I know I am a "Grownup" and about to have a child of my own, but I honestly don't know what I would do without my Parents. I pray that someday I can do for my children even more then when what my parents have done for me (I am not sure if that is actually possible).
I know how lucky I am because I have been given everything I have and haven't ever asked for (mind you I don't ask fo much. My parents are just those kind of people. They give to everyone around them especially their 2 girls (and those that tag along with us like husbands. I am not sure if my sister and I have ever really had to ask for anything. It is like they are psychics that know whenever we are in need. I feel like I have this invisible safety net always there to catch me.
The husband and I work really hard, but no matter how long we work or what we do we shall never be rich. Now we are totally 100% ok with this. Hubs may not love what he does right now, but he is working pretty darn hard to get to his end goal. I on the other hand LOVE what I do and actually want to go to work each day. Loving what you do however doesn't pay the bills (well it pays most of them), but those extra things like say broken pipes and taxes can really throw a kink in things. We already have a tab for the aformentioned pipes that we may be adding a few more bucks too. I am very proud of us for having so much already saved up so we can pay most of it off, but this depletes our savings once again.
So that is where we are right now. Working on saving money to pay off our extremely rediculous taxes we owe this year (don't worry people we have everything figured out now and with baby girl coming we may get an even bigger break praise the Lord). But we would not be able to pay everything in full which would result in penalties and even more being owed. Dun Dun Dun Dun In Swoops Super Daddy. We may be getting a little bit of help from Big Pappa this year (and hopefully never again for this reason). We might already have a payment plan in the works with the big man from a previous mishap. It seems like it takes so long to build it up again, but we can do it I have faith in Team Doyle.
After all of this we will of course be working really hard to pay off Brent's school balances, baby girls arrival, and anything we owe to Big Pappa (thank goodness he doesn't charge interest). The biggest blessing is after this summer we will not be adding anymore school expenses to this total and we can really start paying everything off. That will be a strange feeling, but a darn good one.
This wasn't meant to be a feel sorry for Brent and Roxanne it is a Hip Hip Hooray for the most Amazing Daddy in the world! So here's to you Big Pappa. We shall pay you back someday(hopefully sooner then later). My goal is by New Years 2012.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sad Day
It is a sad sad day. The Diaper bag I was lusting after has sold out online.
I am hoping it might come back or hopefully I can find it somewhere online.
There is the black baby bag that is super cute and is on sale so I might be going with this one instead.
Still tis a sad sad day.
Oh Happy Day
Today was a good great day! I had my follow-up with the high risk Dr. and everything looked great! The fluid on baby girls kidneys was still at 3mm which is good because it hasn't gotten any bigger. We are hoping as we get further along it will completely go away and the Dr. said he didn't need to see me again so everything looked good. Everything else measured perfectly. Baby love is weighing in at a whopping 1lb. 6oz. Can you believe she is already that big? They want me to have 1 more US at 32 weeks to check everything one more time (woohoo another free US and another good look at baby girl). I am so glad everything is ok with baby girl and I am loving all of the extra pictures of her. I couldn't imagine only getting to see her 2 times before meeting her. I feel like I already know her from getting to see her so much.
Shock and surprise she was extremely uncooperative. The other night I knew I had felt a big movement so we weren't shocked when the US tech told us she was the complete opposite direction she was last time and was now completely head down feet up. Baby girl is quite the acrobat. Also we weren't shocked that baby girl wouldn't move over so the tech could get a good view of each chamber of her heart. She did give a few good kicks to let us know she was not happy with being poked and prodded. Of course after I left to waste some time at Target little girl started going crazy. She must have known I was buying stuff for her.
My next visit to the good ole Dr. will be my 1 hour glucose test (oh joy). I was hoping they would send home the yucky orange drink with me and I could suffer at home, but I have to go to the office then drink the nasty stuff and wait a whole hour to have my blood drawn. I shall be taking some knitting projects with me because I don't do well with waiting. Hopefully I pass this first test and don't have to suffer through the 3 hour test.
Shock and surprise she was extremely uncooperative. The other night I knew I had felt a big movement so we weren't shocked when the US tech told us she was the complete opposite direction she was last time and was now completely head down feet up. Baby girl is quite the acrobat. Also we weren't shocked that baby girl wouldn't move over so the tech could get a good view of each chamber of her heart. She did give a few good kicks to let us know she was not happy with being poked and prodded. Of course after I left to waste some time at Target little girl started going crazy. She must have known I was buying stuff for her.
My next visit to the good ole Dr. will be my 1 hour glucose test (oh joy). I was hoping they would send home the yucky orange drink with me and I could suffer at home, but I have to go to the office then drink the nasty stuff and wait a whole hour to have my blood drawn. I shall be taking some knitting projects with me because I don't do well with waiting. Hopefully I pass this first test and don't have to suffer through the 3 hour test.
All is well on Team Doyle and once again we are back to waiting and preparing.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday To Do's
Tomorrow is my followup with Dr. Schneider to check the fluid on baby girls kidneys. I actually have double appointments tomorrow. One with Dr. Schneider and 1 with my regular Dr. I knew I would already be at the hospital and they wanted to see me around the same time so I made them for the same day. This will equal a really super fun LONG day for mommy. Brent is getting to meet me this time to see baby girl so hopefully we will get some good news that the fluid has gone away or gotten much smaller.
Since I will be at the Dr. all afternoon I decided to take the entire day off from work so I will have some time tomorrow morning before my appointments to get some stuff done so I am making myself a mommy to do list.
So here it is:
send letter to IRS to start payment plan for what we owe (we shall always be in debt tear)
rehang vent in baby girls room
put all tools, painting supplies, etc. away in shed (neatly)
dispose of all used paint cans and supplies
put away laundry
clean bathroom
clean kitchen sweep and mop
take apart end tables and put in attic
drop off books at bookstore
move weights into office
file paper work
Hopefully I can get at least half of this done Before I leave for the doctor.
Since I will be at the Dr. all afternoon I decided to take the entire day off from work so I will have some time tomorrow morning before my appointments to get some stuff done so I am making myself a mommy to do list.
So here it is:
send letter to IRS to start payment plan for what we owe (we shall always be in debt tear)
rehang vent in baby girls room
put all tools, painting supplies, etc. away in shed (neatly)
dispose of all used paint cans and supplies
put away laundry
clean bathroom
clean kitchen sweep and mop
take apart end tables and put in attic
drop off books at bookstore
move weights into office
file paper work
Hopefully I can get at least half of this done Before I leave for the doctor.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Falling Behind
I feel like a bad mommy. I have fallen behind on my weekly bump updates. Week 22 is almost and I can't believe I will be 23 weeks tomorrow. That means about 17 more weeks for baby girl to bake. I still feel like there is so much to do, but I feel like I have gotten a lot done already. I have prepped all of our diapers so far, I have washed all of the clothes our friends have given us, the nursery will hopefully be complete after my mom returns from the beach (wish I was with her right now). We still need to clear out space in the bathroom closet and kitchen cabinet to store all of the stuff.
There is one thing I have gotten done. I decided to make baby girl another hat and I was going to make my usual rolled brim hat with the lambie lovey I made (that will be my next adventure), but I found the cutest easiest knit pattern. I of course screwed it up a few times and had to start over. I thought I was doing really good until I got to the end and realized I had literally been making up my own pattern, but it actually turned out pretty stinking cute. I learned a bunch of knew knitting terms like knitting back, purling 2 together, and I learned how to use double pointed needles. I was going to take a kntting class this summer, but I think I can save myself some time adn money just watching youtube and figuring it out on my own. I did screw up the top of the hat, but there are many messes that can be hidden inside so it still turned out pretty darn good. I think this will be baby girls coming home hat. I think it will look pretty cute with whatever adorable outfit my mom comes up with to bring baby girl home in.
There is one thing I have gotten done. I decided to make baby girl another hat and I was going to make my usual rolled brim hat with the lambie lovey I made (that will be my next adventure), but I found the cutest easiest knit pattern. I of course screwed it up a few times and had to start over. I thought I was doing really good until I got to the end and realized I had literally been making up my own pattern, but it actually turned out pretty stinking cute. I learned a bunch of knew knitting terms like knitting back, purling 2 together, and I learned how to use double pointed needles. I was going to take a kntting class this summer, but I think I can save myself some time adn money just watching youtube and figuring it out on my own. I did screw up the top of the hat, but there are many messes that can be hidden inside so it still turned out pretty darn good. I think this will be baby girls coming home hat. I think it will look pretty cute with whatever adorable outfit my mom comes up with to bring baby girl home in.
I just made 1 other little ribbed baby beanie, but now I am too tired too add a picture. Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Blasts From The Past
Today I found the most AMAZING website called Like Totally 80's. It is a website all about toys from the shock and surprise, 80's. I started scrolling down and realized I was quite possibly spoiled as a little girl because I had way to many of the toys listed. A few (perhaps many) examples of some of the toys listed that I (or my sister) actually owned.
Last, but not least poor Teddy Ruxpin. We never had one of these, but a friend did and all I can remember is how creepy Teddy was when he got really old and he would talk in a very slow creepy scary voice. I never wanted one after I heard the demon's voice come out of him.
Let's start with Rainbow Bright. I believe I had Rainbow Bright herself of course, I know I had the horse, some red headed boy, and one of the little star bright guys.
There is some story about an adorable little girl maybe named Roxanne that got a Glow Worm one year who may have thrown a fit because she wanted a My Little Pony.
I know I had at least 1 Strawberry Shortcake Doll who actually smelled like strawberries. I remember being afraid to play with her for a while because I saw something on tv about some Strawberry Shortcake dolls being poisonous (I think it was something about the paint from China). 
I might still own a green winking Care Bear and Maybe a little yellow Popple (my big sister had the Big Pink one).
My sister and I owned 1 He-man and 1 Skeletor action figure. they were awesome because they had these things in their bellies that flipped.
My sister and I owned 1 He-man and 1 Skeletor action figure. they were awesome because they had these things in their bellies that flipped.
I know between the 2 of us my sister and I had 1 or 2 of the big dogs, 1 large cat, and at least 1 smaller cat and dog.
And the piece de resistance The My Little Ponies! You can probably tell from my earlier story about the Gloworm I kind of liked My Little Ponies and I totally had the pink castle. 
Now for things I may or may not have had. I have this strange affliction called a horrible memory and sometimes I have a difficult time remembering things that happened in the past. For example if asked I could not tell you any teacher I have ever had, I have a very hard time remembering dates so if I have ever forgot to call you on your birthday I promise I probably felt absolutely horrible, but dates just don't stick in the ole noggin for some reason, and don't get mad at me if you ask me to do something next weekend because even if it is written down on 2 calendars and entered into my phone more then likely I will forget. And no people these are not excuses for me being forgetful I truly honestly have the worlds worst memory and being pregnant has exacerbated it x 1000000000000.
Now onto the toys I may or may not have had. This my friends is called the My Child and I think I might have had one of these. Possibly the first one pictured.
I think I might have had one of these Smooshies (the bunny?)
Now one to things I wanted! I think I rode one of these Roller Racers once and I have wanted one ever since and I still want one (the pregnant belly might not allow for any Roller Racer riding right now, but give me a few months!)
The Wuzzles and Fluppy Dogs. I watched these cartoons religiously and if I knew they had stuffed animals that went along with them I definitely would have had them. 
My sister had a Pogo Ball, but I liked to use it sometimes too (I probably never asked her if I could use it).
Last, but not least poor Teddy Ruxpin. We never had one of these, but a friend did and all I can remember is how creepy Teddy was when he got really old and he would talk in a very slow creepy scary voice. I never wanted one after I heard the demon's voice come out of him.
Man this website really brings back memories. I really needed this today too. Between reminiscing,my daffodils finally sprouting, and a great dinner with great ladies I guess this super cruddy day has ended on a pretty good note.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Betty Crocker Eat Your Heart Out
Today starts the big 2011 Dinner Makeover Challenge. I feel like we started off with a bang. I made yummy Cheesy Baked Chicken & Bowtie Pasta With Veggies Here is the recipe in case you would like to try it out.
Ingredients
1 12 ounce box Bowtie Pasta
1 13 ounce can Chicken Breast or meat from a Rotisserie Chicken
1 bunch Broccoli
1 5 ounce bag Spinach
4 cups Milk
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 1/4 cups Grated Fontina Cheese
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese plus
Heat oven to 425 cook pasta. cut broccoli and add to cooking pasta water for last 3 min. drain whisk together milk, flour, salt, pepper in sauce pan and boil. reduce and simmer until thickened, about 5 min. stirring occasionally. Add spinach for last 2 min. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1 cup grated fontina cheese. add pasta, broccoli, and chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Put in 3 qt. baking dish. sprinkle top with remaining cheeses bake for 10 min or until cheese melts and browns.
So I might have accidentally grabbed a BBQ chicken instead of a regular rotisserie chicken, but it really didn't seem to matter. It made a big casserole dish worth and It even gives directions for freezing which you are supposed to do before baking, but I think it will get eaten up quick, but this might be made before baby love arrives (unless my MIL and Laura don't already stock up our fridge). Besides my little chicken debacle this recipe was super easy to make and now that I have made it once I think I could whip it up pretty quick.
I wish I had taken a picture after I added the cheeses and spinach. Just the cream sauce alone was good enough to eat for dinner. It shall be placed on top of something else someday soon perhaps some yummy chicken.
The finished product.
Night 1 of new recipes turned out spectacular. I am pretty proud of myself (patting self on back).
Ingredients
1 12 ounce box Bowtie Pasta
1 13 ounce can Chicken Breast or meat from a Rotisserie Chicken
1 bunch Broccoli
1 5 ounce bag Spinach
4 cups Milk
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 1/4 cups Grated Fontina Cheese
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese plus
Heat oven to 425 cook pasta. cut broccoli and add to cooking pasta water for last 3 min. drain whisk together milk, flour, salt, pepper in sauce pan and boil. reduce and simmer until thickened, about 5 min. stirring occasionally. Add spinach for last 2 min. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1 cup grated fontina cheese. add pasta, broccoli, and chicken to sauce and toss to coat. Put in 3 qt. baking dish. sprinkle top with remaining cheeses bake for 10 min or until cheese melts and browns.
So I might have accidentally grabbed a BBQ chicken instead of a regular rotisserie chicken, but it really didn't seem to matter. It made a big casserole dish worth and It even gives directions for freezing which you are supposed to do before baking, but I think it will get eaten up quick, but this might be made before baby love arrives (unless my MIL and Laura don't already stock up our fridge). Besides my little chicken debacle this recipe was super easy to make and now that I have made it once I think I could whip it up pretty quick.
I wish I had taken a picture after I added the cheeses and spinach. Just the cream sauce alone was good enough to eat for dinner. It shall be placed on top of something else someday soon perhaps some yummy chicken.
The finished product.
Night 1 of new recipes turned out spectacular. I am pretty proud of myself (patting self on back).
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What's In A Name
We knew who baby girl would be before we even started trying. We had 1 girl name and 1 boy name picked out so no matter who it was we would be covered. Everyone has been asking us where we came up with her name and the short and sweet of it is I had a precious little girl in my class years ago named Mckinley and I just adored her and her name. Plus being a teacher makes it hard to pick out a good name. Some names after saying them over and over and over and over and over and over again just aren't the same anymore. Then there is the issue of the overly popular names that never change from year to year. This creates a conundrum when trying to chose a name for your own child. This particular name had always stood out to me and after never hearing another child/person with this name I knew this would be my little girl's name. I have other names I love and may use someday if we have another little girl, but this is truly the perfect name for baby girl. I have never had a moment of doubt and Brent was calling her Mckinley when she was just a tiny apple seed and we didn't know who she was yet.
Today I got complete confirmation that we had made the right choice for little girl. My mother in law called this afternoon and told us my father in law was coming by to drop something off. I honestly had no clue what it could be (possibly yummy food which is always accepted in this house), but I was even more surprised when he came in and handed me the sweetest card. As I read the card I started to have some idea what it could be. Finally when I opened the black trash bag up I was shocked to see the most adorable green frame with the prettiest polka dotted letters spelling out baby girls perfect little name.
So here it is in all it's adorableness. It shall hang over baby girls changing table/dresser. I am in now working on talking my MIL into making and selling these because she could make tons of money. I already have a few orders in mind. So if anyone would like to place an order just let me know.
Today I got complete confirmation that we had made the right choice for little girl. My mother in law called this afternoon and told us my father in law was coming by to drop something off. I honestly had no clue what it could be (possibly yummy food which is always accepted in this house), but I was even more surprised when he came in and handed me the sweetest card. As I read the card I started to have some idea what it could be. Finally when I opened the black trash bag up I was shocked to see the most adorable green frame with the prettiest polka dotted letters spelling out baby girls perfect little name.
So here it is in all it's adorableness. It shall hang over baby girls changing table/dresser. I am in now working on talking my MIL into making and selling these because she could make tons of money. I already have a few orders in mind. So if anyone would like to place an order just let me know.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
We've Got A Rockette
I am now convinced after last night that baby girl is going to have a career as a New York City Rockette or perhaps a soccer player. It blows my mind that she could already be kicking me as hard as she was last night. I have been trying to see if Brent could feel her , but it wasn't until last night and a tiny jolt of caffeine that little lady finally put on a show. It was so cute to see his face and I don't think he was sure if it was her or not until I asked if he had felt it and he replied with "Holy Crap"! It was so cute.
I forget that I get to feel this everyday,but this is brand new for daddy. He asked if it was annoying and it is funny because ok you would think it would be, but I absolutely love feeling my little wiggle worm move just like she is right now (she must have liked the left over pizza I just ate for breakfast). Brent and I are at the lake by ourselves this weekend relaxing. It makes me sad to think baby girl might not ever get to come here. We will just have to take more beach trips after she gets here to enjoy the water.
As I type this post on my phone listening to the pups toenails clip across the floor, Brent cooking breakfast and babygirl doing gymnastics in my belly I can't imagine being any happier.
I forget that I get to feel this everyday,but this is brand new for daddy. He asked if it was annoying and it is funny because ok you would think it would be, but I absolutely love feeling my little wiggle worm move just like she is right now (she must have liked the left over pizza I just ate for breakfast). Brent and I are at the lake by ourselves this weekend relaxing. It makes me sad to think baby girl might not ever get to come here. We will just have to take more beach trips after she gets here to enjoy the water.
As I type this post on my phone listening to the pups toenails clip across the floor, Brent cooking breakfast and babygirl doing gymnastics in my belly I can't imagine being any happier.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Good Things come To Those Who Wait
And we have all waited long enough for some pictures of baby girl's new room. I snapped 1 quick picture today after finally rearranging the nursery furniture to where it will be someday soon. Now imagine all of these fabrics from earlier. Just imagine how adorable the room will look with a little lot more color all around the room.
And here's an in progress shot of baby girl's closet.
Here is her adorable rocking chair. My amazing mom recovered the old cushions of my great grandmother's rocking chair. If that isn't a pretty special chair to rock my little girl every night.
Now let's move on to the scary pictures? I gave you the good stuff first, but now we have to see how we got to the pretty stuff. Things aren't exactly perfect in our little house right now (they are actually a down right mess hence why the husband and I are escaping to my parent's lake house by ourselves this weekend to get away from the mess). This is what we had to wade through the first night of nursery renovations. That would be a mattress, ancient sewing machine, desk, and baby swing on it's way to the in laws.
It gets even better people. Now we started cleaning out baby's closet so we can paint it pure beautiful white. This means we have to remove ALL of my clothes, pack away the winter clothes, and transfer all of our jackets (and we have a lot between the 2 of us for some reason) up into the attic to our covered free standing closet Jen and I put together. The rest of the clothes were air locked into vacuum bags and thrown (literally) into the attic to be placed nicely away at a later date.
Our poor den as it pretty much looks right now as I am sitting here typing. Don't you just love my make shift second bed. This is where I travel to after waking up for my mid-night potty break most nights. Isn't the clutter surrounding the tv tray and covering the tv tray glorious?
Our poor tiny hallway is riddled with painting supplies and tools.
Mommy's new closet. I added a second bar to fit the rest of my clothes (the one's I can fit in right now) and hung up a shoe organizer for the few shoes I actually wear.
The poor kitchen table is covered with junk from every room. Notice my amazingly stylish $.97 paper like hat I purchased from Home Depot which I never wore and am now suffering the long lasting affects of rubbing my hair all over wet paint while painting the closet.
Hopefully tomorrow I can get our house back to normal (or what is normal for us). there may still be papers all over the kitchen table (they may or may not be the taxes we need to finish very soon) and there will probably still be a box of shoes in the living room until I can find a suitable home for them. Hopefully by next week after my loving mother returns from her travels following the Tigers to Tulsa I will be able to sneak you a peek at further transformation of baby love's room. Until then I leave you with something I love today. Mom and I went browsing today and we cam across this adorable little lamby jacket. I kind of have a thing for baby lamb stuff and a good friend has actually bought me the matching lamb blanket, bib, and burp cloth. It seems only fitting that I should get the matching lamby jacket (maybe the little stacking toy also). Can;t you just picture tiny little Mckinley in this soft little lamby jacket this winter.
One last thing for the day. Here is the 21 week belly. For some reason the first shot the belly doesn't so big, but the second shot is out of control!
And here's an in progress shot of baby girl's closet.
Here is her adorable rocking chair. My amazing mom recovered the old cushions of my great grandmother's rocking chair. If that isn't a pretty special chair to rock my little girl every night.
Now let's move on to the scary pictures? I gave you the good stuff first, but now we have to see how we got to the pretty stuff. Things aren't exactly perfect in our little house right now (they are actually a down right mess hence why the husband and I are escaping to my parent's lake house by ourselves this weekend to get away from the mess). This is what we had to wade through the first night of nursery renovations. That would be a mattress, ancient sewing machine, desk, and baby swing on it's way to the in laws.
It gets even better people. Now we started cleaning out baby's closet so we can paint it pure beautiful white. This means we have to remove ALL of my clothes, pack away the winter clothes, and transfer all of our jackets (and we have a lot between the 2 of us for some reason) up into the attic to our covered free standing closet Jen and I put together. The rest of the clothes were air locked into vacuum bags and thrown (literally) into the attic to be placed nicely away at a later date.
Our poor den as it pretty much looks right now as I am sitting here typing. Don't you just love my make shift second bed. This is where I travel to after waking up for my mid-night potty break most nights. Isn't the clutter surrounding the tv tray and covering the tv tray glorious?
Our poor tiny hallway is riddled with painting supplies and tools.
Mommy's new closet. I added a second bar to fit the rest of my clothes (the one's I can fit in right now) and hung up a shoe organizer for the few shoes I actually wear.
The poor kitchen table is covered with junk from every room. Notice my amazingly stylish $.97 paper like hat I purchased from Home Depot which I never wore and am now suffering the long lasting affects of rubbing my hair all over wet paint while painting the closet.
Hopefully tomorrow I can get our house back to normal (or what is normal for us). there may still be papers all over the kitchen table (they may or may not be the taxes we need to finish very soon) and there will probably still be a box of shoes in the living room until I can find a suitable home for them. Hopefully by next week after my loving mother returns from her travels following the Tigers to Tulsa I will be able to sneak you a peek at further transformation of baby love's room. Until then I leave you with something I love today. Mom and I went browsing today and we cam across this adorable little lamby jacket. I kind of have a thing for baby lamb stuff and a good friend has actually bought me the matching lamb blanket, bib, and burp cloth. It seems only fitting that I should get the matching lamby jacket (maybe the little stacking toy also). Can;t you just picture tiny little Mckinley in this soft little lamby jacket this winter.
One last thing for the day. Here is the 21 week belly. For some reason the first shot the belly doesn't so big, but the second shot is out of control!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Checked Off
There is still So much more to do, but I can't finish a bunch of projects until the nursery is finished.
Here is what I did complete today from 9- 12:30:
1) Reinforced Vegetable garden (stay away Stella!)
2) Hung a second rod in front closet
3) Hung shoe rack in closet
4) rehung old flag pole holder because the new one we bought was a piece of junk (thank goodness I don't get rid of anything and still had the old one.)
Not everything is checked off of my list, but I think I did pretty good in a few hours. I did however think of a few more things to add to my list.
1) rake leaves in back yard
2) put leaves in vegetable garden/compost pile and mulch
3) reseed grass in backyard
4) Hang ceiling medallion and chandelier
5) Hang curtains in nursery
6) Find boxes for baby's closet
Now that my delicious left over Chinese food as been devoured I will get back to checking things off of my list.
My Very Own Honey Do
There are so many things that need to get done before baby love arrives. This week we got a huge chunk of stuff done these past 2 days, but there is still so much more.
What has already been completed:
1) nursery painted
2) nursery closet cleaned out
3) my clothes moved to front closet
4) coats moved to free standing closet in attic.
What needs to be completed:
1) Clean out top of front closet and office closet
2) new bar hung in front closet for more clothes
3) shoe rack hung in front closet for my shoes
4) Office cleaned out
5) furniture moved out of front room
6) junk dropped off at good will
7) maybe hang crown molding and chair railing
8) maybe paint pink in nursery
9) kitchen cabinet purged for baby things
10) laundry room reorganized
I can keep going, but just looking at the list is already making me tired. I will be starting on this list today. I am going to start with the front closet. I need another pole to hang clothes and a shoe rack to store some of my shoes. The rest will be stored under our bed (add to list clean out under bed). I suppose since I am in there I can clean out the top of the closet to store my purses. Hopefully I can get a few things checked off my list this week and I promise I will add some exciting pictures of the nursery redecoration.
What has already been completed:
1) nursery painted
2) nursery closet cleaned out
3) my clothes moved to front closet
4) coats moved to free standing closet in attic.
What needs to be completed:
1) Clean out top of front closet and office closet
2) new bar hung in front closet for more clothes
3) shoe rack hung in front closet for my shoes
4) Office cleaned out
5) furniture moved out of front room
6) junk dropped off at good will
7) maybe hang crown molding and chair railing
8) maybe paint pink in nursery
9) kitchen cabinet purged for baby things
10) laundry room reorganized
I can keep going, but just looking at the list is already making me tired. I will be starting on this list today. I am going to start with the front closet. I need another pole to hang clothes and a shoe rack to store some of my shoes. The rest will be stored under our bed (add to list clean out under bed). I suppose since I am in there I can clean out the top of the closet to store my purses. Hopefully I can get a few things checked off my list this week and I promise I will add some exciting pictures of the nursery redecoration.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Beginning of the End
Today is the beginning of the Guest Room/Baby Room Remodel. It is not really a remodel, but really a redecoration. So far today I have pulled the sad ole decrepit sewing machine, desk, and rocking chair out of the soon to be nursery and they are currently residing in our tiny den. There is already a mattress in there (the nasty box springs are outside under the carport), but the nursery is basically empty.
We didn't really think ahead when we got the crib and we went ahead and put it together. Can you really blame us? We were just so excited and since we only had hand written directions from Laura's dad we were just so proud of ourselves for setting it up in about 30 minutes. We will just have to scoot it into the middle of the room, cover it with a tarp (it is holding most of the baby stuff we have gotten so far) and walk around it.
Now I am just sitting here working up the strength to head out into the beautiful day (it has been raining since last night) to buy myself some odorless/safe for pregnant mommy paint to start painting the trim, windows, doors, walls. Wish me luck and I will be back later with some updates on how the day is going.
We didn't really think ahead when we got the crib and we went ahead and put it together. Can you really blame us? We were just so excited and since we only had hand written directions from Laura's dad we were just so proud of ourselves for setting it up in about 30 minutes. We will just have to scoot it into the middle of the room, cover it with a tarp (it is holding most of the baby stuff we have gotten so far) and walk around it.
Now I am just sitting here working up the strength to head out into the beautiful day (it has been raining since last night) to buy myself some odorless/safe for pregnant mommy paint to start painting the trim, windows, doors, walls. Wish me luck and I will be back later with some updates on how the day is going.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Suzy Homemaker
I am not! I should get an A for effort, but I definitely get an N in conduct because I really can't cook. I try I really do, but somehow something always seems to go wrong. Now my mom is a really good cook and she has taught me many things throughout my life, but the whole cooking and baking thing just never took. There are however a few recipes that I can make from scratch by heart that always seem to turn out great, but there are usually more mishaps then beautiful masterpieces.
How can we forget the great Valentine's day cake mishap of 2011. If I can screw up boxed yellow cake then there really is no hope for me I guess. But I have made a vow to change. Change is good right? For a while there at the beginning of this pregnancy there really wasn't a lot of cooking going on in the Doyle household and even when I do cook it is usually the same things every week over and over and over again. I think Brent might be ready for a change. I know I am.
Here is the typical Doyle weekly menu:
Monday- Spaghetti (plain old boring spaghetti with Prego sauce. I have tried jazzing it up the past few weeks with Italian sausage but Brent hasn't cared for that).
Tuesday- Turkey Taco Tuesday
Wednesday- Whatever Wednesday
Thursday- Crock pot Night
Friday- Date Night Pizza
I would like to stick to a schedule like this, but I want to shake things up a bit. Instead of just plain old spaghetti on Monday I would like to try a new pasta recipe each week. Tuesday I would like to stick to the Mexican theme especially after baby love comes. I can just imagine a delicious Corona or Pina Coloda to accompany whatever delicious dish I decide to prepare that night (now I am drooling). Wednesday will probably still be a left over night or a fend for yourself night. Thursday will continue to be a crock pot night, but I would like to expand my crock pot repertoire . And Friday will still be Date Night, but I would like to try new pizza recipes (I might even try my hand at homemade pizza dough).
I of course will update all of my efforts here so you can all laugh hysterically at all of the wonderfully executed mistakes I am bound to make. The main reason for the menu changes came when Brent and I decided maybe we would try shopping each day for what we would prepare that night (we will see how this goes once baby girl gets here, but I think it might work for us. We will continue to buy staples and breakfast/lunch items for the week, but the big ticket items we will try to buy each day or so. This is kind of the shopping schedule I developed after becoming pregnant because I had to decide each day what sounded good or what I could stomach that day. It has worked out pretty well because I get out of school so early so I will try to keep it up (like I said we will see how things go once baby girl gets here). We are hoping this will help us save some money and not waste as much food (we are not well known for this in the past, but we will really try our best.
My main reason for wanting to try new things was coming across one of my new favorite blogs Annie's Eats. There are so many quick and easy recipes and most of them seem Roxanne proof. There are easy to follow instructions and since I am a visual learner there are also beautiful step by step pictures.
So here is the tentative menu for this coming week:
Monday- Chicken Parmesan (provided by my wonderful Mother In Law)
Tuesday- Fajitas
Wednesday-Leftovers
Thursday-Crock pot Chicken
Friday-Spinoccoli Pizza
I will let you know how it all turns out.
How can we forget the great Valentine's day cake mishap of 2011. If I can screw up boxed yellow cake then there really is no hope for me I guess. But I have made a vow to change. Change is good right? For a while there at the beginning of this pregnancy there really wasn't a lot of cooking going on in the Doyle household and even when I do cook it is usually the same things every week over and over and over again. I think Brent might be ready for a change. I know I am.
Here is the typical Doyle weekly menu:
Monday- Spaghetti (plain old boring spaghetti with Prego sauce. I have tried jazzing it up the past few weeks with Italian sausage but Brent hasn't cared for that).
Tuesday- Turkey Taco Tuesday
Wednesday- Whatever Wednesday
Thursday- Crock pot Night
Friday- Date Night Pizza
I would like to stick to a schedule like this, but I want to shake things up a bit. Instead of just plain old spaghetti on Monday I would like to try a new pasta recipe each week. Tuesday I would like to stick to the Mexican theme especially after baby love comes. I can just imagine a delicious Corona or Pina Coloda to accompany whatever delicious dish I decide to prepare that night (now I am drooling). Wednesday will probably still be a left over night or a fend for yourself night. Thursday will continue to be a crock pot night, but I would like to expand my crock pot repertoire . And Friday will still be Date Night, but I would like to try new pizza recipes (I might even try my hand at homemade pizza dough).
I of course will update all of my efforts here so you can all laugh hysterically at all of the wonderfully executed mistakes I am bound to make. The main reason for the menu changes came when Brent and I decided maybe we would try shopping each day for what we would prepare that night (we will see how this goes once baby girl gets here, but I think it might work for us. We will continue to buy staples and breakfast/lunch items for the week, but the big ticket items we will try to buy each day or so. This is kind of the shopping schedule I developed after becoming pregnant because I had to decide each day what sounded good or what I could stomach that day. It has worked out pretty well because I get out of school so early so I will try to keep it up (like I said we will see how things go once baby girl gets here). We are hoping this will help us save some money and not waste as much food (we are not well known for this in the past, but we will really try our best.
My main reason for wanting to try new things was coming across one of my new favorite blogs Annie's Eats. There are so many quick and easy recipes and most of them seem Roxanne proof. There are easy to follow instructions and since I am a visual learner there are also beautiful step by step pictures.
So here is the tentative menu for this coming week:
Monday- Chicken Parmesan (provided by my wonderful Mother In Law)
Tuesday- Fajitas
Wednesday-Leftovers
Thursday-Crock pot Chicken
Friday-Spinoccoli Pizza
I will let you know how it all turns out.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Don't Worry Be Happy
I thank the Lord every morning for letting me wake up to the life I live and I am almost always happy to get up and get moving and on my way through my day. With that being said..........This has been a very long week. My usually limitless amounts of energy seem to be abandoning me lately and I have been letting others negativity affect me. This has been especially tough and I have not done my best to remember why I do what I do or why I love it so much.
I know there are many things going on right now that should make it ok to be in a bad mood every once in a while, but to me that is "Not Ok" (hang with me for a minute and you shall see why I needed these totally unnecessary quotation marks and yes I just made air quotes with my fingers after typing this). I live my life glass all the way full almost all of the time. In my happy little world things always turn out the way they are supposed to and there is always a silver lining and I am going to find my silver lining for the week.
I absolutely adore each and everyone of my students. There may be days which I can honestly say are very few and very far between when my patience can wear thin and I may use my "Loud Voice" and everyone knows that is "Not Ok" and "Mrs. Roxanne Does Not Like Using Her Loud Voice" (These are phrases my children have been know to repeat because they are the most overused phrases in our classroom all except my loud voice because as we all know I don't like using my loud voice).
Now for the silver lining. No matter how long my day seems or how worn out I might be it only takes one moment where something seems to click or one student does something like this...... Student: Mrs. Roxanne Mrs. Roxanne: Yes Student: First there is a pause like they are really thinking about what they will say next which is "I Love You". This is said very quickly like they have been wanting to share this little secret all day, but wasn't sure when the right time was. Mrs. Roxanne: I love you too! They follow this declaration of love with an arms thrown wide open wrapped around my neck kind of hug which is quickly followed by a few extra hugs from friends around us who feel like they are being left out if they can't get a hug in too. Yes I will say it..... My job rocks! I get told all day long how loved I am or how pretty my shoes are and trust me when you are pregnant, tired, and just not feeling pretty at all this can really make things seem much better.
I think I can squeeze one more silver lining from this week or I'm not the annoyingly happy girl. It's ok people I realize this, but honestly I am too happy to care that my happiness makes you crazy, but I will definitely try to kill you with kindness which will probably piss you off even more. It's a vicious cycle I know now get over it and be happy. This week we learned all about St. Patrick's Day and Lent. We made every kind of shamrock and read stories about Leprechauns, but I wanted to teach them the real reason we celebrated this day and not the reason most grownups celebrate. I wanted to tell them all about St. Patrick and why he was so special. We learned he is from Ireland, He was a priest and eventually became a Saint after he died (we learned all about what a Saint is), and how he drove the snakes out of Ireland (fun fact). I thought this wasn't the really fun stuff and this would just go over my babies heads. Well low and behold I have had more parents tell me how their child came home and told them all about St. Patrick from Ireland and that he did awesome stuff and was really nice and there are no more snakes. I mean come on. If that doesn't make you feel good then there is something seriously wrong with you. I now want you to scroll back up to the top of this post and re-read the title. You know you want it and I shall be kind and give it to you. If you aren't already humming it to yourself you soon will be. Hopefully this will help you find your silver lining.
Now it is time to take my ricephone to bed so I can still have an alarm in the morning to start another glorious day. You may be wondering why my phone is in a container of rice well if you haven't guess yet I dropped it in a cup of sugar free peach tea. This has nothing on the phone/yogurt incident of 2010 which took the life of a poor defenseless red phone. We shall see how everything turns out tomorrow. I may be spending my afternoon at Verizon getting some use out of the $5 I pay a month in case of an accident. This is "Not Ok"!
I know there are many things going on right now that should make it ok to be in a bad mood every once in a while, but to me that is "Not Ok" (hang with me for a minute and you shall see why I needed these totally unnecessary quotation marks and yes I just made air quotes with my fingers after typing this). I live my life glass all the way full almost all of the time. In my happy little world things always turn out the way they are supposed to and there is always a silver lining and I am going to find my silver lining for the week.
I absolutely adore each and everyone of my students. There may be days which I can honestly say are very few and very far between when my patience can wear thin and I may use my "Loud Voice" and everyone knows that is "Not Ok" and "Mrs. Roxanne Does Not Like Using Her Loud Voice" (These are phrases my children have been know to repeat because they are the most overused phrases in our classroom all except my loud voice because as we all know I don't like using my loud voice).
Now for the silver lining. No matter how long my day seems or how worn out I might be it only takes one moment where something seems to click or one student does something like this...... Student: Mrs. Roxanne Mrs. Roxanne: Yes Student: First there is a pause like they are really thinking about what they will say next which is "I Love You". This is said very quickly like they have been wanting to share this little secret all day, but wasn't sure when the right time was. Mrs. Roxanne: I love you too! They follow this declaration of love with an arms thrown wide open wrapped around my neck kind of hug which is quickly followed by a few extra hugs from friends around us who feel like they are being left out if they can't get a hug in too. Yes I will say it..... My job rocks! I get told all day long how loved I am or how pretty my shoes are and trust me when you are pregnant, tired, and just not feeling pretty at all this can really make things seem much better.
I think I can squeeze one more silver lining from this week or I'm not the annoyingly happy girl. It's ok people I realize this, but honestly I am too happy to care that my happiness makes you crazy, but I will definitely try to kill you with kindness which will probably piss you off even more. It's a vicious cycle I know now get over it and be happy. This week we learned all about St. Patrick's Day and Lent. We made every kind of shamrock and read stories about Leprechauns, but I wanted to teach them the real reason we celebrated this day and not the reason most grownups celebrate. I wanted to tell them all about St. Patrick and why he was so special. We learned he is from Ireland, He was a priest and eventually became a Saint after he died (we learned all about what a Saint is), and how he drove the snakes out of Ireland (fun fact). I thought this wasn't the really fun stuff and this would just go over my babies heads. Well low and behold I have had more parents tell me how their child came home and told them all about St. Patrick from Ireland and that he did awesome stuff and was really nice and there are no more snakes. I mean come on. If that doesn't make you feel good then there is something seriously wrong with you. I now want you to scroll back up to the top of this post and re-read the title. You know you want it and I shall be kind and give it to you. If you aren't already humming it to yourself you soon will be. Hopefully this will help you find your silver lining.
Now it is time to take my ricephone to bed so I can still have an alarm in the morning to start another glorious day. You may be wondering why my phone is in a container of rice well if you haven't guess yet I dropped it in a cup of sugar free peach tea. This has nothing on the phone/yogurt incident of 2010 which took the life of a poor defenseless red phone. We shall see how everything turns out tomorrow. I may be spending my afternoon at Verizon getting some use out of the $5 I pay a month in case of an accident. This is "Not Ok"!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Material Girl
It took me a while to start really liking fashion, but I don't think baby girl will have this problem. I have purchased a few things (specifically Memphis stuff), but I have really tried to hold back because everyone told me not to buy anything (mainly my sister because she knows things). Well good thing I listened to her because today we hit the mother load. I had already gotten a few things from my friend Kim then today my friend Caryn brought me a huge bag of clothes, shoes, bibs, socks, and a hat or 2. Then when I got home another friend stopped by and they brought me a set of little girl monkey onesies. In shall include a few pictures just so you can see the madness that is this unborn child's closet so far. Baby girls growing shoe collection.
Seriously we will run out of closet space very soon
I can not thank all of our friends enough for filling our little girls closet with such beautiful things. Now we just need a pretty little girl to wear all of these pretty little things. Here's a bonus for your enjoyment a 20 week belly shot.
I think baby girl know we are talking about her because she is doing gymnastics in my belly.
Seriously we will run out of closet space very soon
I can not thank all of our friends enough for filling our little girls closet with such beautiful things. Now we just need a pretty little girl to wear all of these pretty little things. Here's a bonus for your enjoyment a 20 week belly shot.
I think baby girl know we are talking about her because she is doing gymnastics in my belly.
If Money Grew On Trees
I am not a person who likes things or spending money. I hate to say it, but I may be one of the cheapest people that has ever lived! For example, Yesterday I went to A Pea In The Pod to find a Wedding/Easter/Shower dress and couldn't believe I actually walked out of there with a dress even with being on sale coasted me $98.00. I panicked as soon as I got home and told Brent how much I had spent and then wrapped the dress back up and put it back in my car to go back then next day. What was I thinking!?
I still can't believe I even thought about buying it. Especially when the dress I really want is on sale for $34 at motherhood maternity. This darn dress isn't even something I would normally wear. (I am panicking right now just thinking about it sitting in my car). I can't wait to take it back today I know I will feel like a huge weight is lifted. I just have a hard time spending more then $30-$40 for anything (and $40 is pushing it). I love my Old Navy deals when I can get 10 things online for $90. I will spend that much if I am getting a bunch of stuff for around $9-$10 a piece. Now that we have discussed my hatred for spending money let's talk about the newest addition that will be joining our family very soon. Why do they have to make little girls clothes so darn cute. For example......... This adorable Striped Dress from Children's Place! Why oh why must you be so darn cute striped dress. I could potentially get it on sale for $12 and I am still debating whether I should order it or not (especially after returning ridiculously pre mentioned PITP dress.) I shall try to resist because I still need a Wedding/Easter/Shower Dress I have my eye on these beauties as we speak
Plus after my friend Caryn dropped off about 20 outifts, shoes, and bibs in my classroom this morning I really don't need to be buying baby girl any clothes. I know I still have showers coming up, but oh how I long for this little striped dress. Someone please tell me to step away from the computer so I stop drooling over baby dresses! Glad I have decided to only allow myself 1 hour of computer time on the computer after I get home from work for Lent (Unless I am typing lesson plans).
I still can't believe I even thought about buying it. Especially when the dress I really want is on sale for $34 at motherhood maternity. This darn dress isn't even something I would normally wear. (I am panicking right now just thinking about it sitting in my car). I can't wait to take it back today I know I will feel like a huge weight is lifted. I just have a hard time spending more then $30-$40 for anything (and $40 is pushing it). I love my Old Navy deals when I can get 10 things online for $90. I will spend that much if I am getting a bunch of stuff for around $9-$10 a piece. Now that we have discussed my hatred for spending money let's talk about the newest addition that will be joining our family very soon. Why do they have to make little girls clothes so darn cute. For example......... This adorable Striped Dress from Children's Place! Why oh why must you be so darn cute striped dress. I could potentially get it on sale for $12 and I am still debating whether I should order it or not (especially after returning ridiculously pre mentioned PITP dress.) I shall try to resist because I still need a Wedding/Easter/Shower Dress I have my eye on these beauties as we speak
Plus after my friend Caryn dropped off about 20 outifts, shoes, and bibs in my classroom this morning I really don't need to be buying baby girl any clothes. I know I still have showers coming up, but oh how I long for this little striped dress. Someone please tell me to step away from the computer so I stop drooling over baby dresses! Glad I have decided to only allow myself 1 hour of computer time on the computer after I get home from work for Lent (Unless I am typing lesson plans).
Monday, March 7, 2011
Missed Me Missed Me
I never thought I would love being pregnant so much. If you asked me a few years ago I would have told you just the thought of actually being pregnant scared the crap out of me. That all changed when I was "Ready" to be pregnant. I have always loved babies and little kids and I always knew I wanted to have babies, but being pregnant just scared me. I guess because I had my heart set on it and I wanted it so bad that when it actually happened I was so thankful to God for giving me this that all of those fears just disappeared.
I can honestly say that I have had a pretty easy pregnancy and I have really enjoyed it.
Now let's move on to the real reason I am writing this post today.
There are so many things that I miss now that I am pregnant!
I was NEVER a big drinker, but I would KILL for a drink right now! I want the biggest, driest, coldest glass of white wine and maybe a glass of red oh and add in a nice cold strong pina colada.
I don't want you leaving here thinking I am going to go get drunk after this because I would never chance baby girl for a drink, but believe you me once I get things in order and figured out afterwards mommy will be getting herself some cheap wine.
Let's move on to the next thing I long for........ I want a big huge Subway sandwich. The funny thing is pre pregnancy I NEVER ate sandwiches so this I am chalking up to the whole pregnancy craving thing. They say you shouldn't eat cold deli meat because it can make the baby sick (something called listeria) so I am not chancing that either. I always heat up my meat (that doesn't sound right), man what I wouldn't give for a nice cold meaty sandwich.
Last but not least I think my number one thing I miss about not being pregnant is being able to sleep on my back and stomach. I had no idea how hard this would be or how much I would loath sleeping on my side. This will be the first thing I do after baby girl gets here.
Maybe I will have a nice big drink and then fall asleep on my belly.
Baby love is is totally worth giving these things up for a few months (It is like Lent for 9 months) and I know after she comes I will probably forget all about this (except the whole sleeping on my stomach thing).
Before I forget-------- I am 20 weeks today! We are halfway baked and counting down the days.
It has all gone by so fast and I feel like it is all down hill from here. I feel like all of the big stuff has come and gone and now we are just waiting for the BIG day. I have already finished our registry (which I will probably change a few times again), the nursery will be finished over spring break, and then we have the showers to look forward too, but then we will just wait for baby girl to get here. Now I am off to add some more pink stuff to the registry.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Ok I shall explain this post title. Ever since I found out I was pregnant all I could think about was Christmas. No not the presents or the cute outfits baby would wear. That is not what got me all excited. It is the anticipation of trying to decide what we will do for our Christmas pictures.
Let me give you a few examples from previous years.
Now that we will have a new addition to our pictures the possibilities are endless. I was thinking maybe we could try something like this
I am sure Brent would really agree to pose for this one and Jennifer would LOVE taking our pictures for us this year.
We could go with the family onesies since we have been know to love a good onesie and baby would be comfortable.
Then there is the Winnie The Pooh option. These could be hotter then the Santa onesies and I am not sure if baby girl will like a full on costume (I am not sure if Daddy will like a full on Eeyore costume)
Now this could be one of my favorite options. I am not sure where I could find the plastic fur lined Mrs. Clause outfit, but I am sure I could find something similar on Ebay.
Last but not least is the tropical option. Brent and I aren't really beach people and I am not sure if I could get my post baby body prepared by Christmas time, but I sure would try if Brent would agree to wear a strategically placed leaf.
I know I have a few months until baby girl gets here and a few months before Christmas cards need to be sent out, but I just can't help myself. There are so many possibilities now that I will have a new victim...... I mean addition this year.
Now that we will have a new addition to our pictures the possibilities are endless. I was thinking maybe we could try something like this
I am sure Brent would really agree to pose for this one and Jennifer would LOVE taking our pictures for us this year.
We could go with the family onesies since we have been know to love a good onesie and baby would be comfortable.
Then there is the Winnie The Pooh option. These could be hotter then the Santa onesies and I am not sure if baby girl will like a full on costume (I am not sure if Daddy will like a full on Eeyore costume)
Now this could be one of my favorite options. I am not sure where I could find the plastic fur lined Mrs. Clause outfit, but I am sure I could find something similar on Ebay.
Last but not least is the tropical option. Brent and I aren't really beach people and I am not sure if I could get my post baby body prepared by Christmas time, but I sure would try if Brent would agree to wear a strategically placed leaf.
I know I have a few months until baby girl gets here and a few months before Christmas cards need to be sent out, but I just can't help myself. There are so many possibilities now that I will have a new victim...... I mean addition this year.
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