One

Despite just telling you all that I am unable to keep my eyes open once the sun sets, I have been quite the social butterfly this week.

I have been out to choir practice (which I TOTALLY count as a social event), my first PA book club meeting, and tonight I have plans for dinner with some friends.

Going to all these places is fun, but it has shown me that I am feeling OLD these days. I used to think that age was strictly a state of mind, but now I'm thinking that sometimes it really is more of a physical stage of life. And my physical stage right now is creaky and ungainly . . . at best.

Plus, I just ordered one of those voluminous, floor length granny nightgowns from The Vermont Country Store. The larger I get this winter, the more I will begin to resemble the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but no matter, those things are insanely comfortable.

Now I just need to "set my hairs" (as they used to say where I grew up) at night and my image will be complete.

Two

Speaking of my book club meeting, I had forgotten how much fun it can be to get together with friends to laugh and talk about weird characters and eat fatty foods and drink wine.

Okay, so I didn't drink the wine, which was a shame since the meeting was held at the home of a family that owns a very popular PA vineyard/winery. Especially when the hostess brought out a bottle of my very favorite wine EVER.

Three

On the other hand, while I may not be able to drink lots of fabulous wine, I get to wear stretchy pants and I don't have to suck my gut in AT ALL.

Hello, you gorgeous appetizers all covered in bacon and other goodness, come to mama.

Four

And since we are talking about food, now that most of my episodes of nausea are in the past, this is what I have been craving these days (this list is in no particular order and is in no way an exhaustive compendium of the whims of my hormones):

very tall glasses of COLD orange juice (but never after 10 am)
hot coffee with cream and no sugar (who AM I?)
pineapple
Arby's Beef N' Cheddar sandwiches (I hadn't eaten at an Arby in YEARS. Again, who am I?)
pancakes with syrup and sausage
liverwurst sandwiches
Take Five candy bars
oatmeal
chocolate milk (homemade, light on the chocolate)
peanut butter and jelly on TOAST
raisin bread

Excuse me, I think I need a snack.

Five

Sadly, I find I cannot eat anything with tomato sauce, especially after 6 pm. This has happened with each of my pregnancies, and my mom told me that my grandmother was the same way.

The same grandmother who bore eight children to a full blooded Italian man. God bless her wee heart.

Goodbye, spaghetti and meatball dinners. I'll see you in April.

Six

No, my whole world does not revolve around food (although to look at me you might not be able to tell).

I have, in fact, become very burnt out on the whole menu planning/cooking part of my job. I have come to loathe the grocery store and I've even considered just letting Rob do it when he offers.

A control freak ready to relinquish control; that's how you know it's serious, my friends.

And I only have one really picky eater in the house to work around -- although, to be fair, she is THE PICKIEST EATER ALIVE. She only eats every third day or so and she only eats out of two food groups. I wish I was kidding, but she has always been this way.

Do any of you dedicated menu planners out there just get tired of trying to come up with good, balanced meals that most of the people in your family will eat most of the time? How do you get over the hump?

Seven

This is not about food AT ALL. Hurrah.

We asked Sally if she thinks the new baby is a brother or a sister. She very seriously turned to us and said, "It's a SISTER."

Then we asked her what she thought a good name would be, and she said, "I'll name her 'Sally II'."

We asked her if she liked any other names, since Sally was already taken, and she said, "I don't like any other names. I like SALLY. She'll be Sally II."

Sorry, baby, but your sister has spoken.


Have a happy weekend, my friends, and be sure to check out more Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary.