Nursery Pt 1

I was so excited that my husband was able to take off of work on Saturday. He works every Saturday, so the girls and I were ecstatic to have him home. <3  So we decided to clean out the nursery.  We have never used this room before. It was set up as a guest room. I absolutely love the color for a little boy, so no work needed to be done!

Here is picture of his room all ready for furniture. The picture on the wall is my inspiration for his decorations.  It is a P. Buckley Moss print titled "Circus Ride" I love her work and have several of her prints. <3

The bedroom suite that was originally in this guest room went in our newly finished basement. In our basement we put a den, playroom, bathroom, bedroom, and 2 storage areas. I love it! When it is completely furnished, I will post the before and after.  Aly, the oldest, is begging to move her room down there, so we decorated the bedroom for a girl and agreed to move her personal belongings to this room. I however am not wanted her to sleep down there just yet. Her bedroom currently is on the same level as mine, this will put her 3 floors down. I need to get her a baby monitor. :) 

 

I am so excited to have my nursery furniture in and finish his room!   

23 weeks

How Far Along: 23 weeks! 

Size of baby: He is the size of a grapefruit.  Average: over 11 in. long and a little over a pound.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to my home scale, I believe I am up 2 pounds! Grow baby grow. I have an official weigh in tomorrow. :)

Maternity Clothes: Mix and match. Still maternity pants, but able to wear most of my pre-preg shirts. I am short, so most of my shirts are fairly long.

Gender:  Bouncing Baby Boy!!

Stretch marks: None yet, still using stretch mark cream daily

Movement: Movement is fabulous! Since I started back to work, he sleeps more during the day. But he is active at night! <3

Sleep:  Sleep is better. I attribute it to the fact that I am so. tired. at night. :)

What I miss: Not being in pain! LOL. See symptoms.

Cravings: One day this week, I was craving mozzarella sticks so bad I could literally smell them in my kitchen! What did I do? I called my kids in from outside, loaded them up and went to the grocery store. Yummo! This mama got her mozzarella sticks. :)

Symptoms: Sciatica is still horrible! At times, I can't put any weight on my right leg.  I am also learning to stand straight up. lol. I always stand with one hip "poked" out. Well, if I do that now, when I stand straight again, the nerve catches so bad it makes me jump!  Hopefully, it won't last too awful long.

 Best Moments this week: Hubby took off of work on Saturday and we were able to clean out baby boy's room and get it ready for furniture! And of course feeling baby move. <3

Here is my pic sporting my glasses :) at 23 weeks. Yes...I have definitely grown! :)

Master Bath Organization

Linked up to Organizing Made Fun! Click HERE

I love an organized house. However, my house does not stay organized. I am working on this. :) Here is a quick look at my master bath and how I organize it.  Please note, when we are in a hurry to get us 4 out the door, my counters have clutter! But I love a clean, unchaotic space. It makes me feel peaceful. :) I do not always keep my bath organized this way. About every few months or so, I switch things around because they just aren't working for us anymore.  For the most part, this is standard. I didn't change much this go round. :) We do not have a large bathroom, but we are blessed with plenty of room and double sinks!

A la counter! I love our cherry cabinets. <3 

On our counter I keep of course cotton balls, q-tips, my makeup brushes and tooth brushes.  All things we use daily.

Our drawers are definitely full to say the least! In my top drawer, I keep things like makeup remover wipes (I love Neutrogena), eye creams, contacts, chapstick, and deoderant. 

 In drawer number 2, I keep taller face lotions, sample size products, etc.

On to drawer number 3. I keep hair bows, brushes, and combs that I use regularly.  

Next, is under my cabinet. I keep extra hair care products. The black case in the middle is my makeup case. The drawer system is my lip products.  On top of the drawer is a container that holds my headbands.

This is how I have stored my lip products for y.e.a.r.s and it works so great! I just love these little drawer organizers. You can purchase them at target or walmart.  You can find them cheaper during back to school days.

Under hubby's cabinet, he has his bin full of his hair care,etc. I also keep the hairspray and extra soap under his. It's really a shame that I have three drawers and my cabinet is packed and hubby has one bin.  He is such a good man. <3

Ok...so there it is, my Master Bath.  :)

22 weeks

How Far Along: 22 weeks! 6 months!

Size of baby: He is the size of a papaya.  Average: 11 in. long and almost 1 pound.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight. :) My next appointment is a week from today.

Maternity Clothes: Mix and match. All maternity pants now and some shirts.

Gender:  Bouncing Baby Boy!!

Stretch marks: None yet, still using stretch mark cream daily

Movement: Movement is regular. I could just sit and feel him move all. day. long.

Sleep:  Sleep is okay. Still wake up uncomfortable most nights.

What I miss: Nothing

Cravings: I've been wanting pineapple casserole all week long! 

Symptoms: Hello Sciatica. I feel for anyone who has to deal with sciatica constantly.  At least I know mine will go away after baby is born. This is extremely painful! It is localized in one spot in my hiney. ;) luckily it is not venturing down my leg at this time.

 Best Moments this week: Feeling  him kick. This will is always the best moment!

Here is a blurry picture.  It was rainy...and cold...and I had a pot roast in the oven. Did not want to get all dressed up. :)

Also, thought you might enjoy this picture as well. It was taken at 21 weeks just to show that I do not have much longer before I can not see my feet!

Oh yeah, 6 moths?!?!?! Where has the time gone? I have got to get busy!

First day of school

Well, it's here...the dreaded first day of school! First time in 104 days I have had to get all three of us up, primped, and out the door by 7:30. We survived the morning rush! Being off all summer sure can spoil a mama rotten! Can't believe how tall my girls are getting. Macy, 9 (L) started 4th grade today and Aly, 12 (R) began 7th. Where has the time gone! When I first started dating Tony, Aly was 5 and Macy had just turned 3 the previous month.  I can't believe we are now 6 years later. I know my girls had a fabulous first day of school! Aly could not wait to get to her middle school! I'm sure it was all because she couldn't wait to learn and had nothing to do with social hour! Ha! <3 Macy was a little nervous when I dropped her off this morning. She commented how she had butterflies in her tummy.  But, Macy is a bundle of personality and her smile is infectious. So I know once she stepped foot in her classroom, she was fine. :) I am sure she stayed busy! I know at the elementary school I work at, we were nonstop all. day. long! Good luck to all the students, faculty, and staff going back to school this month!

21 weeks

How Far Along: 21 weeks! 

Size of baby: He is the size of a pomegranate.  Average: 10.5 in. long and about 12.7 oz

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Officially still down 1 pound. According to my scale I think I gained a pound this week. So back to pre-preg weight. :)

Maternity Clothes: Mix and match. This week I have "popped". My baby bump said hello this week and I have been wearing maternity pants the last two days. I have been able to do the hair tie trick for a few pair of pants. :) Yay for adapting

Gender:  Bouncing Baby Boy!!

Stretch marks: None yet, still using stretch mark cream daily

Movement: Movement is getting more regular! Throughout the day he kicks and moves in spurts and every night before bedtime, he is very active. <3

Sleep:  Sleep is a little uncomfortable. I am getting up at least twice a night now.  Evidently he is using my bladder as a trampoline. Afterwards, it is hard to get comfy and go back to sleep.

What I miss: Walking up the stairs and not losing my breath! We have a 3 story house, and I am utterly out of breath by the time I make it up top! LOL.

Cravings: None. 

Symptoms: No symptoms this week!

 Best Moments this week: Both of my stepdaughters got to feel him kick this week. What an amazing moment to share with them. The joy of this little miracle in their sweet eyes is a look I will never forget. <3 

One night this week, this certain "event" happened twice. I was laying in bed and started feeling pressure a little to the left of my belly button. About that time, he decided to push something (I am assuming his head) with all his little might straight through my tummy wall! It was about the size and shape of a baseball and felt hard to the touch. Then he moved it. DH was worried if I "pushed" it too hard, so I refrained. This happened twice. Not sure if it was his head or his hiney. But whatever it was, you can keep doing it, my son. <3 It is so hard to believe he is almost a foot long all curled up in mommy's tummy. <3

This pic was taken at 20w6d. Close enough, right? We were on our way to a friends 5 year anniversary dinner at a local country club. It was so great catching up with old friends. I am wearing all maternity clothes in this pic. :)

Foodie Friday: Corn Casserole

Okay, so this casserole is so yummy. I'm sure most of you have had and/or made this casserole before. It is so easy and so yummy. However, as ever so popular this little ditty is, I have never made it until this week! It freezes extremely well. We had half for dinner and I threw the other half in the freezer for another night. :)  Great dish to take to potluck dinners. I didn't take pictures of it while I was making it. My kitchen was a disaster zone while I was making chicken stock and pintos. lol. Toooo embarrassing to post! lol. So I will find a picture online (google images is my friend) so you can see what the finished product looks like. :) This recipe is also so inexpensive to make and it is made with things that I always have on hand!

Corn Casserole

1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
4 tbsp melted butter
3 slightly beaten eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 box Jiffy cornbread (cornmuffin) mix

Preheat oven to 400. Grease square baking dish with butter or pam. Mix all ingredients except Jiffy mix. Mix Jiffy in last. :) Pour into dish, bake uncovered for 40 minutes. I cook mine a few minutes longer. Make sure center doesn't jiggle and toothpick comes out clean. How appropriate is the "doesn't jiggle"? But you get my jist!

Anywho, you can see how easy this is to make! And so yummy!

Linked to Comfy in the Kitchen Friday's Favorites!

Thank you, to my husband

I want to take a minute and brag on my husband and thank him. Too often, I don't show him just how much I appreciate him and adore him. First of all...he puts up with me. :) I am far from the perfect wife. I strive every day to be closer to the wife that God has intended for me to be, yet fail so many times. My sweet husband loves me through all of my imperfections. I sometimes try to figure out how I got so lucky that he chose me! Not only did he choose me but God chose him for me. I am so blessed.

 Thank you, sweet Tony, for going into this mean world every day and working so hard for your family. Through your blood, sweat, and tears, you have lovingly provided a beautiful home and our every needed provision. Thank you for enduring the stress of this world to try to make a good life for your wife and children.

 You are such a wonderful daddy. I've said it before and I will say it again. Seeing you with your daughters for the first time while we were dating was definitely the moment I truly fell head over heels in love with you. It was in that moment that I realized you were mine. :) After almost 6 years of marriage, your love for your children still amazes me as it did that first day.

 We have had rough patches, we have had valleys. But through them, God has made our marriage and relationship so strong. You are our hero, our rock. Thank you for being my decision maker when I can't make up my mind. Thank you for your selflessness. Thank you for being you. You truly are my knight in shining armor!

 Thank you, God, for allowing me to have that one person who is perfect for me. I am humbled that you would allow such happiness and love in my life. I am blessed beyond measure.

Meal Planning

I seem to go through spurts with my meal planning.  I will plan my meals consistently for several months and then the next few months, I will slack off.  I can tell a major difference in our budget when I don't plan my meals for the week.  We tend to "run out" to get something to eat rather than eating a healthier and cheaper meal at home. For instance, last week, I didn't meal plan. I don't like to really grocery shop unless I plan because I tend to spend double $. So, guess what, hubby and I ate out 4 nights. :( 4 NIGHTS! Not good.  We save so much money and tend to eat more wholesome meals when I cook at home.  Plus, cooking for my husband is one of my favorite ways to serve him. :) He loves to eat. <3 I thought I would share with you my strategy for meal planning and a sample menu (which happens to be this week's)  Every week may be different, the kids are into different activities, etc.  With little man coming soon, I really want to be able to effectively and time efficiently plan my meals so I am not scrounging around the kitchen trying to find something to cook! Once school starts and the girls are in dance two days a week, the crockpot becomes my best friend!

I have adopted the "cook once, eat twice...or more" strategy. This strategy is so simple, yet so filling! For example. This week I will buy a whole chicken and roast or boil it.  This gives me chicken for more than one meal for my family.  I can purchase a whole chicken for half the price of chicken breasts for 1-2 meals! If hubby requests something different, then I can shred the chicken, place it in a freezer bag with a little stock, and freeze it for another day. I like to do this with other things I cook as well. (as you will see this week) Aly, the oldest, is extremely picky.  So I know that she will not eat most of what I fix, but with each meal, I try to fix something she likes as well or I will modify hers. For instance, on chalupa night, I will fix her a quesadilla.  Macy, the youngest, will eat anything I put in front of her. Ha!

On my menu, you will see "or Salmon Cakes"  I always have pantry meals available should hubby want something totally different on a specific night, I run low on time, or I have failed to go to the grocery store for the next week. Pantry meals are meals that I have on hand at any given time in my pantry or freezer.  I also double and freeze a lot of my meals, so those are on hand as well.  On average, I keep our 3 favorite meals frozen in the freezer (chicken rotel, pizza casserole, and baked spaghetti), also ingredients to make potato soup, salmon cakes, and a few others.  It is great to have these handy for those days you are just "feeling something different".

Also, on Saturdays, my husband usually takes us out to eat, unless he has a particularly rough week at work and just wants to relax at home.  I look forward to these date nights. 99.9% of the time we eat out at our favorite local Mexican Restaurant.

Also, my menu strategy changes from week to week as well.  We have the girls every other week. So the weeks it is just Tony and I, I do not cook nearly as much.  For instance, we normally go out to eat on Wednesdays to eat chicken wings. :)

Here is my menu for this week: We have our "favorite" meals, so I tend to fix those at least twice a month. You will also notice, my dinners are cost effective.  Very important!

Monday: (grocery store day so I do not like to "cook") After going grocery shopping, I am "fooded" out! lol.
               We will have turkey, swiss, and mushroom paninis with ranch and cucumbers
Tuesday: Roast chicken, crock pot pintos and greenbeans
Wednesday: Chalupas (using pintos for refried beans) with lots of veggies on top
Thursday:  Chicken Fried Rice
Friday: Leftovers, or if I don't have leftovers, Salmon cakes with greenbeans and mashed potatoes
Saturday: Family date night or Chili (hubby's request)
Sunday: Dirtbike racing Sunday afternoon, so Chili if I don't fix it Saturday, or sandwiches. (I will freeze any
             leftover chili.

That's how it is done in the Deal house. :) Like I said, I slack sometimes, most of the time Especially this summer, I didn't plan at all. I just know how much money I save and how much happier hubby and I are when I do.  My goal is to eventually be able to do monthly planning rather than weekly planning. With our little bundle of joy coming in December, I really want to hold myself accountable with this area of my homemaking. :) Let me know if you want to start seeing some of my weekly meal plans and more recipes on here.

This post is linked to Time-Warp Wife!

20 weeks

How Far Along: 20 weeks, half way! I am so excited to be half way! Half way to holding my little bundle of joy in my arms!

Size of baby: He is the size of a banana. Average: 6.5 in. from head to hiney and 10.5 oz

Total Weight Gain/Loss: At my appointment on Wednesday, I had gained 2 pounds! So only down 1 pound now. :)

Maternity Clothes: Mix and match. It really depends on the day. I can still wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but some are a little uncomfortable.

Gender:  Bouncing Baby Boy!!
Stretch marks: None, I did start using Nuby stretch mark cream yesterday, I reckon it's about time. Better to prevent than correct! :)

Movement: Little man is moving up a storm some days. He is really active when I am exhausted. Hubby got to feel him kick last night! 

Sleep:  Sleep is a little uncomfortable. I purchased a Snoogle pregnancy pillow yesterday and tried it out! It's a little awkward, but I know I am going to love it and be very grateful for it in the coming months!

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings: None. 

Symptoms: Symptoms were a no show this week! I am so glad. :)

 Best Moments this week: Feeling his kicks, as always. <3 It makes me so happy. I just love him so much! And hubby being able to feel him kick. :)