Masterpiece

I am SO excited to share with you my little masterpiece I created over the past 2 days in Summer's nursery. However, so you can fully experience the transformation I have documented the process step by step.

My VISION

The Base Flowers - the look of the flowers are from the crib bedding.

The second layer of paint...

With Stems and Leaves - now I'm lovin' it!

Flowers go 3-D

I flipped around the bumper pad so Summer will see the flowers.

Ta Da!

30 to 30

Only 30 days until I turn 30!
Not to put the pressure on my husband or any of my friends, but I did throw Chad a big backyard BBQ fully catered with alot of people for his 30th! And I understand that I am the planner in the family but I don't want to plan my own 30th...so I am putting out this subtle hint to you all that I do have some expectations.
The End.

ER Visit

It has been an eventful 2 days at our house. Chad has battled the stomach flu and lost. After non stop vomitting last night and him bent over in pain we decided to go to the Emergency Room. There is a mini hospital about 5 minutes away and it was great. There wasn't anyone there and they saw us immediately. He received an IV with liquids, anti nausea and pain meds. Within the first 5 minutes he was getting his coloring back and feeling better. We were there until 3am so we were nice and tired once we got back home. He is feeling so much better now and the doctor gave us more anti nausea pills should it come back. He is on one now. Thanks for caring!
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One of my new beauty secrets is Vaseline Cocoa Butter lotion. I have been using this and it is a great inexpensive lotion. I recently ran out of my expensive Aveda face lotion and used this as a substitute for a day and I have been using ever since. Now, NV is dry so this may not work for a more humid climate but I have only seen great results from using it.
Plus, I am sharing with you a coupon I found that is good for the remainder of this month- $1 off.
http://www.pathmark.com/pdf/bhm/Unilever_INT_100703_VAS_Online_AD_R2_LORES.pdf
Googling coupons for the items on my shopping list is my new favorite pastime.

Sampson and Spring

Today is Sampson's Birthday! Our big Great Dane turns 5 years old today. We sang Happy Birthday to him and he got to go into the front yard with me for some special time without Lucy...it's the little things that matter to him:) He has a sensitive stomach and we are watching his weight so no food celebrations are in the works.

We have had consecutive days of 70 degree weather and I wanted to share with you some of the signs of spring popping up in my yard. I like to take pictures of flowers as much as food by the way...even though I have no clue the names of these flowers. Botanicals are like a foreign language to me!

I do know that this is mint. It grows like a weed and I have to cut it back during the summer.

My big flowers from last year look like they are coming back, yeah! These will get HUGE.

Will someone tell me if this is a weed (below)?

I planted 3 rose bushes last year and it appears 2 out of three have new leaves on them!

My husband LOVES to grill! I mean loves it. And I love trying new recipes. So I pulled this one off the Today Show, Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimmichuri sauce with Rice Salad.

Chad ranked this meal with a 9 out of 10! The meat was marinated with salt, pepper, onion powder, olive oil and white wine vinegar. He almost exploded with joy from the delicious smell the second after he put it on the grill! The Chimmichuri sauce is parsley, garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar. I didn't get that perfect but it added alot of flavor. The Rice Salad, though not that pretty, was a great addition to the meal. It had cooked carrots, oregano, celery, corn and peas with olive oil and white wine vinegar and it was served room temp. It had a little zest that matched well with the steak. All recipes were by Daisy Martinez if you want to google.

Summer's Nursery

Two posts in one day...hope it isn't overkill. I couldn't help it because we received our crib today and I had to share the latest updates to Summer's nursery.



One of the things I like about the crib is the drawer underneath. We will be able to put all her sweet blankets she has received under there.
We are really getting everything together now...next project is to paint those sweet little daisy's that are on her bumper on the wall behind her crib.

Cinnamon Rolls Results

The Overnight Cinnamon Roll recipe was put to the test this morning.

I did omit a few ingredients as I realized last minute I didn't have however they turned out tasty!

And Chad enjoyed them...

However, before you all start getting jealous I want you to know that I will probably never make this recipe again. I think that cinnamon rolls from the can are superb, easy and consistent and they are still my favorite.

Design Challenge

I am in this design challenge at work and I feel like this is the hardest I have ever worked for a $25 gift certificate! However, I have gotten consumed in the process and I have decided to give it all I have. This was a fun outlet for my creative side but took a lot more time than I imagined.

Anyways, here is my final product. I know it isn't the prettiest but I used items around the house (painted cardboard folded in 3 parts) tied with string from a JCrew Christmas shopping bag...thinking outside of the box!

I included my couple's story and room budget, overall design look and to-scale room arrangement.

Our manager will announce March 25th the winner! I already have items for Summer's room that I will purchase with my $25 (which goes farther than you think with my discount).

I have also been involved with cooking alot lately. I have been trying new recipes and so far so good. Tonight we had Chicken Delight casserole (seasoned chicken pieces topped with sauteed onions, rice and chicken broth - baked then topped with evaporated milk and baked more). It came out looking bland but tasted quite delicious!

My friend Rachel gave me this recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls that you make the night before. I made them tonight...from scratch dough, cinnamon filling...then tomorrow morning I will make the glaze and bake.

Here is what they look like tonight. I will update you tomorrow as to how they taste!

Thanks to Leslie for my apron! It saved me from being covered in flour and sugar today.

Surprise Snow and Summer's Nursery

The weekend was beautiful and I even got a little sunburn...only to wake up Monday morning to 2 inches of snow on the ground. You know this weather is a lot like life...just when we think things are fabulous we hit a challenge.

But before you know it life is good again. (This picture is taken Monday afternoon, just hours after the snowy one)

The snow, though a nightmare for traffic and bothersome for those who didn't expect it, hydrated the soil and is great for our snowpack. In life, our challenges, though they may seem insurmountable, strenghten our soul and make us all the better for them. I urge you to take advantage of your challenges and make them count because they will pass soon and we want to have gotten stronger because of them.

Summer's Nursery
Well I had planned on painting her room pink but in compromise with my sweet husband I chose yellow...plus I already had the paint from a previous project that didn't work out.

After painting the room and trim, Chad and Matt brought in the furniture and I got to arrange Summer's pajamas, onesies, blankets, bibs, books and cds in her dresser. It was so much fun preparing for her arrival.
Here are a few pictures of the beginning of her nursery.


I got such a positive response from my hamburger picture that I thought I would document our wholesome dinner; baked bbq chicken, wild rice and green beans

Springtime Day

Today was a beautiful day and Chad and I hung out in the back yard with the dogs. We soaked in the sun and grilled out hamburgers and bratwurst. I love doing nothing but sitting in the back yard and relaxing with my family.

The grillmaster...

Me and the dogs

My delicious burger. I like taking pictures of food, weird I know.

Summer's Growing

At this point I feel like I am growing bigger everyday. Here is a picture of me at 25 weeks. Let's just say I didn't go to work this day and therefore I never really tried to look good (so forgive the neck up).

Summer's rug from Pottery Barn Kids came in the mail today!

It is even cuter in person. I cannot wait to get the rest of the items in the room. I doubt she will even cry because she will be so content in her nursery:)

Gestational Diabetes Test

I just returned from my Gestational Diabetes test and I want to share with yall that it didn't kill me. I was given the orange sugar drink and I thought it tasted ok...like a gatorade. I had to sit in the waiting room for one hour for the sugar to go through my body and luckily I was able to read the Reno Magazine (tore out a Whole Foods $20 off coupon - with permission) and catch up on my Forgiveness class workbook.

Then there is the dreaded part of taking the blood. I can take a scalding hot shower or drink ridiculously hot coffee but to have a needle draw blood out of me is just an overload. I have to look the other way and I made a face when she stuck me. As soon as I did that I realized that there was another lady in the opposite chair facing me who probably saw my sissyness, oh well.

If my blood didn't absorb the sugar appropriately I will fail the test and have to take a 3 hour tolerance test where I drink the sugar beverage then they take my blood every hour for 3 hours. Please pray I won't fail because that would be bad...plus you have to fast and that is a long time to not eat (all night plus until 10am the next morning). I don't think I will find out until my next Dr. appt at the end of March.

On a separate note, Lucy is a strange dog. Beginning yesterday she is scared of walking around the house.

For example: She loves laying in our bathroom but has developed a fear of leaving the bathroom and will stay there and whine until I come and escort her by the bed and out of the bedroom. And she got up on the guest bed (with dogs sheets on it, of course) and wouldn't get down even when the rest of the family is in the living room...this coming from the same dog who jumps the back fence daily. Trust me she can step off the 2 foot bed.

Here is a picture of her snuggled up with the pokey bush in our back yard. This bush is recovering from her killing it last year because she lays on it all the time. Why would a dog want to lay on a bush that has pokey leaves?

Meanwhile, this is Sampson's life. And Lucy is chasing her tail in this picture too.