To Beat the Heat

I don't know what part of the country you live in, but here in KY it has been HOT!! Combine near 100 degree days with a pregnant lady and the result is not good. So far I can think of few things providing comfort-

1. Swimming pool = bliss




2. Cold desserts (which = the reason you don't see my pregnant self in above picture)

This is my attempt at the Southern Living Lemonade pie featured in the August issue..YUMMY!!! I still prefer Key Lime, but this is a close second.

3. Speedway Coke Freeze (boo for the fact my Sonic closed last year)

Hope everyone is enjoying this nice, hot summer!

Baked Penne a la Williams Sonoma

So I made the baked penne with corn, zucchini, and basil using all the fresh veggies my hard working farming friends and family have been giving me...Result- pretty tasty!

I will include a picture of mine and the one from the Williams Sonoma web site..




For some reason my creations never look as good as advertised..
Wish I could say the hubby highly recommends it also, but he's allergic to anything that contains too many veggies and lacks of red meat ;)

Here's the link if you'd like to try for yourself:

www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/baked-penne-with-corn-zucchini-and-basil.html

I Dream of Tuna

Seriously...LOVE the stuff! Why do we always want what we cannot have??? I limit my tuna intake and have omitted sushi from my diet completely. I have not even made my smoked salmon spread via Ina Garten this summer also in effort to avoid poisoning baby girl. I know this is not a huge sacrifice but who knew I'd miss fish so much??
Would someone like to deliver me a platter of spicy tuna or California roll after I have baby girl?? ;)

And while I'm compiling a list of missed stuff...running!!!!, wine, (well actually, the occasional margarita, martini, LIT, cold beer, gin and tonic, firefly and lemonade, tom collins), coke, NORMAL CLOTHES!!

I made the mistake of opening the latest J Crew mag in the mail...sooo depressing..and don't even get me started on the Victoria's Secret mags!

Now, more exciting news.....8 more weeks!!! I know these next 4 will fly by as we are busy bees working so hard on the nursery. The last 4 I've heard are the killer. Baby girl is not keeping me up all night long kicking but she does like to kick awhile after midnight. Also, I've really enjoyed spending time in the pool....these past couple of weeks its been my salvation.

Hope all my pregnant blogger buddies are enjoying a summer filled with ice cream, swimming pools, non-swollen feet, and fabulous maternity clothes (these past 2 may be nonexistent).

Hope all of my other blogger buddies are having a great summer also--perhaps filled with bikinis and margaritas :)

Baby Shower!

Saturday was our baby shower hosted by my friend Bonnie. She is a beautiful, warm, giving lady whom I love with all of my heart.


Her daughters helped pull everything together and I think they did a wonderful job-



Her daughter, Kelli and I





Her daughter Sam even made the cakes!! (Which tasted as good as they look)

This shower was mainly for Shane's co-workers, who after many years have become our extended family. I feel so fortunate Shane's mom, sister,and her mother-in-law accompanied me. I had so much fun at the shower and baby girl got some serious loot!












While the girls were at the shower the guys got together for some swimming and corn hole.









Speaking of corn hole how adorable is this baby corn hole set we got from Kristi and Robby???



LOVE IT!

And if you have not suffered from picture overload already.....baby gifts..









We are so blessed with wonderful friends and family...baby girl is one lucky lady!

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Well, not really...I still consider that between Thanksgiving and New Years, but I always get excited for the Southern Living idea house issue which comes out every August! Lame? Probably, but I get so inspired pouring through the pages and tearing out ideas I hope to use one day. After a brief look I've highlighted a few of my favorite things.



This master bath is so serene and beautiful with its pedestal tub, chandelier, and curved wall. The bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in a house...there's nothing better than a soak in the tub after a long day,



My hubby always says "our next house will have.." In addition to more closet space and a bigger garage he's always wanted a "man room." I think this would satisfy us both.



I also love informal dining rooms- the fabric on these chairs is great. (Have I mentioned I'm addicted to brown?)



Outdoor spaces are so fun to decorate- this town home is wonderful because it has the formality of a courtyard and also has a great side porch. One of my favorite summer pastimes is sitting on the front porch and watching it rain.



If the hubby gets a "man room" in our next house its only fair I get a meditation area....its perfectly ok to use that area for sipping wine and reading In Style too, right?



I just added this because I'd love to have a built in grill or place for our big green egg..

Does anyone else love this issue or already have some favorites from it?

Weddings and Catching Up

I LOVE weddings...doesn't every girl? I cannot believe this December will be 10 years since our wedding. Looking back I loved my wedding and probably wouldn't change a thing, but weddings these days just blow my mind!!

So this weekend I caught up on some celebrity gossip and DVR recordings and both seemed full of weddings..First, Carrie Underwood...y'all should know first of all I am not her biggest fan. I know, I know- she's beautiful and talented, but I've always thought she's a little on the conceited side. That being said I have grown to like her a little more lately as she has matured. She was a gorgeous bride as I expected...I loved the Monique Lhuillier dress.



Originally I thought the pink in the dress was too much but her whole wedding theme was pink, so to me it was fitting. The dress and decorations suited her as a young bride.

I also caught up on the wedding and honeymoon episode of Bethenney Getting Married...Loved her dress also

Considering I'm 7 months pregnant myself and there's no way I would be looking that good in a wedding dress I am still in awe. Her wedding was also very beautiful and reflected her maturity...I really wanted to dive into that red velvet wedding cake! I cannot imagine going on a honeymoon in her situation (cankles, swelling)and thought she handled it beautifully! I was cracking up during the whole episode though.

Finally I have 1 week to finish season 3 of Mad Men. So far its been a little disappointing...

Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too..

went for a ride in a flying shoe...I love Shel Silverstein! I loved my Where The Sidewalk Ends book when I was little...and Ickle Me, Pickle Me was my favorite poem. The reason its on my mind...pickles, yes pickles, and no this really has nothing to do with weird pregnancy cravings. Dad and his farming friends have raised a huge garden this year- we're talking cucumbers and corn so plentiful we can hardly keep up with everything. He decided I was the perfect person to make pickles. Sooo being the loving daughter I am, I did what every good daughter would do...I googled. And so began my journey of pickle making...

First..cucumbers


Next, imperative pickle making tools


The finished product:


The whole process was not that difficult and after sampling the finished product I surprised myself....not so bad. Hopefully this weekend I will try one more batch and they'll be even better!