A Good Laugh

I am definitely past this point but thought this little cartoon was funny and wanted to share it... especially if you have been through this stage where you stare at your stomach every chance you get to see if there is a slight baby bump coming through. You know you've done it, too.

A Bun in the Oven

It's true! The cat is out of the bag. We're pregnant and couldn't be more excited. Baby Waldram is due on Black Friday, November 25th. This happens to be one of my favorite days of the year, but it looks like I won't be doing any shopping this time around. I just hope I get to enjoy some thanksgiving leftovers before the big appearance.

I had my 12 week appointment today and the baby was moving so much! I saw it's little arms and legs moving like crazy. It's so weird that's going on in my belly and I can't even feel it! Apparently the baby is the size of a lime, about 2 inches long.

The story.......

March 23rd was one of the best days ever. The test was positive.

The day construction on our house was being wrapped up and we were moving stuff in, we found out we were preggers. It was perfect timing! We've been wanting a baby for awhile, so I was in shock when I saw the plus sign. I had to rub my eyes and pinch myself because I didn't think it was real. We had construction workers at our house, so I kindly yelled for my husband to come see me. He didn't know I had taken the test, so he was taking his time finishing up what he was doing. I finally yelled again, this time not so kindly, and he came into the room where I showed him the test. Mike teared up :) How cute.

This oven must have been preheated to 400°F and needs to be turned down a little because I started to get a pooch/belly around 10 weeks. I'm in that chubby stage where it looks like I have gained  more than a few pounds. However, I went through my first trimester without gaining a pound! My mom said she looked full term at 6 months and people would constantly ask her if she was about ready to pop, even though she had 3 months left. My sweet mother also told me that she could not find maternity clothes big enough to fit her. This isn't looking promising. I have a feeling I'm following in my mother's footsteps in yet another thing.

So far I have been SO lucky and have not been sick at all. I have my moments, but it was a very smooth 1st trimester. I managed to go through the first three months without puking once! In fact, if I ever feel nauseous, I actually sneeze. It's the weirdest thing... but I would much rather sneeze then puke. I have had food aversions (like Italian food), haven't had as much of a sweet tooth, get tired earlier at night, and have to eat more frequently. I didn't think I was moody and told my husband I was impressed with how I was doing on moodiness. Mike gave me a "are you kidding me?" look, so apparently there's been a little of that, too. As far as cravings go, that hasn't really started yet, but I do enjoy Double Deckers from Taco Bell a little more than normal.

12 weeks down and many more to go!

I had to add this. It's a little creepy and funny at the same time.

What's for Dinner

I have always loved chicken pot pie. If it was on the menu, I ordered it. A couple of years ago I came across a recipe on allrecipes.com for a delicious looking pot pie and decided to give it a try. Destiny. This was meant to be mine. Ever since, this has been my go to comfort food. I never order it at restaurants anymore because they never compare to this bad boy. I made it for my family last night and everyone raved about it.

I have made a few modifications over time, so feel free to add or take away anything. It does take a little time and effort to make from start to finish, especially the first time. Enjoy!

This is a pic from the first time I made it.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts - cubed

1 small potato, peeled and diced into small pieces

1 cup sliced carrots (I usually just buy a bag of shredded carrots to save time)

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (+ extra for boiling veggies)

2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 425

In a saucepan, combine chicken, potato pieces, carrots, peas, and celery. Add extra chicken broth (if you have any, but make sure you do because it totally adds flavor) and/or water to cover and boil for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. SLOWLY stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. This can take awhile so be patient! Remove from heat and set aside.

To avoid a soggy pot pie, pre-bake the bottom pie crust in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Before popping it in the oven, brush it with a little bit of egg white and poke holes in the crust with a fork. 

Place the chicken mixture in the baked bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Spread a little big of egg white over the top and make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Be sure to keep an eye on it just in case the edges start to burn. I usually add some foil around the edges if it looks like it's going to burn. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. We usually serve ours with rice.

Make it... tonight! I've made it NUMEROUS times so let me know if you have any questions!!!

Mail

Lately I have loved sending stuff in the mail. We don't even live in our new house yet, but I get excited when I send something from there. You may think it's because I finally have permanent address (I've been using my parents for the last 5 years) or because I have no life. Yes, I am excited because we finally have an address and yes, I have no life, but I am also obsessed with our new super cute address stamp.

I ordered it off of Etsy a couple of weeks ago. I was so impressed with the seller and the quality of the stamp. I had to make myself wait to order it until we actually closed on the house. It makes sending mail a little more fun and looks super cute. You should order one too!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57995017/custom-rubber-stamp-personalized-return

Anxiously Waiting...

Our house is ALMOST done! I am beyond anxious to move in. We have custom closets getting installed tomorrow (Monday) and our master bathroom should be done this week. After that, we are scrubbin down the house and movin in! The moving process should go pretty quick considering I have my family down here and let's just say they owe me some major favors.

Our kitchen is done! It ended up being pretty modern, a little more than I would have liked, but my husband loves it so I do too. It's funny how the handles can determine the look of the kitchen. I'm not so sure about the ones we picked. I think if we had picked rounded handles, it would have been less modern. But I like it for now and that's something that can always be changed! This is a picture before the crown molding was up on the cabinets, but here it is anyway. I will post more pictures later this week after things are 100% done.

On another note....
I have been obsessed with cupcakes most of my life... and now more than ever. I found this awesome, quick frosting recipe online. You can make vanilla OR chocolate with one simple addition. I bought a frosting decorating kit with a few different bags and tips. I love it and thought I'd share it with all you fellow cupcake overs out there! You can also use it on cake, cookies, or eat it right out of the bowl :) I made these cupcakes this weekend for a shower I threw for Jenna. I think they turned out pretty dang cute!

Vanilla - Chocolate Powdered Sugar Frosting

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

Cream sugar, softened butter and vanilla in a bowl. This takes a little work and I found it to be successful when done by hand. Add a small amount of milk... 1 to 2 tablespoons depending how how thick or thin you like it. Start with a small amount and add more if you'd like. Add cocoa if desired and beat until fluffy. Frost away!

Second Week of Renovations

So this is the second week of renovations in our new house. Things are coming along well! So far we have moved a wall, put one wall up, removed all the flooring on the first floor, tiled half of the first floor, took out the kitchen cabinets, painted the entire interior... and I think that's everything! Our kitchen cabinets are being delievered tomorrow and will be installed this week. The tile floors should be done in a few days. Our carpet is picked out and should be installed Saturday. We should be moving in the house in 2 weeks!

We also want to put in a "custom closet" in our master closet like California Closets. We got one quote and WOW... it was expensive. Does anyone else have company they used or recommend? We are in need of closet ideas.

 Here are pics of this last week!
  

The entry way before the tile... Don't worry, we didn't do blue floors!



The tile is in! Well almost... It's installed on an angle and no grout lines. I love it!



The kitchen area with the tile

  

Yes, this is a George Foreman grill in our office. Looks like the workers have it figured out!





And here is my niece Layla. I took this picture today. She is so dang cute!


That's all that's going on with us, so that's all I have to post about! We have been pretty busy with work and church. I've had a good time catching up with some good friends over the phone in the last few weeks. Thanks for those of you who try to keep in touch! I  miss all of you!

The Start of Renovations

Project 1: Ripping out tile

I was excited to walk in and find our tile floors almost completely ripped up. The flooring was in excellent condition. There was just one problem... the tile was white with this ugly texture. It looked like clear bacteria. Yeah... gross, I know. It was EVERYWHERE on the entire first floor. I was so excited to see it gone! By the way, I'm saving before and after pictures to post after it's all done. Here's the results of day 1 on the first floor (taken on my iphone).... The new ones are going in later this week!
Day 1

Entry



Kitchen

Family room

Office

Day 2

Entry

Dining room

Kitchen... with a toilet. Huh?

Living room

Office



And the master bathroom... last minute decision

Renovations are supposed to take about a month. I'm super anxious and cannot wait to move in! I still can't believe it is ours. I have been waiting for this for a loooong time.