Week 27 is a...Cauliflower?

Howdy dear readers. Wow, 2 posts in as many days? I'm on fire. Well, don't get too used to it since we'll be moving soon. Yes, we're moving again but this time it's pretty permanent as we've bought the house! Yeppers, first time Home Buyers but that's a story for another day.

As many of you out there are experiencing, Spring has come early this year. The weather is warm, all the flowering trees are in FULL Bloom. So you know what that means...

Break out the Flip Flops!!!!

These are my new loverly Apt9 flip flops from Kohls and I'm in love. So in love actually that I went back and bought another pair in black. I would have loved to have had brown as well but they don't come in brown :(

I love their vintage flapper feel.

So, on to what you've all been waiting for, my monthly belly pic!

Well here you go!!

(and no I don't "feel" nearly as pregnant as I look. WOW! What a BELLY!)

And to think, I've still got 3 whole months to go!

Yep, it's week 27 already. And YES I am still wearing the same white shirt I've been in from the beginning. Though due to the warm weather I haven't actually put this shirt on since last month's photo shoot. It will be interesting to see if I can still squeeze into it come next month. Probably, but there may be some belly peaking out below it at that point ;)

Button is supposed to be about 15inches long and weighing in at a little over 2lbs at this point. I'm not sure about you but I've never seen a Cauliflower that big. Another interesting fact about Button at this stage is that any day now she'll begin to open her eyes. Kinda cool and creepy all at the same time.

Happy Vernal Equinox Everyone!

Let those pedicures out to play.

Sunshine Out and In...

Walkie Wednesday

"I am emerging from my cocoon and everything seems shiny and new." Me

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust

During the last couple months it seems like one thing after another conspired to keep me under the weather and yearning for my energy to return. Everything form a mystery rash to the Flu followed by a loverly cold kept the sunshine from my brain. Well I'm happy to report that I'm back baby! And there's no stopping me.

Have you ever noticed that one day you'll wake up and the world seems different? The angle of the sun has changed, the light casts a warm glow despite the still cool temperatures and you feel like stretching and opening a window even if for only a moment.

Do one better, slip on that hoodie, grab your camera and step out the door. The early morning light plays magic on the frosty world.

Even the path you might walk every day changes with each passing minute. As the light moves and morphs the landscape winter becomes just another favorite sweater folded one last time and put away till next year.

If I never stepped out my door I would never have met this wise wonderful woman. Yes, she's a woman, just look at those beautiful curves. Oh the seasons she has seem come and go.

Just one walk around your own familiar neighborhood can change your whole day. Step outside, take a deep breath and feel the sunshine filter into your brain. I promise, you won't regret it.

Mmmm, Fiber...

Breakfast Monday

Alright, let's kick off this week, this month (March is only a day away after all) and this season with the most important meal of the day. Spring is not only in the air, it should be in your step as well don't you think?

My love of fiber is pretty famous among family and friends. Yeah, I love Fiber, what of it?

I mean have you really looked lately at the food you eat? Where has all the fiber gone? You really have to work hard to get yourself even close to the recommended 25-35grams a day.

I laugh at most of the products out there that label themselves "High Fiber".

2grams does not a "High Fiber" product make.

Bob knows what I'm talkin 'bout! Bob's my man.

10g of Fiber per 1/3cup serving.

8g Insoluble/2g Soluble = one happy gal ;-)

And don't forget your vitamins! Gummy Vitamins RULE!

Spring is truly in the air. Even my vitamins in the early morning light seem more colorful and almost downright cheerful.

How do you like to start the day?

Spring Blossoms 2.0...

These are a few of the pics I took during the last of the blossoms around the neighborhood. Just thought you'd like to take a peek. Enjoy.

I'm so thankful that I have a little cranky pup that forces me to wake up everyday and get outside for a stroll and just take in the fresh air.

Beanie's Easter Egg From Mother Nature...

Beanie stepped out the door the other morning for her routine "wee" and discovered that Mother Nature left her a Spring Gift. Just off the patio some new mother mistook our mulch for a nice nesting spot.

We routinely throw out seed and nuts for our little feathered and furred friends. We get so much out of watching them every single day.

That little spot down on the right? Yepp, that's it. That tiny little itty bitty egg. So cute.

You never know what you'll find when you step outside the door.

The Awakening Of The Spring Blossoms...

We wait with baited breath, afraid that if we breathe too hard they will float away before we can have even a promise of a second date. At the very first sign of one fresh bud you can almost feel the collective sigh of relief from all those individuals that call our DC Metro area Home. The sun shines, the air turns warmer and everyone sheds their winter frocks for brightly colored outfits. Everyone smiles and actually looks forward to saying "Hello" to a stranger.

You can almost count the hours by how many blossoms have opened. Blink or stop to have a cup of coffee and you'll miss it. It will slip so easily through your fingers and before you know it you'll have to wait a full turn of the calendar to recapture the magic.

While out on one of my morning strolls I was engrossed in taking pictures. Nose in the air, camera to my eye and thoroughly enjoying the spell that Spring casts on me when a woman, a stranger, walked up, paused next to me and smiling, she sighed "If you pause while standing below and take the time to just look up, well, it's just plain MAGICAL". And like a petal on the wind, with a smile and a nod, she was gone. Lost in her own magical wonder land.

Only during this special season do you get that kind of random connection with a stranger. A moment in time where, despite your background, you know EXACTLY what the other is saying.

It almost feels like a slower pace around here. You notice everyone is smiling and actually strolling instead of rushing to that meeting, the bus stop, to run that errand.

When this is what awaits you just outside your door in the morning how can you not take the time to breathe it in? It would almost be a sin to not take time to pause, reflect and appreciate.

Please dear reader, every morning for a week, step outside your door and just take a moment to let the fresh air soak into you. Smile and say thank you to Mother Nature who has once again woken up from her Winter slumber and painted us a precious gift.

Morning Walk With Beanie...

Starting just before the Blossoms were due to come out, you could almost taste Spring. Imagine being able to stick your tongue out and instead of catching a snowflake, you caught a pink cotton candy blossom. Oh how sweet that would be. Beanie and I started going to Fort Ward Park just down the street for morning walks to clear the winter webs out of our brains and prepare our "inner" space for the coming Nature Color Show. There's nothing better for mental health and inner peace than a morning stroll with your favorite four legged baby. It just sets the tune for the whole day.

Beanie and I choose to wander off the path into the "field" and pretend that we aren't in the middle of the city. It's easy to do if you don't look hard through the trees.

Just like my mother, I'm a sucker for knotty trees with no leaves. I love their shape. They have so much character. If they could only speak, what tales they could tell.

Sometimes you just have to take your shoes off and feel the grass. Living in the city, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to walk with your toes in nature's lush carpet. That's what I miss most about growing up surrounded by fields, goats, chicken, horses, angora rabbits and just about any other animal that wandered through our lives. *Sigh* Those were the good old days.

What things from your childhood do you miss or haven't you done since then?