Sunday, February 28, 2010

Due Date Came and Went

Did I tell everyone that I was having a February Baby???? March, MARCH, MARCH!

Is it because we haven't actually installed the infant car seat in our car? Or because Todd is assembling the new baby furniture as I type? Or maybe because we have no hospital bags packed?

I washed all the baby clothes, isn't that enough?

Does that little due date ticker on the right side of our blog explode at midnight?!

Friday, February 26, 2010

No News.....

Samantha is still waiting to become a big sister


and I am going a bit crazy, as you can see, and am very anxious to meet the newest member of our family

These two better not be making a reference to how big I am getting.......

My friend Tia made the prediction that the baby will arrive on the next full moon, which is Sunday, my actual due date.

Will keep you posted!

The Perfect Filet Mignon

I love grilled Filet Mignon served medium rare with a side of horseradish sauce. I think less is more when it comes to marinating a good steak. Here are my top 4 "go-to" ingredients for marinating:

-Fresh Chopped Rosemary
-Fresh Chopped Thyme
-Lemon Juice
-Minced Garlic

Rub marinade over the steak and put in zip-loc bag and refrigerate for at least an hour. Remove from marinade and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cook to your desired temp via an outdoor grill (my favorite) or when the weather is not cooperating use a grill pan inside. Although I find cleaning a grill pan after it has been used to be one of the most tedious pans to clean.....



Here is a good recipe using the above marinade that serves the steak over pasta that you should try too:

From Cooking Light

Italian-Style Grilled Steak
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (1-pound) beef rib-eye steak, trimmed
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil

Preparation
Cut beef across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine beef, rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, and garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate beef in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove beef from bag, discarding marinade. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with pasta. Drizzle oil over beef and pasta.




Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Hero Next Door Contest

The Strong Family


There is another chance for my dear friend's, the Strong family, to win money that will go towards the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.

You can read about the contest details by clicking here.

In a nutshell, Victoria has been nominated in the "Hero Next Door" contest and the prize is $2500 towards their charity as well as $2,500 to the hero. Victoria has pledged to donate her portion to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. So, GSF has a chance at winning $5,000 which will go towards finding a cure for SMA, the terminal illness her daughter suffers from.

It is very simple to vote and it takes less than a minute. All that is needed is a valid email address and a birth date that is over the age of 18. The contest ends on the 26th so please, please, please vote asap!

Just click on this link.

We are so passionate about this cause as Samantha adores Gwendolyn, and so do we. We are hopeful that a cure will be available soon so that little Gwendolyn will be free of her breathing and feeding machines and will be able to run around like all toddlers should be.

The Fallon Family

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

PEEPS

I wish she didn't like them, but I am not surprised that she does, she is her father's daughter. Todd LOVES Peeps. I think they are GROSS. It's one of those candies you either love or hate.

I am enabler when it comes to these things because when I see them at the store, I buy them. And the worst part is that Peeps are not just around for Easter, they are a year-round thing, they have them for every holiday and season. They always end up in the sale bin at our grocery store a day after a holiday and I find myself grabbing several packs because they are some ridiculous deal like 4 for a quarter.





I am not going to worry about Samantha's dietary habits too much. While she will make her way through an entire pack of sugar-covered, corn-syrup filled, marshmellow Peeps, she will also consume a large bowl of broccoli or peas as if she were eating the most delicious meal ever. I think it is a good balance.

By the way, if you have nothing better to do, check out the Peep's website here. They have random fun facts about Peep's. My favorite's being:

Loyal PEEP's fans love their PEEP's fresh, frozen, stale and even on pizza!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Storytime Again

We are becoming regulars at the library

The videos below make me laugh because of the way Samantha is right up front and dancing. It reminds me of myself and my best friend Laurie, when we were youngsters, always making our way up front at concerts and jumping/dancing the entire time. ;)


Friday, February 19, 2010

Just Like Her Mama

Bubble Bath and a People Magazine

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Valentines Day 2010

We had a very relaxing Valentines Day this year. The 4 of us (actually 5 of us if you include the "bump") spent the day at Butterfly Beach. It was 75 degrees and beautiful out.

I tried to do some power walking to go into labor but no such luck. Then we headed over to the cupcake shop in Montecito, Whodidily, and devoured the most delicious cupcakes. I thought maybe all the sugar would send me into labor but no such luck again.










This cupcake was called the "Marry Me" - Vanilla Cupcake with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting , Pink Coconut and a Dazzling Ring on Top

This was the "Vanilla Dream" - Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Sprinkled with Sparkles and a Valentines Heart

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Dinner Date

We had a really nice dinner this weekend with the Stone Family. We went to Somethings Fishy, a Japanese Hibachi and Sushi restaurant on State Street. I don't think we had been to this restaurant in 10+ years. It was one of those places you would go to dinner at when you were in your early 20's and now we are old......

Live cooking, chopsticks and FIRE! Very entertaining, especially for the kids. When the chef would do something fancy, Connor and Samantha would clap real loud. I am sure the chef appreciated his captive audience.

Then the dinner went haywire. Connor fell out of his chair and hit his head and Samantha poured an entire bottle of soy sauce down her dress. Check PLEASE!








Saturday, February 13, 2010

Story Time

I have lived in Santa Barbara for 15 years and have never set foot in our local downtown library. It must have been the endless hours of studying I did at the UCSB library during college that has kept me away ;) In any case, there is a reason to start going now. They have a really nice children's area with more than just books. They have puzzles, stuffed animals and other activities plus they offer a free story time each week and Samantha LOVED it!




Notice where she is sitting in this picture

And where she ends up.....

The librarian actually kept telling Samantha to move back a little so the other kids could see. I tried to pull her back but she started to throw a fit so I just ignored the situation (which is my latest parenting technique I have adopted when I become embarrassed of my own child). Which by the way came in handy when she wanted to take all her clothes off in a restaurant the other night after she spilled on herself. I started to act like I couldn't hear her.......it worked!


You will see in this video that the librarian decided to just embrace Samantha's willingness to be up front and center, or as we say in our household "Become the Boss".

And then it was time for Samantha to show off her moves.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Baby Celebration

Laurie, Chris and Holley hosted a wonderful Baby Celebration for both the Delio family and our family. It was a perfect party with amazing food, friends and fun. Both Todd and I feel so fortunate to have such a great support system of friends.


The fabulous hostesses

The Lovely Ladies


The Dad's + Baby Margaret (poster child for best behaved baby) minus Bill (we missed you!)

The 3 Pregnant Ladies (Due March, February and June)

Goodie Bags for Everyone






Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Sammie and I

Samantha and I have been enjoying our last days of just the two of us. We went to the zoo together on Monday and have gone to breakfast at our favorite coffee shop, The Daily Grind, two days in row. And since we couldn't be outside today because of the rain, we went to a Yellow Bird Music class and it happened to be a Valentines Day party. Tomorrow she is going to come with me to my hair appointment, that should be interesting! :)

Oh and she keeps telling me that the new baby is going to come live with us on Saturday. Does she know something I don't???

This is the only smile I can get out of her lately.








Monday, February 8, 2010

Baked Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna can be a bit labor intensive but the good thing is that you can prep it ahead of time, assemble and bake later. Plus, it freezes really well. And if you are pressed for time, try the "no-boil" lasagna noodles and use a store bought marinara sauce - I am sure no one will know :)

I made this lasagna the other night for a large group and it turned out pretty well. The bell peppers and crushed red pepper add some spiciness and the addition of tofu makes it feel lighter than some of the heavy cheese lasagnas that I have made.

From Cooking Light

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 (14-ounce) package water-packed firm tofu, drained
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 cups finely chopped red bell pepper (about 2 medium)
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Cooking spray
12 cooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add white onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute or until golden. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, crushed red pepper, and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in basil and oregano. Cool.

3. Combine ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, tofu, egg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor; process for 10 seconds or until blended. Stir in green onions. Set aside.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

5. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with 3 noodles. Spread 3/4 cup tomato mixture over noodles; top with 1 cup tofu mixture and 1 cup zucchini mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Spread remaining 3/4 cup tomato mixture over top. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until bubbly; top with mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.


Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Perks of Having a Daughter

I have to be honest, I have been very neglectful when it comes to keeping my toes nice and pedicured lately. It has to do with a combination of things but mainly it is because I am constantly in Uggs, the only shoes that fit my pregnant feet, and the fact that I can't see my toes because of my belly. Oh and one other major factor is finding the time to go since I need to find a time/day when Samantha is with a babysitter or with Daddy.

Samantha has been getting weekly manicures from Dancing Grandma so I thought I would take a chance and take her to the nail shop to see if she would be up for getting a manicure/pedicure along with me.

She was a little hesitant at first but as soon as she got the hang of the massage chair and realized she could watch "Oprah" on the big flat screen, she was sold!

I am thrilled that it went so well since my swollen feet will soon be disappearing and now we can add this to the list of fun things we do together. Plus, the new baby can join us. I used to take Samantha with me when she was a baby up until she was about 6 months old. She used to just sleep in her car seat next to me.

And not to sound totally cheesy but it was really one of those Mother/Daughter moments that really was special.

Look at my little princess:

Getting the hang of the massage chair

She insisted we bring in our Chanel nail polish from home (okay, that was Mommy's idea)

She went with Chanel color #367 Trapeze









This is the face I get when I ask her to say, "Cheese"


Walking out of the salon with her "spa shoes"

The last you will be seeing of my swollen feet very soon...........