And my last 7 month belly pic to compare. I think I look a little larger this time, but I haven't gained nearly as much weight!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
7 Months
I gave my nails a week off so I have no manicure to share today, but I do have a new baby belly pic! Saturday I hit the 7 month mark, and last week was 30 weeks, so we've reached some nice milestones recently.
And my last 7 month belly pic to compare. I think I look a little larger this time, but I haven't gained nearly as much weight!
And my last 7 month belly pic to compare. I think I look a little larger this time, but I haven't gained nearly as much weight!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday: Getting Things Done
This week we did a lot of much-needed cleaning for a visitor, and I finally caught the miserable coughing cold the boys had a week or two ago. Unfortunately I was not able to tackle too many projects on my list, but I did get some researching and shopping done. This week I...
♦ Tried 2 new recipes and made an old favorite with the "Cream of" substitute
♦ Organized my jewelry drawer, mostly just straightening up Orson's mess! I need to go back and put rubber bands around all of the boxes for earrings, bracelets, etc. to keep him from opening them and dumping everything into a big pile.
♦ Made gum paste! I made a half batch of Cake Central's recipe (subbing light corn syrup for glucose) with the hope of turning it into these mints from One Good Thing by Jillee. It's been in the fridge a few days now & I'm afraid to check on it! (worried it will be all dried out) Fingers crossed!
♦ I forgot to post about this before, but a few weeks ago I tried roasting a spaghetti squash, following Childhood List's recipe. We love roasted Butternut squash, and most of the winter squashes, but I wasn't too fond of this one. The 'noodles' were a little crunchy, which makes me think it didn't bake long enough, so I may give it another try.
♦ The big accomplishment of the week ~ we saved all of the money needed for our medical deductible! (for the upcoming delivery) Now we have 2 more months to get a few things for the baby and the house before we lose my salary for a year.
♦ With that out of the way, I started shopping around Craiglist for a nice, white crib. I used to love pinning items from Craigslist on a private board so I could see the pictures, prices, and other info all together, but now Craigslist always gives me errors. Currently I have to throw together a webpage for that ~ annoying, but worth it.
♦ I've been scouring eBay for nice, small lots of baby clothing & have already found some awesome stuff! So far I've bought about 25 items for about $1.50-2.00 each. (I also picked up some larger warm PJs for Orson since he's growing like a weed.)
♦ I've gone over our recipe list & marked lots of meals that we might be able to freeze. Last time we had people bringing meals for 3 weeks after the delivery and it was a bigger help than we had imagined! Now that we're in a new city I don't think we'll be quite so lucky, so my goal is to double several of our meals over the next two months and put away half in the freezer.
♦ Tried 2 new recipes and made an old favorite with the "Cream of" substitute
♦ Organized my jewelry drawer, mostly just straightening up Orson's mess! I need to go back and put rubber bands around all of the boxes for earrings, bracelets, etc. to keep him from opening them and dumping everything into a big pile.
♦ Made gum paste! I made a half batch of Cake Central's recipe (subbing light corn syrup for glucose) with the hope of turning it into these mints from One Good Thing by Jillee. It's been in the fridge a few days now & I'm afraid to check on it! (worried it will be all dried out) Fingers crossed!
♦ I forgot to post about this before, but a few weeks ago I tried roasting a spaghetti squash, following Childhood List's recipe. We love roasted Butternut squash, and most of the winter squashes, but I wasn't too fond of this one. The 'noodles' were a little crunchy, which makes me think it didn't bake long enough, so I may give it another try.
♦ The big accomplishment of the week ~ we saved all of the money needed for our medical deductible! (for the upcoming delivery) Now we have 2 more months to get a few things for the baby and the house before we lose my salary for a year.
♦ With that out of the way, I started shopping around Craiglist for a nice, white crib. I used to love pinning items from Craigslist on a private board so I could see the pictures, prices, and other info all together, but now Craigslist always gives me errors. Currently I have to throw together a webpage for that ~ annoying, but worth it.
♦ I've been scouring eBay for nice, small lots of baby clothing & have already found some awesome stuff! So far I've bought about 25 items for about $1.50-2.00 each. (I also picked up some larger warm PJs for Orson since he's growing like a weed.)
♦ I've gone over our recipe list & marked lots of meals that we might be able to freeze. Last time we had people bringing meals for 3 weeks after the delivery and it was a bigger help than we had imagined! Now that we're in a new city I don't think we'll be quite so lucky, so my goal is to double several of our meals over the next two months and put away half in the freezer.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday: Recent Recipes
This week we tried 2 new recipes, and tried the "Cream of" soup mix substitute in an old favorite ~
► Cheeseburger Soup (2 dinners, pictured above) - This was *really* good, but a bit too rich (and in no way good for you). Next time I will probably use ground turkey in place of the beef and mix the flour with water instead of butter (which will cut out 3 Tbsp. of butter!). I may also use shredded cheddar in place of Velveeta because I'm not a big fan of the taste.
►Salt & Pepper Shrimp Rice Noodle Bowl (1/2 recipe for 1 dinner) - Not bad, but not really what I was expecting. The sauce was like a light citrusy vinaigrette, while I prefer something a little thicker & sweeter. I did like the way everything was layered though, so I may try a new sauce if we make it again. As for this time, we made a few minor changes (dried herbs instead of fresh, red pepper flakes in place of chiles), and Justin has banned fish sauce from our house after a few bottles leaked (fish sauce smells like... I can't say that here).
► Chicken Merriam with roasted kale (2 dinners) - Once again we used the "Cream of" soup substitute & noticed no difference! Now I need to make up a bigger batch of it.
► Cheeseburger Soup (2 dinners, pictured above) - This was *really* good, but a bit too rich (and in no way good for you). Next time I will probably use ground turkey in place of the beef and mix the flour with water instead of butter (which will cut out 3 Tbsp. of butter!). I may also use shredded cheddar in place of Velveeta because I'm not a big fan of the taste.
►Salt & Pepper Shrimp Rice Noodle Bowl (1/2 recipe for 1 dinner) - Not bad, but not really what I was expecting. The sauce was like a light citrusy vinaigrette, while I prefer something a little thicker & sweeter. I did like the way everything was layered though, so I may try a new sauce if we make it again. As for this time, we made a few minor changes (dried herbs instead of fresh, red pepper flakes in place of chiles), and Justin has banned fish sauce from our house after a few bottles leaked (fish sauce smells like... I can't say that here).
► Chicken Merriam with roasted kale (2 dinners) - Once again we used the "Cream of" soup substitute & noticed no difference! Now I need to make up a bigger batch of it.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wednesday Manicure: Black Knight Dupe with Starbursts
For a long time I've been hunting for a black polish with a little something extra to it. I had a nearly empty bottle of Sally Hansen "Black Diamond", black with a subtle silver shimmer, and I thought it would be fun to find something similar with multicolored glitter. It ended up being a long hunt...
When I saw Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "In a Flurry", I thought 'perfect'! It also happens to be a rather cheap polish, but I checked one drugstore after another with no luck. Then Pure Ice, a *super* cheap polish, came out with "Five-some". Even better! I checked a Walmart or two but never found any.
Then I read that not only was "Five-some" actually a dupe (copy) of Butter London "The Black Knight" (a pricey one!), but you can easily make your own! Just mix the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Rockstar Pink" that I posted before (about $4) half & half with a cheap black polish & you've got a match! I'd been eying that pink for a while already, so now I have two lovely polishes for the price of one.
In person the polish mostly looks black with a glittery shimmer of pink, teal, purple, and a bit of red ~ not quite as bright as in my photo. I stamped my nails with Pure Ice "Silver Mercedes" and Cheeky plate CH46, but didn't want to hide all of that pretty polish. I left my ring finger and thumb un-stamped and just dotted a row down the side of each nail to tie everything together.
When I saw Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "In a Flurry", I thought 'perfect'! It also happens to be a rather cheap polish, but I checked one drugstore after another with no luck. Then Pure Ice, a *super* cheap polish, came out with "Five-some". Even better! I checked a Walmart or two but never found any.
Then I read that not only was "Five-some" actually a dupe (copy) of Butter London "The Black Knight" (a pricey one!), but you can easily make your own! Just mix the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Rockstar Pink" that I posted before (about $4) half & half with a cheap black polish & you've got a match! I'd been eying that pink for a while already, so now I have two lovely polishes for the price of one.
In person the polish mostly looks black with a glittery shimmer of pink, teal, purple, and a bit of red ~ not quite as bright as in my photo. I stamped my nails with Pure Ice "Silver Mercedes" and Cheeky plate CH46, but didn't want to hide all of that pretty polish. I left my ring finger and thumb un-stamped and just dotted a row down the side of each nail to tie everything together.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday: Getting Things Done
This week I...
► Made the "Cream of" soup mix & tried it in a recipe.
► Tried the multi-purpose cleaner ("Cure-all") I mixed up last week. I did a lot of Googling first to make sure all of the ingredients would be safe to use on counters & then gave the kitchen a good cleaning. I really liked it! There is a slight chemically smell while you are using it (it doesn't linger), but I did leave out the essential oil which would have probably helped with that.
The most impressive thing I noticed ~ normally everything I use to clean our black stove leaves streaky marks behind, but it looked great with this cleaner. Even when I wiped up some spills with water later, it did not leave as many streaks behind. It also easily removed some hard water build-up in the bathroom.
► I also bought the Ace Hardware Stainless Steel cleaner that my aunt recommended for our fridge (she cleans houses, so she knows what she's talking about!) *Finally* I was able to remove all of those grubby fingerprints and the lines that the protective plastic film left behind (it was a brand new fridge). All that is left is the faintest trace of the worst fingerprints, but even if those never come off, I'm a happy camper!
► Got a lot of work done in the nursery! Or should I say the office/sewing room/storage/train table playroom that we are slowly emptying out to make a nursery...
First I went through the last boxes of clothing in Orson's closet and clearly labeled some boxes for his too-big and recently outgrown clothes. There was a giant bag I'd set aside for a future consignment sale, but since we've moved I think it's headed for Goodwill (minus a few pricier items I'll sell or give to friends). Then I went through all of the gender neutral clothing I'd pulled out for the baby girl and sorted it all by size. I was able to fill up separate boxes with each size which are now labeled & in her closet (pic above).
With one trip a day I finally finished moving all of the craft stuff from that room to the basement. Most of the things left in there are larger items that Justin needs to move and/or go through (desk, file cabinet, etc.). Justin and I both worked in there a little this weekend ~ I went through all of the baby 'stuff' and separated it by age (newborn vs. eating solid foods) and reorganized the closet while Justin sorted through old electrical cords and moved out a few big things. There is still a little more to do in there but it is nearly empty!
► Edited the new set of eBay pics (mostly nail plates), figured out prices, and typed up all of the descriptions. Everything in this batch is ready to list this weekend (I like to list things on Saturday).
► Labeled the cords at my desk (computer, printer, etc.) ~ how did those sneak by me before? I didn't notice it until Orson climbed under my desk & out the back chasing our cat and something got unplugged ~ It took me a while to figure out what it went to!
► Typed up a file with all of the numbers on my cell phone. It was an embarrassing hassle when my phone died last time & I lost all of those! I also wrote down Justin's cell # and stuck it in my wallet in case I have an emergency somewhere & and am without my phone. We never use his phone so I definitely don't have that one memorized. (Of course his phone is usually off, or dead, or out of minutes, or left at home when I do try to call him, so I'm not sure how much help that will be!)
► And best of all ~ thanks to the tax return we were finally able to replace our stolen DLSR camera! I bought this red beauty along with the awesome & cheap portrait lens I had before and it all came super quick. I am so excited about all of the new advances & features this one has for the same price we paid a few years ago ~ it even shoots HD video! (Thank goodness you don't have to listen to me whine about the stolen camera anymore!)
► Made the "Cream of" soup mix & tried it in a recipe.
► Tried the multi-purpose cleaner ("Cure-all") I mixed up last week. I did a lot of Googling first to make sure all of the ingredients would be safe to use on counters & then gave the kitchen a good cleaning. I really liked it! There is a slight chemically smell while you are using it (it doesn't linger), but I did leave out the essential oil which would have probably helped with that.
The most impressive thing I noticed ~ normally everything I use to clean our black stove leaves streaky marks behind, but it looked great with this cleaner. Even when I wiped up some spills with water later, it did not leave as many streaks behind. It also easily removed some hard water build-up in the bathroom.
► I also bought the Ace Hardware Stainless Steel cleaner that my aunt recommended for our fridge (she cleans houses, so she knows what she's talking about!) *Finally* I was able to remove all of those grubby fingerprints and the lines that the protective plastic film left behind (it was a brand new fridge). All that is left is the faintest trace of the worst fingerprints, but even if those never come off, I'm a happy camper!
► Got a lot of work done in the nursery! Or should I say the office/sewing room/storage/train table playroom that we are slowly emptying out to make a nursery...
First I went through the last boxes of clothing in Orson's closet and clearly labeled some boxes for his too-big and recently outgrown clothes. There was a giant bag I'd set aside for a future consignment sale, but since we've moved I think it's headed for Goodwill (minus a few pricier items I'll sell or give to friends). Then I went through all of the gender neutral clothing I'd pulled out for the baby girl and sorted it all by size. I was able to fill up separate boxes with each size which are now labeled & in her closet (pic above).
With one trip a day I finally finished moving all of the craft stuff from that room to the basement. Most of the things left in there are larger items that Justin needs to move and/or go through (desk, file cabinet, etc.). Justin and I both worked in there a little this weekend ~ I went through all of the baby 'stuff' and separated it by age (newborn vs. eating solid foods) and reorganized the closet while Justin sorted through old electrical cords and moved out a few big things. There is still a little more to do in there but it is nearly empty!
► Edited the new set of eBay pics (mostly nail plates), figured out prices, and typed up all of the descriptions. Everything in this batch is ready to list this weekend (I like to list things on Saturday).
► Labeled the cords at my desk (computer, printer, etc.) ~ how did those sneak by me before? I didn't notice it until Orson climbed under my desk & out the back chasing our cat and something got unplugged ~ It took me a while to figure out what it went to!
► Typed up a file with all of the numbers on my cell phone. It was an embarrassing hassle when my phone died last time & I lost all of those! I also wrote down Justin's cell # and stuck it in my wallet in case I have an emergency somewhere & and am without my phone. We never use his phone so I definitely don't have that one memorized. (Of course his phone is usually off, or dead, or out of minutes, or left at home when I do try to call him, so I'm not sure how much help that will be!)
► And best of all ~ thanks to the tax return we were finally able to replace our stolen DLSR camera! I bought this red beauty along with the awesome & cheap portrait lens I had before and it all came super quick. I am so excited about all of the new advances & features this one has for the same price we paid a few years ago ~ it even shoots HD video! (Thank goodness you don't have to listen to me whine about the stolen camera anymore!)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Sunday: Recent Recipes
This week the new recipe we tried was a "Cream of" Soup mix from 1 Orange Giraffe. My husband was not thrilled that it had to be heated up first to thicken (not just dumped in), but it did not take long and you know it's cheaper and probably healthier than buying a can! Personally I'd rather have a big batch of this stuff ready to go & not worry about picking up a can at the store. (One batch of this mix should make about 7 cans worth)
I tried it out in the recipe below and it was so good! I was a little unsure how the mix would work work since the soup in the cans is thicker and about 1.25 cups while this makes nearly 2 cups, but the sauce in the finished recipe did not seem unusual and tasted as delicious as ever! The only difference I did notice was a slight peppery flavor from the mix that this recipe does not usually have. Since it's not normally in the soup (and our recipes often call for a certain amount) I think I'll leave it out next time.
► Ritzy Casserole Chicken with Roasted Broccoli (1 dinner + lunches) - Our recipe is similar to this one but I layer 1/2 crackers, chicken, sauce, crackers, and then butter. And of course this time we subbed the "Cream of" soup with the mix above!
► Chicken & Rice Soup with grilled cheese (2 dinners) - I followed the on-the-fly soup recipe I made with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving but used cooked, shredded chicken this time. Very good!
► Chinese Roast Chicken with Coriander Rice with Roasted Green Beans (2 dinners) - Based on this recipe but multiplied enough to make 10 drumsticks. Orson *loves* this recipe!
I also made Chicken Mei Fun for lunches again. I've been slightly tweaking it here & there & it is getting pretty good!
I tried it out in the recipe below and it was so good! I was a little unsure how the mix would work work since the soup in the cans is thicker and about 1.25 cups while this makes nearly 2 cups, but the sauce in the finished recipe did not seem unusual and tasted as delicious as ever! The only difference I did notice was a slight peppery flavor from the mix that this recipe does not usually have. Since it's not normally in the soup (and our recipes often call for a certain amount) I think I'll leave it out next time.
► Ritzy Casserole Chicken with Roasted Broccoli (1 dinner + lunches) - Our recipe is similar to this one but I layer 1/2 crackers, chicken, sauce, crackers, and then butter. And of course this time we subbed the "Cream of" soup with the mix above!
► Chicken & Rice Soup with grilled cheese (2 dinners) - I followed the on-the-fly soup recipe I made with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving but used cooked, shredded chicken this time. Very good!
► Chinese Roast Chicken with Coriander Rice with Roasted Green Beans (2 dinners) - Based on this recipe but multiplied enough to make 10 drumsticks. Orson *loves* this recipe!
I also made Chicken Mei Fun for lunches again. I've been slightly tweaking it here & there & it is getting pretty good!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Musical Gender Confusion
Several times recently I've been enjoying a song, then was shocked when I glanced at the video & discovered the lead singer was the opposite gender of what I imagined. "Oh, she has a lovely voice.... wait, no. That's a guy?!?" I was able to remember a few of these songs & posted the videos below so you can have fun guessing - guy or girl?
Warning - I could only find the normal video for the first song, so look away if you don't want to see the singer before you guess. The bottom two videos just show the album cover artwork througout.
Have any similar songs to share? There's always the classic Danke Schoen, but at least that was a boy!
Warning - I could only find the normal video for the first song, so look away if you don't want to see the singer before you guess. The bottom two videos just show the album cover artwork througout.
Have any similar songs to share? There's always the classic Danke Schoen, but at least that was a boy!
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