Preggo Brain!

Anyone mother can tell you the effects pregnancy tends to have on the brain. I haven't done my research to see if there is a medical link but any that has been pregnant once can vouch. Symptoms tend to include:

• Forgetfulness
• Train of thought loss
• Concept of Time loss
• Loss of Patience

Today is a prefect example. We were invited to a birthday party a week or two ago for a friend's daughter who is turning 1. I RSVP yes, told Mike, and even volunteered to make the Smash Cake. This morning the boys went off to work on the boy car, I cleaned the kitchen, got dinner in the crock pot, started laundry and went to chill with the computer and FB. One of my girlfriends, who is also invited to this party, replied to my post that I missed "baking a cake." This comment put me in a panic. I called my friend to confirm the party is today at 3pm. Mind you this all happened around 10:30am or 11. Needless to say I have been running around the kitchen like a mad cake baker! Within the hour I got the cake baking in the oven and the frosting made. I have not been able to get a hold of Mike to make sure he is home by 2. Right now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that in the next two hours I can:

• Shower
• Wrap birthday present
• Cool Cake
• Ice and decorate cake
• Get to Party on Time

From now on I will remember to write these things on the Calendar in the hallway. Thankfully I had everything needed in the house to get this cake made. I would feel AWFUL if Jayla didn't have a smash cake for her party. Come back and check to see if I manage to pull this off!

Breaking Records

I have set some new personal bests:

1. Gained 10lbs in 16 weeks (at least I have pregnancy to blame)
2. Done 0 loads of laundry in 2 weeks (thanks honey for picking up a little of my slack)
3. Ignored the crumbs on the kitchen floor for 2 weeks.

I am pretty sure there are other records that were recently broken but I think embarrassment is blinding me. Sunday has been spent doing some serious cleaning and at least the ground floor is worthy of guests. Sometimes we have to admit our flaws publicly so we can be shamed to take care of things.

My sister Megan visited with us for almost 2 weeks and we had a great time. She left us on Saturday and Liam has asked when she is coming back. He really doesn't think she needs to see any other countries. 

Lightning Tiger is 16 weeks along and doing well. We will have our ultrasound at the end of August and hopefully we will see a healthy little being and find out the sex. Mike is positive it's a boy and I am leaning toward girl due to some differences in this pregnancy. I hope it's not a boy because we have not been able to agree on boy names! Mike comes up with some very crazy names.

Till next time!

Italy Trip

My husband very kindly booked a trip for me to go to Italy for a weekend of cooking classes. The trip is ran by a company that operates Italian "restaurants" in the overseas commissaries called Gourmet Italia. Larry Pisoni , the owner of the company, is born and raised Italian and is married to wonderful woman, Carol who is from the DC area. They have been doing these cooking classes all over Italy for the last 20 years with a focus on the Mediterranean Cuisine.

Our class was pretty large and full of American Military and Govt Contractors from all over Europe. Everyone was very nice and they made the trip even better. Our weekend took place in the Asiago area of Italy and we stayed at a wonderful hotel. My travel companion flaked at the last minute so I got a big room all to myself.

The view from my balcony.

The cooking classes were more like demonstrations with some hands on. I was very happy that Marco (our chef) taught us how to make gnocchi and risotto. I have attempted risotto once but wasn't sure if it was done properly. Marco used red wine to make the risotto and it was fantastic!

Every meal involved a lot of food! Lunch was three courses (the third being desert) and dinner was usually four or five courses. I have never eaten so much in such a short span of time! At least I can claim pregnancy for the tummy I developed.

Our class also went to an Asiago cheese factory. As a known cheese lover it was like going to heaven!

This is the ageing/storage room that had to be almost three stories tall.

Overall it was a wonderful trip and a great experience. I am very happy Mike made me go on this trip and hope to be forced to take more trips in the future!

This will take you to all the photos I took over the course of the trip.

Italy Cooking Trip

Overpacker...

I have always been an over packer when it comes to trips. One must always have choices especially when you don't know what to expect from the weather. The problem with being an over packer these days are all the carry on requirements and having to pay extra to check baggage. In Europe you can get super cheap flights on the budget airlines but their rules and fees regarding luggage are crazy. It's all part of the way to squeeze every pence from your pocket. You have to pay a fee if you wait to check in at the airport, checked baggage fee, no free snacks or drinks, and they even want to have pay toilets on the plane (hasn't happened yet but I am sure it will soon!)

How does an over packer pack for a 4 day trip in a small carry-on? A carry-on that I'm not even sure will meet the tiny requirements of 21.7 inches * 15.7 inches * 7.9 inches. My bag is packed with:

1 pair jeans

2 knit dresses

1 pair pj's

4 tops

3 camis

1 bathing suit

5 pair undies

1 book

1 DSLR camera

1 FLIP

toiletries

purse and contents

And hopefully snacks!

I just hope this thing weighs less than 20lbs!

Getting Old...

You know you are getting old when your niece graduates from high school! OK, so I was only in 6Th grade when she was born but it still makes me feel old!

My niece has grown into a beautiful, intelligent and well rounded young lady. I truly feel she has a very bright future in front of her as long as she stays true to what she wants in life. It's not easy trying to plan your future and make the right choices. I know a few of my choices weren't in my original plan!

I wish I was able to be with you today Kelsea. Know that I love you and I am so very proud of the person you are and the person I know you will be. Stay true to your heart and follow your own dream. The most important thing to remember is that no matter what, we love you and will always be in your corner cheering you on and supporting you 150%. Forget the bad, stay in the present, and keep looking to the future.

Another Chapter Begins

Shortly after Liam turned 1 yrs old, and people started asking the inevitable question, Mike stated he didn't want to have more kiddos. . It took me by surprise to be honest. Mike stated he wanted Liam to be able to do whatever he wanted, wanted us to be able to travel easily as a family and financially it made since. After a while I got used to the idea. Liam and I have always done a lot of traveling and it's easy to take a toddler on a plane when you only have one.

With every move and new stage, the baby items were sold or given away. When preparing for our move to England, I asked Mike one more time if he was sure we were done. "Yes!" The last of the items were sold. The only item we have from Liam's infancy are some "keeper" clothes, crib, bedding and mobile. It's sad to part with cute stuff you child enjoyed so, but they are being enjoyed by others. My friend Brooke sent me a picture of Cece playing with the kitchen we gave them and it made my day!

Shortly after arriving in England, Mike started his mission to get a Land Rover Discovery. My boys and their need for 4wheel toys! Don't get me wrong they are nice and I enjoyed test driving one but they are HUGE! Even though they are UK cars they are monsters in comparison to other cars and parking spots! My comment was that a Discovery is a family car and we would need more than 1 child to justify it's purchase. Who would have thought that a few days later, my hubby would tell me he had changed his mind. "If you would like to have another baby I am cool with the idea." WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?! Three years of stead fast NO and then all of a sudden he has a change of heart? Was it because he had just turned 40? There were many discussions that followed to get to the root of the matter. I realised he was serious.

A few months later and we are 10 weeks pregnant. Liam is excited and will make a fantastic Big Brother.




I have already started the hunt for good baby deals. So far I have picked up a highchair, bouncy seat, new infant seat, and Mike got a diaper bag. All for under $200! It helps being in a military community where people are moving all the time!

This will be an interesting journey.

First Paid Cake Gig

Meet Sponge bob Square Cake Pants. I made this rather large cake for a 4Th birthday party. He turned out great, tasted great and made the birthday boy happy. This is the first cake I was asked to make after people saw Liam's cake. I am pretty sure there will be a few more to come in the future.

Lucky

 I am one of the luckiest people in this world because I was privileged enough to have fantastic parents. I am reminded almost daily of how lucky I have always been. My parents are generous, encouraging, fun and loving people. Regardless of how often I tell them how much they mean to me I don't think I could ever express it enough.

I truly believe that wonderful parents are the result of wonderful parents. There are exceptions to this rule (and I know quite a few) but I am a firm believe in this statement.

Thank you Mom and Dad!

A Good Laugh...

Have you ever caught yourself laughing hysterically at a stranger's child? Did you feel bad about it? Today we were at a fair/bazaar on base. Tons of families everywhere enjoying a day of buying large pieces of furniture that the government will have to ship back to the states, and of course fantastic junk. Any who! I was hanging out at a bouncy house watching Liam jump and slam himself around when I say the funniest thing ever! (I would like to note I was not the only mother who witnessed this kids blooper and she was laughing just as hard as myself. )  This larger child, maybe 8 or 10 yrs old, is standing a ways from the bouncy house (which sits on a tarp). He belts out "BONZIIIIIIII" and starts to charge for the bouncy house but trips on the tarp, rams his head into the "step", and is bounced back on his ass. It was one of those moments that I was dying to have my flip. It was so funny, but maybe you just had to be there!

Another Year Older...Another Funtastic Party!

Liam's 4Th birthday party was Sunday and it was a success. The hit of the party was the bouncy house of course. Liam did tell me at bedtime he wished I would have planned games?! Who knows where that came from because he has yet to attend a party with games. I told him next year I would be SURE to have some fun games planned.

The cake turned out pretty good and everyone had at least one piece. I neglected to get many pictures of the room before everyone started showing up. One hour to decorate was not enough! The food catered from the Club was just OK. I really do prefer having cookout birthdays. But all in all it was a great party. The only thing missing were the grandparents and our Pensacola Pals!

Marshmallow Fondant

My cake decorating instructor told us all about a cool recipe she had seen on Wilton.com for marshmallow fondant. Most people aren't huge fans on fondants flavor but it looks great when done well. Marshmallow fondant is easy to make, cheap, and made from marshmallow!!! Need I say more? I found a recipe/tutorial on a great blog called Cake Journal and gave it a go. SO easy to make but a bit of a mess. (Well at least the way I made it.) If you would like to give the recipe a try you can find it here.

This week will be super nuts with me trying to get Liam's birthday cake complete and looking presentable. I will post pictures as soon as I can of both cake and party. Fingers crossed everything falls into place. If you know me at all you will know I like to make sure I top my previous projects.

Birthday Time Again!

Liam's 4th birthday is right around the corner and party planning has begun! I LIVE to throw parties! This year Liam is wanting an Imagination Movers party. The sad part is Disney has not come to their senses and started putting out Movers merchandise yet. They just got picked up for their 3rd season so I am sure they will have a whole like out about a month after Liam's birthday! OH WELL! My brain is already pumping with ideas. The cake will be a challenge but I am planning on making it again this year. Keep your fingers crossed that I get a stand mixer soon. The one down side of living in the UK is that 220v situation. I could have my mixer shipped over here but a transformer for it would cost a couple hundred dollars! Mike said I could buy a 220 mixer but now the search is on to find one.

I am looking forward to this party planning...it makes me feel ALIVE! A little dramatic tonight, sorry! Stay tuned to see how the party and cake turn out and if I get stuck in blue coveralls!

Scones: Take One

Now that we are living in England I thought I should start making scones. I have always enjoyed a nice blueberry scone from Starbucks but haven't been able to find those here yet. Seems that cheese and raisin are the preferred flavor. Last night on Masterchef Australia they made scones and the recipe actually made since to me. I hate that most cooking shows here use a scale and weigh ingredients. I refuse to buy a scale! It's an extra step and one more thing to clean. Here's the recipe and it can be used for both savoury or sweet. If making a savory omit the sugar, fruit and zest.

150 mL milk
150mL cream
1 egg
3C. self rising flour
2Tbsp sugar

1C. fruit
zest 1 lemon

Combine ingredients. Turn out onto floured surface and give a gentle knead, flatten and cut into shape. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.Bake 10-15 min at 200C

I made them way too big and ugly! Plus my convection oven does not bake evenly and it's driving me nuts! I hope that my next attempt looks better. Thankfully they taste yummy!

Who Knew Alpacha Was Sooooo Soft?

Liam goes to a very neat school here in England called Busy Bees Nursery School. The school was suggested to us and when we checked into it we knew Liam had to attend. The school is a working 10 acre organic farm with animals (including a large pack of alpacas) and gardens. They even have their own indoor pool and swim instructor on staff.

The founder/owner of the school dyes and spins the alpaca hair into beautiful and soft yarn that they sell in a shop on the school grounds. The shop was open this morning and I popped in to take a look around. I was blown away that she dyes all the yarn with dye she makes out of 4 plants she grows organically. The number of colors that she creates from those 4 plants just amaze me! I ended up spending 30 minutes chatting with her and being shown all the cool stuff she carries. She even had soybean and camel! She really made me want to learn more about crocheting or knitting.

The Big Weigh In

Last month I talked about how Mike and I have noticed we are shedding a few pounds. Today is the first time I have been on a scale since April 2009 and I have to say I am happy. I love not being obsessed with weight and numbers and being "skinny". For a long time I was obsessed and was never happy. THe worst part was I was thin with great curves and I didn't know it. I still kick myself for not being comfortable in a bikini between 1997-2002.

I hate to admit this, but after today I am ALMOST motivated to start doing a little exercise! This is the first  time since 2005 that I have been under 150 lb.... I doubt I get that motivated but stay tuned!

Solutions Update

After just two treatments I have already seen a marked improvement in my hair. Even Mike noticed that it is looking a little shinier and feeling softer. 


The treatment that I have been using is 50% hot water 50% distilled white vinegar. I slowly pour the solution over my wet hair, let it soak and then wash with shampoo. Even though I am washing my hair twice AFTER the treatment there is still a hint of vinegar.


Stay tuned to see if and when I get my hair cut and if my hair gets better.

Super Mom? NOPE!

Since Liam was born almost 4 years ago (April 2006), Mike has only lived with us full time for +/- 2 years. Mike has always been a very hands on Dad when home and Liam has ALWAYS been a daddy's boy. They are like two peas in a pod. (Does that make me the pod?) Now that we are all together again (and have one car) our morning routine is very different from anything we have ever experienced. All three of us need to be up, dressed, feed and in the car by 0730 to get Mike to work on time. In an ideal world I would be up early, showered, dressed, make up on and making a hot and nutritious breakfast. In our house that isn't reality. Mike and Liam are both up at either 0630 or 0700 while I struggle to get out of bed. Mike is dressed and getting Liam breakfast while I am brushing my teeth and trying to find something to wear. I do grab Liam's clothes and toothbrush from upstairs but Liam demands Mike get him dressed and brush his teeth. Apparently I brush too hard and rush him to get dressed to quickly. Mike also usually pack's Liam's snacks for school and gets his shoes on. They usually are in the car waiting for me while I grab last minute stuff.

Yet again I am brutally aware that I will never be Super Mom/Wife. June Clever, Martha Stewart and Melanie Hostetler will always be unreachable role models. When I was thinking about all this I started to feel a little bad for my husband and all that he does. Then I remembered all that I have done and put up with while he worked away!

Solutions

As you might know from my pervious post I am having hair issues. (I still need to make a hair appt.!) While I was checking out all the blogs I regularly follow, I stumbled across an entry on Pioneer Woman (one of my favorite blogs and I am dying for her cookbook) that might just help me. Honestly I am pretty shocked that I didn't do any research when my hair started going south. Any who! I am off to call the husband and ask him to pick me up some vinegar. Stay tuned to see if this helps! If you have any other suggestions or solutions please share.

It's OVER!

One of my oldest friends has let me down and I think it's over between us. For 27 or 28 years we have always been there for each other. We have always been inseparable. It just really breaks my heart. Where did we go wrong? How could this all happen?

I knew there was something wrong about two years ago. My friend's attitude changed and it started getting a little wiry and had a change of attitude.  I really thought it was a phase. Apparently not! This change is here to stay and I am not happy at all!

This hair has got to go!

Stressful Shopping

Since moving to the Uk in January I have done the bulk of my grocery shopping on base at the commissary. It's not my first choice but it is nice being able to use my coupons and get all the items I am used to from home. Plus, hitting the commissary is easy since I am on base about 3 times a day. But I really do prefer buying my fruit, veg and meat products from a local grocery store. My personal preference is Waitrose. It's located in Ely right at the city centre. We go to Ely at least once a week and it give me a chance to pop in and grab some yummy goods. There is also a place in Ely called Tesco. Waitrose is very much like Publix's or Harris Teeter while Tesco is equal to Walmart (although Asda is the UK Walmart and I haven't been to one yet). There is something about Tesco that stresses me out. No...let me rephrase that; Shopping in the UK stresses me out!!!

Everyone in this country is in a hurry and on a mission. You never see anyone in a UK grocery store (at least the ones I have been in so far) with a grocery list or reading labels. A lot of times I am gently nudged out of the way by a stranger wanting to be where I am standing. No one smiles or says hello. DO NOT GET ME WRONG: there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of the above. I personally enjoy strolling around the grocery store checking things off my list, finding the best deal and checking out new stuff. I am also way to nice to knock people's carts out of the way. Maybe I can find a training course that will teach me to shop a little more aggressively?

One more little thing I need to get off my chest: the UK shopping carts. Have you ever been to Ikea? While at Ikea have you ever grabbed one of their shopping carts to push around and fill with your finds? The shopping carts go sideways not forward and are a BITCH to push around a crowded store. I really, really dislike them can you tell?

Today, since Mike is home sick, I decided to run to Tesco and pick up some things for the weekend. I honestly thought it wouldn't be bad since it was before noon on a Friday. Silly me for thinking most people would be working! Tesco is so much like Walmart in that respect. The parking lot is always full and you wonder who in the World is working! I ended up being there for one hour. The aisles were packed with people sliding around their junky UK carts. By the time I made it to the car I could feel my heart racing!

I'm not sure I will be going to Tesco again! Or should I force myself to go there weekly as a type of therapy? Check back and see if I have what it takes to shop with the locals!