Bah Humbug?

I feel like Scrooge this Christmas. Before Bonnie was born I started planning/buying all the traditions I wanted to start. We got our first tree, ornaments, stockings, etc. I got the nativity scene I grew up with from my Dad. We decorated and I have very fond memories of sitting in the living room by the light of the Christmas tree, pregnant and happy.

Until Thanksgiving I had every intention of setting up and decorating our Christmas tree again this year. However, the day after came and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Bonnie is all over the place now, and gets into everything. I just couldn't find the energy to: 1) Put up the tree and 2) Protect the tree from her on a daily basis. So I made the decision to skip it this year. Grandma has a tree that Bonnie sees every day, and she can handle the hassle of keeping her off that tree :). I thought, I'll at least hang the stockings but then realized my supplies were in the attic and well that was more effort then I cared to expend, even telling Johnathan to get them was too much effort. So no decorations for us this year.

Then the decision was made to not buy Bonnie anything for Christmas. The renters we had in our townhouse moved out at the end of August and it's been empty ever since. We ripped out the carpet on the first floor and installed laminate, which took us a while (it's busy working, taking care of baby, etc). Once we made the decision to use a property management company things started moving faster. We had them finish the repairs, do some painting, do the cleaning, etc. We finally have a contract and we're excited but due to fees etc we won't see any rental income for a couple of months. All of that said to let you know that there's just not extra money floating around for extra Christmas expenses.

I tell myself Bonnie is too young to even know what's going on or that she's "missing out" on anything. Plus the rest of her family will have her covered, we don't need to buy her anything. Somehow it doesn't make me feel any better. I know it's the right decision, and I'm standing behind it but I suppose the consumerism tied to Christmas has dug it's claws into me. It feels wrong not to buy her something. Even though we've been buying her somethings since the day she was born.

I'm not even sure how Christmas decor will pan out next year, having another new little one around. But I do feel that by that time Bonnie might start to understand Christmas more and we can do more and hopefully afford more. We've decided to adopt a new philosophy to gift giving for our children for birthday and Christmas. The rule of four: 1) Something they want, 2) Something they need, 3) Something to wear, 4) Something to read. I'm excited for that and that's something to look forward to.

But I still feel like Scrooge, or maybe the Grinch after he stole Christmas. But if the Grinch taught us anything it's that the things of Christmas don't matter, it's the spirit. I really need to let this guilt go, at least the spirit is still here. The joy of spending time with family and friends.

The Secret is Out...the day we found out

I've been an avid blog reader ever since I became pregnant with Bonnie. It was nice to peek into the lives of other mothers out there and hear an experienced voice. Sometime during my pregnancy I discovered Ashley's page (The Domestic Wannabe), and have been reading ever since. On Wednesdays she has guest bloggers post A Day in the Life, so I volunteered. My "Day" is the one where we found out the gender of baby #2. If you want to know...click HERE.

A Day in the Life...

I'm so glad to be participating in "A Day in the Life" on Ashley's blog! I've been reading her for a little over a year now and really enjoy getting a peek into other mother's lives. I blog over at Playing Parent, which started as a good way to track my pregnancy and give voice to being a mother. My own mother died when I was one and I loved anything of hers I could get my hands on. I would have loved to have her written words at my fingertips, so my blog is a way to ensure my children have a piece of me, no matter what.

My name is Wendy, and I live in South Carolina with my dashing husband Johnathan, our spoiled yorkie poo Jericho, and our precious daughter Bonnie. She is 10 months old now, and is a ball of energy! I'm a working Mom, but I get to work from home so my commute is super easy. Today you'll follow me through a Friday, which would normally be pretty boring, but I'm cheating because I'm pregnant again and today is our gender scan!

Let's begin:

5:45am- I hear Bonnie squeaking and showing general signs of wakefulness in her room. If she's not sounding unhappy I usually let her chill until one of two things happen: 1) She starts sounding unhappy or 2) It gets late enough that I've gotta get her dressed, fed, and ready for Grandma's house. But I can say without a doubt that 5:45 is not normal, and I was NOT getting up that early.

6:45am- I must have fallen back asleep, because when I wake up again it's silent. Bonnie must have actually fallen back to sleep herself, which is unusual because when she wakes up, she's usually awake for good. Part of me is in awe of this fact, and another part is starting to get worried because this never happens.

7am- I've waited as long as I can take it, I have to get up and peek in on her. I step into the room and look into her crib. She's laying on her side with her head away from her "Bonnie" pillow with nothing around her, so I know she's fine. I don't touch her for fear she'll wake up, and I wouldn't mind getting back in bed for a few minutes.

7:20am- I'm too excited about today to go back to sleep so I drag myself out of bed and go to the kitchen to mix her bottle. I made it about 5 months breastfeeding, but couldn't keep it up so she's been on formula ever since.

I take the bottle in her room and as I rustle around she starts to wake up a little. She does some cute little stretches and then I turn the lamp on and stand her up to wake her up further. I don't normally have the luxury of waking her up as she's usually bouncing up and down grinning from ear to ear when I walk in her room every morning.

Mid-stretch, not yet awake

Starting to wake-up more

"I'm awake now!"

I change her diaper and get her dressed for the day. We sit down in the chair and she has her bottle. She usually eats the rest of her breakfast with her Grandma at her house. When she's done I burb her and take the time to inspect her nails for clipping, she is in good shape today.

7:35am- I take her into the bedroom and plop her on the bed next to Johnathan. He would normally be gone to work by now, but he took the day off for the ultrasound. We spend some time playing with Bonnie, letting her bounce around, and generally being gleefully attacked by her.

7:45am- I take Bonnie into the living room and put her in her playpen while I prep her stuff. We are so lucky to have my mother-in-law watch Bonnie for us during the week while we work. I prepare a formula bottle for being put in the fridge at Grandma's. I also fill a formula dispenser with her other servings for the day. I put it all in her diaper bag. I also add about 6 nighttime diapers in the bag for a trial run. We use Pampers Swaddlers during the day and Pampers 12 hour at night. However, we've been having trouble with bad diaper rash and are hoping that switching to the 12 hour during the day might help.

8am- Grandma arrives to pick up Bonnie for the day. Normally it's a 5 minute process of picking up, discussing any details for the day, and she's off. However, since my husband is home he makes coffee for them and we sit around chatting for a while as Bonnie plays around the room. It started getting late so I went on with my normal process of taking Jericho out for a walk, coming in and showering, then logging onto my computer for work. Grandma takes our car with her and leaves her own vehicle (ours has the car seat). She lives just up the street so if I need anything throughout the day I can just give her a call.

8:45am- I log onto work (a little later then normal) and start taking care of business. We have to leave a little before 10:30 for our 11am ultrasound appt because we live in one city and have all my OB visits in another. I've been going to her well before we moved here and I didn't want to change.

9:11am- My MIL calls to talk about the new puffs she bought for Bonnie to eat, and how she incorporated those flavors into her baby cereal to make her eat more of that after tasting the puffs (cinnamon and maple). We also discuss the diaper rash issue for a bit.

10:30am- We stop at Starbucks so I can get a little bit of caffeine in me. The last thing I want is a sleeping baby with their legs crossed. I have a gender reveal dinner tomorrow with some friends and family and I certainly don't want to cancel it. I have a fun Willy Wonka golden ticket reveal planned.

11:00am- We get to the appt just in time and are immediately escorted back to the ultrasound room. This is also the checkup where they check all the arms, legs, face, brain, heart, etc. So we are in there a while. We were hoping for a boy, since we plan for this to be our last pregnancy and would love to have a well rounded family.

11:15am- It's a girl!!!! We don't even have a name picked out for a girl, only a boy name, so wow back to the drawing board! But yay! Bonnie will have a sister and we won't have to buy all new clothes! I always wanted a sister growing up! Bonnie and her sister will be 15 months apart and I'm guessing as close as can be (a mama can hope!).

12:30ish- We head out to grab some lunch at our favorite restaurant that we don't get to visit anymore because we live so far away. On the way we stop at the UPS store to drop off some gender scratch off cards for family who can't be at the dinner tomorrow.

I tease Facebook with the following: "We know the gender of our baby. Wouldn't you like to know? Too bad! You'll have to wait a few more days. Muahahaha. #MeanMama"

We get to the restaurant and greet our favorite waiter with double kisses, he's half Latin half Italian, it's what you do! We stuff our faces with Italian and discuss top three girl names.

1:30pm- I get a text from my MIL: "Bonnie just took 3 steps all by herself. Then squealed with her own happiness." I'm not upset about this because she's been taking steps for a while, so I didn't miss anything but it's still fun and cute to hear.

Playing at Grandma's

2pm- I'm way past due for getting back to work, so we head home so I can log back in.

3pm- Johnathan planned to clean his guns on his day off, with Bonnie out of the house. Seems fitting since we'll now have two girls to "protect" from potential suitors. :)

5pm- Grandma brings Bonnie home on the dot since we're both home. Normally she waits for a text from me letting her know I'm ready.

5:30pm- I start to feel nauseous so I crack open a ginger ale and make a run to the store for some crackers. This pregnancy the morning sickness hasn't been bad, but I still get bouts on into my second trimester. Johnathan plays with Bonnie while I get myself right again.

6pm- Fix some sweet potatoes and rice cereal for Bonnie and feed her in the dining room. I feed her some puffs as a side as well. She's gotten really good at throwing them on the floor for Jericho to eat, sigh.

Funny how Bonnie has her hand in the same position as the picture in the background

7pm- It's baby bedtime! Daddy gives her night night kisses and I take her back to her room for a diaper change, put on her PJs, turn on her sound machine (ocean sounds), and turn off the light. We sit in her chair and she gets her last bottle of the day. She usually falls asleep during the bottle but lately since we went away for a night she hasn't been doing that. So we have a session of what I call "Mommy Jujitsu". I hold her while she does a bunch of antics to try and stay awake. Grabs her foot and messes around. Takes her paci out and chews on it. Tries to hit or kick mommy in the face. Anything to distract herself. But Mommy Jujitsu always prevails. I withstand all of her moves while keeping quiet, and avoiding any major injury to myself. After about 10 minutes she always taps out, aka falls asleep.

7:30pm- I join Johnathan in the living room and we watch some Duck Dynasty. I realize we're sounding like total rednecks by now, but it's a fun show.

8:30pm- We fix dinner together, tonight he's having leftovers and I make something else for myself. (I'm keeping it secret because my endocrinologist might be reading this!)

9pm- Just as we're sitting down to eat, Bonnie wakes up crying. This doesn't happen very often, she usually sleeps right through. Johnathan goes back to try and soothe her while I scarf my food down. I am diabetic so I have to take insulin during dinner and I had already taken my shot so I have to eat my food. Unfortunately, Johnathan isn't successful at getting her back to sleep (he usually is), so I go back there and hold her back to sleep. We usually just lay her back down and soothe her, but sometimes that just won't do.

10pm - 12am- We putter around watching TV, looking up baby name stuff, and paint swatches online. I don't normally go to bed at 12 but somehow the day has gotten away from me. Lights out!

Ashley's Questions:

1. What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?

I'm constantly surprised at how it has changed my world view. Things that bothered me before, REALLY bother me now. Like when bad things happen to children on TV. I recently saw a picture of a military mom hugging her child sobbing and the second my eyes saw it, I was broken and crying. You never think that you're going to change all that much, other than knowing you'll love your children. I was not prepared to also love everyone elses children merely because I can put myself in the other parents place. I definitely feel like I'm in a club, which sounds silly but so true.

2. What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?

It's going to be SO hard in the beginning. People try to warn you, but there are just no words for it. Hormones run amuck, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding difficulties, unconditional love for a little helpless someone, etc. It took me a while to feel like myself again, and that can be scary. But your hormones will adjust, you'll somehow get use to less sleep, you'll figure out breastfeeding (and if you don't you'll discover formula), and your love will continue to grow. Soldier on Mama because in the end, it's so worth it!

3. What are your top three baby products?

-Boppy: I've used it every day since we brought her home, and if I had known better I would have had it with me in the hospital. Of course it's perfect for its intended use, but I also used it to sleep with her in the beginning when nothing else seemed to work. I just propped myself up, laid the Boppy on me, and laid her on the Boppy with my arms encircling her. Life saver!
- Diaper Genie: We've only had ours for about a month now. Before that we had a different brand that allowed you to use your own garbage bags. But it stank up the room something awful. The Diaper Genie has been a total nose saver!
- Wireless Camera: We don't use it as much anymore because I had it installed on her crib and she started ripping it off and throwing it on the floor. But when she first moved to her room it was fantastic. We could check on her via an app on our phones where ever we were. A few times we went to the movies after she was in bed, leaving her with her uncle and we could sneak peeks on her during the movie. Took care of our worries!

He or She?

Late this week we get to find out the gender of Baby #2. As anyone is, we're super excited about it! Of course, we both have our preference for and guesses for what it is. But you never know with these things. Since we plan on this being our last child there's a lot resting on this appointment. Will we be a girl/boy or a girl/girl household?

I try to reveal the gender in fun ways, and I'm pretty excited about this time around. This weekend we're gathering a few of our friends and family for dinner (at a restaurant, I'm not crazy we just hosted Thanksgiving!). At the end of dinner I'm going to hand out Wonka Chocolate bars to everyone. Whoever gets the one with the golden ticket will be the one to announce to the table the gender (it'll be on the back of the ticket). Johnathan and I won't even know who will get the ticket, so that'll be the exciting part for us.

The golden ticket, just waiting for the answer to be wrapped!

 For those of our family who don't live close enough to participate, I've ordered scratch off cards to mail off as soon as we know (5 boy and 5 girl). That way they still get to have a little bit of fun other than a phone call or text message.

Whoooo will it be?

Once those folks all know I'll announce on Facebook, but as I've already warned no names until the baby is here!

I was going to post one of those wives tales questionnaires on here and get y'all to guess what you think the gender is based on that, but they ask REALLY personal questions and I do have a filter, contrary to popular belief!

So what do y'all think? Boy or girl?

10 Months...and walking (sort of)

Our little girl is really starting to show her personality. She's curious and sassy and stubborn and headstrong and smart and fearless and generous. Because she's into everything I've decided not to have a Christmas tree this year. As much as I'd love for her to have one, I don't think I could keep my sanity if I had to keep her out of it all the time (plus I'm being lazy). Some have suggested having a smaller tree on the table and I like that idea but it's not in the budget this year. I will hang our stockings though!

This was our second Thanksgiving hosting and my second one being pregnant. At least I wasn't as pregnant this time, but still exhausting. We had a lot of fun though and all the food was really good. I was bad mommy and didn't take any pictures, but Bonnie was cute in her turkey bib. She did really well entertaining herself while we got things done and then playing with her cousins. Her PawPaw held her most of the time when she got really tired, and that was a Godsend. She ate her Grandma's green beans which she loves, didn't like her Mama's mashed potatoes too much (probably the sour cream in it), and had some sweet potato casserole. Obviously a different Thanksgiving having a little one around, but tons of fun.

Bonnie Brags

• She's been working her way to it for a while, but she took her first steps on Thanksgiving! She's been standing without support for a while now, but hadn't really tried to take any steps yet. She finally did it while none of us were really looking, it was out of the corner of our eyes. So we tried our hardest to replicate it. We finally got some results. Her Aunt Vickie with the assist.

• She's not spot on yet, but she can look at us and tell us when she's pooping. She'll go, "puh puh puh". It's the cutest and quite convenient.
• She's very generous with giving her food to Jericho. Not sure if that's a good thing, but it's cute to see her try and help him out.
• She is really smart and once she sets her mind on figuring out how to do something she'll do it. I think her problem solving is crazy good for a 10 month old.
• She'll climb up on anything, which tends to lead to heart attacks on our part.
• She's learning to pet Jericho properly which leads to him letting her get close to him more often. She's really sweet with him and tries to give him toys all the time.
• She smiles every time she sees Johnathan or me, and that's honestly the best feeling in the world.

2 under 2

Yep, my eggo is preggo! We weren't going to try again until Bonnie turned 1 in January, but I guess God had different ideas. The due date is May 10th, but if last pregnancy was any indication the baby will be induced a week early. That'll make this one and Bonnie about 15 months apart...pray for me now!!

I knew there was a chance that I was pregnant due to an "incident" (overshare? too bad, you're all adults, get over it ;)), so a few days before my period was supposed to start I bought some EPT and took a test...it was negative. I could have waited but I wanted to know if I should be expecting my period or not. But the time for my period came and went and nothing. I thought, hmmm maybe because I tested late in the day? Another day passed and still no period. Thank goodness for 3 pack pregnancy tests! Early, early Monday morning as Johnathan was leaving for work I thought, what the hell I'll test again. I shouted for Johnathan, not sure if he had left yet. He popped up at one end of the hall, me at the other as I told him. I was a bit in shock, excited but thinking oh lord what have we done! We met in the middle for hugs and kisses, the excitement beginning to set in.

Obviously there are extra concerns for me when I get pregnant, extra things I have to go through. But I've already conquered that mountain once, I know I can do it again (maybe even with better grace this time). I know that usually the second pregnancy just isn't as magical as the first. We humans tend to get jaded pretty quickly once we've been there and done that. And sure, I might not read the daily info on my Baby Bump app, but I'll still be interested in what fruit/veg size the baby is each week. I'm actually looking forward to being pregnant again, I like the freedom of having a big belly and not caring :). I'm certainly hoping some things are different this time. I could do without the lower back pain and could REALLY do without the acid reflux. I guess only time will tell how this one is different.

We'll probably find out the gender just before Christmas, so the reveal to family will be fun! However, be warned. We'll share gender, but the name will not be shared until baby is born. We learned our lesson last time. We don't care what other people's opinions are and people tend to give those opinons less when there's a cute little baby to stare at.

That's all for now.

Written September 6th.

9 Months...holla!

I know this blog has been very quiet lately, and I'm sorry for that. Honestly time flies and we already have ourselves a 9 month old! A really darn cute 9 month old! She had a doctor appointment on her and checked out with flying colors. Her weight is 18.96 which is 50th percentile, and her height is 28 inches which is also 50th percentile. She almost got away without any shots, but mean old mommy asked for her to get a flu shot. Of course, she didn't like it but she got a pink camo band aid!

Bonnie Brags

• She's really started to settle into a nice sleep routine. I don't have to wake up and calm her hardly at all now. She usually sleeps through the night, and if she doesn't she's learning to settle herself down. She's even started sleeping until 7ish, which is awesome for me!
• She's been walking around holding onto things for a while now, even learning to push little walkers in front of her. I'd be shocked if she didn't walk before she's 1.
• She's becoming a great little mimic. She has a "cute" little high pitch squeal she does when she sees our dog Jericho, which I'm pretty sure is her copying his bark. She can do kissing sounds with her mouth if you do them to her. Her Grandma has apparently been coughing a lot around her so now when Grandma is around she fake coughs (speaking her language I guess).
• She's not always consistent but she waves hello and goodbye.
• She's fantastic at playing by herself, which really helps when chores just HAVE to get done...or sleep.
• She really is one of the easiest babies that I know, and we're so lucky for that. We're convinced that because she's so awesome that we're in for it when we have the next one.

She loves it when Daddy goes "up! up! up!"

Eight is Great!

It's been a while since I've posted. Time seems to fly these days. If I ever thought I was busy before having a child, I laugh at my past self. It feels like there's no time for anything these days. Bonnie keeps us pretty busy, what with her getting all grown-up and stuff. She truly is a joy. Such a sweet little soul, who smiles more then she cries. Who likes getting into things with a little twinkle in her eye. Who loves vegetables, and thinks fruit is only so so (not sure where she gets that from). Who does a little jig every time I shake the puff jar. Who twists her ankles in circles like propellers when she gets excited. Who stands and walks around holding onto objects like a champ but becomes a wet leg noodle when she's over it.

Her Papaw, Great Grandmother, and Great Grandfather came to visit from PA this past week. It was a really nice visit, where they got to enjoy a lot of Bonnie time and we got to enjoy a little sleepy time. She's a little charmer, and I'm pretty sure she has a bit of each of their hearts in her little pocket.

Here comes the photo dump!

She loves mum mums

Bonnie and Papaw

Bonnie, Great Grandma, and Great Grandpa

Bonnie with the Erie Turners

Johnathan with his family

I'll have you know I was sick that day

Anything will do for a toy. Socks? Yes, please!

I'll have you know they were clean

Lucky Number 7 Months

Our baby is turning into a little minx right before our very eyes! So much changes between 6 and 7 months, her personality really comes out. She's growing so fast. I don't know how much she weighs but she definitely feels more and more solid, which is good because exploring brings along bumps. I love her squishy, chunky little tighs, and her squishy little cheeks. She really is such a sweet, happy child. Oh, don't get me wrong, she can scream and screech like the best of them, but she usually has good reason for that (shame on us for leaving her in her jumper too long!).

She's not been doing so hot on in the sleep department lately. She's started waking up sometime between 10-12 and then again sometime beginning at 4, it varies. Usually the first wake up doesn't bother me because I'm still awake. I just go in and pick her up, cuddle her back to sleep, and we're good. I'd love for that to be the only wake up, but we still have the early morning ones to deal with. Oh well, she'll grow out of it eventually.

I'm still having my random night "terrors" about her being in the bed. Last night, I gave myself a little pep talk before falling asleep. "She is not going to be in the bed! You don't ever bring her to the bed in the middle of the night! She's not going to fall off the bed! You can do this Turner!" I actually think it might have worked. I don't any recollection of having a weird moment last night.

A week or so ago, I went on a big shopping trip. Spent way too much money in an attempt to revamp my style. It was tough because I've still got a belly that if you didn't know better would convince you I was rather pregnant. Boy, pregnancy does a number on your body! Well, that and a poor diet. I was/am pretty limited in what I can wear that doesn't accentuate my belly. However, I want to start making more of an effort. I'm pretty tired of my tee shirt habits, and I'm sure my husband people are tired of looking at shlumpy me. I certainly have plans to start a workout routine and lose some of this weight before I get pregnant again, but in the meantime I can still look good. I hope I wear everything I bought and make that effort!

Enough about me! On to...

Bonnie Brags

• She's gone from looking like she might want to crawl at 6 months, to full on "crap where's she going now!" It's definitely not safe to turn your back on her for very long. She has this funny little evil laugh she does when she gets into something that she normally wouldn't have access to, it's like she knows she's not supposed to have it.
• Oh, you thought crawling was an accomplishment?! HA, she's on to bigger and better things. She loves to stand up. For a while her fav was to crawl over to me and lift up her arms so I can grab her hands and pull her to standing. Well, she doesn't need my help anymore, any ol' object will do. I walked into her room at 5:30 this morning and she was standing up in her crib, facing the door, waiting for me.
• She has two little teeth on her bottom gums, the cutest thing to see when she smiles really big (which is often). However, it also makes kisses lethal. Nothing says love like two puncture wounds and a puddle of drool on your face/arm.
• As I mentioned above, she hasn't been sleeping perfectly but whenever I go into her room to get her, she wraps her arms around my neck and snuggles her head on my shoulder. Seriously, if I've gotta be up at all hours, this is definitely the kind of treatment I like. So snuggly cute!
• Her Grandma swears she can say "kitty cat". She's tried to film it for me as evidence, but no luck yet. It'd be truly tragic unfortunate if her first words are "kitty cat" considering we don't even own a cat. But, Johnathan and I did swear we heard her say "doggie" the other day. We could have been imagining things, but you never know!
• She has a jumperoo at Grandma's and a doorway jumper here at the house. So she's very proficient in jumping. If she's chillin out and not jumping all we have to say is, "bouncy bouncy bouncy" and she'll start jumping again. It also works when she's sitting in a shopping cart, she'll start bouncing in place. So cute!

"Excuse me while I put 'anything' in my mouth"

"I'm not so sure about this peekaboo thing!"

"Yeah that's right, I can stand and I'm good at it!"

Blurry, but such cute little puffed out cheeks

No doubt she has her eye on something she shouldn't have. Also, note the nap-head she has going on.

"I don't mind putting this in my mouth either. It's from Mexico!? Even better!"

Women Belong In the Kitchen! (or do they?)

Growing up various members of my family (mostly women) insisted that I needed to learn how to cook. Of course, it's the woman's responsibility to cook in a family. I was a girl (someday woman) ipso facto I had to be able to cook. The fact that my own mother didn't know how to cook when she got married didn't seem to matter. The fact that I grew up in a house with no mother and a father (man) who cooked also didn't matter.

Now, I'm no fool in the kitchen. I can do basic cooking. I know how to boil water, scramble eggs, make grilled cheese sandwiches, brown meat, etc etc. I am a master of cans and boxes, I have yet to find one that stumps me. I'm not sure if those rudimentary skills were what they were talking about, but at least I wasn't going to starve.

Lucky for me I grew up in a household where every penny counted so I was used to simple fare. In fact, I mostly preferred it. Fancy restaurants could suck it, give me Kraft Mac and Cheese (Kraft Dinner for my Canadian readers) any day! Therefore, my style of cooking  was just fine, in fact, it suited me. But a culinary queen I would never be.

But God was looking out for me and my future children. He knew how much I love to eat and saw fit to give me a mate that would feed that hunger, and feed it well. My husband is a fantastic cook chef, and actually loves doing it (in your face voices from the past!). Sometimes I beg him for simple fare and he looks at me with a "Girl Please!" look. He just can't leave well enough alone, always adding this and that to his food, experimenting like a good cook chef should.  I've always said that he's the dreamer in our relationship and I'm the rule follower. That's what makes him a good chef, and me a semi-good baker. Because with cooking, you shouldn't follow the rules and with baking you must. Don't we just make the perfect couple!?

Thanksgiving 2011 where he did most of the cooking. Hunky, no!?

The fact that he does most of the cooking means that I have the freedom of putting Bonnie to bed without having to worry about how I'm also going to get dinner on the table, he's got it covered. However, because of Bonnie, I've also started getting the culinary bug. I'm cool with Johnathan being the master purveyor of foods, but I also want to at least dabble a little. I want my children to be able to say, "My mom makes the best ______." Heck, I thought my Dad had invented Italian Chicken until I moved out into the real world and realized it's pretty common. But that doesn't change the fact that it was some darn good chicken!

Since Bonnie was born I've started my dabbling, to bake/make some things that are tasty treats. They're not something you'd make all the time, because they're certainly not good for you, but I'll have the lock down on tasty treats in this family! Also, they aren't that hard to make, because I do have a skill limit and I'm very aware of that. Oh and don't you worry your little heads about Grandma, I've given her pies and cobblers because she's great at it and I have no interest.

Below are some of my dabbles, underlined because these are what's going in the blank above:

Pumpkin Pie- I've been making this for years and it's the only pie I'll make, in deference to Grandma (or Grammy, or YaYa, we're not really sure what to call her yet).

Has a secret ingredient, and oh so tasty

Mascarpone-Stuffed French Toast with Salted Caramel-Banana Sauce

Butterscotch Scones

Chocolate Gravy- Because a childhood friend's mother always made this for us when I visited and who doesn't want to be the bomb diggity Mom who hops your children's friends up on sugar for breakfast and then sends them home to their mothers!?

Parmesan Risotto