Zinnias, JUST DO IT!

The bees and I are currently loving the zinnias that have made their home in our back yard.  They are technically an annual so you replant them every year but I lucked out this time! I planted them from seed in April of last year and about half of the seeds came up. I planted a lot so it was probably a good thing in the long run. Anyway, I got lazy and the end of last summer and never pulled up the horrid looking half dead plants until about November and lo and behold they reseeded themselves! I now have a smorgasbord of different color zinnias for cutting and the bees have plenty to eat!

Point of the story: plant zinnia seeds in the spring, let them die off and look like crap for a while and they will come back even more plentiful than before!

The Hillwood Honey Project has Begun!

It's official ladies and gents, Tyler, Strongbow and I are beekeepers! Our bees were delivered on Friday and all 30,000 of them seem to like their happy new home.

The yellow thing on the front is a feeder which is filled with a 50/50 mixture of sugar and water and all I have to do for the next few weeks is refill it every other day or whenever they drink it up. They need to be fed for a while until they can get used to their new surroundings and repair any damage that may have happened in transit.

In case you are wondering, my bees were started from a nuc (nucleus colony) in early March by a guy in Alex City, AL so it's bigger and stronger than the average nuc or package. He sold me one of his own nucs because he wanted to make sure that I started my newest hobby with bees that he knew were docile and healthy so I was very grateful that he went over and above to make sure I got the "right" bees! I also purchased all of my equipment from him so he knows me well by now!

In about 2 or 3 weeks they will have filled up both of the boxes with babies (brood) and will need to be split into 2 separate hives so they don't get too crowded and swarm. When that time comes I'll take the top box off and put it on another base with a purchased queen and I'll go from 1 hive to 2 hives. I'll also add a smaller box to the top of each hive for them to grown into and store our their honey.

Here I am on my maiden voyage to the hive. I am well protected if you can't tell!

 Doesn't Strongbow look excited to introduce himself to the bees?! He decided to follow me out to the hive and "help" me change the feeder by sticking his nose in the opening. Brilliant idea bud! After being stung by about 5 bees that all seemed to get stuck in his fur he decided to back off. 

Check out that swollen eye that he is sporting! Maybe he has learned his lesson?!

Yet Another Hobby

So a few weeks ago I was hanging out with Tyler and a few of his colleagues when something funny came up in the conversation and one of his coworkers responded with, "she is pregnant, not stupid!" We all had a good laugh over this statement then it kind of got me thinking, I'm pregnant, not disabled, I'm pregnant, not in a coma, I'm pregnant, and my life may be changing but I'm still the same ole me!

With that said, in usual Sara fashion, I figured now is as good of a time as any to pick up a new, somewhat "different" hobby! It may not be conventional for someone who is almost 7 months pregnant and living in a midtown neighborhood but I don't care; I'm becoming a beekeeper! Yes you heard me, a beekeeper. I already have my 2 hives and the majority of my gear and I have even joined our local beekeepers association. Now all I need is my bees which should be in here in about 2 weeks.

In case you were wondering:

1. Yes, I am aware that I am about to have a baby
2. Yes, I know I will probably get stung
3. No, I am not allergic
4. No, Tyler is not allergic
5. Yes, I have cleared it with my neighbors
6. Yes, Strongbow will probably get stung too
7. Yes, Tyler will help when the baby comes
8. Yes, it is legal in my neighborhood
9. Yes, I know what I am getting my self into
10. Yes, I do love honey, THAT MUCH

I'll be sure to keep you updated on my beekeeping/sewing/cheesmaking/breadmaking/vegetable gardening (which is looking AMAZING right now BTW), baby growing progress!

My Productive Weekend

It has been one eventful and productive weekend! We started things off early with Tyler's womenless beauty pageant on Thursday night which benefited the Joy to Life Foundation here in Alabama. I beg you to check out this video, its pretty entertaining!

Saturday morning I joined my Hello Gorgeous Teammates and ran the 2012 Walk of Life followed by a trip to the downtown curb market to pick up some local veggies for the week. After a brief resting period I managed to get my sew on and pump out a cute pair a pants for my nephew, Hutton. Not perfect, but they were my first pair and I have a feeling that he won't notice considering he is only 9 weeks old. After my sewing extravaganza I headed back downtown to check out Tyler's photography booth at the first annual Montgomery Street Fair. He and his friend Hilary from Pint Bottle Photography had a great looking booth and got lots of foot traffic.

Come Sunday I was refreshed and ready for some more sewing. I made another cute pair of pants and managed to shave about an hour off of Saturday's time plus my second pair looked a good bit better than the first. Sorry Hutton but your Dad liked the fabric of the test run better so you will have to sacrifice quality!

Aren't they cute?! Hutton gets the pair on the right and my main man Boyd gets the pair on the left. They were sooooo easy to make once I made a few little tweaks. You can find the free pattern here.

After I finished sewing I was still feeling productive so I decided to make a loaf of whole wheat sourdough bread and a batch of mozzarella cheese which actually ending up with the consistency that I wanted (first time EVER)! More salt next time though; I'm learning!

So as you can tell, my energy level has been pretty high during my second trimester. I guess this means that I better take advantage of my mojo while I have it!

Baby bump pictures and nursery updates to come!

Week 20 and a Novice Easter Menu

There is no telling how much longer I can fit into that dress so expect a wardrobe change in the coming weeks!

In other news, I am hosting Easter this year. Have I ever hosted a family function much less a family holiday? Uh NO! This should be interesting..

Here is the menu:

Apps:
something delish from my sister in law Jessica's kitchen
homemade hummus from my Mom (at least I hope she agrees to that!)

Main Course:
Honey Baked Ham with rolls and cheese in case someone wants to make a sandwich
Asian Slaw made from my very own home grown cabbage
Deviled Eggs from my mom (should we rename them Resurrection Eggs since its Easter? The devil part throws me off!)
Broccoli Salad a la my mother-in-law
Another random side from my mom
Another random side from Jessica

Deserts:
A bunny cake (my mother-in-law is bringing it and rumor has it, its a family inside joke, either way I like cake!)
Fruit salad with honey/lime/mint dressing

Now keep in mind, this is only my "plan" so I'll let you know what actually happens after this weekend.

Happy Easter and remember the reason for the season!

Week 19

Technically, yesterday I was 20 weeks but we are a bit behind on our picture posting so here goes anyway!

For vanity's sake I had to change my angle so you can't get the full effect of week's bump growth but it sure makes me feel better. However, I can tell you that are things getting TIGHT, i.e. my pants!

A friend of mine from college and I are a week and a half apart and I liked this little survey she had on her blog so I decided to copy! Thanks Erin!

How Far Along: As of today, March  29, 20 weeks and 1 day
Size of baby: Think banana or carrot (and yes, I have been eating a lot of bananas and carrots in my smoothies lately!)
Maternity Clothes: Today is the first day that I have had to wear legit maternity pants. Ann Taylor, on sale, black carpri pants, sooo stinking comfy. I am also ordering a lot from Oldnavy.com and breaking out the Bella Band so I can still wear my old stuff.
Gender: Boy! Tyler is so pumped that he will only have to deal with my hormones for a while!
Movement: The Karate Kid lives in my uterus
Sleep: yes, please! Okay, I have had some allergy/cold issues lately so I love waking up every 2 hours because of severe dry mouth. Awesome. I guess God is preparing me for waking up every 2 hours will a screaming child with dry mouth!
What I miss: Real beer because non- alcoholic beer is just not the same
Cravings: nothing that I didn't already crave when I was without child.
Symptoms: growing waistline, clothes not fitting, annoying hormones (Does anyone else cry when they watch Once Upon a Time? If so, scratch that)
Best Moment this week: Seeing Tyler dressed up as a woman to take head shots and do an interview. Oh wait, that was not baby related.....more on that later ;)

Bump Update and BIG News!

We skipped week 17 because my photographer was in St. Louis for a Radiohead concert, i.e. his "farewell to freedom" party! Here is where we are so far...

As you can see, things are getting bigger, including my double chin but we will have to work on that one later!

Now for the big reveal........we went to the doctor last Friday and found out that we are having, drum roll please......

A BOY!!!

His name is Boyd Sutherland Caldwell and we are calling him Boyd. In case you care, Boyd is my maternal grandmother's maiden name and Sutherland is Tyler's maternal grandmother's maiden name. Good and snobby, huh?! 

Now I get to start stressing over nursery decor and things like that, oh joy, the obsessions begin!