Month: April 2013

Categories
Reading

The Red Queen

My current reading mission is to get rid of my TBR {to be read} pile. It’s sat for years in between our couch & love seat somewhat untouched. Now, the pile of books {& the laptop & plug beside them} are a main attraction for Lucy & Zach. I’ve been taking advantage of car trip & pumping reading recently trying to get that stack read & the books shipped off via paperbackswap. {I’m ldybugsuzi there if you want to help!}

IMG_20130415_091118A few years ago, I got obsessed with all things Philippa Gregory. I think I read like 75% or more of her novels within a few months. I believe The Red Queen wasn’t quite out yet at that time. I put it on my paperbackswap wish list & then in my TBR pile when it arrived.

The Red Queen reminded me why I got obsessed. The history nerd in me comes out while reading historical fiction. This one is more behind the scenes scheming & battle scenes than love stories like some other of her works. But it was good.

I was glad the story of Henry Tudor was told through his mother. I liked having her perspective & think it would’ve been a very different {but still been very interesting} novel had it been told from Jasper Tudor or Henry’s perspectives.

I have not read The White Queen {the first of the Cousin’s War series}, but I plan on requesting it from the library soon. I’ll be reading them out of order which I guess is fine if not slightly historically confusing.

If you’re a fan of historial fiction, England’s royalty & Philippa Gregory, you’ll want to make sure to read The Red Queen. It was a quick, pretty light read.

Categories
Babies Food Motherhood

{no longer} Struggling with Solids

My not-so-great eaters have changed! I did an update on our take of solids on Liberating Working Moms yesterday. Thought I’d share a bit of it here.

Somehow in
the last four months, Lucy & Zach went from struggling so much with solids that I wrote a post on it, spoke with our PA & pediatrician & was on the verge of sending Lucy & Zach to a specialist to BOOM good eaters. I’d say I don’t know how this happened, but I kinda do.

Jump over to LWM to read the rest. And I’d love to hear your favorite to-go foods for ‘toddlers’. OMG I almost have toddlers!!

Categories
Babies Motherhood

On the verge of One

How is it April?! How is it that I have to answer 10.5 months when people ask how old Lucy & Zach are?! How is it that I’m on the verge of having to start calling them ‘toddlers’ versus ‘babies’?!

Where has this year gone?

I find myself spending more time than I care to admit re-reading my posts from last April and last May. They’re full of hope & joy & bittersweetness. It seems like so long ago & yet not long ago at all that my old life ended & really, my life began.

I’m so thankful {again} for my lil place online & that I had the forethought to type out my thoughts on my pregnancy, bed rest & birth experiences. So many details I’ll never forget, so many have been lost to pregnancy- then mommy-brain.

I’m both in denial & almost ready for my two babies to turn one. To check off that we not only survived but thrived through our first year together.

Yet I still haven’t really planned their first birthday party{s}. There are dates set though. First the weekend before their big day we’re going to get together with some close friends. Theme, food, party accessories are all TBD {where is a cleaning service & Suzanne when I need her?!}. The Sunday before their birthday we’re having one year photos made. I can’t wait to have photos of them at this age & to see how they do trying birthday cake!

The day of, we have their 12 month doctor visit & I’m considering taking the rest of the day off to just hug on them {but daycare does their own lil party on birthdays & I don’t want them to miss out}.

The weekend after their birthday is Memorial Day weekend. Yay for always having a beach bound holiday to celebrate on! {I planned that. Ok, more like Zach planned that}. We are having a big family get together at OIB to both celebrate their first year & also to have them baptized that Sunday morning on the beach by the minister who married us. It’s going to be a special family weekend.

My musing over O.N.E. aren’t over just yet. Still six weeks to go. I’m holding tight to each.

Categories
Family/Travel

Brunch with Papa

This past weekend was a busy one for me & Lucy & Zach. We were all in Charlotte for my good friend B’s wedding. I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid so I was running back & forth from wedding events uptown & loving/hugging/nursing babies who were being watched by my parents & my Papa at his condo/near by hotel room. I will post later this week on the wedding {those photos are on the husband’s phone since mine died}.

But I did remember to charge my phone Saturday night & took a few sweet photos while we brunched with Papa & his friends at their club house. We had a private room which was fabulous & also meant that we weren’t worried about the babies being loud {they weren’t} or a distraction {they were, but a good one}. After everyone ate, Lucy & Zach were passed around the table for giggles. Lucy especially loved it when Papa tried to nibble on her toes too.

Cypress Brunch, Lucy & Zach style
Cypress Brunch, Lucy & Zach style

We walked the fully, sleepy babies back to the condo where we quickly packed up. And took this shot of our four generations!

Four Generations: Papa, Cici, me, Lucy & Zach
Four Generations: Papa, Cici, me, Lucy & Zach

Lucy & Zach were asleep before we got on the highway & both slept until minutes before we got home. Score!

Categories
Food

{Make Ahead Meals} Shrimp & Wild Rice Casserole

This is another great recipe courtesy of friends of my Mom’s. She’s even more social than me & lucky to have friends willing to share when they make an awesome casserole. The original recipe is for chicken & wild rice casserole but included how to do it with shrimp. Since we were at the beach {for Easter}, we made it the shrimp way & the casserole was delicious. We halved the recipe & it was plenty for 6 adults.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole 

1 (2.25 oz)  pkg sliced almonds {skipped}
2 (6.2 oz) boxes fast cooking long grain and wild rice mix
1/4 c butter
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 lb medium sized raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) can chopped water chestnuts
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 c dry white wine
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c shredded parmesan cheese, divided
2 C shredded monteray jack cheese, divided

Preheat over to 350. Bake almonds in single layer 4-6 minutes, until toasted, stirring half way through.

Prepare rice mix according to package directions.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, add celery & onions. Saute 10 minutes or until tender. Add the shrimp. Stir in soup, water chestnuts, sour cream, wine, salt & pepper, rice and 3 cups of the cheese. Spoon mixuture into lightly greased 15 x 10 dish or two 11 x 7 dishes.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Sprinkle w/remaining 1 C of cheese and almonds. Bake another 5 minutes.

You can also do this recipe with chicken {5 c chopped & cooked}. Change 4 c cheddar for the monterey jack & parmesan & sub milk for the white wine.