Catch up

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

(attributed to Mark Twain, though not really.)

We are, in fact, alive and well. A little too well and with one additional life on the way, actually. 

Baby:
Boy #2. Due October 17th. So far, things have gone relatively smoothly, though he is an incredibly active little guy. I'm no longer holding out hope for that calm, easy-going second child I thought I had coming to me.

House:
It's not grand (and looks particularly small quaint in exterior photos), but it's perfectly roomy for us and we absolutely adore it. It's a 1940's Cape Cod that was extensively renovated and added on to by a builder last year. They kept some of its vintage charm but added all new amenities.A perfect combination for us.

 I've come to really like the efficiency of galley kitchens (we had a tiny galley kitchen in our old house) and this one features a gratuitous amount of counter space:

And my cookbook collection has a lovely new home in our breakfast room:

Don't worry - that's not all of them. The rest are hidden inside the bureau.

We're still getting settled and I have lots of ideas for pretty much every room. The house was entirely neutral when we moved in, so now it's just neutral with our crappy old furniture on top. You don't need to see pictures of that.

So, the baby and the house have kept us fairly busy over the past few months. Not too busy for the beach, of course. There's always time for the beach. Although we've had to accommodate our road trips for a pregnant lady and a toddler-sized bladder. We are now entirely too familiar with every Royal Farms along Route 50, plus a few choice McDonalds.

Happy summer!

Can't help myself

I should probably start with a more detailed post about where the hell I've been (we moved) or what the hell I've been doing (gestating baby #2), but in the mean time here is a gigantic roan draft cross near the Capitol. Because I have my priorities.

Friday bliss: smoked Gouda with bacon

The brie isn't bad either but whomever thought up bacon flavored cheese deserves a Nobel prize.

P.S. Hi there! Long time no see.

P52: Macro

Well, kind of. Sort of. Not really, actually. I don't have a true macro lens (yet . . .), so I just use the long end of my Tamron. I had hoped to catch some of the blooms popping up on the Mall (Silly flowers! It's February!), but ran out of time and daylight, so I scrounged around my backyard for something, anything.



Meh. This was actually my favorite shot from outside, not macro by any means, but much cuter.

White Bean and Artichoke Dip

Yeah, so joining Weight Watchers right before the Super Bowl is a bad, bad idea. Not that I actually enjoy football, by any means, but I do enjoy wings. And pizza. And beer. Anyway, I did manage to whip this up as a relatively healthy option. It would have been great with the addition of fresh basil or sun-dried tomatoes for some extra flavor and color. White beans are really just blank canvas for a super simple and light dip.





White Bean and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 can white beans, like canelini
• 1 cup marinated (not frozen) artichoke hearts, drained but reserving 1 tbs of liquid
• salt and pepper to tast

Directions:

1. Whip it all up in a food processor. Presto, you're done.

Friday bliss: perfect grilled pizza

And the 50 degree February day that made it possible.

P52: Lust

At least, the type of thing that I will be lusting after for awhile, unless I want to ask "How many points is that?". I just joined the big WW. I don't really want to talk about it because reading about other people's weight and diets is so intensely boring (and even less interesting when they quickly fall off the wagon, which I am apt to do) but I feel like I would be hiding something if I didn't at least mention it.

I hate depriving myself. I hate counting what I eat and measuring it and writing it down. However, I also hate that may pants don't fit. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. And not some crappy fake cake made with Cool Whip and Diet Coke. Or angel food cake because that tastes like styrofoam and don't try to tell me that fresh fruit is just as good as chocolate. I want real cake, three layers, with frosting DAMMIT. And ice cream on the side, while I'm at it. But I spent the last year not worrying about what I ate and it gained me 20 damn pounds. So here we go. There is a good chance that this is as short-lived as last year's 30 Day Shred episode. We'll see. Feel free to post WW sucess stories or tell me I'm not a foodie sell-out.