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?!

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.

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

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!

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. ;)

Just Like Her Mama

Bubble Bath and a People Magazine