Philadelphia International Flower Show

We subbed to Center City this morning, and despite the snow falling from the sky outside, inside the Convention Center was SPRING!! The flower show is the largest in the world, and it is truly spectacular. Florists from different companies spanning the globe build these huge exhibits demonstrating their companies' strengths. I'll let the photos do the talking:






What a perfect way to celebrate the coming of spring. I think John and I will make this an annual Philly tradition.

And, to my flora-cultural guru, Shannon: a pic of the display that used buttons to anchor the plants. It reminded me of you :)

Flower power,
Jess

Blessings

My mother-in-law sent us a calendar for Christmas. It has pictures of labs (the dog, not the experiment place) on every month. I've started jotting down things to look forward to, and the calendar serves to remind me of how truly blessed I am. I'm not going to bore you with all the things to come (I'll just blog about them as they happen!!), but I will say that I'm so excited about the upcoming months. Friends, family, art, and adventure galore is arriving...just like the much awaited Spring.

I am feeling so blessed. I took some time today to meditate on how truly thankful I am, and I am reflecting on peace and strength (my themes for this year).

Be blessed! Notice and count them! It's beautiful.
Warmly,
Jess


PS: Almost 32 weeks!!

Valentine's Day (on a budget)

I'm recapping John and my Valentine's Day yesterday to prove that couples can still have a super fun, romantic day during these recession times. I love my husband, he's my best friend, and we don't need to spend a lot of money to celebrate that. We can celebrate our love in thrifty ways :)

--I woke up early to the sound of John showering and shaving (a rarity on the weekends). He smelled delightful all day, and he was smooth-faced. Lovely.

--While I was showering, John went to the Italian bakery down the street and picked up pastries!! So GOOD! I ate way too many, and probably put the baby in a sugar-coma...poor baby.

--Then, we went through all our photo files, and picked out about eight that we're going to frame for the baby's room. The cool thing about this is that we've been together for five years, and we have a lot of memories. It was a lot of fun going through past adventures that we've had together, and it was romantic too!

--We went to John's lab so he could set up and experiment, and he talked me through his process. It was crazy meticulous, and it made me appreciate my husband's brain. Then, we went for a walk around UPENN's medical school. These old buildings make up a sort of maze, and it was fun getting "lost" in the campus.

--Came home, ate leftovers and took a nap while watching the Olympics. Luging = Snoozing (for me anyway).

--I baked John a "Fudge Brownie Cake" after our dinner of soy hotdogs, baked beans, and collards. He loved his Valentine's Day treat, and I was really proud of my new-yet-fabulous baking skills.

This was such a special day for us because we made and effort to spend time together and love on each other. I couldn't have asked for a better V-Day.

Love is all you need....seriously!
--Jess

Record-breaking Blizzard

YIKES!! I am waaayyyy too Southern for this kind of weather. When our friends said, "you guys are going to be cold up there in Philly" I really had no idea how cold it could get. Enjoy the photos that John took. I have to credit him. I sent him out with the camera while I stayed warm with a cup of tea.

Park across the street:
Our street:

The essence of Malcolm captured to a T (he loves the snow!!) :

Still thankful for the unsexy puffer coat,
Jess

Pioneer Days

When I was a kid, I religiously read the "Little House" series. I must have read each book at least three times, and I loved them all equally. Laura Ingalls Wilder describes this simple life of home, family, and childhood, and growing up, I couldn't resist her stories. My sister and I even dressed in calico frocks and bonnets and pretended we were pioneers crossing the plains in a covered wagon, or sweeping the dirt floors of our dug-out. Ahh, memories.

Today, living in Philly and freezing, I've had some domestic opportunities that remind me of Wilder's days. She often wrote about wintertime; when it was so cold outside and you had to stay indoors for months. She wrote about what the family would do to entertain themselves, and how they would spend their time staying warm inside.

I've had a cold for the past week, so I've been REALLY staying inside (avoiding anything that makes me leave our warm home). But, I've enjoyed getting some things done that require a little patience, time, effort, and opportunity. My friends call this "Nesting" and perhaps that is true. Maybe these adventures in domesticity have something to do with my pregnancy hormones. Nevertheless, I'm having fun :)

Mixed berry cobbler...from SCRATCH
Cinnamon streussle cake...FROM SCRATCH!



Baby's closet...

"Going home" hoodie for baby...

And, in case you're wondering where all the baked goods are going...here is a pic of my bump with the only shoes I can actually see when I wear them--Tiger Slippers. They're GRRREAT!

Hahah..John hates those slippers! Can you imagine?!?! I think he's just jealous that he doesn't have a pair.

Few more months...and then comes Spring,
Jess