NON-ALCOHOLIC COCKTAILS

Happy Friday, blog world! And to celebrate the end of achy weekdays, maybe everyone should have themselves a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail.  I'm a girl who really appreciates a good drank-infused cocktail, but these recent months without them have me appreciating complex drinks for different reasons. That's why I loved hearing the guys over at The Table Set discuss the glory of a well-balanced, thoughtfully put-together and refreshing cocktail that doesn't involve alcohol. They put these recipes up on their show notes and the concoctions are so creative and interesting that I had to share them here.

30 weeks

 

 


 I am feeling a bit antsy these days. It’s not anxiety, it’s not nervousness, it’s not even wanderlust. YES I am envious of all the trips/adventures that people are on and taking. Both my sisters are doing fabulous trips in Europe, I have friends on or going on mission trips to Japan and Rwanda, friends that are going on vacation to the Cayman Islands, friends that are making a trip to Peru, and friends that are moving away to different states. And YES I would love to have a getaway vacation, even for a weekend.  I admit, I spent a good hour being silly and feeling sorry for myself about how we can’t take a vacation and how my life these days and life in the upcoming months is going to be on lockdown mode.  But that by itself isn’t really what’s tugging on my dangling heart strings. I know that if I wasn’t pregnant, my wanderlust would be kicking in super strong right now and threatening to take over sensibilities, but (funny how this works!) so far this pregnant has been keeping me feeling pretty satisfied with what I have going on right now. I actually expected more instability and more episodes of feeling like I want to run away from myself, but God is good and knows what I need, and it’s been pleasant having that peace for the past few months about my current situation.

That’s the thing, I DO have episodes of envy/what-if’s/what-am-i-doing-with-my-life/am-i-ready?/second-guessing, but they are tiny shots of boomerangs that ping out from time to time, wandering, wondering, about the unknown, only to snap back again to the reality that YES I am exactly where I need to be right now.  I think it’s because there is so much PURPOSE attached to this baby growing thing that I, as a purpose-seeking (obsessing) person, cannot help be refueled by the knowledge of what I am doing.  There is nothing more challenging, refining, redefining, fulfilling, affirming, or wrenching than what K. and I are about to do here.

But back to the antsy. We’re left with 10 weeks and smack in the middle of that 10 weeks we are moving. I am so excited for the new house and the new baby and the new life, but there is so much to do. It’s a feeling of wanting everything to GO SLOW but also happen RIGHT NOW, all at the same time. Thus, the antsy. It’s comparable to knowing that there is a huge tornado coming, but a tornado that I’m excited about(?)- we just have to get ready for it.   Working full-time during my last trimester, while packing and getting ready to move, furniture selling, furniture shopping, budgeting, shopping for daycares, shopping for nursery, taking baby prep classes, saying goodbye to dear friends, reading through materials I have to get ready for natural birth/breastfeeding, doctor’s appointments, more budgeting, cleaning, moving, settling in, and then, having the baby. All good stuff. But a lot of stuff.

I guess I’m just taking stock of everything right now. It’s a TAKE-A-DEEP-BREATH-AND-DIVE-IN kind of thing, and I’m feeling tingly….

INSTAGRAM PEEKS: A FRIDAY NIGHT IN

Last Friday was one of them days where it hit 10:30 AM at work, and I.WAS.DONE. A day like that requires naps, hugs, and another nap - none of which happened during the work day. But against all odds, I made it through, I got home, and not wanting to make dinner, I drove over to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods with Rusty as company. K. was off doing what he do, so I had a little date night with myself, and liked it.

Dinner: shrimp pesto pizza + tabouleh + cheese cubes

I made myself a fancy dessert while reading through a book about Egon Schiele.

This little number was inspired by one of the recipes from Joy the Baker. Instead of a milkshake though, I dressed up the fro-yo: tart frozen yogurt with rose water poured over it with coconut cookie crumbs and cardamom sprinkled on top. Success.

New friends from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods: Toasted coconut cookie thins (SO GOOD) + cardamom + non-fat plain frozen yogurt + rose water

While thinking about painting my nails, I decided to do a little painting on my phone instead.

Ta-da

and the ever faithful, ever fluffy, and ever neurotic Rusty kept me company all throughout <3

NURSERY IDEAS

I am having way too much fun thinking about how to decorate the nursery. This is coming far from someone who didn't even think she'd have a separate room for a nursery when she first got pregnant. I also didn't see the appeal of decorating a room for ...a baby. Because the baby can't appreciate it, right? But c'mon who am I kidding. It's for the people who are going to be spending the time in the room taking care of the baby. Namely, myself, and K. And let's face it, I love decorating rooms. Moving to a new house and thinking about furniture and decor is definitely letting me work out any nesting needs I may have. 

I've narrowed down what I want to two different mood boards. It's pretty similar as you can see, the biggest difference probably being the type of furniture. Also, the question of whether or not to paint the room will probably be determined by how early we can get in the house. But as of now, the two variations I've come up with:

Nursery idea 1: white or light brown furniture + grey walls + subtle pops of color

 

links (left to right): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

 Nursery idea 2: brownish grey-colored furniture + white walls + bold pops of color

 

links (left to right): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

MY MAMA

row 1: on her wedding day
row 2: with me as a baby
row 3: with my sisters 

Being pregnant on this Mother's Day, and thinking about how after this year I will forever be a mother, I am so grateful to my mom for the amazing example that she is and has been of what it means to be a great mother and a lovely lady.

She teaches me that being a mom means taking the time to listen and being willing to constantly learn about her children. I've learned from her that being a mom means being a woman who prays. Most importantly she has shown me that being a special kind of mom means being a good example to her daughters by being true and honest to herself, knowing her worth, and constantly in the pursuit of living life to the fullest.

Thank you, mom. I love you!

OH HAPPY FRIDAY

These are some shots from Urban Farmhouse, a lovely café that my co-worker and I walk to everyday. The walk to the café is one of the many little things that help the work week go by, and albeit slow like a snail, go by it did!

This weekend K. and I are taking the second of our two Bradley classes, and then afterwards we are driving down to Virginia Beach for a Mother’s Day dinner with K.'s family. Hip hip hoorah for mothers!  I hope everyone's weekends feel long and lasting. In the meanwhile, fun links from the interweb:

1. Sometimes I browse forever 21's website to see what's up and recently came across these great dresses with high-low hems: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and then a couple of maxis: 6, 7

2. Lovely leather chevron necklace.

3. Check out the beauty department's website for tutorials, ideas and tips. Right now I'm trying to perfect the side braid in a way that works for me, and I've been testing out this one.

4. I love things like this: 25 clever ideas to make life easier.

5. Homemade junk food. I'm in.

6. One of my favorite thing to do these days is look up popsicle recipes. Must get popsicle molds ASAP.

7. Carved book landscapes - beautiful.

8. Damien Rice does hauntingly beautiful so well.

9. What I listen to at work when I need a surge of energy.

10. I am going to try to find time to try this recipe this weekend. I've been wanting to try the tart frozen yogurt from Trader Joe's so why not try the yogurt but also get fancy with a cardamom rose water milkshake?

GOING FLORAL WITH ASOS SALON

How ga-ga-gorgeous are these dresses from ASOS SALON? I think these dresses would be one of the most simple, sophisticated, and stunning ways to wear floral this spring..

I'm also loving the hair and the subtle and simple accessories.

HOW TO CURE A LEMON CAKE CRAVING.

Yea...so this totally happened on Friday night.

I got it in my head that I wanted to eat a lemon cake, and then that's all I could think about for the rest of the day. I informed a couple of friends that we needed to make this happen, and then I came up with the easiest way to satisfy one's lemon cake craving:

1) Buy a box of yellow cake mix. If they have lemon cake mix, even better, but Kroger's did not oblige.  Make the mix according to directions, and then stir in the juice of 1 lemon plus the zest of 1 lemon. Bake cake.

2) Make a lemon frosting. Mix together 2.5 cups of powder sugar, 0.5-1 stick of butter at room temp., 1 tablespoon of milk, juice of 1 lemon, and the zest of 1 lemon. I say 0.5-1 stick because you should add extra if you want your frosting to be thicker. Mine turned out more like a glaze. Or try leaving out the milk entirely and see what happens.

3) After cake cools, top with the frosting, and enjoy while talking with friends about things like home design styles and color schemes.

4) Think about making a real lemon cake from scratch one day, and eat another piece of cake with fresh strawberries on top. MMM so good.

 

Thanks ladies! 

29 weeks

What being 29 weeks means is not being able to paint my own toenails. Also, it is getting difficult to bend over this bump to shave my legs. People, don't look too closely at a pregnant lady's bare legs.



Baby,

I am so glad you are a summer baby.
You are going to be getting a lot of watermelon while you're in there these next few months.

Your dad and I have a lot of fun talking about what you'll be like. He hopes you will play volleyball, I hope you will have a creative spirit. We both hope you will be wise and strong and brave.

I really hope you like us. I am excited to see what the three of us will be like together.
I have a feeling we will be good for each other.

Love,
Your mom

ROCKETT'S LANDING

A few last minute photos from a refreshing/sweaty gathering at the Conch Republic near Rockett's Landing to hang with Laura's mama.

A few things of note: 
1) Check out those rad retro yellow sunglasses (Laura had the purple version), apparently $12 at Nordstrom's. I'm loving them in mint, and how cool are these pink ombre ones!
2) Drinking two cups of club soda makes me have to go to the bathroom five times in a span of 1.5 hours.
3) Rockett's Landing in RVA is an awesome place to appreciate the river, a view of the city, and the sunset.
4) I'm so grateful for the lovely ladies in my life.
5) I'm really going to miss the friends who are leaving RVA way too soon...

THE BEST CRAB CAKES

....and homemade fries!






Crab cakes are: 1) delicious and 2) easy to make. Two things that make me like you and include you in our dinner rotation, if you're a food. I've gone through many a crab cake recipe and this is the best one, in my opinion. It helps to refrigerate the patties for an hour or so before cooking, but no biggie if you don't, just add some more crushed crackers to keep the patty together. Also, the quality of the crab meat is very important. In regards to the best combination of quality and price, I like Chicken of the Sea's crab meat, available at Trader Joe's. These cakes are also just as good the next day - I made crab cake burgers with avocado, red onion, coleslaw and tarter sauce on whole wheat kaiser rolls - delicious!

Also, my sister, Sharon, recently shared her recipe for homemade fries and I am happy to report they were a success. Making fries at home can be not fun if your fries turn out limp and sad, but I think the trick is to boil the potatoes a little beforehand, and then turn up your oven and tend to your fries as they get golden. Basically, you need to get friendly with your oven and know its tendencies. I'm going to try this with sweet potatoes and see how crispy I can get them orange sticks.


The Best Crab Cakes
(Adapted from Tastebook)

• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons asian mayonnaise 
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice 
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 1 teaspoon old bay 
• 1 tablespoon minced green onions 
• 8 ounces crabmeat 
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers 
• 1 tablespoon butter 

 In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, old bay, and scallions. Gently stir in crabmeat, being careful not to break up meat. Gradually mix in cracker crumbs, adding until desired consistency is achieved. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Form crab mixture into patties. Place patties in skillet, and cook until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side.


Easy Homemade Fries
(Recipe from Sharon)

• Russet or Idaho potatoes, sliced into desired stick-shapes
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• chili powder 
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F. Boil sliced potatoes in water with some salt until it's half-way cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Drain potatoes and spread them on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, and chili powder on top of the potatoes and toss. Bake in oven until golden, about 20 minutes, then flip the potatoes and bake for another 20 minutes.

28 WEEKS

....means 7 months!

I would like to say a warm, heartfelt welcome to my 3rd trimester. WELCOME. Veterans say that it’s the roughest toughest part of the pregnancy, so I will brace myself, but boy am I glad you are here. Staring my 3rd trimester means there is only 3 more months left, and I am increasingly getting antsy about seeing the end of this pregnancy so that I can meet my baby. I keep thinking, 3 more months until we meet our daughter!

Also, admittedly, I am ready to see the end to my incessant need to use the bathroom. People, going to the bathroom to pee every 20-30 minutes is no joke. It is such an impediment to life, and its implications are things like, having to wash my hands AT LEAST 20-30 times a day, which leads to dry and wrinkled hands and going through copious amounts of lotion. But I’ve got to say, I am again amazed at the things that a person can get used to. I always say humans are amazing for our ability to adapt, and being pregnant is no different. Yes, I do miss the things I can’t consume, but I have definitely taken not being able to have: coffee, alcohol, sushi, deli meat, hot dogs, sugar-free gum, Advil, soft unpasteurized cheeses, medium rare steak, etc. – into stride! Who would have thought? I’ve also gotten pretty much used to sleeping on my side, waking up several times in the middle of the night to pee, and pacing myself while exercising. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t love these last few things, but after a while, it becomes more normal than not. I’m grateful for this God-given, God-taught ability to adapt and grow. Especially because I’m going to need an extra dose of this ability when the baby comes…maybe an extra two doses.

The neatest thing about this past week is probably that I can now SEE her moving around in my stomach. It. is. so. wild.  She notably is the most active right after I eat and right before I go to sleep, and sometimes when she is at the peak of her dance party or whatever she is doing in there, I can see the jabs coming through the skin on my stomach, even through my clothes! Other times, the movements cause a ripple through my skin and it’s her, moving around or shifting. It is such a supernatural thing to watch, and yes, it’s my new favorite thing to do these days, staring at my stomach. K. has seen it too, and when we catch it, we are both like omg.omg.zomg.

-    At 7 months -

Pros: Seeing her move around in the belly
Cons: Occasional back pain, leg pain (?), not getting good night's sleep = tired days
Currently craving: Fruit and homemade chocolate chip cookies. And the occasional hamburger.

Outlook on the coming of baby: Hurry up!
Feelings about husband: I could not have asked for a better supporter and partner.