Tuesday, 27 August 2013

mason jars, tins & paintings

More mason jar crafts... we have finished up most of our canned peaches & apple sauce so I have lots of mason jars around. Thought I would paint a few... 


Pour paint inside the mason jar, close the lid and tip over to let the excess paint come off. 


Let the jars dry overnight or two until completely dry.


To get a good smell in your jars, I used espresso beans & rocks. Just espresso beans can get quite expensive so adding rocks can help layer it. 


Display the jars! I'll add flowers or use as holders for make-up brushes. 


Wondering what to do with all your dollarstore Christmas tins?! I had a few of these lying around as well, so I decided to paint them.


I ended up painting 2-3 coats on each tin.




Using in babies room as a mitten holder/soother holder and one for a candy jar in the pantry. 


LOOK WHAT CAME TODAY!!!! 
A beautiful picture my brother took that I had blown up on canvas. 
Picture taken at Crescent Beach ~ White Rock, BC


Great dining room artwork :) 


Sunday, 25 August 2013

Just 8 weeks to go


How far along? 32 Weeks
Total weight gain: 22.5 lbs 
Maternity clothes? yes. starting to feel like i look huge. I've been told I am carrying very high...and feel that way 
Stretch marks? none, hoping it will stay that way 
Sleep: sleep is alright, i had to buy a 'body pregnancy pillow', so that is helping. I am waking up at 3am having a hard time falling back asleep so the last few nights I had a bowl of cereal which seemed to do the trick.
Best moment this week: Ryan worked overtime so I was in bed and relaxing by 8pm every night. Felt very relaxing :)

Miss Anything? yes miss coffee/espresso and being able to wash dishes right up close (tummy is now getting in the way making it a lot harder) 
Movement: still lots of movement & baby hiccups.. I know I will miss this feeling

Food cravings: anything SWEET! and chewing ice cubes. I find i'm so thirsty all the time so I am now adding a small spoonful of gatorade to my water
Anything making you queasy or sick: not really..but not all meat sounds good

Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: pelvic bone pain after a long walk or too much housework in one day. Feeling more and more tired tho, don't have the same amount of energy that I used to have, also the breathing is catching up to me.
Exercise: walking everyday but the walks are getting shorter and shorter... try to do a minimum of 30 minute walk every day. 

Belly Button in or out? OUT
Wedding rings on or off?
 on! 
Swelling? not yet :) 
Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly HAPPY!!
Looking forward to: doctor's appointment this week, will be going every 2 weeks now...just means it's closer to meeting baby Gray 



onsale at Babies R Us this week. 
Total Body Pillow 

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Energizing Shake with arts & crafts kind of day

I woke up this morning with low energy and decided today should be a relaxing day. 
I started out the day with an energizing shake, using the blackberries we picked from yesterday. 

Shake Ingredients:
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup blackberries
1/2 banana
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water 
Blend all together

Since today is a relaxing day I decided I should complete an easy craft. 
Wooden Box plant holder


Supplies:
Wooden Box (I was going to make it but bought it from Michaels with a 40%off coupon) 
3 mason jars
Modge Podge (matte finish)
Sandpaper
Paint & Paintbrush
Dirt & Flowers 


Paint the wooden box then let completely dry.
Once dry, paint a layer of Modge Podge and let dry.
Use sandpaper to rough around the edges.
Fill 3 mason jars with dirt and flowers.
* the flowers I would like to use were not available so for right now 
I am using fake flowers and will replace as soon as they are in. 


Wooden box plant holder! 
I decided to put this on the window ledge in my bathroom.  


I also decided to quick make our lunch meals for the week:
Tomato-Basil Spinach Shrimp Risotto 


Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4-1 cup dry arborio rice (risotto)
2 1/2 cup chicken broth (keep warm on back burner)
3-5 juicy tomatoes
1/2 bag of spinach 
2 handfuls torn basil
1-2 cups of shrimp (with tails off) 
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
I used cherry tomatoes from my plant, as well as fresh ripe tomatoes from the 
Gray family garden (thank you!)
Also used 2 handfuls of basil. 
Next year I will plant more basil as I tend to go thru it fast. 

 1. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and season with salt and paper
2. Add Arborio Rice
3. Stir until rice is coated in butter.
4. Add a ladle full of chicken broth to rice, about 1/2 cup, then stir rice continuously until nearly absorbed. Keep adding and stirring (20 minutes or so).
5. When there is 1/4 of the broth left, add tomatoes (already cut up) and keep stirring. When 1 ladle full left, add spinach & torn basil and shrimp.
6. After last of the broth is absorbed, add parmesan cheese. Add additional seasoning if needed. 


Friday, 23 August 2013

blackberry picking

We decided to go blackberry picking..and just 30 minutes got us 2 1/2 bowls of 
ripe delicious blackberries. 


                                                               


We came home and washed the blackberries


Placed them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper

Let them freeze for a few hours and then poured into a ziplock bag.

We will mainly use the blackberries for smoothies and possibly a dessert or two (blog to follow). 



Sunday, 18 August 2013

31 weeks




How far along? 31 Weeks 
Total weight gain: 22
Maternity clothes? maternity shirts with leggings or my regular shorts or tights 
Stretch marks? none y
Sleep: sleep is still good although I wake up often to pee or switch positions... i guess i need to get used to the interrupted sleep
Best moment this week: picking out newborn outfits with Ryan. We each picked a boys/girls newborn outfit that we will bring to the hospital 

Miss Anything? lots - I am officially at the "uncomfortable" stage, out of breath often & I am really missing being able to easily put shoes on or do housework etc. 
Movement: still very very active. lots of movement and hiccups 
Food cravings: still craving sweets... and craving ice!
Anything making you queasy or sick: not really 

Labor Signs: No
Symptoms:  pain just below the stomach and pelvic bone pain especially after long walks or housework
Belly Button in or out? out out out
Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: finishing the nursery & organizing the items we have been given so far :)!!



BLOGGING...

Blogging seems to be harder during the summer as we are gone  on all our days off. I have a few blogs in mind that I will be completing soon.... including 
- prepared crockpot meals that I will freeze 
- new favourite recipes we have tried lately
- newly organized pantry ~ I replaced everything in my pantry with glass containers & new labels
- arts & crafts projects. 
- homemade cards 

Saturday, 10 August 2013

E & R... 30 weeks - 10 to go

My dearest sister made these bedside letters for Ryan and I. 
Really easy to make and they look great. 
Supplies
- wood letter
- paper of your choice
- paint
-modge podge 


Trace your letter out and cut a 1/2 inch smaller than the letter
Paint the letters in the color of your choice.
Modge podge the front and side of the letter, placing the paper directly on the letter being careful to lay straight. Let dry.
Add another layer of modge podge and let completely dry. 
Touch up with paint around the edges for an extra effect. 



30 weeks!!! 10 to go 

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain: 20 lbs... lost .5 lbs this week 
Maternity clothes? bought another pair of maternity capris..slowly wearing more and more
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: great!
Best moment this week: hearing babies heart beat and the Doctor saying baby is healthy & doing great. Also visiting my friend Lisa and seeing her little baby! Her baby is so tiny and makes me so excited about meeting my little one. 
Miss Anything? being able to do all my housework in 1 morning. Now I need to stretch it out over the whole day cause my back will hurt so I need breaks
Movement:  not as much as before but more intense now. More summersaults. Ryan finds it very weird to see
Food cravings: not really, i just like my glass of chocolate milk every day
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: pelvic bone pain especially when walking. apparently it can be very severe...and the pelvic bone can actually split. 
Belly Button in or out? out out out 
Wedding rings on or off?
 on!  
Looking forward to: the next few things on our to-buy list: Carseat, carseat adaptor!

  



Tuesday, 6 August 2013

29 weeks + candles in a jar


So i'm a few days behind on this one.... I blame summer! I will get better.


looks great...and is so simple.
Ikea scented candles in an Ikea glass jar!! 



29 weeks pregnant !!

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain: 20.5lbs... gained 1.5lbs no thanks to camping!
Maternity clothes? mostly my regular summer clothes with a few maternity tops thrown in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: interrupted sleep but still great
Best moment this week: swimming at our campsite. The water felt great in this heat.
Miss Anything? being able to walk for hours(even in the heat) without getting out of breath, or overheating. Went for a walk in the 30d degree sun and only lasted 40 minutes. (and barely made it home)
Movement: ALL the time....we think baby is getting his/her blackbelt. Baby is SO active.
Food cravings: sweets... a bit more than usual :(
Anything making you queasy or sick: just cooking shows (chopped) 
Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: just a bit of pain in the lower abdomen this week... thankfully that has went away for now
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? on,  however we went for a walk in the heat and after a nice cold shower i was still not able to put my rings on...i blame it on the heat tho. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy!
Looking forward to: hitting the 30 week mark...and just 10 left