Easter Questions

It's Easter already! I can't believe it. I feel like this year is flying right by. There isn't even time for me to think about doing some fun things with my Sweet Pea for all my favorite holidays. I did want to do something fun for Easter.

She already has her "ba" (basket) she has been carrying around all week long. So, I'm thinking it wont be too hard to get her to pick up filled eggs and put them inside. I'm not quite sure what to fill the eggs with. She can't eat dairy so that means NO regular chocolate. I don't really want her to eat a bunch of candy. Not enough teeth yet.

Any ideas?

Fabric Wall Hangings

My Conference weekend was filled with craftiness and new experiences. I got to use my Dad's power tools. The electric saw. The electric sander. AND his Nail Gun. Oh how wonderful. I want some of my own!!

You know how much I have been complaining about my empty walls and having no ideas and a very thin wallet. Well, I saw some fantabulous wall hangings HERE and just HAD to make them for my never ending empty walls. They weren't even expensive. I only ended up spending between $25 and $30. Fantastic. I could have only bought one for that price. Yea!

Fabric Covered Cork Boards

So, I have been watching the DIY blogs like crazy trying to figure out how to help my poor, bare walls. I don't love the way cork boards look. And the frames they come in are hideous. I have seen a lot of fabric covered cork board that have been re-framed with some fantastic frame, but I didn't want to spend too much money. I decided that I didn't want a frame. I came up with these:

MY FABRIC CORK BOARDS

FIRST, I pulled the ugly frame off.
SECOND, I measured and cut the board into three equal pieces. (I just used an exacto knife)

THIRD, I measured and cut the fabric I wanted to cover them with.
FOURTH, I tacked the fabric in place. Pulling very tightly so there was no bumps.

FIFTH, I hot glued the fabric down. Taking the tacks out when the glue was dry. (I would have taken a picture if I had more hands)
SIXTH, I super-glued the brackets on the back so that the cork boards could be hung on my wall.
THEN, I hung them up.


I think they turned out pretty well. I still have to do the third one and hang it on another wall. Now, I just need to do cute tacks to hang pictures up on them. I'm so excited.

The List by Melanie Jacobson

A couple of weeks back, I posted about my list of things to do before my kids leave the nest. I did it all so that I was entered in a giveaway on another blog. I WON! It's so fantastic. (does anyone out there feel like someone else is always winning those things? anyway. . .) My prize was this lady's first book. Her name is Melanie Jacobson.




I understood that it was her first novel and that it falls in the LDS genre (most of which can be extremely cheese or cream filled). So, I wasn't expecting it to be some amazing story. However, I received the book last week and I'm on #3 time of reading it. The first time I couldn't put it down. I read it in under 24 hours. The second time took the rest of the week because I wanted to slowly absorb the fun. Then when I couldn't exactly get the right words out to tell my Hubby just how great this book was I convinced him to read it with me again. So, the third time is out loud with my Hubby. Who laughs out loud to some of the conversations that occur in the story.

It was really good. A little cheese, but we Mormons are kind of cheesy. So a story containing any has to have some in it right? The List is all about this girl (Ashley) who, after seeing her mother and sisters marry young, doesn't want to marry until she has accomplished all 25 things on her bucket list. She wants to experience freedom a little bit and have a whole bunch of fun doing it. Reading about Ashley was completely satisfying. And I recognized the spirit in the conversations she has with #17-her summer fling, as that of the sass that fits in my Hubby's and my conversations. (this is probably why my Hubby enjoys it)

Anyway, I thought that I would pass along the knowledge that The List is well worth your time to read. It's quick and enjoyable. If you have ever lived with roommates, had FHE brothers, and attended an LDS singles ward you will appreciate this book. I hope you will go read it.

It made my night. Thank you Melanie for the book. I'll probably read it many more times.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This is just one of my favorite breakfasts and I tend to crave it more often when I'm pregnant.


Chocolate Pancakes:

Pancake Mix (I use Bisquick because it is Dairy Free and I can make vanilla pancakes for my Sweet Pea)
Cocoa
Water
Chocolate Chips (I used milk chocolate)
Whipped Topping (real cream is always better, but Cool Whip works just as well)
Hershey Syrup

• Put enough pancake mix for your whole family into a medium sized bowl.
• Add some cocoa. (enough so the mix looks tinted brown; a little scoop usually does the job)
• Add water, MIX
• Cook like normal
• When the pancakes are finished put them directly onto the serving plate.
• Add chocolate chips on top.
• Put another layer of pancake and then more chocolate chips.
• Whipped Cream tops it off
• If you want to make it look all pretty drizzle a tiny bit of Hershey's Syrup on top.
• EAT!
  

I make small pancakes because they are pretty rich and a medium or large set of pancakes puts me over the top. Plus the little ones look so good.

Enjoy. I love them. Maybe I'll have to make some tomorrow.

You Know You Have Stopped Breast Feeding/Pumping When. . .

• your appetite is cut in half
• you spend less time at the sink washing dishes
• you have more time to play with your little one
• your husband is happier (he doesn't have to wash the pump anymore)
• you don't count the hours from your last pump anymore
• your bra fits again
• you wonder how long the leaking lasts
• there is just more joy in the home

Hallelujah!!

Shoes, shoes, and More Shoes!

I just don't understand the fascination with the shoes and the dirty mat they reside on. But my Sweet Pea LOVES them.
She brings her blanket over moves all the shoes she doesn't like and sits in the mat. ("in" because there is a lip on it) She rubs her hands all over in the dirt and chews on the yellow laces of my Hubby's running shoes.

If she doesn't take her blanket over, it's the green door mat. Even more disgusting. She thinks that the mat is a blanket. Funny little girl.

Pregnancy Update

So, I had a Doctor visit today. We get there, get right in, and wait in the room. Sweet Pea is playing with her finger puppets and eating fruit leather. (loving every minute of it) And my Hubby turns to me and asks,

"Why are we here again?"

It was all I could do not to say,

"We're here because you knocked me up! Remember?" But I didn't.

I reminded him that we were there to get my fatness measured and listen to the baby's heart beat. (which took a long time to find today. Nervousness.) The doc came in measured and listened and we were finished. I forgot how uneventful the office visits were in the middle of the pregnancy. So by the time we were walking out I was thinking,

"Now, why did we have to come today?"

It felt like I was missing something. Maybe she didn't ask if I had any questions because I just had a baby? Maybe I didn't ask any because I just had a baby. I don't know, but it felt lacking today. Weird.

Happiness Is. . .

I thought this was a fantabulous idea! The Happy List. Everyone has things that make them happy right? Here are mine:

My Sweet Hubby: He gets up at night with Sweet Pea. He makes dinner when I am sick on the couch. He makes craving runs at any hour of the day. (even if it means getting delivery in the middle of the day) I appreciate that he pretends not to mind that I don't want kisses or hugs or cuddles while I feel gross prego.

Winning: I know this sounds worse than it is, but I LOVE to win. Especially when I beat my Hubby. This week is all about my March Madness Bracket beating his. Right now we're tied. Not after the second round though. I better be winning.

Exercising: Getting out and exercising doesn't just give me joy to strengthen and challenge my body, it actually lightens my day. I mean, "exercise produces endorphines; endorphines make you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands." Or anyone else that is around. This is very true for me.

Sweet Pea: There are days that are harder than others to get along with my little one that can't articulate what she wants, but she really does make my heart skip a beat. Her kisses and hugs. Her reading. Her coloring. Wanting me to be her buddy in all her activities. Wanting to be my buddy in all MY activities. She is just wonderful.

Outdoor Anything: Everything about the outdoors makes me happy. The sun, the rain, the colors, the beauty. Maybe not the wind.

These things make me smile just thinking about them. Happiness.

A Pregnant Mother's Biggest Fear

I have decided that Pregnancy is no time to have a toddler around. Let me explain. I always wanted to have kids that ate healthy foods of all sorts and were the ones that were screaming and yelling in the supermarket for the asparagus. However, with pregnancy those dreams get tossed out the window.

Unless I got no cravings through my whole pregnancy, this is NOT possible. When all I want to eat is french fries, potatoe chips, burgers, pies, and cake, there is just no possible way to teach my Sweet Pea to like anything but what I'm eating. I mean, when I crave Wendy's and my Hubby walks in with the bag, she knows exactly what is inside. And she screams and yells for the french fries before I even get the bag opened.

Then I have visions of my child being 18 and on Biggest Loser. Of course, with me by her side. Her blaming me for all her obesity and the many other emotional problems that come along with it.

Is there any light at the end of this fat encrusted tunnel?