8 weeks, 5 days

This idea came from Anna.  One of her friends did this survey throughout her pregnancy.  I hope I can keep it up.  It'll kinda serve as my e-baby book ;)

Total weight gained: I honestly do not know the answer to this.  I didn't weigh before I got pregnant.  If I had to guess, I would say I've already gained a few pounds.  I have definitely seen an increase in my appetite.  I'm still working out, yet not as vigorous as before.

Maternity clothes: I ordered 2 Bella Bands this week.  These bands are worn around your waist to hold up your regular jeans so you can leave them un-buttoned and wear them longer.  I've heard mixed reviews, so I hope they work for me...my pants feel tight!  I also ordered 3 pair of maternity shorts from Old Navy.com this week!  I got 3 pair for $72 and free shipping.  Can't wait to get them!

Best moment of the week(s): Nothing much went on this week.  I'm looking forward to Wednesday when Justin and I get to go to OB appointment!

Movement: It's too early to feel the baby moving.  I am feeling twinges/light cramps from time to time.  I hear that it could be my muscles stretching and shifting.

Sleep: I'm wanting to sleep all the time!  I have most of my energy in the morning.  By the evening, I am yawning and can only think of how much longer I have to be awake.  I would go to bed around 7 or 8 if I could.  Last night I was in bed at 9 on a Friday night.  I'm still waking up super early though, like 6:30 this morning and 5:45 yesterday (and didn't even have to work)!  I wish I could sleep in and maybe I could stay up a little later...that would make hubby happy.

Food cravings: I don't have one specific craving. But when I start to crave something, GET OUTTA MY WAY!! I'm going to find it!!  Last night it was pizza.  I had already started heating up a casserole that I had frozen, but I couldn't get the thoughts of greasy, melty, yummy pizza out of my head, so I went out and picked up THREE!  So now we have tons of pizza left over AND a casserole :)

Food aversions: Shrimp.  Wondering how this crawfish boil will go today that we're going to...since they're in the same family.

Morning sickness: No, thankfully.

Gender: We don't know yet, but we're so excited to find out.  Hopefully we'll find out in April!!

What I miss: My energy. It's like the loss of it hits me with a ton of bricks.  I will be going full force, then it's just zapped out of nowhere.

What I'm looking forward to: OB appointment Wednesday!

Weekly wisdom: Everyone's got their opinions, stories, advice.  Remember that not every pregnancy is the same...don't compare everyone else's experience to my own.  I'm making my own personal experience!! ;)



This is 8 weeks, 4days.  Justin said, "I don't know why you're doing this.  You're going to be eating ice cream and crying over this picture in 6 months!!"  Ha! I love him.



Baby Made in East Texas

I haven't blogged in far too long!  My husband has been working out of town on and off for a while, so my [cooking] inspiration has been absent.  However, I have a new topic to bring to my blog now...A BABY!! After 7 months of wishing, hoping, praying, and ummm you know...we are expecting our first in October...that makes me 8 weeks.  We could not be more excited!! Justin has a 9 year old from a previous marriage and he is super excited to be a big brother.  I am happy to have this blog to document all of my pregnancy pictures, updates, cravings, stories, rants, etc (thanks to my friend Anna from We The Gingers for suggesting).  I am on Facebook, but I don't really feel like forcing everyone to see my "baby bump" or my sonogram pictures of what looks like a blob right now.  My mom has named my little blob "butterbean" simply because she says it's shaped like a butterbean.  My husband is not keen on the nickname...I think he's afraid it will stick around!  So far, I have not had any major symptoms.  I'm super tired in the evenings and I have grown to love a nap!  My husband's biggest complaint is my snappiness.  And yes, I have become a major snapper!  He can say one thing and I could go off on a tangent for hours!  I hope this subsides because I want him to be able to enjoy this wonderful experience as much as I am.  We had our first ultrasound on February 20th.  I was able to see our little baby's heart beating at 125 beats per minute and it was the most wonderful sight!!  I can only imagine what's to come!!  My next appointment is actually with the doctor on March 7th.  I'm not sure what will happen at that appointment, but I sure hope we get to see that little nugget again!


Our little bitty baby at 7 weeks on February 20, 2012



Parmesan French Fries

I am now a Pinterest addict!!!  I found a recipe for Parmesan French Fries, but I  hardly had any of the seasonings it called for.....so, I made up my own.  Justin and I devoured them!  So let's cut to the chase...

• 3 medium russet potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp Tony's
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Wash and cut the potatoes in long strips.  Mix the garlic powder, Tony's, black pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.  In a gallon freezer bag, add potatoes, olive oil, and the seasonings mixture.  Shake, shake, shake!! Line a cookie sheet with foil, spray with Pam, and lay the pototoes on foil in a single layer. Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes. Ta Daaaa!!  Easy and totally awesome!

PW's Cajun Chicken Pasta

I'm so glad my dear friend, Anna from We the Gingers, introduced me to The Pioneer Woman a year ago!  I have found so many recipes that my husband and I love to chow down on.  Here is the newest recipe that I've tried and was a complete hit here at the Smith house!!!  Try it out, I'm sure you'll love it!

Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta

The finished product.

If you know me, you know I never follow a recipe exactly (got that from Mamie)....I added 1 zucchini and fresh mushrooms.  I think they added to the deliciousness!  I can't wait to try this recipe with shrimp and crawfish!

Puerto Vallarta came to Texas...Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp topped with Pineapple and Cheese

My husband and I were so lucky to be able to accompany our friends on an awesome vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  We stayed at a house on the beach that came with a cook, a maid, and 2 houseboys!!  We were so spoiled while we were there!  We went to a little local restaurant just down from our house that was outstanding.  The food was fresh, seasoned just right, and CHEAP!  We couldn't get over the fact that we could have a shrimp dinner for $12!  And, it came with FREE dessert!  So, of course, I find my favorite meal there and I have to go talk to the chef about the recipe.  There was a slight language barrier, but I got the jist of it.  I made the dish Saturday night for my family and they loved it just as much.  Here's whatcha do:

I used about 50 large (large is important because they shrink when cooking) shrimp...this just depends on how many you are cooking for.  Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon (thin bacon) around each shrimp.  Sprinkle with Tony's and grill until the bacon is done.  While that's grilling, take a fresh pineapple and cube it.  Put the cubes in a food processor and turn it to mush!  Put the mushy, fresh pineapple in the skillet, add about 1/2 cup Brandy, and sprinkle the top with cinnamon.  Simmer for about 10 minutes. While that's simmering, shred 16 oz block of Colby-Jack cheese. Place the cooked bacon-wrapped shrimp in a casserole dish.  Spread the pineapple mixture over the shrimp.  Sprinkle cheese over mixture.  Place in 400 decree oven for about 7 minutes.  Serve and enjoy all the smiles and praise you will receive!


The pineapple/brandy/cinnamon mixture

The final product.  Sorry it's hard to see for all the yummy cheese!!!

FYI: This dish can be a lengthy process.  I would suggest prepping in advance. 

An Easy Schmeasy Dessert...Dump Cake!

If you'll notice, very few of my posts are about sweets.  I leave that up to my sister-in-law or my Mom who both make excellent desserts.  One dessert that I have somehow been missing out on all these years is Dump Cake!  The cool thing about dump cake is that you can mix and match your favorite fruits, so you can seem really inventive and creative with this dish! ;)

What you need for this dump cake:

• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1 large can crushed pineapple
• 1 yellow boxed cake
• 1 stick of butter, melted

Here's the simple part!!  Spray your casserole dish with Pam.  DUMP the cherry pie filling in the dish, DUMP the crushed pineapple in the dish (NO draining), stir them around together.  Sprinkle the cake mix over the fruits and pour the melted butter all over the top.  Bake at 350 for an hour.  EAT!!  Or add Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream on top and then EAT!

My sister-in-law made this with peach pie filling and crushed pineapple....I think that it's my favorite!  Get creative :)

Ginger's Mini Tomato Pies

When we moved to Marshall, I didn't know anyone apart from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and some of her family. It was such a pleasant surprise when this blonde chick just popped up in my house one evening while I'm just laid up on the couch Facebooking and watching Trash TV (Justin's name for the Bravo channel).  She had come over with her then boyfriend (now fiance!) because the fellas had to do some work talk...I sure didn't know she was coming along or I would have at least tried to pretend to be doing something, ya know, like laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc....but nooooo, she caught me in unmatching lounge clothes, with my hair all a mess, watching Real Housewives and being nosey on Facebook.  But the good thing is, we hit it off and have been friends ever since. We share a love for cooking and trying new recipes.  When she invited me over for dinner the other night and told me she was making Tomato Pies, I did not have the heart to tell her that I'm not a big tomato fan....so I just played along and reluctantly took my first bite...to my amazement, it was DELICIOUS!  So all you non-tomato lovers, please try this recipe!  You may be as surprised as I was and you may learn a way to get this very nutritious, vitamin-filled food into your diet!  Here ya go!
You will need:

• Mayo
• Shredded Colby Jack cheese
• Salad Supreme seasoning
• Italian Seasoning
• Fresh Parmesan cheese
• Cheap canned biscuits (not the Grands...just those little ones that were the only thing available when we were kids)
• Butter
• Tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

Mix 1 cup of mayo with 1 cup of Colby Jack cheese in a mixing bowl.  .Take each biscuit and smash it, but don't go crazy smashing....just smash like once or twice (does that make sense?)  Brush melted butter on each biscuit. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on each biscuit.  Add the tomato slice to each.  Sprinkle with Salad Supreme.  Top each tomato with 1 tablespoon of the mayo/cheese mixture.  Top with parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with more Salad Supreme.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 

This is one cool gal, Ginger :)

This is the final product!  Makes me hungry!

Ginger served the Tomato Pies with pasta salad.

I had never heard of Salad Supreme, so I thought I'd share the label with ya!