Ten on Tuesday

1. What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then tried and liked?

Meatloaf? Broccoli? I was a very picky eater when I was little, so there's a lot I like now and never would have eaten then.

2. Do you subscribe to any foodie publications? If so, which ones? 
I used to get Kraft Foods magazine, but now I've got nothin'.

3. What ingredient do you find yourself reaching for the most when you cook?
Probably garlic.

4. Are there any foods that you hated as a child, but then learned to like as an adult?
See #1

5. What do you like to eat that others may consider weird?
potato chips and cottage cheese...try it

6. What is the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever cooked with?
ginger root 

7. Do you have any major food allergies?
Nope.

8. Is there an ingredient that you would like to cook with, but are intimidated to try?
Not that I can think of.

9. Do you bake?
Yes, but not often enough. 

10. If you could go on any “foodie” show to compete, which one would it be, and why?
None, unless I was guaranteed to win a kitchen remodel. I'd rather be a judge. 

My thoughts on life right now:

I've cooked dinner twice this week, and it's only Tuesday! :)

America's Funniest Videos should be on 24 hours a day...cracks Aidan and I up every episode.

M-I-C...K-E-Y...M-O-U-S-E

Aidan's 3rd really? birthday is quickly approaching. And while I'd love to say I'm organized and everything always turns out as I dream it up in my head, that would be lying. I also must admit I'm totally jealous of some of the blogs I follow that have awesome parties shown on them. I only wish I would take the time to make my parties just as fun and unique. So I'm going to try, just a few things each time, to make my parties more festive.

Aidan really loves Mickey Mouse, but not just Mickey, all his friends too. When we gave him the choice between Toy Story and Mickey Mouse, he immediately said "Mickey. And all, alllllll his friends." So, let the planning begin. I wanted to find a personalized Mickey's Clubhouse invite, and where else but etsy could I find a reasonable and great-looking one? (Now that I've got this fancy MacBook Pro I really need to put it to use and start creating this stuff...wonder what other programs I'll need to add on...?) After a little lot of searching for the perfect one, I found one and had the seller personalize it:

I also lucked out on one of my trips to Target and found the Mickey's Clubhouse stickers on sale for 78 cents for two sheets. Of course I picked up like eight packs, just in case...might land in the kiddie goodie bags, which I'm also planning on doing. I got the semi-matching plain envelopes from Michael's and was quite pleased with how that part of the planning turned out. 

Now it's onto decorations, cake/cupcakes, favors, and cleaning house! 

Oh, found these fun zig zag accordian streamers thanks to Janey Mac and I love the way it looks...definitely want to put these somewhere.

My thoughts on life right now:
Holy moly! 3 years?!?!
Time for more accomplishment, less procrastination.

baby, baby, baby ohh

Nope, not a post about a Justin Bieber song, but a post announcing that another little blessing is on the way!!!

That's right, Aidan's going to be a big brother. 

Today I'm 17 weeks and 5 days pregnant. According to multiple ultrasounds I should be due August 26th, give or take a few days. Since I had a c-section with Aidan, I'll probably choose to schedule another one for this baby and it will be a week earlier. Ideally August 18th would be the day, sandwiched right between my brother and dad's birthdays, but I've learned that these things just can't be planned and God has a plan for everything. 

Which leads me to our journey to this baby. I wasn't sure how this post was going to go, and quite frankly, I'm still not sure where it's going, so stick with me here. October 5th I had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. According to ultrasounds the baby measured smaller, but there was a heartbeat and three days later there was not. It was devastating, painful, and life-changing. I would have never been able to get through it had it not been for Sean; he provided a strength and support that I needed more than ever at that moment. I also had the support of my family and friends, some friends who had been through the same loss unfortunately. After healing physically and emotionally, Sean and I knew that we still wanted another child and began to try again. We could only pray that we'd be blessed again. Since I had no idea when to expect my cycle and it had been a while, I tested on Christmas Eve, nervous it was either going to make that day or break it. Much to my surprise, this is the response I got: 

Telling Sean in a creative way went right out the window! I ran downstairs and saw Aidan on his lap and I was grinning ear to ear. I showed him the test and he was just as shocked as I was. We were thrilled but also quite apprehensive. We I no longer had that naivety about how being pregnant meant having a baby, but could mean saying goodbye before hello.  

After a dating ultrasound, an ultrasound to diagnose subchorionic hematoma, and a sequential screen ultrasound, I'm so looking forward to the anatomy scan ultrasound on April 7th~Sean's birthday. Honestly if I could go in once a week to see this little one I would. I guess once I really start feeling kicks, besides these random little flutters which I attribute to gas movement, I'll be able to breathe a lot easier (at least until the baby is taking up lung space). 

Oh yeah, Aidan is super-excited! Here's how a typical conversation about the baby goes with him:

Aidan: You have a baby in your belly?

Mommy: Yup. What's in your belly?

Aidan: I have fibe (5) babies in my belly.

Mommy: Oh yeah? What's in Daddy's belly?

Aidan: {in a scary, little voice} Big alligator!

Mommy: How about Mommy's belly? 

Aidan: Just one baby. {usually while holding up one finger}

Our latest discussions have been reminding him that Mommy's baby is real and what's in Daddy and Aidan's bellies are pretend, however that hasn't stopped him from telling me that his "fibe" babies are going to sit next to him in the car seat, and my baby can sit there too. Things ought to be interesting...

My thoughts on life right now:

Whew, finally "out" on blogger and facebook!

Can't wait for Aidan to be a big brother. 

Thanks for all the prayers, support, and positive thoughts from those who already knew. 

Thank God for this blessing.

Ten on Tuesday

{as always, questions borrowed from roots and rings}

1.  What condiments are always, always in your fridge?
Heinz ketchup, mustard, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

2.   How do you like your steak cooked?  Your burgers?
Medium well for steak and well for burgers. I don't want any of my meat still mooing. 

3.  What’s your favorite use for fresh tomatoes?
Grilled cheese with Jersey fresh tomatoes or tomato and cheese sandwich with lettuce and mayo. 

4.  What’s your go-to dinner when you haven’t planned anything in advance and you don’t feel like going out?
Chinese take-out. Or if that's considered "going out", then honey battered chicken nuggets and fries. 

5.  What’s your favorite snack food lately?
Cheeze-its or Tostitos. 

6.  What’s your favorite weekend breakfast to make at home? 
Chocolate chip pancakes

7.  What’s your favorite thing to grill?  How do you do it? 
Salmon in a foil pocket. Place salmon, EVOO, lemon juice, and some seasonings in and grill until flakes easily. Yum. Also love sliced veggies in a foil packet made the same way, minus the flakiness. 

8.  What’s your favorite wine for under $10? If you’re not a wine person, what brand of beer is your favorite?
Hmmm...there's probably a reisling out there for under $10, and a lot of our locals are close to $10. 

9.  Give us your most delicious cocktail recipe.
I like a good old Malibu Bay Breeze...Malibu coconut rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice. 

10.  How do you like your eggs?
Scrambled or dip (sunny side up).

My thoughts on life right now:

The thought of going to the gym crossed my mind for about an hour today...then I got on here and started doing other things. So much for the gym. 

Ten on Tuesday

{Questions borrowed from www.rootsandrings.com}

1. What is your cleaning style like?
Pretend it's not there? Just kidding. Things are usually clean, just a little cluttered. My mom tortured me growing up with a MWF vacuum schedule which makes me dislike vacuuming unless I have to. I can't wait until Aidan is old enough to have chores besides picking up his and the dog's toys. 

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?
Jewelry, since I never wear it. 

3. Do you like stormy weather?
I love summer thunderstorms that end with sun and a rainbow and winter snow storms that end with enough snow to play in. Besides that, it's just a nuisance. 

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?
Ice cream or water ice. 

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?
hmmm...not sure. 

6. Who is your favorite animated character?
Well Dory makes me laugh, but I don't really have a favorite. There's so many great movies. 

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?
What jewelry? j/k. My good stuff is worn and never taken off, the costume stuff is hanging from a cork board in my closet. 

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?
"Lived in", "toddler", "more toys" and "more lived in". Actually our living room does have a whole lotta Phillies going on...bobbleheads on ledge shelves, two banners, a Harry Kalas print, and a couple of other "things". 

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows – if so, what is your favorite?
I love HGTV. The ones where they redo the house inexpensively to sell are my favorite, and so are the landscaping ones. I wish someone would come do curb appeal to my house and design the inside to better work for us. Oh, and a kitchen remodel would be awesome. 

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking?
hmmm...Saturday. Gas light was going to come on any time, kept driving past two exits for gas, get off into traffic on another road, gas light comes on, have to turn around to go back to closest gas before running out...oh, and I was driver of Steph and we were in North Carolina. We made it just fine. :)

My thoughts on life right now:
Stinkin' sinus infection again.
Probably should be cleaning now instead of typing about it. 

Ten on Tuesday

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
Well I was supposed to be Anastasia Marie, but my dad said that no child should have to learn how to spell that name and if they were going to call me Staci anyway, then why bother with the longer name. I ended up Staci Nicole.

2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny? 
SNS was maiden and now it's SNC, so nope.  

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
It's mine and I've still got it. That's who I am. 

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin…)
Well we have an Aidan, and like the name Abigail for a girl, but if we ever have a boy we have no names picked out at all, so maybe/maybe not on the first letter theme. I do like a lot of Celtic origin names though.   

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
Not really, but probably shortly after Sean and I started dating I made a list of names I liked, Aidan being one of them. So I had Aidan picked before it became cool and popular. :)  Still have a few on the list, but not in love with them as much. 

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
Not that I know of.  

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
Both.

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)?
My first dog ever was Ginger, and the dog now is Toby, or more specifically, Toby Tyler. My guinea pig's name was Buster and Aidan's fish's name is Fish. So I guess it depends what animal. 

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
LOL. Being a teacher, there's a whole list of "will never name my kid that, heck, not even my dog!"

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
Aidan, Sean, Staci. Haha. I don't know. I don't have a list of favorites really. I like names that are unique, but not necessarily in the "Uniqua" catagory. I like that the three of us have simple names but are spelled a little different so they are our own. A name is just a name, it's not who makes the person. 


My thoughts on life right now:
Loving my family.
Hopes, dreams, and wishes for so many right now. 

Dinner & Drawing

My goal this week is to make dinner at home three times. Tonight my 30 minute meal consisted of roasted potato wedges (4 med sized red potatoes sliced in wedges, throw them in a gallon ziploc, toss in a T or 2 of EVOO, seal the bag and mix, then add a T of Mrs. Dash original seasoning and mix again. Throw on a cookie pan for 30 minutes, flipping at 15.) To go with the yummy potatoes I had (buy one get one free bagged) salad and crabcakes straight from Acme's seafood department. They aren't the fancy ones, but we like them and you can usually get them pretty cheap on sale. I'll admit, this pack of five cost me $1 because it was the last day of the use by date. I brought them home and froze them a month or two ago until I defrosted them yesterday. Yummy, quick, and cheap.

Tomorrow's dinner might be something simpler since I have a dentist and doctor appointment. Why waste two good nights when you can knock it all out in one evening, right?

Wednesday I'll probably make a garlic shrimp and pasta dish. Also very simple.

Oh, and just because I'm so proud, I have to share this with you:

Aidan made an "A" all by himself. I'm so proud of him. Usually we do it hand over hand, and being like a typical boy, he doesn't care too much about coloring. He'd much rather have a catch or a kick with a ball. So exciting!!! Now we just have to work on the other letters. He can recognize them, but isn't so interested in writing just yet. Maybe when he's three next month!

My thoughts on life right now:
My little man will be three in less than two months. Holy moly!
Cooking isn't all that bad, it's the cleaning up that stinks...good thing I've got a great hubs.

Ten on Tuesday

1. What type of cell phone do you have and how would you rate it?

iPhone and I love it. It's still fairly new, maybe a month old or so. Yay Verizon. lol. I never read the manual and hardly have any apps, but it's great. I'm too cheap to pay for apps yet, but might if there's one I really find I need. 

2. What has been your most serious injury?
hmm...I'm glad it's taking a few minutes to think about this. I was about 9 or 10 and was playing tag. Underestimated where a metal chin-up bar was on the playground and cracked open the bridge of my nose between my eyes. Got three stitches with no novacaine because I was more afraid of the needle than the stitches. I am one tough girl.  

3. What is one movie you hate and why?
Just one? Honestly I don't know, but do know that I hate scary or suspenseful movies.  

4. How many email addresses do you have?
3 that I check regularly, it used to be 5 which was a bit excessive. 

5. What website do you waste the most time on?
Definitely Facebook. Or maybe The Nest/Bump. 

6. Which mexican restaurant makes the best salsa?
Well I love Don Pablo's, but La Tolteca makes a good one too. 

7. What is your dream car?
A stylish, big SUV. Maybe an Escalade, or if I go more practical, I've had my eyes on the Armada lately. My dream car is as follows: practical, paid off, no rattling random parts that you’ll never be able to locate, good gas mileage, lasts years without giving me any grief, self cleaning – both inside and out, sunroof, DVD players in the back, great trunk space, and no small cracks that collect crumbs.  

8. If you could spend up to $100 with no strings or restrictions or guilt, what would you buy?
Right now, clothes probably. 

9. What is your favorite board game?
Candyland. J/K. Probably Sorry. 

10. How often do you change your hairstyle?
Once every few months it switches from long with layers to shoulder length with layers. I shed about 4 inches and call it a change. :)

My thoughts on life right now:
Tired, tired, and more tired. 
So much to do, so little motivation/idea/cash to do it.. 
Should be going to the gym more often, but napping on a treadmill isn't a good idea.