Bridesmaid Dresses

Ever ordered a bridesmaid dress for what size you'll be at 7 months pregnant? Well, now I have and I'm worried! I'm so excited about being in Laura's wedding, and wearing this gorgeous Melissa Sweet number (in Sangria, minus the flower). But have NO idea what non-maternity size I'd wear at that point! Here's to hoping that I don't gain more weight than I did last time! And to hoping I can stand up there in heels! (And yes, I said it...I'm 12 Weeks!)

PS. Karina sent me this helpful article on pregnant bridesmaids. Be SURE to check it out, you won't want to miss this dress. Thank you, Laura, for not making me wear the same.

"Carrie"

For the last three days, this little guy has been calling me "Carrie." Pretty funny.

Holiday Tipping

If you, like me, have been wondering who to tip this Christmas season, I found this helpful guide. Here are the big two service folks: The trash guy, with a recommended $15-$30 each. And the mailman, a non-cash gift, value of up to $20 is recommended.

Cookbooks Finally Here!!!

Finally, the Climb Nashville cookbooks for Made in the Streets, in Nairobi, Kenya, are here! These 250 Vegetarian & Vegan Recipes are sure to please the tastebuds! Please stop by the gym if you would like to buy one. Or, there are several people who have mentioned on my blog that they would like one. If so, please leave some contact info and your desired quantity in the post.

Here are the Details:
Cost is $15
Checks & Cash accepted.
Checks can be made out to: Made in the Streets
Additional shipping charges based on the quantity. Due to holiday travel/etc., no guarantee can be made on shipping/delivery date.

Some highlights include:
Beth Rodden’s Veggie & Grain Soup
Summit GORP from Lightning 100’s Team Green
Italian Eggplant & Mozzarella Stacked Salad from Plumgood Food
Smoked Gouda Quesadillas, Oriental Baked Tofu, Newton's "No Meata" Fajitas, Jambalaya, Quinoa Salads, Chilis, Lasagnas, and so much more!
Plus other tasty meals suitable for camping & climbing trips!

Eric Volz to be Released!

A Nicaraguan court overturned Eric Volz's guilty verdict. He will hopefully be released very soon!!!

Click here for the clip from this morning's Today Show. Or check out last night's briefing on on CNN.com.

Sinus Infection

First Strep Throat, Then the WORST, Longest-Lasting cold ever on record, Now a Sinus Infection! I'm SO tired of being sick! I've gotten like 2 good nights of sleep in all of December.

Choc Chip Cookies – Egg/Dairy/Wheat-Free Recipe

Can these seriously be vegan cookies? They were very good! I was completely expecting them to be only half-good. Lance said they were about the best cookies he’s ever eaten. How 'bout that? Here's the recipe:

1¾ c. wheat-free flour mix (i used regular flour)
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 c. butter substitute, like Earth Balance
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. baking powder
1½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. granulated sugar
2½ tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips (dairy-free)
3½ c. quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350° and grease baking pans. Sift flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 tbsp. water, the vinegar and 2 tsp. baking powder. On medium speed, beat butter substitute, brown sugar, vanilla and sugar until well blended. Stir the flour mixture into the “butter” mixture until smooth. Mix in chocolate chips and oats. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the sheets. With lightly greased hands, lightly press the cookies down to form ½-inch thick rounds. Bake 6 to 9 min., until cookies are lightly browned all over and almost firm when lightly pressed in the centre of the top. Remove cookies from oven & let stand about 2 min., until the cookies firm slightly. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. These cookies freeze well.

NOTES: I used regular flour, and a little less oats (about 3 c.) I think I also baked them a bit longer too. Also, the batter was a bit crumbly. I had to pat them out like hamburger patties. In the oven, however, they came together and were not crumbly.

Heirloom Children's Furniture

This wooden children's furniture from Heirloom beats the pants off my plastic hand-me-downs. I haven't seen the price tag, but I bet it's pricier than my living room furniture. Gorgeous to look at, though.

Birthday Cake

How amazing is this cake that my sister-in-law made for my dad's birthday? What a talent.

Bento Boxes

I'm very excited about my new Bento Box for E. These make it easy to take out certain sections and microwave them, or keep dips separate from other foods. I got mine from Laptop Lunches.

Mixed Tapes - A Tribute to '94

Yesterday marked an emotional turning point in my life. I retired the tape deck in my car & for a new cd player. I spent all weekend listening to mixed tapes that I’ve been enjoying for the past decade+. My high school years were full of mixed tapes shared with very cool friends. Many of the tapes I still like very much. As a tribute to this landmark moment, I've recounted the playlist from Joe's tape, from Christmas 1994. *Sniff Sniff.* Goodbye tape deck.

Side A
Panic – The Smiths
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths
Photograph – Natalie Merchant & REM
Bittersweet – Big Head Todd & The Monsters
Circle – Big Head Todd & The Monsters
Calling All Angels – Jane Siberry & KD Lang
Waiting for Somebody – Paul Westerberg
Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
Without a Trace – Soul Asylum
Soulflower - Pharcyde

Side B
Sweet Potato – Cracker
Mr. Wrong – Cracker
Packin’ .25 – Jane’s Addiction
Black Girlfriend - Jane’s Addiction
I Heard Ramona Sing – Frank Black
We are in Love – Harry Connick Jr.
Girlfriend – Matthew Sweet
Jane’s Says – Jane’s Addiction
Rosemary – Lenny Kravitz
San Francisco Days – Chris Isaak

Thanks, Ladies.

Do you ever get down on yourself and think “I have no friends, no one likes me. Woe is me!” Okay, maybe it’s just me. But that’s what I was going through this time last year. I was sad that certain relationships weren’t maturing the way I wanted, and I was missing depth in friendships that I really longed for.

Well, lately, I’ve been feeling truly blessed by friendships. I’m now surrounded by some great women who I know really care about me, and value my friendship. But what I do a terrible job of is telling people that I appreciate them. SO, to my friends…I’m going to take a turn towards the sappy and say that I love you & appreciate you so much!

Yes, I should say this in person. But I’m no good at being sappy, so it’s baby steps, y’all.

Fast Food & Allergies

Finally, I've done some homework on the ingredients of Fast Food restaurants. Not that I'm crazy about feeding my boy that stuff, but it's sometimes difficult to always have food on hand when I'm out. The plane ride home from California was tough, because I didn't know about the ingredients of the fast food restaurants. That day, E ate 2 bananas, 2 bags of corn chips, and 2 (e-safe, fake) pop tarts. Poor thing.

So, if you are egg/dairy/nut-free, you can eat a McDonald's hamburger on a regular bun!!! Exciting news! Anway, here are links to Ingredient Lists for some popular fast food chains, for your convenience.

Kentucky Fried Chicken
McDonald's
Wendy's
Burger King
Jack in the Box
Subway
Taco Bell
Hardee's
Arby's
Captain D's – Website says all foods may contain allergens.

A Crafty Childhood

Were you crafty growing up? Here's a journey down craft memory lane. Remember any of these? Did you make bracelets out of embroidery floss in 5th grade? What about safety pin bracelets in 6th grade? (I actually still wear mine.) Or Fimo Beads in 10th grade?

Snowflake Ornaments

Amanda C. posted a little how to on these cute little ornaments. Too cute not to share with you...

The Stockings are Hung

Between sickness, emergencies, regular holiday activities, & a wreck of a house, blogging has been on the backburner. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing soon. Anyway, we got our tree last week & it's looking like Christmas in our house! Here is Ethan helping to decorate the tree.

A Testiment to Toughness

Thanks for your sympathies for a crazy week. I'm on Day 3 of antibiotics & feeling MUCH better!!

On another crazy note, Ethan took it upon himself to take out his stitches today. How crazy is that? It seriously hurts me to think about it, but I got him up from his nap & his stitches were all out. He didn't even whimper in his bed when he did it. I guess he just yanked them out. This kid is tough.

Guess What I've Got?

Here are the symptoms:

Fever
Sweats
Chills
Pain when I swallow
Exhaustion
Headache
Lymph Nodes the size of Golf Balls
Loss of Voice

Can you guess?

It's Strep Throat! Yeah! Ding Ding Ding. You're the winner! (And I'm the loser.)

How Sad is THIS?

Here's how my poor little baby boy looked all day Wednesday. I've never seen him more sad & exhausted. This was after a full day of dr. visits & waiting when he busted his lip open (actually the coffee table went through his lip). He actually looks much better here, because he has 4 stitches holding his lip closed. It was terrible holding him down while they gave him stitches. It hurts so bad when they hurt. He did as well as can be expected though. 4 Stitches before 2? I hope it's not a sign of what's to come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'll be taking a break from blogging, so until next time, I wanted to leave you with this cute little photo! Have a great Thanksgiving!