happy halloween!

I love holidays but halloween is not one of my favorites.  I don't really know why though.  I had fun in my early 20's dressing up and drinking ridiculous amounts.  Now I love the door ringing (minus the dogs barking) or hearing 'trick or treat' and handing out candy.  Funny how times change, but good change.  

I started noticing lots of holiday pins on pinterest and thought I'd share a few of my favorites.  Also, I'm going to try to attempt a few of them this year, so we'll see how that turns out.  Some people are so damn creative, I love it.  

Costumes

It's likely that I won't be dressing up this year but if I do venture out, I hope I see some awesome homemade costumes like these.  Homemade is the best.  

 Jelly Bean Costume - more here

Laundry Basket Costume - more here

Party Ideas

If I was throwing a party, I would definitely be trying to make these.  They are so cute! 

Spider Cider/Witchs Brew/Zombie Juice - more here

 Clever Ice Bucket/Drink Holder - more here

Halloween Wreaths 

I love wreaths and these are soooo cool.  I want to make sure our front porch/door is always looking nice and festive.  So this is going to be my halloween project - I'll post how it turns out.... 

Tulle Halloween Wreath - more here

 All of this gets me super excited for the upcoming holidays.  We are having a big Thanksgiving Supper at our house with friends, so I'm sure I'll have lots of photos from that to share providing it goes well!  It's going to be great to experience holidays again with a baby, I think it may make it even more exciting... if that's possible.

cribs, cribs, and more cribs

We are casually browsing at a kids furniture store recently and they tell us that some items take 6-12 weeks to come in plus backorder.  Yikes!  So I guess we need to order something sooner than later.  

The colors that I'm considering for the striped walls...

Zircon 

Pure White 

Still deciding on accent colors. 

College Wood Work Augusta

 

College Wood Work Augusta Dresser (obviously in white) 

Delta Santiago Crib

Delta Santiago Dresser

Zoom Crib

 Lots of decisions to make but I'm hoping we'll have something ordered by next week.  Start painting in October after a fun Thanksgiving Weekend!  Next task, research gliders....

20 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks 

Total weight gain: 0 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup! Just bought 2 pairs of pants at H&M last night including some turquoise/mint green ones.  We'll see how much I wear them though I do think they hug my bum nicely ;)

Stretch marks? none.  My skin feels itchy all over though which is irritating.

Sleep: love it!
Best moment this week:  finding out gender (it's a secret), feeling more movement and starting to shop! 

Miss Anything?  umm, my energy and paralyzers.
Movement: yup, mostly in the morning and at night. 

Food cravings: No but I'm more hungry everyday.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  not right now.

Gender:  we know!!!  

Labor Signs:  no

Symptoms:  Sleepy

Belly Button in or out?  in

Wedding rings on or off? on 
Looking forward to: getting started on the nursery! 

No love for the camera

At our anatomy scan last week, the ultrasound tech told us that she could not get a good face photo.  I guess baby is shy!  She was able to tell us if it's a boy or girl though and we are super excited.  We're going to keep it a secret for now (even from family and friends).  

nursery inspiration

Seeing as I can't Pin these on Pinterest because we haven't made any 'Facebook announcement', I thought I'd document a few of my favorite nurseries and pieces here!

I LOVE the chevron print.  And the yellow is so fresh.  Everything about this nursery is amazing!  More details here.

These colors are gorgeous together and I love the prints.  Actually I love it all.  The huge IKEA light is fantastic and the oversized photos of 'close up baby' is so personal.  More details here.

 Love the pop of color depending on gender.  Details here.

 

I really like the photo wall above a dresser as well as the change pad.  So sweet! Details here.

This room is put together really well and a similar layout to ours.  Love the soft pink touches, chandelier, and the grey chair.  Details here.

Still trying to gather all my thoughts and figure out what we want to do.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to paint (because of the fumes and such) but after some research, turns out paint with low voc is available pretty much everywhere and no problem.  They even have no voc paint - for a few more bucks of course.

Benjamin Moore -  http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/paint-products/natura-waterborne-interior-paint?lang=en_US&role=H#advs=0&tab=2

Home Depot - Behr - http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Search?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&keyword=behr%20zero%20voc&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL

Sherwin Williams - Harmony - http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/harmony-interior-acrylic-latex/?referringCategory=interior-paint-coatings/paint-coatings/

Can't wait to get started...

pez is 6.

I can not believe how the time flies.  This weekend my little pup turned 6.  I had big plans to make him a puppy birthday cake (small meatball with mashed potato icing) but got lazy and busy making my 'mexican meal'.

I've spent lots of time cuddling him though and I think he likes that most.  Last year for his 5th birthday he got a treat from the local Pet Bakery, which I let him open and we did a mini photoshoot... which was much more fun for me than him.

A few of my favorites.  And he is a boy but I only had pink ribbon so I just went with it.  They say dogs are colorblind right?

Happy Birthday Pezzo!

plans for the nursery

 As I was measuring out the room that will soon be the nursery, I took a quick photo of our first baby purchase.  I can't believe how small they are and can't wait to put them on baby!

I have a few inspiration boards that I've put together (seeing as I didn't want to Pin things to pinterest before as we hadn't told people).  

The things I know for sure:  

* I want grey and white striped walls (regardless of gender) 

* I want white furniture 

* I want a dresser with a change pad on top instead of a change table 

* I want a glider with ottoman 

Lastly, I want it to look pretty and feel calm. 

Wow, lots of 'I wants'!    

 Can't wait to start getting this all together....

summer loves ---> teal

Although I'm to lazy these days to put on 'nice' clothes, I still love looking.  And everything I see, I want and it's mostly all TEAL or MINT GREEN.

Here's where to find everything...

Lace Dress - www.nelly.com

Sandals - http://www.victoriassecret.com

Strapless Dress - http://www.saboskirt.com/mint-dress-p-405?osCsid=d35f9a7d9d487957e43973b0ea338ca5

*** I actually purchased this dress from Sabo Skirt in March for our trip to Mexico.  It is pretty short but nice.   Although the neckline is gorgeous, it's not very practical if you have any chest.  It's also tough to wear a bra with it because it dips so low in the front.  It did come with straps, so I used those as it helped to hold it up.  Ordered an XS and it was a little big on me.

Watch - www.target.com

Head Wrap - http://www.etsy.com/listing/90006251/teal-turban-headband-workout-twist

Ring - http://www.etsy.com/listing/99001157/mint-green-rose-ring-pastel-green

boy or girl?

We have our ultrasound appointment at 1pm tomorrow and will find out if baby is a boy or girl.  We are SO excited!  Hoping that everything goes well and baby is healthy and if he/she cooperates we may know a name after the scan.

(Ignore the bad hair/face combo)  Also, turns out my Dallas Cowboys shirt isn't so lucky as they lost.... 

what's for supper? MEXICAN

My brother came over for dinner tonight and I asked both him and Josh if they had any requests.  Of course I get the usual from Josh - tacos, nothing from my brother.  I go to the grocery store still unsure of what I'm going to make, so a quick phone call to my mom and we've got a meal planned.  It's all Mexican for my love!  (Or at least my version of mexican which is not so authentic)

I always end up with the same few dishes in my supper rotation and it gets boring, so I thought maybe if I document this, it will remind me and perhaps I'll make it again.  Recipes below (in order of photos).

Taco Surprise Spread Dip

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 package taco seasoning

2 cups tex mex grated cheese

1 tomato (chopped)

1 cup salsa

Chips or Crackers for dipping

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise until whipped.  Add taco seasoning and mix.  Spread over bottom of dish. Pour salsa over top and spread with spatula.  Top with cheese and tomatoes.  Serve with chips or crackers.

Focaccia Jalapeno & Cheese Bread

(I thought the jalapenos were kind of Mexican no??)

No recipe – I bought it from the store…. Still delicious.

Chicken Fajitas

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

2 chicken breasts

1 package Fajita Seasoning

½ cup water

Cook chicken in frying pan until there is no pink.  Add vegetables, water, and sauce mix.  Heat until soft.  Stir and serve.

Cajun Rice Pilaf

1 can corn

½ cup mixed peppers (chopped)

½ onion (chopped)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup Uncle Bens Basmati Rice

In a pan sauté corn, peppers, onion.  Bring chicken brother to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add rice and broth to the vegetable pan.  Pour into pyrex baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.  (Take out once and stir)

Strawberry Daiquiri (non-alchy for the pregnant folk)

1 can Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri Mix (looks like this)

2 cans of ice

½ cup apple juice

Mix all in a blender.  Serve and enjoy!

Everything was really tasty and the guys had 'thirds' so that must mean it was decent!  Now next time I make this, I'll have to find a dessert to fit the theme.  And I'll stop by the store for a sombrero.

what i'll be watchin'

When you step outside in the morning, it's pretty clear that it's Fall.  Sad, but true.  One of my favorite things about fall, besides the beautiful colors for photos, is NEW TV!   I know it would be better if I got up and exercised or something but I love curling up on the couch and watching good television.

Returning shows that I'll surely be watching are...

Homeland - Premieres Sept 30, 10pm on Showtime

Wow! I LOVE this show.  I was so sad when the first season came to an end and feel like I've been waiting forever for it to come back.   Can not wait to see what happens and I just love Claire Danes

Happy Endings - Premieres Oct 23, 9pm on ABC

This show is funny, seriously funny.  That Penny makes me giggle.


New Girl - Premieres Sept 25, 9pm on Fox

When are Jess and Nick just going to get together already?? Geez, hurry it up.  And is it weird that I want Schmidt and Cece to have a baby?  Love this comedy.  Zooey is so awkward though, it's good that it works in this show.

 


Smash  -  Premieres mid-season
I am surprised really that I ended up liking this because I really had to work through the first couple episodes - they were so cheesy.  But now, one of my favorite shows on television.  love.love.love Katharine Mcphee she is one talented women. (Girl Crush.)


I'll also be tuning into Glee, The Voice, and The X-Factor (just because I want to see Britney)!

As for the new shows that have peaked my interest...

Elementary, The New Normal, and Guys With Kids (apparently produced by Jimmy Fallon??).

Happy Watching!

stollers & carseats

Seeing as I am PATIENTLY awaiting our ultrasound next week to find out the gender, I've been forced to shop for necessities and things that didn't need to be .blue or .pink.  So I began my typical google search of Best 2012 Strollers.  Well, turns out strollers and car seats are a hugemungo business with a bizillion options.

The first thing I looked at was Safety.  Honestly, they all meet Canadian Safety Standards so it's kinda tough to judge.

On my short list of features was:  lightweight, easy to fold, good in snow.

With those things in mind, I narrowed the search a bit then visited West Coast Kids to test them out and get some advice.  The first thing we decided between was whether we wanted to 'buy for the future' and get a stroller that can eventually hold 2 kids.  After checking both out, we realized that the biggest difference was weight and they were a LOT heavier.  I'm weak, so I need something light.  With that we decided to focus on the one baby and look specifically at 3 wheel strollers (easier in the snow).

Here were the finalists:

Baby Jogger City Mini 

details here.

The reviews that I've read at all very positive and is really smooth to push, lightweight, and looks cute!   Car seat adapter fits any carseat. 

Britax B-Agile

details here.

I'd say the reviews for this were almost perfect!  Most people really seem to like it.  Folding it down is pretty sweet, it's so easy and it's lighter than the City Mini. 

So after seeing both of these, which by the way are basically exactly the same price wise, we started talking about car seats.   Of course both fit any car seat with an adapter.  So we took a look at that and even though it's just one more step, it complicated the ease of each system. 

And then we were introduced to the..... 

Britax B-Safe 

details here.

The great thing about this (if you pair it with the Britax B-Agile) is the seemless snap in system.  It's so simple and easy.  

So I guess that made up our mind!  Now I just have to pick the color of the stroller - I'm thinking black?  Is that to boring?  It comes in kiwi, which could be fun and is pretty gender neutral.   And order away!   Any thoughts on our choices?????

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain: 0 lbs

Maternity clothes?Seriously, to anyone who is contemplating waiting to purchase maternity pants - don't!  They are so comfortable.  I have a pair of jeans, one pair of black dress pants.  Other than that I'm pretty much wearing leggings, tunics, etc but now that I have a bit of a bump, it's fun to wear tighter shirts. :)

Stretch marks? nothing yet.  The advice I keep getting it to lotion, lotion, and lotion some more.

Sleep: haven't bought my snoogle yet but I'm sleeping better so maybe I won't need it...
Best moment this week:  feeling baby!  I'm pretty sure at least, its kind of like bubbles popping

Miss Anything?  Energy still...
Movement: Yes!  Little pops here and there.  Mostly when I'm laying on my back and it's quiet.

Food cravings: Not really.  Still liking dessert and fruit.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not right now!

Gender:  Find out on monday at our ultrasound - we might keep it our little secret though!

Labor Signs:  no.

Symptoms:  Decreased energy

Belly Button in or out?  in

Wedding rings on or off? on
Looking forward to: finding out gender and then shopping!!!!!!!

best find ever

So let me start by telling you that I swear I'm not an alcoholic.  For real.  I just really enjoyed paralyzers.  For those of you who may not have experienced this deliciousness, it's usually made with 1/2-1 ounce vodka, 1/2-1 ounce kahlua, coke, and milk. Before I was pregnant, I would probably have 1-2/week with supper and I'd never have them with vodka, just the kahlua.  It wasn't about the alcohol, it's just the taste.

Now that I'm pregnant, I refuse to drink or take a sip of anything at all.  I know some people think a bit here or there is fine but I am not willing to take any chances so there has been and will not be any drinking for this girl.

During a recent trip to Winners, I came across this fancy little bottle.  Kahlua flavored syrup.  Ya right!

After my hard day of shopping (tough life, I know), I take this home and prepare for a delicious non-alcoholic paralyzer.  Well, I hate to say it but it just wasn't the same.  Perhaps we haven't got the mix right yet but it was very 'coffee' flavored.  I'll continue to try to duplicate that great taste but at least I can say that this little thing was the highlight of my day! 

my furry loves

I'm looking back through old photos and came across these.  These guys make me smile until they bark.  Then I'm angry but it's a great feeling until that noise hits my ears.

Meet Pez, my little yorkball.  Loud and anxious. Actually, come to think of it, he's kinda like me!?

 And little Tex, the licker.  Ugh.  He's sweet and calm, kinda like his papa. Haha nothing like comparing my dogs traits to us.

Maybe one day they'll actually love each other.  For now, I'll call it a work in progress.  They tolerate each other and might even be playing together though it to hard to tell when all you can hear is bark, grunt, groan, growl.  Their tails are wagging though?  

Wonder how they'll be with a baby?  If anyone out there has training tips, make sure you send them my way.  We need all the help we can get.

I WON!

I'm talking about fantasy football.  I told you I like to win and I won!  Well, it was only the first 'match' (is that what you would call it?)  but whatever, it's a great start. 

Nothing better than seeing Team Jeberle 1-0-0

Oh and what's almost as great, the cowboys won last week which means a happy husband for the week!!

Small successes I tell you.  This week, I had a couple decisions to make so I need everyone to cheer for Peyton Manning and the Patriots.  And of course, Go Cowboys!

the new age, video baby monitors

I love shopping, like most women.  But more than that, I love the process of researching and finding the best product then getting the best deal out there.  I'm going to share a few of my first purchases and one day when baby is here, I'll be able to determine whether or not we made good decisions.

Video Baby Monitors 

I've had multiple friends tell us that investing in a good video monitor is totally worth it.  So I began my search for the best video monitor out there.  Turns out, it's not quite as simple as googling 'best baby monitor'.  Every has a different experience and opinion but after reading a crap ton of reviews, we've decided on the Summer Infant Baby Touch Screen Monitor.

A few things that were important to me:

-  handheld unit that can be carried around with you

-  decent battery life

-  scanning/zoom functions 

In Canada (where everything is more expensive), it is priced at $299 almost everywhere.  I found it at Sears for 20% off but then found out that Babies R Us has it on as part of their BabyFest Sale for $199.97


http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=4411137&ab=BRU_HOTDEALS_3_090712_babytouch#showReviews

There was a free shipping offer, so we got it for $209 with tax.  Let's hope it works well!

better late than never? 17 weeks

I figured it would be cool to look back and see all of this documented but it's hard to remember to do it and take a darn photo.  Oh well, we'll try now...

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain: -2 lbs

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of jeans, one pair of black dress pants, and a couple shirts.  But mainly I'm living in leggings for work and sweats at home.  Sexy, I know.

Stretch marks? none yet! Here's to hoping.  I'm bio-oiling often.

Sleep: ugh. I can not sleep through the night or get comfortable.  I'm debating trying out one of those pregnancy pillows - the snoogle.  I hear great things so maybe I'll just bite the bullet and spend the $70 (everything is more in canada..)
Best moment this week:  eating again and actually enjoying it.

Miss Anything?  Paralyzers and my energy - where is it?
Movement: Nothing yet though I've been told we are getting close to the 'flutter' stage - can not wait! 

Food cravings: None but I definitely don't eat like I used to.  The thought of fast food is repulsive, which I suppose is a good thing.  I am enjoying sweets!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing! Can you believe it? I can't.

Gender:  Not sure but we can find out at our ultrasound later this month.  Haven't quite decided if we will find out, not find out or find out and keep it to ourselves

Labor Signs:  Hope not!

Symptoms:  Decreased energy

Belly Button in or out?  in

Wedding rings on or off? on
Looking forward to:  shopping for baby! 

football season = busy husband

Well, it's here!  The time of the year when I lose part of my lovely husband to the NFL.  More specifically, the cowboys.  He is a very smart man though.  I'm not a football fan really and don't have much interest but I am a competitive person.  I'm sure he knows both of those things and with that, he created a 'fun' fantasy football league for family/friends.  I'm forced to care a little more because I, like most people, don't like to lose. 

So, Go Cowboys!