35

I will be 36 weeks on Sunday. I can't believe in one more week I will be full term. This pregnancy has gone so fast. I have been really lucky and have really enjoyed being pregnant. I'm not uncomfortable, I sleep through the night (I've never even gotten up for the bathroom!) and I still feel great. I know that this isn't normal, so believe me, I have not been taking this for granted. We feel so lucky to have this experience and can't wait for our little girl to come!

I thought she would start to move less since she is running out of room, but she is sooo squirmy these days. ALL day long! But it's been fun because Adam is able to "interact" with her more now. He can really feel her kicking and moving all around.

Well, this is a terrible picture, but I don't feel like attempting at another. Plus Adam is gone, so I had to take it myself. Next week we'll hope for a better pic. I think she has changed positions or something because I lost my belly! Well, it's still there, but I just looked back at the picture from New Year's and there seems to be quite a difference!

Nursery Inspiration Board

We are so close to finishing up the nursery. I think I've said that we were going to finish it for the past 3 weeks, but that's okay. Hopefully by next week I can reveal it, in all it's glory! For now, here is a quick peek at my inspiration board. We're going for a mix of modern and vintage, which shouldn't surprise most of you, since that's pretty much the theme of my whole house.

1. I finally decided on a rocker. Thanks for all the comments and emails with your suggestions. I actually went with one that wasn't even on my list. But, it looks really similar to the beautiful green one at a wayyyy better price. And it has pretty good reviews. It should be here this week!

2. I love this Squirrel clock. I have another clock from this same Etsy seller in my kitchen. Hopefully I'll order it soon! You can also see the wall color. A nice fresh green. One wall will have the green and white stripes, as pictured.

3. This is my vintage ceiling light from Ebay. The picture above is actually a before picture. We spray painted the wire brown and put a new cord and chain on it. And now we have a brand new light fixture for under $40. I don't think even Ikea can beat that price!

4. We went with the Babyletto Moda crib. I love the look and love that it converts to a bed as well.

5. If you can see the number 5, it's on the rug. I have loved that Bridget rug ever since it came out, but it has been off of their website for quite some time. We originally ordered a different rug but I wasn't sold on it. I randomly checked Pottery Barn the other day and saw that they had a 9x12 in stock. That would be way too big for the room, but it inspired me to call and see if they could locate a smaller size anywhere else. After much searching, the lady came through for me and I should get my rug today or tomorrow!

6. This is a picture of the main fabric for her bedding. It's My Folklore-Mushroom Forest Chocolate. I actually bought it about a month after we were married. I knew that this was what I would want for a little girl, and I knew it might be gone by the time we had her (and it is!). So we've pretty much had bedding and a name picked out for a little girl since right after we were married. I have a total of about 8 coordinating fabrics, along with the one in the picture that I'm using. I am putting the finishing touches on the blanket/quilt and will hopefully whip up the bumper and crib skirt in a day or two.

7. I've seen this idea around the blogosphere and knew I had to use it in our room. I think it's hard to tell in the picture, but they are bookshelves made from gutters, like the ones on the outside of a house. I'm a huge fan of forward facing books, and this is a perfect way to get the look, on the cheap. And it helps that we randomly have a new piece of white gutter just sitting in our basement, so it's really on the free for us. Adam is going to cut it down and mount it in the room, down at a kids level. That dresser is actually NOT our dresser, but we stripped and painted a dresser set brown and the pieces are finally finished!

8. Here is just one art print for her walls. I wanted to pull a few squirrels from the fabric into the room, but nothing too themey. In fact, it will probably just be the clock and the art print. I think the print is actually meant for scrapbooking or something of the sort?! It only cost $2.50 for the digital file. As for the rest of the art in the room, I'm going to make and print some pieces myself.

And there you have it. I can't wait until I'm able to post pictures with it finished! I just hope it all comes together like I'm imagining it will.

New Favorites

, GClean, simple and fresh. I like. Next up...this blog!

Over the Break...

We have had a really awesome break. We had a great Christmas at our house. We missed our families, but it was really nice to be able to relax and enjoy the morning. I (of course) love everything Adam got me. Adam is an annoyingly good gift giver. He always knows JUST what I would want or like. I mean, what husband can pick out clothes for you that a)fit and b)you love?! He just knows what I like all too well. It's great for me but at the same time, makes me feel a lot of pressure to get him really thoughtful presents. Not that Adam would care what I got him, BUT I always want to try to be as thoughtful as he is. I think I did a great job this year in this department. I'll blog my favorite present I made for him later this week! Later in the day, we had some friends who were here in Provo over for dinner and played a great round of Clue. Did you know they have revamped the old Clue game?! Neither did we...

The rest of this break has been spent hanging out with each other, playing Super Mario Bros. on the Wii and doing projects around the house. The biggest one we've completed has been a complete renovation of the bathroom in our upstairs rental apartment. If you didn't know, at some point the attic of this house was turned into a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment. It has it's own separate entrance, which is great. We lucked out in that most of our house was updated, however, the upstairs...not so much. It has been in need of some definite help. Here are the before pictures of the nasty bathroom:

Notice the dated flooring and the dresser in the wall. It's nice for extra storage but sticks out like a sore thumb painted that atrocious color. You can also see the "tiles" that are falling off of the wall. They are actually not even real tile. In fact, we have NO idea what they're made out of.

No comment.

Gross. Notice that half of that drawer is missing.

Really, anything we could do to this bathroom would be a huge improvement. We ended up putting in new sub-floor, vinyl flooring, taking down the tiles, painting, putting in a new vanity and storage cupboard, new lighting and resurfacing the tub. And be we, I mean Adam. All by himself. He is seriously so amazing! My little handyman...Here are the awesome after shots.




Here you can get a glimpse of the dresser painted with new hardware. Down by the window is where the toilet and vanity reside. It's painted a nice fresh white and the tile is gone!

The new extra storage cupboard.

New medicine cabinet and lights.

New sink and vanity.

Adam's flawless flooring job! I should've taken a before/after picture of the bathtub as well, because resurfacing a tub does wonders for it's appearance. I didn't even know you could do such a thing before tackling this project!

And for those of you who only read my blog to see my expanding stomach, here is a picture from New Year's. Adam's description of my stomach these days is that it's very "roundy".

Happy Holidays!

I hope this picture brings you as much joy as it brings me!

(Adam in his older sister's red velour v-neck shirt )

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas!

I had every intention of doing Christmas cards this year, but we never ended up getting photos taken. I tried to find any picture of the two of us from this year that would work, but to no avail. But I wanted to send out warm holiday wishes to all of our family, friends and blog friends, so here is a blog card! I happen to LOVE the picture below, taken 2 Christmases ago by my friend Michelle.

Hope you have a relaxing, enjoyable Christmas!

Anne Boleyn

So I've missed a few weeks, but here are the latest pictures. This one is from before Thanksgiving at 27 weeks.

Adam took this one for me last week. I asked him to get a full body shot and this is what I ended up with. I guess my head isn't part of my body...

Oreo Bon Bons

I made Oreo Bon Bon's the other night for a party. It has been so long since I've made them and they are one of my favorite treats...especially around the holidays.

I got the recipe from a roommate of mine from Millersville, Andrea. Hi An, if you're reading this! She knew how much I loved Oreos (I used to eat a pack every few days. Gross, I know), so she made these for me during our goodbye dinner before I transferred out to BYU. They are rich and delicious, and even I have a hard time eating more than 1 or 2...but they are worth it!

I decided to try taking step-by-step pictures...not that this recipe is hard or anything, but I always like the sites where I can see what is going on, like Pioneer Woman or Bakerella. If you don't want to read my really awesome commentary, go ahead and scroll to the bottom of this post, and I'll have the recipe there for you to look at.

Here are the ingredients you need:
Double-Stuf Oreos (why you would get the regular ones is beyond me), a stick of Cream Cheese (8oz.), Vanilla, 1lb of Powdered Sugar and Instant Nonfat Dry Milk (ew). As you can see, I got the good brands of Oreos and Cream Cheese, but I don't think the other ingredients matter. Besides, what else do you use Nonfat Dry Milk for?!

First, you want to open the Oreos and set aside 12. You are going to grind these 12 into a powdery crumb-like state. I used the food processor part of my blender for this. If you are a poor college student, like I was when I first made these, you can place them in a Ziploc bag and stomp on them and smash them with a rolling pin. It's a great way to get out any aggression you may have. It should end up looking like this.
Then, you're going to take the rest of the Oreos and chop them into smaller pieces. The size is really up to you. I put a piece of foil on my cutting board for less mess (and to be used later).

Now, set both of your Oreo piles aside. For this next part, you will need some sort of mixer. A hand mixer will do in this case, or your trusty KitchenAid. Let's pause for a minute and marvel at my beautiful early Christmas present from Adam.
Aahhh, I'm in love. I've only been asking for one since my freshmen year of college and now it's finally mine! Anyway, back to the recipe. Throw in your stick of cream cheese.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

And 1 cup of that yummy looking nonfat dry milk.

Then run your mixer until its nice and creamy. And don't try any just yet. Believe me when I say, it's not good.
Next, you're going to slowly add in your powdered sugar, one cup at a time, letting it mix as you go, until you've added the whole 1 pound of it! It'll look something like this.

Now, you need the Oreos that you chopped into chunky pieces. You're going to mix those in until it looks like Oreo ice cream.

Here's where you can use that piece of foil from earlier. Throw it over the bowl and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours so it gets nice and firm. This is essential, or as my Mom's husband Cyle said "it just tastes like raw dough". Trust me here, it just needs to set a little.

After it's had time in the fridge to chill, take it out and shape them into bite sized balls. They're pretty rich, so you don't want them to be too big. Grab the Oreo powdery dust, and roll each bon bon until they're completely coated with the crumbs.

There you have it! Delicious Oreo Bon Bons! I think they're best served when they're still a bit cold. The recipe makes a lot more than what is pictured, but I saved these ones for us and took the rest to the party!

I promise they will be a hit! My Mom, after hearing Cyle's remarks (see above) when he prematurely tasted them, decided not to take them to her cookie exchange party. After they had set in the fridge, she finished making them and left them for the kids and their friends. Well, my sister Tali took them to her basketball practice and they were gone lickety-split! My Mom had many requests for the recipe from Tali's friends! I also won the Golden Spatula award at a ward baking contest with these bad boys!

Hope you enjoy!



Oreo Bon Bons

1 package Oreo's, divided
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar

Grind 12 Oreos to crumbs (if you don't have a food processor, just put them in a Ziploc bag and stomp on them or use a rolling pin); Coarsely chop 12 Oreo's. Set both aside.

On med speed, beat cream cheese, milk powder & vanilla until smooth. On low speed, beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Stir in chopped cookies. Cover; chill 2 hrs. Shape by tablespoonfuls into balls; roll in ground cookie crumbs.

Feeling Festive

Last year, Adam and I were just closing on our house and decided to take a last minute cruise over actual Christmas. We didn't decorate one bit for the holidays! Adam gave me several decorations from Anthropologie while we were on the cruise, but sadly I had to come home and put my pretty new things away. Well this year, I was so happy to see all the cute things he had got me!

I also made our stockings this year. I bought the felt fabric last year, but never got around to making them. I think they're adorable and sooo inexpensive. I just bought a little felt, ribbon, bells and sequins. Then I got a stocking from the Dollar Store to use as a pattern. A little sewing and little hot glue and they're all done! I made them to match the colors already in my living room. I will probably add our names on them, but I was too antsy to get them up!




Don't mind some of the dying flowers!
I saw this sign last year on Anthro and was so excited when Adam got it for me for Christmas!




I think we went a little overboard on ornaments. But we were having so much fun! Plus, we only have 4 non-ball ornaments. I think perhaps we were overcompensating. I just love trees decorated with love.
My peacock tree skirt! I love it!

Thanksgiving Break

Yes, I'm just now getting around to blogging about the Turkey Break. We have been back from Pennsylvania since Sunday but I have been running around like mad, with a million things to do!

We had a really fun time visiting everyone in PA. My best friends from home threw me a surprise baby shower. I was so happy to be able to celebrate with them, since I knew they wouldn't be able to make it out here for a shower! Unfortunately, since it was a surprise, I let my hair air-dry and had the most unflattering outfit on that I now get to look at for years to come. So next time you're pregnant and your friends say that you all are "going out to lunch", be prepared!


I stole this picture from Facebook. Thanks Katy!

We had a song in high school that we requested at everryy dance. It happened to be "Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC, hence the awesome onesie Mary got me!


Shane, Jess and Tali. They are getting wayyy too old!
One of 30 pictures I tried to take of them in the restaurant.


I just didn't want to be in the picture because I wouldn't fit in with my blonde hair.
I was checking the lighting and background and Adam decided to model for me.
And after trying for 15 minutes to get a "nice" picture of the two of us, this is the best we got. We're not what you call photogenic that's for sure.