Quiet weekend

Compared to last weekend, this one was pretty quiet. Friday night we stayed in and took it easy and watched Gilmore Girls (we've recently started over with Season 1). On Saturday, we went into DC, where I was serving as a "pregnancy model" for a massage class. Tough work, but somebody had to do it! We followed that up with lunch at one of our very favorite restaurants, the Cactus Cantina, then headed back home. I've gotten to the point where being out and about for very long just exhausts me, so I was falling asleep on the couch by about 7pm. We did, however, make up a batch of Tammy's Vanilla Pudding (we melted chocolate into half so we had some chocolate pudding as well), and boy, was that delicious and well worth the effort! Like many other things, it falls into the category of "why did people ever stop making this from scratch?" Easy, delicious, and relatively healthy as far as desserts go.

Today, we got up decently early and took a nice morning walk in Reston. Our weather was just perfect today--70's with low humidity, and we were excited to see on our walk, among other things, a heron and a bunch of adorable baby turtles down at Lake Anne.

We came home from that, opened up all the windows, and worked on a few last things as far as getting ourselves settled in the new apartment--including Freecycling back some of the 100 jars we'd washed out back in February. We took a long hard look at the situation and realized that a) we don't have a garden and likely won't until we no longer live in an apartment, thereby leaving us with little to can; b) if we did find the time and means to can, half of those jars would likely be enough; c) IF we decided we needed to someday, replacing the jars wouldn't really cost us that much, especially compared to the inconvenience of storing them and moving them until that day came.

Tonight, we went for a swim at the outdoor pool. I'm looking so pregnant now that about anytime we go out in public, somebody comments on it and says "Normally I wouldn't presume, but in your case it's so obvious..."

Delfest report

As you might recall, this weekend we were planning to head out to Delfest to see Sam Bush and Old Crow Medicine Show in Cumberland, MD. We were also going to stay the night at Tari's Inn in West Virginia, but after talking about it we realized that we've been so busy the past few weeks that what really sounded like a restful vacation was just...staying home. So we planned to drive back to Reston after the show.

Saturday morning my work called and offered some tempting overtime, so I ended up going in for four hours to offset the cost of the weekend. Meanwhile, Matt ran around and packed up a cooler for us, a change of clothes for me, and ran a few other errands. He picked me up around 11 and we headed out out to Maryland--about a 3-hour drive, with lovely scenery and nice weather.

Here we are shortly after getting to Delfest, while Sam Bush was onstage:

Some of our fellow concertgoers:
Here's the baby enjoying a little bluegrass:

About 20 minutes after those pictures were taken, big fat raindrops started to fall. At one point rain had been predicted for the day, but last we had checked it was supposed to be sunny. Bummer. But we pulled out our umbrella, huddled in close, and waited for it to stop.

But instead, the next thing we knew, it looked like this:

Not only was it pouring rain and the wind (we later discovered) whipping around at up to 80mph, but nickel-sized hail was pelting us HARD. After sitting there wet for 15-20 minutes and realizing it wasn't going to stop, we made a run for it, but weren't able to make it to the car, so we ended up huddled in one of the concession tent with a bunch of other people, who were literally holding it down as there were other tents being upended and blown around the concert and campsites. (We felt VERY thankful that we'd decided I was too pregnant and it was too hot to camp...)

Finally, there was enough of a break for us to make it to the car. On the way there, though, I had to pee incredibly badly (of course), there wasn't a Port-o-Potty in sight, and even if there had been, it wasn't where I wanted to be in high winds. (For the curious: I did have my jar in the car, and had already used it before we went in, but knew that was going to be considerably trickier wearing soaking wet clothes.) So I weighed my options and decided that with the rate at which I was being doused with fresh rainwater, my best option was probably just to do like the marathoners do and pee my pants while running. So I did.

Having finally made it to the car:

As a side note: on the way out to Maryland, we'd stopped to grab some lunch at one of our new favorite restaurants: Ted's Montana Grill. Everybody there is always very friendly, the atmosphere is classy but not fancy, they're committed to the environment, and they're generous with coupons. We had a $10 off of 2 entrees coupon they'd sent us (which you can get by clicking on their homepage right now) and with each burger running about that much, it was basically a buy one/get one free. We had them pack up half of each of our burgers and fries for dinner, which we'd planned to eat at the festival. Around $15 with a tip--not bad for feeding two meals to each of us!

Here's Matt working on his while we waited out the storm:

The welts Matt sustained in the hail:The aftermath (this picture, and the one of the rain and hail, came from the DelFest Facebook group--we were incredibly worried that in all this we would ruin our camera, but it was safe and sound and dry inside of Matt's old Jansport backpack):

As for my clothes--having urinated in them, I went ahead and, well, took them off. And headed back without them. What else could we do?!

So when all was said and done--it wasn't exactly the $100 worth of music we'd paid for and were hoping to hear. On the other hand, we were mainly grateful to make it out safely, and we certainly had a few laughs and made some memories. Though as my mom suggested--this next weekend, we're going to try to do less peeing in pants and driving around naked.

Article about maternity care in the LA Times

Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times

Childbirth: Can the US improve? is a a step in the right direction, and I applaud its portrayal of a well-informed woman who sought and achieved a VBAC, but the tagline ("C-sections are expensive. Doctors ask if we are doing too many") strikes me as as incorrect--in fact, it's women, families, midwives, and other concerned parties, so much more than doctors, who are questioning the current C-section rate. (And they aren't doing so simply because it's expensive--their concerns center around around the known risks posed to mothers and babies.) Like so many media articles, however, this one is quick to blame the so-small-as-to-be-almost-neglible "too push to push" phenomena of patient-choice Cesareans for the rising rate, dedicating almost no time to the far more common "physician's choice" Cesareans, which may be cited as "necessary" for anything from a suspected large baby (not a valid indication) to going past a woman's due date to pretty much anything else under the sun. I was disappointed that the article didn't make a single mention of midwives, either--basically, it laid out the problems with US maternity care and ignored the fact that the solution to our problems (and the reason that the other countries discussed in the article are blowing us out of the water in terms of outcomes) is staring us in the face.

Taco salad

One of the new items on our menu this week was taco salad. I used to make something like this fairly often when I was a vegetarian, with soy crumbles and a Taco Bell seasoning packet, but I can't say whether I've ever made it with actual ground beef, let alone real spices. This time I did, and was really pleased with how it turned out!

First, I made a pound and a half of ground beef (which we barely made a dent in--this should feed us at least another lunch and then another dinner). I loosely based my seasoning on this recipe, and it ended up going something like this after adding a few things to taste and subtracting what we didn't have on hand:

Taco Meat

1.5 lbs ground beef
Seasoning mix:
1 1/2 tablespoons corn flour (masa)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Fry up ground beef in a pan. When beef is browned, add seasoning mix and stir thoroughly to coat. Depending on leanness of beef, you may need to add a little water or lard or other cooking fat to keep it moist. Cook until seasoning is fully incorporated into meat, and adjust seasoning to taste.

In addition to a bed of lettuce and a base of taco meat, we also had a toppings bar that included shredded cheese, black and kidney beans, quasi-refried beans, corn niblets, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. And, of course, a few corn chips to crumble on top.

Matt weaned me off of canned beans recently and onto dried and I must say I couldn't be happier with the switch. Previously, I had a hard time figuring out the ratio of dried beans to soaked, not to mention remembering to soak (overnight) and cook (for 2-4 hours) the beans far enough in advance that they'd be ready. I've gotten better at planning ahead, realized that the ratio is 1:2 (dried beans to resulting cooked beans), and also figured out that cooked beans freeze extremely well--meaning that if I always make an extra cup or two when I'm cooking them, I'll generally have some on hand in case of unplanned bean-containing meals. I usually cook a mixture of kidney and black beans, because they have similar cooking times and go well in the meals we usually make.

We've made our own refried beans before, and they were good, but they were also time- and labor-intensive. This time, I decided to basically make a glorified bean dip--so I cooked a little diced onion and garlic in some lard, and threw in a couple of cups of cooked beans, along with probably half a cup of the bean liquid they'd been cooking in. I stirred it all together and blended it with the immersion blender--and voila, quasi-refried beans in just about five minutes. I added a little cumin, cilantro, and salt to taste, and it's perfect on taco salad, in burritos, as a chip dip, or just eaten as a side dish with a fork. I love that kind of versatility, and both the beans and the taco salad are items we'll definitely have on the menu again!

Rhubarb success!

Because he knows the way to my heart, Matt came back from Pennsylvania Amish country this weekend with three pounds of freshly-picked rhubarb for me. I wasn't about to risk making it into jam after what happened last time, and so instead I set aside a recipe for Custard with Rhubarb Sauce. The simplicity of the recipe appealed to me, and since we have a wonderful source of delicious, local eggs and milk, I figured this would give them and the rhubarb an opportunity to really shine.

And shine they did. While I can't seem to make custard without a few lumps in it, it was creamy and delicious nonetheless, and the rhubarb sauce was tangy and the perfect complement. Here's the recipe, from the excellent site A Veggie Venture (visit the recipe link for helpful hints about scalding the milk, etc; I've just included the bare-bones recipe) :

Custard with Rhubarb Sauce

Serves 4

CUSTARD
2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium pot, scald the milk on MEDIUM heat (or a bit lower), stirring often so the bottom doesn't burn...Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar til smooth. A quarter cup at a time, whisk the hot liquid into the eggs, stirring all the while. Return the mixture to the pot and cook on MEDIUM (or a bit lower) until the mixture thickens, stirring the entire time. (It will take milk longer to thicken than half & half or cream. You can tell when custard is "done" when you can scrape a finger along a metal spoon coated with the mixture and the line stays clean.) Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla. Transfer to individual ramekins or a serving bowl and chill til ready to serve.

This makes two cups. If you need more, make multiple recipes but don't double.

RHUBARB SAUCE
4 cups fresh rhubarb, trimmed and cut into half-inch pieces
Splash water
1/3 cup sugar (or more to taste)

Add the rhubarb and a splash of water to a medium pot, stir in sugar and cook on MEDIUM til rhubarb is soft but still shows the chunks. That's all it takes!!

Because I'm impatient like that, we ate it while it was all still warm, which I think only enhanced its deliciousness. Definitely something we'll make again!

And now, I have a jar of the remaining rhubarb sauce, perfect for eating on pancakes or ice cream or straight out of the jar with a spoon.

Yum! Now that's rhubarb as it was meant to be.

Verdict on jam & Pomona's pectin

Eh. That's all I can say about it.

Which, when you're talking about the ethereal combination of strawberries and rhubarb, is actually pretty abysmal.

The jelly didn't totally...jell, but that's my fault because I misunderstood the order in which to add the pectin packet and the "calcium water."

Runny texture I can handle, but bland, watery flavor is another matter.

Granted, the strawberries we used were early, somewhat watery ones from the farmer's market, but I don't know that that would have made all the difference. And it is certainly less sugar than I'm used to seeing in jam, but the ratio was similar to what we use for Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp filling, which is always, in my humble opinion, DELICIOUS, so it's hard to say.

In the meantime, I'll eat it, but I'm disappointed. And Matt brought me back a couple of pounds of fresh rhubarb from Amish country, so I'm tempted to make up a batch of Sure-Jell jam with it, but I'm thinking that Custard with Rhubarb Sauce seems like a delicious, high-protein way to eat it up as well.

Something a little different

As you've probably noticed, our diet around here tends pretty heavily toward ovo-lacto vegetarian. We eat plenty of cheese, milk, and eggs, but meat is something of a rarity for us, something we probably eat a few times a month. Part of this is pure preference, and part of it is for financial reasons.

However, recently we've decided to try to step up our protein intake--something we'd committed to early on in the pregnancy, but which became difficult with 5 months of morning sickness, when eggs and meat were the LAST thing that appealed to me. We've been sort of half-assing it ever since. Now, however, the birth is just around the corner, plus we've made the connection that Matt's headaches seem somewhat tied to blood sugar issues. (We're also looking at summer coming and the fact that we each wouldn't mind losing a few-plus pounds when it does, so simpler and less starchy fare seems like it is in order.)

So our goal is to incorporate more protein-and-vegetable-based meals as opposed to starch-based meals (hello, dinner salads; goodbye, yummy noodle-based casseroles). We're hoping to a) stick to mostly organic meats when possible and b) do so without breaking the budget. However, we're hoping that the higher cost of meat will be offset by the need for fewer "filler" ingredients (noodles, cheese, etc) like we need for casseroles, and we're also planning to try to stretch our meat purchases by incorporating them with lots of vegetables.

That said, here's the menu plan for the next 10 days (to get us back on Wednesday shopping after the moving this weekend threw us off):

1. Salads with steak and corn
2. Taco salads with ground beef, corn, beans, and sour cream
3. Egg salad (using this recipe) on whole-wheat toast
4. Salads with grilled Vidalia onions, asparagus, portabellas & fresh Parmesan
5. Puerco pibil with corn tortillas
6. Puerco pibil with brown rice
7. Tempeh salad over greens or whole-wheat tortillas
8. Some kind of hummus wraps
9. Baked potatoes with cheese
10. Tuna salad sandwiches

For lunches, once again, we eat leftovers; for breakfasts, Matt almost always has eggs and I switch between some kind of cereal and my current favorite, whole-wheat English muffins with peanut butter and jelly. Yum!

And hello, here we are.

All I can say is that someone was watching out for old Matt and Katie the past couple of days, because despite our desire to move in on Thursday and the seeming agreement of our landlords that it would be possible to do so, we were in fact unable to do so, a fact which left us incredibly frustrated. Friday was supposed to be rainy, I was supposed to work all night, and let's face it, we were starting to get a little impatient.

But, Friday was what it ended up being, and it ended up working out very well.

Friday arrived relatively cool and sunny, an absolutely perfect day for a move--much better than Thursday afternoon, which was muggy and somewhat wet. A friend of Matt's helped us out, and boy, the difference between that and my somewhat-pitiful contributions to our past moves (this is prior to becoming pregnant, mind you, but WHY do I always wind up working nights the week we move?!) became evident as they finished the entire thing in four hours flat. We still have the unpacking to do, of course, but both of them seemed to reap great enjoyment from seeing how quickly they could run around and get large pieces of furniture from one apartment to the other. (I have never reaped anything like that from similar behavior.) Feeling like quite the stereotypical pregnant wife, I did things like slowly carry pillows out to the truck, wipe down the appliances, and go out and pick up lunch and cold beverages. And, of course, gestate. Those things are important too, right?!

So I would have been in a perfect position to get some sleep and go into work last night, except that I seem to have picked up a bug somewhere that has me confusing my rear end with a hot water faucet. (I don't want to say too much, but "Honey, am I getting hemorrhoids or has somebody REALLY been after me back there with sandpaper" probably saw the shredding of the last vestiges of mystique that remained after morning sickness, stretch marks, and ankles like water balloons. There, I think maybe I did say too much.) I've worked in L&D long enough to know that dehydration in pregnant ladies leads to contractions, and indeed it did, and I realized that if I were a patient of mine and having the same symptoms, there is no WAY I (or any other doctor or nurse, for that matter) would advise staying up and on one's feet all night. Luckily, the nurse I talked to at work felt the same way, and so I was able to lie low and try to nurse myself back to health.

Today, I managed to sleep until noon and am hoping to go into work tonight. My body is still showing signs of being somewhat dehydrated, but I'm pushing fluids and keeping them in better, and the baby seems as frisky as ever, which is a reassuring sign. Then again, I've only been up for an hour, so we'll see how the day unfolds.

Matt is off at a volunteer day in Amish country, which those of you who know me will realize is only my greatest dream in the whole world come true, but alas, being pregnant seems to mean that you no longer push your body to the extreme just because there's something fun going on, and so I fully recognize that the only option is to stay home and rest and hydrate. It also gives me the chance to catch up on some schoolwork, something that's been taking a backseat to moving for the past week or so.

I took a few pictures of our apartment, but realized on reviewing them that there's really not anything interesting about an unpacked (not even HALF or SEMI unpacked) apartment, so I guess I'll save that for when we have more to show for ourselves.

Bittersweet goodbye

our last dinner on our patio--one of the things we'll miss about this apartment

I know this is completely silly when we're moving less than a block away, when our new apartment will be virtually identical to the old one except for an extra bedroom, and when we're getting such a good deal that we're actually paying less for it than we were for the smaller one.

Then why can't I help feeling choked up (and not just a little bit) whenever it hits me that we're really leaving here--that last night was our last night here?

I think partially it's because of all we've been through here. We were newlyweds in DC and Iowa City, but I feel like we really became who we are as a couple here in this apartment. We've been through so many good times and hard times in just a year and a half, and for the most part, the stage has been set here--so much good cooking, so many formative conversations, so many life decisions. Living here spanned from my law school days to the brink of starting our family, and there's been so much that's taken place in between.

And, as Matt wisely pointed out, I think there's something counter-instinctual about being 8 months pregnant and tearing down and leaving the nest, when all you want to do is hunker down and find a safe space. I know the new apartment will be that safe space, and that in a couple of days I'll probably barely notice we've moved.

But still, it isn't easy.

Possible change in plans

It's supposed to pour rain all day Friday, so we're trying frantically to get everything moved back a day so that we can do move tomorrow when it's supposed to be nice instead. If our landlords will OK giving us the key, we'll try to get the truck, change Matt's vacation day, get ahold of the person who's helping us move, and change the date for having our internet changed over, and contact the cleaners who are cleaning our old apartment. Whew!

It would be great to move this back, though, because I'm scheduled to work overnight on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and it would certainly be nice to get some sleep on Friday...

Getting ready

photo by Mpopp

We spend a lot of time these days getting ready: getting ready for the baby, getting ready to move. Getting ready for all kinds of changes.

This takes place first of all on an obvious physical level. Probably around between 1/2 and 2/3 of our belongings are now packed and stacked in the living room, and we're adding more all the time. We had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday, and we've incorporated all the onesies and cloth diapers and hooded towels we received there into our getting-ready-for-the-baby stash.

We're also getting ready for the birth and the aftermath: we've got bins of birthing and babying and breastfeeding supplies, and have communicated with our employers about taking leave when the baby is born. (It looks like we'll have a month off together--YAY--and I'll probably take at least another month or so after that.) We're getting our finances ready and talking with our insurance companies about getting the baby added on. All kinds of...grownup things.

But we're also taking the time and setting aside a little money to do a few things we know we won't have the chance to do for awhile. This includes camping, going to a couple of movies (we saw and loved X Men Origins: Wolverine, and want to see Terminator Salvation and the more intellectual Fresh), and, most excitingly, a weekend hurrah to celebrate our upcoming second anniversary. We're going to attend DelFest for a day to see two of our favorite bluegrass groups: Sam Bush and Old Crow Medicine Show. Also, we'd long been planning to spend a night at Tari's Inn, a place that has meant a lot to us since we spent some time there last summer, but were pleased to note that if we stopped there on the way back from Delfest, it would save us an hour and a half of driving late that evening. Sold!

In short, the weeks between now and when the baby is due are getting shorter and busier, and I'm sure time will fly even faster the closer we get to that time. In the meantime, we're excited to take some time to enjoy each other's company and savor our last few weeks of "just us time" before diving into the excitement of new parenthood together.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all of the mothers out there, but especially to our mothers--two of the very best mothers in the world, for all they have done and continue to do for us. I've already gained so much more appreciation for motherhood since I've been pregnant, and I can only imagine the perspective I'm going to gain in the coming years. We love you, Moms!

About last night

Or really, yesterday in general, which was one of the best days we've had since I can remember. And much to my chagrin, I didn't take a single picture. Bummer.

We started the day by getting up early and heading out for acupuncture. We've gotten to know and really like our acupuncturist and enjoy our treatments in her sunny, hippie-feeling plant-filled treatment room. Oddly for a Saturday, there was nobody else there, and so rather than falling asleep like we often do, Matt and I were able to spend the hour chatting with each other, which was really nice.

photo by Marc Smith
We then headed back home, a drive we love, through all kinds of horse and cattle farms and lovely green Maryland/Virginia countryside, and stopped in at the just opened for the season Reston Farmer's Market. We picked up a quart of strawberries (for jam) and enjoyed a number of tasty samples, including fresh tomatoes, strawberries, apples, and pastries. Needing pectin to set the jam and knowing that the Reston Whole Foods weekly "Savory Saturday" sampling event would be in full swing, we headed over there to taste peaches and marscapone, several wines, marinated sea bass, several kinds of hummus, blueberry pancakes, pork sausage, savory beef pie, and probably several other things I'm forgetting.


That taken care of, we hurried home to get cleaned up for our baby shower (a triple shower with two other pregnant nurses!), generously hosted by one of my coworkers, who truly went above and beyond with an amazing spread that included a number of different kinds of tea sandwiches, deviled eggs, a fruit tray, several kinds of scones and cookies, three different kinds of cake, punch, wine, margaritas...the list went on and on. People were incredibly generous and creative in their gift-giving and it made me feel incredibly blessed, as I have before, to have found a community of such wonderful women--not just to work with, but be surrounded and embraced by, especially as we undergo such a major milestone in our lives. I remember wondering whether I would ever find that again after I left such wonderful friends in Iowa, but I'm thankful to say that "the girls at work" here have made me feel so welcome and at home, and we're so grateful for that.

photo by Cocoa Dream

After the shower, there was no time to linger in my sugar-induced coma because Matt caught wind yesterday that one of our all-time favorite artists, Krista Detor, was performing a benefit concert at a church in Maryland Saturday night. So it was off to Maryland to see Krista, who was heartbreakingly wonderful as usual, and who remembered us from the house party where we'd seen her perform last winter. After that concert, we figured we would never get another chance to see Krista sing in such an intimate venue (which is really where she shines), let alone surrounded by delicious food like the event was last time--but we were wrong. St John's Episcopal knows how to put on a spread like no other, and so, while we obviously were not hurting for something to eat after they day we'd had, we listened to the kind parishioners' urgings and went back for plate after plate of homemade breads, dips (spinach, crab, veggie), meatballs, pigs in a blanket, cookies, brownies, bars, cakes, pies, and anything else you could imagine. Wow. The fantastic performance, the amazing food, and the fact that we were helping raise money for medical missions in Jamaica and Kenya made it truly a night to enjoy and remember. We feel fortunate to be able to do a few of these last "out and about" things before our baby joins us in 6-9 weeks, and being as some of the best ways to our hearts are music, food, and charitable causes, this one definitely ranks up there as memorable.

*photo of Krista from In Search of a Song with Jason Wilber

Spring things: strawberries and rhubarb

photo by Paul Goyette

I can't even tell you how excited I get in the spring when I see rhubarb (and in-season strawberries) showing up at grocery stores and farmer's markets. Strawberries and rhubarb have always been one of my favorite combinations, and continues to be to this day.

Which is why it's only the second week of May and I've already made Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp twice: once when my mom was here, and again for our own enjoyment. If you haven't made it yet, you really should: it's easy, delicious, and really not too unhealthy (unless you make a habit of eating big chunks of the streusel topping while you're making it, which, let's face it, some of us do. The combination of butter, brown sugar, and oatmeal is too much for me to resist sometimes). Even so, however, it's hard to arrange having the stuff on hand all the time, and so I've decided to use the remainder of my rhubarb for something a little more "everyday," something I can slap on a free day-old whole-wheat Trader Joe's English Muffin with a little peanut butter: strawberry-rhubarb jam.

I have a box of Pomona's Pectin (renowned because it gels in lower-sugar situations than your average fruit pectin) and am planning to try my hand at it today. I'm planning to make freezer jam (in which the fruit doesn't undergo a long cooking process, and thereby must be preserved in the freezer instead of canned on a shelf) because that's how my mom always made her strawberry jam. It took me awhile to realize that I don't really like the taste of cooked strawberry jam, which is why hers was always so much better than storebought or other homemade jams.

The tricky part is that I can't find much on using this particular brand of pectin along with rhubarb for freezer jam. I know I don't want to cook the strawberries, but I'm assuming I want to cook the rhubarb if I'm not aiming for strawberry-rhubarb crunch. Sure-Jell is the brand of pectin my mom always used, but it does require a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. Their recipe doesn't seem to imply that you cook the rhubarb, but I'm skeptical that it wouldn't wind up crunchy if I didn't. Anyway, Pomona's is what I could find and I do like the idea of being able to use less sugar. So I think I'll probably cook the rhubarb until it's tender, then follow Pomona's recipe for freezer jam (though it says nothing about rhubarb).

I'll let you know how it goes.

$5 Date Night

In honor of mother's day, we're going to get a BOGO noodle bowl from Noodles & Company (courtesy of their email club). Then we're going to chase those carbs down with a free Cinnabon in honor of Nurses' Week! Personally, I'm a little disappointed that this is the only freebie I've been able to find for the occasion, but I guess a big gooey cinnamon roll is better than nothing!

Mom's visit

We had a great time with my mom here this past week. In addition to taking it easy at home for a few days, we also enjoyed hitting Monticello and driving out to Harper's Ferry, which is always one of our favorite sites in the area. Most of all, I just enjoyed seeing my mom, and spending the last moments we'll ever have together before I become a mom. What a crazy thought! I really had a great time just hanging out with her, and found myself more than a little teary putting her on a plane this morning. However--we're looking forward to a visit from ALL the soon-to-be grandparents in just a couple of short months, once the baby is here, and I'm sure that time will be here before we know it!

My mom is here!

She got in on Wednesday and will be here till Sunday. Unfortunately, I am not the most stimulating nor active hostess at this point in time, so we've mainly been lying low--catching up on Season 7 of the Gilmore Girls, reading, sorting baby things. But it's great to have her here. We have tickets to Monticello tomorrow, so that will likely be our big hurrah for the week. Pictures to follow.

And, since so many people seem to be concerned--yes, we did take her out and buy her a roll of toilet paper, although we're convinced that we'll have her converted to cloth by the end of the week.