Is Back!

I haven't done a Tuesday Love in a little while but have a few things I've been loving lately.

-Train Sheets (from PBK).  Not for me, but for Noah.  He doesn't need new toys or that damn train table; these sheets kept him really occupied for a long time.  And I heard him talking to his "Choo-Choos" around 5am one chilly morning too (thankfully we both fell back asleep).

- Draw Something. I love this free Iphone game.  My longest streak is *almost* 100 draws (still going strong thanks to Sarah; 3 to go & I cannot wait!) and I have over 200 coins after 'buying' a new palate of colors.  Anyone addicted to this game and want to play?  I always lose at Words with Friends (always!)  But even though I'm a horrible drawer this is my current go-to game.

This is Bonfire - in case you can't tell

-Initial Necklaces.  I had a 'J' necklace in highschool and dated someone with the same initial.  A lot of people thought the J was for him but it was definitely for me.  I now actually want someone else's initial.  But I wonder if it's weird to wear an 'N' when my name starts with a J.

From Stellaanddot.com

- I love a 'New Hair' Day.  Today I got my hair down- highlight, shampoo, cut, blow dry, and flat iron.  My hair never looks better than on days Claire at Bella Trio has her hands on it.  I hate paying for it though; my upkeep trends on every 10, 12, 14 ... 24 weeks.  But I never feel better than on a new hair day. I've also had my brows done and a pedicure here and it is really a full service spa.  Funny enough they are having a Living Social deal today! $35 shampoo, cut, etc. 

- When searching for my toddler transitional handbag I ran across a photo of the Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Totally PM handbag.  I didn't realize it was an LV when I first saw it but quickly put it on my Not Going to Happen list.  I saw the bag today at the salon and last week out and about too.  I really do like it; maybe it will go on my 5 year wish list

- Noah's heart. It's not all the time, but when he decides to show how big his heart is it makes me want to cry. Occasionally the mood will strike him to initiate a hug with one of his friends; or grab their hand and lead them to the door so they can see 'his' dog; or hold their hand to walk in the parking lot.  I have a few photos of what I mean, but take my word for it, two toddlers with their arms around each other, heads on each others shoulders, smiling and hugging is THE sweetest thing.

Animal Anxieties

Noah loves animals ... in books.  Now cats and dogs are no problem for Noah, but anything else causes some anxiety.  We read about animals all.the.time!  The first animal sound Noah made was "Moo" at my cousin's house right after his first birthday while reading our favorite, Is Your Mama a Llama?   We visited Max at the Museum of Life and Science a few months earlier that summer and Noah was okay with him until he started actually mooing.  Poor Max; Noah has never been a fan.

Max

In March, Noah and I visited the NC Zoo.  This was our second visit; the first visit he was all about the chimps.  He looked at them forever.  This visit- nope.  He was not having it.  He was seriously scared and wanted to stay as far away as possible.  I'm pretty sure he didn't think there was glass between us.  He eventually warmed up to the elephant, but initially he ran away.

Even though I know he's still wary of Max at Life and Science along with the donkey, goats, and sheep he warmed up to the bunnies and pigs on our last visit.  The next day we were going to Farm Animal Days.  If you are a mom in our area you've heard about this.  Three days a year, for a few hours each day, the NCSU College of Agriculture lets you come on their farm to touch the baby animals and eat ice cream for free.  How could you not want to go?  So their website says that 9am is one of their not busy times.  We headed over to get there at 9 and were slammed with a minivan SUV traffic jam before we even hit the driveway.  Almost 15 minutes later we were parking in a field surrounded by what someone Tweeted as Woodstock for Honda Odyssey's.  It was SO crowded.  Noah has never been anywhere so crowded besides the fair and he was in the stroller then.

We started with baby bunnies.  Nope, Noah would not touch a bunny let alone let go of my shirt and hair to get close to one.  I should have brought the Ergo.  Next baby chicks.  So cute but no dice.

The signs all over the chick area said to wash your hand immediately after touching these little cuties.  Well of course, I couldn't find the hand washing station immediately.  All the while Noah practiced his gentle touches all over my face.  Good thing he didn't touch the chick all that much.  Once we found that hand washing station I could barely pump the water out anyways.  Good thing for wipes!

He did touch a baby goat; is that a kid?  He's into goats right now. I think he thinks it's fun to say.  No lamb though; it was so soft.  He has no idea what he's missing.  We tried to take a picture with the lamb.

From the goats and sheep we could see the tractors.  There were maybe 5 of them.  Noah really wanted to get on a tractor.  He just kept saying it over and over again.  Unfortunately the lines were too long for us to wait.  Poor kid, this was the only thing he wanted to do.  Maybe next year.  Instead I drug him over to the cows for a bit more torture. 

 Yes, those are baby tears because we are too close to the mom and baby cow in the pen behind us.

But he dried his tears and actually started talking about the cows.

Because he found some about 200 yards away with a body of water between them and him.  Can you just barely see the black dots in this photo? Those are the cows he started yabbering about.

And then the moment I was most looking forward to.

A little open space to sit in the sun with some strawberry ice cream.  And though exhausted, Noah did not nap after our farm adventure (we are on an every other day schedule this was an off day). But we still had a great day and I'll be looking forward to another Farm Animal Day next year with a little less anxiety.

Pinterest Baby

I feel like I've been a little too busy for Pinterest lately.  This is not necessarily a bad thing because I'm growing a Pinterest baby and I'm not happy about it.  I will peruse the pinners I'm following's Pins, but I haven't been looking for Pins myself.



I really enjoyed this from The Money Pit: Sweet Ginger Beef and Broccoli

I can't even remember ever cooking with ground beef before.  I use a lot of ground turkey breast but not beef.  This was super easy and really tasty.  I had everything in my cabinet already (I used ginger crystals minced instead of fresh ginger because I had it on hand) and it took minutes.  I served it with rice but next time I'll use lettuce.  It tasted just like [insert your favorite Asian restaurant] appetizer lettuce wraps.  

Then I decided to impose Pinterest on my book club.  I struggled this month.  I always want to finish the book, though my book club doesn't require that you finish.  I was hosting and I wanted to finish.  But the book was rough; the subtitle of Under the Banner of Heaven is A Story of Violent Faith- no shit! This book was violent.  But I finished the book in time to make some treats for the ladies.  Just in time.

The night before I made Cake Batter Muddy Buddies from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

So I've never made muddy buddies- I guess that might be a little strange.  But I had a box of vanilla cake mix sitting in my pantry so I just needed Rice Chex and Almond Bark (I used the tray of melting white chocolate instead).  The reviews on this dessert were really good.  I made it in about 5 minutes; I mean it's easy.  But I did not like it; and I'll eat cake batter raw, salmonella be damned.  It is sweet!  The Husband agreed.  For book club it tasted a little better than it did when the chocolate was still melty; but it needs a milk chaser for me.  The book club ladies agreed; though a mini book club member accompanying her mom loved it. Kid approved I guess!

A few hours prior to book club I made Sour Patch Grapes or Glitter Grapes from Pure Sugar.

I'll go with Glitter Grapes because I love Sour Patch kids and these do not taste like Sour Patch kids.  But they were yummy.  Basically wash off your grapes, leaving them wet.  Pour some Jello powder on a plate and roll the wet grapes around until coated and refrigerate.  I used Melon Fusion Jello per Pure Sugar, but I think Lime might be better.  These were a hit with my book club ladies; everyone (especially those with kids) wanted the 'recipe.'  The mini book club member did eat them and she doesn't like grape skin!  Kid approved again.

Hopefully this week I can get my ass back into a workout mentality and get rid of the Pinterest baby!