A Little Bit of Sugar & A Whole Lotta Spice!!

It's A.....Boy!!

2009-09-23T11:43:00.006-05:00

We are so beyond thrilled to be expecting our first son. And to have one of each - what a blessing! Karys will make a wonderful big sister and we are so excited to meet our little man this Spring.

On a sad note, my work has started monitoring internet usage again and so I'm going to bid farewell for a little while again on this blog while I work on the family blog. I hope to be back sooner rather than later this time.

Designs By....Me!

2009-09-14T07:30:00.005-05:00

Remember the sewing machine that I purchased a couple weeks ago? Well, my sister and I decided that this weekend was the weekend to learn how to sew. My mom came over and provided some much needed guidance and after working on it a bit Friday, Saturday and Sunday, here is my finished product!

And here is my precious model!

While it has many faults, you can't see many of them at first glance and I've learned a lot this weekend! I think when I start my next project, things will go more smoothly and I'll learn from the mistakes I've done with this one.

But for now? This will be the dress she wears to the pumpkin patch!

I Will Never Forget

2009-09-11T09:27:00.004-05:00

Do you remember where you were 8 years ago today?

I was 20 years old and in college. I was home that morning because I had a dentist appointment. I heard my dad yell from the living room and when I ran in there we watched in absolute horror as the second plane hit.

I was numb. My mind could not process what I was watching. I was scared. I didn't know what was going on or why. I didn't understand who would do such a thing. I wanted answers.

My heart and prayers go out to those who lost family members and loved ones on that fateful day eight years ago.

We will never forget.

Voluntary Pain?

2009-09-11T07:21:00.003-05:00

Today my cousin, Valerie, and I are going to get our eyebrows threaded. While she has done this before, this is my first time. I must say, I'm a bit nervous about it after her telling me it's painful. But I think I will do okay. I mean, I've gone through childbirth right? Surely something similar to tweezing isn't that bad? Right??

Regardless, I have been planning this for awhile and have to go now because my brows are looking pretty bad. I'm going to get them shaped and cleaned up.

It's a lot cheaper than waxing and apparently better for your skin because there is no wax or creams involved. It's just like tweezing, but faster. Only about $5 is what I'm told!

Here we go....

Domesticity 101

2009-09-03T14:15:00.005-05:00

See this guy to my left? He was just adopted into our family and should arrive hopefully next week.

See, I want this new comforter for Karys. Only it's $200 and even I have my limits on some things. So I'm determined to learn to make it myself.

My mom is going to give my sister and I lessons in the art of sewing. Soon we'll be able to make all sorts of fun things! Just imagine how much money can be saved!

Not to mention every household needs a sewing machine. Obviously.

Oh, and did I mention that my sister and I bought the same exact sewing machine? Fun!!

This is going to be a fun new adventure!

Sweet Baby...

2009-08-28T07:37:00.002-05:00

Sweet Little One,

I watched you jump around and wiggle around in my belly today on the ultrasound screen. And I completely fell in love with you all over again. I am so unbelievably proud to call you my own and cannot wait until the day I can kiss those precious cheeks of yours. But for now, keep growing healthy and strong and I'll see you next Spring.

Love,
Your Momma

Which Team Are You?

2009-08-26T14:23:00.004-05:00

I gotta say, after reading all the books and catching up on Season 2 of True Blood, I'm completely and utterly Team Eric. Which is generally not my taste - I rarely go for the blondes.

For now, I'll just replace myself in Sookie's little fantasies....yum!

Someday...

2009-08-19T12:11:00.002-05:00

"Someday I'm going to be on that field dancing..."

Time Consuming

2009-08-18T08:03:00.004-05:00

Wondering what I've been doing the past few weeks?

I must warn you, it's not very exciting.

And you will NOT be jealous.

Here is what I have been doing the past 13 out of 14 nights....with virtually no end in sight!

I've had a much harder time of it with Baby #2 than I ever did with Karys. Every night is a battle to keep down dinner and almost 100% of the time, I lose.

So, are you jealous? I didn't think so.

True Fan??

2009-07-24T11:58:00.007-05:00

Countless friends have mentioned how wonderful True Blood on HBO was. I even watched less than 5 minutes of the pilot when it debuted last year and decided it wasn't for me.

A season later, Tim and I finally gave into peer pressure and sat down and ordered it on Netflix.

We're hooked.

Lucky for me, I've got Season 2 all on my DVR for when we finish Season 1.

Now, the hard part is going to be not watching the next 5 episodes that I have in my mailbox while my husband is out of town for the next week...

So he's buying me a couple of the Sookie Stackhouse novels before he leaves in order for me to bide my time in his absense.

Does anyone else kind of thing Stephen Moyer (the actor, not my father-in-law who shares this name) is kind of sexy in that brooding sort of way?

Confidence Booster?

2009-07-14T15:20:00.005-05:00

Since I found out I was pregnant, I started noticing celebrities that were pregnant at the same time as me.

And it seems there are currently FOUR "angels" pregnant at the same time.

This I'm sure is a confidence booster as I start to grow, no?

Maybe it's just a pair of wings I'm missing that makes me unlike these girls? Ha!

Coming March 2010...

2009-07-13T07:18:00.001-05:00

Double The Fun?

2009-07-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

A couple of months back our sitter was out so I stayed home and watched both Karys and Addison (Karys' best friend who the sitter also keeps).

I thought it would be no problem because it would be like having sisters and playmates and they could entertain each other while I got some stuff done around the house.

Look how sweet they are together.....

What harm could possibly come of these two little angels being let loose in my house you ask? A picture says 1,000 words....so I will start there with what became of my house after this memorable day.

The Family Room:

The Living Room:

The Bedroom (where they played dress-up):

The Gameroom:

The Playroom:

Incredible.

Who knew two little people could have made this big of a mess?

My Heart...

2009-07-09T12:26:00.002-05:00

This little girl is the reason for the permanent smile in my heart...

Passion, Pasta and Pistols

2009-07-06T15:28:00.006-05:00

The succulent aroma of home-cooked pasta is drifting from New York City's most popular Italian eatery, La Speranza, but something else is heating up in the kitchen . . . cold-blooded murder! Restaurant-owner Pepi Roni has been shot in the back with his own pistol. Tonight his family and friends will gather to pay their respects to poor Pepi, but one of the guests won't be shedding any tears...

Remembering our beloved Pepi Roni...

Welcome to La Sperenza!!

Dinner is about to be served...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SUSPECTS:

Bo Jalais: Cousin of a cousin of Rocco's, Bo manages the Scarfazzi vineyards. Bo comes from a long line of French wine-makers and no one knows 'ze' grape like Bo. An important man in the Scarfazzi organization .... what could Bo possibly have to whine about.

Angel Roni: Pepi and Rosa's beautiful daughter. It was Pepi's dream that his 'Angel' would marry a good Italian boy, have children and carry on the family traditions. Angel has a few fantasies of her own though and one of them is that hunk, Bo jalais. Mama-mia!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mama Rosa: Pepi's grieving widow. For 25 years, Mama Rosa cooked the pasta while Pepi greeted La Sperenza's dinner guests. In all the years they were married, not once did they argue. Had something finally boiled over in Rosa's kitchen?

Marco Roni: Pepi and Mama Rosa's only son, Marco was expected to take over the restaurant after his parents retired. Marco hates waiting tables. His goal is to play on a World Cup soccer team but his papa has been keeping him permanently on the bench.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rocco Scarfazzi: Pepi's twin brother, a tough-talking no-nonsense Italian business man. In addition to his vineyards and real estate holdings, it is rumored Rocco is in the 'laundering' business. He had no love for his brother Pepi but his reasons are his own ... capische?

Tara Misu: Rocco's vivacious young fiancé. She was just an upstairs maid in Rocco's villa until she swept him off his feet. Now Tara keeps a smile on his face and a firm grip on Rocco's assets. Tara is dressed to kill. She knows the effect she has on men and flaunts her charms shamelessly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father Al Fredo: An Italian priest and long-time family friend of the Roni's and the Scarfazzi's. The good priest has heard their confessions and knows their sins.

Clair Voyant: Rosa's best friend and astrology advisor. Clair's talents include an ability to communicate with the spirit world and see into the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The women of the evening...

The gentlemen of the evening...

Father Al Fredo on the solemn night

Dinner in Pepi's honor...

Look how sad Angel Roni is!

Who dunnit? We cannot tell! But it was a night to remember and fun had by all the guests! Only 2 of the 8 guests correctly identified the murderer after 4 hours and 13-15 bottles of wine later.

Great Friends, Great Food, Great Fun!

No More Excuses

2009-07-01T15:32:00.006-05:00

It's been almost 4 months since I last posted on here.

It's now unblocked at work.

And at home....I have this little guy that my husband surprised me with on Friday for our 5th Wedding Annivesary!

Isn't he just darling?? I'm in love with my little MacBook Air. I've never seen anything quite so tiny!

So now I have no more excuses to slack on my blog.

It feels good to be back.

Look for my face around a lot more coming up!

Blogger Revoked

2009-03-12T19:35:00.005-05:00

It's finally happened. My company has done the unthinkable and blocked all access to the blogs from work.

Unfortunately I rarely get online at home, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update here anymore and it's making me quite sad.

Krystyn has given me a link/way to possibly get my comments enabled on Google Reader and thus be able to comment on all your blogs. I will try to get that up and running sometime next week if I can manage it.

Right now I am still able to read everything you post though via Bloglines (which is not blocked), but I can no longer see the pictures.

So please bear with me as I try to figure how to overcome this new challenge. I'll be back some way or another!

Until we meet again...

Out Of Their Mouths

2009-03-05T13:14:00.008-06:00

For those of you who aren't aware, I collect quotes. Especially funny ones that my family and friends say. I always try to make sure to write them down. Since I have quite a few saved up, I figured this could be my Thursday Thirteen this week. Can't you see why I just love my family and friends? I'm constantly entertained!

13 Quotes/Conversations Between Family & Friends

1. A Conversation Between Friends...
#1: Dammit! Boss is bringing in lunch for everyone from Don Patron. Foiled!
#2: So??
#1: Other boss said she would take us tomorrow instead. My ass is going to turn into a tortilla! A big puffy tortilla!
09/17/08

2. "All I want is a few simple things in life, like a luxury car with the smart key and in white/beige. But no. That is asking too much. I must have been a mass murderer in my former life to deserve such an injustice in this one." 09/22/08

3. "Since I am so frequently right about everything, I don't have a tendency to rub it in often. That would get tiresome." 09/22/08

4. "Most kids have toys when they are little, I had pet rocks." 10/15/08

5. "It was so much easier to hide stuff when I had a real trunk, but the Explorer is all open - I had to find new hiding spots. He is a representation of our coupledom and I'm not going to be made a fool of because of his poor fashion choices." 12/04/08

6. "Man this exam is going to be the most action I’ve gotten in quite a while…and of course it has to be from a girl…doctor!" 12/12/08

7. "I think I must have hit my head or something because it hurts SO bad."
Said randomly by a family member of mine... 12/16/08

8. "What do you mean if he rejects me?? Why wouldn't he want to be my friend? I have a gorgeous profile picture! I don't care who you are, you don't just go and reject a pretty girl. Even if it's just curiosity."
Being Completely Dumbfounded... Jan 2009

9. "My car died today. It was my fault. It didn't have gas." 02/05/09

10. "Actually, you know you and I have all the same things in life: a nice house, a nice car, a big dog, a baby (or one one the way in your case). I just have more shoes to show for it!"
Justifying my lifestyle to my BIL on my liking to spend money... 03-03-09

11. "I explained to him that being married to him was like dog years. We're coming up on our 50th next year." 03/05/09

12. "I just spilled diet coke on my big (pregnant) belly. It looks like my belly button is leaking! I don't know why I wear white." 03/05/09

13. A Conversation On Harry Potter...
Danielle: What is a Muggle?
Steph: Someone with no magical powers. Like you and me. Not a witch or wizard. Those are Muggles.
Danielle: Oh. Like you and me. I forget about all the magical creatures running around.
03/05/09

Name Calling

2009-03-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

With a name like Stephanie, I have had my fair share of nicknames in the past. From the obvious, "Steph" or "Stephy", to the childish playground ones, "Step-On-Me".

I've always had sort of a strange view of nicknames. I've thought about this many times in the past and I always notice that the people who use a nickname for me, typically "Steph", are the ones who I've been closest to.

And likewise, the ones that I use nicknames for (if their names allow) are, in general, those that I consider to be better friends of mine.

I had one friend of mine that I basically grew up with since junior high school. She never used a nickname with me. Yet this was my best friend. And now? We no longer speak at all due to personal matters. Oddly enough, it always bothered me that she could never called me "Steph". I have always remembered that. And no, I'm not suggesting that we aren't friends because she called me "Stephanie".

But then I have friends that I can't always break down their names that I am still very close with like Jaime or Danielle. Because I'm very partial to girl names and I don't want to call them "James" or "Dan"/"Danny".

And then there is my daughter, Karys, who might never have a nickname other than her Uncle Joe's "Care Bear", as he dotingly calls her.

And then there are the easy nicknames like Steph, Rach, Ash, Val or Dee. You can't get much more straight forward than that really.

Sorry for the rambles. I didn't really have a point in this post other than that it popped in my head again today and I thought I'd share it.

Back In My Running Shoes

2009-02-24T10:57:00.006-06:00

I've been saying I was going to start running again for almost 6 months now. And there has always been some "excuse" why I didn't do it.

I needed motivation.

So, I thought if I put on my adorable pink running shoes and my running pants (because they are pretty fashionable), that it would be the exact motivation I was looking for. Right?

Turns out, those pretty fashionable pants? I could barely get them over my rear!

So I'm thinking that now I get to run looking like a little sausage. Then I remembered I had the cute matching jacket to go with my cute running pants.

I'm not even going to go into how that jacket must have shrunk a few inches.

But I'm thinking that was enough motivation for me. Who cannot fit into their running pants for crying out loud?

So I dusted off the jogging stroller, charged up my iPod and off I went.

I'm not going to lie, it was not pretty. I hadn't run in 15 months.

But the important thing was that I did it. Not that I felt like I was going to pass out.

And last night? I did it again. Only this time I went alone and I realized not only was it much easier to run alone, but much more peaceful.

I have pretty high hopes that I can make this a habit again. That I will start to like to run. That my body will not cramp in the oddest places. That one day soon my pants won't feel like they are squeezing the life out of me so that I can be brave enough to run when it's still light outside.

This is part of my resolution to move more. And oddly enough, when I am actually running, I find myself wanting to eat better. That's not a bad side effect!

Going Back Again?

2009-02-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

I was cleaning out my desk the other day and I found all my old journals from elementary, junior high, high school and college. And I remembered how much I used to love to write. I literally wrote all the time. Actually, I was always much better with written words than I was at speaking them when I would want to get a certain point across.

While I was flipping through the journals, there were many times that I had referenced notes from friends and boys that I liked at the time. And I got all nostalgic. I used to love getting notes in the hallway. I loved writing notes in class while pretending to listen to the teachers. I remembered all the clever ways to fold a note that my girlfriends and I would do for each other.

And so then I realized that I still have a great love of pen and paper. I still prefer to jot things down by hand rather than type them out.

And, call me old fashioned, but I still prefer a handwritten note to an email.

As for the journals, I think I stopped sometime after I got engaged. I don't know why I stopped though. I miss it. I was in the bookstore this past weekend and I was browsing through the different journals. I really wanted to take one home. But I didn't want to buy it if I wasn't committed to actually writing in it. I just feel a journal should not be wasted like that.

Also because I've always considered a journal a private matter. No one has ever read through my journals but me. And I've never read through anyone elses. If my daughter ever keeps a journal when she is older, I will not read it. I'd be too embarrased having someone read mine or reading someone elses. Heck, I'm embarrased reading through some of my old stuff as it is! Talk about being dramatic (Val - you can attest to this!). And honstly, being married, my life isn't very private anymore.

However, for me, writing has always been a form of therapy. To be fair, while my blog posts are not much in the way of serious material, I can't be completely blunt on it either. Because I know that if this were private and it was only myself reading it, my posts would be drafted quite a bit differently.

So for now, I guess I'm toying around the idea of having a journal again. And I'm kind of liking the odds.

Spring Fever

2009-02-20T08:04:00.004-06:00

The weather is getting warmer. We've had a few blooms on our flowers. I can feel Spring in the air. It's almost pedicure season. My toes are just itching to come out and play.

I'm convinced I need these to celebrate the coming of the season. They are bright. They are fun. They are sexy. And they are PINK!

Now I just have to justify to the husband on why I need to spend $150 on a pair of shoes. Danielle and I have come up with a couple of good reasons that I absolutely need these.

*I feel it is my duty to help stimulate the economy. I'm extremely Patriotic you know.
*I don't have a pair of strappy pink shoes.
*Because I work so that I can indulge every once in awhile.
*It's an investment. A good pair of shoes will last years!
*My wardrobe is 99% black so I can wear it with any outfit.
*I have not bought shoes in ages.

Seriously? With reasons like this, I'd let myself buy them...

My Confessions

2009-02-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Thursday 13:
Why Becky Bloomwood Is My Alter Ego

1. I am addicted to shopping
2. I can justify any purchase
3. I cannot pass up a good deal
4. An ideal date includes a *tiny* shopping spree
5. My purchases have gotten me in debt in the past
6. I am convinced everything will work out perfectly in the end
7. The cute, smart guy fell for me too
8. All purchases are "needs", not "wants"
9. I sometimes tend to go overboard
10. Shopping makes me feel better
11. I'm always in the mood to shop
12. I still hide my credit card bills at work. *see below
13. And I still don't open them. *see below

Looking forward to seeing this movie with you and you on Saturday!

Taking It In Stride

2009-02-17T15:25:00.007-06:00

The worst part about my job?

Working with women. And by women, I mean certain types of women who make working become tiresome and petty. Women who, for reasons unknown, like to cause trouble or add turmoil to situations. I've had enough of trying to be nice. I've had enough of going out of my way to be polite. I honestly don't care if these women like me or not. Whatever makes them happy. But when it starts interfering with my work? That's when I get annoyed. Because I love my job and won't let anyone ruin it for me. But you know what? All it does now is make me laugh. I can't help it. And when you think about it, I mean really, how happy can you be if you try to make someone else so miserable? So I will pity them as well. Kudos to me for being more mature.

But, the best part about my job?

My boss. Who doesn't care if I leave mid-day during a particular mentally exhausting mess and let's me catch an afternoon of stress relief.

Here is my stress relief...

*And yes, that's with extra caramel. And I do not feel guilty in the least!

Profanity 101: Encore Love Style

2009-02-12T07:00:00.003-06:00

For lack of something else to do this past weekend, my husband and I were watching Far & Away (yes, Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman circa 1992) on the Encore Love channel.

We didn't even notice the word.

But apparently our child did.

And so she just looked over at my husband in a very matter-of-fact manner and says "Dammit Daddy".

Panic.

Neither of us answered because we were trying to figure out if that was really what just came out of her mouth. Surely not. Not my angel.

She must think we're ignorant at this point since we are doing nothing but staring at her. So she says it to him again, more forceful.

"Dammit Daddy"

You have GOT to be kidding me. Of all the lines in the movie, she takes this one word and picks it out? I was under the assumption you did not have to censor shows for kids until they were at least 3 years old.

Apparently not.

Lesson learned.

Note: She has not said it since then. We distracted her and she forgot her "fun new word" altogether. But who knew you had to censor a love story?