weekend wrapup

good monday morning! i hope you all had a great weekend - we did!

i'm also linking up here :)

I think the greatest thing about this weekend is that we didn't really do anything. or we didn't have any plans. the past two weekends have been devoted to yard sale and i think we were both ready for a chill weekend to do some work around the house!

of course, we did sneak in some relaxation, too! during one of our text convos on friday, hubs and i decided to do a pizza and movie date at home, since it had been awhile. he got the movies and i picked up a Papa Murphy's pizza. we rented Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Footloose, and 13. I fell asleep during 13, but hubby said he waws not impressed - although he typically loves any movie with Jason Statham!

saturday morning, hubs decided to seed our lawn. we have horrible sand burrs and have wanted to seed since we moved to our house 2.5 years ago, so now that we have a kid who will be running around outside, we figured now is the time! let me tell you, that was a project all in its own. he started out by mowing and weedeating on saturday, as well as renting the aerator and seeder. then most of the day yesterday was used to aerate, seed, and aerate again. wowza. we really hope all the time and money pays off with a fab yard with plush green grass.

while he was outside working, i slaved away inside. since cooper has been born, i have been SO lax on cleaning, i've made sure to wash the dishes, cook and keep the living room/bathroom cleaned, but that's about it. well, this weekend i managed to clean the kitchen/dining room, living room, main bath, master bath and master bedroom. i did work in our spare bedroom for a bit. the nursery stays pretty clean, but does need to be dusted. i also accomplished several  loads of laundry - although, come to think of it, there is still a load in the dryer. Whoops.

Question - how do you all handle unannounced visitors? Without giving a lot of details ... yesterday, some of J's relatives stopped in without calling first. Mind you, they live an hour away. Of course, when they came, he was in the middle of all his work outside and Coop was in the middle of a bit of a meltdown, wanting to be fed and take a nap. I tried to nicely suggest that if they want to come, it's not an issue, but we would appreciate a phone call. Obvs they are primarily coming to see Cooper, and it's really not ideal for them to visit during a feeding or nap time. This isn't really the first time we've had problems with it either. They typically call, but sometimes literally 10 minutes from when they get to the house. I guess I just feel like if you are driving an hour, you can give people some notice. What if we weren't home? What if we had other visitors? What if I just needed to get dressed and pick up some around the house? No, they don't drive up solely to see us, but it's still out of the way. I just find it incredibly rude not to give someone notice. I did make a remark that I didn't know they were coming or we would have told them to come at a different time, and I think they sorta took offense to it. Am I in the wrong here?

This is a hectic week for us! So therefore, not a lot of cooking. But here's the menu plan for the week:

Sunday: PW's chicken spaghetti left over from last week & salad. {Note: I omit all veggies in this recipe. SO healthy, I know}
Monday: I have a banquet to attend, so hubby is on his own! I bought some pre-made hamburger patties yesterday, though, so I'd imagine he'll have that.
Tuesday: Nacho pie & salad. I'm not sure what recipe I will use yet but will post once i decide.
Wednesday: Leftover nacho pie
Thursday: Hubs and I are attending another banquet.
Friday: Salmon patties, fried potatoes, macaroni in tomato juice
Saturday: TBD. I'm really hoping for a pretty day so maybe I can convince hubs to grill!

How was your weekend/what are you looking forward to this week?



Pin It

this weekend {plus menu monday}

• I almost got all the laundry done!
• We watched a chick flick while cuddled on the couch and I fell asleep. Whoops.
• We ate way too much ... including baking a cake at 8 p.m. Saturday. Funfetti is the best ... and I think in the future, we will ALWAYS make a bundt cake, warm up the icing and just pour it on top - so easy!
• Cooper got some quality time with his grandparents.
• He also got to see his aunt, uncle and cousins. However, he wasn't in a very good mood when they came and pretty much insisted on sitting in his Bumbo the entire time.
• We went on a family walk to test out the jogging stroller {although we didn't jog much.} This little guy is our little Cee Lo :)

3.04.12

• Poor baby woke up this morning with a snotty nose and, after eating, coughed and spit up A LOT. So much I had to take off my T-shirt AND his jammies. But then he smiled and giggled while daddy got him suctioned {again} and dressed for the day.
• We did the "balancing broom" trick. These sort of photos have been blowing up my facebook feed so we tried it. My parents were there and thought I was crazy, but it worked! Some people said it's like the egg one and due to the planet alignment/gravitational pull, but some Googling indicates it's really just a balancing act. Have you tried it? {For the record, this is an angled broom.}

• And here's our menu for the week. Last week we did pretty good, but ended up with McD's one night and some leftovers lasted longer so I never did make our chicken dish.
• Sunday: Hamburger and rice, mashed potatoes, green beans
• Monday: Hamburgers, French Fries
• Tuesday: OMG Chicken, Alfredo noodles, salad

Source: theenchantedcook.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: More leftovers :)
• Friday: Salmon patties, fried potatoes, bowties in tomato juice
• Saturday: TBD. Probably something super unhealthy, like pizza.

Pin It

weekend wrap-up/menu monday

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was OK.

Friday night we were pretty lazy and just watched TV.

Oh, and I'm happy to report that Mr. Cooper {apparently} just needed his swaddle to sleep through the night. He did about nine hours every night since I gave it back.

On {Saturday} we had a big day planned. After breakfast and morning nap, we headed up to the big city of Cape Girardeau for some shopping. We hit up a home improvement-type store to get some ideas for our bathrooms, kitchen, tile, etc. The only project in our near future is the basement, but we've never been in this store, so we thought it would be fun to check it out. We also hit up Hob Lob for a few things for a project in Cooper's room.

After that, we went to visit our friends Josh & Liz and have lunch with them. Little man was an angel and I'd say a great baby salesman. Seriously - if any of you ladies need help convincing your man the time is right, have us for a visit! He cooed, smiled, entertained himself while we were eating and was just perfect!

Sweet little angel - 2.25.12

love him SO much!

We also hit up the mall so I could use some of my store birthday coupons. At VS, I bought a racerback yoga tank as well as some yoga crop pants. Maybe having cute clothes will encourage me to begin working out again? And at Penney's, I bought a khaki trench coat that I think will be perfect for spring!

We also hit up Tar-jay and Kohls. Kohls is having AMAZING clearance right now, by the way. I actually stayed out of my department and just picked up a few things I'm hoping will fit Coop next winter.

Once we got home, we had to run over and feed J's brother's horses as they were out of town. Hubby isn't too familiar with these horses, so Coo pand I went with just in case. We also picked up some supper at a little diner on the way home. I ordered a yummy chef salad, and it looked delish - until I took a bite and realized they put onions in although I requested they didn't. BOOOOOOO! I still ate most of it, picking around the yuckiness, although I probably shouldn't have

Because ... I didn't sleep well at all that night and on {Sunday} woke up with a horrible stomachache, headache, etc.. I mean, I got up to feed Coop then went back to bed until 11 a.m., when I got up, forced myself to eat some cereal, then fed Coop again and went back to bed. Around 3 p.m. I finally felt good enough to do some housework. I'm pretty convinced it's that the onions did a number on my system, which reminds me why I don't like to eat them.

I slept much better last night {like a three-month baby} and am glad that today is so beautiful!

On to the menu plan. Ugh. I feel like I am in a MAJOR cooking rut right now. If you have any favorite, easy recipes you think I should try, please leave them in the comments!

Sunday: Leftover pork chops, cheesy potatoes, mac & cheese. Brownie sundae for dessert!
Monday: Lasagna, salad
Tuesday: BBQ sandwiches, fries, mac & cheese
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: OMG chicken {recipe from Pinterest}, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday: Tunafish sandwiches, tomato soup
Saturday: Leftovers.


Pin It

miscellany monday

Hi again :)

Let's not talk about how long its taken me to get this up. Blogger is ca-razy today!

• Our weekend was ah-mazing. I pretty much chnaged from one pair of pajamas/lounge pants to another the entire time. To me, that is heaven.
• We did rent a couple of movies on Friday night. I got Bridesmaids and Killer Elite. I had heard great things about Bridesmaids but was disappointed - it was so uninteresting to me, I fell asleep. Hubby did enjoy his movie - obvs, since it has Jason Statham.
• I'm so jealous I'm not off work today. We get a lot of holidays, but NOTHING is planned off in February or August, so it stinks.
• This morning, my babysitter told me she thinks she has bronchitis. My kneejerk reaction was to just grab my baby and walk out the door, but that wasn't exactly feasible. I do plan to leave the office shortly after noon and work from home, then have my mom watch him tomorrow because I don't want him to be exposed. Is that crazy?
• I just realized I've hit 50 followers! I may have to do a giveaway soon :)
• I'm trying really hard to eat more fruits and veggies, but it's tough. I mean, cookies and chips sound so much better.
• I totally fell off the Fab Ab Feburary train. Blaming it on my birthday. I got behind, did some doubles to try and catch up, been busy, blah blah blah. Now I'm a full week behind. Maybe I'll start it back up tonight? Or March 1?
• I did a bit of extra work with my freelance job this month and was excited to have the "extra" money. Then I got my vehicle insurance bill and it hit me that the billing is different now since my parents transferred the title for my old car. So much for money in savings.
• Hubby and I spent a good two hours yesterday organizing the hospital bills, EOBs, etc. from my maternity care/Cooper's birth. I think it's all in line now. I did somehow pay $76 (over the phone) but can't find the bill for it. I'm calling today.
• Speaking of bills, I got an almost $2K EOB from the doctors office and best not ever get the bill. Long story short: I intended to get Mirena but the nurse pracitioner who saw me for my postpartum appt. couldn't get it placed. She figured it was a polyp or something, so had me come back the next day to see the actual doctor. They thought they had it placed, but failed TWICE. I have a retroverted uterus. Anyhow, they told me I wouldn't be charged, but it appears they turned it into my insurance ... and then my insurance denied coverage b/c she is apparently not in my network. If I get a bill, I will raise all kinds of hell.
• We did a lot of talking about money, the budget, etc. over the weekend. Basically, we decided to be very aggressive this year to get a lot paid off so we can begin working toward other projects {ie a horse barn.} I'm excited, as it means we shouldn't have any debt other than our house and my care by Jan. 1, but nervous about not having a lot of flexible money, funds for vacation, etc.
• I hate grocery shopping at Walmart. I try to only go once a month.
• I feel like I am in a cooking rut. Here's the tentative menu:
• Sunday: Hamburgers and fries
• Monday: BBQ meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans
• Tuesday: Pork chops in gravy, mashed potatoes, slaw
• Wednesday: Salmon patties, fried potatoes, noodles in tomato juice
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
• Saturday: Out. I'm hoping for either Olive Garden or a hibachi grill
• Happy Monday! What random things are going on in your life?

Pin It

miscellany monday

Linking up @ lowecase letters.

{1} The hubs and I went out for a bit on Saturday night. Some friends went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a birthday dinner and my parents always more or less beg for time with Coop, so we went out to eat. Delish. Our local franchise was also celebrating five years in business on Saturday, so we came home with some new T-shirts (yay pajamas!), Budweiser hats, and I won a cool Bud Light UFC octagon-shaped cooler.

Mister Cooper did well and they got him to bed just before we got home (around 11). He had A LOT to eat, so hubby and I were shocked when he woke up crying around 12:30 a.m. - Coop never wakes up and is that loud. I went in Cooper's room to rub his stomach and kiss him and he was OK a couple minute then started in again, so I sent hubby to do the same. After that, Coop was fine. I thought it was sweet but sad - like since we weren't home to put him to bed he still wanted his good night loves.

{2} Coop is growing so quickly and I hate that he's outgrowing clothes. NB to 0-3 didn't really bother me, because he only had a handful of newborn clothes, but now that he's too tall for the 0-3 sleepers with feet, I am very sad. I kinda refuse to pack them up. I am, however, excited to get him in some of his super cute 3-6 month clothes. This is what he wore while we went shopping yesterday ... oh my cuteness!

{3} I've mentioned before how much Cooper loves his swing, AKA the magician. Well, yesterday he was just a swingin' and hubby came to get me. Coop was looking in the mirror, making faces and smiling at himself. Too cute! Of course when I moved a bit closer to get a picture, he turned and smiled at me. Melts my heart.

{4} This morning I heard the song "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride and it made me think of Coop. He really does make me want to be a better person.

When he wraps his hand around my finger,

How it puts a smile in my heart,

Everything becomes a little clearer,

I realize what life is all about,

It's hanging on when your heart is has enough,

It's giving more when you feel like giving up,

I've seen the light,

In my son's eyes.

(Changed to he/his :))

{5} I LOVE the Prime country station on XM. I'm really going to hate it when our complimentary subscription expires next month. 

{6} I tried out a couple of new Pinterest recipes over the weekend.

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: stamps4fun.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

These were SO good. I'm actually considering doing the egg muffins every weekend so we'll have quick, easy and wholesome breakfasts for the week. I used sausage yesterday, but think ham and bacon would be delish as well ... gotta mix it up :)

{7} I am still on the payroll at my old job at the newspaper as a liaison/freelancer. Well, one of my former coworkers had hand surgery so they've asked me to help out however possible. So last week I clocked about 14 hours. (But five of those weren't in full - I stop at the local police station to look through the incident reports every morning and claim a full hour, although it's typically only 15 or so minutes a day.) I'm going to love the extra money, but it's rough doing it! Especially when I'd rather spend all my time with a cute little boy who likes to smile :)

{8} I'm wearing a dress today because I have no clean work-appropriate pants that fit. Ugh.

{9} Life is kinda blah. I really wish there were some holiday/time off work between now and March 14, when our spring break begins. I guess my birthday is next week, but it hasn't been made into a national holiday yet.

{10} Speaking of my birthday, I have no real idea what I want. I had the same problem with Christmas. I think it would be nice to have some new clothes though. Shirts for my post-baby body. Because things are still pretty lose. I'd love a treadmill, but that's a HUGE investment that we honestly cannot afford right now.

So ... how was your weekend?


Pin It

Miscellany Monday

{1} So, I'd planned to post nursery pictures today since we finally got everything hung on Friday night, but silly me, I left my memory card at home! So it will have to wait until tomorrow probably.

{2} Part of me hopes I'll be introducing you to Baby R before I reveal the nursery. I know I'm biased, but I seriously think it's the most beautiful room I've ever seen!

{3} I've had lots of "baby action" over the weekend, but never enough to push me into active labor. Grrr. I joke if baby is like me, he/she will come today or tomorrow - right on time or a little early. Of course, if like daddy, he/she will be late.

{4} Friday and Saturday, I got pretty amazing sleep. And napped during the day Saturday/Sunday. Last night, I was up off and on from 2-6 a.m. I don't think I will be making it at work past noon today.

{5} Other than the obvious, what are tips/tricks you've heard for getting the baby out? Right now, our house is in order - I contemplated staying home today, but reasoned with hubby that all I'd have to do is wash dishes and pick up the spare bedroom - combined, these tasks shouldn't take more than an hour. So I assumed I'd just be bored and came into work anyhow. I've eaten pineapple, taken long, relaxing baths and done the nesting thing. In fact, when I was up this morning, I folded a load of towels around 3 a.m. - am I crazy?

{6} Is it bad that part of me hopes to be in the hospital on Thanksgiving? I don't want to be running around, nor do I want people stopping by all day. I'm in a generally pissy mood these days and hate it, so I try to avoid people.

{7} I do love how clean our house is though. J even cleaned out our shed and garage over the weekend. And we got to spend some great time together ... you know, he watched some shows that we'd DVR'd to clear up space, while I napped.

{8} I totally planned to bake some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins yesterday, but I never had the energy to do so.

{9} If you are tired of hearing me talk about pregnancy things, feel free to say so. I'm kind of sick of it too.

{9} I've noticed that, as my due date nears, I'm getting more daily page views. If you are new and stopping by, please say hi! And if you haven't yet, vote to guess our baby's gender - since my due date is tomorrow, I think it's set up to close then as well.

{11} Our menu plan for the week looks something like this:

Sunday - Applebees
Monday - Something with chicken ...
Tuesday - Dinner with friends (I think I am taking a salad? better check on that!)
Wednesday - BBQ sandwiches, french fries
Thursday - TURKEY DAY! We've had plenty of offers for dinner, including people who say they'll bring food to us in the hospital
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - We'll see. Maybe just frozen pizza?

miscellany monday

{babies are a lot of work}

seriously. how am i supposed to rest before the baby comes when we have a million or so things to do? ha! it's actually not that bad, it was just a busy weekend. we got quite a bit done yesterday though. thank goodness. i'm waiting on the prints for the walls which i should be able to pick up today, and i think once i get that done, the nursery will finally be ready. we still have a to-do list, but i condensed about three pages to one yesterday morning. and we keep adding things!

and yes, i realize i should enjoy the time i have now, because it will be even less once tuff arrives.

{yummy food}

so, we played texas hold 'em with some friends on saturday. as usual, the food was delish! i made a veggie pizza - simplest appetizer ever and decently healthy. pre-baked crust, veggies, cream cheese and a ranch dressing packet. so yummy, i used the other crust and rest of the packet to make another yesterday and that is today's lunch :) and lynn made her delish "artery cloggers" - little smokies wrapped in bacon, topped with brown sugar and baked. yum-o. baby was definitely a fan of those.

{new hair}

i've mentioned that i had a hair appt. friday and didn't want the baby to come before that. hey, it hadn't been cut since late august! i wanted something different but didn't know what, and figured now isn't the best time to start styling my hair differently. so we added some caramel and blonde highlights, trimmed as usual and also threw in a side bang. LOVE. but forgot to get pictures. i think what i love most is that i still haven't washed it and it only took about 5 minutes to touch up this morning.

{drama}

why do some people feel like they need to be in on EVERYTHING that goes on it others' lives? and if they don't know things, they practically get jealous and go nosing around? if i want you to know something, i will tell you! don't look at my facebook status that is ambiguous for a reason then go calling my husband to hint around and try to find out. grrrrrrr.

{menu monday}

so as i was cleaning out our upstairs freezer yesterday, i noticed that we have a lot of pre-made food that probably needs to be eaten. my mom has frozen a few dishes for us and several other people have told me they plan to bring food after baby is born so i'm trying to create some space. which means this week will be very simple:

Sunday - Long John's. Grocery shopping took longer than anticipated :(

Monday - Something with boneless pork chops. If it weren't dark so soon, I'd just have hubby grill them ...

Tuesday - Meatball subs, fries, salad

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Kettle beef and gravy (from the freezer), mashed potatoes, corn, rolls.

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - ??? Maybe we'll be able to have one final date night? i haven't been to a movie in forever ... but then again, would i really enjoy it considering how many bathroom breaks i need these days?

miscellany monday

This week, y'all get my recap in a possibly more coherent format :) Sorry in advance it's so boring without photos, I just haven't been dragging my camera out lately, and our home Internet is slow while the computer at work is slow, so I need to figure something out ...

{Birthday party}

We went to a kid's fifth birthday party on Friday. I remember when this baby was born - actually, I remember when his SEVEN year old sister was born. How do they grow up so fast?

{Missouri sports rock}

Friday night, the "Wild Card" St. Louis Cardinals clinched the World Series title in Game 7. This was seriously the team that was never supposed to make it to the postseason, much less win the Series. And I stayed up to watch the entire game. Yes, I was proud of myself for not passing out on the couch.

Saturday, Mizzou (my alma matter) which isn't even ranked played No. 16 Texas A&M. And we won in overtime.

No offense to any readers from Texas, but I think that this weekend, we did mess with Texas. Sorry about that.

{making a list, checking it twice}

I am such a Type-A planner (and love to-do lists - mostly because I like marking things off :)) that I've been doing lots of list making lately. We not only crossed off some very important things on the to-do list over the weekend, we also did some shopping so I'll have cute, yet comfy and appropriate things for the hospital, bought Tuff's baby book and a few other things. It's all washed and I just need to finish gathering everything up and throw it in a bag so we're ready.

also, on Friday, I made a list of the things we still need to buy. granted I spent over $100 on a monitor last week, but i was shocked and overwhelmed to see that there isn't much left on the list, the biggest of which being a changing pad and cover, and i'm glad no one bought that because I'm sorta picky as it is. people really love babies :)

soon, i'm going to make a list of the blog topics i still want to address before maternity leave or to schedule for while i'm at home getting used to be a mommy. i know i want to do my birth plan and packing list (so i have them if there is another baby in our future!) as well as a nursery reveal - hopefully one before baby and an update later with all the fun gender appropriate things we do. anything else you'd like to know?

{menu planning}

i used to menu plan like, all the time. then i fell off the wagon but still did a good job of having something on the table every night and having variety. then i got pregnant and we were lucky if we had a frozen pizza in the oven. well, now i'm OK to cook again as long as they are semi easy meals, but i keep forgetting to get the meat out to thaw in the morning! so i decided to make a plan this week. let's see how it goes.

Sunday - Leftover ham and beans, fried potatoes, cornbread
Monday - Pork chops with gravy, mashed potatoes, corn (a fave meal!)
Tuesday - Out to eat (dr appt)
Wednesday - Lemon pepper chicken with oven-baked parsley potatoes, green beans
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Taco pizza
Saturday - Leftovers. We'll have a big lunch that day so won't need much.

I think that's it! I don't have any links to the above recipes - I'm kinda a make it on the fly or cookbook type of girl - but if you'd like them, let me know and I'll send.

miscellany monday

Happy Monday, friends! I can't believe it's already almost 3 p.m.

I hope you all had a good weekend! Ours had a good mix of work and play :)

{ready for work}

ever have one of those weekends that's so busy you're ready to go back to work? that's how i felt last night! i don't even think it's that we were busy pretty much every waking minute as much as that we were doing hard work. stuff that would wear me out no matter what, but especially at practically seven months pregnant.

{nesting?}

we finished building our shelves under the stairway on thursday. we're trying to make the best possible use of our space and organize all the storage. plus shelves mean we don't have things all over the floor, so if the water table gets so high water seeps in again, we're prepared :)

anyhow, we spent friday night putting the storage items back in the closet and getting the hallway and bathroom cleaned - meaning wiping down the walls, shop vac-ing where the floor and wall meets, wiping down the walls, then mopping - twice!

i think it was about 10 p.m. by the time we headed upstairs?

tired as i was, i COULD NOT sleep in on saturday morning. so i let my hubby sleep in while i started cleaning the kitchen. that morning i got the kitchen/dining room, living room and main bath all cleaned! thank goodness i just did them a week ago - cleaning really does go so much better when it's done on a regular basis.

anyhow after i did all that i needed a break so i laid down "for 10 minutes." which turned into a 1.5 hour nap. whoops. oh well, i guess Tuffy and i needed it :) we had a couple of birthday parties that night, so i spent the rest of the day getting ready for that and running into town for cards. and yes, i danced the night away, pregnant and all. with high school kids there. ha!

yesterday after doing some more cleaning around the house, i convinced hubs to help me carry some of the larger baby items down to the basement for storage. i'm clumsy and didn't want to fall :) apparently that was all the encouragement he needed to get started down there and we ended up getting things back in order in most of the space! we got the hallway lined out, cleared off our pool table, shop vac-ed around the entire area, got our workout room in order and more! considering our basement has been a disaster and embarrassment since April, i was so glad we got all of that done! we only lack 1-2 hours down there and feel like we can enjoy our basement again. it does still need the trim and we plan to install doors, but that can be done in the winter when there is no yard work and the nursery is ready :)

{annoyed}

can anyone say that wedding planning isn't expensive and stressful? a friend (who is really more of an acquaintance these days) is getting married this weekend. it's her second marriage. but today she's just been posting about how stressful and expensive her wedding is. well, duh! and we don't want to hear about it. i planned my wedding in about eight weeks but those are the choices we make. do i hate how much some of it cost? yup! but i didn't have to do all of that either, and i didn't go practically begging for help. i could have just gone to the courthouse and it would have been a lot cheaper and less expensive. i don't need to read five posts from you in one day.

{weather}

i am so grateful that my east coast friends are all safe after the earthquake and hurricane. it definitely has been a rough year for disasters. not sure how much truth there is to it, but apparently FEMA is suspending payments to some of the tornado victims in Joplin to help with relief from Irene. i'm all about helping the hurricane victims, but i just don't think this is the right way to go about it. silly federal government.

{maternity pictures}

my maternity pictures are approaching very soon and i am just clueless. i have no idea what to wear (what i like on me changes from day to day.) and since we don't know the gender, i am trying to think of unique things.

{reveal}

i LOVE gender reveals. i'd like to do something cute at the hospital for those who come up (although i'd love to not let anyone know i've even been admitted until we have a babe in our arms.) all i can come up with right now are cupcakes. suggestions?

ok, I think that's enough randomness for this monday. have a great week!

Miscellany Monday

It's been awhile since I've participated in miscellany monday but all I've got is randomocities today, so here goes.

{weekend}

is it just me, or do the weekends just keep getting shorter and shorter? i cannot believe that it's already monday. What's more, I can't believe that I'm beginning the fourth week at my job. time really does fly.

as the rodeo was still in town, that consumed a lot of our time. friday afternoon, i went home and napped and we planned to go to the rodeo for a bit that night (we had passes, not tickets, so it makes no impact on our wallet whether we go). well, by the time J got out of the shower, it was rumbling and the sky opened up about a half hour later! so we stayed home and had a movie night instead :)

that night, the president of the college informed me he was planning to be in the rodeo parade saturday morning and he wanted me to take pictures. we weren't planning to go, but headed out. hey, i'm trying to get a bit of a paid maternity leave, ha! it was actually BEAUTIFUL weather so we also went to the little festival afterwards. we had amazing barbecue and kettle corn. yes, i am addicting Baby R to kettle corn while in utero. don't judge.

saturday afternoon, i napped to get rested up for the rodeo that night. rodney atkins was the featured performer and i didn't want to miss it! we got to stand right behind the stage, in the chutes, to watch the concert.

we have such a great group of friends back there and every time i turned someone was making sure i didn't need a water, help getting down, or anything like that. in fact, i rode in on the tractor pulling the stage, and my friend in there promised that next year Baby Tuff and I can ride with him again. so sweet! we stayed out until about 2 a.m. pretty late for this mama! yesterday, we did a lot of work around the house and outside. have to get ready for baby!

{cooking}

i'm seriously in the dumps when it comes to cooking. poor jimmy, i barely cook a "real" meal anymore ... mostly because it sorta nauseates me to cook and i just don't have the energy. i've realized i probably need to start menu planning again but don't feel inspired. so will you all share a favorite recipe with me? keep it easy, please, but i just need to shake things up. oh, and we don't like onions, peppers or mushrooms, so make sure it doesn't have those ingredients or they can be omitted.

i'm also trying to clean out the deep freeze in the next couple of months, so i can do a big batch of freezer cooking in october to prepare for the baby.

{life}

i realized how crazy i am for getting married and starting a job while pregnant. there are not enough hours in the day. our wedding list is pretty much wrapped up, but we haven't made a dent on baby. first off we need to finish registering. then i need to get the list and addresses for everyone i want to invite to my two showers compiled. considering i am compiling lists for work right now in a major way, that's just not something i want to do when i get home!

{big brother + fall tv}

so what are my fellow BB fans thinking about this season? i'm actually kinda bored with it. i'd want dani to win if i didn't hate her. i love jeff and jordan but don't think they've had to really play the game so far. i have no idea where anything is going this season ...

any 2.5 men fans out there? are you watching with ashton? i can't decide if i want to. i really do want to see how they write out charlie and introduce the new character though, so i guess i'll watch a few and see where it leads.

i'm also excited about rules of engagement, hawaii five-O, criminal minds, himym and the mentalist. i just love the beginning of the season.

{baby names}

J and i are still coming up with possible baby names. one of our criteria is that we want it to be a "normal" name that's not used a lot. for instance, my niece's name is natalie. not super popular, but a traditional name she can grow into. plus, it's appropriate for a child and an adult. we also want to make sure our kid doesn't have to go by a last initial. well, one of our boy names was reid. (yes, after spencer reed on criminal minds!) anyhow, last week we learned a couple that's due later this month, whose son will go to the same school as our kid, is using that name. rats! we haven't really been sharing our names for that reason. so either it's total coincidence, or j's loud-mouth sister-in-law told. either way, my baby names are really under lock and key now. luckily, we've been leaning toward using reid as a middle name here lately anyhow, so it wasn't total torture. our other two boy names begin with a c :)

i think that's it for today. hope you all had a great weekend!

Monday tidbits

— In FIVE DAYS I will be a married woman. Wow. I can't believe it. Time sure does fly!


— I had a minor freak out this weekend when my mom told me she couldn't find my birth certificate. She still has my 30-year-old brother's but apparently, not mine. Although I was sure I didn't have it, I looked in the two places it might be and it wasn't there either. Luckily I called Ala. this morning and I don't need it for the marriage license. Whew. 


— I have another big announcement coming tomorrow :) 2011 is definitely a year of change for me. Any guesses? 


— If you want to guest blog while I am away, let me know TODAY please. 


— How can I keep up with your blogs on my iPhone? Is there an app for that? 


— Every night this weekend is already planned out. 


— Have I mentioned how I recently fell in love with sweet potato fries? While at Sam's over the weekend, I spotted a HUGE bag and squealed. In the middle of the store. Best eight bucks I've ever spent. For the first time, I stole fries from J's plate :)


— The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning house, doing laundry and checking on our friends pool while he was out of town. 


— We measured my biggest point on my belly over the weekend and it was 37. Freak out! But then we measured Jim's waist and it was 38 (true waist, not wear he wears his pants.) So I felt a little better, since I think he is super skinny. 


— We go to the baby doctor tomorrow! I'm excited to see my little peanut again and *hoping* (for his safety) that it is the last time we see him before he comes back. And we're still holding strong on not finding out the sex :)


— I'm trying to decide what to buy Baby from Gulf Shores. He has a onesie from Branson, so I'm leaning towards maybe a bib? Or perhaps a bigger shirt to wear when he gets older and will wear it more than once, ha!


— Back to work, break time is over and I have a million and a half things to do today. 

miscellany monday

{one}

i am seriously ready for summer weather! bring on the 90s, please. after we gave in and turned the air conditioner on thursday, i was contemplating turning the heat back on last night. i know i live in missouri and all, but seriously?

{two}

i woke up at 4 a.m. today. with a headache. so i'm not in a pleasant mood.

{three}

speaking of early wake-ups, j's phone rang at 3:30 a.m. saturday. i was not pleased. then when we saw it was our neighbor, we immediately knew it probably had something to do with our horses. sure enough doc, our stud horse, had gotten out (J forgot to fully latch the gate) and was down there trying to prance for our neighbor's mare (of course!) luckily j was able to easily catch doc. unfortunately, it was 4 a.m. by the time all this was over and i was planning to get up at 5 for work, so i lost 1.5 hours of much-needed sleep.

{four}

j is on vacation friday-thursday, so I think i am going to take a couple days off too! we live in southeast missouri and are thinking about a little getaway. not memphis or st. louis though, we've been both of those places. right now, it's looking like branson or chicago. do y'all have any suggestions? flying is crazy expensive, so preferably a four to six hour drive one way ....

{five}

supper is in the crock pot and i am super excited. i've been craving ham and beans, so at least this weather is perfect for that meal. now all i have to do is make up some cornbread once i get home.

{six}

are any of y'all survivor fans? i LOVE that rob won. he played an awesome game --- and was lucky enough to be on a tribe where people trusted him and he had total loyalty. thank goodness the jury saw he was the one of the three who actually worked to make it to the end, and had the brains to award him the money.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

miscellany monday

{unintended break}

Hi guys! Remember me? Haha, totally didn't mean to take an almost two-week break from blogging. But like I mentioned a couple weeks ago, SEMO was pounded with rain, which led to flooding due to backed up ditches, rising waterways and more. So I was working my booty off and also keeping water away from the house. Which equals one tired woman. But now that everything has receded and I'm no longer swimming in all this (puns intended) I'm hopefully back to the blog :)

{i love tv}

So, here are my thoughts on some of my fave TV shows right now:

— Amazing Race: LOVED the finale, but I wish Gary and Mallory had won. Or the cowboys (yup, a girl can wish!) I was OK with the team that won, and thanking heavens the Globetrotters did not. There's something about their attitude I don't like. 

— Survivor: Is the season finale seriously less than a week away? This has been a great season, and now that it's down the the final five who have been pretty tight all along, it's getting really interesting. I really love Rob, so I hope he or Grant win. 

— The Good Wife: Holy crap. Enough said. I can't wait to see how everything shakes out. 

— Y&R/Bold and Beautiful: Um, definitely sweeps time. I can't wait to see what happens with Sharon, as well as Brooke/Thomas.

— Rules of Engagement: Totally cracking me up.

{big boom!}

I'm really not sure how the national news has covered this, but you are probably aware that the Mississippi is HIGH. Well, due to the high stages, a floodway was activated in SEMO last week, to alleviate some of the water. Today, the same thing was set to happen in La. Anyhow, since I am a member of the media, I got to watch the first blast live. It was totally worth being in the freezing rain for two hours. Here's the AP photo. This was taken around 10 p.m. The boom was so big/loud it could be heard and felt up to 75 miles away in some areas!

{summer time!!!}

it's finally warming up here. thank goodness. it hit 80 degrees yesterday. unfortunately it's supposed to be back down to highs in the 60s on thursday (very sad face) but i'm taking advantage of this nice weather as much as I can.

{gardening}

I bought azaleas three weeks ago and they are still in the pots. And what little was planted in the garden in ruined after all the rain. So I'm hoping to get a lot of that work done soon!

{garage sale} 

due to all the rain and flooding, my mom and i didn't have our garage sale last week :( so now it's looking like june. I've got to have one soon, because I have a ton of junk treasures to get rid of. i'm thinking of pricing things SUPER cheap just to get rid of them. 

OK, that should catch you up on my life :) While I've been glancing at your blogs, I haven't been the best blog buddy, but I hope get back into regular reading/comments this week, too. 

LOVES!

miscellany monday

{1} springtime blues

it's hard to call it spring when the highs are in the 50s. i know the 80s we had last week are totally not average, but 50s aren't either. give me the 60s! actually, let's just skip spring and go straight to summer so i don't have to blow an entire paycheck on allergy meds, k? 

{2} hormones

this may be a bit TMI, but i've decided to stop taking my birth control for a month. definitely not trying to get pregnant. but i feel like it just isn't agreeing with me here lately. i totally blame it for some weight gain, because i really started gaining and couldn't lose in some places once i started the pill. i already feel a bit weird, but want to see how things are until i go see my doc in April. i mostly use the pill to regulate, so i'm interested in what other options i'll have if i decide to not use the pill anymore ...

{3} crazy woman

which would be me. this morning, i realized that i forgot to put the load of laundry i washed last night in the dryer. whoops. but they didn't stink, so i just threw this in this morning. am i the only one who does this? i am forever leaving loads in the wash and/or dryer. and it's just the two of us! what will i do when there is a bambino? 

{4} running

for those of you who have run a 5k ... how long does it take you to build up? right now i'm at the point where i can go about a mile running nonstop, then i rotate walking with running. i have just under three weeks to race day. this weather isn't helping training so i'm going to do the treadmill a bit. i'd like to run two miles, walk about a half, then run the rest. so is that even possible at this point? without me dying, of course. 

{5} blowing the budget

we went out on saturday night and dropped over $100. ouch. i remember back when we did that without blinking an eye, but that was back before we had a mortgage! ach! i've got to get back in savings mode. but with j going to a bachelor party this weekend and me planning a bachelorette and shower, i have a feeling i won't be able to save much until june. sigh. sometimes, it just sucks to be a grownup. 

{6} cleaning out the closet

with a yard sale coming up in just a month, i seriously need to start going through my closets. please tell me i'm not the only person who freaks about doing this?!?! i always think "what if..." you know, what if i lose 30 lbs, lol. actually, i'm gonna blame my mom for this one. she is the world's worst at holding on to things. she even second guesses me when we have sales about whether i "really" need to get rid of something. ugh. 

happy monday, friends!

miscellany monday

{1} I am absolutely in LOVE with this weather. We got to enjoy a fabulous weekend. Although I had to work for a few hours, inside, on Sunday, J got to enjoy the day outside and even got a bit of a sunburn. Today, the high might reach 90.


{2} And I'm even more excited that spring is finally here! If it weren't for all the pollen and my crazy allergies, it might be my favorite season.


{3} This weekend, we decided to redo our landscaping (that we just did last August) because a few of the plants didn't make it. I'm thinking we will have to get on the ball ASAP. 


{4} The 5K is four weeks from yesterday. Serious training begins today. I am contemplating whether I should do treadmill or a track. And speaking of fitness, I didn't do Fitness Friday last week because I felt really bad due to the medicine I was on and was eating a lot of carbs to cut down on the nausea, so I didn't want to step on the scale. Nor did I have the energy to work out.


{5} The scars on my chin have cleared and I'll finish the last of my antibiotic tomorrow. Yay! And I'm not getting nightly headaches anymore, either.


{6} We went to BWWs to watch the fights on Saturday. I picked every winner. Based on their shorts. Ha!


{7} I think that's it for today :)

miscellany monday

{1} I'm coming to you from my couch today :) Still in pajamas. It's a nasty, rainy day here, so for once, I'm glad that I'm scheduled to work this upcoming weekend because I get to stay home today :)


{2} We did, however, get some fabulous weather over the weekend. Friday was pretty nice and Saturday was forecast to be even better, so we made some last-minute plans for a barbecue with friends. Best part of barbecue weather? It's completely acceptable to be tipsy by 6 p.m.


{3} After so many people suggested I add the "words with friends" app, I did over the weekend, and it's safe to say that I am now obsessed. I've learned that J and I can't play each other thought - we are both so competitive and he actually got a little upset with me last night because of a move that I made. If you want to play, my name is Michelle1761.


{4} My laptop has a huge owie. It was sitting on the desk on Friday night and a heavy boot from the top shelf somehow crashed down and hit it. So now my LCD screen is cracked :( I'm waiting to hear back from the tech guy at work (which bought my laptop) to see what the best way is to fix it. I never thought my clumsiness would affect my electronics, too. 


{5} Since J and I got the house all cleaned on Friday/Saturday, I had awesome intentions to do some spring cleaning today. So far, I've played on the computer, paid two bills and fed the horses. Must.do.something.soon.


{6} I think I've mentioned that we are doing an 80s-themed party for my good friend's bachelorette? Well, my soon-to-be sister-in-law let me borrow four FABULOUS dresses and I can't decide which to wear. I may have a Blogger poll coming up soon ...


{7} Speaking of the bachelorette, the shower is the same weekend (April 8-10) and I am SO EXCITED to see my friend Bel, who moved to DC in October. 


{8} I've never watched a single episode of Dancing With The Stars, but am seriously considering adding it to my DVR lineup since Kendra is on this season. 


{9} I gave up soda for Lent and it's a lot tougher than I thought. I typically just have two or three a week, but it's a habit I wanted to try and kick and knew it would be an attainable goal. But I can't tell you how many times over the weekend I wanted to grab a Coke! I know some people consider Sundays as "cheat days" and as much as I wanted to do that yesterday, I stuck it out.