Our Life Lately

The only thing certain is that everything is uncertain- and death and taxes, so I'm told. Right now there's a lot of big things happening for our little family, but before I get ahead of myself here's a brief update on what we've been up to lately:

My 3 favorites!

Watching: House of Cards and Call the Midwife (thanks, for the recommendation, Ashley!)

Sweating to: Bodyrock- I just finished a 30 day challenge, and I'm happy to report I can still do push-ups and still hate burpees!

Obsessing Over: This Easter dress for Grace

Looking forward to: Seeing my sister and Mom!

Thankful for: My new shiny pretty things.

Dust and Daffodils (By my talented friend, Amy)
This year my resolution was to 'Choose Joy,' so this is oh so perfect! 

Held In Your Hands Design (from my thoughtful friend, Courtney!)

So over: Snow days that aren't really snow days, but they cancel school anyways!

Reading: Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Now, I have to wait until the movie comes out on DVD...

Freaking out about: The dead horse I saw getting eaten by vultures. Seriously. I saw it, and I can't un-see it.

Really need to: Wash and clean out my car.

Eating: Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Bacon Poppyseed Dressing (like this recipe, but with spinach). We seriously ate it 5 times last week.

Baking: Banana Bread (recipe). Three-year-olds are great at mashing bananas.

Kind of delirious from: Nighttime feeding dates with my little man, but thankful that he goes right back to sleep. I know the days (and nights) are long, but the years are short, so I'm trying to relish the time. Holding his little tiny body reminds me that soon he will be much too big for my arms and uninterested in snuggles from his mama. *sniff sniff*

Planning: A move north... and east...

Proud Mama because: Grace can recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is learning something new everyday!

Contemplating: Training for a half marathon... time to bust out the Double BOB!

Laughing about: Spilling blueberries all over the supermarket while Grace loudly throws me under the bus. "MAMA, you spilled the blueberries. THEY"RE EVERYWHERE! Mama, you dropped them!!!" (It made me miss the days she couldn't talk, and I could have blamed it on her!)

Also laughing about: Being featured and recognized by friends on the Army Medical poster.

So, tell me, what are you up to? What's something you've been obsessing over? Do you have any good recipes, shows or books to recommend?

Lilacs and Lemons: Making Murfreesboro Our Home

October seems to be flying by- just a few weeks until Halloween and Grace's third birthday and then we'll be well into November and the "holiday season!" I feel like having kids makes you (re)learn how to enjoy the small things in life. Holidays have a sense of wonderment and anticipation. Seasons changing mean discovering fallen leaves and stomping in puddles with rain boots. I love watching Grace discover new things each day and being able to rediscover them with her.

Enjoying the last warm days of fall. 

Our baby is still growing and healthy (and Grace still calls him Baby Market). I have no idea why she calls him this, but she insists that is his name and has kept it up for a good couple months. While we don't plan on calling him "Market," we are still discussing names and haven't 100% settled on anything. I think naming a boy is harder. There's more pressure to find a name that will be strong and fitting for both a child and an adult. Cole seems to be into historical names, while I'm more a fan of older names or surnames as first names. We both like the idea of using family names, too.

Cole, Grace, Baby Market, our $12 popcorn and I at Frozen on Ice

Lilacs: 
We have been in Murfreesboro for 8 months now, and I could not be happier with the town and all it has to offer. My only wish was that it was closer to our families. From the start, I was lucky enough to find support and friendship in the MOMS Club, which has given us a chance to explore middle Tennessee with a wonderful group of moms and their little ones.

Equally as important, Grace's Pre-K school has been the perfect fit for us. It is right around the corner from our house. Grace wakes up each morning excited to go to school. She loves to play pretend school at home and emulates everything from me dropping her off, to getting a green light at the end of the day for good behavior. She loves her teachers and her classmates and seems to be learning so much.

Grace chose these funny glasses from the Treasure Box at school after she got 4 green lights for good behavior.

We also have a family pass to the gym, which has been awesome. The gym has a really well run Kid's Club that Grace is pumped to go to.  It makes me feel less guilty about dropping her off, when I know she's having a fun time, too. This is my first time back at the gym in three years (I did Stroller Strides and at-home work outs mostly since Grace was born). I feel a little intimidated, and round, but I like being able to lift some weights and do some cardio that is gentle on my knee. I've also been taking Gentle Yoga and a Zumba class at a dance studio. This time around having a fit pregnancy is really important to me, and I like knowing that I will have a better fitness foundation to start from once the baby is born.

Lemons: 

I haven't been too uncomfortable yet with this pregnancy, but I've recently started having a hard time falling asleep because my mind won't turn off. There are just too many thoughts bouncing around in my head and baby feet bouncing around in my belly. Here are just a few:

"Is Grace eating too many Grape Nuts and is it ok that the only meat she will eat is BACON??"

"Can I use spray paint on a lamp shade?" **Pulls up phone to check on Pinterest. Then goes to Facebook and Instagram. Checks email.**

"Do we seek shelter for a TORNADO WATCH or a TORNADO WARNING?"

"Griffin is scooting again. Eww, anal glands."

"Is it acceptable to wear the same black stretchy pants all week?"

"I hope it doesn't rain for Grace's OUTDOOR Birthday party."

"The downstairs toilet needs to be tightened." 

"How much extra does it cost to have a C-section?"

"Tomorrow we should get milk shakes. Mmmm, pumpkin milk shakes."

Part of what is stressing me out is anticipating the sleepless nights yet to come. It's like so many people say, you have amnesia after you have a newborn. You quickly forget the pain of labor and the multiple feedings a night. I know it was rough for the first few months, but at least this time around I'll know it gets better. I need to enjoy the time now in which Grace sleeps a solid 11 hours without waking up. Those days are numbered. 

My Lemonade: I'm thankful that I have so many blessings and that we are fortunate enough to be expecting an addition to our family. I try really hard not to complain about the annoyances and hardships of pregnancy because I know it is a gift and not every family dreaming of a baby is able to take this journey. 

#27weeks

Cravings: Blueberry Eggos with cinnamon, sugar and syrup

Feeling: Lots and lots of kicking

#Selfie 

7 Kitchen Tips That I Learned the Hard Way

I will be the first to admit that my prowess in the kitchen is sadly lacking. 

My husband would be the second. (He has never once complained and gladly eats what I cook and helps with the dishes.) Good man!

Unfortunately he seems to have married a wife without many talents in the kitchen. I think over the past 10 years my cooking has actually improved a little bit, but I will never be anywhere close to a culinary genius. 

If I had to give myself a grade in the kitchen, it would be a C-. Just barely passing. The underachiever in the back of the class.

Grace thinks I'm an excellent cook!

Luckily, I've learned some important lessons in the kitchen over the years, and I'm happy to share them! Hopefully you can avoid some of the mistakes I've made:

1. Don't cook microwavable rice without adding water

It will burn, melt the dish and smell really bad.

2. Saving leftovers you don't really intend to eat is a bad idea
You will find them weeks later in the back of the fridge and have to call the Hazmat team for proper and safe disposal. 

3. Always keep fresh garlic and wine on hand

They can turn any dinner into something mostly edible.

Pasta Making Class- Let's be honest, I was there for the wine!

4. Cereal or PBJ are perfectly acceptable meals
Unless you don't have cereal, milk, peanut butter, jelly or bread. Then take-out is perfectly acceptable, too. 

5. Clean your sink

Grimy dried up food stuck in your sink is gross. 

6. Assume that your creation will never look like the one on Pinterest

Pinterest fails are basically the story of my life, but I still love Pinterest and have found many delicious and easy recipes and craft ideas. 

7. Master some go-to recipes that you're not afraid to feed guests or take to parties

I don't have many dinner parties, because I have a two-year old with the table manners of a gorilla, but when we do have people over, I always cook something that I've made successfully in the past. There's nothing worse than a failed new recipe and hungry guests! My favorites are Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Taco Chicken Bowls. I also feel like a really scrumptious dessert makes up for a so-so dinner. Can you say Chocolate Molten Lava Cake!? That will make me forget about a nasty dinner. 

BONUS
8. Put a piece of bread in a tupperware with your brown sugar to keep it soft
My mom taught me this one.

Well, there you have it. 8 Kitchen tips from yours truly. You can tell 'em you learned from one of the worst.

What are you best kitchen tips? I'd love to hear them.

...no seriously, tell me how you do it!

7 kitchen tips based on mistakes you have made in the past.

Looking Forward to 2014

Here it is January, 9th, so that seems like the perfect time to finish my new year's resolutions. Last year I I really tried to Push It and go outside of my comfort zone. It was an amazing year, spending time with family, watching our little girl grow up and dreaming about our future.

Here are some of my favorite memories from 2013:

Getting certified to teach Stroller Strides

Running the Zombie Mud Run

Grace's first day of "school"

Easter Breakfast with the Bunny and egg hunt with my mom

Family trip to Myrtle Beach for the Diva Half Marathon

Music Together class with Grace

Taking Grace to the zoo on Father's Day

We celebrated our nine year anniversary 

Cole ran the Army Ten Miler really fast 

Playing in the kiddy pool and the sprinkler with Grace and Cole

Visiting Jennifer in Maryland and taking Grace to the Discovery Museum

Playing volleyball with The Lovely Lady Bumps

Family trip to the lake house during the summer

Grace's second birthday party at Gillis Hill Farm

Cole getting accepted into the masters program at Penn State

Trips to the pumpkin patch and corn maze

I had an extra-special 28th birthday

Trick-or-treating with my little wonder woman on Halloween

Thanksgiving kickball and the Bobcat's game in Charlotte

Flying to California to see my parents and their new house

Playing in the snow

Christmas was so fun with a 2 year old

It really was an amazing year. I feel so lucky for all of the opportunities I had to stay healthy, spend time with friends and family and watch sweet Grace grow up. I am thankful for a supportive, funny husband who is leading us on a new adventure this year. Big things are in the works…

My 2014 Vision Board: