Pinterest Challenge: Week Four*

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge: Week Four! If you are new to this challenge [as I'm sure most people are!] then feel free to go here to check out the rules & all pertinent information. 

Welcome to week four everyone! HOORAY! I am happy to see a few regular posters already and am hoping that this will gain some speed in the coming months. I am a huge failure and due to an extreme lack of time/being completely exhausted/dealing with some pregnancy issues I did not get anything on my Pinterest list accomplished this week. So, I bring you this funny instead:

Which, coincidentally, I found on Pinterest. So I guess that kind of counts? And it's funny, because it's true. Next week may also be a challenge as we are heading to Savannah, GA for the weekend, but I will do my best. I have a couple of projects that I will start working on and recipes to be cooked [although I really am trying to get away from the recipes! They are just so dang easy to go to when you love cooking!].

In other FABULOUS news, WE HAVE A BUTTON!

A shiny, kind of pretty button that you can now share on your blog to help spread the word about this wonderful link party. The more the merrier! So add it to your posts, or put it permanently on your blog to help drive traffic during the non-pinterest challenge days. Either way, I hope y'all use it. [You will see it right over there to the right ... a little lower ... yup. Right there. Code and all!]

So have at it, folks. What did you do this week? Did you branch out and try something new? Or did you stick to what you know? Link up, peeps!

Wine & Painting Class*

Hello! If you're here from ICLW, see my lame attempt at this month's ICLW post here. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you stick around!

Recently, a new art studio opened up here in town. As an avid art lover & someone who enjoys painting, drawing, photography & all things creative, I have always been bummed by the lack of art classes this town offers. Growing up in the Northwest, art was something that was engrained in my life from early on and an important part of growing up [for me, at least]. Any chance I had to take an art class of some kind, I did. And while I have all the supplies I need at my home, it's always nice to get out and do a class with other folks to branch out. Unfortunately, that had been somewhat non-existent to this point.

The new studio is literally called "Wine, Paint & Canvas." You bring your own wine [or, sparkling cider in my case right now] and they give you all the supplies you need as well as teach you how to do a painting. You sign up for the specific piece you want to do & everyone does the same thing. At the end you walk way with a beautiful masterpiece done by you! The painting are fairly simple & definitely focuses on beginner techniques, but a couple girlfriends & I thought we would try it out. All in all, we had a blast!

The class lasted a little over two hours and was PACKED. We had a great time just sitting & talking, while also checking each others paintings out. The girls did AWESOME & I was so proud of them! Painting can be difficult for beginners and I thought the other three did such a lovely job!

 

All in all, I THINK everyone had a really great time! It was nice to get out with the girls for a couple of hours and just relax, while also doing something semi-productive [and working towards that goal of mine to be more artistic this year!] I think we are all definitely planning on going back in the future, and the darling husband has even expressed going on a date night together post-baby. I foresee myself spending a lot of time here in the future for a quick, easy art class.

Check out everyone's finished product: 

ICLW & Stuff*

So, I totally signed up to do ICLW this week & have completely failed on doing any sort of blogging whatsoever. I know. Lame. So if you're here from ICLW & you haven't run away screaming yet because I suck & haven't actually done an ICLW post, you can go here for previous ones. They do an OK job of giving the back story. I promise I will make up my comments on other blogs!!

I really do hope you will stick around.

In other news, this week has been crazy & it's only Tuesday. In fact, the past few days have been insane. I feel like I'm lost in some time/space continuum where nothing really fits or makes sense. Maybe I'm officially going crazy, or maybe I'm just dealing with extreme lack of sleep and battling my way through exhaustion. [I'm going to go with the sleep theory.] With my due date quickly approaching, I haven't been sleeping well. Which, this does not make sense to me. I know that this is common in pregnant women, that with the third trimester comes more lack of sleep .... it seems to be life's cruel joke. This should be the time when I get the most sleep in preparation for the lack of sleep I'm about to be getting. But yeah. That's not happening. Getting comfortable is getting harder and harder. Most nights I give up my fight with finding an acceptable spot on the couch and just move to the bedroom, where I can stretch out with my millions of pillows. A good night lets me sleep for a two hour stretch without waking up for a bathroom break, needing to shift because my hip/shoulder is killing me or just general discomfort. A RARE night gives me a three hour stretch. I haven't slept more than three hours at any given time in months.

Granted, it is what it is. But this lack of sleep is effecting my life. Despite my best efforts, I'm becoming more & more useless at work. I hope that this kid comes a week or two early, for the simple fact of no longer embarrassing myself during meetings because I can't come up with a word or complete a full sentence during a presentation. It's funny for those around me, thankfully, and passing it off as baby brain works from time to time, but as a professional with a perfectionist problem, it's just plain annoying for me.

But alas, I get through. And am realizing every day how fast March 9th is approaching. It's scary to think that in just a few weeks, we will be responsible for another human being. Something that we've wanted for so long, but at the same time, something that is so terrifying. How the hell are we going to do this? We may have all the right equipment to get through -- we have the crib, the stroller, the car seat, the clothes, EVERYTHING -- but how will we REALLY do this? I think panic has set in a little for both M & I. I know we will make it through & I know we are as prepared as we can be, & even more I know we will fuck up so many times along the way. Only time will tell I guess!

With that said, I am very much ready for the next chapter of my life. This pregnancy has been far from easy for me, mentally or physically, and I am ready to move on. I came, I saw, I conquered. And while I am far from being in a normal state of mind these days, I think things have gotten better. I THINK they have gotten better because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but better none the less. There are still bad days mixed in with the good days, and tears for no reason. All things that I am watching carefully & fully aware of. I am trying really, really hard. And hopefully things will be much better on the other side.

I have so many other things to write about this week, and plan on posting at least a couple more times before this weekend [or at least have posts scheduled!]. We are going to Savannah on Friday for two nights as our last trip just the two of us. I am BEYOND looking forward to a weekend away with  my husband, away from the dogs, away from the house, away from life at the moment. Just a weekend of relaxing and eating [and definitely some sight-seeing!]. I can't wait to share photos, because trust me, there will be plenty of them!

Happy Tuesday, all! And happy ICLW!

Pinterest Challenge: Week Three*

Welcome to the Pinterest Challenge: Week Three! If you are new to this challenge [as I'm sure most people are!] then feel free to go here to check out the rules & all pertinent information. 

I am always looking for meals for dinner time that are quick and easy. I love to cook, but I also work full time, so after being at the office all day the last thing I want to do when I come home is spend an hour or more in the kitchen. If I can cook a meal in 30 minutes or less, then I am totally happy!

I found this one earlier in the week and since I had all the ingredients at home already, it was the perfect match for dinner last night. It was REALLY good, and incredibly easy. I will say that I must have gotten the hottest jalapeno at the grocery store, because holy crap ... the one pepper, despite seeds and veins, made this dish incredibly spicy. Even for M. But it was still good, and I will just use half (or a much smaller) pepper next time.

Noodle over Stir-Fried Shrimp & Cilantro
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
6 oz. 1/4-inch-wide dried rice noodles (pad thai)
2 medium limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
1-1/2 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
3/4 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.)
3 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the noodles, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.

2. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce; set aside. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 Tbs. of the oil, the coriander, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

3. Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the red pepper, jalapeño, and shallot, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until it turns pink and is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice mixture and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.

5. Add the noodles and half of the cilantro; toss until the noodles heat through and pick up the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro, with the lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Serves 3-4.

What did you create this week?

Baby Shower*

This past Saturday, my amazing friends Raychael & Belinda threw my baby shower for me here in town. Since I have no family in the area, I consider myself extremely lucky that I had not one, but two friends who wanted to step up and take on the responsibility & who, in my opinion ;) threw an amazing shower.

It was perfect.

I really could not have asked for anything better. The decorations were gorgeous. They listened to what little requests I had. The cake was both amazingly beautiful AND tasty. And there was some seriously yummy food (I regret not taking multiple plates of it home with me!). All of my best and closest friends here in town were there to celebrate with me. I really could not have asked for anything more.

My mom flew in from Seattle for the too short weekend & we had a great time together in those couple of days. She was so happy to see that I have such an amazing support system of friends here in town, since family is non-existent around here. And I will say that I do believe that I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. I can't say that enough! I easily could have invited 50 people to the shower, but the women that were there are the closest, nearest & dearest to my heart. We had a blast, despite being extremely exhausted that night [and the next day!] but it was an amazing experience. One that I will never forget. It was so full of love and support. My heart has never been bigger.

We got so many great things, as well. I am happy to say that after this weekend, we pretty much have everything that we need for this baby. There are still a few smaller items that we are needing to get us through, but we have started to make those purchases in small doses & will continue to do so in the coming weeks. But as far as the large stuff goes, this kid is already spoiled rotten. There were beautiful hand made items both from my friends & friends of my moms, as well as some genuinely creative items that I never would have thought to ask for. We got a lot of great items from our registry, but also some practical items that will come in handy. And diapers galore! Good grief!

All in all, it was such a wonderful experience! I really do feel blessed and loved [I'm serious ... I can't say it enough] and will never be able to thank my friends enough for all that they did for us. both that were able to attend and those that weren't. We still have eight weeks to go before this baby makes it's debut, but the family it will be a part of is extensive. They may not be blood, but they are still family.

It was also very hard to say goodbye to my mom. We hadn't seen each other since August [being 3,000 miles apart makes that difficult] and even at 31, I realized how much I needed my mom around. I'm going to partially blame hormones mixed with utter exhaustion, but Sunday, when she left, was a hard day. I pretty much spent the entire day crying my eyes out. I am glad that she will be back in March after her first grandbaby is born, but I do wish she lived closer to experience this whole process with me.

It was a perfect day. One that I never thought would have ever happened! And it couldn't have been any better :) Thank you, ladies! Love you!