Friday, April 29, 2011

We have a Princess ... well not we

Being from America and not having any royalty except the Disney Classics, it is quite strange and exciting at the same time to see a Princess. It is what all of us girls have dreamt about since we were little. My Husband is from Canada and shows some interest in all this as he jokes someday she might be on his money!!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue

 Something old: The bridal gown, from Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, featured “traditional Carrickmacross craftsmanship,” a lace technique that dates back to the 1800s.

Something new: Her parents gifted their daughter with custom-made diamond oak-leaf earrings with a diamond-encrusted acorn set in the middle, a nod to their new family crest.

Something borrowed: Kate’s tiara, on loan from the queen herself, per royal wedding tradition, is a 1936 Cartier “halo.”
Something blue: We can't see it, but a blue ribbon is sewn into the interior of her dress.


Sweetest moment for me was right here:  William and Kate sharing a moment with her father almost like there wasn't 2 Billion people watching them.
And this was only supposed to be a small family affair

Sisters... so lovely

First, I absolutely loved Pippa's dress. This is very Kate style dress and I imagine her to change into something just as stunning for her Reception this evening. The look back to her sister shows the appreciation they have for each other. She looks so happy to be sharing this moment with her.

The Kiss... And there were 2. I almost wish there was a Tidge (my English accent) more intimacy here. Maybe an arm on the small of her  back. All in all, I still feel they are truly in love and it shows.


Brothers: I have not been able to find a good picture of both of them head on. I was so happy to see them together and even joking a little in the beginning of the Ceremony. I loved the way Harry whispered to William as Kate Walked down the aisle. I felt William wanting to turn and see her so desperately. Harry is a fine looking young man.

I wish I had today off to Celebrate and Watch. Being that we are 5 hours behind the festivities I had to get up at 4AM to watch / Tivo. Almost talked myself into going back to bed BUT stayed up to watch. Even had my Dear Husband Texting me from out of town to let me know he was watching too.

And if I did have the Day Off, Unlimited Vacation as well as Unlimited Money... I would be one of these people:


Best Wishes to the Bride and Groom. Many Years of Happiness. Please keep us in your Public Lives as you will change the way we all feel about the Royal Family.


Photo Credits: The Today Show
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Saying Goodbye To A Coworker Is Hard To Do

The title should be a song. I am still surprised I have been at my job for 10 years already. Wow already?? Makes me feel old. Makes me feel excited because I FINALLY get 3 weeks vacation. Also, makes me feel happy and sad at the same time. One of our coworkers who has been with us for 15 years has been promoted to a Supervisor at our company. She was my teacher and mentor in our department since Day 1. I am so excited for her but will miss her dearly. SO..... I am making her a goodbye cake and putting together a luncheon. Tonight was the cake and the icing tonight. Tomorrow is the decorating part.... Whew.

Steps Below:
#1 you need my baby THE VIKING mixing bowl. She is a beauty and I couldn't bake without her.

#2 a great cake mix, a pan in any shape or size and a little bit of imagination.

#3 once the cakes are done baking and cooled, you get to do my favorite part of cake baking... cut off the top to make it square and able to lay flat. Oh yeah and eating the top leftover part.


This is what I am talking about YUM
#4 time to layer. You need to ensure the cake stays together in place. What a better way to accomplish this then to use Chocolate Icing as your glue... right?


#5 Time to make the Icing.... sound like another slogan? Feels about that early in the morning about now too.
Nothing beats made from scratch icing. Anyone can buy it in a can but this turns out so much fluffier and you can make it any color you want.


Again you need to use my BABY

#6 Adding color. Your options are endless all you need is food color. A lil will be a light color and A Lot will create a darker color. Does not change the flavor except maybe when you need to make black.



#7 package this all up and save for tomorrow night. Get a good nights rest and clean up the mess so far.

Until tomorrow and the finished product - Bon Soir
Final Product

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Reading to ShawBaby

Week 19 

We are one week away from the halfway mark but if you are an optimist like me ~ we already passed it. Currently ShawBaby is the size of a Mango. Guess what comes up when you Google Mango:

Penelope Cruz Mango Spring
 I am perfectly content to share this baby for one week with Penelope. Now that we are working our way through the vegetable and fruit garden, I am at a loss as to how last week I was having a cantelope and this week only a mango beause I sure feel like we are on a honeydew this week.

ShawBaby can hear us now for a few weeks. We have been trying really hard to be nice so when he/she is born they feel loved and not look at us like we are crazy. On the agenda for this week is to start picking up the beloved classics that I read to the girls at night before bed. Lil Miss J and Big Girl H are going to take turns reading to ShawBaby at night. I am so excited for the baby to get used to our voices and have this bonding time. My favorite part of the day was always reading my girls bedtime stories.


Belly Button Book


Love You Forever
This one is a tear jerker for mothers. I couldn't believe it the 1st time I read it or the 100th time.
But Not The Hippotpotamus
This one is for Big Girl H -- her favorite

Last but not least, an oldie but a goodie:

Oh, The Places You'll Go!
No Self portrait this week, I think I am in denial especially since I have been dreaming I have no clothes to wear to Prince William and Kate's Wedding the past 2 nights. Hey, At least I was invited right?

Less than 2 weeks and we get to see ShawBaby again. I cannot wait.
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Monday, April 25, 2011

My Chicago Obsession Goes to England


William and Kate are getting married on Friday! Giuliana Rancic goes to England to get all the scoop!! I have my Tivo already set to record the 6 hours  of wedded bliss... My 2 favorite sets of people all in the same place at the  same time ~ I am going to explode. Tid bit of information, anyone who knows me understands that when I say I want to see the news it  means E!, People, or USWeekly.

If I were not  pregnant I would definitely be taking Friday off to partake in the mimosa's and brunch. BUT sleep and  no alcohol are my priorities right now. Mr M is super excited to come home Friday and Watch all the exciting reporting .... Not so much.
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Billet-Doux

So excited to start something new here. Besides Blogging about my wonderful Husband Mr M and my2 beautiful Daughters Big Girl H and Lil Miss J or our the newest addition soon to arrive, I would like to take some time to reflect and share some letters to these important people in my life. Mr M travels A LOT and we used to always handwrite eachother notes. Seems as though life has gotten busier and as expected certain things have gone by the wayside. This in no way means that we love eachother any less it just means we have found other ways to communicate. Since he is on the road more often than not I feel this will be a better tool for communicating my deep appreciation for him as well as those who are far away too.

Inroducing Billet-Doux ... for my love of France. 
Mr. M ~ Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart. – Unknown.
Thank you for being this person. From the moment we met, we knew and that makes us special. Thank you for making me laugh so hard while I beat you 10 – 8 on State capitals. Thank you for giving me a chance to get ALL the Canadian Provinces wrong. And Thank You for always having my back even when I am not around. I love you more every day.
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Baby Steps

Good Morning! Very exciting news here. I am very conscious of the foods I make for my family. I try very hard to not use "From Box" foods as Fresh is always Best. So in my effort to expand on this, I would like to dedicate 1 day a week to trying something 100% Fresh ~ Organic (is possible) and potentially Vegan. I am not 100% sure what the criteria for Vegan entails but I am willing to try. You see a lot of posts online where there are part time vegetarians or part time vegans. There are pros and cons to both. I am of the opinion a little is better than nothing. Reason as to why I am willing to try ... A nice checkout person at Whole Foods talked me into trying a Vegan Cookie after I explained they looked SO MUCH BETTER than the regular Full Fat cookies they made. Mr M and I were Shocked at just how delicious these cookies were to taste. So here goes.... A dear friend of mine introduced me to Kale. She makes it with her Rare Tuna (which is to die for as well). Today's inspiration comes from another blog where they share this wonderful recipe for Kale Chips.


Spicy Kale Chips

Ingredients:1 bunch of green kale (you can use purple, but we prefer green)
1 TBS of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp curry powder
fine grain sea salt to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300° and spray two baking sheets with Pam.

Thoroughly wash kale and tear into bite sized pieces while discarding stems. Place in
a salad spinner and dry well.

Combine olive oil, coriander, cayenne, and curry powder into a small dish and whisk together.

Transfer kale to a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil mixture over it. Toss with your hands until all the leaves are evenly coated.

Spread the kale in a single layer onto the baking sheets and place in the oven for 18-20 min, turning once halfway through baking. The kale is done with it is crispy and slightly brown around the edges.

Lightly sprinkle with salt and begin to devour. Nom nom nom ... makes me think of Cookie Monster just Healthier!!

Photo Credit: Today's Letters
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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Spring Break ... St. Petersburg, Florida


It all Started when we were asked to babysit ....

Wednesday Evening 9pm.... What to do? Decide to drive 8 hours to Fla for Spring break. Have we packed - Nope. Have we (or I) done laundry - Nope. Do we have a pet sitter - Not Yet. Do I have  any idea that I need to pack a cooler - Nope. Beach Toys ready - Nope. Wow I better get busy and We plan to leave at 8AM.
Best Way to occupy children and adults. We are only missing 6 states!
We went down to St Petersburg to meet our friends from Charleston since they were going and talked us into joining them. My girlfriend is 9 months pregnant and her husband, a fellow Canadian, didn't mind the extra male support. I cannot express in words how excited I am to take my family on vacation for Spring Break. Something as a child I have always wanted to experience. This is one of the greatest gifts I can give my girls.

And We are off......



Still smiling and 5+ hours into our trip. Here are a few Sights we saw along the way. Even got to stop and stretch our  legs at some of these fine establishments.

It was so exciting to take the girls to some of the same locations we went to just  2 weeks ago for our Babymoon. This trip was dubbed Familymoon. We all really enjoyed the beach, sand and sun. Our friends got there a few short hours before  we did. This is what they told the girls they put up so we could find their location:


How could we not miss them?


My Man - Beach Ready

The Girls

Awww...Love
Colton and his Girlfriends


Spring Break Shopping
 Just look at my families lil faces and you can tell a good time was had by all!!

Happy Easter :)
Love
Mr. M, Momma, Lil Miss J, Big Girl H and Shaw Baby
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To All My Family and Friends

HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND!!

Success ~ the Easter Bunny found us in St Petersburg, Florida. Whew! more on that later.
  • Easter brings the best surprises, Baby chicks and buds in bloom, And Spring sunshine, That fills your room. Easter Verses
  • Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... 1 Peter 1:3 
  • For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. John 3:16-17
I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our newest addition in 4+ months. We spent the weekend trying to come up with a politically/gender correct name to call Shaw Baby since everyone thinks it is one or the other and we cannot all agree on one Gender. Mission accomplished but we'll keep it under wraps for a little while longer.

Hope your weekend was a joyous as ours!

 (PHOTO:BHG)
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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Baby S 17 weeks

Starting to look and feel pregnant!!

I am happy to report that this is the beginning of Day 5 without having desert. I feel like I am turning the corner. It has been driving me crazy especially since I am not a desert person. I am very UNHAPPY to report that I now have and intense liking for Gelato. Thanks to my dear husband Mr M and Tampa, I have been introduced to this amazing concept.  Now - I have not yet mastered my NEED for a cookie. So far this week my count is 2. 

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

We have Lobster!! Science and Birthdays!!

Good thing there is Lobster on the menu this week. Sebastian is not quite a lobster but he sure is cute and from one of my favorite Disney movies. Today is April 13th and my Dad's Birthday!! Happy Birthday Dad!! Enjoy the corn beef dinner and ice cream cake (shh that was a secret). April has been a BUSY month so far. I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run, we have  gone on Babymoon #2 to  Tampa, participated in the 3rd grade Science Fair, Completed our Flat Stanley project, Got glasses and Went to the baby doctor. Whew I am tired already.
Tampa~North Reddington Beach
Mr. M and I met in Tampa for a long weekend. 80+ degrees and Sunny, not to mention Spring Break. Every time we saw teenagers you heard "SPRING BREAK WooHoo". I got my first verbal recognition that I was having a baby. While waiting for Mike to land at the airport, I got a mani/pedi. The ladies in the salon were all about the baby!! Yeah special treatment. Every day we did the beach and a Tampa landmark. We ventured out  to The Salvador Dali Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, The Salt Rock Grill, Gators Cafe, Kohr Frozen Custard Family Ice Cream. In the above picture is some of our favorite paintings from Dali, the pirate ship adventure, our sunset at night and other places of interest we visited.

Science Fair Project
3rd Grade is a big deal. We get to do our 1st Science Fair project. Lil Miss J and her friend did this whole project by themselves. They came up with the Problem Statement, Hypothesis, Experimental Design and Conclusion all on their own. Ultimately in the End ~ Girls have a better sense of smell than Boys. They are already looking forward to next year they plan to look at Teeth and how they decompose. The best part is they plan to sacrifice their own teeth from the Tooth Fairy to have materials to test. Does this mean the Tooth Fairy will give them extra for being so diligent in school??





Flat Stanley and New Glasses...
Big Girl H has patiently waiting for her Flat Stanley to return from his trip to Aunt Pat and Uncle Jim's house in Woodville TX. Meaning every day she races to the mailbox to see if he is back, begs me to call and see if they mailed him yet and talks about it non stop. She is 8, that is considered patient right?One side is from Texas with all the animals, friends and family he visited and the other is Jamaica. Mr. M and I went there for Thanksgiving last year. Big Girl H also has on her NEW GLASSES. They look really cute too. She is very proud of them and very careful too. I hope they help her out and make it easier for her to see at school.

We got to hear Baby "S's" heartbeat today. Little Punkin gave me a kick right at the time we started listening. So exciting since I have been feeling the little one move around lately. Our heartbeat was a strong 136. All of these are signs we are having a ~~ come on people I am not going to guess one way or the other. Still sticking with the surprise Go Team Mint Chocolate Chip!! Our baby is the size of a Lobster or an open hand. By the next visit, "S" will move up to my belly button region. Right now we are hanging out just below  the navel.

Stay Tuned... we have many more exciting things to try and do especially with Spring Break, Easter and Summer right around the corner. Up next, we will be somewhere in New York or Washington DC.
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