Meal Pinning Monday

September 29, 2014

I've got to get back on my blogging game, this evening posting just isn't working for me. Anyway, this makes the second week in a row that I can actually attempt to cook. So yay!



[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Pizza Bread (we never made it last week)

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Mom's Sausage Pasta (I'll share the recipe soon)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Date Night

Saturday - Grocery shopping... we couldn't manage to plan past Thursday ha! 

I'd add in the pins, but the one for last week's Pizza Bread is just a few posts down:) Hopefully that Pasta turns out good and I can share it Thursday, I haven't made it since before I started dating Jeremy, so we've been trying to remember what went in it. 
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15 Weeks

September 24, 2014

It's crazy to think we are 5 weeks short of halfway there. 
Just a few weeks ago I was counting the days until the nausea would ease up. 


Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 15 weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is the size of an avocado or naval orange!
Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants and bras, and Piko tops.
Gender: Boy, a nameless little boy because his father hasn't agreed yet lol!
Movement: Nothing really
Sleep: Better than last week. I think stress has a big role in that.
What I miss: A big fat mid rare steak!
Cravings: French Fries from McDonalds or Canes and Canes Sauce


Symptoms: It's actually been better as of today! I only gagged once in class while teaching:)
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Meal Pinning Monday

September 23, 2014

So after ages of no Meal Pinning Monday, because I haven't been making dinner in who knows how long. I decided to give it a go this week.

I'll be honest though, I may have meal planned but Jeremy has cooked so far. I just can't hang much with this pregnancy nausea.



[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Mexican Lime Soup

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Baleadas with Guac Rice


Thursday - Spanish Totilla with leftover rice

Friday - Date Night

Saturday - Pizza Bread

Sunday - Mom's Quesadillas
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I Heart Pinterest Wednesday

September 17, 2014

It looks like we finally found a house and have started 
all the lovely paperwork that goes along with that. 

That being said, now I'm scouring my Pinterest boards to try and
remember just how I wanted to lay out my collection of stuff. 


I'm getting the nearly all white kitchen I've wanted, and after finding this I'm remembering just how much I like a chalkboard wall. 


I feel like I'll be searching for this forever, but this is what I'd like to have as a bedside table in the guest room. 


There's a nice large pantry, hello glass jars for storing!


I love this idea, plus WalMart has started carrying them for even cheaper. 


Sometimes I feel like I'm odd for liking stairs, but it means I can do something like this. 


There is also a nice little spot by the front door for a chalkboard.


This and my big blue door are two ideas from the Nester that will be happening. 
I need to collect plates again, but my big door is hanging right over the couch when we move in. 


I'm going to have to keep my eye out for an old shutter that was tossed out, this could potentially solve our mail issue. Or having an office space again could fix that. Good frief down sizing makes for cramped living. 


These are just a few of my ideas, I promise it will be quite awhile after we move in before the house looks exactly how I'd like it to. 

Oh and since I keep talking about it, if everything goes as planned we will be moving mid-October. Just in time to buy some mums and pumpkins! 
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14 Weeks

September 15, 2014

We made it to the 2nd trimester! 
But excuse the bad hair and lack of lip gloss, 
I made Jeremy snap a pic on the way to church really quick and we 
were running late. 


Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 14 weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is the size of a beet!
Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants and bras.
Gender: Boy, a nameless little boy because his father hasn't agreed yet lol!
Movement: Nothing really
Sleep: I'm so sick of having to get up to potty.
What I miss: Actually wanting to eat meat and cooking without puking.
Cravings: This week, hummus and salad. Really cold drinks.
Symptoms: Nausea, motion sickness, food aversions, exhaustion, and easily overheated... which leads to puking. 

I've noticed cooler weather makes me feel better, that one cold day was glorious!

Oh and for a Dad update, he's at the rehab hospital off all the tubes 
just building up his strength. 
The ICU doctor ran into Mom Saturday and told her dad was a walking miracle. 
When I called him today he sounded more like himself than he did Friday, so praise the Lord
for allowing our family to keep Dad around longer. 

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Baby B is a...

September 10, 2014

Boy! 


I'm going to be a boy mom, I always imagined myself as a girl mom. 
But that's apparently not what God planned ha! 

Lucky for me I prefer all the boy crib items. 

I actually have a name picked that I like, but ole J still has to agree.

So until that is decided on, it's going to be all boy around here!
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13 Weeks & A Dad Update

September 8, 2014

It's been an eventful few weeks, hence the lack of baby posting. 
It's just hard to want to post a bump update with your Dad in ICU. 

But we have good news, he's still in... but he is getting out soon! 
But more on that in a second. 


Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 13 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby B is the size of a jalapeno
Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, they are just more comfortable. No tops, I'm planning on wearing Pikos and tunics. 
Gender: We find out Wednesday!
Movement: I think I felt a flutter while I was laying in bed at Mom's house, but I can't be sure. 
Sleep: I have to get up to potty a lot, but that's not too uncommon. Just more frequent. I think half my sleep issue has been Dad being sick. 
What I miss: Nothing really, my meat aversion took care of that. 
Cravings: fruit and raw vegetables
Symptoms: I'm still sick, and my meat aversion isn't letting up. When I get over tired I start gagging easily and tend to puke.
Best Moment this week: We find out the sex Wednesday, can't wait! 
Funniest Moment: I thew up because I touched my nausea medicine and didn't set it down fast enough. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Now as far as Dad goes, he's doing much better and it seems to be to the surprise of the nurses. I had several tell us this weekend that he "knocked on the pearly gates" several times. 

I was even stopped in the hall by a nurse I went to school with and he told me just how shocked he was that Dad was doing so well. 

That's the thing about him though, he's stubborn. Once they allowed him to wake up he found out what would get him out and started working towards it. 

Mom called today to say that he will likely be moved to the rehab hospital for physical therapy and can go home when he is better. Tomorrow they are removing a tube from his side that has been draining fluid (3 liters from his lungs in a night), so I know he's happy. 

I had to fuss at him though about the tube. The doctor told him they would have to wait a day for the OR to put it in, it's about the width of my thumb, but he wasn't having it. He didn't want to be knocked out again after the sedation and wanted it done that day so he had the surgeon do it bed side in ICU with only a local to numb it. 

He's a tough one. 

Dad still has some work to do before he can walk on his own, being out for two weeks got to him. He is miles ahead of where they thought he would be and the nurses have made that clear, all because he is so stubborn. 

So that's what's been happening lately, only better things to come! 
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Bread & Butter Fridge Pickles

September 4, 2014

I've always been a pickle person, but not always a legit jarred pickle person. 

For instance, Dad always had a massive garden, and I always created jars and jars of fridge pickles. 


As a kid I would hoard peanut butter jars, then I'd spend an entire afternoon slicing cucumbers and filling jars with vinegar. 

Back then I'd put Lemon Pepper in my jars, or Cajun seasoning. Whatever I hand on hand. 

Then a few days later I'd have pickles for weeks. No one else ever ate my pickles, I wasn't from a pickle eating family. Then I married a non pickle eating man. 

I like to just think of it as more for me. 

Pregnancy has changed how I eat, I ate preschool food for weeks and now I'm happily in my high school food streak. One can only afford to buy so many jars of Bread and Butter pickles though, so the other night I started playing with my own recipe and came up with a new fridge pickle I've been eating a full jar of every day after work. 


Bread & Butter Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients::
1 large cucumber
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 packets of Stevia (or 2 tsp of another sugar)
White Vinegar 
Water

Directions::
Slice a cucumber and place the slices in a 16 oz mason jar. Add in spices. Fill 1/3 way with water and 2/3 with white vinegar. Seal well with a lid and shake to combine. Allow to sit for 24 hours, or overnight. 


After a week of salad and pickle cravings I'm seriously wondering how my mother kept our fridge stocked when I ate like this in high school. 
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I Heart Pinterest Wednesday - Nursery

September 3, 2014

I haven't had a Pinterest Wednesday in awhile, thanks pregnancy for making the movement on the computer cause me to feel sick. 

That's mostly gone now, as long as I keep this short and sweet. 

So let's dig into the non food items I've loved on Pinterest lately, because well... food isn't my favorite thing at the moment. 


If I'm being honest we are basically going Ikea for the nursery. 
I have also realized just looking around that I tend to prefer gender neutral items, the pink is too pink for me, and themes aren't my high point. 

I saw this and thought it was genius, plus I just love it. I could die in Ikea and be happy about it. 


Ignore the wall color, I'm a neutral wall person and strips will be a pain to create and remove. So no way Jose. But the open book shelf is something I've loved for years. Much more inviting to kids. 


Here's some nursery inspiration, I love the white and grey with hints of turquoise. 

A friend of mine did something similar to this in her nursery, I love having furniture that isn't being tossed as soon as the kid can walk. A changing table just seems like such a waste, so why not make a large dresser double as one for a year. 


I really like the Ikea high chair, and the new cushion they added is great too. Not very girly, but primary colors can work for either and this would be something that could be used for kid number 2 as well. 


I saw this and thought "pure genius!" This will be on my nightstand for sure. We are still months out but feeding is already on my brain, especially the pumping and returning to work feeding. 


More neutral nursery love. Pure love!

This is all a yes for sure, and the baby toys at Ikea are to die for. 

More Ikea nursery ideas. 


I love this room, and I'd be in heaven if I found that giraffe. 


What were some of your nursery must haves?


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PR 3: Ponce & Coamo

September 1, 2014

So no Meal Pinning Monday for a few more weeks. No one probably cares that I can eat french toast and chips. Or that yogurt is amazing these days. 

That means today is back on the Puerto Rico band wagon, and on this day we left Ponce headed for San Juan with several pit stops on the way. 


The way the landscape changes so quickly is Puerto Rico was just amazing to me, especially being from Louisiana... land of flatness.

From our hotel balcony (another reason to stay at the Ramada in Ponce) we had a great view of the mountains and the building surrounding the square.


Mom, Dad, Jeremy, and I all went to this restaurant the night before. Chef's Creations is an open kitchen restaurant that specializes in tapas.

Jeremy got ribs that he didn't share that much with us, and Mom, Dad, and I got a whole array of tapas to share.

By this point Pop was exhausted so he voted for getting take out and we knew there was nothing on this menu that Laura or Joshua would tough. Made for a fun double date, especially for a group that hasn't had tapas before.


 

Just a few shots from the balcony, the streets of Ponce.

My Dad's oncologist went to medical school in Ponce, and my grandmother's Capo side of the family was involved in politics there.


 Sorry, I just like iron gates.


And old wooden doors.

I was supposed to be loading the car but snuck out for one last photo opportunity before we left.







My usual proof that I exist. I haven't trained anyone to be my second photographer on trips.

Maybe I should just take the hint and follow other families on vacation to take photos for them ha!


We were leaving Ponce, but if you enter from this direction they have a huge Ponce sign, kind of like the Hollywood sign.


There were wind farms everywhere on this side of the island.

It wouldn't be profitable where we live so I was very intrigued by the constant view of massive white windmills.


Stop number 1 on our way to San Juan was to visit the Coamo Hot Springs, and for 2 dollars it was well worth the visit.

I had to take a picture of the sign just to remember what all was in the water.


There are two pools at the hot springs, the hot one and the supposedly cooler one. 

It basically translated into the boiling pool and the bathtub warm pool. Kids obviously aren't reccomended to get into the boiling hot pool. Josuhua seemed to enjoy it, I still thought it was a little hot. 
 

I made Laura take pics of us at the hot spring, only fair since she didn't get in.

Jeremy and Dad stayed in the hot pool much longer than I could tolerate. Mom stepped in and turned right around to go to the cooler one.


Dad is well known in our family for finding a hot tub and not getting out until he is well past the time the sign says he has to exit.

I recall one vacation in New Orleans when we were kids that Mom literally timed him and made him get out every 15 minutes. It went on for ages that he was in between the pool and hot tub. I apparently didn't inherrit his love for sitting in boiling water.



This place was kid friendly enough, it's definitely not a swimming pool though. The few kids that were there could get away with a little noise, but parents were quick to tell them to hush.

We were the only tourists in sight, the place was full of locals. Now the Coamo Hot Springs, like everywhere else I've mentioned in Puerto Rico gets busy quick. During the off season in particular the locals will fill the place up in a heart beat, so get there early.



It's definitely not an all day activity, allot 2 hours for the hot springs and move on. They offer massages, but none of us took advantage of the option. There are very nice restrooms and changing rooms in the facility.

It's by far worth more than the 2 dollars they charge.



As we were leaving it had started getting busier.

We had another stop to make before getting to San Juan, but I'll share the photos from that next time. 
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