Another room makeover... Love a fresh coat of paint

It has been a little while since I posted but I have had several projects brewing and had to wait until they were done to post. Plus I took a nice trip to Charlotte to visit my parents and some friends. The main objective was a hair appointment, pick up my desk for the kitchen and to pick out a crib and bedding for the nursery.   I have been feeling pretty good but starting to feel pregnant most of the time, nope all the time. Things are going good aside from occasional back and hip pain and the lovely sciatica pain enter my good friend Salonpas OMG they are a life saver. My mom introduced me to these and I could NOT live without them now. Public service** it says do not sleep in them and well I get the pain at night and fall asleep with them all the time, this last time I got burns from them. It does have a warning, they do not hurt but my hubby says they are like red tattoos of the patches on me. DO NOT SLEEP IN THEM....lesson learned. If only I could find something for the horrible bloat, pressure and pain. OMG it takes my breathe away it hurts so bad and the meds approved somewhat help but the pressure, pain and tightening of my stomach can and does take me to the floor almost sometimes. Other than those loves I am good just staying very warm with my little furnace in the belly.....not sure I will be able to stand it once it gets above 70. I am loving the cool temps so much that I wear a tank and shorts or capri yogas or sweats all the time.  WHY does nobody warn you that one day you will be constantly thirsty and drink water by gallon buckets and which interns makes a viscious cycle since you have to get rid of all that water.  Enough about all that now to the exciting stuff.

As I sit here and write this I feel like things are finally starting to happen to prepare the house for the baby and well the LONG process of removing traces of the old owners. They just didn't put any effort into upgrades and maintenance of the house and the decor is to be desired by way of the 90's and possibly some late 80's. There are LOTS of things we want to change but with Mini Wheat on the way new paint colors and fresh coats are an easy place to start. The impact they have made are pretty major, the house looks clean, calming and in this century.

My wonderful hubby painted the kitchen and hallway while I was gone for a few days and would not send me pictures he wanted me to be surprised when I got home. I love the color and am surprised how in certain light it looks more blue or grey. It is a grey color from my favorite show Fixer Upper on HGTV. It is Silver Strand by Benjamin Moore we got the non toxic and fume less paint from Home Depot where they matched the color for me. He says he can now see where my vision for the kitchen and eating area is going. I had to wait for a sunny day and that took awhile between all the rain and sleet days and one snow day!

hallway

You can see it looks different up against different colors along with lighting. I want to add breadboard to the ceiling in the kitchen carrying it down the hallway and wide baton to the wall with anchor where our table will be and by desk and under the bar top counter to define our eat space. I want to paint the cabinets still deciding what color but leaning towards navy and a gray wash on top or at least glaze the bright white on top. I also found this amazing sea glass subway tile backsplash that I am in love with. The light fixture has to go the spot light bar is awful it stays darker in there and that just shoot beams of light, so it's either add some can lights or at least take that fixture down and swap it with the one in hallway temporarly. The counter tops I am not sure what I want but they are old and starting to lift in some places.  I love the loo of concrete and wood or concrete and granite type. I just don't know what I want all over the all the counter tops. The tile floor is another thing to change eventually. I also want to add the nautical knots to the top cabinets at least as I was reminded they will get dirty with food and stuff in the lower ones. It looks great in my mind and I can see it all together from different pins and pictures I have seen.

The two pictures below are ones I took at our inspection before we bought the house and you can see all the brightness coming off all the surfaces in the hallway picture. Every room was like that high gloss on the ceiling, wall and trim. The pictures don't do the yellow justice it was an awful shade of melted butter and something I think the shine made it worse along with ALL the white.

 if you look closely you can see the 80's wood light switch

The last little project is my desk trying to get the organization spot/ home base set up. I am thinking that I may rough up the desk and paint it a different color or glaze it so it is not so white. I have entirely too much white in my kitchen for our liking. I changed the knobs out last night to nautical knots and that made a difference and now I want to put them anywhere I can.

just brought it in

old knobs

new knobs

I still need to get it all organized and set up, plus I want to hang the upper slots with drawers above the desk slightly so I have more space. I need to get a small cork board also and get my storage bins out with our file folders and stuff. I really need a chair since we do not have one and the stool are well not that comfy for a preggo. 

So that is what has been going on around here for the last week and half.

A warm meal for those freezing temps that are coming

With this lovely arctic blast that is pounding everyone including us here at the beach I have been wanting hot, rib sticking soups to eat. This is one of my favorites and people whom I happen to share this tasty treat with always want the recipe.  It is a very filling thick, cheesy, hearty soup that I sometimes throw extra beans for more protein, switch up the meat with ground turkey( I use more seasoning than called for since this needs more flavor than most meats) or use seasoned pulled chicken which takes this over the top.  It is ok to use the seasoned rotisserie chicken from the store it is much easier than roasting it yourself but if I do we also make homemade chicken stock.  This soup is one you can throw in things that are in your pantry and basically is a bunch of canned goods that I keep stocked plus it is so quick to throw together and you only need one pot!

TACO SOUP

•  2lb of meat  Browned hamburger meat drained, cooked with onions 
• 1 package of Ranch Dressing Mix or Dip packet (we always have the dip on hand)
• 1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 can Black Beans (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1 can Kidney Beans (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1 can Pinto Beans (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1 can Hominy yellow or white (DO NOT DRAIN)
• 1 can Corn (DO NOT DRAIN) you can use frozen, or southwestern corn or white, yellow or sweet whatever you have or your choice is 
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes you can choose your heat level I use mild or original
• 1 Block Velveeta cheese or Nacho Cheese - I use the light one. If using 16oz block use entire block, if using the 320z block I don't use the entire block but use more than half, we like cheese. 

   

                  I used the meat I had in the freezer

Now here is the really hard part you have to open all the cans while the meat is cooking. Mix the meat and seasoning packets together. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Cut up the block of cheese and put in and simmer until the cheese is melted. *** STIR frequently or it will stick and burn!!!  Once the cheese is melted just serve and enjoy!!
***** I cook this in a pot so it is a one dish meal and it is easier to then dump all the ingredients into the pot.

You can also substitute certain beans if you happen to not like some of these or add another can or three of other beans to the mix. I also use the big can of corn instead of little because we like corn or if frozen I throw in at least half a bag or a tad more or the whole thing. I also occasionally add more seasonings to the mix but you do not have to, this makes so much that it is great for a few meals and to freeze. It freezes beautifully but it also does not last long in our house. When you serve this you can add hot sauces or dollop of sour cream or lime sour cream and you can serve with tortilla chips. No matter how you make this it is delicious and will have people wanting seconds.

**** I got this recipe over 6 years ago from a cookbook they made when I worked at CHS.

here is an example of using what you have I had a mix of yellow and white corn so I sprayed it with Pam and just let it brown to make mdxi corn, then I sprinkled some smoked paprika and cumin on it to give a street corn flavor. I play with recipes all the time this gave a great depth of flavor. It is good with plain corn or a can of mexi corn.

this is the amount of liquid after all the cans have been put           in don't worry its enough 

once it comes to a boil the liquid fills the pot more

I found it easier to add small cubes of this  a few at a time

 voila served with a dollop of lime sour cream and tortilla chips

Yes I did make this the day after I posted and took pics it was hovering around freezing for most of the day.  I am hoping to be able to go out of town for a few days later this week so the hubby will have something to eat while I am gone.

Three Recipes that are easy and crowd pleasing

While at the current moment I am not into chicken this was a meal that I cooked often and is great to freeze....there may even be some in one of the freezers now. This is also a meal that can be made with lower calorie and fat things easily as I do it , you can also make it any spice level you choose and it still taste great.  It is also easy to make ahead of time or the night before put it in the fridge then throw it in the oven when you ready to eat. Yes it is another Pinterest find from two years ago.


CHICKEN SPAGHETTI   
http://www.boomerbrief.com/2012/03/super-satisfying-chicken-spagetti.html

you can reduced the calories buy using the fat free or healthy soups, light sour cream
the heat level you use can be adjusted by the rotel you use and you can add dashes of hot sauce or sriracha in the mixture.




This next one is a Weight Watchers recipe but it is delicious and filling. It is great for snack or as a side. It is easy to make and gets better as it sits in the fridge and marinates in that tangy sauce. Once again you can make this as low calorie as you want or use whatever you currently have in the house.

BLT SALAD

• 3 2/3 cup cooked large macaroni shells ( I had medium and it works, also used whatever is in the pantry)
• 4 cups tomatoes, cut up (grape ones are easy to use and just cut them in half)
• 4 slices of bacon (I used more after the first time I made it)
• 3 cups of thin sliced lettuce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup of fat free mayo ( i use light)
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 table spoon dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Mix in large bowl the shells, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce.
In small bowl mix the sugar, vinegar, mayo, sour cream and mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the dressing mixture into the shell mixture. Chill and serve. If you aren't going to eat all of it, the first time I made it I did it just like the recipe, sometimes I add it as we eat it. It taste just like a BLT and if you cook too much pasta you can make more sauce to go on it. You want it all good and coated but not so light that it dries out after being in the fridge. I play with the amounts now since I make this frequently.
* you always add things like avocado or things to this too.


The next one is another Weight Watchers recipe that is a great snack and you can play with the ingredients, sauce and heat you put in.

CORN AND BEAN SALSA

– 1 16oz bag of frozen corn or you can use roasted corn
– 1 cup black beans
– 1 large tomato, chopped
– 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
– 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
– juice from 1 lime
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Defrost corn. Toss all items together in a medium sized bowl, and add salt & pepper as needed.

* I also add more several kinds of beans, red peppers, green onions. Sometimes I add cumin to it and a few dashes of hot sauce. I also use a little oil, balsamic vinegar and a few dashes of worcestershire. Like I said this is easy to play with the ingredients that you like. You can eat with chicken or protein or with tortilla chips.  It is good for a party and easy to make.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!!

Finally a recipe....Million Dollar Spaghetti

This recipe is one that I have perfected and found that it gets better as it sits and is in a rotation in our house. I do not have pictures of step by step since I made this a few weeks ago and froze 4 of them and gave away one. I also let it cool in the fridge for a day and a half before I there it in the freezer this time, when I baked it the other night my husband said it was even better! It is easy to make a large batch or make it and cook in a bread loaf pan, that way you could get more meals out of it especially if there are two people. This meal doesn't last long in our house and I have to cook it in a bigger pan. I have cooked this so much that I could probably do it in my sleep plus I have made several tweaks over time. It is also better with several layers as many as you can!! I always make a tad extra cheese filling...Hello we LOVE cheese and the gooeyness cheesiness is so so good. It is also a good meal to take to people when you need to because it can be made and then frozen or baked.

Here is the link to the original recipe I found on Pinterest and I will share the tweaks, plus you CAN make this lower calorie and it is still delicious.
www.sweetandsavoryfood.com/2010/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html

One tweak I use is by using my own meat sauce or "gravy" that I make.
I use light sour cream and cream cheese and fat free cottage cheese.
I also use more garlic salt than called for, grate fresh garlic and add italian seasoning in the cheese mixture. Taste it to make sure you have enough salt and pepper and seasoning.
I use ground turkey a lot and sometimes a mixture of ground turkey and lean ground beef.
I also add fried onions on the top of the dish before I put it in the oven.
You can pour some of the butter over the noodles or sprinkle salt and melt the butter with the noodles immediately after draining them. (you can use either method)
If you use jar sauce pick your favorite and jazz it up a bit by adding spices, fresh and dried.
I sometimes sprinkle some cheese on the top of the sauce and onions.

**This recipe is easy to make ahead of time and best if it sits in the fridge over night or a day before baking it.

I also like this one and sometimes combine these two recipes, another Pinterest find.
Cheddars Baked Spasagna
www.food.com/recipe/baked-spasagna-by-cheddars-380814


These are both great recipes and can be made with lower calorie or reduced fat options very easily. Hope you enjoy!!

Struggles and Random thoughts

I am struggling with the whole enjoying being pregnant, I am thrilled do not get me wrong it is just not all roses and hearts like I was hoping. It is hard when I have been someone who's struggled with my weight all my life. From the start I had the worst bloat imaginable even though I had just lost weight I had a bump. It has slowly turned into a flat tire that sat around my lower abdominal area now it has moved into a bump with a slight one above the belly button. I by NO means think I will ever be the cute little pregnant lady with a cute bump. My poor body has gone back to putting a few pounds on in the places I used to carry my weight. Although I can still fit into some pre pregnancy pants and mostly all tops I feel like a blimp. I know that my body is changing for a good cause and I would never give that up I just didn't think it would be as difficult to watch the transformation comfortably. I think I will feel better once the bump looks more round and like a baby bump not a questionable fat roll that is really low and round, it could be awhile. I try not to compare myself to other people but it is hard when you see all those cute bumps that clearly look like a baby bump on women. I want so much to be able to just enjoy this and not worry about weight or my body changing but that is far easier said than done. My body likes to hold weight in certain places and apparently that has not changed with pregnancy. I guess it is that in between stage or the fact my body is not my own anymore.

It is also hard when you are not small busted and have to move into maternity bras early because it is more comfortable and practical. I look down and all I see is boobs, a little bump and no toes unless I bend a little. It didn't help matters that when I finally broke down and purchased nursing bras and the strap broke. Talk about a major blow to ego luckily it seems to have been a manufacturing thing, it wasn't sewn together all the way.  I had to GULP... go up two sizes and a cup size, hoping they get me through the entire pregnancy and post birth. Let just say when she told me the size that would be good to get so I have room to grow and then the cup size I about fainted. I said there is NO WAY that I could be those sizes and they would fit. I do have room to grow as I keep being told they will do again but I really do not know how much more they can they feel like cement bowling balls attached to me.  I know great visual! I also broke down and got a pair full panel maternity capris(jeans for me) and they are much more comfy than the half panel some days. I also broke down to comfort and went up a size in undies because there is not much else that is worse than anything that binds, digs or pushes in that place under the bump. (to soften the blow I got some cute ones that make me feel pretty) It doesn't help that most clothing is made for people who are taller than 4'10 plus adding maternity to anything jacks up the price. I find it odd that some of my pants can sometimes hide the bump, make it smaller then I totally feel like I look like a blimp. I just see my body shifting around weekly. I also have become clumsy and occasionally have that lovely thing called sciatica pain and it has just started shoot down from my hip down the leg. It doesn't happen all the time and I had this previously, I first got it years ago from pinching a nerve. So between bra snaps, hip pains, clumbsiness, the skin changes, the clothes starting to not fit, constant trips to the bathroom,  and pregnancy brain that some days is really bad I can't imagine how much more can go wrong. I know these things are not that bad but I know that there are other things that come along with pregnancy that people don't tell you about and that happen to a lot of women but I find myself just saying come on and laughing. On a positive note I can feel my abs, my little bump has started to be tighter not flabby or squishy like fat so it is tighter bump, then abs, then squishy as my hubby puts it. I just can not wait for the round bump or one when there is no mistaking it.

Everyone keeps saying oh the second trimester is the best I am still waiting it has gotten better I feel way more human and my energy is up for the most part. I do not have that glow everyone speaks of and I am waiting for my appetite to come back. I still have occasional food aversion to certain smells that send me running or gagging. I still do not get that hungry throughout the day and for the most part food doesn't always sound appetizing so choosing dinner is always an adventure. I do get a few cravings here and there but they tend to be short lived and do not last that long, or I do not get hooked on certain foods for more than week and a half. The only food that has been a constant to avoid is chicken, I ate it all the time previously. In the beginning I could not stand the look of it raw & smell then it became the taste and chewiness of it when cooked that sent me running. It has become a texture thing which I have never had before but I have not given up hope on chicken. I have tried it twice recently already prepared once in a dip(barely knew it was there) and once in Trader Joe's chicken salad. I did okay with both but I will not be cooking it anytime soon as I saw my hubby making wings and about had to run. I kinda want my homemade chicken pot pie but I do not want to cook the chicken. 

I guess if everyone told you about the mishaps that pregnancy could bring then people may think twice about it. I still am thrilled to finally be on this journey but just need to let go of all my body image issues or let go of the fact that at this moment I can't do much about them, except exercise some during this time and not go hog wild with eating.  I try to just focus on the fact I am about half way through my pregnancy and that in a few short months I will get to meet my son. Oh and that brings a whole new set of worries and fears. I just know that I do not want to pass the whole self image bashing or loathing on to my kids so I am trying to be more positive or at least more aware of what I say out loud about my looks. It is a work in progress but some days I truly do not give a rat's *** what I look like as long as I am comfy especially when I didn't sleep that well the night before. I can say for the most part comfort wins over fashion especially in what I wear around the house.  I can say that all of this doesn't consume me all day every day but it does creep in now and then, especially if I catch a glimpse when I get out of the shower. I know that none of this makes me a bad person or mom it just means I am human. We all are works in progress and some have more work to do than others.

Gender Reveal

After what seemed like the second longest wait of our lives we FINALLY got to find out what we are having and see what looks more like a human than a tiny blob, plus hearing that heartbeat! The only other long wait was waiting several weeks to see and hear the heartbeat for the first time, my first ultrasound. Now granted I was around 5 1/2 weeks or so when we found out I had to wait until I was about 9 1/2 weeks when we got to see that first glimpse and make sure everything was good. I had been thinking about a cute way to reveal the gender for awhile and since we live at the beach I thought this would be cute, especially since I do not feel like having my picture taken at all lately.

So....we are having a healthy, bouncy baby BOY!!!  

I had a fifty percent chance of correctly guessing when the tech said do you know what that is.... uhh Oh my gosh that's a penis?!? sure does look like one. She said yes Congrats it is a boy. Yep, I ended up being correct with my gut feeling even though I think I have more in common with little girls or at least know what to do with them. I was quickly reminded of being around my little brother as he grew up, my best friends little boy from birth whom I adore plus all the kids I baby sat for. Granted we did truly were blessed to be able to have this little miracle and just wished and hoped for a healthy baby period, my first thought was a boy....what am I gonna do with a boy???  One look at my husband who had a grin and the realization that we were truly having a mini wheat aka mini my hubby. I looked at the screen again and just squeezed his hand and said look at E. It was sinking in that we are having a baby he looks way more baby like and seeing him holding  his little hands together on his chest and stretched out tears just filled my eyes. Then I got to hear that glorious sound his very strong heartbeat, it gets me every time. That is the best sound ever, from the first time hearing it at 9 1/2 weeks when he stole my heart, I will never tire of hearing that sound. He already likes to wave and if his hands come close he puts them in his mouth, plus he doesn't mind getting his picture taken. I just can not wait to feel him kid, punch and move around. I apparently have an anterior placenta so it is like punching through a pillow for him in order for me to feel him. He seems to be a pretty calm and baby until the glucose kicked in then he was an acrobat all over the place. I just can not wait to see him find out who he looks like, what he looks like, see those cute little toes, hands and that tiny touchy and those baby snuggles. I hope we get one more ultrasound towards the end so I can see him better and the 3D looks better when he has some meat on his tiny bones. He still is a cutie pie.

After the ultrasound we went to a children's clothing store to return the girl shoes I had purchased for the gender reveal just in case. Once I saw all the cute and adorable little outfits in the boy section I was hooked. They had so many more cute things than I remember and I gravitate towards those kinds of cool colors anyways. My husband held up a few outfits one was a mini pair of khaki pants, onsie, plaid long sleeve dress shirt with a sweater vest another was a pair of jeans, onsie with a whale and a short sleeve shirt over it with matching socks...too cute!!  I kept seeing cute things and he was standing behind me and leaned in saying yeah... I think you will do just fine finding things for our baby.  So we both picked out a onsie to get instead of the flops and from there on I constantly see adorable little man outfits for him. He is already one well dressed little one with a shoe collection thanks to one of his grandmas and the consignment store sales.

So we were going to keep the name a secret as per my husband wanting to but that lasted only a few days and he started spilling the beans.  Yes, that is him waving to us and in the big pic his hand is going in his mouth, so sweet. This is Easton Thomas and we can not wait to meet him.

We have been collecting a list of names for two and half years and our boy list was short since we have had to cross off several due to other people using the name. We pretty much had a boy and girl name picked by the time we found out, or at least 95 % sure. I am not giving up on the girl name even though it has been used I love my top names too much, even if we have to get a girl puppy in order to use the name.