Saturday, January 30, 2010

My First Baby Shower

A week ago today I went to my very own baby shower. It was held in Oklahoma and it was so nice to be able to spend a few short hours with many friends and family members. I had four amazing friends (Amber, Shannon, Kayl, and Misty) host the event for me.


I actually hadn't seen Amber and Kayl in almost two years so it was nice to reconnect with them. It was also a chance for me to see one of my former college roommates (I hadn't seen her in over a year) and one of my friends since I was six years old (I hadn't seen her in over four years). It is truly nice knowing I have such long term, life long friends!

The shower itself had a "Fill Her Nest" theme, complete with birdhouses, bird statues and feathers. It was pretty darn adorable! My cake was fantastic! A chocolate chip cake with rolled fondant icing. It tasted as good as it looked, if not better!




I received all kinds of useful presents!!




One thing I do regret is not getting a group picture of every one who attended before my guests began to leave.

My awesome day was also very bittersweet. That's because I had to say an actual good-bye to someone for the first time in my life. It was this gal:


My amazing sister. She's moving to China in March. Needless to say, the waterworks started, and things weren't quite the same after she and our mom left.


Speaking of my sister, because of their big move, she loaded Greg and I up with all kinds of baby essentials, toys, and clothes. We honestly had to rent a U-Haul trailer just to get everything back home. I still need a few baby items, but overall I feel completely set to bring Baby Parker home in a few short months!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Cravings

I've always heard that pregnant women tend to crave weird stuff. Luckily for me, I haven't had any unusual cravings. Just food that sounds really good at that moment. That is, until last night. Last night, all I wanted was a twinkie...dipped in cool whip. Is this just my crazy pregnant hormones or does that sound amazing?!

On a side note, we're Oklahoma bound today! I'm so excited, but my back and I are both dreading the drive! Please pray for me! ;)

Friday, January 15, 2010

A sneak peek at the third floor

We have been quite the busy little bee's remodeling our house! But, for the moment we've come to a little bit of a stand still because, well, money doesn't grow on trees! (We are taking donations, though! lol) So, I figured I may as well post the before and after pics of some of the rooms on our third floor. The first pic is of our hallway. For some reason I forgot to take a before pic, but we painted the hallway a khaki color and all of our trim on the second and third floors has been wood filled and painted white.

Next are the pictures of our office. They are pretty self-explanatory..we used the same color that we painted the hallway (because I got a great deal on 5 gallons of that color for $30!). Installed blinds and hung a window treatment. The closet has never had a door and who knows how long it will be before we install one ourselves! P.S. Don't you just love the zebra accents? When I was in college I collected everything and anything zebra. By the time Greg and I moved in together he had officially banned it. I'm surprised he agreed to let me display some of it, but I think we both agree that it looks better than a bare room!




On to our master retreat! OK, it's really just a bedroom. As you will see below we painted it a blue that just happens to match my blue throw pillow. Hmm...I wonder how that happened! :) We also installed blinds and Greg mounted the TV on the wall. We still have quite a few things left to do in here, but who knows when they will be completed. Such as installing a new light fixture. Sorry I didn't take a picture of the light bulbs dangling above our bed, but trust me, they are there! We also plan on upgrading all the doors throughout the house and painting them white. But, we have so many other priorities right now that it may be a year from now before that happens. I would also love to get a nice window treatment to help accent our bedding!






The third floor also hosts a bathroom, which we haven't touched yet so I'll save those pictures for another time! And also the nursery!!! I'm hoping to have it completed in about a month and then it will get it's very own post! I'm pretty pumped about it! Stay tuned for pictures of the second floor which will come soon!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Have you noticed?

My cute little pregnancy ticker at the top of my page that I added a few weeks ago? I think it's pretty cool, but then again I may be a little biased. Here's the great thing about it though. Remember me mentioning in my post below that I'm not that great with math? Yeah, numbers and I don't mesh well. I know that my weeks for my pregnancy begin on Tuesdays. So today while I was substituting (yup, you read that right) I was sitting on a bench during recess trying to remember what week I was at. I knew it was possibly 25 but very well could be 24. Once I got home, I quickly logged onto my blog just to comment back to a comment that one of my cousins left and I happened to look at my little ticker. Wouldn't you know, I'm actually 26 weeks today! Wow! Where has the time gone?

OK, I would have figured that out as soon as I took my trusty "What To Expect When You're Expecting" book off the bookshelf to read what's going on in my tummy this week, but I thought it was cute that my blog was what reminded me that my little boy will be here before I know it!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

100th Post

Today is a landmark! I finally reached my 100th post! Go me! As you can tell from the date though, the eager beaver in me has been working on this list for quite some time because I thought I would reach this point in my blog a lot sooner! Oh well! So, here's 100 random things about me! Enjoy!

1. My name means Happy
2. I love wearing fake flowers in my hair!
3. I would be a happy camper if I could attend a yoga class every single day.
4. I'm pretty sure I've never been kissed under the mistletoe.
5. I have a bachelors degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a concentration in Retail Merchandising.
6. My husband and I literally met on a street corner.
7. In college, I had the coolest beta fish named Sushi. She would literally jump for her food. No lie!
8. I love seafood.
9. I didn't change my first diaper until I was 26.
10. I have a huge weakness for popcorn. Once I start, I can't stop!
11. I can only swim if I know my feet can touch the bottom. Otherwise I completely freak out!
12. I want to get invisalign or braces before I turn 30.
13. My husband and I have flipped three houses.
14. I'm trying to learn about the stock market.
15. I can french braid my own hair, but not someone Else's.
16. I have an extremely weak stomach when it comes to seeing blood. I discovered this my senior year in high school. I had the opportunity to watch a live open heart surgery and literally had to quit watching because I thought I was going to pass out. Then, the same year, I was the typical "girl" who threw up in front of my entire biology class while we were dissecting frogs.
17. Thanks to the dynamics of step-families, my husband and I have a whopping 18 nieces and nephews combined (2 of who are older than me! lol!).
18. I've never been to a chiropractor.
19. I had lasik surgery and now have 20/15 vision!
20. I love hosting parties! Be it bridal showers, bachelorette parties, baby showers, etc!
21. I collect crystal. (Fifth Avenue "Portico" in case anyone is curious!)
22. I'm pretty dog prejudice. I have certain breeds that I like, other than that, I'd prefer to cuddle with a cat!
23. My parents didn't allow me to wear make-up in high school. (Of course my friends would sneak me their reject mascara and powder).
24. When someone I know gets married, the girl in me always hopes that I'll be a bridesmaid. It doesn't matter to me if we're very close or not, I always hope they just need someone as an "extra". My husband says I'm a freak, but I just want to wear a pretty dress and get my hair and make-up done!
25. I love MAC make-up.
26. I am pretty good with a map and have a fairly keen sense of direction.
27. I love calling to win prizes from radio stations! (And yes, I've actually won several things, including tickets to Jessica Simpson and Kid Rock live in concert)
28. One of my favorite places is Wintersmith Park in Ada, OK.
29. I love singing along to the "freecreditreport.com" commercials!
30. I actually think it's fun to roll coins into wrappers.
31. I regret not hiring a professional photographer for my wedding.
32. Along those same lines, I love looking at photography and reading photography blogs. However, I don't think I could ever be a professional photographer because I just don't have that "eye" if you know what I mean.
33. I sold Avon in college as a "side job" but am pretty sure I never actually made any money with everything that I bought.
34. I paid my own way through college and it killed me when I had to take out a student loan to pay for my last two semesters. (Luckily I paid it off a few years ago when we flipped one of the houses I mentioned above!)
35. I love going to dance recitals.
36. I've never been in a car wreck while I have been behind the wheel.
37. I have to sleep holding a pillow. If I am someplace where there is only one pillow available, I will sacrifice having one under my head just so I can hold it!
38. I lived in Oklahoma for most of my life and have never seen an actual tornado.
39. I don't know how I ever cleaned before the invention of Clorox Wipes.
40. Along those same lines, my husband is the one who showed me the proper way to clean a toilet.
41. I absolutely love movie trailers. I'm really frustrated if we actually go to the movies and I've missed all of them.
42. I am a fan of sunscreen! It surprises me that people don't know that one can still get a tan while wearing sunscreen.
43. I have to have a recipe to cook by. I'm not one of those people who can just throw something together and it tastes amazing.
44. I don't hold my pen the "right" way.
45. I used to be afraid of the oven.
46. I have never been camping. (I don't think our 5th wheel counts).
47. The thing that Greg and I argue the most about is the temperature. I am always cold!
48. When I was little my hands were always calloused because I spent so much time playing on the monkey bars!
49. I have never been able to do the splits. And believe me; I was always trying!
50. My 10 year high school reunion was last year. Unfortunately, we didn't bother having a reunion.
51. I fully support adopting a pet from an animal shelter rather than paying a breeder.
52. My mom made me learn how to type when I was in elementary school.
53. I've never had a flu shot and have never had the flu!
54. I really enjoy driving around and looking at houses.
55. My dream car is the Chrysler 300C.
56. I am pathetically addicted to facebook.
57. I never used to be the typical "shoe" girl, but as I'm getting older I'm beginning to appreciate their awesomeness. I wish I could buy a new pair every week.
58. One of my favorite stores is Ross. I just never know what I'm going to find there.
59. I think my husband and his father make the best bar-b-que, hands down!
60. I listen to the radio all the time and love singing along if I think no one can really hear me.
61. I have always been told that I look younger than my age, but that I act older than my age.
62. I love to read.
63. I used to be scared of clowns. In fact, I still think Ronald McDonald is super frightening to look at.
64. My favorite color changes about every five years. Current fave: green
65. I really want to learn how to write in calligraphy. I even have a book and am trying to teach myself, but since I don't hold my pen "right" to begin with, it kind of hurts my wrist.
66. I am a control freak and honestly would rather do tasks by myself.
67. I have no clue how to drive a standard. I've had two different people try to teach me and both times were pretty disastrous.
68. All of the TV shows that I like to watch are "reality" TV shows.
69. I have always wanted a tattoo but can't seem to commit to one.
70. I have an amazing friend in Germany that I email at least once a week, if not more!
71. I can easily waste away hours playing Mahjong on the computer.
72. I used to love hula-hooping! Hmm....
73. I don't really like candy; I prefer an actual dessert!
74. Going with the dessert theme; I prefer whipped cream instead of ice cream on hot desserts!
75. I would love to one day host a foreign exchange student.
76. I'm going through a phase where I want to wear dresses all the time...but have no place to wear them!
77. Hubby and I have to sleep with a noise maker on. We don't go on a trip without it!
78. I've taken a liking to wearing fake eyelashes. Hey, if all the stars can do it, why can't I?
79. I always order my lattes and cappuccinos decaf.
80. I love garage sales! Things I look for at them include: jewelry, books, and home decor.
81. I hate driving in the rain.
82. I don't really like the sight of kids running around in just a diaper.
83. Unlike most women my age, I actually don't mind wearing pantyhose.
84. I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke. Yuck!
85. I avoid parallel parking at all cost.
86. I can make a darn good cosmopolitan.
87. I tend to be a little intimidated by people who have strong opinions about...everything. I'm more of a "go with the flow" "let me live in my own little world" type of person.
88. I am scared to death of spiders. Just thinking about them gives me goose bumps!
89. I love to make lists! Such as: my menu for the week, grocery list, to do list, etc.
90. I think no one can sing a love song quite like Bon Jovi!
91. Runny egg yolks make me want to gag. I typically stick with egg whites if I have to eat an egg for breakfast.
92. I always dread going to the post office. I haven't quite figured out why, though.
93. I really think that couples should be together at least a year before they get married.
94. Remember those 3D posters that were so popular in the 90's? I was never able to see the pictures in them.
95. I cannot stand HGTV. Mainly because my husband can watch it 24/7.
96. I will probably never understand why some married couples have separate checking accounts.
97. I am absolutely horrible at math. The calculator was invented just for me.
98. My favorite holidays are the Fourth of July and Halloween!
99. My high school graduating class consisted of a whopping 12 people.
100. It was extremely hard for me to think of 100 things to write about myself. I literally worked on this list from January through October.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Just a normal day?

The past few days I've been battling a sore throat and sinus problems. Lots of fun. Around 1:30 A.M. I woke up and absolutely couldn't fall back to sleep. This was in part due to a runny nose and an active little boy in my belly. Since I haven't been sleeping well lately, Greg hasn't either. Because I was wide awake I figured I might as well get up and try not to disturb him. I spent some time in front of the T.V. and reading hoping to get sleepy. I finally ventured back to bed around 4:30 only to be woke up by the blaring alarm clock at 5:45. As soon as I had Greg's breakfast and lunch prepared, back to bed I went. But it took me awhile to fall asleep and when I woke up around 8:45 my growling tummy was the only thing that motivated me to put my feet on the floor.

The rest of my morning proved to be very un-productive. I had a lot to do but no motivation or energy to do any of it. Finally after lunch I told myself I needed to hop to it. I put some CD's in the stereo and blasted it. That seemed to do the trick. My goal for the afternoon was to finish cutting in (you know, painting by brush the parts of walls and along the baseboards that a roller can't touch) the nursery. I didn't want to, but the curtains I bought the day before were strategically laid in the middle of the room to help encourage me. While I was busy painting, I also took several breaks to rotate four loads of laundry from the washer to the dryer to their appropriate closets.

4:00 rolled around and I finally finished the last stroke of my paint brush. I stepped back to admire my work and headed downstairs to our "paintbrush cleaning" bathroom mentally giving myself a pat on the back all the way down to the basement. As I was cleaning out my paint brush in the sink I had visions of me "relaxing" for the remainder of the afternoon since I am still pretty darn exhausted after my lack of sleep the night before, not to mention battling my runny/stuffy nose. That was when I felt it. A wet feeling on my foot. Then I heard it. The sound of gushing water. I vaguely remembered Greg mentioning a leak in the downstairs bathroom. And I remember noticing that the trash can was missing that I assumed he had placed underneath the leak to catch the drips. What I hadn't assumed was that hubby would take the plumbing apart, leaving the trash can to catch ALL OF THE WATER THAT CAME OUT OF THE FAUCET.

Now, keep in mind the task I was performing. I was rinsing out a paint brush. A paint brush I used to paint bright green paint with. Great...this was not the way I had planned the remainder of my afternoon. Somehow, despite my raging pregnant hormones, I managed to remain calm despite all the curse words going around in my head. I managed to pour a little bit of the green water from the trash can down the toilet. The rest I'll let hubby deal with. Then it was off to find the shop vac. You'd think that would have been easy considering it was in our coat closet, which I get into at least once a day. But no, it took me a good 10 minutes to find it. Then, as I was sitting on the floor trying to put the hose on the shop vac (which I can never do very easily for some odd reason), sprinkling myself with dust from the hose, frustrated that on top of everything else I was now going to have to vacuum the spot I was sitting at due to all the dust, the sound of the dryer went off, and that's when I about lost it.

Luckily, deep breaths really help me in situations like this. I closed my eyes, told myself the clothes could wait, and took a few good, long, dust-filled breaths. Then I retreated to the bathroom to suck up all the water I could. Afterwards I used paper towels to dry the areas. As I was drying the inside of the cabinet I noticed the paper towels were coming out black. I prayed it wasn't black mold that developed during the time the faucet was leaking. Then immediately put the thought out of my mind because I just can't handle anything else. I left the shop vac in the bathroom for hubby to deal with.

Next, I took the paint brush and paint container I was using up to the kitchen to finish rinsing out. Realized I still hadn't loaded the dishwasher and the sinks were full of dirty dishes. Cleaned out one side of the sink and proceeded to clean my painting utensils. Only when I finished did I retreat back down to the basement to get the clean clothes and put my final load of laundry in the dryer.

Greg will be home soon, and I know as soon as he sees the dirty kitchen, he'll look at me and ask, "What did you do all day?"

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Kings Chef Diner

I recently blogged about our trip to Colorado Springs. However, I purposely omitted one important part of our trip because I felt it deserved it's own post!

If anyone reads this and happens to go to Colorado Springs, CO, you HAVE to go to the Kings Chef Diner in downtown for breakfast. I promise, you will not be disappointed! In fact, if we ever go to Springs and I'm unable to eat there for whatever reason, I am in a serious piss-poor mood! I'm actually shocked when I meet people who live in Springs and they have never ate there.

The first time we ventured inside the "little purple castle" we weren't quite sure what to expect. First of all, the place is tiny. I don't even think it seats ten people. Then, virtually every available inch of wall space is covered in awards. That was when I knew we hit the jack-pot! The first thing I ever ordered from there was "The Grump". Oh my goodness. It was heaven in my mouth! I'm sure the other entrees are pretty good as well, but I've never been able to get past the yummy Grump goodness and I order it every time we go!

Greg on the other hand has tried a little of this and a little of that and I know for a fact he has never been disappointed. Not only is the food to-die-for...the portions are monstrous! I have always ordered a half-order and literally have to remind myself to stop eating before I get sick. I would hate to see what a full size Grump looks like!

The Kings Chef Diner has recently opened another venue in downtown Springs. That's where Greg and I decided to go during this particular visit. It has the same great menu so I knew we'd be safe. It's a much bigger facility and the staff is just as friendly as they are at "the castle" so we were pretty satisfied! And to my surprise, they added a new item to the menu! A 1/4 order of The Grump! That's what I ordered. As soon as my last bite was gone I immediately wanted more but after I sat there for a minute I realized that I was full.

Greg ordered a breakfast burrito on this particular visit. One interesting thing we learned when we first arrived in Colorado is that green chili is a staple food. Being the Okies that we are, we had no clue what it was. Basically it's almost like a salsa but it's made with green chili's and it usually has pieces of pork in it. I'm slowly starting to like green chili, but Greg has fully embraced it. I had noticed on other visits to my favorite diner that there were always awards for "The Best Green Chili" but neither Greg nor I had ever tried it. Lucky for Greg, it came with his meal. Let's just say, he fell in love! It's a little different than traditional green chili in the sense that it is vegetarian and it's habanero based. I took one bite and my lips were burning for a good ten minutes. I don't see how Greg has acquired a taste for food that is so spicy, but needless to say, he bought two jars of the stuff to bring home (one for him and another for a friend).

Last night we had leftovers for dinner, which for Greg included a hamburger. He said it was starting to taste "microwaved" so next thing I knew, he was running to the fridge and came back with the jar of green chili. He claimed that the magical green sauce "saved" his burger. I just took his word for it! There is now less than half an inch of green chili left in the jar and I'm pretty sure Greg is wondering if he can buy the stuff in bulk!

Here is a clip from The King Chef's website when they were featured on The Food Network. Enjoy! And remember, next time you're in Springs to check 'em out. I promise you won't regret it!