missing a piece of paradise

Cascais, Portugal

I am not sure if it is the gloomy weather outside or the lack of traveling lately, but days like these make me yearn for those we use to spend on the beach in a beautiful country we miss dearly.

spreading the news

First off, we would like to thank everyone for their warm wishes and excitement after we shared the news that we are expecting a new member to our family. The outpouring of support warms our heart! Many of you have asked me how we decided to tell our families, so I thought I would let you guys in on what went down!

Before telling you about how we told our families, I know there are some of you out there wondering how we shared the news the first time around - so here it goes...First we decided to take my parents out to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. During dinner, I was able to sneak away for a few minutes and ask the waiter to attach my ultrasound picture to our dessert menu. After he so kindly obliged, I was back to our table to finish off my plate of pasta. I sat patiently as I watched everyone finish up their meals - it was almost time! As our plates were cleared our waiter brought over the dessert menu. He first asked my mother to look over the menu, but she wasn't having anything to do with it. She just kept saying "No thank you sir, I am much too full for dessert" as the waiter persisted, I could see my mother starting to get angry. The nice waiter decided to move onto his next victim, my father. The poor waiter was faced with the same dilemma as my father had the same response as my mother. I could see the waiter starting to panic, so I raised my voice and said "just take the menu"! As my father opened the menu a smile came to life on his face but there was no verbal response as he passed it over to my mother. My mother took a quick look and starting smiling and laughing. There was pure joy as she realized she was going to be a grandmother for the first time.

Then it was off to the in-laws to break the news. We knew many of our family members would be there as we just arrived back from Portugal to visit for a week. Prior to arriving at our in-laws, I called one of my very good girlfriends and asked her to bring a cake over to the house. As we arrived home, we were greeted with lots of hugs and kisses. A few minutes later, there was a ring at the door as my girlfriend had just arrived. She said that she had brought everyone dessert. As she opened the cake, she asked my mother-in-law to read what the cake said. As she read out loud "Congrats Shanna and Jeff" it still did not click-in. Then my sister-in-law shouted, "are you pregnant?" I said "I sure am!" So, there you have it folks...this is how is all went down the first time around.

Smiling for my first preggo photo with the girls and my little nephew. May 2009.

Sharing the news with our good friends and family! May 2009.

Now onto the present. We hit the road to go and visit my parents at their home. We thought it would be fitting to use our ultrasound picture once again. We thought, what better way to share the news than allowing big sister-to-be the honour of delivering that special photo. As I pulled out the photo from my purse, I handed it to Little Miss L. and asked to her take it over to Nona because she had something special to share with everyone. As she handed the photo to my mother, the same pure joy washed over her face as she realized once again she was going to be a grandmother. As my father looked over, my mother informed him "they did it again!"

Really- this is my brother or sister? Kind of looks like a blob. 

I am not too sure how I feel about this?

Then it was time to share the news with the hubby's side of the family. We asked everyone to come over for dinner that night. After dinner I asked if we could take a group photo because Valentine's Day was coming up and I thought it would be nice to have a photo with everyone in it. We all gathered around as my hubby set up our trusty tripod. As we took a few photos we shouted out "say cheese" and "smile." Then I said, "Just one more!" and as the camera was about to take that last picture, the hubby yelled out "Shanna is pregnant!" It took awhile for it all to sink in!

I love this picture as it totally captured the moment. Look at Little Miss L. It looks like she is praying that this "baby thing" better be good. Also, look at Toby (the dog)... it's as if he just realized that another one of these little people that chases him around is going to join the family-"I am out of here!"

a toasty little treat

Yesterday I decided that I needed a pick-me-up. It was cold and raining outside, so I put on the tea kettle and curled up on the couch. My family and I have recently moved back from Portugal after living there for three years. I was kind of down thinking about the balmy weather they are likely having, so I pulled out my photo album and started flipping through the pages. I stopped dead in my tracks when I came across the above photo. As I looked at it, I was reminded of the unmistakable smell of roasted chestnuts running through the streets of Lisbon. Vendors can easily be found around Portugal with their stacks of smoke, engulfing their surroundings with the aroma of these savory, smokey flavoured treats. I decided to bring a little bit of Portugal into my own kitchen. If you are looking for a unique treat for the winter months, give them a try. Just remember when you crack open one of these pleasantly warm nuts, you might not be able to stop at just one! They also go great with a nice glass of wine.

Roasted Chestnuts

1. Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F).
2. Find the flat side of each chestnut and cut a large X with a sharpe knife, ensuring to pierce the skin.
3. Place chestnuts on a shallow baking pan and place in the oven to roast for 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of nuts. Shake pan several times throughout the cooking process to make sure the nuts cook evenly. You can add salt if you would like. (I opted for no salt)

4. Chestnuts are usually ready when the X has started to fold out. Peel roasted chestnuts once they are cool enough to handle.

*Note; Make sure an incision is made before roasting the chestnuts. If not, they may explode causing harm.

 

The finished product