sara's kitchen faves - numero cinco

it's summer time...

and with summer comes...

ICE-CREAM!!

so, my one of my kitchen faves and staples is:

{image}

the ice-cream scoop

this is no ordinary scoop, it's a ZEROLL scoop, you know, the kind used by professional ice-cream scoopers.

go ahead, next time you order ice-cream at a little ice-cream shop, check to see what they're using.

i GUARANTEE you will see they have the same scoop.

it rocks. well, actually it scoops and it's easy to use.
i love it. i use it. a lot.
we don't have to go into detail how often i exercise my zeroll scoop.
especially now that it's summer i'm pregnant.
for those of you who know me, i LOVVVVVEEEEEE ice-cream.
for those of you who don't know me, now you know, i LOOOOVVVVVEEEEE ice-cream.
kinda like a fat kid loves cake.
but maybe a little more.

so a professional ice-cream scoop was is a necessity for me.

and maybe one of these days, i'll get invest one of these:

{image}

it's a gelato paddle, for those italian gelato lovers (i'm part of the club)...

and i'm sure it'll come in handy scooping ice-cream too...

but i already have an ice-cream scoop, so i can use this for gelato, when i'm in italy, or dreaming of italy.

one summer, i travelled to italy with some girlfriends

and we consumed gelato on a daily basis

and sometimes more than once

yum!

the end.

{Boston Sunset: Sara}

{Boston by Sunset: Sara}

 Posted the above images because I like them.

I came across the following as a recipe for a long life...

I take NO credit for it, but I can't recall where I found it.

 Health:
    1.       Drink plenty of water.
    2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner
               like a beggar.
    3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less
              food that is manufactured in plants.
    4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
    5.       Make time to pray.
    6.       Play more games.
    7.       Read more books than you did the year before.
    8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
    9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
    10.    Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk,
             smile.

 Personality:
    11.    Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what
              their journey is all about.
    12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
             Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
    13.    Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
    14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
    16.    Dream more while you are awake.
    17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with
             His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
    19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate
             others.
    20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
    21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
    22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
              Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away
              like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
    23.    Smile and laugh more.
    24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
    25.    Call your family often.
    26.    Each day give something good to others.
    27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
    28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6
    29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
    30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
    31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your
              friends will. Stay in touch.

  Life:
    32.    Do the right thing!
    33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    34.    GOD heals everything.
    35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    37.    The best is yet to come.
    38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
    39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Hope this post was some positive encouragement for you today :)

{image by me}

A Prayer for Peace, Growth, and Recovery

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred...let me sow love.
Where there is injury...pardon.
Where there is doubt...faith.
Where there is despair...hope.
Where there is darkness...light
Where there is sadness...joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled...as to console.
To be understood...as to understand.
To be loved...as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

(St. Francis of Assissi)

memory lane

i am trying to find a baby book for alpine - you know, something to keep track of baby's firsts, cute pictures, hospital bracelet, lock of hair, baby's favorites and so forth...

today i pulled out my baby book... i am the oldest of 4 siblings and many of you may know what that means... a FAT baby book :) sure enough... my book is the fattest and it goes in order, my youngest brother has the skinniest baby book. it doesn't mean he was any less loved... it just means my mom was busy taking care of 4 kids to record EVERYTHING.

well, i browsed through my baby book and there were a few things that caught my attention.

1) favorite food: yogurt & banana, toast w/cheese, ice-cream and french toast: now for those who know me... i LOVE ice-cream (more about that in an upcoming post). i also really like french toast (ask the hubster).
2) i loved collecting and playing with rocks - even today when i walk along the beach, i pick up rocks and collect them... it makes things tough when moving... rocks aren't particularly light ;)
3) i loved playing w/malcom, a cairn terrier - i loved watching him and laughed when he barked :) (still love dogs to this day... although it's been a work in progress due to a traumatic event at age 5 involving a german shepherd, but we won't talk about that)
4) i laughed at 2.5 mos old and i still keep the giggles going
5) i took my first steps on a golf course at 8 months (too bad i didn't become a professional golfer - that would have made a good story) and i was walking around at 10 months - man am i in trouble when alpine comes along...
6) ET the movie and Larry Bird the basketball player were quite a hit
7) my mom was in labor for 3 hours (hope i luck out like that)
8) i went swimming for the first time when i was 2 months old - i still LOVE the water
9) my first "sleep out" (outside on the deck in a sleeping bag) was when i was 5 and my brother david was 3, i was afraid of getting sprayed by a skunk and my 3 year old brother agreed to protect me :)
10) my favorite songs at age 2 were "happy birthday" and "jesus loves me" - i LOVE birthdays & getting presents and i still know that jesus loves me :)

hope that didn't bore you... but it had me thinking about caleb's firsts when he was a baby and coming up alpine's firsts and the kind of child alpine will grow up to be... will alpine be more like me or more like caleb?

one thing is for sure... alpine's been so active in my belly, if that continues, well, caleb & i are in for it. ;)

now i've gone down memory lane and i still don't know what to do about a baby book...

here's one i found on etsy.com that i like...
and another...
and another...
but i want to see them in person before committing to purchasing... if ANYONE finds something cute, PLEASE let me know :)

i have also checked out amazon, babys r us, target and barnes and noble...

bedside manner, birthing and BABIES

this is a partial vent...

but i'll end on a positive note, i promise...

today i went to my scheduled MIDWIFE appointment... i've been using essex county ob/gyn and so far my experience was PHENOMENAL!! well, today, the midwife i met w/was MISERABLE... terrible "bedside manner". typically i go to my appointment and the midwife comes in, introduces herself (if i haven't met her before - there are 7 so i have yet to meet ALL of them) asks how i'm feeling, how i'm doing, do i have any questions, etc... we talk for a little while, then she'll say, ok, let's check the heartbeat and will proceed to check the heartbeat...

nope, not today... the midwife comes in abruptly, says a brief hello, pushes me down on the table, lifts up my shirt and is about to listen to the heartbeat... i was in shock! no introduction, no asking how i'm doing, no asking what i have for questions...

i'm glad i can be assertive. i sat up and said, wait, can we discuss any questions i may have? the bummer was at that point i was flustered, i should have finished the appointment ASAP and left. alas, i didn't.
i started feeling emotional (i'm more prone to that these days w/all the hormones) and asked her a few questions. she was even rude in answering my questions, BUT the BEST news i heard all day was "i don't deliver."

i thought i misheard and asked her to repeat. "i don't deliver." fantastic, i thought, i'll NEVER have to have her at the hospital, where it really counts... relief!

i promised more promising news

and i USUALLY keep good on my promises...

see this picture

it's brooke, my sister-in-law, my nephew danny, little alpine and me

{Brooke, Danny, Alpine, Sara}

i'm so excited that they (danny & alpine) will be soooo close in age!!

{Danny & Alpine meet}

brooke's going in for a c-section tomorrow and i'll get to meet little danny in person. woohoo!!!

my due date is 10-4-10 - only 5 weeks after danny is born :)

caleb and i are headed out to western mass to meet danny, spend some time w/family and babysit for these adorable nieces - Julia and Hannah - who are going to be big sisters :)

{Julia cheesing it up}

{Julia & Aunt Sara ie me enjoying ICECREAM}

{Hannah cheesing it up OR being annoyed w/her aunt for taking a bajillion pics!}

{Hannah - the goofball}

{Hannah being well, Hannah}

yay for BABIES!!! and sisters who can experience this together. brooke is awesome!! she's been through pregnancy and  babies two times before, so she's a pro and has been giving me all kinds of good advice. and we have been able to commiserate about braxton hicks, hiccups and baby kicks!

{Brooke & Sara}

{Brooke & Sara}

can't believe our OWN due date is coming up... 5 weeks away...

{hubster, alpine and me}

hydrangeas

they are one of my FAVORITE flowers...

my mom has a lot of hydrangea bushes... below are a few snapshots from the summer

she has both purple and blue

oh how i love them :)

don't quit

check out this video...

it's based on the below poem.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown

 i love it! my dad used to have it in his office... i took a copy of it and it's stayed with me since...

today i'm posting it for my buddy Ben, he's been through quite a lot this summer.
Ben, keep up your positive attitude, don't quit :)