Having my pie and eating it too !

Once again www.bzzagent.com sent me a yummy coupon, this time  to try a Mrs Smith's pie for free. I went with cherry with the original flaky crust. I really intended it to be for the family for Easter as one of the desserts, no really. However knowing the pie was in the freezer and knowing I had whipping cream in the fridge just weighed heavily on my taste buds. Give me a break I am pregnant !!

It was easy to prepare, just pre-heat your oven and pop the bad boy in till the crust is golden brown. If for some reason the edges cooked faster than the rest of the pie then cover the edges with foil ( I really should have done that but meh ) While the pie was going I whipped that cream into well whipped cream goodness. I was not very clever when it came to pairing it with something but it was still so good.

I did burn the edges of my crust ( I really should have covered the edges ) but it did not matter. It smelled so good. I covered our slices in cream and dug in. The cherries were nice and tart, the crust so buttery and good. It was nice and easy to make and could pass as home made. Next time I will try apple and share with the extended family ! 

Disclaimer: I did receive this product for free and I was not compensated for my opinions which are all mine. 

Excuses, Excuses

It's been over a month since my last post, how terrible is that ? My excuse...I am too tired and that is the truth ! I finally hit my third trimester and it's been nothing but a literal headache, seriously every day I have a headache some days are terrible such as today but I bit the bullet and here I am. 

My days are spent at the doctor's office it feels like, fine it's once or twice a week. Or in Labor and Delivery for a non stress test. I was there last week to receive steroid injections in case we need to deliver me at 32 weeks. We play it by ear week to week but at least I am steroid complete. I know this is my last pregnancy and should enjoy it but it's been so stressful ! And in all honesty I hate being pregnant the only good thing is feeling her move. But even at some of those times it hurts, girlfriend is practicing her ninja kicks or something. I am just not one of those women who enjoy being pregnant. 

On another note Happy Easter if you celebrate. My day was spent with family which was nice and Gina was excited to see the bunny came, she also got gifts/treats from family. I wish I could have enjoyed it even more but today was tough headache wise ( I know you could make a drinking game out of the number of times I write the word headache ) no matter how much Tylenol I took my head throbbed. I even took my prescribed meds ( which are OB approved while pregnant ) with no relief. If it were not a holiday I would have called the Dr or went to the ER for some relief it was that bad.  I did not want to put anyone out though I feel like I do it enough as it is. Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up pain free. It's crazy to think that next Easter I will have THREE daughters, it blows my mind. 

Any who, I promise to write more. I will not let the tiredness or headaches win. I do have a couple reviews up my sleeve for you so be on the look out for those !

She's having a baby

And by she I mean me ! It was a surprise to all including myself. I will be 23 weeks tomorrow and since I am at the "advanced maternal age" in my life I am considered high risk well that and high blood pressure. I see a specialist every 4 weeks who comes in from Tufts to give me an ultrasound.

This is the reason for me not writing as often as I was; my first trimester I was miserable with morning sickness and fatigue then I hit my second trimester and felt good for a week or two then BAM fatigue hit again this time the cause was Anemia. I know that when you are pregnant you are more likely to become anemic but I never had the issue with my other two. Iron pills it is then about two weeks ago I get a call from my Doctor informing me that I am developing preeclampsia already. Call in the the headaches and spots floating in my eyes. We are playing around with different blood pressure medicines, my Doctor whom I trust is confident he can keep the baby cooking while keeping me safe. We did talk about IV therapy but that means hospitalization, that would be a last resort for me. I do not like being in the hospital knowing my daughter would be wondering where I am, that would break my heart. I am not one to jump to the hospital for everything unless necessary. If it is necessary I do have a plan in place for care. I like being prepared for as many scenarios as possible !

I tell you it's tough being pregnant with a rambunctious 2.5 year old while keeping up with the house. I have had some help from a good friend and family but it's still tough. As much as I would like to sleep the day away I cannot and do what I have to do to be a good mom. This has been the most difficult so far; with my oldest I had the morning sickness ( in another country might I add while on vacation ! ) but other than that it was smooth sailing till the end where I was stuck on bed rest. With my middle one no sickness at all ! I just had to deal with the fact she had a two vessel cord, she was missing an artery in the umbilical cord. thank goodness she is alright and was born a decent size.

It feels good finally coming out about this pregnancy. Now I can talk to others about it, maybe another mom or mom to be is dealing with preeclampsia and want to connect. I was hesitant about writing about it at all because ....my husband and I are still separated. There I said it and I was a bit embarrassed but it happened and I am welcoming this little girl with welcome arms. Did I mention it's a girl ?!  God or some higher being wanted her here with me so that is where she will be. 

Its's too bad that I did not save everything from when my youngest was an infant, I held onto just a few things. Speaking of said child, she is not so open to welcoming a new baby into the house, as she puts it she " is the baby" ! She is getting there though. And on that note stay tuned for more on this adventure.  

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...enough said

Seriously that is the best combination, in my eyes at least. Influenster recently  sent me the Reeses Peanut Butter and chocolate spread to try and review. It was good timing too, I am FINALLY feeling better after months of morning sickness and sluggishness. 

Naturally the first thing I did was stick a spoon in it and gave it a good taste, it is so delicious plain on it's on. Then I headed to Pinterest to see what other peanut butter chocolate concoctions were being done. I had it spread on an english muffin with cut up banana, I used it on top of a waffle instead of syrup, I also spread it on fruit such as strawberries and of course bananas. And are you ready for it....I used it to make an ice cream sundae ( that was my favorite use for it ) It's good on graham crackers and next time I make bacon I am going to dip it in this spread. 

This is a fantastic spread and I highly recommend you seek it out especially if you love the chocolate and peanut butter combo ! 

Home made goodies made in NY !

I was recently sent some amazing hand made soap and roll on perfume. I was super excited to receive them and now review them. And the sweet woman named Minnie who is the woman behind it all is generous enough to give you, my readers 50% any regular priced item using the promo code RAMBLING ! 

With that being said I was sent soap chips in the "Satin Berries" scent. I adore the scent it was sweet and not over powering. The chips are a great size for showering and I feel like I am not wasting soap, for some reason I feel like cutting off smaller pieces of a bar of soap makes it last longer ! The soap did not dry out my skin nor did it make it feel tight like some soaps can do to you. My toddler liked the chips, I gave her one to play with in the tub and she had a blast with it, perfect size for her ! I highly recommend the soap chips. 

In addition to the soap chips I was sent roll on perfume in " Sage Dream ". I like that it is in roller ball form, so easy to apply and a great size for your purse. I applied this scent in the morning and it stayed strong all day long. As for the scent itself it was quite calming and light, my nose is really sensitive at the moment and was a little iffy about wearing any kind of perfume ! I cannot tell you how much I adore the scent and wish I could spray some on your pulse points through the computer so you can sniff for yourself. 

I love the fact that there is an actual person behind the company and making these things by hand and made right in New York. If you are looking for quality products which include body butter, lip and body scrubs as well as soap subscription boxes in addition to the soap chips and perfume go check out www.nycmetrogirl.com and do not forget the 50% any regular priced item just use promo code RAMBLING

Tis the season for giving- Let's help Titan !

I am not one for asking for money however if you know me then you know my love for animals ! In addition of my love for animals I am a Lush addict with all of this being said let me tell you about Titan and how Lush has anything to do with this post.

I adore Lush and follow fellow Lushies on Instagram, one person in particular @floral_queen recently posted about her dog Titan. Titan recently was playing with his sibling and was not paying attention to the stairs, poor little guy fell down the whole flight and hurt his leg badly. So badly that they were given three choices; send young Titan over the Rainbow Bridge, remove said leg or have surgery to set the leg with pins. They obviously chose the surgery, after all Titan is only 6 months old and he is their fur baby ! The surgery has been done and now poor Titan is restricted to his crate the whole day only to be let out to use the restroom to ensure the pins stay in place. Do you know how hard that is for a rambunctious puppy ! So far so good and just a couple more weeks to go.

Now let me tell you about @floral_queen, she is a sweet person who is quite generous. She also takes the best photos ! She has a Go Fund me page set up for Titan ( correction it's her I believe boyfriend that set the page up ) and she is having a giveaway for anyone that donates at least $5 to Titan. For every $5 you donate equals one entry into her giveaway on Instagram. I posted a pic below of everything included. Another Lushie donated items as well for the giveaway ( see how caring and giving the Lush Community is ! ) I am late writing this post so if you want to donate and enter do so by tomorrow since tha is when the giveaway ends. But don't just donate for a prize do it for a sweet young puppy that hurt himself. And go follow @floralqueen, seriously it's a great account ! Here is the link to the Go Fund Me page http://www.gofundme.com/hs5sag

Quick update: the giveaway has been extended to December 15th and open to Canada ! Also poor Tiran had a set back, his leg got infected which added another $500 onto his bill to treat it. 

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is a day for thanks, with that being said I am thankful for my parents, healthy kids, all of my extended family (especially Auntie Lou Lou ) and my best friend Amanda. Without them I have no idea where I would be. 

Everyday I am grateful for the roof over my head and the food on my table, I may not have a lot but I have enough. 

I think this is one of my favorite holidays. I love the tradition of it all; Macys Day Parade,having lunch at my parents then of course my aunt comes over with her boys for dessert. I like looking over the Black Friday ads ( I don't actually shop just look ) and just relaxing in my turkey coma. Which I am currently in the middle of !!

Now onto Christmas ......