Start of Summer

It's Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer. It has certainly felt like summer the past couple of days. I think I saw 91 degrees on the car thermometer today. I'm so grateful for a long weekend, I really need a short work week.

Today, Nate and I drove to Kent Island to satisfy our cravings for Maryland crabs. We ate at the Crab Deck, and enjoyed a tasty dozen of steamed crabs. The Crab Deck is a casual, open air restaurant that sits along the bay. They have an extensive menu, even if you don't want crabs you are sure to find something. They also have a nice selection of frozen and summertime drinks:).

Ready for our anniversary celebration: Crabs...

Yum!

Last night we enjoyed a cookout at our friends' house and tomorrow we'll be at a family cookout. In honor of cookouts a few very quick and easy recipes.

Chocolate Trifle
- Bake one chocolate cake according to directions
-1 large box chocolate pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 1 large container cool whip
- chocolate chips
Mix chocolate pudding and 2 cups of milk, put in refrigerator for a few minutes.
Layer the following into a large (preferably clear bowl): Cake, cut into small pieces Top with pudding then cool whip. Repeat. Add some chocolate chips to the top and you're done!

Strawberry Angel Trifle
-1 angel food cake store bought or prepared according to box
-8 ounces cream cheese
-1 large pkg. instant vanilla pudding
-2 cups milk
-Sliced strawberries, also add blueberries if you want to be patriotic
-1 large cool whip
Mix cream cheese, vanilla pudding, and 2 cups milk.
Layer the following in large bowl (preferably clear): Angel Food cake cut into small pieces, vanilla pudding mixture, cool whip, and strawberries Repeat. Top with strawberries.

Tiger Dip
-12 ounces cream cheese
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup HOT salsa
-chili powder
-chopped lettuce
-diced tomato
-sliced jalapeno peppers
-shredded Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese
-tortilla chips
Mix together cream cheese, sour cream and chili powder. Fold in salsa. Spread mixture on a large plate and top with cheese, then vegetables, sprinkle a little chili powder on top and serve with tortilla chips.

Avocado Feta Salsa (double for large group):
-2 plum tomatoes diced
- 1 avocado, diced
-1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1 clove carlic minced
- 1 Tbsp parsley
-1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
-4 oz feta cheese
-tortilla chips
Mix all ingredients except the chips. Chill and serve with chips.

4 Years

I can't believe it's been 4 years since Nate and I tied the knot at Liberty Mountain. What a perfect day we had that created such fond memories which will last a lifetime. It's been a wonderful 4 years filled with lots of love, special moments, fun trips, good times with family and friends, and of course what could be more exciting than our baby boy who will arrive in less than 2 months! Due to the state of my belly, I won't be attempting to put on my beautiful wedding dress this year as I've done each year in the past. I guess I'll have to settle for my veil and of course watching the video. As we looked back at our wedding pics the other night, we couldn't believe how young we looked. What are we going to think after 40 years?

Happy Anniversary Nathan, may we have many more!

A few pics from our special day....

All of these pics are scanned except for the honeymoon shots, sorry for the poor quality.

From our honeymoon in Turks and Caicos.

32 Weeks

32 weeks! I'm starting to feel relatively large, quite tired and always hot! I also have difficulty sleeping, but other than these few minor issues everything continues to go well. We are over half way through our 6 session baby class series. Tonight, we toured the labor and delivery area of the hospital and learned about c-sections, this was all a bit scary. The hospital facilities are as nice as can be expected and if all the nurses are as knowledgeable as our teacher I think we'll be well cared for. By now, our little guy should weigh about 4 pounds and is about 16.5 inches long. Over the next 7 weeks, he will fatten up and gain 1/3 to 1/2 of his total birth weight. He now has fingernails, toenails, and real hair. A friend of mine recently gave birth to twins at 32 weeks, it's hard to imagine having the baby right now, I'm just not ready yet. Fortunately, my friend has an adorable baby boy and baby girl who are both happy and healthy at home:)

We received two baby gifts yesterday. A high chair and pac n play were waiting on our porch when we got home. Thanks so much, we can't wait to use these items! As we accumulate more gear, it becomes more real that our little boy will soon be here. I still haven't finished decorating the nursery but maybe over the weekend I'll be able to do a few things and then post pics.

Big Momma 32 weeks

Blue Parrot Bistro- Restaurant Review

I haven't posted a restaurant review for a while, since we ate at one of my favorite places in Gettysburg last night it's time for a review. The Blue Parrot is a bar/restaurant in downtown Gettysburg, and is a great choice for lunch or dinner. It's a small restaurant, therefore during tourist season you should make a reservation on Fridays and Saturdays. The tables are somewhat close together, so it's not a place to dine if you are looking for privacy, but it's certainly quaint and the historic building adds to the ambiance. It's my understanding the Parrot tries to use local produce and breads when available.

The lunch menu includes sandwiches, salads, a daily quiche, soups (the crab and french onion are both delish), lasagna, an open faced omelette, a panani special and my favorite the turkey quesadilla. Also, if you are looking for a light lunch, the humus, which is served with fresh veggies and pita chips is very good.

The dinner menu has daily appetizer and main course specials, in addition to the appetizers, soups, burgers, light entrees, and full dinners offered all the time. I've had several of the appetizers in the past, and my favorite is definitely the steamed clams, the white wine garlic sauce is probably the best I've had. While you only get a dozen, they are quite a treat. Last night after my clam appetizer, I had the salmon. The salmon is complemented nicely by the sesame seed coating and the ginger lime sauce. The salmon is served with garlic mashed potatoes and a side salad (I recommend the raspberry vinaigrette dressing). Nate loves the prime rib at the Parrot, he raves about it every time he gets it. Our friend also had that prime rib last night and enjoyed it very much . Beware, if you order the prime rib the portion is huge. I don't really eat red meat but I do try bits of Nate's steaks. The prime rib at the Parrot is full of flavor, very tasty! My favorite entree at the Parrot was always the tuna, but I haven't seen it on the menu for a while, maybe they don't serve it anymore? The Parrot offers a decent election of beers and has a smaller wine list. I believe they are one of the few bars in Gettysburg that serves 3 olives vodka, always a plus in my book (when I can drink). For dessert, Nate has a hard time leaving without having the tiramisu. I'm not a huge fan of tiramisu but it is quite tasty at the Parrot and doesn't overwhelm you with the taste of liquor or coffee. For drinks, lunch or dinner the Parrot is one of my local favorites:)

Frangipani Wins!

Frangipani Resort, the resort that Nate and I stayed at in Anguilla in March, won an award for being the best kept secret boutique hotel, as chosen by Travel Reports with Hugh Downs. Check out the video on YouTube. I'm wishing that I was sitting on one of their chairs right now looking out at Meads Bay.

More of my Favorites

Bulbs originally planted with love in Wells Tannery by Nate's Grandma, now growing in Fairfield:)

So many irises. Plant given to my by the guys at Village Florist, Hagerstown, MD. The same guys who used all of the irises below a little over four years ago to create our wedding flowers:)

Started with a bucket of irises
Created beautiful bouquets

and centerpieces

Horton's go Homegrown

Today, Nate and I finished up some things in the yard. We planted 2 gardens, our lower garden has tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes, lettuce and spinach. We have one row left to plant, just need to figure out what to plant. Our upper garden is for vine plants and has watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers and squash. Now, we'll just hope everything grows. Just as a fyi, if you love strawberries like me you might want to visit your local farm because it seems the berries are ready a little early this year:). We purchased some yesterday from Trayers Farm and Greenhouse in Mercersburg, PA. Today, we had fresh strawberry pie, here is the recipe I use.

Lower Garden

Hopefully our fence keeps the critters out, so that our plants have a chance to grow!

Vine plants patch

Sophie watched while we worked. Isn't she pretty?


Some pics while our landscaping still looks pretty after fresh mulch.

I'm loving how this landscaping in front of our deck is coming along.

Coral bells

My Favorites

Some of my irises are blooming:)

I only have a couple of these, it's the first time they have bloomed.

Lots more of this type to bloom, but a few are out.

30 Weeks

I'm 30 weeks today, it feels like a milestone, only 10 weeks to go! We just got home from our second baby class. Tonight, we learned about the stages of labor (focusing on the 1st stage), breathing, and relaxation. So far the classes have been informative and worthwhile. We have 4 more classes to go to; next week we are going to talk about the 2nd phase of labor and pain options. Big Momma (me) continues to get bigger (see pic below). I've been really tired lately. It's all I can do to stay awake, but there's so much to do at work and home. I've also been blessed with pregnancy acne again, lovely! The baby is about 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs about 3 pounds. I can certainly tell he's getting bigger as he seems to be pushing at the top of my belly and causing discomfort for portions of the day. I think this is partly due to having to sit at my desk hunched over the computer all day and therefore squishing him. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very good . When he does open his eyes after he's born, he'll respond to changes in light but will have only 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from her face. At my next weekly update, I'll have single digit weeks to go :).

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing all the Mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day, especially my own Mom- hoping I can be a wonderful Mom like you.

A little something for Mom's...(I did not write this, it is a forward that found it's way into my inbox recently.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

29 weeks

There's not much to update on this week. I'm still feeling fine, my belly is growing... and growing, and growing. The little guy continues to move around constantly, I think he's going to be quite the athlete. He should now weigh about 2 1/2 pounds and is a slightly over 15 inches long. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. His nutritional demands are increasing and his bones are soaking up lots of calcium as his skeleton is hardening each day.

I need to begin the daycare search. It's really difficult because Nate and I both commute pretty far to work and in different directions. The daycare's only want the baby to spend 10 hours a day in the center (which should be plenty of time) therefore we must figure out how we can work this out with our work schedules. At first, I was thinking that we would use the local Y, but if I drop the baby off at 7:00 on my way to Harrisburg Nate would need to pick him up at 5:00 which won't always be possible. If I wait to drop him off at 7:30 to allow Nate a later pick time in the evening, I wouldn't get home from work until about 7 and that's just too late. I'm open to a private day care provider but only if the individual is recommended to me personally by someone I know. I think that a private day care could be a good option because the baby would be getting more one on one attention but then you risk the person getting sick and being left without childcare, not to mention that private individuals (depending on how they are operating) are not subject to all of the rules and regulations as day care centers. I also like the socialization and education aspects that centers provide once the little guy is old enough for these types of activities. It's a really difficult decision, especially considering the child will spend as much or more time with the child care provider(s) than us:(.

29 weeks

Time to Play in the Dirt!

It might have been a little early but Mom, Tammy, Gram, and I already made our trip to Lurgan Greenhouse and Nursery. They have a huge selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, and outdoor decor/furniture. Also, on Saturdays in May, they have chicken barbeque. The nursery doesn't have a website but the address and phone number are: 8126 Oakdale Rd Orrstown, PA 17244-9694, (717)532-9045. You won't be disappointed. I bought a cart full of annuals, mostly for my pots and some for in my beds. Everything has been planted, except 6 impatients which I'm going to wait to plant until there is less risk of cooler weather. I hope the weather stays warm so I'm not forced to take the pots inside or cover them up at night. Now, I just have to everything will grow, grow, grow! I'll post pics this summer to let you know if I had a green thumb this year or not. Next, up mulch...fun, fun, especially when it's getting harder to bend over.

Out back, colors: peach, blue and white

Back deck, big pots

Still need a climbing plant for in this pot.

Hanging baskets, made at Lurgan, by the deck/steps. Thanks Gram.


Out front, colors: purple, yellow, and white

Hanging baskets that I made for the front porch.


These pots on the front porch look pretty sad right now, hope they grow!



My clematis is really blooming this year!

Nate played in the dirt this weekend too. He has his garden almost ready to plant:)