Fabulous March

Seriously you guys, where the hell did this month go?  I think someone is secretly taking days out of the calendar and hoping no one notices.  It's like some sinister plot to make me get older.  Dislike.  

That aside, a couple highlights from this apparently short month:

The Beauty Department.

New. Favorite. Website.  Love this place.  I started noticing that a lot of my beauty pins on Pinterest were all from this website, so I decided to check out the site.  It has everything including fantastic tutorials for hair and make up.  Add in the fantastic Lauren Conrad and I am hooked-with-a-capital-H.

Swiffer Sweeper

Is it really sad that one of my favorite things about this month is a cleaning supply?  Lordy, how my life has changed.  Regardless, this thing is the shiznit.  Hardwood floors + cat = clumps of fur.  Huge clumps.  Everywhere.  MiniWinstons were too much for our normal Swiffer to handle, so I would use the Swiffer, and then have to pull out the vacuum cleaner to get the corners or the gaps in the floor.  Not anymore, my friends.  Now I pop on a cloth and a get my Swiffer on. Multi-tasking FTW.    It is so much easier then carrying around my big bulky vacuum from room to room, and it isn't as difficult to empty either.  The topper is Winston only hides under the bed for about 2 hours instead of his normal 5-24 hours when I would break out the vacuum.  

Warmer Weather

I don't know what weather forecast Punxsutawney Phil was looking at, but dude was wrong-- spring has sprung in Philadelphia.  The weather has been flirting with temps in the 70s (and even 80s) for most of the month.   With all this beautiful weather, we've really gotten use out of our stroller by taking Hunter out every chance we can get!

*sniff sniff*  is that bbq I smell?

Once Upon a Time

Are you guys watching this show?  JEGs and I love it.  The world stops at 8:00 on Sundays as far as I am concerned.   I love how the writers created a world where all fairy tale characters know each other and interact.  Can I get a 'woman power' for Snow White?  This chick isn't just sweeping floors in the dwarf's cottage; oh no, this bad-ass chick is living off the land and looking for revenge.  Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/ Mary-Margaret?  Perfection.  Lana Parrilla as Regina?  Even better.  

Normally I would give March the heave-ho and say April bring May flowers... however I believe the May flowers are already here!

Always & Forever,

  ME

Fabulous 2011

I started this memorable year, not remembering how the night ended.
Last New Years we spent the night in Lancaster at a bar called Annie Baileys and I got shitfaced off the best cosmos I've ever had.  We crashed at our friend Mandy and Evan's house, where I apparently showed my lady bits to Mandy.

Keeping it classy like always.

However, that night we did meet a wonderful chick named Kaitlin and she and our friend Mike have been dating ever since!

We also found the house we eventually bought and our dear friends Bonnie and Andy gave birth to their daughter Cora Claire!

February was a quiet month filled with packing and giving up coffee for Lent.

At the end of March, we kicked of Weddingpalooza with my friend Traci getting married in a cozy ceremony and a reception filled with awesome food.

April was a pretty busy month;  we said farewell to Falconhead and hello to Falconhead Cottage .  

We also  ripped up the carpet in the living room on Easter, and made a walk-in closet out of a small third bedroom.  

In May we began preparing for our housewarming party by painting our living room.  Two days later we found out I was five months pregnant.

I also proved that at five months pregnant, I could still rock a wedding dress.

June rolled around and I quietly celebrated my 30th birthday and JEGs and his friend Mike replaced the subfloor while I attended multiple wedding showers.  We also created a Big Azz To Do list.

In July JEGs and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary, my friend Meg got married and we finally replaced the carpet in the living room.  We also welcomed this little bundle of fur into our lives

August was filled with marital bliss as my friend Jamie got married and a week later our friend Mandy tied the knot as well.  JEGs and I scratched off another thing from our To Do list and created a closet out of a nook in our bedroom.  Mother Nature also let Philly know that she rules supreme by shaking the Earth and throwing a hurricane our way.  I also participated in a photography shoot for a calendar with pregnant bellies

September I was really freakin pregnant and totally over it.  Ten days before my due date, we hustled out to Chester County for one last wedding, and it was so worth it.  We also added an office nook to the kitchen.

Ten hours into the month of October, I became a mother.

November came and I went back to work.  We spent Thanksgiving at my brother and sister-in-laws house where I had many people to hand my babe off to so I could spend some time with my nieces and nephew

As this year came to a close, I half-ass my way through Christmas,  painted the bathroom and my best friend surprised me with an engagement announcement!

To say that this has been an exciting year would be an understatement-- this has easily been the most insane year of my life.  I am excited for 2012 and I have a lot planned:  hopefully with a good tax return, JEGs and I can tackle a couple bigger projects on the house, and I feel good things are on the horizon.

Wishing you all a wonderful and healthy new year!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous October and November

Ever look back at a month and think 'where the hell did it go?'  Yeah.  That's what I just did with November AND October.  I feel like the calendar jumped from September 30th to December.  Just like that.

I know exactly where the months went-- the got lost in the haze of feedings, diaper changes and doctor appointments.

So here are some fabulous happenings of the past two months...

Hunter
  Giving birth was pretty much the most fabulous thing ever.  Hands down.

Phillies Graham Slam Ice Cream

Alright, so our boys choked this post season, but good lord this ice cream is banging!!  It is graham flavored ice cream with scoops of chocolate marshmallow cups and a graham swirl.  I am seriously salivating just thinking about it.  I am not even ashamed to say I could probably finish an entire container by myself.  In one night.  Not pregnant.  That's right, I'm a fat kid.  

Sleepsack Swaddle

Confession:  I suck at swaddling.  I just can't get the hands and the feet to stay inside the blanket and it's never pulled tight enough.  My saving grace was when the hospital sent us home with a HALO sleepsack swaddle. I LOVE it.  It is a wearable blanket (or baby-in-a-bag as I call it) with and extra piece of fabric that wraps around the baby and stays together with Velcro.  The swaddle part is removable, so you can continue to use the blanket when the baby doesn't want to be swaddled anymore.  This thing is genius.


Friends and Family
  I cannot explain to you how thankful I am for all the support and love we have found through our friends and family the past couple of months.  My friend Hilary cooked and froze nearly a half dozen meals for us and also supplied us with gift cards to restaurants for the days we didn't want to (or couldn't find the time to) thaw out a meal and cook it.  She also refuses to stop buying clothes for the little guy.   My bestie Connie stopped by with a couple home cooked meals as well.

Our next door neighbor, Amy, is a mother to a seven-year-old and has been such  a fantastic support person.  We have done the panic call to her with questions of  "why is he doing this??  is this normal???"  If I can't have my mother next door to me, I am sure glad I have Amy.  I also have to give a shout out to our neighbor Jenny.  The day we came home from the hospital, she was on our door step with pulled chicken sandwiches, salad, Reese's cups and beer for JEGs.  We never even thought about what we would do about eats when we got home, so it was so helpful to have it taken care of.

I have to give a lot of thanks to our friends Bonnie and Andy.  Within the first week of being home, Bonnie came over to help me navigate the world of breast feeding.  Her tips and tricks were exactly what I needed to  confidently continue.  In the same vein, I am so thankful to have my sisters-in-law Angie and Bryn who I know I can call with any question regarding toys, breast feeding or  general child care.

Most of all, both of our parents have been an unending source for help, free baby-sitting and Harry's Hotdogs.  Now that I have a child of my own, I can finally appreciate the love my parents have for me.  I seriously cannot thank you enough for everything you have ever done for us.

Alright Blurtember, move aside because December is here and that means twinkling lights, holidays songs and peppermint lattes!  Tis the season!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous September

Pumpkin Food

I know spicy food is said to trigger labor, but do you think pumpkin-flavored stuff has the same effect?  I hope so with the amount of pumpkin I have consumed over the past couple of days.

Alexi comes home
I mentioned in a previous post, that my cousin Kerith gave birth to a daughter at 30 weeks.  At the time, I asked for thoughts and prayers for my cousin and little Alexi.  I am so very happy to announce that at 10 weeks old she and Momma are doing great-- in fact Alexi has even come home from the hospital.  She still has some obstacles to overcome, but she has proven herself to be a strong little girl!

 


Fall television

 I love it when shows start again in the fall-- it's like revisiting old friends.  I missed the crew and Glendale Community College.  It's nice to see that Ted Mosby still believes in love. Of course we can't forget the 5-time Emmy Award winning Dunphy/Prichett family.  I also love the possibility of picking up new shows.  This season I am continuing to enjoy the late-season replacement Happy Endings, and I've also become interested in the late-night soap that is Revenge.   The first two episodes have me intrigued...

Yoga pants.

Like these from Old Navy.
..the only way I got through this last month of pregnancy.

Alright September, you gots to get movin'.  October is here, and that's my favorite month!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous July

How I Met Your Mother

Robin, did I ever tell you I was vomit-free since '93?

 This show is Legon---wait for it------- DARY. How did I go six years without watching??   Barney Stintson is by far the BEST character on TV.  JEGs and I would catch this on syndication every once in a while and thought it seemed pretty funny.  Once we moved into the house, we cut our cable down the basic channels and realized something:  basic cable sucks.  So we decided to hunt down the first six seasons of this show and  marathon watched it.  I have never laughed so hard at a TV show as I have with this one.  Seriously, the writers of this show are doing a fantastic job, not only keep with the continuity of the show, but keep the characters fresh.  We are all caught up and are itching to start the seventh season.

Lemonade

I have always loved anything that was lemon-flavored;  it's one of my favorite tastes.  With the pregnancy (and summer) in full swing, I am always A. Thirsty B. Craving sugar and C. Craving sour.  DING DING-- we have a winner in lemonade.  We always have a half drank gallon of Turkey Hill Lemonade in the fridge.  I'll mix it with other beverages too!  Iced Tea, a little in my water, any my new favorite, with Trop 50's  Pomegranate Blueberry juice.  Ommm nom nom.


adidas Zeitfrei sandals

Here is the thing about pregnancy:  your feet always hurt.  ALWAYS.  I had gotten in the habit of as soon as I came home from work off came my shoes and on went my slippers. However, I ran into two problems:  my slippers made my feet hot (and I am like a human oven as it is right now) and after a while, I had worn then down so far, they didn't have any padding left.  Then one day I noticed JEGs had a pair of adidas flip flops with padding on the soles.  I slipped my feet in and it was like heaven and I never wanted to take them off.  Apparently, JEGs felt the same way about these shoes and was quite annoyed when I would put up a fight if he wanted to wear his own shoes.  Whatevs man.  So I broke down and bought my own pair.  And I loves them.   

Winston

I know you haven't been formally introduced yet, but this little guy has brought a lot of fun and love into our life this past month.   And that's pretty fabulous.

Alrighty July, August is officially here, and it is jam packed with weddings, showers and renovations!  We gotta get to gettin!!

Always & Forever,

  ME

Fabulous May

Another month has come and gone, so it's time to look back on what made it really awesome:

Knocked Up
.. and I don't mean the movie. Not matter how surprising and unplanned it was, it was pretty fabulous to find out that I was avec enfant.

Belly Bands

Holy mother-- how did pregnant women survive before the belly band?   They are tubes of fabric that  you wear it over your belly to hide unbuttoned pants that don't quite snap or zip up.  I can't get my regular jeans zipped anymore, but maternity pants are hanging off of me.  Instead of buying all new pants in just a larger size, I can rock this amazing invention with comfort.  Basically-- BellyBand FTW.


Wawa Smoothies

I know Wawa is a regional thing, and this might get lost on you folks out West (or down South) but I just discovered that Wawa has Smoothies, or as I like to call them- "24 oz of AWESOME".  You have to order them at the deli counter (which I wish someone would have told me before I spent 25 minutes hanging around the milkshake area like an idiot), and there are about 17 or so flavors.  I started with the Banana Fosters, and the next day I moved on to the Mango Creme.  The Chocolate Banana has been tempting me, but I think next I will give the Strawberry Lemonade a whirl.   For those attending the Always Bloggy in Philadelphia, I'll make sure we have a Wawa trip in the schedule.  They probably won't have smoothies anymore, but it's worth the trip for their coffee.  Or milkshakes.  Or hoagies.  Or anything.

Boston Rob finally wins Survivor

I make no bones about it that I love Survivor.  I think in 20some seasons I have missed two.  This season hosted the return of Russell (a personal favorite of JEGs and mine) and the infamous Boston Rob.   After four attempts at this game, Boston Rob was finally able to grab that brass ring and take home the million dollar prize.  I would like to tip my imaginary hat to him for pulling off a flawless game.  Also, I cannot talk about this season without mentioning the hot mess that was Phil the Federal Agent.  Dear Mark Burnett,  can we please have him back again?  Love, Lizzie.


30,000 views + blogiversary
  Amongst the craziness that was Babygate 2011, I quietly passed the two year mark on my little blogging adventure.   It's funny when I look back at that first post and how excited I was to finally be moving in with JEGs after so long.  It took us 8 years to live together, and then two years later we have been engaged, married, bought a house and now pregnant-- did someone hit the fast forward button ;)

Also, in the past month I finally hit 30,000 views. 

This blog isn't a juggernaut of the Internet, so 30K is a big deal to me.  I want to thank everyone for meandering back to my little corner of the interwebs to read my babbling.  You give me the warm and fuzzies inside-- and I swear it's not heartburn.

June is up next.. and that means I turn 30!!  Bring.  It.  ON!

Always & Forever,

  ME

Fabulous April

Oh April.  You started off rainy, rainy, rainy.  I'll let it go because this last week has been gorgeous. 
Let's talk about some other gorgeous things about this month, shall we?

Homeowners- whut WHUT
 Clearly this has to be number one on the list.  We bought a friggin HOUSE.  It still blows my mind.

That's right.  I was sold by Kim Rock.

 Adele- Rolling In The Deep
  This song is my new obsession.  Like, driving-down-the-road-singing-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-obsession.  I liked Adele before, but now I'm a fan.



Peeps
  I love Peeps, and you know I will only eat them stale.  I'm sure I can get Peeps somewhere anytime of the year, but I will only eat them around Easter.  Because that's what makes them special. 

"Peep Show" never gets old to me.

Royal Wedding
  I confess when I first heard that Will and Kate were engaged, I didn't really care that much.  Honestly, I'm an American, what do I care about the royal family of another country?  Well, apparently a lot more then I'd like to admit.  After learning that Kate Middleton is a commoner (unlike Diana who was born into an aristocratic family with royal blood), I started to like her.  As the event grew to a fever pitch, I joined the fun.  No, I didn't order any commemorative plates, but I plan on being up at 6:00 am for the start of the wedding.
[Edit]  So Kate looked AMAZING-- love the dress.  She looked like a modern day princess.  Will... couldn't have used some Rogaine.

April, you were pretty cool, but you've over stayed your welcome.  Bring on MAY!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous March

March... you sucked.  Let me tell you why:

You may have noticed my severe lack in posting this month.  As much as I want to say "oh, I'm so busy packing, blah blah blah"  it's not 100% true-- and I don't want to lie to you friends.  Just as I am getting super excited to purchase our first home, I get hit with a financial one-two punch:  One- I found out that my company has not been taxing me correctly and that I owe back taxes.  Two- the next day I was hit with some medical bills.  Boo yah.   Oh, and to add to the list, I desperately need new tires on my Jeep. 

Combine that with the slighty deary and very cold weather we've been having, I am offically in a funk.  And yes, "funk" is totally a medical term.  So declareth Dr. Lizzie.

There were, however, a few rays of sunshine this month.

1. Traci Getting Married:

After 1,000 month engagement (seriously, it felt like forever) my friend and fellow Philadelphia Knottie Traci was married to her lovey Miki on March 26th.  I had such a blast!  First off, I drank copious amounts of cosmos with some of my favorite Knotties,  Heather, Cassie and Amy.  Secondly, the food.  OH THE FOOD!  Not only did she have 13 passed appetizers as well as the normal cheese and veggies, but she also had an Italian area with crab ravioli, tortellini, and rigatoni, as well as a mashed potato bar with all the fixings.  It's offical-- I require a mashed potato bar at every party, wedding and bar mitzvah I attend from now on.   For dessert she had a candy bar, crepe bar and word on the street there was wedding cake too, but I was too full to indulge at that point.

Oh yeah, and I got to meet Erin Proud from Proud to Plan.  She's kind of a rock star in our corner of the world.

Knottie love with the famous Erin Proud

2. Be Cool Eat A Rita's
 

Every year, on the first day of spring Rita's gives out free wooder ice.  We had to wait in line for over a half hour for our little cups of happiness, but it was totally worth it and a wonderful way to usher in the spring time.

Peace out March... I hate your face.  April is here and brings happier days (I hope).

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous January/ February

Today we have a double feature of fabulous month-- it's like Rocky Horror, but without  the transvestites, sexual innuendos and singing lips.  So forget the cold shower, sit down and let's recount the past two months of fabulosity:

Changing my name
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls.  I would like to officially announce that as of the 19th of January in the year of our Lord 2011, I  changed my name from Miss M to Mrs. G.  It only took me six months.  Now a moment of silence for my maiden name, please. 

Jergens handlotion
This time of the year is torture on my skin.  It gets so dry and irritated-- it's almost painful to wear clothing.  I get the usual dry hands, but the skin on my back under my bra strap gets chapped and so do my hips.   Enter stage left, the best lotion EVER.  It soothes my skin all day long (which is practically unheard of) and it has a really light scent-- which makes JEGs happy. 

Cora Claire
Our good friends Bonnie and Andy gave birth to their first child  on January 15th!  She entered the world weighing an itty bitty 6 lbs 1 oz, but has brought tons of joy to that family!

 House hunting
I'm putting out there-- our agent, Kim Rock, is a star.  Dare I say.. a ... rockstar?  She has made this whole process so enjoyable for us.  She has been able to explain things to us in terms we can understand and has been 100% honest with us.  We walked into a house and not two minutes into it she said "If you guys are seriously thinking about this house, I'm going to talk you out of it".  Where as a lot of real estate agents might stop taking your calls at 5:00, Kim was e-mailing us information about our contract from a bar on a Friday night. Anytime a problem has come up, she has been right there giving us advice and really helping us through the whole process.  And she allows me to post pictures of her with naked chicks. Rock.  STAR.



THON
I did not go to Penn State.  In fact, I'm kinda of anti-PSU.  I don't understand the mindset or how it becomes a way of life.   Regardless, there is one thing I can get on board about, and that's THON.  I always almost run over  donate to the college students who are canning on the streets.  This year they were able to raise a staggering 9.5 million dollars towards childhood cancer.  I don't care who you cheer for on the football field-- that's kind of impressive.

Skinny Cow
In an effort to get back down to my welter weight, I have really been trying to eat better.  The problem is, I kinda love ice cream.  Like, really love ice cream.  Luckily I stumbled upon Skinny Cow and now I'm addicted.  The ice cream is so smooth and creamy-- it doesn't taste low fat at all!  My new favorite is the White Mint Truffle, and at only 100 calories a bar, I don't feel so guilty indulging in one!

January and February.. get to gettin'.  March is here and it bring spring on it's heels!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous December

You guys!!  It's New Years EVE!!!  Before you pop the bubbly and start celebrating the new year, let's look back at December... cause it was kinda fabulous. 


Peppermint Bark.

photo credit


I totally blame Shennanigans for this newest obsession.  She had to go and post this delish recipe on her blog, and of course I just HAD to make it.  Then I just HAD to eat half of it. Chocolate AND mint??  I didn't stand a chance.  The other half quarter of it eventually made it to my co-workers as gifts. 

Christmas Cards

Not only do I love getting letters in the mail, but add a cute kid to it as well-- I'm practically in heaven.  This year as all about the adora-freakin-ble munchkins on Christmas cards, and I loved them all.  No lie: my friends and family makes some good looking spawn. 

Cee Lo Green



Newest favorite song.  So much fun to listen to in the car.  My pilot is tired of hearing it, but I am never tired of singing this song!

Christmas Lights



photo credit

One of my favorite things about this season is all the crazy lights displays people erect during the holiday season.  It makes my day a little brighter (pun intended).

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you have a fun and safe night!!

Always & Forever,
  ME

Fabulous November

 

Hi November. 

So you came, you gave us a chill in the air-- but we won't hold that against you.  You had some pretty awesome things packed into your 30 days:

Parenthood:

 I was kinda skeptical of this show when I first saw the cast.  Yeah, it had some big names in there (Craig T. Nelson, Monica Potter, Joy Bryant) but it also had Dax Shepard.  C'mon, this guy was on Punk'd and the most memorable thing I can remember him ever saying is "that's a 81 Honda... HOW DARE YOU."   However, insomnia will make you do a lot of things, and one night I watched 5 episodes on demand.  I have been hooked ever since.

 The show is about having kids and dealing with the day to day problems a family has, however, that is not what has hooked me.  I love the relationship between the the siblings (Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shephard, Erika Christensen) and I am enchanted how easily the banter is amongst the characters-- the teasing and constantly talking over each other-- it's something I can relate to.  It's also like a reunion of actors from "Shows Lizzie Loved, But Are Now Off the Air" (American Dreams, Dirty Sexy Money, Gilmore Girls, Trust Me). 


Nuptials

We attended a beautiful wedding in Macungie, PA and I am still talking about how wonderful it was!  Read more about it here.


Winter Ale


I might have to hand in my Fabulousity Card, because friends, I think I am a beer drinker.  I blame JEGs.
First he introduced me to Yuengling, and I was all, "Ok.. I can drink about half a glass".  Then he brought home Sam Adam's Oktoberfest and I was finishing a full beer on my own.  Now, I have met Winter Lager and I can't get enough.  So good.  In the words of my friend Heather "NOM NOM NOM". 

Thankful
If nothing else, this month makes you really sit back and realize what you are thankful for in your life.  I am, of course, incredibly thankful for my family: my mother and father, my three brothers,  my two amazing sisters-in-law, my three fabulous nieces and my adorable nephew.  However, this year I am so thankful to include (and be included) in a new family-- my in laws.  I am so thankful for the mother-in-law and father-in-law I was given.  They are such good, caring, and honest people-- and my mother-in-law has awesome taste in accessories and handbags!  I know!!  I couldn't have molded her better if I tried!

I'm also super thankful for my job and the people I work with.  I have a great pilot who I get along with and really has my back.  My other co-workers are such great people to work with and every day I think about how blessed I am to go to a job that I really enjoy.

Most of all, I am thankful for JEGs.  I still look at him and wonder how I got so lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life.  I have a man who listens to my crazy ideas, deals with my stubbornness,  warms my toes, fixes my car and most importantly keeps me laughing. 

So thanks for hanging around November, you were pretty chill (ba dum chee).  Here is your coat and your hat--- make way for December!

Always & Forever,
  ME