TBA

I'm trying to revive this blog - just exactly how is the question.  Look for more (including a new name possibly) in the weeks to come but in the meantime here's what my life looks like lately.

New Year, New Me

 

 

This time last year I was about 100 months pregnant and suffering from a horrible bout of sciatica.    Honestly, going through labor and giving birth was cake compared to all that.

2012 was a challenge in so many ways.    There was much to adjust to and quite honestly I’m not quite sure I’ve gotten there yet.   But I’m trying. 

We’ve had fun holidays and such but something is just constantly *off*.  I guess  it comes down to the fact that nothing will be the same now that my father is no longer here.    On New Year’s Eve Jen and I recreated a recipe that was brought to us by my mother but last executed by my Dad.    The fact that we could not just call out to him for guidance made me mad. 

Then again – if he were here he’d be making it himself.

Still I am grateful for all I do have.   Great friends, a loving family, wonderful stepkids, an amazing husband, and the happiest little boy ever created.

 

For the four thousandth time I’m heading back to Weigh Watchers.   I’m renewing our gym membership.  I’m armed with a Cooking Light cookbook, a Nike fuel band and new workout clothes.   

Even the guy at the bagel store today is in on it.    I ordered a blueberry bagel with cream cheese for Mora and an onion bagel with butter for myself.

He made me a mini bagel.

Stay tuned and wish me luck as I try to make six people eat the food I used to make for myself when I started this blog.  

A happy and healthy New Year to you all.

 

 

Back in the saddle

Four years ago I started to lose weight.  I started at a time when I thought all hope was lost.  I really, truly did not believe I could do it.

But I did.

60 lbs later I felt fantastic.  I exercised often and I enjoyed it.   My closet was no longer a place I loathed but a place I loved.

And then I met Dave and went out a lot and didn’t quite care that I didn’t order the salad anymore. 

And then, my father died.   And I didn’t quite care what I ate.

And then, I got pregnant.

And then I had this guy.

And here we are.

I’m back…again.    I’m starting with just exercising more regularly.   I just re-started the Couch 2 5K.    I feel like I need to start exercising first and then I can focus on eating.   As it is these days I leave a half full plate at meals because someone needs my attention.

I weighed less the few weeks after I had Ryan than I currently do and that’s the thing that makes me most upset about all this.   But just as I felt when I was single – that you can’t complain about not being with someone if you don’t actively try to find them – you can’t lose weight by sitting on your ass and stuffing your face.

So – at the very least – I’m going to get up and stop eating so much.

We’ll see how it goes.

Back to the future

I started work again yesterday.   It was a good day – minus the dropping my kid off to a place so that other people could watch him thing.   I miss NYC so much.   I don’t realize how much until I’m back there.

There are a zillion things to tell you about.   I guess I can start with the wedding and go through a little recap if that works.  Not sure who is still around reading but I’d like to have it written down somewhere. 

It was nearly a year ago.   That’s the craziest thing about it!!

Our wedding was held at Battery Gardens with a view of the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.   We stayed at a nearby hotel with a lot of our family and friends.

The night before we had our rehearsal dinner at Stone Street Tavern.  We sat outside and had glorified pub food.   I loved our dinner.  It had a street fair type atmosphere.

The day of the wedding the weather was kind of  hot but not the oppressive heat that we are experiencing here at the moment.   I did almost faint at one point during our pictures but I gotta chalk at least some of that up to Ryan’s presence during the festivities.    Add to that the fact that I stubbed my toe so badly the day before I was 99.9% sure I broke it so my feet were killing me.

I have absolutely no complaints about our wedding whatsoever.  Everyone I loved was in the same room at the same time. 

Timing was tight so Dave and I chose to take pictures pre-ceremony.   In theory I would have wanted to wait but in hindsight this was a great idea.    I missed not a single moment of my cocktail hour or reception.   It was perfect.   Bob Krasner did our photos and was unobtrusive and caught every moment we wanted.   He did a mix of formal photos and candids and everything came out perfect!

Pardon the proofs.  We have done nothing about getting our whole album yet – so far we just have a few pictures framed.

 

Our ceremony was inside.  As an event planner I am cautious when it comes to outdoor events.   If we had the ceremony outside we would have had a) no sun cover b) no rain cover c) random people in Battery Park as witnesses.  I preferred to have a climate controlled private ceremony.    Our minister – Maureen - was amazing.   She surprised us with what she would say about us based on a few meetings and a questionnaire and she was spot on.    Lucy Wu did our flowers and again – she was fabulous.  She worked with my budget and talked me out of floral headpieces for the little ones telling me they were too expensive, too labor intensive and not worth the money.   J Crew headbands worked just fine.

 

Outdoor cocktails were next up.   I was shot down with my dream of a mashed potato bar but we had a shrimp and crab station and lots of passed hors d’oeuvres.   We had indoor and outdoor space and two bars serving our guests.  One of my biggest pet peeves is having to wait for a drink at a wedding.

 

Our cake was not cake at all.  Cupcakes from Butter Lane.

 

Again, Lucy did a great job on the table decor.   I wanted simple and I wanted hydrangeas and that is exactly what I got.  I did my own table numbers using cards I bought at Staples and a Sharpie.

We had one full ‘kids’ table and we made our own centerpiece for them.    There was also a Candy Bar.   Jen is still having nightmares about it and I don’t have a clear picture of it but I have been told people went back for seconds.

We also had a photo booth.   It was a HUGE hit.

 

 

 

Our dinner started with a salad with brie and Mandarian oranges.      Guests had a choice of Braised Beef – almost like short ribs with mashed potatoes or ginger crusted snapper.   Sorbet and cupcakes for dessert.

And then the party began.   Our DJ was AMAZING.   I had known about him for a few years as he played at an industry event I attended at Top of the Rock.   Seriously – if you are in NY you need to book Jason for any event.  He’s awesome and worth every penny.  And for those Real Housewives addicts like myself – he played at Kelsey Grammer’s NY wedding.   Sorry, Camille.   I didn’t want to do a bouquet toss but in the end I relented.   It made for a great picture so I’m glad I did!

 

There is not one moment from this day I would change.   Don’t get me wrong – I wanted certain details the way that I wanted them but learned really quickly not to stress about the small stuff.   Might be because I do this for a living but in the end, I think that’s the point of  having a wedding.     Having a big party to celebrate marrying the one you love.

And they lived happily ever after. :)

Long time no see

Hi there!   I’m back and posting to my long neglected blog.   Long neglected because I decided to complete every major life change in the span of a year.   I moved, I married, I had a baby.

Speaking of babies….

 

Eventually I want to get back to more regular blogging.  I have recapped NOTHING that has happened to me in the last year and I would really like to.   Eventually I’m going to cook something with multiple ingredients and not just try to use the fewest amount of pots and pans.  

Eventually life will get back to a new type of normal. 

Until then I hope cute baby pics will suffice.

Fast forward

So.  It’s been quite a while.  I get that.  I’ve been a little bit busy.  :)

After the wedding it was a lot of moving in and getting settled.  Adjusting to going from a teeny apartment alone to a huge house with 4 other people.

Even if you love the other people to pieces it’s quite an adjustment.

And factor in the fact that I was highly hormonal…well, I hope you can understand why I have been MIA.

But now – I am going on week 2 of maternity leave and the doctor said today the baby is still really high and I’m barely dilated.  So though I could go into labor tonight – he asked me to come back to the office on…Monday.

Monday as in – 4 days after my due date.

I’m getting a tad bored.

Being pregnant, minus the hormonal bit has been a breeze for the most part. I’ve been extremely lucky.    I was queasy but never sick until I picked up a stomach virus about a month ago.  Every test I’ve had (I’m high risk due to my age) has come back with zero issues.  (knock wood)  

I’ve only gained about 20 lbs total.  In fact I lost a pound last week.  

This is amazing given the fact that I could be the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich spokesmodel.    Seriously.  I think the drive thru people know me by name.

I exercised (walking mostly – I ran/walked a 5K in August and gave up Zumba completely) up until the end of October.   I had some weird cramps in my right foot and then mid-November I got sciatica. 

It was horrible horrible horrible.   I truly believe labor will be easier.   It was like I had a cramp from my lower back down to mid thigh on the left side.  Then from the knee down I felt like my leg was numb.    It got so bad I was walking with a cane until the middle of January.   Then suddenly it got a bit better.  Now my left knee is achy and I waddle but I think that’s more my huge belly than anything else.

At the advice of my OB I tried a chiropractor to get some sort of relief from the back pain but left still in pain and unimpressed.   I also  started going for a pre-natal massage every week and left still in pain but relaxed.   I figured the relaxed part was well worth it.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to keep that up after the baby is born. :)

My hospital offers a post natal massage while I am there.  You bet your ass I’m taking advantage of that deal. :)

Foodwise (we’ve covered my Wendy’s obsession) I have eaten mostly the same things as always – except I’m off salads completely and should buy stock in Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream.   There were months where it was all carbs all the time.  Anything beige was my friend.   It is quite amazing how your palate changes when you are pregnant.

When I found out the baby was a boy I must confess.  I had a tiny pity party as I had always envisioned pink and ribbons and bows.  But he will be my mom’s only grandson, and I’ll get to use my dad’s name as his middle name and all of that seems fitting now.

Also – boys clothes can be just as cute.

Dave’s kids are all very excited.    We’ve had to relocate a child and redecorate a few rooms but everything is 99.9% done now. 

I never thought it would happen but we are pretty much ready.    Dave promised me we would be and I’d be lying if I said I completely believed him but he did everything I wanted done and more.   I love that guy. <3 He’s the bestest ever.

So to catch you up…here are some pics from the last few weeks/months.   I sadly have very few pictures of my big old belly but I’ll share what I do have.

I’ll be blogging here and there as long as I’m not in labor - and then will be back with an update after this little guy gets here.

Oh – first of all, I want the internet to know I finally beat Dave at Words with Friends.   After about 300 games where he kicked my ass I beat him 3 times in a row.  He swears he didn’t let me win.  It was quite the occasion and I am still extremely happy about it.

 

Here’s me a few weeks ago.  Pretty right?   My belly is MUCH bigger today.

 

The nursery – with the cute lamb mobile Jenny gave me.

The bumper that my mom gave us.   Crib was on sale at Pottery Barn kids.

 

Aaand…here he is as of about 2 weeks ago.  All cozy in there with his hands in front of his face.

This is me yesterday.  Yes.  That is my stomach.  It needs its own zip code.

And that’s all the news for now!!   I hope to be back soon with another update.  

And I’m really sorry that I took so long to come back here but I appreciate anyone who has stuck around while I got my life together.  :)

What I haven't told you....

There are actually three people in this photo. :)

In June Dave and I got a little unexpected news. We had talked about having kids (more for him - a first for me) and we figured due to the fact that I am considered ancient in the baby making world we'd start...after the wedding.

Life had some other ideas.

So this is the reason I didn't keep on my expected weight loss regime prior to the wedding, while I've had less energy than usual and zero time to blog and why the name of this blog is now "Service for Six" because I have gone from cooking for just me in my little itty bitty kitchen to having 4 (and 5 in February) other mouths to feed.

It's all very exciting, and everything I always wanted. I just never expected to get it all in the span of a few months.

I'm still thinking about moving everything over to Wordpress but for now I just wanted to give you all the scoop.

My mom has three granddaughters and in February she will have a little boy to spoil.

A boy whose father and I christened "Veruca" in my early stages of pregnancy. He'll pay me back for that later for sure!

Of course, there is plenty more to the story but that's the latest for now. I've got honeymoon recaps and more about the wedding and I may actually cook something and tell you about it soon.

Thanks for hanging in there. It's nice to be back.

Update soon! (and some housekeeping items).

Hi all!

I’m back – not sure how many noticed I was gone since my blogging has been sparse to say the very least.   There is so much going on – I keep waiting for things to slow down but it appears there is no such thing.

I’m moving on Monday and soon after Jen is moving into my old apartment and I’m so excited for her to be a city girl.   She loves Long Island but I really do think she’ll enjoy living in the city.  I resisted for the longest time and now I’m dragging my feet to leave. :(

I also need to change the name of this blog.   I still want it to be about life and food and things like that but I am no longer single (obviously!) so the name seems silly.

Any and all suggestions as to a new name would be MUCH appreciated!!   I’m pretty much at a loss.   Second Helpings seems to be a no-brainer but there are multiple catering companies and others using that name and I don’t want to have to switch AGAIN.

Also if anyone knows how I can switch this puppy over to Wordpress that would be awesome.   I’m thinking it’s time for a change.

I promise you I will be posting more soon.  Once the dust settles next week I will update you with all the goings on around here.

In the words of Rachel Zoe - “It’s pretty major.” :)

I don’t…

I don’t believe that my wedding is only 37 days away.

I don’t like traffic or driving in New Jersey. (This is not news).  Dave and I both had cars yesterday.  We met at a Costco in Clifton.  It was very romantic.   I tell Dave I am in bumper to bumper traffic.  He says he sailed right there and that it should clear up and I’ll be there in 5 min.

I called in 15 min later to say you better start shopping without me because I had moved only about 20 centimeters.

Moral of the story:  New Jersey hates me.

I don’t know why this guy in the McDonald’s on 42nd and Madison sits in the vestibule wearing a black SECURITY t-shirt.  He is not there all the time.   It is not a particularly crime ridden location (that I know of).   It’s not like it’s so hot and trendy you need a bouncer.  

I don’t know if there will ever be a time that I won’t want a burger for dinner.  At least last night Dave and I shared one.

After we shared a buffalo chicken quesadilla for an appetizer but you know.

I don’t know how we are all going to survive a 10+ hour (I think) drive to the Outer Banks (beginning tomorrow).  At least we are stopping near Baltimore on the way down!!

I don’t know what I want to eat for lunch.

I don’t know if my wedding dress will fit.  I am hopeful as I went to M yesterday and have not gained anything significant since the last time I saw her which was ages ago.

I don’t know why I don’t work out/walk more as I love that half hour all by my lonesome on the treadmill or walking by the water.

I don’t know how to end this post.  So I’m just going to. :)

I’ve come to a conclusion

I’m just not going to post much this summer.  Please know the intent and the desire are there. 

Time is what I’m lacking.

I cleared out my DSLR camera yesterday.  I had 125 pictures.   Some are pictures like this:

which are taken by landscaping obsessed Dave in our backyard.

Some are from the absolutely DELICIOUS five star dinner my good friend Kelly hosted for us.

 

Butternut squash soup Lobster salad with avocado. Filet, mashed potatoes and asparagus. Chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.  Incredible.

Some are of Father’s Day weekend.  When Ellie and Matt came out for a barbecue.

 

Dave found a frog in the backyard and showed it off to Miss Ellie.   She wasn’t quite sure about it – but she and Maddie are sure about Dave.  He has them both eating out of the palm of his hand. Not frogs of course - but you know...  The next morning my mom made breakfast before we headed back to New Jersey.   Egg, bacon and cheese biscuits anyone?    That night for dinner I made shish kebobs.   Dave got a few gifts.

I also found some pictures of this girl on my camera.

This is Dave’s dog Genevieve, who came out to Shelter Island last weekend but never came home. :(  He wrote a post about it here.  (Which is Dave’s blog btw).   It was a no good very bad day full of vet visits and she is sorely missed.  She helped me keep the floor clean and from eating all the leftover bacon.  She was my only source of company when I worked from home alone.  She filled I void I’ve felt ever since this lady of all ladies said goodbye.

I also found a picture of this girl.   I’m not sure what she’s even doing.