Lately, I have realized that the planner in me has been a little unprepared. Unplanned. Up-in-the-air. All characteristics that previously would cause me a great deal of anxiety. I used to really consider myself a meticulous person- very organized. Never really very neat, but organized nonetheless. I’m the kind of girl that travels with a trip folder, carefully labeled with my destination city, all of my travel documents organized by their order of necessity- directions to airport, info about airport parking, e-ticket already printed out, shuttle reservation to hotel, HopStop directions from hotel to lunch restaurant, from lunch restaurant to spa appointment, from spa appointment back to hotel…. You get the idea. Preparedness generally gives me comfort and a sense of control in a chaotic world. (Name that movie, folks.)

Anyway, what I have noticed of late is that my “pregnancy brain,” a condition that I once didn’t believe in, has caused me to be a lot more relaxed about my schedule, my to-do list, and veering off path. For instance, the following is a list of pregnancy-related truths that I held dear, that I have since reconsidered:


1. Scary full-belly maternity pants. I swore I wouldn’t wear these, that I’d only buy the ones with the low-panel that sits below the tummy. However, my very FIRST pair of maternity pants were the scary full-panel ones. And I will tell you that I love them, because they keep me from scratching my itchy, expanding tummy and also give me a nice smooth line under my maternity shirts to boot.


2. Find out Sprout’s gender. I was pretty adamant about this one too. I felt like if something was going to be completely out of my control and I was just gonna get whatever I was gettin’, I may as well go the distance and wait it out. And I think I would’ve too, had it not been for Name Wars. We still can’t agree on a boy name at all! So in 5 days, we’ll know if we can stop arguing about it…. Or if we’ve wasted all these weeks and months agreeing on a girl name for nothing! *incidentally, now that we’ve decided to find out, I’m DYING for the ultrasound day to get here! Maybe part of me wanted to find out the whole time and since I couldn’t before now, I convinced myself I didn’t want to know anyway so I wouldn’t have to wait? Who knows.


3. Schedule a c-section delivery. This was, again, borne from my control-freakishness that I was in no way going into labor unexpectedly, to have post-birth pics taken of me looking scraggly and brow-beaten, to miss an appointment or a meeting or something because Sprout was unpredictable in his/her arrival. But now I know that c-sections are a lot harder to recover from, that it’s major surgery that causes a lot of pain, that the body doesn’t recognize a c-section birth and therefore weight loss is significantly more challenging, and that if I want to be back to work in 6 weeks, as I do, I’m gonna have to go about things differently in order to make it up and about by then.

4. Use disposable diapers. Oh, hush, readers who think I’ve gone crazy. I read a lot about the absorbent gel in disposables is a big cause for diaper rash, first because of the chemicals in the gel, and second, because they tend to be changed less, especially in daycare centers, as a result bc they just don’t feel wet. Now, I’m not going to go 100% cloth here. What we’re going to be using, and I WILL NOT be swayed on this, is 7th Generation disposables when Sprout’s a newborn, and once he/she is a few weeks old and a few pounds heavier, we’ll switch to gDiapers. They’re a “hybrid” of cloth and disposable- a cloth cover with a disposable , flushable liner inside. It’s a lot better for the environment too- disposables take up to 500 years to decompose, while this will be flushed away, with all contents, therefore eliminating mountains of stinky diaper trash as well. They can just be thrown away too, which is nice- so we’ll still have the obligatory diaper genie- but we’ll be producing much less trash, and I’ll feel better having less plastic and chemicals on Sprout!






Here are some of my fave pregnancy items that I’m just dying to have right now:


Stylish hospital gown from Bring Your Own Gown:

This cute Olian maternity top, it would be so cute for our belly-to-baby pics we’re having taken!

Oh, and lots of skincare products like organic lotions (paraben-free,) facials and massages, baby yoga videos.




For Sprout, I really want some Trumpette socks. And just lots of random cute stuff. My latest baby purchase was this super adorable doorway jumper:

I got it on supersale! Originally $69.99, I purchased this rockin’ convertible on zulily.com for $34.99, minus a $10 first-purchase-credit, minus a $10 additional coupon code, for a grand total of $24.24 shipped! Can’t wait to see him/her cruising along in their new ride.


So, okay, I’ve definitely been bitten by the materialistic maternal bug, but seriously I just can’t wait to start setting up our nursery. It was painted last week, a bright, cheerful Key Lime color, and waiting to start filling it up with all things baby is killing me! As soon as we’re able to move the futon out, the crib can go in, and then it’ll really start seeming real.


Stay tuned for the big Gender Reveal!!

Prime Rib: Yummmmy- and worth the wait!

The Orange and Blue exhibition football game was this past weekend, and the day came and passed with lots of success for GatorTailgating. We had friends up to stay with us, the weather was perfect, and we cooked up some delish beer-can chicken with a tasty rub. A great day to tailgate.

But then it was all over, and the sad fact that more tailgating  is a full 4 months away hit us like a season-ending SEC loss. Low-spirited, we zipped up the tents, loaded up our coolers, and trudged unceremoniously back to our cars. None of us has any patience, after all, and here we were, forced with a 4-month wait… Although, to be fair, the boys have it way easier than I do- Sprout’s arrival coincides with the return of football/tailgating season, so I have the added luxury of waiting around with an ever-increasing belly girth to keep me company!


But, I digress. I decided that there surely must be a way to pass the time, something with a juicy, meaty reward that also has the added bonus of teaching us a thing or two about delayed gratification.


Of course! Prime Rib!

Lookit that beauty. Now, this is what’s called in the meat department as a “standing rib roast.” One bone should feed two people. I say should- Mike and I polished off this baby our ownselves. Be smart, err on the side of caution and buy the biggest hunk of meat you can afford. No matter where you get your rib roast, you will not be sorry!


*I ask my butcher to cut the meat off the bone and tie it back on with twine- this helps tremendously when carving the meat later.


Here’s what you need:

Standing rib roast. Butter (REAL butter, now! No cheating!) Salt. Pepper. That’s it!


First, turn the oven onto 500 degrees, and remove all but one rack- place it in the second to lowest setting. While the oven’s heating up- it takes awhile to get that hot- let the roast come to room temperature.


Next, take a big hunk of butter and rub it in your hands to soften and warm it. You’re about to become the world’s best meat masseuse.


Take your hunk of meat, stand it rib-side down in a roasting pan (I just use the bottom half of my broiler pan) and give it a good rubbing. Really get in there and massage the butter into the meat.

*You didn’t think this was diet-friendly, did you? C’mon, I’m preggers. What’s the point?


Once your rib roast is slathered up good and buttery, sprinkle on a generous amount of salt and pepper.

It’s important to make sure it’s standing on the bones in the pan, so the meat is up above its own juices and can roast evenly.


Now, pop that hunk o' hunk o' buttery beef in the 500-degree oven and let it roast for 30 minutes. 30 MINUTES ONLY!!


…..and then turn the oven off.

Here’s the next part, which is when all the most wonderful things in the history of prime rib happen. You leave the roast in the oven for 2 hours.

DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!! GIT YO’HANDS OFF THAT HANDLE!! BACK AWAY FROM THE OVEN!!


See, the residual heat after turning the oven off will slow-roast the prime rib until it is absolutely perfect- cooked slightly medium at the ends, but a warm pink medium-rare all throughout the rest of the roast. So you wanna just leave it well enough alone. Go mow your lawn. Walk your dog. Watch a movie. Anything to keep you from peeking, because once you let some of the heat out, the cook time is ruined- you can’t get that heat back. Yikes!

In 2 hours, after you’ve nibbled your nails to nubs and paced the floor in anticipation, it’s time to take the roast out of the oven.

Cut the twine, remove the bones, and feed them to any good dogs you may have in the vicinity. We didn’t have any good dogs around, only bad ones, but they’ll do it a pinch.

Next, take the remaining roasty goodness and slice it for the number of servings you need.

I strongly advise you to not let the hungry mob gathering in your kitchen serve themselves- the first person in line will quite possibly walk off with the whole platter, never to be seen again.


At some point, you’re gonna want to set out some sour cream to mix with a spoonful or two of prepared horseradish.

We love creamy horseradish upon our prime rib, but it’s really up to each individual to mix it to their own degree of spiciness- plus it’ll create a diversion so you can make off with more roast.

I’m just sayin’.

So here you have it, folks, the best prime rib ever, ever EVER. This method is guaranteed to work regardless of the size of your roast, is eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head tasty, and may help pass the time until tailgating season.


Be warned, though- whoever you feed this to will spend the rest of the day in a meaty stupor, stammering their undying affection for you. If you feel this could get annoying, I recommend scheduling an appointment immediately following the meal so you can get some peace and quiet.

Enjoy!

Easter Weekend 2010

A little something to know about Mike and me- we aren’t Easter people. We just aren’t very religious, and while I am all about wearing pastels and eating coconut-covered bunny  cakes from the grocery store, we just don’t have much of a reason to partake in traditional Easter type traditions. So we’ve pretty much made our own Easter weekend tradition of gettin’ the heck out of dodge. One year we went boating in Cedar Key, ate clams, and drank beer. Last year we went kayaking on Orange Lake, ate chicken, and drank beer. This year, we went beachin’ on Amelia Island, ate all kinds of tasty local vittles…. And drank *non-alcoholic* beer. (By the way, Beck’s makes a tasty N/A if you’re in the market for beer flavor without all the other benefits that beer generally offers.)

I had a gift certificate for a free night at the Amelia Hotel on the Beach, a comfortable select-service property that is literally steps from the soft sandy beach. It’s a little bit of an older property, but our room had a view of the ocean and a fabulous whirlpool tub that Mike Baby paid an upgrade for me to get, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was one of the best parts of the trip, to have a leisurely soak in a bathtub! (Mine’s broken at home, so only showers for the pregnant lady. Bor-ing.) After check-in, we headed downtown to Historic Fernandina Beach to check out the farmers’ market and the local shops. The farmers’ market was packed with people, so we didn’t linger long- but we had enough time to sample some delish natural-raised pork products! After much debate, we made off with some link sausages that will soon be grilled up with onions and mushrooms for dinner. Yumm. We also picked up some local strawberries to much on while we strolled about, and enjoyed browsing the little shops along the way- the Trailer Park Collectibles, the local bookstores, and an interesting store that had lots of fossils and sharks’ teeth.

We meandered our way to the waterfront café for lunch, and noshed on dip of crabby, creamy, cheese goodness; a shrimp and crab quiche with sweet potato salad (me); and a Cuban with lobster bisque (Mike.) Stuffed silly, we returned to the hotel for a nap and a walk on the beach before washing up and heading to Amelia Plantation for a look around. We found a lovely spot in front of the spa, with rocking chairs and a pretty view, to relax for a few minutes and just talk (the amazing smells wafting from the spa didn’t hurt either!)

Amelia Plantation was beautiful, but I will say this- resorts like that could be anywhere, near any beach, and there wouldn’t be anything very distinctive about it. There were chain shops on the premises- Chico’s, etc., and the spa, while truly gorgeous, was comparable to other spas I’ve visited. We appreciated our visit, but as we rocked, we talked about our values in regards to travel and we agree that for us, travel is more about enjoying an area as it is- we prefer unique experiences that provide us with the local feel and flavor more than the all-inclusive, Anywhere, USA (and beyond) ambiance that resorts like this tend to have. Sure, there’s a focus on high-quality service, but when it comes down to it, if the idea is to never leave the resort, then what’s the point of traveling far to get there? You may as well go to the resort down the street!

Anyhow, after our leisurely stroll around Amelia Plantation, we picked up a few treats- Stewarts’ Key Lime and Orange Cream sodas and a refreshing tropical Pure Fuji starfruit candle for my office- and we headed back downtown to catch our sunset cruise along the intercoastal waterway. The cruise was lovely, with some narration and a good view of the wild horses at Cumberland Island, and after a beautiful sunset we returned for dinner at 29 South Eats.

29 South is one of the great examples of local flavor! They are a farm-to-table restaurant that uses as many local, natural vendors as they can, and even have a garden of their own behind the building! We gobbled up our pulled pork spring roll appetizer, and our entrees were to die for- tempura lobster with a lavender honey-mustard glaze over buttermilk mashed potatoes for Mike, and a sweet-tea marinated pork chop over homemade mac and cheese, drizzled with blackberry preserves for me. Quadruple yum! But nothing- NOTHING- could’ve prepared us for dessert. I kept seeing all these reviews for the restaurant, and even the bad reviews claimed that the dessert was the best they’d ever had; many confessed they even returned a second time just for dessert. What was this irresistible confection? Coffee and Donuts. As in, a krispy kreme bread pudding. Topped with mocha ice cream. On a drizzle of caramel. With a strawberry garnish. And when they came to take our plate away, there was nothing left but the memory. Oh. My. Gawd. Thinking about it now makes me want to stop typing immediately and drive the 2.5 hours back to Amelia Island just to get one. It’s that good!

After dinner, we rolled ourselves back into the car and headed back to the room to change, and then we wandered over to the beachfront bar across from our hotel. We had a drink or two- again, my Becks’ non-alcoholic brew was quite tasty- and listened to waves crashing for a bit before turning in. A great first day!

We spend Easter Sunday morning on the beach getting some sun before everyone else showed up after church and brunch, and had fun reading and playing in the sand. I crafted a lovely sand fish which Mike devilishly crushed, cackling wildly, and after that a devastated, pouty, you-just-pissed-in-my-Cheerios Tammy decided it was time to go. We grabbed a quick bite back in the downtown area and then made our way back to G-ville, relaxed and refreshed- a lovely weekend!


We did decide over the course of the weekend that we’re going to test the waters on selling our kayaks in favor of other agua-based activities- a little jon boat for Mike and a bathtub for me.  But we’ll see where that goes. We prepared for the transition by dusting our trusty Hobies off and taking them out for pictures to post once we make our decision for sure. Loading and unloading the ‘yaks was a lot of work, though, so afterward we treated ourselves to sushi (Bento does a great deal on Sunday, buy 3 rolls, get a signature roll free!) and saw Hot Tub Time Machine at the movies, which was sooo friggin’ cute and funny! We really enjoyed the characters and the jokes and it was a great way to end the day!

A few more weekend pics:

Hope everyone else had as happy an Easter as we did!

Our Lil Show Dogs

For the past two years, Mike and I have made our way north to High Springs for the annual Mutts and Pups Dog Show to benefit the High Springs Farmer’s Market. This is no ordinary dog show- oh no, with categories like Best Smile, Best Trick, Best Kisses, Owner-Dog-Look-A-Like, and more- any and all dogs have a real shot at realizing their inner champion, pedigree or not!

Stella and Yeller have always fared well at this show. Yeller has placed second in the Best Smile competition two years in a row, and Stella, the defending Best Kisses champion and an Honorable Mention as Best in Show under her belt! (er, collar.) So this year, we knew we had to come in for our third year with our heads down and our game faces on, prepared to fight for our titles.

This is us in preparation for the competition. Clearly you can see the determination in our eyes, and the eyes of our dogs.

As the beginning of the competition drew near, we gave our dogs some pep talks and some booty scratches for luck, and then it was time to line up. Mike and Yeller were up first in the Best Smile category. Yeller gave his widest smile, Mike lifted him in the air like the show dog that he is, put him down, gave him snuggles- he pulled out all the stops.

 But the competition was fierce. Following Yeller, a Pomeranian stepped into the ring. Known for their perpetual smiles, this Pomeranian tripped us all up by glaring, rather than grinning, at the judges. Yes! One down. Next up- Big White Dog. Big White Dog had a large smile on his face while standing in line, intimidating the other competitors- dogs and owners alike. We squirmed. We fretted. We gave Yeller lots of hugs. But in the end, Yeller prevailed and took the First Place blue ribbon in Best Smile!!! We were so proud and excited that he’d jumped up in the rankings!!

But alas, we hardly had time to celebrate before needing to line up for Stella’s category- Best Kisses. Up against three other dogs- a Jack Russell, a Chihuahua, and an indeterminate Little-Bitty Dog, Stel stood out as the only big dog in the mix. We entered the ring, I stooped down… And Stel attacked me with kisses! Not in her usual fashion- she generally jumps up on me and knocks me over. But I believe she was just watching out for the new white maternity shirt I was wearing. We watched as the other dogs took their turn in the ring, an held our breath as the Jack Russell kissed not one, not two, but THREE of its family members. Stella looked concerned. I looked concerned. I petted the lil white stripe on her head.


At last the judges submitted their scores, and the time had come to announce the winners. Stella and I entered the ring, wide-eyed and big-bellied. As the third and second prize were announced, we breathed a little easier- I knew she’d placed somewhere, after all! And here we were, First Place Best Kisses for the third year running!!! We were so excited as we tied on her blue ribbon, and beamed at our TWO Show Dog Champions!


After their categories were over, we reviewed our loot- dog treats, discounts for haircuts and canoe trips (Canoe trip anyone? We got two gift certificates!) We also won a $10 coupon for The Station Café and Bakery, and went for a celebratory lunch of turkey clubs and ice cream cones (the dogs feasted on a few choice bits of bacon from our sammies.)


All in all, a fun, successful family day at the dog show- and all for a good cause! All you dog lovers, we invite you to join us next year… Although, I’d stay away from Best Kisses and Best Smile competitions. We’ve got those locked up! :)

A couple more pics:

....And This is All I Have to Report

• My bestie just got into her first-choice grad school!! Congrats Nat Baby! (And congrats to me too, since she'll just be in Ft. Lauderdale and I can still see her!)

• I am not sleeping well. Either I can't fall asleep until 1am, or I go to bed early only to wake up (or be woken up) in the middle of the night and not get back to sleep, or I have RIDICULOUS dreams that wake me up.

• We attended Troy's fabulous 40th birthday- a Mad Men theme. Pics of myself have been untagged on Facebook due to the fact that in my opinion I appear to be the size of a small house. And PS: Maternity dresses are not as flattering as I'd thought them to be. But, I did thoroughly enjoy my Italian sodas provided by the lovely Mrs. Bleeker and candy ciggies, which were one of my favorite childhood treats. Seriously.

• Mike Baby and I booked our "babymoon!" We are headed to the Florida Keys over Memorial Day weekend- we'll be camping at Bahia Honda state park for 2 nights, and recuperating from camping at the lovely Hawk's Cay resort for 2 nights. There's a pool and a day spa, so I'm sold.

• Our other travels this year include a free weekend in Amelia Island that I won at a trade show (yay!) and an Orlando weekend for hang-gliding (Mike) and Universal for the unveiling of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (for me.) Can't wait!

• My sis is bringing me Girl Scout cookies tonight. Hence, I have not been posting my Cookie Cravings postings. I am pretty sure that I don't need to bake any cookies with the amount of Thin Mints headed my way. :)

• I leave for Nashville on Sunday for the Southeast Tourism Society's Spring Meeting, where I will graduate from my 3-year Marketing College Program and be an official TMP- Travel Marketing Professional!

• I also get to go to the Grand Ole Opry and see Trace Atkins and Luke Bryan for free. Oh, and eat barbecue. And probably wear my cowboy boots.

• Next weekend Stella will be defending her Best Kisses Champion award for the third year running in the Mutts and Pups Dog Show! Wish us luck!

• I celebrated St. Patty's Day with a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's; a green O'Douls and chicken zingers from The Red Onion; and hanging with Lauren, my lovely neice Hannah, and my handsome nephew Halen. Having the beer-and-wings flavor combo after 3.5 months without was absolute bliss. Baby, I miss wings-and-beer nights at Clubhouse/Gator Tales so much! You're my favorite drinking buddy ya know!

• This morning I ate Krispy Kreme for breakfast. In line, I asked, "do ya'll have fat-free milk?" which was met with a blank stare, followed by: "Uh... no. But you wouldn't really be here if that mattered, would you?" For some strange reason, that made my hot glazed donut and whole milk chaser that much tastier. Why, no I don't care about fat free dairy products! I'm preggers!

• Name Wars 2010 is still raging in Casa Herchel. Seriously, if anyone has a half-decent boy's name suggestion that isn't James, and isn't picked off the Gator Roster, please email Mike about it and let him think it's his idea. I'm not ready to wave my white flag just yet.....

• ...But I might be on April 20th- the date of our next ultrasound! This will be the sonogram that will determine Sprout's sex- should we choose to find out. The deciding factor will be the state of Name Wars at the time of my appointment. If we can arrange a peace agreement by finding out, then so be it- but if a compromise is reached before then, the mystery will remain.

• My sister is bringing me girl scout cookies tonight. I actually didn't realize until I was halfway through typing this sentence that I've already told you that. Either I've got preggo brain somethin' fierce- or those cookies just mean that much to me. I'll let you decide!

• My coveted baby bag is on sale, but thanks to my office' awesome per-diem travel reimbursement policy and my impending work trip, I can't get it this week. I'm currently accepting donations toward said coveted baby bag. Ya'll saw it, you know it's perfect for me...er Sprout. I accept cash, check, and condolences. Because if it sells out before I get it, I will certainly need to be consoled. :(

• ....And that's all I have to report, folks. Stay tuned for more from the wonderful world of Tammydom!

My Need For Retail Therapy Led Me to a Crib...

So, this was just a horrible, awful, no-good, very bad morning for me. Stella Puddin', my precious, darlin' boxer, needed a manicure and so we traipsed off to the vet for our 8am appointment in high spirits- girls about town, getting our nails done! Well, we sat in the waiting room for 30+ minutes waiting to be seen; at one point, a vet tech came to try and take her "to the back" for her nail trim, but I kindly reminded them that Stella is what the call a Level Two nail-trim patient- ie, she really effing hates it. The last time we were there, the vet tech specifically came and got me to be in the room with her to help calm her down. So, Miss Vet Tech says we'll be waiting a little longer so we can get into an exam room. She was quite pleasant about the whole situation and apologetic about our wait thus far.

Ten minutes later, a woman that I will henceforth refer to as The Old Redheaded Cruella came out and called Stella's name. She led us to a scary exam room at the very end of the hall, and without even introducing herself to my lil Puddin' Pie, without a single word of reassurance, proceeded to attack my poor baby with nail clippers! Well, that just wouldn't do at all! Stella was so frightened she would barely even let me near her for kisses, and for a dog who is the 3-time Best Kisses Champion in the Mutts and Pups Dog Show, that is just nearly unheard of. The Old Redheaded Cruella curtly informed me that owners generally make animals more nervous. And I curtly retorted that I was in there because last time they couldn't keep her calm without me. So The Old Redheaded Cruella left the room in a tizzy, saying that she was going to find an assistant to help her out.

Ten minutes pass. Twenty. I'm now crying, I'm so anxious and upset by the way she treated Stel, and how we're now left alone in this horrible, unfriendly exam room. I mean, there wasn't even a jar of treats on the counter! WTF?! So at the urging of Mike Baby, Stella and I hightailed it out of there in a hurry. After a few minutes of sobbing in the car over the whole ordeal (thanks, pregnancy hormones) I decided it was my duty to call them up and give them some honest, constructive feedback. So I phoned the office to explain to them that while the first tech was clearly in the right industry and had a great attitude, The Old Redheaded Cruella was far better suited to be relegated to doing paperwork. In a basement. Far from human contact. (and if you're wondering if I actually said that to them, the honest answer is yes. Hey, it may inspire her to make a career change.)

So needless to say, I was in a right state when I got to work this morning, and it was high time I do something to cheer myself up and turn this day around. So I did what any normal expectant mama would do- I bought nursery furniture!

Now, we'd been planning on buying our crib this weekend anyway, and I ended up finding a GREAT deal online. The crib we chose was listed at Wood You for $399, plus we'd have had to pay tax; I've seen it for as low as $289 at The Babies' Room and even for $249 at Babies R Us. But we got ours for only $229 on Amazon.com with free shipping and no tax!

We chose the Davinci Emily crib in Espresso, and I can't wait to get it here and see how it looks! It got lots of positive reviews on every site I've seen, including Consumer Reports. It's solid New Zealand Pine, and will come with the toddler bed conversion kit; rails to convert it into a full-size bed when Sprout gets bigger come in a $100 kit. So hopefully it'll be the only bed frame we ever have to buy for him/her! I think it'll look great with the All Creatures Great and Small bedding, don't you??!

I'm getting excited! All we need now is a dresser/changing table and a glider and we'll have all the furniture purchased. Here's hoping we get good deals on those items too!

Me and a Straw.

I just felt the following things all within 3 seconds:



Anticipation- tap-tap-tapping on a straw to remove the wrapper.


Despair- straw bends dangerously at a particularly enthusiastic tap. Certain I broke the straw.

Jubilation- open straw to discover it’s a BENDY STRAW!!!

Happy Thursday.  Hope yours is filled with as many small delights as mine is. :)