This week was pretty routine. Just working around the house and in the nursery making room for all of Cooper's stuff. He needs a much larger bedroom and he's not even HERE yet! I got his clothes all organized by size both in his dresser and in his closet. This kid has more blankets than you can imagine. He'll probably get his dad's inner thermostat and never ever want them. Marc is pretty hot-natured and just radiates heat 99% of the time. I'll probably make my hospital bag sometime this week. I want to get some new pajamas and stuff to take with us.
We cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and the 2 linen closets to make room for baby stuff. We donate everything that's useful to the AMVETS. They've seen us already about 5 times this year. I've never had the time or energy to dedicate to a yard sale, so I'd rather donate everything and just take the tax write-off at the end of the year. Good riddance!
We went to dinner at our Favorite German restaurant last night in Queens. It's called Zum Stammtisch. It is so delicious. Definitely stick-to-your-ribs food, but so, so good! I can't wait to go after Cooper is born so I can have the steak Tartare appetizer. Yum!
Today we went to Easter dinner at Marc's parent's house. We had ham and veggies and 2 rounds of dessert. We are back at the house now watching the pups wrestle...I meant to go to Target on the way home but I forgot. Oh, well. It'll still be there tomorrow or next weekend when I get around to it!
Hope y'all have a great week and enjoy the beautiful spring weather that FINALLY arrived!
Cheers,
Kelli
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Keeping busy
This week wasn't terrible busy outside of the house, but I got a lot accomplished at home. Since our bathroom remodel, it has really been bothering me how dirty our grout in the kitchen floor had gotten. I bought a shark steam cleaner a few weeks ago and decided to steam clean the kitchen floor grout to see if it would take out the stains so I could seal the grout properly. I never sealed it when we had the kitchen remodeled, so it has been soaking up stains for 4 years now. EEW!
The first day, I worked for about 3 hours and got about 3 square feet done. The steamer was working well, but it was taking several passes over the same area to get the stains to come up. I had seen on Pinterest that you can use carpet cleaner on grout and it will magically lift the stains with no scrubbing. I must have had the wrong brand, because there was no magic happening. It did help a little bit, but nothing significant. I decided that I would finish the floor the next day and I would try a more natural cleaner to see if it worked any better.
On Day 2, I mixed 3/4 cup of white vinegar with 1/4 cup Dawn platinum dishwashing soap. I used my turkey baster to put the solution into the grout lines and let it sit for several minutes. I even left it for an hour one time while I went to the couch and took a nap by the puppies. After soaking, I'd wipe up the vinegar solution, then steam over the grout. It worked much faster and I was able to complete the kitchen the second day. I'd work a couple of hours then get up and stretch, go put my FAT feet up on the back of the couch, or sit outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. I'm really glad that the vinegar solution worked; it is cheap and effective for so many household chores!
Marc finished up a class he was taking for work that had him extremely busy for the past 3 weeks. He had class all day then still had to go to his office to keep up with his normal workload. He was tired, to say the least. He finally got to be home for a whole weekend this weekend, which was great. We did some work inside and outside the house and took the puppies along on all of our errand running. They love going in the car or truck. We donated a couple pieces of furniture that we didn't use, and frankly, didn't have room for in the house. We seeded the lawn, then spent some time soaking it down with the hose. It was way too gorgeous to just let the sprinkler run, so we watered with the spray nozzles and enjoyed some sunshine. Spring weather is fantastic after such a long and snowy winter!
The puppies were super snuggly this morning. Pixie came to get me out of bed at 7AM, which she does every day. I sit on the couch and she usually climbs right in my lap, but today, she climbed right back on the couch by Max and curled up and went back to sleep. They are SO adorable, I just love them to pieces. I thought that since they were both asleep that they wouldn't really care if I snuck back to bed to snooze for a little longer, but I was wrong. About 2 minutes after I got up off the couch, they decided it was time to have full wrestle mania, with furniture rearrangement as a complimentary side just for me! It's always interesting to see where the couches will end up once they've finished the wrestling match! :)
I have been in the mood to cook some of our favorites, so yesterday, I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner. I made a huge batch so we would have left-overs and Marc could take a full pan to work. This morning, I made a recipe I had seen on Trisha Yearwood's show on Food Network. It is called Country Quiche. Very easy, and VERY tasty! I had 3 slices!
Some of our friends had a cookout this afternoon and asked that we bring dessert, so I made a 4 layer chocolate delight. It is one of my favorite desserts, and it was a BIG hit!
Hope y'all have a great week and enjoy this gorgeous weather we're having!
Cheers,
Kelli
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| Top left corner steamed, the rest not...ICKY! |
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| Before steam. GROSS! |
The first day, I worked for about 3 hours and got about 3 square feet done. The steamer was working well, but it was taking several passes over the same area to get the stains to come up. I had seen on Pinterest that you can use carpet cleaner on grout and it will magically lift the stains with no scrubbing. I must have had the wrong brand, because there was no magic happening. It did help a little bit, but nothing significant. I decided that I would finish the floor the next day and I would try a more natural cleaner to see if it worked any better.
On Day 2, I mixed 3/4 cup of white vinegar with 1/4 cup Dawn platinum dishwashing soap. I used my turkey baster to put the solution into the grout lines and let it sit for several minutes. I even left it for an hour one time while I went to the couch and took a nap by the puppies. After soaking, I'd wipe up the vinegar solution, then steam over the grout. It worked much faster and I was able to complete the kitchen the second day. I'd work a couple of hours then get up and stretch, go put my FAT feet up on the back of the couch, or sit outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. I'm really glad that the vinegar solution worked; it is cheap and effective for so many household chores!
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| After steam cleaning. Pretty as new! |
Marc finished up a class he was taking for work that had him extremely busy for the past 3 weeks. He had class all day then still had to go to his office to keep up with his normal workload. He was tired, to say the least. He finally got to be home for a whole weekend this weekend, which was great. We did some work inside and outside the house and took the puppies along on all of our errand running. They love going in the car or truck. We donated a couple pieces of furniture that we didn't use, and frankly, didn't have room for in the house. We seeded the lawn, then spent some time soaking it down with the hose. It was way too gorgeous to just let the sprinkler run, so we watered with the spray nozzles and enjoyed some sunshine. Spring weather is fantastic after such a long and snowy winter!
The puppies were super snuggly this morning. Pixie came to get me out of bed at 7AM, which she does every day. I sit on the couch and she usually climbs right in my lap, but today, she climbed right back on the couch by Max and curled up and went back to sleep. They are SO adorable, I just love them to pieces. I thought that since they were both asleep that they wouldn't really care if I snuck back to bed to snooze for a little longer, but I was wrong. About 2 minutes after I got up off the couch, they decided it was time to have full wrestle mania, with furniture rearrangement as a complimentary side just for me! It's always interesting to see where the couches will end up once they've finished the wrestling match! :)
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| Snuggle babies |
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| I see you! |
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| Sleepy babies |
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| Snuggly Pixie & Max on the love seat with me |
I have been in the mood to cook some of our favorites, so yesterday, I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner. I made a huge batch so we would have left-overs and Marc could take a full pan to work. This morning, I made a recipe I had seen on Trisha Yearwood's show on Food Network. It is called Country Quiche. Very easy, and VERY tasty! I had 3 slices!
Some of our friends had a cookout this afternoon and asked that we bring dessert, so I made a 4 layer chocolate delight. It is one of my favorite desserts, and it was a BIG hit!
Hope y'all have a great week and enjoy this gorgeous weather we're having!
Cheers,
Kelli
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
36 Weeks
Today, I had my 36 week appointment and ultrasound. The technician took all of her measurements and said all looks well for Mr. Cooper. He is weighing about 6lb and 14oz right now, and will probably be 8lbs and change at birth. She double checked that he is, indeed, a boy. (I know someone who was told all along she was having a boy only to turn out to have a girl!) I wanted to be sure! There were definitely testicles on the monitor. The only pictures she printed for me were of his profile. He is being a good little boy and is head down, and face down in preparation for delivery in a few short weeks. He had his hands in front of his face, so the picture isn't fantastic, but you can make out his little nose, which is just too cute.
After my OB appointment, I went to meet with the pediatrician we will be using for Cooper. They tell you at about 28 weeks that you need to choose a pediatrician. When it's your first baby, you're like..."Ummm....how do I choose a baby doctor?!?" I asked some good friends of ours who live close to us who they use and decided to go to the same pediatrician they use. I liked the office a lot, and there are 4 doctors and a nurse practitioner there. Another item checked off my list.
My OB gave me a prescription for the last round of blood work that I have to do while pregnant, so I went to the lab and had that drawn today, since I was already out and about. I had plans to meet Katie for lunch and needed to kill some time, so that worked out perfectly. After the lab, I went to my old office and went to lunch with Katie & Jackie. We went to the usual pizza place right by the office. It was SO good! I hadn't had pizza in a few weeks and it definitely hit the spot. Now to decide what to make for dinner...
I went to Babies R Us yesterday because I had received a few gift cards and I also had a 20% off coupon for the entire order, so I wanted to get a few of the items off of our registry that we didn't receive. When I went to check out, the clerk told me that if I got the store credit card, I would get an additional 15% off the entire order, so 35% off. That sounded like a deal to me, and I ended up SAVING $245 overall!! I'll just pay off the card when the bill comes in with the money we received as gifts at the shower. I couldn't believe they let me combine the offers! I was very proud of myself! The savings was more than enough to pay for the large car seat and an additional base for the infant seat, so we will have one in each of our vehicles. It's the little things that make me happy!
Go outside and enjoy this beautiful weather. I spent about an hour watering the front and back yards with the hose and sprayer instead of the sprinkler because it was just too nice to sit inside.
Hope y'all are enjoying your week!
Cheers,
Kelli
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| Cooper's profile at 36 weeks |
My OB gave me a prescription for the last round of blood work that I have to do while pregnant, so I went to the lab and had that drawn today, since I was already out and about. I had plans to meet Katie for lunch and needed to kill some time, so that worked out perfectly. After the lab, I went to my old office and went to lunch with Katie & Jackie. We went to the usual pizza place right by the office. It was SO good! I hadn't had pizza in a few weeks and it definitely hit the spot. Now to decide what to make for dinner...
I went to Babies R Us yesterday because I had received a few gift cards and I also had a 20% off coupon for the entire order, so I wanted to get a few of the items off of our registry that we didn't receive. When I went to check out, the clerk told me that if I got the store credit card, I would get an additional 15% off the entire order, so 35% off. That sounded like a deal to me, and I ended up SAVING $245 overall!! I'll just pay off the card when the bill comes in with the money we received as gifts at the shower. I couldn't believe they let me combine the offers! I was very proud of myself! The savings was more than enough to pay for the large car seat and an additional base for the infant seat, so we will have one in each of our vehicles. It's the little things that make me happy!
Go outside and enjoy this beautiful weather. I spent about an hour watering the front and back yards with the hose and sprayer instead of the sprinkler because it was just too nice to sit inside.
Hope y'all are enjoying your week!
Cheers,
Kelli
Monday, April 7, 2014
A Baby Shower!
This past Saturday was my baby shower! I can't thank my friends and family enough for their generosity. Baby Cooper will be well dressed and cared for with everything he received! A huge thank you to my dear friends Kathleen, Katie, and my sister-in-law, Jennifer for hosting the awesome shower. The food was delicious, the cake is still being devoured, and the decorations were adorable. You three are amazing, and I love you!! All of our friends and family who came to celebrate with us are so incredibly generous. We received all of the big items off our registry, like baby monitor, bassinet, stroller, car seat, swing, high chair and so much more! We only have a few smaller items left to buy. Thank you all so much for your wonderful gifts, we are so very grateful to have y'all in our lives.
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| That's red velvet cake under the cream cheese icing. MY FAVORITE! |
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| Cooper's hat is a little small for me! |
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| Visiting |
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| Marc is so excited about the Giants clothes! We have a bunch of Razorback clothes, too! |
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| This was made by Marc's grandma & Great-Grandma. Heirlooms like this are priceless! |
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| Decorations in the room |
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| The Diaper motorcycle that Jo-Anne made! I'm never taking it apart! |
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| Me & my Momma...SO glad she came up! |
My mom called me on Tuesday of last week and told me she would be flying in for the weekend. I'm so glad because she didn't think she would be able to attend initially due to her work schedule. Luckily, her boss is understanding and she found a great rate on airfare and flew in on Friday. We had a great weekend. Mom, Marc, and I went out to dinner on Friday night at Uncle Jack's steakhouse in Bayside, Queens. It was delicious!! I had prime rib, and it was so succulent and juicy. You truly can't beat a great steak!
Now, Cooper's nursery is full of boxes and bags and I've got to figure out where to store everything until we actually need it. I can't wait until I have a nice, big house with lots of storage space!! It's getting difficult to get creative with storage here in our tiny house!
Hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Cheers,
Kelli
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Nothing exciting
So, I have nothing really exciting to report right now. I've been trying to get the house back in order since last week's remodel. There was dust on literally every surface in the house. I vacuumed everything off on Sunday, and am now kind of going room-by-room to get it all dusted and polished up. Vacuuming off all the tables made a huge dent in the amount of dust, so it doesn't feel as messy and urgent. Right now, I'm physically unable to clean the entire house in one fell swoop, like I preferred to do before pregnancy, so I do a little bit and then take a break for a while. It'll get done, or I'll go crazy. Stay tuned to see which happens first! ;)
I have been cooking this week, since I can get into the kitchen and not have sheetrock dust in the food. I made Nasi Goreng Monday night. I've posted on here how to make it before. It's a delicious Indonesian curried rice dish that we love. I hadn't made it in a while, so I made a LOT so we would have left-overs.
Last night, I was going through the freezer and fridge to see what we had in house, and I came up with pork tenderloin rolls stuffed with sautéed garlic, onion, broccoli, & mozzarella. I am a believer that if something sounds like it would be good together, then it likely will. I did not use any recipes, just went with my idea. I pounded the pork chops thin, seasoned them with salt & pepper, then stuffed them with the sautéed broccoli mixture. I secured the rolls with toothpicks. I then dredged them in a little flour, romano cheese, salt & pepper and browned them in vegetable oil. Once they were all browned, I put them into a baking dish and topped them with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, then baked them at 350 for 20 minutes to make sure they were cooked throughout and the cheese was golden and bubbly on top. I served these with rotini pasta and marinara sauce, or butter and a fresh mozzarella caprese salad. It was delicious. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture. It was totally experimental, but Marc loved it and said to please make it again. We will probably have left-overs tonight. Back to the never-ending dusting and laundry for me.
Cheers,
Kelli
I have been cooking this week, since I can get into the kitchen and not have sheetrock dust in the food. I made Nasi Goreng Monday night. I've posted on here how to make it before. It's a delicious Indonesian curried rice dish that we love. I hadn't made it in a while, so I made a LOT so we would have left-overs.
Last night, I was going through the freezer and fridge to see what we had in house, and I came up with pork tenderloin rolls stuffed with sautéed garlic, onion, broccoli, & mozzarella. I am a believer that if something sounds like it would be good together, then it likely will. I did not use any recipes, just went with my idea. I pounded the pork chops thin, seasoned them with salt & pepper, then stuffed them with the sautéed broccoli mixture. I secured the rolls with toothpicks. I then dredged them in a little flour, romano cheese, salt & pepper and browned them in vegetable oil. Once they were all browned, I put them into a baking dish and topped them with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, then baked them at 350 for 20 minutes to make sure they were cooked throughout and the cheese was golden and bubbly on top. I served these with rotini pasta and marinara sauce, or butter and a fresh mozzarella caprese salad. It was delicious. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture. It was totally experimental, but Marc loved it and said to please make it again. We will probably have left-overs tonight. Back to the never-ending dusting and laundry for me.
Cheers,
Kelli
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