Week 13

I love that Lily is photo bombing me in the lower right corner :) 

+ Definitely looking rounder in the belly! The pants I wore in last weeks photo ( Week 12) no longer button!
+ Went shopping with mom for maternity clothes after having to button my jeans with a hair tie last Friday. I scored two pairs of Motherhood pants at a consignment shop for a total of $18!
+ Feel like my normal energy level is returning... which is a HUGE blessing. Made it to the gym three times!
+ Still craving fruit... mainly cantaloupe and nectarines.
+ The doctor called and all the sequential screening tests came back negative. However, I have zero Chicken Pox antibodies. So, I just have to be cautious and limit contact with school aged children. Then after pregnancy get the Chicken Pox vaccine.

12 weeks

+ Had 12 week NT scan. Baby H is measuring 12 weeks, 3 days.
+ Baby H's heart rate is 150 beats per minute... Amazing sound!
+ Officially announced pregnancy at work (and on facebook).
+ Pants are stating to feel tighter... although I am only up 1 pound thus far.
+Bought first maternity shirt even though I am not ready to wear it.
+ Doctor won't do gender ultrasound until 20 week anatomy scan... not sure I can wait that long! ;)

Mini Homemade Chalkboard

I know I am totally late to the game on this but I just used chalkboard paint for the first time! I got an idea to make a small decorative chalkboard for messages and such. At first I started pricing them online and then remembered that I could make one with chalkboard point that would better suit the size and look that I was going for.

It started with a trip to Joann's. I skimmed the wooden crafts section for a more unique shaped piece that could be made into a chalkboard. I ended up going with an 11 X14 plaque. I also picked up some white acrylic paint, a pack of colored chalk and a small tub of chalkboard paint. I made sure to bring coupons so my total was pretty minimal.

When I got home, I gave my board a good sanding to remove any rough spots. I really liked the shape of this plaque because it allowed the edges to be painted a different color that would still be visible. I went with a basic white because I am not 100% sure which room this will end up in. However, it would look super cute with a teal or yellow edge. So first I taped off the front of my board to allow me to paint the edges.

I used an X-acto knife to cut the tape where needed. Then I added two coats of white paint to the edges of the board.

I let it sit in the garage overnight just to make sure that everything was fully dry. My next step involved taping over the outer edge in order to apply the chalkboard paint to the front of the plaque.

I went with a basic black chalkboard although they do have a lot of fun colors of chalkboard paint now.  I applied it with a 1.5 inch foam brush.

I did three thin coats, let it dry 24 hours and then rubbed a thin layer of chalk on the board to condition it. Wipe it off with a damp linen free cloth and you are good to go!

The tape lines stayed crisp and I got the effect that I was looking for on the edge. I am so glad I made my own instead of going with something more traditional. Now I just need to figure out where to hang it!

Pinterest Inspired Sunday

The past two Sundays have been very unproductive. Actually, unproductive is an understatement. They have been lazy. Last Sunday, I did not get out of pajamas the entire day. Its bad. So with losing an hour of sleep due to Day Light Savings, my expectations for today were not too high. While the morning got off to a slow start, it quickly turned around!

We had our first big rain since the tile installation and realized we had a drainage issue. So around 11 today, the problem with solved by drilling a few drainage holes into the half brick wall with the largest drill bit known to man.

We marked the areas with pencil after the rain so we could come back and drill where the water was pooling.

Since the weather was PERFECT today, Tim decided to go fishing for a bit while I got a head start on food prep for the week. In addition to washing and chopping all the fruit. I also made roasted brussel spouts and a pinterest find, Balsamic Rosemary Butternut Squash. I typically buy squash whole at the produce stand but I was in Sam's Club the other day and they had 2.5 pounds of peeled and cubed Butternut Squash for $4.50. Let's just say convenience won.

I have also been dying to try this Crockpot Tomato Basil Soup I found on Pinterest. I went through the first 23 years of life declaring I hated tomato soup because I hate tomatoes. It just seemed like a logical conclusion. Now I feel like I am making up for lost time. It has quickly become one of my favorite soups (Especially Panera's). Tim on the other hand isn't a huge fan. So I made the patch for lunch this week. I was nervous about how "chunky" the soup would be with all the vegetables but it ended up being fine and DELICIOUS!

This isn't the best picture.. It looks much more appealing in person! 

Not only did I tackle my regular Sunday cleaning projects (laundry, change bed sheets, etc) I tried a few I Pinterest cleaning ideas. I used this method to clean my dishwasher. After that I was on a roll. Next up Microwave. I used this method. Super easy:  1.5 cups vinegar, .5 cup water. Heat in microwave 5 minutes. Wipe clean.

Success! 

I also noticed that a few of our bath towels and our gym towels had the "funky towel smell". I remembered pinning something about that a while back. I ran the towels through a hot cycle with soap and vinegar in the rinse cycle. Then a second cycle with baking soda ( as outlined here). Totally did the trick.

The rest of my night consists of grilling steaks and Sunday night TV. Revenge and Red Widow anyway? Last weeks opener has me hooked!

11 weeks

+ Feeling much less tired.
+ Finally able to eat vegetables again.
+ Feeling very "full" but no weight gain yet!

10 Weeks

+ Exhausted this week: Sunday I literally stayed in my pajamas in the entire day!
+ Craving carbs and fruit.
+ Starting to get anxious about telling people!