bliss list ~ february

Whew!  Another month has come and gone!  And with only 28 days, I'm amazed I made my goal to actually post my February Bliss List before the start of March.  I need to remind myself to focus on things that have made me happy this month - not the dreary winter days or heaps of snow still on the ground.  I'll power through the winter weather and list a few things that brought me joy this month.

The Olympics ~ I've always been a fan of the Olympics. Two years ago Hubby and I watched the Beijing Opening Ceremonies in its entirety and loved it. But this year I think I was more engaged and involved in the Olympics than I had been in years past. It was fun knowing there would always be something worth watching on TV during the evenings. And I will admit, I got nervous when the skaters jumped, gasped when the skiers fell, and smiled as the curlers swept.

I love Jonny Weir.

Blueberry Muffins ~ For much of the past two months, there have been only a few items I can stand preparing and then eat. Blueberry muffins, however, I have not had a problem with. Sometimes I'll branch out and try a recipe from scratch but most of the time, the pouch from Betty Crocker is good enough for me!Lately, when they are on sale, I've been adding fresh blueberries to the pouch mix. Soooo goooood!

Friends ~ I am lucky to have my share of good friends. I have dear friends from college and amazing friends I met when I first moved here nearly 7 years ago. But two of my closest friends are my two friends from high school. I always knew we had a tight bond but I never imaged two friends - one who I met in junior high and the other who I met in Sunday school - would be lifelong friends. One of those friends, Sarah, is getting married in less than two months. This has assured us many get-togethers this winter and spring. Though the three of us live in different cities, we love the chance to get together. This year sets a record - we'll have seen each other four times in less than two months! So lucky!

(I need a newer picture for my files...)

Hubby ~ I always knew I had a good one but he’s really proven himself this month. He’s made dinner, done the vacuuming, gotten me Tums, tucked me into bed early…he’s definitely helped make my life (be it at times miserable…) better. I am one lucky gal to have a hubby like him.

A shorter list for a shorter month but a good list.  To check out past months, click here, here, here, here or here.

pink {and brown} with ruffles

How cute are these?

Hubby and I had to get them last night after we found out we're expecting a baby girl!  We won't only dress our little one in pink but I think it's standard rule if you find out you're having a girl, you have to buy her something in pink and the ruffles are a nice bonus!

Here's a peek at our little girl:

My trips down the baby isles could be quite dangerous now!

we have light!

After our bathroom/living room/ceiling clean up was complete, it was time for us to pick out a new light for our kitchen. When the workers gave our kitchen ceiling a fresh new coat of paint, we were able to ditch our old florescent boxed light in lieu of a new semi-flushmount light. Hubby and I are quite happy with the facelift and find this light gives off just as much light as our old one did.

{light found here}

totes

It's no secret I love bags, purses, things of the like.  The fact that I've carried the same purse for nearly a year now is quite amazing.  Even my work requires me to carry a bag of some type to lug all my books, plans, and calendar from point A to point B (and sometimes point C and D).  This year I've been carrying my personalized tote from my sis.  It's quite sturdy and I can stuff a lot of things inside.

I knew Etsy was destined to have some cute totes...some that could be great for trips to the beach/pool, handy for a quick shopping trip, or maybe even to "tote" all of your kids' stuff around.  Here are a few I especially liked from Etsy seller fromnancy.

Her totes are super cute, reasonable in price AND she offers free shipping in the US.  I think I may have found my next bag...which one to get?

beddy-bye

I've been taking lots of naps lately. I mean LOTS. And I’ve been going to bed early. I knew tiredness would be a side effect but I had no idea how tired I would be and how long it would linger. This past weekend's formula of cold, blustery, and snowy weather created the perfect set-up for ultimate laziness. I'm almost embarrassed by how lazy I was. Is it unusual for one to take a nap before noon? Not for me! In honor of naps, early bedtimes, and exhaustion, I found some pics of some very inviting bedrooms. You may want to enjoy before bedtime lest you become sleepy!

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

food for thought

Just 3 months after he ordered it, one of my Christmas presents from Hubby finally arrived - my Food & Wine Magazine!

It features some fabulous looking food...

You would think with a new magazine full of fun and unique cooking ideas AND being in my second trimester, I'd be all about cooking up some of the delicious dishes. Unfortunately, food is still not my friend. I am wondering if I'll ever again be excited to eat chicken, vegetables, sauces, leftovers... It's sad. Even sadder is my ability to never be repulsed by red meat, french fries, and potato chips. Who am I? So, until my appetite returns to its normal state, I'll just admire the pretty pictures in my magazine (but only when I'm not nauseous) and dream about the day when I'll be able to not only cook a meal again but eat it with ease!

spring sweaters

I was at wonderful Target today to get some things for work and some snacks (of course).  Before I headed to my destination, I had to take my routine swing through the clothes section.  Hubby would be very proud of me as my sweep was extremely quick AND I didn't come home with a single clothing purchase.  I did however see this cute spring-like cardigan.  When this puppy goes on sale I'm going to snatch it right up.  It will be the perfect cover up for tanks and t-shirts this spring.

A couple other cute options:

Not quite sure about size yet...maybe by the time the cardigan goes on sale I'll be in a more determined size.

nothing

What a lovely day off.

libraries of old

So I have well over a hunderd of these in my office...who knew they were such an "in" thing right now?

all things must come to an end

Today marks the end of my first trimester and the beginning of my second.  I think I'm finally starting to catch a glimpse to the possible end of food aversions and the need to be in bed by 9 pm. I heard my best days are ahead of me and I'm determined to enjoy them!  Anyone up for lemonade?  Our babe is the size of a lemon this week and growing quickly!

a peek at 14 weeks:

handmade hearts

Normally I'm not a huge fan of jewelry in the shape of hearts but I recently saw these unique Mexican handmade hearts made from scraps from left over clothing production and found them quite nice. And the neatest feature - no two are alike.

{Available at Asiatica}

hubby, me and babe ~ weeks 9-11

Week 9 ~ January 6th – 12th
After 3 weeks off from work (holidays and inclement weather), I went back to work. I was slightly nervous about my return. I hadn't been feeling 100% and I needed to be back on my game. Things were going to be BUSY. This week I discovered three things. First discovery: when my stomach growls, eat. In fact, I need to anticipate and eat just before my stomach signals it wants food. If I do this, I may be able to shake that nauseous feeling. Funny thing I've noticed, when my stomach growls, it roars. It’s even woke me up on occasions. No forgetting to eat for me! Second discovery: being busy during the day is actually good for me. I haven't felt as crummy when I've had things I've had to accomplish. There has, however, been one downfall to being so busy during the day - I crash at night. And I mean crash. I swear, Hubby, there will come a day again when I'll be able to stay up past 9:30 pm.  And, my third discovery:  I cry VERY easily.  This week - Foldgers commercial.  But come on, those commercials always tug at the heart strings!

A peek at week 9:

babe = olive

Week 10 ~ January 13th – January 19th
I had been really good about avoiding caffeine. I pretty much stopped coffee cold turkey. Maybe the fact that coffee sounded disgusting for the first several weeks had a little something to do with it but whatever the reason, I hadn't so much as reached for a caffeinated beverage in over a month. Well, that streak changed this week. It was a Friday afternoon. I had just finished a busy week back at work and needed to run a few errands before heading home. I had to drive all over town for these errands so I thought I would treat myself to a little Starbucks. I had rehearsed my order in my head as I pulled into the parking lot - tall decaf iced coffee with nonfat milk. I pulled up to order - "Hi, I'd like a tall iced coffee with nonfat milk". I pulled up to pay - "Here's your tall iced coffee with nonfat milk". And then I took the first sip - crud. I forgot to say decaf! Now, I know very well a little caffeine won't hurt me or the babe. I've even read that I can have up to two cups of coffee a day. I had just done so well and couldn't believe I slipped. But you know what? I think the caffeine actually was a good thing for me on this day. I peppily completed my errands, felt great and energized when I got home and was able to stay up past 10:00 that night! Maybe a jolt of caffeine is just what I need – from time to time.

A peek at week 10:

babe = prune

Week 11 ~ January 20th – January 26h

Week 11 was off to a good start. Actually, make that a great start. I went to work on the day I turned 11 weeks and felt...not pregnant. At first I was a little worried but then I got my weekly electronic update and read that after this week I may begin to feel more like myself again and have more energy. Sounds good to me! Most everything was good this week. Things actually went well until the weekend.

The repair work from our Christmas water damage was complete so I had designated Saturday as my day to embark on operation cleanup. I tried to take it slow. I had all day and Hubby was away. I didn't think I overdid it until I felt some cramping and pressure in my lower left abdomen. We went to our friends' home for dinner and the pain continued to persist. The next morning, I still felt the pressure and it was becoming slightly uncomfortable. Just as we were getting ready to head out the door to church I noticed I was spotting. Hmm...this had not happened to me yet. I knew from reading that this is common in many pregnancies but that didn't stop the worry. After a call to the on call doctor number and speaking with my nurse practitioner it was decided we would come in to the ER to rule out a tubal pregnancy. Hubby and I were pretty scared. I kept thinking this was something I brought on from possibly overdoing it around the house the day before. Thankfully our ER was efficient and the staff was incredibly warm and reassuring. We had a wonderful nurse, doctor, and technician. The worst parts of the day (the initial scare and the catheter...that's a whole other blog post) were soon overshadowed by the best part of our day...probably our month…maybe our year. We got to see our baby and its heartbeat and all looked good. What a relief!

The following Wednesday was set to be my 12 week visit when we would hear the heartbeat for the first time. I was no longer nervous for that one - I knew with confidence there would be a heartbeat. My nurse practitioner, however, called the next day (Monday) and wanted us to come back in to do a sonogram. So, we got to see the baby again and even got pictures this time! During this visit it was also discovered I have placenta previa, which means my placenta is sitting on top of my cervix, not sitting up in my uterus where it is supposed to be. Most all cases of placenta previa fix themselves and the placenta migrates up to where it needs to be. For now, I'm on restricted activity and exercise which is quite difficult for me. But, I guess being willing to take some help and making myself relax will have a very nice reward.

A peek at week 11:

 baby = lime

And...our baby at 11 weeks!

outdoor spaces

Taking a break from some of those baby/pregnancy posts (beware – a few more week-in-reviews are coming - got to catch up!), I thought I'd post some pretty pictures of outdoor spaces. My reasoning is two-fold. One, it is the weekend and who doesn't love to spend time outdoors on the weekend? Two, I am so ready for warmer weather looking at these great outdoor spaces helps me realize someday again I will be able to sit outside.

I love the last one...makes me want to travel someplace warm...with an ocean!