Welcome Summer!

Summer is officially here everybody!!! Time to bust out the bikinis  & BBQs!
This past weekend was super fun and eventful, kicking off the first day of summer with a BBQ for Aaron's work friends. Everything was super easy and fun and it was nice to have some time to just relax together.

Some fun things I did for the BBQ:

chalkboard sign in backyard- can do this with any old picture frame & chalkboard paint.

All-American fruit kabobs--perfect for 4th of July parties!

Made this sign last minute out of a cardboard box. Just cut out the triangles, spray painted them with chalkboard paint and wrote on them with chalk (I used twine for the banner)! I thought it was cute for a backyard BBQ.

I am addicted to mason jars, so the day of the party I got out a ton of them and went to the end of our driveway and picked a bunch of overgrown flowers (okay, weeds) to put in the jars. Since we don't have that many blooms on our property, I thought it was the perfect addition to brighten up the house and yard.

Getting to spend some time with Elle was nice too, even if we were surrounded by other people playing beer pong together, I always enjoy time with my sister!

Spending a couple of hours together tanning at Lake Hemet

As if the week couldn't get any better--celebrating being 6 months pregnant!

Last week's pregnancy update:

Week: 23

Weight gain: 12 pounds

Symptoms: At the end of this week I really started to notice my feet hurting (do I need new shoes??) if I’m on them all day. Also my legs get sore if I’m walking around too much as well.

Changes: My body is definitely feeling and looking more and more pregnant each week! They say after 20 weeks baby starts growing at a more rapid pace than ever and starts putting on fat. I definitely felt the difference with my body this week.

Clothes: Running pants and tanks. Embracing the bump rather than covering it up.

Sleep: Can’t get enough of it.

Missing: A cold beer on a Friday night (& a pair of jeans that fit just right)

Cravings: What am I NOT craving? Tuna, baked potatoes, grapefruit, GRILLED ARTICHOKES, crème brulee (it’s beginning to become a problem), and iced decaf mochas! Anybody have weird pregnancy cravings?

Best moment this week: Having a BBQ on Saturday for Aaron’s work friends and getting to see my sister and meet her boyfriend! Did I mention I even got to play beer pong?! Obviously no drinking on my part (hey pregnant women can have fun too!)

Looking forward to: Aaron’s mom coming out here this Saturday!!!!! I am so excited to see her and have someone play with my hair, and have girl talk with for a week

All baby everything

I literally have to pull myself away from the computer some days so I don't go into debt buying baby girl a beautiful wardrobe and accessories. But when I do come across great buys, I let myself slip every once in a while ;)
Lately I have been scoping out Zulily and Etsy for all things baby girl. Here are a few of my favorite finds so far:

baby leggings - I'm OBSESSED! From Zulily

love these chevron anchor leggings/pants form Zulily

I'm sure we will get a ton of bibs, but I couldn't resist these.

Love these sparkly flat from Zulily

Can't get enough of these knotted headbands from Etsy.

Pregnancy update :)

Week:22

Weight gain: 11 pounds

Symptoms: Same lovely movements :)

Changes: Loving my ever-expanding baby bump!

Clothes: Living in jean shorts and comfy workout clothes (now if I could just work out every time I wore them . . .)

Sleep: Sleeping like a baby with my baby

Missing: Vino!

Cravings: Desserts & halibut

Best moment this week: Relaxing with the hubby this weekend and doing household jobs/chores here and there. It’s the little things, ya know?

Looking forward to: BBQ this weekend, especially since my sister is coming and Aaron is excited to host another event.

Father's Day Favorites

Next year this time, Aaron will be a dad! But since there is a bun in the oven, and he is a daddy-to-be, I'd thought I'd post a Father's Day gift guide in celebration.
I absolutely LOVE shopping for him, so this took me 5 minutes to put together, and may even serve as inspiration to you mamas out there. Good luck!

1. Bottle opener - Must have for this summer! I picture this being outside next to the BBQ. There are about a million colors to pick from and they are only $6.50!!!
2. Shaving cream - If you haven't already been to The Art of Shaving, go. I went here for the first time about 3 or 4 Christmases ago, and still continue to get stuff here for Aaron. I love the old fashion, masculine vibe the place gives off, not to mention their amazing products. By far his favorite shaving products. Plus, this lemon scented shaving cream is perfect for summer. Accompanied with a badger brush, this definitely is the perfect gift.
3. Travel mug - Saw this for the first time today, and totally fell in love. Keeps his coffee warm & beer iced coffee cold. Plus if you aren't already a Huckberry member, it's time to become one. They have so many cool things for guys, no joke.
4. Whiskey stones - I have been preaching whiskey stone/rocks since they came out. These babies keep your drink cold , and unlike ice, won't dilute your drink. I'm pretty sure I have bought these for every man in my family (who drinks) at one Christmas or another.
5. Pocket knife - If your man likes to camp, be outdoors, or just look cool & always prepared, a pocket knife is perfect. Aaron loves pocket knives and will ALWAYS have one on him. I must admit, I use mine quite often too!

Hope this helps! :)

21 weeks & a recipe!

This week has been amazing! It officially feels like summer over here and we are totally ready to be outdoors all season long. The only thing missing is a pool!
It is so crazy to think that in about 18 weeks we will be holding our little baby girl! The bigger I get, the more real it feels. I know come October I will look back and say how fast it all went by, but right now I am still counting down the days!  
126 days until due date!
This weekend my sister came to visit, which is always fun. The three of us get along great and had lots of movie nights, hikes (which was great for my pregnant ass), and girl talk (sorry Aaron).
 Her visit even inspired me to make beef & mushroom stroganoff for the first time!

I made a healthier version using this vegetarian mushroom stroganoff recipe, and then added beef to half of it, so we had both the meat-eaters and vegetarian dishes. Everyone was happy.
Easy dinner if anyone wants to try. My spin on the recipe below, original is in the link above:

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used both portabella & crimini)
• 1/2 lb- 1 lb beef (I bought beef for stew that was cut in cubes and then sliced it smaller)
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• Black pepper
• Garlic salt
• Flour
• Worcestershire sauce (I didn't measure, just added and taste it as I went)
• 3 tbsp sour cream (I used reduced fat)
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large frying pan, and cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Add smoked paprika, and season well with black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a little garlic salt (only if needed, but use sparingly). Stir together, and then add the vegetable stock and sprinkle in flour to thicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat the other tbsp of butter and oil. Coat the beef in flour before adding it to the pan and cooking it, letting it brown. Add half of the mushroom mix to the beef mix (if you are having cooking for both vegetarian & meat eaters).

Just before serving, stir in the sour cream and half of the parsley (divide into each pan), and once heated through, serve topped with the remaining parsley. I served my dish over white rice, and along side arugula tossed with olive oil, white truffle oil & lemon pepper. 

 

Now for the weekly update!

Week:21

Weight gain: 10 pounds! Holy crap!

Symptoms:  I love feeling regular movements. And Aaron was able to feel her kick for the first time this week! What a milestone!

Changes: I can honestly say I look pregnant, which is great because most people now assume there’s a baby inside of my ever expanding belly, instead of two Chipotle burritos.

Clothes: I scored big this week when I found a cute pair of maternity shorts (that you non-pregnant girls would look twice at, and then laugh when you saw the stretchy belly band instead of a button) for only $12.99. I have already worn them twice.

Sleep: Hit or miss this week. Luckily more hits than miss, but even though our house stays cool, we’re going to need to invest in a fan for our room.

Missing: Red, red wine.

Cravings: Seafood & sweets

Best moment this week: So many great moments. First and foremost, having my sister come out and stay with us for the weekend was so much fun. She even went to my doctor’s appointment with me where we found out that everything looked great with our anatomy ultrasound & that baby girl and I are very healthy. Another great moment was while we were waiting to be seated for lunch on Sunday at a local restaurant, we told the hostess there were three of us. A lady at a nearby table commented, “And soon to be four!”

Looking forward to: Going down to Seal Beach in the upcoming weeks (we don’t have a set date yet). I need some beach in my life as it’s starting to get hot up here in the mountains!

Halfway there!

As I enter my 21st week, it is so crazy to think that I am a little over halfway through this pregnancy! I think once we announced we were expecting, time started to fly by (waiting 14 weeks felt like FOR-EV-ER).
Belly progress over the weeks:

We had lots of baby events this week (I guess you could call them). I had to give blood for more testing (no one tells you how often you have to get blood taken when you're pregnant!), and Aaron and I got to see our little Bumpkin again during the anatomy ultrasound. It was great seeing her again, watching her move around like crazy, and getting to have a few pictures of her as well. It was a relief (I know I'm crazy) to confirm that she is still a GIRL. I don't know why I was so paranoid she wouldn't be-maybe because we announced it to all our friends and family and already bought some adorable outfits that just wouldn't work for a little boy. I also went to Home Depot and bought a couple of sample paint colors for her nursery. As I shared my vision of the nursery before, I want to stick with a light grey, light pink and white/cream nursery with pops of gold and/or rosegold. I definitely knew I wanted a light grey color paint for the nursery walls and I narrowed my search down to these two colors:

They looked way similar on the paint swatch paper, but once the primer was added and the paint hit the wall, you definitely see more of their individual color (this is why you should ALWAYS sample paint before you buy a couple of gallons). That being said, we are going with the color on the left! It is such a pretty and bright grey, I am so happy with my find :)
Weekly pregnancy update!

Week:20

Weight gain: 8-9 pounds. I feel like since week 18 I’ve been gaining at least a pound a week.

Symptoms:  Still lots of movement in the belly!

Changes: Feeling even more tired now than ever.

Clothes: Jeans & tank tops!

Sleep: I’m getting tired very early these days, so sleep great.

Missing: Martinis

Cravings: Desserts :0

Best moment this week: Going to our 20 week anatomy ultrasound appointment! It was great to see our like squirmy worm again and having a few more pictures of her!

Looking forward to: My next checkup this week and having my sister come over again on Thursday!