Already Thinking Obituaries

So when I die, I haven't decided if want someone to write something like this about me. My friend Elizabeth's husband, Matt, just made a site for himself. On his new site, he described himself in these words:

"While in high school, Matthew dabbled in croquet, the banjo, welding, tap dancing, and raising show hogs. "

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Why bother at all? Because I don't have a fortune to spend on new nursery furniture. So let's go over how this is all coming together:

Crib: My mom and dad bought one for us second hand. Supposedly it is mission style and painted white. I have yet to see it though. All we have to do is buy a mattress.

Bedding: A friend had 2 sets for girls that she wasn't using anymore and wanted to pass them on and since I like free stuff!!!! The one I chose is pink and brown polka dots.

Changing Table: Still in the works. I have one picked out at the local supercenter but would rather find a crappy piece of furniture that I can put my stamp on. So the verdict is still out!!

Dresser: E has an old dresser that we are painting it white and replacing the hardware. So it is being repurposed in the babies room. Here is a little sneak peak of the progress I am making on the dresser so far.

Shelving: This shelf was left at our house when we moved in and I really liked it. I knew I wanted to use it but I didn't know how or where. But now it has a new place and new purpose. I am planning on painting it brown.

Walls: Since I really have no desire to repaint the walls, I don't plan on it. The walls are already tan and I plan on making that work.

This is what the baby's room currently looks like. Lots of work left to go. But my new policy is "One Hour a Day!" I worked 2 nights this week and I am almost done priming the dresser drawers and have started priming the shelf.

Babies and Diapers and Wipes... Oh My!!

Have you ever registered? Are you one of those people who actually enjoys registering? If so, our blogosphere friendship is over...or maybe I should take you shopping with me!! I haven't decided yet!

Maybe it was my lack of attention span, my sore feet and the warm temperature of the store, but I hate registering. With a shower coming up next month, and the fact that I am trying very hard to avoid holiday crowds this year, I decided to register in early November. E offered to go with me, which I am eternally grateful for, since he was the one trying out the car seats and the strollers and all of the items that I didn't have the energy to test out. All it took was the payment of one Eggnog Latte from Starbucks. Eggnog Latte? Already? Whatever floats his boat!!

But all of that shopping brought back memories of registering for our wedding? What do you really need? Will I actually use that? I don't cook so why would I want all of these kitchen items? (HA, boy has that changed) Except this time, the threat of everything I didn't know about having kid was starting to give me a small anxiety attack. Seriously though, I had no idea what I was doing. Both of us were flying blindly trying to figure out what we really needed and what normal people actually register for while trying to be practical. With all that being said, I really enjoyed registering for stuff online. I could prop my feet up, throw the laptop in my lap, take my shoes off and slip into some pj's, and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate while I shop at home.

So we registered for a few things and then decided we needed to do a bit more research before registering at the other store. Oh well, it was quality time together right?

P.S. while I didn't enjoy registering, I LOVE EXPECTANT MOTHER PARKING!!!

Pumpkin Muffins

Since I have been charged with helping my mom and sister prepare Thanksgiving breakfast and dinner, I have been trying a few new things a week that I might be able to use during the holidays. Last week, I made the Ham, Egg and Cheese bake. This week, I made these Pumpkin Muffins. And next week, I am making a hashbrown breakfast casserole.

But back to this week...the pumpkin muffins. I got this out of the Cooking Light magazine a few years back and forgot to make it last Thanksgiving and decided it needed to be made before another year had passed. I love pumpkin. Ironically, not pumpkin pie, I would rather have pumpkin breakfast treats or soups.

But why is this a Cooking Light recipe? And if it's light, does it actually taste good? They were much lighter because the recipe calls for buttermilk instead of butter sticks. However, I thought they could use a little help and added a little bit of struesel to the top of each muffin before I threw them in the oven for some extra crunch (2 parts brown sugar, 1 part flour). These were really great and you can mostly make it from things you have around your kitchen already if you are like me and always have a can of pumpkin and some raisons sitting around. I will say that this was my first time cooking with molasses and I think I am going to look for a few more molasses recipes.

Mom, I think we have a keeper!

Thanksgiving Tip: You can make these up to 2 days ahead of time and then throw them into a greased pan on Thanksgiving morning.

Sighs of Relief

While I have been sitting quietly in my house, trying not to say anything and waiting patiently, the day finally came this weekend. "What day is that?" you might ask! Oh...a very grand day. The day when all of the stuff that came from our two car garage that's been STUFFED into our house for 3 months slowly chipping away at my sanity IS NO MORE!! E worked really hard this weekend and got floor sealed and almost all of the new shelves hung so we could clean out the house.

You might be asking yourself "Why did this drive her so crazy!" Well, since I couldn't even enter the door threshold of the baby's room, my husband is currently using a green plastic patio chair for a reading chair in his office, and the door into the laundry room from the kitchen was blocked with all of our hurricane and camping supplies (luckily there were 2 entrances into the room), I was starting to loose it. Oh yeah, did I mention the giant blue tarp that covered the items in on the patio from the garage that we ran out of room for in the house?

After all was said and done, it was rather quiet around the house which never happens unless something is wrong. So I went on a hunt for my husband and dog. After searching the yard and the house, I was dumbfounded. "Where are they?" The car was in the driveway, Maggie's leash was still there so they didn't go for a walk...and that's when it hit me that he had a new workspace in the garage. I wish the camera battery wasn't dead because the picture was priceless. E, in his new "Man Space", had pulled out a folding chair and had propped up his feet on the ottoman that is going in the baby's room and was taking a nap in the garage. And there was Maggie, asleep at his right hand.

He is really going to town with this garage renovation project. He stayed out there all night reading Handyman magazines and designing a new workspace for himself. And then last night, I went out to check on him and noticed he had moved one of our spare computers out there and it was all setup and ready to go. I have a feeling that this could either go very well and very bad!!!

Make Ahead Main Dish

I always have the hardest time finding main dishes that I actually like.  The choices I seem to find all use ground beef as a staple (sorry if you like ground beef but my pregnant belly DOES NOT like ground beef) or it is super fancy and will take all night to make.  While I typically don't like ground beef recipes, this one I swapped for ground turkey so that both of us could eat it.  

It only took about 30 minutes to make, that's not so bad.  But the best part is that you can make this meal ahead of time, come home from a long day at work and throw it in the oven for an hour while you deal with your life.  E says he wants me to make it again so that's a pretty big deal at our house.  Try it if you dare.

Eight-Layer Casserole

P.S. The recipe made ALOT of noodles so had enough left over to make a few individual macaroni and cheese dishes to throw into the microwave tomorrow.  Just layer noodles, cheese, noodles, cheese and then add a little milk in the bottom.  2 birds...one stone!!

Belly Blast

I know I know.  I have been super delinquent about posting belly pictures.  I took one a few weeks ago and meant to post it but forgot and the camera memory card had to be reformatted and we lost the photo.  Sorry!  But here I am at 24 weeks.  I still can't believe I have made it this far with no major anxiety attacks.  It's bizarre that the life as I currently know it, will be completely over in three and a half months.  

We got a good report at the Dr. yesterday.  I was literally told "You are looking good and doing pregnant proud!!"  I think that's good, right?  Swollen feet and swollen fingers are dominating my life these days.  So much so that I have already starting putting certain pairs of shoes into storage.  Since they say you grow a have size shoe size and don't shrink back, I am going to be well deserving a whole new shoe collection.  Thanks E!!!  I eat everything in sight (and in my thoughts).  Homemade chocolate chip cookies go a long way, as does Ben and Jerry's Everything But The...  I love that flavor.  Nothing is left out of the pot.  Soup is still a prominent craving.  Also, strawberries, oranges and apple sauce.  Oh yeah...did I mention I have gained 20 pounds already?  Opps...I guess I forgot that part.  Rachel (the baby) kicks at bed time, lunchtime and REALLY HARD about 4am until I finally get up and feed her breakfast.  What a spoiled princess!!  haha I can already tell she is going to keep me up all night when she finally comes home.

But I hope you enjoy the picture.  I don't think I will ever get used to seeing myself this way.  I just hope the weight comes off as fast as it is coming on!

The Family That Votes Together, Stays Together

Me and E always try to go and vote together in the mornings before work. It's nice because we have someone to talk to while we wait in line and someone to laugh with about the crazy things going on at our voting precinct. This morning was no exception. My husband has one of those names that if you add a letter to the end of his name, it turns into a girls name. Well, fortunately, the letter needed to make his name a girls name is also the first letter of his middle name. Since his name is on my military ID, we are often confused for each other. I went through the line, handed the beehive haired old ladies my id, and watched her write my last name on the signature chart but got distracted and didn't watch her write my first name. I signed and stood in line to vote.

The next thing I know, E is in a very confusing predicament because he is having to explain his name and his wife's name are NOT the same. Aunt Bea says "Who is Mrs. Bailey?" I walk back over to the table and we have to explain our names all over again. Luckily the people in line behind us all thought it was pretty funny and weren't too annoyed. ...And I didn't even get a sticker!! What's up with that?

All worth it though!! Don't forget to go and vote. You can't complain about politics for the next 4 years unless you vote today!!!

Lots of pictures coming from our weekend activites but E is supposed to send them to me later on.