39 weeks

Well, I will have finished 39 weeks of pregnancy tomorrow.  And I think my body proves I am near the end...  belly is HUGE, face is starting to get puffy/ultra-splotchy and my ankles are the size of my knees.  Surely this little girl is ready to come out and join the party!  Well, this momma is ready for her little girl to come out and join the party, that is.

So these were taken last nite, on our way to Buffalo Wild Wings to cheer on the Cardinals in Game 7 of the World Series.  What a fun evening!  AND, I even managed to squeeze (just barely) into my Cardinals tshirt :)  Yay, me.

LegoLand California!

Two weekends ago, my sis-in-law and her family came to visit us and do a few sites of Southern California.  We spent three days down in Carlsbad (near San Diego) enjoying LEGOLAND - CALIFORNIA!  

WHAT A BLAST!  Even though I was 36 weeks pregnant, and Aimee was 24 weeks pregnant, we STILL had a fabulous time walking around the park and watching the boys have a good time.  

Aimee, Lance and the boys: Colby & Kyle.

 Me & Jarod - hello 36 weeks!  Bam, look at that belly!

Fun Lego stuff EVERYWHERE!

 Kyle & Lance versus Jarod & Colby for the race to the top.

Life size Lego Tourist.

 FunTown, USA.  The boys' got their Lego Driver's License and cruised around this city.

Jarod and Lance getting all discombobulated on a fun ride.

 LegoLand Waterpark - gettin' a little sun in October :)  --and lookin' pretty big and tired.  Ha.

35 weeks Pregnant!

We had our 35 week ultrasound.  I know these pictures are always difficult to make out, so I labeled to try and help.  They are pictures of only her face.  We think she's pretty cute.

In this first one, her mouth is open and she is sucking on the back of her hand.

This one just basically shows that her eyes are open!

Summer Slacker - Part 4 {Final Edition!}

Yes.  I am typing a post that has "Summer" in the title in October.  I understand your concerns.  Pregnancy has not warped my brain THAT much.  This is my last summer hoorah, bare with me.

I took a mini, 10 day vacay to the midwest at the end of August.  LOTS of fun was had... visits with all the family, multiple Baby Showers, (not multiple babies, just multiple showers for this one baby), breakfast dates with friends, and a 4 day weekend at the farm.  It was a fabulously relaxing trip.

 

My sister-in-laws, Aimee & Amy, put together a very fun fondue party with the immediate girl family. And my sweet father-in-law gave us this funny bouquet/centerpiece of "MotherShip beer" {which we all took home to our spouses}, attached to yellow roses and tied with a measuring tape, chilled on ice of course :)

Aimee, Me, Amy - ALL pregnant - ALL due this winter!  How fun is that?!

 

 Chocolate & Cheese Fondue & Sparkling Pear Cider.  Fun!

Now, to the farm!

 It was SO hot, triple digit heat... which feels like quad digit heat if you're pregnant.  

Time to go down to the river.

Family fun around the fire pit.

Mom, is this "all about changed lives!" Or else?!

 Good shot!

Amy & the dogs and the farmhouse :)

COUSINS!!

Austin & Amy found out they're having a boy!!  YAY!

 Canoeing!

Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous time in Missouri!  More pictures of the shower to come :)

Russian Submarine

My father in law, Scott, has been in the area the past two weeks on business.  So, Jarod and I have been making a few commutes down to Long Beach for nice dinners and some hang out time. 

Last weekend, we walked to the waterfront and toured a 1950's Russian Submarine.  Scott spent several years in the Navy on submarines and why not go on a tour, when you have an expert on hand?!  Crazy to think how many men they squeezed onto this boat - pretty tight quarters!  And besides Scott sticking his foot in his mouth and insulting a Russian tourist, it was a good tour :)  Haha. 

The Russian Sub in the Long Beach Harbor



Jarod & Scott in the torpedo launcher room (I'm sure that's what the Navy calls it)

Us in the torpedo launcher room. 

I'm not sure why that big grey bar is at the bottom of our photo... I feel like it should be scrolling with breaking news headlines or something.

Busted!

Came into the living room and noticed that somebody had made herself quite cozy in the Love Sac.  This now explains the dog hair we were finding in the Sac....

In her defense, however, it does look like a giant dog bed.   

Silly Girl.

Crustless Spinach Quiche & Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Quiche.  It's what's for dinner.  Well, here at the Sickler home, at least.

Wednesdays should just be relabeled Maddashday.  I get home from work around 4, totter the dog outside (it's my pregnant walk), throw together a hot meal, then race to campus to share a 20 minute dinner date with Jarod before he heads to a night class. Then I usually sit at the empty table and recover for awhile before packing up the picnic.

But tonight however, was nice, that is, while I was sitting at the table with my two loves (Jarod and Taiga).  The weather was perfect.  We sat outside the Talbot Building, watched the sun drop behind the palms, shared a meal and rested for a few minutes before parting our separate ways.  Ahh, it was lovely.

Anyway..  tonight, dinner, recipe.

So... I threw together a quiche, and it was super dee dooper good!  It's a pretty basic recipe that you could alter with your particular whims, tastes and fancies.  But I'll share what I assembled today.

Crustless Spinach Quiche


olive oil (for sauteing)
1/2 large chopped onion
3 big handfuls of fresh chopped spinach (6 cups?)
1/3 cup chopped green olives [optional]**
1 chopped chicken sausage (precooked kind) [optional]**
7 eggs
several dashes of fresh ground pepper
dash of sea salt
two dashes of garlic powder
2 cups fresh grated parmesan
1 cup grated mozzarella

1. Heat oven to 350.  Prepare a 9" pie plate.
2. Saute onion in olive oil.  Add spinach to pan for the last 1-2 minutes.
3. In large bowl, mix eggs, olives, sausage, cheeses and spices.  Add sauted onions and spinach.
4. Pour in pie plate.  Bake 30 minutes, until eggs have set.  Let set 10 minutes before serving.

**I think mushrooms or tomato or zucchini or broccoli or artichokes or jalapenos or peppers could all be added in fun combinations too.  Also, I think as long as you use 3 cups of cheese, you could vary the kind of cheese depending on your 'add-ins' theme.


Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 TBS (or so) milled flax seed
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk

1.  Heat oven to 450.  Prepare cookie sheet.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Stir in butter and milk until moistened. Drop large spoonfuls on cookie sheet.
3.  Bake 8-12 minutes.  Serve warm!  **Especially good with apple butter, cherry preserves or lemon curd)