It's a...

...GIRL!!!!



(I'm having trouble uploading the picture, so I'll try again later)

19 weeks and 5 days--practically halfway there, and baby girl is very active.  I've finally figured out what it feels like when she moves, and she likes to do it around 5:30 pm and 10-11pm, right when I'm trying to sleep.  It doesn't keep me awake yet, but let's hope she changes the time of day she likes to move before she starts putting elbows and knees in places that make me uncomfortable.
After our ultrasound, Husband and I went to Babies 'R Us to register.  I knew there were going to be things I was unsure of what I wanted because I hadn't researched anything yet, but we were both quite a bit overwhelmed.  Needless to say, I haven't told anyone I'm registered yet because my registry changes daily online as I continue to research, ask around and find cuter colors and patterns!  One thing we both know for sure though is our list of "NO's":
-NO princess stuff (although I did allow him to register for ONE "daddy's little princess" bib)
-NO bows, flowers or headbands of any kind that are larger than my baby's face.  I'm all for headbands and bows, but when the first things you see is the accessory and not the baby, there's a problem.
-NO tutus.  Again with the excess.  Tutus can be perfectly fine, but why do they have to be so darn big!
-NO pink everything!  I am ALL FOR dressing her girly and LOTS OF DRESSES, but I don't need the playpen, stroller, highchair, etc to look like a flamingo threw up in our house.  Baby girl may have a little brother next so we don't want little man to grow up in a world of pink.

The one thing we easily agreed on is her nursery.  We're not themey people, (again with the "no's") so no animals, Disney, crazy patterns, etc.  It will be grey and pink and somewhat vintagey and most importantly budget friendly that she can grow into.  She's going to have most of these items until she's a teenager (or older), so I want it to be timeless and easy to transition.

The biggest challenge we are facing now is the NAME GAME!  I knew it would be hard, but wow, not this hard!  We had a list of about 5 names we both liked, but then I asked my daycare friends the names of the baby girls in their infant and toddler rooms, and that knocked out about 3 names.  From having worked in daycare, I know that if there is one baby with that name (unless it's super weird), there is bound to be at least 5 others with the same name and I don't want my daughter to have to be known as "Child R." all through school.  So we have started the name process all over again with a new perspective on what name baby girl should be.  And I pretty sure we've decided to keep it a secret until she gets here.  When we gave a few of our suggestions to family and friends, it seems like with every name there was always something wrong with it, or someone else in the family had that name or something.  So I think it's our best bet to wait until she gets here, and see if the name suits her when we see her little face.

Menu Board

I have the week off, and have been wanting to get into the habit of making dinner at least 5 nights a week for my husband and I, so I thought this would be the perfect time to start.  This will prevent us from spending so much money on going out to eat at night and fast food at lunch time for my husband because now he will have leftovers.  And hopefully, the meals I cook are much healthier for us than all those restaurant meals!  I have always loved the idea of having your menu for the week planned so you can buy the groceries needed for those meals and not spend money on food you're going to throw away, or end up scrounging for dinner ideas when it's 8 o'clock at night.
So Saturday afternoon, I went through my Pinterest recipes and wrote on recipe cards 5 of my favorites.  I did notice however that most of my board consists of Mexican recipes.  Oops!  I planned out what would we eat each night and what nights it was ok to eat out or order in, based on our schedules.  And I tried to mix up the types of meals we had each evening, so no chicken 2 days in a row, or soups everyday of the week even though it is technically winter.
Without having to spend money on supplies for my menu board (or get out of my pj's and leave the house), I used what items and resources I already had in my house, and this is what I came up with.  It's not the fanciest and takes up counter space, which I have plenty of, but it works for us and works for now.

I had some clear plastic photo frames leftover from our wedding decor, so I took some scrapbook paper and cut it to the size of the large frame.  (Yes, I realize my cutting is bad in the bottom left hand corner.)  I then used some sticker letters I had laying around for the days of the week.  I was out of "S's", small and large, but I figure that can be a reserve night a week we go to dinner, or leftovers.  Or if something comes up earlier in the week and I don't make what was planned, I can make it for Saturday.  The recipe cards I had were the perfect size to fit in a 5x7 clear frame.  I write the actual instructions for the recipe on the back, so having a frame that is clear on both sides is a great way to keep my recipe cards free from food splatters.  Of course I did make the mistake Sunday night when trying to make Chicken Fajitas that when I would flip the frame over, I was reading the instructions for Black Bean Soup, because I had the recipe cards for the entire week in the frame.  So, now the recipe cards for the entire week go in the back on the large frame!  Now I just need some new dry erase markers and maybe glue a little ribbon around and it will be perfect, or at least good enough until I feel like doing something better with it!

Bump Timeline

Of course there are some super fantastic blogs out there with weekly updates of baby bumps standing next to an equally cute chalkboard design crafted by the mom-to-be's, but let's be honest, I'm not as talented as these ladies, and I would most likely forget to take a picture every week, let alone post it on time!!  So this is what you get; a monthly update of me, to see how long my hair gets on a blah grey bedroom wall.  Enjoy!

I honestly would have loved to do something much cuter, but was so excited to take the 1 month picture, that when it came to take month 2, I was just lucky to be wearing makeup and have clean hair!

Happy (early) Anniversary!

Big news!  June 25, 2012, we are expecting our first little one!  So the goal now, is get those June 25, 2011 wedding photos posted before it's time to post baby photos!!!
Of course seeing little one (literally) for the first time was so incredibly special, while we were checking Baby Ruby out, they decided while they were in there, they either waved hello to mommy or fist pumped for daddy.  Whichever it was, it was an absolutely unforgettable experience and now I feel like I REALLY am with child and not just assuming so because the stick had a plus sign and I got sick a couple times.   I can't wait for the next 6 months!

It's been a loooonnnnnnggg time...

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year since I've last blogged!  Within the next wee--ok, let's be honest--within the next month, I plan on posting about my June wedding, because, well, it was my favorite and I would love to share the wonderful pictures with the world.  I've also done a few diaper cakes I personally think are fantastic and would like to share as well.  And of course there are a few blogs out there I follow and would love to pass those along.  I'll leave you with a sneak peek of some wedding photos and next blog there will be some exciting news to share!

 Husband's not a fan of this one, but it's one of my favorites.  I have no idea what he might be shrugging about and the same goes for my expression.

You may notice quite a bit scarlet and grey, and this may have a little something to do with it...

Rebecca

S'mores Cupcakes!

It all started when reading in the Real Simple, September 2010 issue; to save time frosting cupcakes, place a marshmallow on top, allow it to melt, and viola--cupcake with marshmallow "frosting." 
So I thought, why not make a s'mores cupcake?!  For those of you who were never allowed to play in fire as a kid, a s'more is a marshmallow roasted over fire, placed on top of a graham cracker square.  A square of Hershey's chocolate is placed on top of the hot marshmallow, then covered with a graham cracker square. 

You will need the following ingredients:
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 bag large marshmallows
1 box graham crackers
1 bag mini marshmallows (optional)
3 or 4 bars of Hershey chocolate
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c butter, melted

Preheat oven to desired temperature on cake mix box.  Place cupcake liners in pan.  Get out your meat tenderizer (and frustrations) and crumble 1 package of graham crackers.  (I chose to do mine in the package to save on dishes and trash.)    Here is my sweet friend Sarah assisting:

Mix the crumbled graham cracker with the melted butter and sugar.  Place a layer of cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner.  This mixture can be used for either 12 or 24 cupcakes.  If you would like a thicker "crust," double the mixture.  Flatten the mixture in the bottom of each liner.  Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until edges become crispy.  Follow the instructions on the cake mix box.  Remove the pan from the oven. (Use pot holders)  Fill the pan with cake batter.  For an added surprise, you can put a mini marshmallow or a small bar of chocolate inside each cupcake! 

Bake the cupcakes the instructed number of minutes given on the cake box.  While the 'cakes are baking, smash another package of graham crackers.  These will be used to top the cupcakes.  When there are 3-4 minutes left to bake, place a large marshmallow on top of each 'cake.  I couldn't tell if putting them a certain direction made them melt better, so do whatever floats your boat.  And be careful when sliding the pan back in the oven; we had a close call with a marshmallow falling off the cupcake and almost landing in the bottom of the oven!  That would have been a mess! 

You may need to pull the cupcakes out and sort of flatten them with your fingers and replace the marshmallows that tried to roll away when they are in the middle of melting.  When the timer goes off, or they look great to you, allow them to cool in the pan for 3-4 minutes.  While the marshmallows are still soft, carefully get the cupcakes out of the pan, roll them in the graham crackers, and place them on a cooling rack. 

Place a square of Hershey's chocolate on top.  Allow them to cool completely and enjoy with a cold glass of milk!