So there IS a reason that I’ve been absent for so long – and not just the usual “I’ve been busy”.  I am PREGNANT and have been suffering for many weeks with some gnarly Morning Sickness – it’s been awful!! But as I’m almost done with my first trimester, I’m feeling much better now! Thank you, Jesus – literally – I prayed so hard about it.  It was so awful! I have been a bit of a hermit, and it’s made it quite difficult to get excited about my pregnancy when I’ve felt like garbage!

Anyway – I’m good now – and it feels SO good to just get the info out there!! I’m such an open book it’s very difficult for me to keep things a secret from people in my life! So it feels SO GOOD to get it all out there!!

Here are some pictures my best friend Jamie did for us – while I do look incredibly bloated in them – I’m happy we had a fun way to share our news! Check out Jamie’s website at www.jamiebethphotography.com

My sister is one of my very favorite people – and 5 1/2 years ago she gave birth to my niece, who has become such a source of joy in my world it’s crazy!  Well, my sister was due on January 27th…but last night she went into labor – showed up at the hospital at midnight – and a little after 1am this little guy showed up ::

Couldn’t you just die?! He’s SO CUTE!! I mean – so cute that I, in fact, feel bad for my future children. My sister and brother-in-law make the most beautiful babies…and I am actually a bit worried my children will not be able to compete!

But in all seriousness – my sister was such a trooper. She got to the hospital and was too far along to get an epidural – so all natural for her! So proud of her!!

Anyway – SO happy to be an auntie x2! I love this job!  Here’s Brooklyn meeting her new baby brother – so much cuteness!

So this week has been rough. Nothing major has happened, I’m just really dragging and feel defeated. There are several things I feel like I’m just “waiting” on to move forward. I know that the Lord’s asking me to realize that even in this wait He’s teaching me things and life can’t just be wasted while I wait for the next big thing. *sigh*

So anyway, yesterday when I realized that both Husband and I were going to be home for dinner (this week has been a little crazy) I realized that I should probably figure out what we were going to have. And I felt like doing something easy with minimal clean up. So I whipped out a Slow Cooker recipe…Orange Chicken.

I LOVE slow cooker recipes. I love being able to dump everything into a pot, and after a crazy day when I’d rather do just about anything then cook, our food is magically done! So I always love getting a chance to try a new one. So here you go ::

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

I really love bread. So when I saw these – I just had to have them.

Bahahaha. I kid I kid…no bread gloves for me!

Okay for real…I got a bread machine. $25 bucks on Craigslist – so it was a steal. But I will say, I feel a lil bit like when I was little, and they got big and all my friends moms got one…used it twice…then let it take up space on the counter from then on.
And I will admit. It was a total impulse buy. But in my defense, I was prompted by several recipe I’d stumbled upon recently…and I’ve already used it several times and I really like it!

I’ve  always loved bread – and because I’m consistently trying to find ways to be healthier about my food choices – I’ve been buying “double fiber” bread, or whole wheat – making sure I’m reading all the labels. But lately I’ve been really wanting to know more about some of the things I’m eating. And honestly, I LOVE the idea of being able to add things to our bread. Or my bread – I’m not sure Jeremy could care less about our food choices. Ha
So this way I can add flax seed – or whatever else my little heart might desire!

If you have any great recipes for the bread machine let me know! I’m loving trying it out.

So for over a year now I’ve struggled with what I will call “tummy troubles”.  I’ve been able to manage it with medicine – but I’ve decided in the new year to do the best I can at eating more fruits and veggies. I need to add more fiber to my life – and I also just want to feel better about what I’m eating.

So I decided to try something I’ve been curious about – but horrified to try. Yesterday – I went for it.

It’s called “The Green Monster” – and I think the name itself scared me. But then the pictures – OH the pictures!

The green-ness was just too much. I was scared.

And I have this rule. I don’t care how healthy something is for me – if it doesn’t taste good, don’t eat it.
But I was feeling bold. And in need for more veggie-ness. And I’m serious, THIS IS GOOD!!

Here’s the recipe ::

The Green Monster Smoothie 

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk – not because I’m vegan – its just really good for you and yummy and I like to mix it up! But “cows milk” would be just fine too!)
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 frozen banana
• handful of ice
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• And I added a Truvia packet for some added sweetness

Just stick it all in the blender – and blend it until creamy!

It’s seriously SO good! It tastes like a peanut butter banana smoothie!  You really cannot taste the spinach! And holy fiber-tasticness! You can also add all kinds of stuff – flax seed, chia seeds – whatever your lil heart desires! So good for you and so yummy!

I know – it still looks so strange – but if you’re brave enough to try – you won’t be disappointed!

So a couple years ago when I first got here I bought a nightstand on Craigslist for $5. $5 people. I bought it to use as a side table actually. And I did. But only for a short while. Then it’s been this extra piece of furniture laying around.

This is what it looked like when I first got it ::

I posted it here before – I painted it green. Which was nice. But to be honest, I ended up hating it. So after it sat in our garage forever (along with a sofa table still waiting for some attention) I decided to try again. This time I used a slightly different method than I’ve shared before.

1.) I sanded. As per usual.

2.) I primed (oil based primer-trust me, it’s the best) – using a cheap-o brush. I got sick of trying to clean my nice brushes – so I bought a $5 pack of 6 brushes.

3.) Here’s where I did things a bit differently. I added something called Flotrol. It just helps lengthen drying time a bit so you get a much smoother coat. You add it to the paint, and I loved the way it worked.

4.) I painted a thin coat of my latex paint with a high quality brush – I like Purdy. It doesn’t matter what level of gloss of paint I use because my protective coating is gonna give me the end finish. Then another coat until it’s well coated. Keepin’ it thin, so they don’t get goopy or brush strokes.

5.) After that dries nicely – it’s time to use a Polyurethane finish coat. I like it to be nice and glossy.

6.) Then I added new hardware and ta-dah! I’m done!

Here’s the finished piece ::

I’m probably going to try to sell this bad boy on Craigslist. I bought it when I had the perfect spot for it – now I don’t and while not huge, we have very little storage here.

Now on to the list of other pieces I want to do…