thankful on thursday

the sea monkey isn't even here yet and is already getting spoiled.

Grandma Llanes has been shopping!

i am absolutely in LOVE with this stroller!

and if that wasn't enough....

this too!

i am so excited for both of these... i can't wait until i get to use them!

also, coming soon...
my parents are refinishing the dresser and chest of drawers for the sea monkey's room... white with black knobs. they are going to look great! i'll take pictures as soon as they're ready!

bump day - week 27

so this is what 6 months looks like.
too lazy to iron my crinkly shirt that i was clearly too lazy to fold.
i think i will go look for another fun belt today at lunch. i love belts!
they make every outfit look better.

i think the 3rd trimester tiredness is setting in.... either that or my super hectic weekend has caught up with me. if i'm not feeling less tired by the end of the long weekend then i'm blaming it on the sea monkey. if i feel less tired by next week then i'm blaming it on work.

this weekend i have lots of little jobs to get done around the house and some not so little jobs. i'm hoping to get a lot done.
fingers crossed!

tasty tuesday.... i think not.

its just one of those days.
i don't feel like cooking or baking anything.

though i really do want to get my raspberries picked tonight... there are a LOT of them ripe now.
so this rainy weather can just bugger off!

i have a feeling there will be some serious laziness when it comes to dinner preparation tonight.
last night i made fried rice for fernando with some leftover rice in the fridge and i even guilted myself into taking some chicken drumettes out of the freezer and making those to go with it.
that will be his work dinner tonight.
he's lucky he got the chicken. if i was making that for myself it would have been the veggies and rice and thats it.

by the time i'd finished making that i lost ALL motivation to make anything exciting for myself. i ended up making tuna sandwiches with a dish of pickles and some carot sticks.
exciting.
i know...

tonight isn't looking to be much more inspired.
i'm hoping to get out of work early today so maybe i will be able to muster up some energy to make something yummy.
or not....

if i gain some motivation maybe i will post some pictures....

DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH.

27 weeks...

6 months....
the sea monkey is sitting around 2lbs right now.

this is the beginning of the final stretch.
probably more literally than i would like. my stomach hasn't really popped yet so i'm just waiting to wake up so a massive belly one morning.

only a few months until we get to meet the baby!!

so many things to get done still...  the list will never end but some of it needs to get done.
this long weekend is going to be a big "house" weekend for me.
and fernando.
his list will be just as long as mine of things that need to be done.

one of my biggest tasks will be sorting out my fabric and getting everything packed up from my sewing room so we can make room for the baby's things! right now there is no place at all for the poor little sea monkey.
i picked up some lovely hot pink rubbermaid tubs that will house some of my sewing supplies that will soon be homeless. hot pink = amanda. nobody should confuse my tubs of fabric and sewing stuff with anything else that could possible be in a rubbermaid tub. mine are the only hot pink ones in the house!

wish me luck!

i may be prepared for ANYTHING...

how does this happen?? i just switched purses and cleaned out ALL the junk a week and a half ago.
i still have managed to accumulate quite the collection of stuff in a short period of time.

i tried to capture the chaos and disaster in a picture... but it just doesn't photograph well.

large green wallet
package of kleenex
umbrella
hand sanitizer lotion
hand sanitizer spray
full size bath&bodyworks body lotion
esso extra card
4 pens
1 sharpie marker
house keys and parent's house keys
car keys - and the bread keychain
work keys (think keys like a janitor would carry... there's a LOT of them)
a bagel
a banana (just in case i get hungry)
mirror
4 lip glosses
5 lipsticks
1 lip stain
1 lip pencil
2 packs of gum
3 gift cards with minimal balances
iphone
2 USB drives
roll on perfume
last week's grocery list
6 paper clips
2 rubber bands
tums
beer cap (thanks fernando)
digital camera
8 assorted receipts
2 hair clips


am i the only one who somehow ends up with the contents of a small country in their purse?
you would think this would slow me down when trying to locate one of these many items....
nope.
i can usually locate whatever i'm looking for without even looking into my purse.
is it a gift?
is it some crazy form of evolution?
does this happen to you??

part of me thinks maybe i should clean it out... part of me just accepts that this is how my purse will be.
maybe this is diaper bag training.
at the party when they pick tables to go line up for food by asking for the most obsolete items i'm usually the one that happens to have three quarters of them in my purse. 
so its proven to be useful...
on occasion.

bump day - week 26

well half way through week 26 it is starting to sink in that i have 14 weeks at most before i get to meet the little sea monkey growing inside of me.
3 months will go by so quickly!

side view...

front view...

i ordered a maternity belly button ring yesterday... not sure if i'll end up needing it or not... but i thought i'd best be prepared. its just plain, nothing fancy... so even if i don't need it, i can trim it to normal length and use it anyways.

i'm getting a LOT of comments from people about about how small i am still for being 6 months pregnant. i am going to take it as a compliment and leave it at that.
i sure don't feel like i'm that small!

lets recap:

this was small.
13 weeks



this is not.
26 weeks



 so much to do at the house still... after this weekend my super hectic weekends are over for the summer and i should be able to really buckle down and get a lot done.

i will be exhausted after this weekend. it is one of the busiest yet. because i'll be working a good part of it i will take off the extra time in lieu next week to recooperate. its not like i get overtime so i will take a long weekend instead!

and just so everyone knows...

i can still see my feet!!

i'll be honest... its harder to reach them than it used to be, but i can still paint my own toenails.

for now.

i also wanted to say thank you to everyone that has commented or messaged me about reading my blog...

i really appreciate it!

as i have become more and more of a homebody, i don't get out and see people as much as i used to and this is a way for me to stay connected and keep my friends and family updated on everything.

xoxox





 



tasty tuesday - Whoopie Pies - an easy recipe.

i have seen a lot of recipes for these guys but they are REALLY complicated and call for ingredients that i don't keep on hand. these ones are pretty darn tasty and a lot easier than most of the recipes i see for them.

this is not a picture of my whoopie pies (thank you google images) but i haven't made them for a few months and didn't regularly take pictures of my food prior to stepping up to the plate and maintaining my blog. next time i make them i will take some pictures for an update post.

what you'll need...

Cookie Dough:2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 cup(s) sugar
3/4 cup(s) milk
1/2 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 large egg

Marshmallow Creme Filling:

6 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, slightly softened
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
1 jar(s) (7- to 7 1/2-ounce) marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets.

2.Prepare Cookie Dough: In large bowl, with spoon, mix all dough ingredients until smooth.

3.Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, on each prepared cookie sheet. (There will be 12 rounds per sheet.)

4.Bake 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking, until puffy and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. With wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

5.Prepare Marshmallow Creme Filling: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter until smooth. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Beat in marshmallow creme and vanilla until smooth.

6.Spread 1 rounded tablespoon filling on flat side of 12 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

26 weeks...

26 weeks seems like such a long time when you say it but it goes by so quickly when you're living it.

the sea monkey is growing like a weed and becoming more and more responsive each day.
now when fernando and i talk to my stomach the baby will start recognizing our voices. and draco's barking... the baby will recognize that for sure!

i've been keeping really busy so i haven't gotten much done at home the last little while... this weekend will be hectic again but after that things really slow down. and i think i will make sure that it stays that way. the last thing i need is to be stressed trying to do too much. i will do what i can and when i get tired i will stop. its not just about me any more... i have to keep the sea monkey happy too.

i've been thinking about my mat leave a lot lately.
I CAN'T WAIT!
i am so excited to be home.
september 30th is my last day of work (as planned right now) and then i will be taking vacation time in october until the baby arrives. i am pretty sure i'm going to start counting down the days.

keepin cool....

again....
not a real recipe.

i'm not a big fan of recipes.

they're just a guideline.... right?


mojito sun tea

this is super tasty and refreshing.

what you'll need:

a couple limes
some mint
a big jar/jug with lid (to keep bugs out if you're brewing outside)
simple syrup (i'll be honest... sometimes i just dump some sugar in)
teabags (i use 5 for my 2 L jug)
club soda (optional)


what you're going to do:

cut up the limes into slices. if i only have ugly limes (you know the ones that were in the drawer that you forgot about) i will just squeeze them because i don't like ugly stuff in my tea.
throw some fresh mint in - as much as you like. i put at least 6 stems (depending on how big they are)
add simple syrup to taste(or sugar if you don't have it on hand and you're like me and don't feel like making simple syrup sometimes)
take a wooden spoon (or a muddler if you have one) and smush it around a bit until it looks a bit crumpled.
add your teabags. i like to use either white tea or green tea. the trusty orange pekoe works too.
if you actually can leave it out in the sun you just need to fill it up with water, put the lid on and leave it for at least a few hours. if its not sunny out or you're brewing this on the counter just add hot tap water and you'll get almost the same results. sometimes you'll have to leave it a bit longer to get it steeped strongly on the counter (if that's how you like it)
once its ready fill a glass with ice, fill 3/4 full with tea and then top off with club soda.
sometimes i realize that its not sweet enough so i'll add a bit more syrup... sugar at this point will just make you a crunchy beverage so i don't recommend cheating here.

garnish with sprig of mint and a lime.

delicious and refreshing!


ENJOY!
just like fernando with his green tea mojito after a LOOOOOOONG night at Lesley and Kurt's wedding. he was hurtin.

if you don't want the bubbles then skip the club soda.

bump day - week 25

there are a lot of major dance moves going on in my belly these days. it is quite entertaining to watch sometimes when the sea monkey really gets going. squirm while you can little monkey because soon you'll run out of room to bust a move. things are going to get a lot more crowed in there as you get bigger.

for now the sea monkey is around 1.5 lbs and about 13.5" long.

the reality is now setting in that as big as this baby already is, it is going to get bigger, and its going to have to come out somehow...

that is a bit scary.

it will be so exciting to meet this little monkey... i suspect that will completely make up for all the scary bits. 



still eating tons of veggies... and fruit now. i have never been much of a fruit person but the last little while i have been eating a lot more fruit.

i bought some ice cream a couple weeks ago as a treat... i didn't even open it until yesterday.

i had 2 scoops. i think i had my fill. fernando will probably end up eating the rest of it. it just didn't hit the spot. i would have rather had something else. i was just to lazy to go put it back once i'd gotten all settled in on the couch with the dogs.

sweets are not so much my thing lately. there is a short list of things i still want.

plain cheesecake

ice cream sandwiches (i know... makes no sense since vanilla icecream was not my favorite)

lemon meringue pie.

ummm... yup thats about it.

considering that i would sit down and DEMOLISH deserts pre-pregnancy this is a pretty big shock to me.

probably a really good thing though.

hope everyone is having a great day

xo



tasty tuesday

Breakfast "Cupcakes"

these are super easy and you can easily modify the recipe by adding your favorite egg toppings.

again - not a real recipe, but more a guideline.
sorry for anyone who wants exact recipes... that's just not how i roll.

what you'll need:

eggs (one egg for each cupcake you'll be making)
toppings - i like bacon and cheese but really you can toss whatever you like in there!
biscuit mix (optional)
S&P
splash of milk or cream

how to do it:

cook bacon so it is not soggy. i won't pretend that i don't sometimes cook it in the microwave.
crack eggs into bowl and whisk with some salt and pepper and a splash of milk
add in your bacon
pour/spoon into greased muffin pan
add grated or cubed cheese to the center of each cupcake (it will sink in and make a gooey delicious cheese center)

optional:
prepare the biscuit mix as directed (or make from scratch if you're feeling ambitious) and roll out
cut circles to fit on the top of each cupcake and carefully set on

bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until tops are golden and eggs are set.

i don't think i have ever made these for fernando (he's usually sleeping for breakfast) but i have made them for myself more times than i can count. i can guarantee that if i made these for fernando he would "ice" them with ketchup.

some possible mods:
sausage and peppers
jalapeno and cheddar
bacon, mushroom and cheese...
and on and on and on...

they're nothing fancy but they're fun!

25 weeks - the eggplant.

the eggplant....
this is it right?

ha! i couldn't help myself. its an Egg-Plant
ok, i know that there is not a basil plant growing inside an egg in my ever growing belly...
though, the picture really made me laugh so i had to stick it in here.

its more like one of these... i like purple.
i'm ok with this.

i like my purple shoes even better than eggplant though.

they might not look like much, but they are the BEST, MOST COMFORTABLE shoes EVER! i really mean it. i have worn these shoes more in a year than i have worn any other pair of shoes in probably 5 years. i was a shoe addict. i am now reformed. i literally LIVE in these shoes and the black pair that fernando bought for me in the spring.
if they wear out and i can't wear them any more i will cry.
pathetically.
i'm talking full on sobbing.
i'll blame this on the sea monkey, but i am pretty sure that i would have bawled like a kid that fell off the swing set even pre-pregnancy if someone had tried to take these shoes away from me.

went to the doctor on friday... everything is good. i'm measuring right where i should be... minimal weight gain, BP good, heartbeat still sitting at 140. not so helpful with wives tales... if its over 140 its a girl and under 140 its a boy....  well this definitely keeps it a surprise.
lots of speculation from people... a lot are leaning towards a girl.
its funny for me to hear everyone's different reasons for thinking they know what is growing in there.

**fernando milestone**
he has now felt the baby move!! he could see it before but never felt it. one of our friends suggested putting his face on my stomach since his hands have no feeling apparently.... sure enough, he got a sea monkey roundhouse.

one last thing....
i have developed a new baby brain symptom.
random bursts of color blindness. seriously. i got to work today and looked at what i was wearing... YIKES! pink glasses, red leopard print scarf and purple shoes. the shoes and the glasses go nicely because the arms are purple... the shoes and the scarf work nicely together, but DAMN. the combination of all three is something that even fernando wouldn't try and put together! since i couldn't lose the glasses without being blind for the day, the scarf is now sitting in a rejected, sad little pile in my office. i don't know what possessed me to put that all together... i almost liked it better when i was just doing things like leaving the house in my furry slippers. that i could fix before anyone saw me by slipping into a pair of my spare shoes in the car. this took me a good 45 minutes to notice.
45 minutes i spent looking like a fashion victim.

pet peeves...

i don't know if its me being pregnant, but certain things just seem to annoy me more than ever...

so please bear with me while i rant!

here is a small list.
am i the only one who finds this sort of thing to be unbearable?

• People who are rude to cashiers. it is not the cashier's fault if you have a coupon that is not valid. if it says it's expired and was only valid until april 30th and you are now trying to redeem it in July then YOU are the stupid one. can't you read?!?!
• the dwindling number of people who courtesy wave. i have "tested" the theory that the courtesy wave is slowly dying. i have a fairly hefty commute to and from work every day and when i get a jerk trapped behind me i test this by letting in as many people as possible. out of 10 cars let in i'm lucky to get 3 waves. i don't expect your first born child... just a freakin thank you wave of acknowledgement. and just for the record, i test this theory when i get one of those asshole drivers behind me that tries to cut me off because they have tried to cut ahead of everyone by driving in the emptier lane but really need to be in the other lane and then stop and hold up traffic to try and get into it. i DO NOT do this to nice drivers. i grew up with the farmer wave. if you meet someone on the road you acknowledge them with a friendly 4 finger lift off the steering wheel. JUST BECAUSE. i miss the friendly country roads. and NICE people driving. i suppose this is only an issue for people who have experienced courteous drivers... if you've only been around asshole city drivers then this won't apply to you.
• People who supposedly phone over and over when i'm already on the phone with someone else or away from my desk but never leave a message then call back and say that they tried calling me for a week. how am i supposed to know that you called me if you don't leave a message?? do i look psychic?
• people who constantly complain about things to everyone. i mean CONSTANTLY. and they complain about things that are their own fault and could easily be avoided. like for example... i can't believe i was in a car accident... and they then tell you that they were eating breakfast and reading when it happened... really?? who's fault is that?!?!
• people that get in the elevator to go one floor up or down. take the freakin stairs!! its only one floor! i'm pregnant and i can manage the stairs... most of them could use the exercise too.

i think that's enough now... i am pretty sure i could continue for a while, but i will save some for another time.

bump day - week 24

well here's my bump...

and.....
my lovely silhouette...
strange to me still to see what looks like a basketball stuffed under my shirt. i wonder if you ever really get used to that?

another exciting milestone happened today.
fernando still hasn't been able to feel the baby move. but this morning i took his hand off my stomach and said
"ok... watch this"
sea monkey was doing the usual wake up in the morning acrobatics and is strong enough now that you can see movement if you watch my stomach.
the look on fernando's face and the way he jumped back when my whole stomach twitched was priceless.
absolutely priceless.
pretty much the exact same reaction draco had.

i'm still not sure how he can't feel the movement since its now visible to just look at... i guess playing bass has made his hands like leather or something.
but now he can watch the sea monkey.

tasty tuesday

i am finding tasty tuesday to be a bit more difficult as of late. i'm not making many super delicious things. my lame salads and steamed vegetables with rice are not the things that great blog posts are made of.

so... here is my least lame one this week.
its not really a recipe.
guidelines really...

Citrus Steamed Basa

what you'll need:

2 limes or 2 lemons (i prefer limes - fernando likes lemons.... last time i won)
2 basa filets
cilantro (as much or as little as you like)
salt and pepper - to taste
frying pan with tight fitting lid

what you need to do:

cut the citrus into circles and lay flat in the bottom of the pan.
make sure you cover the whole pan. when i made this on sunday i ended up using 1 and a half limes.
throw your cilantro on the limes. i use the whole thing. stem and all. you're not eating it, its just for flavor
lay the fish on top of the limes and cilantro
salt and pepper the top of the fish
add water to the pan to the top of the lemons/limes
put the lid on and cook at medium until the fish is done (depends how thick/big it is).

somehow i only managed to save one of the pictures on my phone... there was supposed to be more. OOPS.
this is what it looks like before you put the salt and pepper on.



variations:
put all the same ingredients in foil and throw this in the BBQ. delicious, healthy, and no dishes!
use other kinds of fish. i've tried a few but basa is fernando's favorite. prawns are also good.

24 weeks and STILL a papaya.

apparently i am stuck at papaya... AGAIN.

i want a new fruit damn it!

hard to believe 24 weeks has flown by already.
bear with me, i will be saying that pretty much every week.
it is crazy how fast this is going.

the sea monkey's tastebuds are developing now and she/he weighs about 1.3 lbs.

we spent the weekend moving things and sorting things at home. exciting, i know.
i managed to sort/organize half of the under the stairs disaster. that was a lot of stuff. quite a bit of stuff for recycling and goodwill. found a belt and buckle that fernando lost years ago back there... just proving my point that when he cleaned the basement that he just tossed everything under the steps.
this week i'm going to pick up some more tubs (to keep things nice and organized) and hopefully tackle some of the other side.

fernando also set up our new hamock chair this weekend. it is AMAZING.

back to the baby related updates though...

craving of the week:
salad.
really?!?!?!
who craves salad??
silly sea monkey. mommy wants something better! i was ok with vegetables... those i could at least put butter on to make it feel like i wasn't having the lamest cravings ever.
my salad of choice has been baby red leaf lettuce with cucumbers, snap peas, some sort of cheese (today is dill havarti) with balsamic dressing.
my big exciting variation on this is switching the lettuce to iceberg. WOW
BORING.

i did really want an ice cream sandwich yesterday though. it might have been because i was under a blanket with 2 dogs piled on top of me and it was pretty freakin hot cozy.  if i want another one this week it will be a miracle. last box of icecream sandwiches last me over a month. in the end i just ate them because they were starting to taste like the freezer.

one strange thing i've noticed...
my leg hairs are growing sooooo much more slowly than usual. i don't know if this is a pregnancy thing, or because i waxed them a month and a half ago. normally waxing makes almost no difference in my leg hairs so i am skeptical to credit the waxing for the delayed growth. my armpits are in the same boat... i didn't even attempt to wax them (you may have already read about my baby brain issue of forgetting one armpit when shaving in the shower) because i am the biggest armpit wimp EVER. there is no way i could ever rip those hairs out on my own. dry shave - no problem. wax - NO WAY IN HELL.
this is a nice treat for the summer i have to say.
if only my bangs would get the memo. they won't stop growing! i'm either going to have to start pinning them back or stop being so lazy and trim them. AGAIN. it is never ending! if i didn't want so badly to hide my forehead crinkles i would probably just leave them and wear headbands for the rest of summer... but i think i would miss my bangs (aka the fountain of youth).