The Famous Stool, Again!

So I am not the only one that uses MY stool. Anthony has used it NON-STOP since we brought it home!
Now I have to fight him for my stool! UGH, could I please have MY stool to myself!

Let the Baking Begin!!!

So with the fall season ahead of us, it marks the beginning of my baking season. So to kick it off I decided to make brownies from scratch! It was surprisingly easy and they are really good. Here is the beginning. I made sure to measure out all my ingreidents first and then began.
This is all the ingriedents together and placed in the pan and ready for the oven!

All done! These brownies are so DE-LISH! The only thing that would make them better is if they had frosting on them, but I thought that might be a chocolate overload, since they are already double chocolate brownies! Maybe I will make these for when my parents come although I plan to have sugar cookies and pumpkin pie too. Hmmmm, better start working out mom!

One of my favorites!

So I recently got back on my Wii Fit and I was happily surprised that it said I weighed 5.4lbs less than I had been before. Now it also said that I weighed 7lbs less then what I weighed at the doctors office, so I don't know accurate my little board is. Sad! Is there anyway to make my board more accurate??? Anyway onto one of my favorite things!
This is one of my MOST favoritest things!!! Tomato Mozzarella Salad. I could eat my weight in this alone! The salad dressing is a basil balsamic vinaigrette, hmmmm DE-LISH! The basil you see on the plate is from my garden, as well as the tomatoes! This is healthy salad minus the dressing I am sure, but oh well it is so good I can't ever pass it up! Thank you honey for making me something delicious always!!!

Fall is coming and I love food!

Thank you Tropical Storm Hermine for all your rain, but you could have come yesterday when I had to work. Now I know I live in the Midwest but apparently tropical storms that come up through Texas make it to St. Louis.

This week has started to cool off and stay around 70 instead of 90 or 100, which all of us enjoy. Last week I decided to put up my fall decorations which I enjoyed and of course my wonderful hubby put up with, of course. Today after some wonderful green tea, a delicious omelet (made by the best chef) and some baby book reading, I am going to step on my Wii-Fit....yes, I am very scared, but now that I have started to like food again, and real food at that, I would like to try and make healthy choices. For last few months, I have lived on Top Ramen, Mac and Cheese and donuts! Healthy I know, but it sounded good and Anthony was begging me to eat anything. I have had a good couple of days, and hope that, that continues. I have been reading about healthy choices as well as watching my weight so that I don't go crazy and gain twice as much as I need to! While I understand weight gain is important, I also know it is important to maintain a healthy weight too! My doctor would like me to gain right around 25 pounds in total, so far I have not gained any, but now that food is appealing I could reach that 25 pounds at record speed! So here is my plan, lots of fruit, veggies, lean meats and whole wheat! Also a light exercise plan, swimming and walking.

So back to the fact that Fall is coming. This is my favorite time to BAKE, ugh not healthy! I love Sugar cookies, making pumpkin pie and lots of other things. Sugar cookies will be my weakness straight through Christmas! On the garden front things are starting to slow, minus my tomatoes, good god they are like energizer bunnies!! I don't think I am going to plant anything for the fall, I just have so much going on, I know I will regret this in a month or so, but it is a decision I have made. I will still have my herbs and some other small things, but nothing to exciting!

All for now, we are headed out to do some shopping later and to look at some baby stores, so I will know which ones to take my parents to when they come. HEHEHE!!

Mine, Mine and More Mine!!

When we started planning our trip to Washington, we did the usual planning and packing, but before we ever left, I called my grandparents and begged them for something. No not money...I begged my grandfather to please make a step-stool and then begged my grandmother to paint it! Now this may seem rather odd to most, but to me it was of the up most importance. You see when I was 3 years old my grandparents made and gave to me a step-stool complete with the date, my name and a teddy bear on the top. Now this was MY stool, however as time went on everyone in the house used it my mom, my brother, house guests, sometimes the dogs would stand their front feet on it, whoever needed it used it. When I moved away to college there was a short discussion about taking the stool, but my mom insisted she needed it and so it stayed at home. When I moved away to South Carolina there was no discussion, she was keeping it and that was it. In recently years, I have tried stealing it when visiting but getting it on a plane always seemed to be difficult. Sooooo when Anthony and I decided to drive to Washington this time, the first discussion was about me taking MY stool and of course, my mother would always proclaim that it was HERS! Now mind you, it has MY name on it and my grandmother will tell you that she gave it TO ME! A week or so before we were gearing about to leave the disagreement escalated to my mom stating that she was hiding the stool and that I could not have it, nor would I find it while I was there. Now, normally the stool was placed in the kitchen in one of the corners by the microwave, and it had been there for years. When we arrived to my parents house, I noticed it was not in its normal place. I never said a word, however, I did discover that it had made its way to the laundry room. Nice try Mom. I did not mention that I would be taking my stool at the end of the week, however, Anthony knew WE WERE NOT LEAVING WITHOUT THAT STOOL! Now lets back track a week or so before we had arrived I had called my grandmother to make sure the new stool was complete, she exclaimed in great distress that the stool had been built (thanks grandpa) but that she had not painted it. Now like most things, I insisted that it get done, my poor grandma had been planning a huge party and had quite a few people coming to visit (for the party) and seemed a little stressed about the whole ordeal, however, this whole stool ordeal was far more important. (Atleast to me!!) She promised she would have it done and I was thrilled. Now fast forward to Saturday the day of this huge party. We arrived early, as instructed by my grandmother. After our initial hugs, Anthony and I had a huge announcement, our baby, but we also had to give my mother her stool! So first things first the giving of the stool!!! My mother was happy to receive her new stool and I quickly stated I would be taking mine now, thank you!!! Next came the baby news, which was thrilling to share of course!! When we returned home that evening, Anthony went straight in the house, grabbed the stool and put it in the car!!! So now my little stool resides in our house and I have already used it! This precious little stool story may seem silly to most, but it was so important to me and it also drives home that my poor hubby really does live with an obsessive crazy person!!

Garden Surprise

So earlier this year I had planted some Watermelon seeds, not knowing anything about how to go them! At the time I was reading a book called Farm City, and the author of the book too, had planted Watermelon seeds. She marveled at the fact that they were so slow to germinate, and then to begin to vine. She nursed them along and with no luck she got vines but no melons. At the time, I thought, well she lived in L.A. and the climate there is so different from mine, I figured it wouldn't be that difficult. So finally, the little plants got big enough that I planted them in the ground. I planted 4 little plants, only one actually survived! This tough little plant grew vines like crazy, long beautiful vines with cute little flowers, but no Watermelons! Before we left for vacation there was no sign of anything, and I had all but given up, I figured while I was gone the whole vine would die, and like the author I would have no melons. Off we went on vacation, when we returned, the garden had some causalities which I expected, but my beautiful vine was still alive. I quickly glanced in the bed and saw nothing but a whole alot of grass, weeds and bugs. Boy were there bugs!!! (More on that later) Not until two days later when I was out with the dogs did I see this....

A WATERMELON!!! SUCCESS!!! I couldn't believe it, Anthony was at work but I didn't care, I text him, that WE ACTUALLY HAD A WATERMELON! I was sure that it was ready, although when Anthony came home and saw it, he said no. So I waited, meanwhile watching the bugs creep closer and closer to my precious watermelon! Finally, the other night I went out to the garden and discovered that my poor little melon, was covered, and I mean covered in bugs! I ran in the house, yelling for Anthony to come help me save my precious little watermelon. Thankfully, Anthony retrieved the melon and saved it! So last night, after dinner we decided to brave and cut it open!! Its been sitting in the sink for probably 3 days!!! Can I just say it is DE-LISH!
I know it isn't as red/pink inside as grocery store melons, but it tastes just as good!!! Sorry mom and Jeff there will be no second melon, as the vines collapsed yesterday due to all the bugs, I am sure, but this Watermelon is AMAZING! I am so proud of myself, I think out of all the things I have grown in the past 3 years this is the best! I hope to maybe grow more in the years to come, but if not I will always have the memory of this precious little melon.

Our Little Bean

So I had my 3rd doctors appointment today and everything was perfect!! Blood work, perfect! Baby's heartbeat AMAZING!!! We are very excited, about our new adventure and can't wait to meet our little bean!! My next ultrasound isn't for 7 more weeks, which makes both Anthony and I sad, but hopefully in the next 3-4 weeks I should be able to start to feel he/she move around, which I am sure will be overwhelming! Poor Anthony won't be able to feel the bean, move yet, but his turn will come. I will keep everyone updated as time goes on, PROMISE!! All for now, I have a garden surprise to talk about soon!

Tomatoes!!!

This is about how many tomatoes we collect everyday. 19 tomato plants might have been a little to many!
See all those RED ones, goodness! Thank goodness the dogs eat a few or we would never keep up. This was the most decilious tomato EVER! Now it could just be because I am pregnant and random thing taste amazing, but Anthony even said it was DE-LISH! This picture was taking before we left for Washington and when we got back it was beautiful and ripe! There is another one coming and I can't wait to eat it!!