Apple Picking!!

Apple picking has become a yearly tradition for me! Ever since I moved to Upstate NY six years ago, I’ve gone every year with my girlfriends.

Oct 2013

This year is however the first time I went with my new family of three. Surprisingly, it was the first for the hubs which is appalling after living in this beautiful state for over 30 years. Had I known this before hand, we would have solved it ages ago.

Sept 2015

On the first official day of fall, we headed to Beak & Skiff Orchards here in Syracuse where we spent a lovely afternoon picking plenty of apples, eating apple fritters and hot apple cider donuts. Luckily for us Elliott was a trooper, he slept through all of it. Maybe next year he will be more interested in it all.

BHG Stylemaker Event!!

Another thing that’s becoming a September tradition is attending the annual Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker event (two years in a row now) celebrating the September Style Issue. Last week, I whisked myself to Philly where I spent the night with my gal pal Allie and we both drove down to NYC for the day event.

Breakfast with Allie (Baking A Moment).

We met most of the editors of the magazine and spent some time talking to Nancy, the Food Editor and learned a lot from her favorite food stylists like Libby Summers.

September 17, 2015: The 2015 Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker Celebration at the Hudson Hotel in New York City.

September 17, 2015: The 2015 Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker Celebration at the Hudson Hotel in New York City.

There were also other amazing sessions in cookbook publishing, making social media videos and all just learning about branding. It was plenty to absorb!!

There were a few brands sponsoring the event, including Vera Bradley who showed us their Fall 2015 Collection.

Vera Bradley Fall Collection

And surprise surprise asked us to pick one bag for ourselves!! I went with this teal cross-body bag for Fall!

Twice as Nice Crossbody – Vera Bradley

It was also great to meet some new blogger friends and get to know each other in person. I got to hang out with Maryanne (The Little Epicurean), Camille (Planning Pretty) and Becky (The Cookie Rookie) all day and had so much fun with these talented ladies!

From Left to Right: Camille, MaryAnne, Becky, Allie and myself

I look forward to another event next year.

Canning!!

The real end of summer is the signs of your garden is dwindling. This year was the first time we had an outdoor garden and we planted  a few tomato plants. They have graced us handsomely with LOTS of fruits and we took to canning for the first time.

With the help of Mr J’s Dad, we were able to get over a dozen jars of homemade tomato sauce and a few jars of diced tomatoes. We are ready for the winter and the eating of all the comfort foods!!

That’s all the updates from me today friends. I hope you have a great start to Fall. xoxo

What have you been up to this Fall? What plans do you have to enjoy some of the Fall weather and produce?

(Stylemaker Photos Credit: (c) Avi Gerver Photography)

The post BEYOND THE OVEN: Fall Happenings appeared first on A Classic Twist.

He’s already six weeks old today and I realized I haven’t updated you guys beyond his announcement. Elliott is a happy camper these days and already loves smiling and talking to mommy and daddy. However, our start wasn’t all fairytales and cuddles. He was born July 31st after a long and hard 48 hours of labor (I’ll skip the details) and we were very excited to bring our son how after four days in the hospital.

Our first night home, which now seems like a black hole, was a nightmare. He was extremely unhappy and was just screaming. Heart breaking screams. Mr J and I were unable to console him, not even for a minute to feed him. I knew instantly this wasn’t normal, even though everyone says babies cry…that’s just what they do. So first thing the next morning we went to our pediatrician who figured out that he was STARVING as he lost over 20% of his birth weight in just two days. At this time my milk was still not in (and didn’t come in until a week later) and the doctor suggested supplementing right away with formula.

I knew she was right yet this decision broke my heart and lead to days of tears (on my side of course). I was feeling inadequate as a mother and that I was failing already less than a week into it (add to that sleepless nights, raging hormones and pain from childbirth >>> I was a mess). Two days later, we went for a follow-up visit and he had gained 6 ounces. Another two days later he was back up to his birth weight. This made me feel better as he was growing and was healthy.  He was instantly not a grumpy baby anymore so we kept with the supplementation and whatever he was getting from nursing.

And just as we got comfortable around two weeks and thought we got this, we hit another bump. Breastfeeding became a challenge and he was extremely gassy which lead to new woes. Several lactation consultations and way too much time on kellymom.com (<< great resource for breastfeeding moms, although i feel like it’s judgmental at times), we figured out I was now producing too much milk and he was gulping and struggling to keep up (something called forceful letdown). Conclusion?? We tried different baby bottles and nipples to reduce air ‘gulping’ and I went dairy-free to see if he was lactose intolerant. We are still nursing but he is not a fan of it and  why we are 90% bottle feeding him the breastmilk. He’s been growing very well so we stopped supplementing a week ago and he is now exclusively on breastmilk (which adds it’s own pressure on my production).

Now he is a very happy baby and he is discovering the world around him. He loves staring at lights, curtains and his monkey friends on the mobile as he attempts to reach for them. He’s sleeping great at night (3-4 hours) and we are much happier during the day as the gassiness is almost gone.

As for me, I am now used to this new life as a mother. It was an extremely rough start but for the past few weeks it’s been easier and we are enjoying this little nugget as he continues to surprise us everyday with his abilities. (Look at how well he holds his head up at just 6 weeks??). I am also slowly getting back into the kitchen in the afternoons while he naps or in a baby wrap. I’ve made a few fall recipes that I can’t wait to share with you soon.

Quick Stats: 

Age: 6 weeks

Weight: ~10lbs

Height: 21 inches

Eating: He’s exclusively breastmilk although we are 90% bottle feeding (see above on nursing woes). He eats every 2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours at night.

Sleeping: We are slowly seeing a pattern this past week. He goes to bed around 10pm and sleeps 3-4 hours, wakes up eats and does another 3-4 hours until 5-6am when he is up for the day. During the day our naps are 1-2 hours.

Development/ Milestones: Smiles, babbles and is starting to grab things which doesn’t seem fun for his dad’s chest hair so far. He’s also got a strong hold of his head. My favorite development is that he stays awake longer now during the day after feedings. You can get a good hour of happy time where we chat, stare at the mobile and just smile.

Concerns: Breastfeeding: I’m noticing my production of milk is slowing down and I am trying not to stress about it so it doesn’t get worse. But I am doing everything I can to keep up with it, from drinking milk tea, lactation cookies to all kinds of fruits and veggies that are good for milk production. Going back to work: I am dreading having to go back to work/lab in a few weeks and thinking of being away from him is starting to hurt my heart. Oieeeee! I cannot even…tear works.

Newborn Photo Credits: Jen Pecka Photography

The post BEYOND THE OVEN: Baby Update (6 weeks) appeared first on A Classic Twist.

So I guess it is safe to say I didn’t get around to doing regular maternity updates as I planned. This thing goes so fast and as it progresses, energy swindles. It is what it is. But here we are with only 8 weeks to go (I still can’t believe it!!) and I have a quick update for you!

How far along?: 32 weeks

Due Date: August 2 (officially), July 29th (unofficially).

Baby is the size of: Coconut! (about 4 lbs 12 oz )

Gender: BOY for sure. Testicles descended as the ultrasound technician pointed out this week.

Total Weight Gain: About 18 pounds

Maternity clothes: YES! That’s all I wear…at least to work. At home non-maternity yoga pants and sweats still work.

Stretch marks?: I haven’t noticed much yet and I am still slathering on Palmer’s Cocoa Butter every morning.

Symptoms: I noticed my feet started swelling last week after standing for extended periods of time in the kitchen. This is a bummer as I am always baking up a storm over the weekend for blog recipes, clients and family. But looks like it’s time to slow down. Also, I am getting heartburn again like the first trimester and this time everything from spicy to non-fried food triggers it. Braxton Hicks have started as well which is a good sign we are heading in the right direction.

Sleep: I am getting lots of sleep finally and kinda scared to say that out loud.

Exercise: Non-existent sadly. Just long walks around our new neighborhood and those help a lot. I wish I could do more but I am so tired after a long day at work and I have no energy to do much.

Movement: Like crazy tumbling and kicking in there and it is visible from the outside now. Oh, Mr J plays ‘chase the light’ with him. The baby seems to follow/ kick where he shines the flashlight. It’s cute to see how amused he gets seeing the baby respond to him. Sadly, just one of us is enjoying being kicked from the inside.

Best moment this week: We had our 8 months check up this week with an ultrasound. It was fun to see the little guy kicking and moving around. It’s so reassuring he is growing well.

Miss Anything? : WINE!! Just one glass pleaseeeeee. Went to the Taste of Syracuse yesterday and I really wanted to get a wine slushy.

Food Cravings: I’ve been bad at this because I have no specific cravings. I eat lots of carbs (bread!) and not so much sweets these days.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No. but everything gives me heartburn so yeah.

Mood: Anxious. Lots to finish before he gets here (experiments to wrap up in lab, blog recipes for clients, baby shopping to finish etc etc) and I have a feeling he will be early so working fast to get everything done. I should probably pack my hospital bag soon!

Wedding rings on or off? : Still on and lots of wiggle room. Don’t think they will be coming off.

Nursery: Almost done. Just waiting for glider to come in and some few little decor items I should get (curtains, lamp, books, wall art etc)

Looking forward to: My baby showers. One next weekend with the family and the week after one at work!!

The post BEYOND THE OVEN: Bumpdate (32 Weeks) appeared first on A Classic Twist.

It’s about time I let the cat out of the bag! We are expecting … a BABY!! The hubs and I are so thrilled and can’t even begin to express how lucky and blessed we feel.

Being our first baby, we decided to keep the news under wraps for a while with only a few close friends and family knowing. And of course being an African (read: severely superstitious), I was just nervous to let it out to the world given that everything was going so well. But I couldn’t hold in the happy news any longer and just have to share with you!

This may explain why things have been slow/ chaotic/ all over the place around here. Hope you can forgive me for that :). I am still wrapping my head around all the changes coming my way!! With trying to finish up my PhD, moving into a new house and keeping up with exhaustion, it’s just been a ride!! But thankfully, we are all settled into our new place and I can finally start preparing for baby.

OK a few baby details for those of you that might be interested:

How far along: 27 weeks. Almost onto the third trimester!! Due August 2nd.

Gender: IT’S A BOY!!

Morning sickness: No. I was lucky and blessed to have no early pregnancy symptoms. I think I only puked once but that was from over-eating!!

Total weight gain: ~15 pounds (I think!)

Sleep: It’s a constant struggle. This may be my only pain point. Some days are better, others just not happening. Thus why I am constantly tired.

Cravings: Anything sweet. I am not usually a sweet person (shocking I know) but once I started the second trimester, all I want is sweet carbs. Cinnamon rolls, donuts, cookies, you name it. I need to stop. And obviously the weight gain is not a surprise.

Emotions: Mostly happy but I get a burst of panic from time to time about how I am going to do it all!

Belly Button: On it’s way out.

As always, THANK YOU for being the best and always checking in on this blog! I heart you and will continue to create scrumptious recipes for us all 🙂

(Images by Jen Pecka Photography)

The post BEYOND THE OVEN: A BUN IN THE OVEN appeared first on A Classic Twist.

It’s been a while since I did one of these Beyond the Oven posts and figured I should update you on things beyond the recipes I share. To be honest though winters and I don’t get along and in my opinion they are for hibernating and cooking comfort foods. Thus, I’ve hardly done anything beyond my kitchen and couch. Until three weekends ago when I decided to thaw out in the sun in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World Resort! It’s the best place to seriously thaw out 🙂

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