36 weeks

36 weeks.
9 months.
Near Term.

Had a growth sonogram yesterday and everything looked great! Baby Boy is head down (yay!) and a little on the large side. Or as my doctor said "medium-large." (I'm feeling a LOT on the large side, so I wasn't too surprised.) This may be first time mom thinking, but I'm not sure he's going to last until his due date.

We hadn't had a sonogram since we found out he was a boy at 19 weeks so it was fun to see how big he was. He showed off his practice breathing for us too!

We have a lot of family birthdays in January (nephew, brother in law, sister and Abuela) so we'll see if Grant wants to share a birthday with one of them or have his own day to himself.

We're finishing up the last little things like packing a hospital bag, installing the car seat, finding a pediatrician and finishing up the nursery. It doesn't matter if he's early or late, either way I'll have a baby VERY soon!

very tired after work!

profile of face with one hand under chin and other hand's finger above nose

My fortune today

Things I'm going to miss

About pregnancy:

• the parking spot at my grocery store
• the early morning kicks and stretches from Grant
• fetal hiccups
• taking the elevator :)
• the passing smiles, having doors held open and extra courtesy from strangers
• eating for two... I mean, eating ONLY an extra 300 calories per day

Things I Miss

I've had a great pregnancy and can't complain but I'm making a list of things that I'm starting to miss as I get closer to delivery...

• sleeping on my stomach
• margaritas
• raw tuna
• seeing my ankle bones
• speaking of feet... It'll be nice to not feel water sloshing around my feet when I walk. (thankfully this doesn't happen often)
• not snoring
• not being out of breath when I get dressed in the morning

33 weeks, 1 day

32 weeks

11/30/11
32 weeks

It's been four weeks since my last picture, so here we are again!  Things are going very well, but since 28 weeks, I have definitely felt more and more pregnant.  I flew to Washington DC at 28 weeks and I came back with a cold.  Traveling + cold + third trimester = one tired lady!

Some recent things:

• My feet are starting to look like empanadas.
• My face looks like I've eaten too many empanadas.
• Chris asked Siri the other night "Do pregnant women cry a lot?"  Surprisingly, she didn't have an answer.  Exactly, Siri!  Sometimes there is no reason!  :) 
• The only real craving I've had so far is for lemonade (or limeade).  My favorite is Simply Lemonade with Raspberry.  I try to limit myself by only buying the little single serving bottles every once in awhile. 

• We've been busy getting the nursery put together.  Still waiting on bedding that should be here soon!
• Lots of celebrating with friends and family lately (meeting new babies, baby showers, Thanksgiving, a birthday).
• Chris turned 32 yesterday (and today Grant turns 32 weeks!) 
• I never did a "New Floors: Part 2" post because pictures of carpet aren't very exciting and there isn't a big before/after effect like the Pergo floors.  We ended up chosing Shaw based on their lifetime warranty on (some) pet stains.  We're very happy with our new floors.  The dogs seem to be warming up to the Pergo.  I think they miss the carpet throughout the house though, especially when they're trying to run around and play.
• Baby is moving a LOT these days!  It's such a weird feeling.  Especially when he's stretching both his arms and legs at the same time.  It sometimes makes me feel a little bit nauseous, but it's really cool and I love all the pokes and jabs!  (so far at least!) 

That's all for now!  Only about 8 more weeks to go!

Cord Blood Donation

I know the topic of cord blood can be controversial, but if you're not planning to bank it and your hospital doesn't have a donation program in place, there is another option to donate that your doctor or hospital may not tell you about.

Using this bone marrow donation website, I was able to find two facilities in Texas that accept donated cord blood even from out of town hospitals that don't directly participate in their programs.

They both have information on their websites about who to contact and what to do to enroll.  If it all works out, they'll send you a collection kit.  (From what I understand, the collection and paperwork will be a similar process to sending it to a private bank, so hopefully your doctor/hospital will be accommodating.)

Texas Cord Blood Bank
(800) 292-5534
http://www.southtexasblood.org/

M.D. Anderson Cord Blood Bank
(713) 563-8000
(866) 869-5111
http://www.mdanderson.org/cordblood

Just thought I'd share what I've recently found.

28 weeks

Can't believe it's November and I'm in the home stretch! I have a feeling the next 12 weeks are going to fly by.

Happy "Gotcha" Day, Pepper!

Seven years ago, Chris and I got our first little one.  A black, grey, white and brown Catahoula puppy named Pepper!  Since we don't know our dogs' birthdays, I think we'll start celebrating their adoption days since I recently found all their paperwork while cleaning out our file cabinet. 

October 2004


Name:  Pepper

Nicknames:  Pepper Pep, Peppy, Lil' Pep, Pepperoni, Crooked Face

Original Name:  Camelia

Where Did She Come From:  Blue Dog Rescue:  Austin, TX
(She's still posted on their website under "success!")

Her Story:  The story from Blue Dog said that she showed up on a doorstep of a dog owner who just recently adopted a dog through Blue Dog.  She knew exactly who to call when this adorable pup appeared.  I think Chris found her on the Blue Dog website and the rest is history!

Favorite Activities:  Chewing on toys, Chewing on her leash, (as a puppy.. chewing on furniture and base boards!), Biting water from the hose, Giving kisses, Trying to sleep on our bed, Hunting geckos, Avoiding drains while on walks, Digging

December 2009

Wet dog @ Wags N Waves - August 2010

Checking out the snow - January 2011

Taking a nap ON her favorite rooster toy - September 2011

In honor of this special day, Pepper decided to come into the house with mud caked in her front paws!  Fun morning of cleaning her up and vacuuming before work.  She's a stinker but we love her!

24 Weeks

We're moving right along...

More of My Favorite Things

Another food post!  Shocker. 

Udi's Vanilla Granola

 I've always loved cereal, but lately I've turned into my dad.  My dad likes to combine 4-5 cereals per bowl.  I started doing this with Udi's Vanilla Granola.  Maybe because it's expensive or maybe because granola is high in calories, but I've just been topping off my regular cereals with it and I LOVE it.  I've been buying it at Central Market in the bulk bins, but I just found out the Sprouts by my house sells it too.  I'm a granola purist and don't like many extras (especially raisins!) but  I did pick up a bag of their Cranberry Granola tonight (cranberries and walnuts) just to try a different flavor. 




Honeycrisp Apples

It's Honeycrisp apple season!  I don't think these are around too long so next time you're at the store, try one.  Sweet, crunchy, juicy and the perfect afternoon snack.  They were $2.99/# at my local store tonight, but so worth it. 

Our little Cuban

Baby's first Guayabera!

Muchas gracias, Tia Tania!

Warm Bean Dip

Next Saturday or Sunday when you're watching football... make this dip!

I found it on pinterest and we've since had it twice.  I changed a few things from the original recipe (low fat refried black beans, added green chiles, halved the cheese and used a reduced fat cheese) to make it slightly lower in calories and it turned out great.

This recipe makes a pretty large batch, so I froze half prior to putting it in the oven.  If you're taking it to a party, use the whole recipe - but if it's just for one family, half is plenty.  You could easily use a can of Rotel instead of the separate tomatoes and green chiles, but I liked having more of both.

Next time I post a recipe, I promise I'll post a picture.  I hate recipe blog posts without pics.  The Country Cook (the original source) has one though.  (Funny story - when I pulled up the original recipe to verify the oven time and temp, Chris saw the picture and said "Hey, that has more cheese on it!"  Busted!)


Warm Bean Dip
adapted from The Country Cook

Ingredients:
2 cans (16 oz.) low fat refried black beans (Rosarita is the brand I used)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
2 cups 2% milk Mexican cheese blend 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325* F.
In a medium bowl combine beans, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning and 1 cup cheese.  Coat an 8" x 8" casserole dish with non-stick spray.  (see note about freezing half!)  Add bean mixture and spread evenly.  Warm in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.  Add remaining 1 cup of cheese and warm an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Over the moon!

Once we found out we were having a boy, Chris immediately geeked out and thought we could do a Star Wars themed nursery.  Probably didn't help that I showed him this Pottery Barn bedding for big kids.

 

Pottery Barn Kids

Once I turned down that idea, we came up with a compromise.  Solar system!  (I did give in to one Star Wars item for the nursery - the storm trooper clock I already posted.)

So many people say "I'm not into themes" when it comes to nurseries, but I can't help it.  I'm fully committed. 

Here's our inspiration - the All Solar Systems Go bedding from Land of Nod:

Land of Nod

I never realized how hard a science themed nursery would be with a science teacher for a husband.  So far, he has vetoed anything with Pluto named as a planet.  He also nixed a neat and colorful felt planet mobile from etsy because the sun and planets were not to scale.

extra large planet solar system mobile from etsy.com

Today I found some really cute cloud shelves but he informed me that there are no clouds in space!  Oops.

RoomMates Cloud Shelf from Amazon.com

Glad he's here to teach Grant all about it since I'm obviously way behind on my space knowledge! 

He'll also be able to teach him the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek and if it's Han Solo or Hans Solo... or maybe Hans Olo?  Just kidding... I know that's not right.

New floors: Part 1

Part 1 of floor installation was a success!

Since we moved in 5 years ago, we've wanted hardwood floors.  Chris has been talking about new floors and carpet forever as his #1 on the list to change in the house.  We finally took the plunge and are making some improvements around the house. 

We decided against real hardwood and went with Pergo laminate flooring.  There are several reasons why, but the biggest one was wear and tear by our two dogs.  They're a little uncertain so far and couldn't find a comfortable spot to lay down, but I hope we made the right choice. 

We picked the Pergo Elegant Expressions in Handscraped Bocote.  Didn't want anything too dark (shows dog hair and dust more obviously) or shiny (ditto on the super clean floors).

The workers did an excellent job and it only took 3 of them two days to tear up carpet, some tile, install floors and replace the baseboards for ~ 670 sq. ft.  

Here are a couple pics before we put things back together.

living room

dining/sitting room (with new paint!)

Main Hallway

Front Hallway

(Sorry the lighting is funny.)

We're still figuring out rugs for the big spaces.  And eventually we'll have to get rid of the glass coffee table and end tables.

Next weekend is part 2: new carpet in the bedrooms! 

You know what's not fun?

Flooding your bathroom at midnight!  Why ALL sinks don't have those little emergency drains, I'll never know.  (I know my brother in law, G, feels me on that one!)   

Chris painted our "dining room" last night (in quotes because it's never been and probably never will be a dining room) before the floor installers came this morning.  I was washing out brushes in the guest bathroom and left the sink running.  (Who does that in the middle of a drought?!  Can I blame the baby?)

We only had to throw out soggy toilet paper rolls and kleenex boxes so the damage wasn't too bad.  Plus now I have a clean floor!

The newly painted room looks GREAT!  Chris did a wonderful job in just a few hours.  I helped with some of the little spaces but don't worry, we had the windows open, fans blowing and I wore one of those huge masks the whole time.

Next on the list... painting the nursery.  So glad we're not DIY on the floor installation. 

These are a few of my favorite things: Food edition

I guess I like to incorporate music lyrics or song titles into my blog!  :)

 Thought I'd share a couple of my food favorites that I think are a little uncommon.

Mr. Q Cumber

 If you like "spa water" or the refreshing taste of cold cucumbers, you have to try this drink!  I like that it's 7 oz. (portion control!), does not contain high fructose corn syrup and is only 90 calories.  I bet it would be delicious in a cocktail. The only downside is, it's not sold everywhere.  Right now on Facebook, they are trying to get their fans to request shelf space at Whole Foods.   For locals, I buy it at Market Street.  


From their website:  "It's Absolutely Delicious. "Mr. Q. Cumber" is America's first all natural crisp and refreshing drink that taste like you just bit into a ice cold cucumber."

Amy's Organic Brown Rice, Black Eyed-Peas & Veggie Bowl 

If I don't have leftovers from dinner, I usually take a frozen meal to work for lunch.  It's not the best habit but even with the preservatives and sodium that some frozen meals contain, I still stand by their convenience, portion control (there I go again!) and some of the time - veggies, fiber and low calories.  Plus they beat fast food any day!

This one from Amy's is my favorite!  I limit myself to only buying one per week so I don't get sick of it.  Plus, it's a little more expensive than other frozen meals.  It's 290 calories (perfect for lunch) and has 8 grams of fiber.  It's also: gluten free, dairy free, lactose free, no cholesterol, tree nut free, vegan and certified Kosher.

From their website:  "A balanced combination of organic brown rice and black-eyed peas with organic broccoli and carrots in a tasty ginger sauce."

From my website:  "It's DELICIOUS!"      

Be careful with Amy's, while most are very good, not all are low in calories.  They do have a new line called "Light & Lean" (which I have requested at Market Street but they're still not there).  I went to Central Market today and picked up two.  They all sound pretty good!

Brown Cow Yogurt

Along with my leftovers or frozen meal, I always have a yogurt.  Brown Cow is my favorite brand.  I usually buy the Nonfat Vanilla or Strawberry (because those are the only two nonfat flavors Market Street carries) but my absolute favorite is Cream Top Maple.  It's definitely a treat with 7 grams of fat, but it's so good.  No high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.  It's thinner than most yogurts and not quite as sweet. 


From their website:  "We’ve removed the fat but kept the creaminess and full flavor. With just the right combination of cultures and a touch of natural evaporated sugar cane juice, we’ve created this incredibly creamy, rich, tasty nonfat yogurt."  


What are your favorite lesser known foods that I need to try?

Rocket Man

Nursery preview! 

G is for...

Grant Manuel

Baby g finally has a name!  No family connections with the first name, we just really liked Grant.

Manuel is after Chris' maternal grandfather.  Manuel is also known as "Abuelo, Manolo, Nono, Lolo or Yoyo."  (Each generation seems to add their own twist on his nickname!  And before we knew our babies first name, Aunt A already nicknamed Baby g "Manny.")  Manuel is an amazing family man who made a lot of sacrifices to bring his family to the United States from Cuba many years ago.  He continues to stay active (including driving from NJ to TX to visit!) and work hard to this day.  He loves his wife, he loves his family, he loves his dogs and he's an excellent Cuban cook.

We can't wait for Abuela Belkis y Abuelo Nono to meet Baby Grant Manuel (and to teach him Spanish)!

We have also since learned that there are a few Manuels on my mom's side of the family tree as well!

 

Abuelo Nono: July 2006

 

Los Cruz:  July 2006

 

Gollners y Cruz: July 2006

  (Freezing cold) Gollners y Cruz: December 2010

"I am your father."

Like father...

Like son...

 

May the force be with you.

(Thanks for the Star Wars onesie, Christie!)

Half Baked!

Today marks 20 weeks in my pregnancy which means half way 'til my due date!  To celebrate, I had to get this Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  "Chocolate and vanilla ice creams with fudge brownies and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough."

And I totally deserve it tonight.  I did two (small) loads of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, walked the dogs and now I'm making dinner.  Phew!

(My favorite B&J's will always be Chubby Hubby.  "Fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream rippled with fudge and peanut butter."  One good thing about being married to someone who is lactose intolerant = no sharing ice cream!)  

A couple nights ago I finally felt the little guy moving around for the first time.  It was after dinner so I think he likes Hatch green chiles just as much as his mom & dad!

Portion Control: Chicken

Vegetarians and Vegans - Skip this post!


via Google Images

Just thought I'd share my latest trick for portion control with chicken breasts.  My local grocery store (Market Street - love it!) sells boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are already pounded.  Perfect for Chicken Marsala, but I usually buy them regardless of what I'm making because they are so much smaller than the regular ones.  It cuts back on the cooking time and makes it easier to reach the right cooking temperature.  (Otherwise, I tend to overcook chicken because of my salmonella paranoia.) 

Yes, they are more expensive and you could do it yourself at home, but I don't mind paying for convenience when it comes to raw chicken!  They also seem to be trimmed better than the regular ones, so that saves you time too.  Besides the calories (which of course chicken breasts are considered lean), it also helps us eat LESS meat overall.  Win-win.

Cost comparison:
Regular:  $3.38/#
Pounded:  $4.08/#

Weight comparison:
Regular:  8 oz./serving (technically two servings!)
Pounded:  4 oz./serving (one serving)

6 regular chicken breasts = 48 oz. (3#) = $10.14
6 pounded breasts = 24 oz. (1.5#) = $6.12

So really, you're saving money AND calories!

College Game Day

Go Texas Longhorns and Texas State Bobcats!

 Our street does a great job of representing the Texas teams... we live next door to an Aggie 

(and a Longhorn!) then next to them some Red Raiders! 

Baby g is ready for for some football!

 

Terrible pic, but we're excited for college football season!

It's a boy!

This week brought very exciting news for our family.  We are having a baby BOY!

Most importantly, everything on the anatomy scan looked perfect.  It was so cool getting to see the details inside his tiny body... brain, spine, kidneys, bladder, heart, bones, stomach, umbilical cord.  And also his face, arms, legs and feet!  He looked like a little Ludacris, throwin' dem bows with his arms up by his face.  Little stinker was in a funny position to give us a good profile shot of his face (he must not like cameras - already like his daddy).  He's estimated to be 11 oz. or the size of a mango.  We are so thankful for a healthy little baby!  No name yet, so he's still "Baby g."

And now another song that will get stuck in your head for days (In case you forgot - "This is how we do it...").  One of my favorite songs from John Lennon covered by another favorite, Ben Harper.  I can't wait to meet our beautiful boy!





Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
John Lennon

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.

lower-case g

Source: Google Images

Since this blog is called "Growing Up Gollner" I suppose I should post about the little one that is doing the growing!

Since I found out I was pregnant, I've been affectionately calling the baby "lower-case g."  You know, like the Montell Jordan song "This is How We Do It."

"You see the hood's been good to me 
ever since I was a lower-case g
but now I'm a big G."

So maybe it's talking about being a gangster and maybe the lyrics are questionable for a fetus... but I can't help my love for 90s R&B!

So here we are... me and lower-case g @ 19 weeks.

(I swear I look bigger in pictures than I do in real life.  In real life, I think I look like I just ate a burrito.  But that lady in the picture above definitely looks pregnant!)  

Produce Update

Pretty close, but not perfect.  Only had two casualties.  (a soggy orange at the beginning of the week and I never got around to using the kale before it went bad.)

Fried Okra with Ranch

Okra - half sauteed w/ EVOO, onion, garlic & tomatoes, half fried (Paula Deen's recipe!  Turned out great, but we couldn't eat them all - so while that sounds as waste too, health-wise it was a smart move not to eat it all.)
Green Beans - sauteed w/ EVOO, s&p
Oranges - ate 2, threw away 1
Bananas - ate them all
Beets - boiled, peeled, sliced then eaten plain for snacks (just me - Chris won't eat them!)
Cauliflower - roasted w/ EVOO, s&p, cayenne
Celery - ate as a snack w/ salad dressing
Carrots - ate as a snack w/ salad dressing
Onions - 1 sauteed w/ the okra, still have 2 left
Sweet Potatoes - diced then roasted w/ EVOO, s&p, cayenne
Potatoes - 1/3 roasted w/ the cauliflower, 1/3 diced then roasted w/ the sweet potatoes, still have two left
Kale -wah, wah... I planned to make kale chips but it never happened and I had to throw out the bunch
Avocado - topped chicken breasts (served w/ roasted cauliflower & potatoes)
Plums - ate as is

If it were cooler out, the celery, carrots, onion and potatoes would have been perfect for a roast.

Two onions and two potatoes left... until tomorrow's new bin!

A PSA from Vegetables

My apologies if you are offended by cussing carrots...




 Courtesy of Natalie Dee.

Eat your veggies!

We are members of a neat little store, Urban Acres, that offers "co-op style" produce shares every other week.  On my scheduled day, I drive down to Irving to pick up my 15# share from one of the several "farm stands" throughout the Dallas area.  (or as my Dad says "What did you get from this hippies this week?") 

Their priorities are 1.  local & organic and 2.  organic.  So often we do get random organic fruits & vegetables that are most definitely not local to North Texas.  (bananas!)  It's a good way to get quality produce, support local (and not so local) organic farmers, support a local Texas business and try new foods!

Since you have no say in what you get in your 15# of produce, it forces us to eat outside of our comfort zone.  This can also be bad because if you're not on top of things, produce can go bad quickly - especially if you have no idea what it is or how to prepare it.

SO... here comes the accountability of the new blog!  I hate food waste.  Of course we would still have some food waste buying produce at the farmer's market or grocery store, but when paying $2/#, I try my best to use it up.  (a compost bin would be a great solution!) 

This is what we have in our bin this week and I'm going to try my best to use it before it goes bad.  This week should be fairly easy because we like and know how to prepare everything in the bin.  (Except for the onions that Chris won't eat!)

Okra
Green Beans
Oranges
Bananas
Beets
Cauliflower
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Kale
Avocado
Plums

Fruits & Veggies More Matters! 

I'll report back how we do.  (Y'all didn't know this blog was going to be so riveting!) 

Taco Seasoning

Each weekend I try to meal plan for the upcoming week's dinners.  If I ask Chris what he wants for dinner, he always answers "tacos."  Without fail!  We don't have them every week and I do try to change it up with crispy shells or soft tortillas, adding shredded potatoes (like my mom), Hatch chiles, tomatoes or anything else interesting we have on hand. 

The best part about making your own taco seasoning is that you can control the amount of salt.  I quickly calculated the difference in sodium in this recipe (as written) and the McCormick's packet of Taco Seasoning Mix.  This homemade seasoning is ~ 28% less sodium (per packet) but you could easily reduce the salt down to 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon and reduce it further.  (Full disclosure:  McCormick also makes a 30% less sodium taco seasoning mix.)  You can also adjust the heat by adding more or less red pepper flakes.

If you still buy those taco seasoning packets - you need to try this recipe!  The ingredients are pretty common for a well stocked spice rack and once you have everything out, the measuring takes no time.   

Taco Seasoning
Source: allrecipes.com

1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients.

Ground Beef Tacos
Brown 1# ground beef.  Drain fat, if needed.  Add homemade taco seasoning to the browned meat with 1/2-3/4 cup water.  Let simmer until water evaporates to desired consistency.  Serve in warm taco shells or tortillas and top with shredded cheese, lettuce and diced tomatoes.

Red-Hot Sesame Dressing

 photo: Eating Well

This is one of my favorite salad dressing recipes.  It's great on plain cucumbers or on a salad topped with mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles.  So many of my favorite flavors - soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and Sriracha! 

Red-Hot Sesame Dressing

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1.  Whisk all ingredients (except the sesame seeds) together until the brown sugar dissolves.
2.  Stir in sesame seeds.

Lasts up to one week when covered and stored in the refrigerator.

Adapted from Eating Well: Red-Hot Sesame Dressing 

Here we go!

Well, here I am.  A blogger.  I was talking to friends this weekend and confessed that I follow 398 blogs in my Google Reader.  (!!!!!)

  "¡Aye Dios Mio!"

That's a lot.  Especially for someone who doesn't have their own blog!  I probably should go through and edit my list because I'm sure some of the ones I follow don't even exist anymore.  Some are friend's blogs, fashion blogs, personal finance blogs, photography blogs, Dallas blogs, a lot are food blogs and I admit - most are people I don't even know! 

Some of my favorite big time bloggers are: Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), Heather Armstrong (dooce), Michael K (Dlisted), Kelle Hampton (Enjoying the Small Things) and Marion Nestle (Food Politics).  I'm sure I'll be sharing some of the food blogs that I find recipes from soon enough.

So here I am.  A non-blogging blogging expert.  I plan to use my blog to share about the things that I love - my family, my dogs, books, FOOD, clothes, tv, movies and to document the latest development in our life... a growing family.