11.30.2012

Baby Holt's Nursery Ideas

One of the things Kevin and I are most looking forward to about knowing if Baby Holt is a boy or girl is the fact that we can finally start working on Baby Holt's nursery. Over Thanksgiving break, we found some baby furniture that I absolutely love. Kevin wasn't with me when I stumbled upon it but much to my excitement, he really liked it too from the pictures I sent him. So I believe we finally have the furniture picked out. We've also picked out some bedding sets for our little bundle of joy. Initially I didn't want a child like nursery (i.e. pink, blue, or yellow walls; character or themed bedding, etc). I was hoping to make Baby Holt's room very sophisticated and adult like but after flipping through hundreds (literally, no lie) of bedding sets online, I've actually rethought that and we've come up with a few bedding set ideas. Because I'm so excited, I figured I'd share them with you ladies to get your opinions. Let me know which you like for a boy and which you like for a girl!  After all, at this point, we're not sure which we're buying for! (:

Furniture
I fell in love with the Adele Caffe Collection!

Boy Bedding
This was the bedding I originally fell in love with because I wanted to do the nursery in navy, green, and gray if we had a boy. Plus, it wasn't too baby looking and it could be monogrammed. You can never go wrong with a monogram (: It just happens to be as much as the baby bed because of it being custom made.

But then when I went to look for baby furniture, this Zootopia set was placed on the furniture set I liked and it looked so great with it. On top of it, I loved the dark colors and all of the adorable animals on the bedding set. It's the only themed set I've seen thus far that I don't think I'd get tired of. So now I'm torn. But I wonder, is the animal print too much for a boy?


Of course my hubby has played sports all of his life so I know he would secretly like to do a sports themed nursery. However, most of the sports themed baby bedding sets are ugly and I can't stand all of the blue that they usually include. But then I stumbled upon this vintage sports themed baby bedding set and I really liked it. It had some potential. I liked the dark colors and I thought it looked somewhat sophisticated as well. But then again, I wonder, will I get tired of a "themed" nursery. But on the plus side, with it being vintage, I can use some of Kevin's old baseball equipment in the room for decoration. 

And as a final option, I pinned this off of pinterest a while back. I liked the dark brown, tans, and reds together. I also liked the touch of the dog print though I wouldn't use all of the dog pieces because then it might be a bit much. I also liked the idea of using red in a nursery because it's not a color you see used in a nursery very often and it just so happens to be Kevin's favorite color so he likes the idea of incorporating it too. 


Girl Bedding


When I saw this bedding set for a girl, it was love at first sight. I love all of the patterns and I love how it includes a darker shade of pink and doesn't overly do it. On top of that, I think it screams sophistication and isn't at all babyish. But then I realized that it doesn't come with a matching comforter and it makes me sad. Is a comforter that important? The set includes an ivory minky blanket {the one pictured hanging on the end of the bed} because the company doesn't make a matching comforter. Does that ruin the look?


But as I was searching overstock.com I came across this adorable pink and gray elephant bedding set. I love the gray and the touches of pink. But most of all I love the elephants. Elephants are my thing. So now I'm torn between the two girls sets. Do I go for the sophisticated set or the cute set? My only fear is that after awhile the elephant theme will get on my nerves since I'm not big into theme bedding.

Well cast your vote on your favorite for a boy and your favorite for a girl. We plan on ordering a set as soon as we know what Baby Holt is so that we can work on the nursery during my Christmas break (:

11.29.2012

It Happened...

My family told me it would happen. My friends told me it would happen. My coworkers told me it would happen. Every single one of them were all right because it did happen.

"What happened?" you ask. 
The infamous emotional breakdown caused by pregnancy.

And let me tell you all about it because looking back it just makes me laugh and it may make you laugh too.

Saturday morning I had the bright idea to tackle a long list of to-dos. The list consisted of the following:
- Go purchase a new Christmas tree
- Pick up Alpine Christmas trees from Mom and Dad's
- Sweep and vacuum floors
- Dust the furniture
- Windex all windows and mirrors
- Clean the bathrooms
- Tackle the laundry (wash, dry, and put away)
- Switch out my summer closet with my winter closet
- Start decorating for Christmas

I was determined to get my list completed. I was so sick and tired of looking at our poor disaster of a house. So I woke up early and got to work. 

By lunch time, I had made a trip to Lowes, two trips to Walmart, purchased a new pre-lit Christmas tree, picked up the three Alpine trees from my parents' house, swept the floors, cleaned the counters, dusted all of the furniture downstairs, and even met my best friend for lunch at our favorite local spot. But then, I was exhausted. So I decided to do what any rational person would do. I decided to take a break. The problem was I decided to take a break in front of the tv. Big mistake with the holiday movies on. So  my plan to take a five minute break turned into a break that lasted about an hour. 

But I was determined to finish what I'd started so I got back to work. I washed some laundry, put up the new Christmas tree to decorate when the hubs got home, and even got the dining room decorated for the holidays. 

By the time I looked at the clock, it was 6:00pm and Kevin and I were supposed to meet our family for dinner. So I rushed upstairs, jumped in the shower, then hopped out to get ready. As I stood their drying off, I started noticing things around me. I hadn't cleaned the counters, swept the bathroom floor, or cleaned the commode. In fact, I hadn't even touched our bathroom. Then the tears started to fall. I tried to tell myself I was being ridiculous. I reminded myself that my list was so long and I should have known that I couldn't have tackled it all in one day but did that do any good? Not at all. 

Afraid the hubby would see me crying, I went to our closet on the hunt to find something to wear for dinner. Yet, there I was, bombarded with the fact that all the clothes hanging were all spring and summer clothes because I hadn't switched over my closets. So the tears came even harder. After hiding in the closet crying for at least ten minutes, I finally got it together and headed back to the bathroom to do my make up.

As Kevin and I were walking out the door to go, Kevin asked me if I was ok. It was a simple question but at the time it was the wrong question. Standing there in our garage, I completely lost it. I explained to Kevin how I felt like I was going to be an awful mom because I couldn't even look after the two of us. I told him how I thought our house looked like a disaster because I hadn't had the energy to clean it in forever. I told him how just the thought of our bathrooms being so disgusting about made me sick. I explained that I felt like the bathrooms would look like that for the next five months because I was afraid I'd be sick from the cleaning supplies or worse that breathing them in would hurt the baby. I told him how awful I felt as a wife because I didn't have the energy to cook anymore or even to hang out with him when he got home from work. I told him that our floors looked awful because by the time I pulled out our heavy vacuum cleaner, I didn't have the energy to actually use it. I explained to him that by the time I wash the laundry, I don't have the energy to put it up so it just sits there in our bedroom, out in the open. I let it all out and by the time I was done, my make up was all down my face! But when  I finished, you know what my husband did? He just hugged me and told me it would all be okay and that he would help out. He told me all I had to do was tell him all this before it happened. And then I teared up again because my husband was so wonderful and I had no time for him. This time at least I didn't ball like a baby but the tears streamed down my face for the entire ride to the restaurant. Thank God when we got out, I was able to quickly get myself together and by the time dinner was over, I had forgotten all about my current woes and worries.

Looking back, I've forgotten them now and realize how irrational they all were but the thought of the whole fiasco brings a smile to my face. I truly was being the epitome of a drama queen and I blame it all on pregnancy. 

Any other pregnant baby mama's that this has happened to recently?!


11.28.2012

17 Weeks






Pregnancy Highlights


How far along? 17 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of an onion


Total weight gain: As of my last appointment two weeks ago, I hadn't gained a pound. But after Thanksgiving, I'm pretty sure that is no longer the case. haha

Maternity clothes? None so far! I still fit in all of my regular clothes and thanks to how the sweaters are made these days, most people can't even tell I'm pregnant. 

Stretch marks? Not so far! But I'm still applying the Cocoa butter every few days!

Sleep:  I sleep pretty well but I sure do have the strangest dreams now days!

Best moment this week:  Planning Baby Holt's gender reveal party

Miss Anything? Actually being motivated and having the energy to clean our house!


Movement: I'm pretty sure I felt a few flutters the other night as I laid on my stomach! 


Food cravings: Still Mexican which is fine by me!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not that I can think of right off hand. 

Gender:  I think BOY! We find out on December 6th though!

Labor Signs:  None

Symptoms: Still just exhaustion and getting out of breath when walking up stairs.

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Mood: Happy as can be (:

Looking forward to: Baby Holt's gender reveal party!



11.27.2012

Women Connect: Meet Me (:


Like Becky, I'm having trouble starting this blog post so I suppose after writing, erasing, and rewriting to do it all over again, I might as well just jump in and forget about this being perfect. So if you're new to my blog "WELCOME" and if you're not, well then just read and enjoy (: Maybe you'll learn something you didn't already know! :P



I'm Sara. It's so very nice to meet you! I've grown up in the same southern town in NC all of my life. It's one of those towns that everyone complains about but no one seems to leave. I'm a third grade teacher. I'm the daughter of the most amazing set of parents in the world. They brought me up in a Christian home and taught me what love was all about. I'm a sister to a wonderful brother and an amazing sister. I have the same four best friends that I've had all of my life. My camera goes everywhere I go and if you wander over to my blog often, you'll be bombarded with lots of pictures. 


This would be me and my hubby. His name is Kevin and he's not only my husband, he's my best friend, confidant, #1 supporter, and my very own comedian. We were married on May 21, 2011. I like to think that we're still newlyweds; though I'm not sure people would classify us as that. But we're still learning about the ups and downs of married life and just taking it one day at a time so I feel like the term still applies. 


This is where we call home. We purchased our house two months after we got engaged. That was over 2 years ago and we've just finished getting it decorated and to my liking. What can I say? I love to decorate but I can be a bit picky :P One of these days, I'll get around to doing a home tour to show you ladies the inside. 


This is Rimshot; though he's better known as Rimy. He's our precious furbaby. We've had him since he was eight weeks old and he's brought so much joy and laughter into our lives over the last two years.


In May of 2013, we'll be welcoming our little Tarheel to the world. {Yes, we're big UNC Tarheel fans} We are so excited and anxious to meet our new addition though I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. We'll find out if Baby Holt is a boy or girl in 9 days! If you're pregnant, a new mama, or a mama of many years, all comments, advice, and stories are welcome here (: 


I initially started this blog as a place to jot down my thoughts. At some point, I changed the name of the blog to reflect mine and my hubby's memories that we made because I was terrified of forgetting them as they were replaced with new ones. As time has gone on, my blog has morphed from not just being about mine and the hubby's memories but also about our lives in general. I like to share our house projects, diy ideas, recipes we've tried, what we've done on the weekends, etc. 

Well that's a bit about me and this blog. I hope you'll come back again soon. Feel free to leave me a comment so I can go and read about you (:


11.21.2012

16 Weeks




Pregnancy Highlights


How far along? 16 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of an avacado


Total weight gain: Last week I was told I hadn't gained any weight during my pregnancy but after celebrating Thanksgiving with my family this past weekend, I'm pretty sure that's no longer the case!

Maternity clothes? I'm still in my normal clothes but I did purchase my first maternity shirt this week. It just so happens to be a UNC Tarheels t-shirt (: I knew I'd be needing it for the game in January so I decided to go on and buy it!

Stretch marks? Not so far!


Sleep:  I'm back to sleeping like a baby

Best moment this week:  Picking out Baby Holt's furniture!


Miss Anything? Nothing at this particular moment

Movement: Sometimes I think I feel little flutters but I'm not really sure. 

Food cravings: Mexican! Finally! It's my favorite and up until this point, Baby Holt was not a fan!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing! Yay!

Gender:  We find out on December 6th if Baby Holt is a boy or girl!

Labor Signs:  None

Symptoms: Nothing other than exhaustion by  the end of the day!

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Mood: Happy as can be (:

Looking forward to: Spending Thanksgiving with the family!

11.19.2012

{Recipes}: Mom's Baked Spaghetti

One of my all-time-favorite dishes that my mom makes on Sundays for our family is her famous baked spaghetti. I can remember as a child, I would sit and watch for the cheese to bubble on top. It wasn't until the cheese bubbled that the spaghetti could come out. I remember Mom pulling it out of the oven and when my nose was hit with the smell, my mouth would start watering in anticipation for that first bite. And if you want to know a secret, that hasn't changed. I still watch it and my mouth still waters when it comes out. It's that yummy. And because it's so yummy, I still can't figure out why I had never asked my mom for the recipe until last week. Crazy, huh? Well I finally did and I attempted to make it and it turned out fabulous...despite not making my own homemade sauce like Mom does. So let me share the recipe (:


Mom's Homemade Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients
- 1.5 bags Sharp Cheddar Cheese (trust me, it's better than using mozzerella!)
- 3/4 box of spaghetti noodles
- 3 cups of spaghetti sauce (I used meat sauce but whatever is your preference)
- 1 pound hamburger

Directions
- Brown hamburger and cook noodles seperately
- Spray 8 x 11" baking dish with cooking spray
- Mix spaghetti sauce with the hamburger and stir it very well
- Pour a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the baking dish so that you can't see the bottom
- Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce
- Pour another layer of spaghetti sauce on top of noodles
- Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce
- Place another layer of noodles on top of the cheese
- Pour and spread the remaining sauce on top of noodles
- Cover the top with a layer of shredded cheese

Cook uncovered on 350 for 35-45 minutes (until cheese begins to bubble!)

Serve with garlic bread and salads and you'll be set!

11.16.2012

A Much Needed Weekend

Over the last couple of months, I have been an awful wife. I blame it on pregnancy. I feel so sorry for my husband. By the time I get home from teaching my amazing class of 22 students, I am exhausted. So exhausted in fact that at 4:00 I have my pajamas on and I could seriously go to bed at 6;  our house is a complete disaster; all of the laundry baskets are completely full and by all of the laundry baskets I mean all five of them; I haven't cooked a meal in forever; I couldn't tell you the last time I swept or vacuumed the floors; and quality time with the husband now consists of a few text messages during the day and a kiss at night. Like I said, I've been an awful wife. But I sure do love my husband. He takes it all in stride and constantly supports me by telling me he understands and trying to do all he can to help out. But I still feel bad and last weekend I did my best to fix it.

One of the perks to being a teacher is that schools are closed on holidays and the teachers get a much needed day off. Lucky for me, Veteran's Day fell on Sunday so school was closed on Monday. Knowing that I had a long weekend and the hubby also happened to have those days off, I told Kevin I wanted to head to the beach. Thankfully, he was game!  

So on Friday, I left work a bit early, came home and packed, and by 2pm, we were heading to Myrtle Beach. On the way the hubby and I acted like fools singing to some old school 90's music (aka Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, & Savage Garden). It was great. By the time we made it to the beach it was dinner time and we were starving. We ended up going to Sir Pizza, a delicious pizza chain in the south. Their pizza tastes just like a local pizza parlor in our home town that recently shut down so it's become a new favorite of ours since we discovered it back in July. After finishing up dinner, we headed to our condo to check it out; we were quite impressed with how nice it was. After we unpacked and got everything settled, we headed off  to North Myrtle Beach Bingo and played bingo for the night with Kevin's parents and grandparents who also came down. I was pretty ecstatic because I won $50! (Nevermind the fact that it cost me $45 to play haha). 

Saturday morning Kevin and I slept in. We got up around 9 and then headed out to the balcony where we soaked up the sun. After a while, we started getting hungry so Kev went and got us some Chick-fil-a. After eating we sat around and watched tv and took a nap. By 3:00 I was ready to get out and go do something so we got ready and headed out to do some shopping. I was a little disappointed with the current sales but nonetheless, I did purchase two cute shirts from Old Navy and a pair of shoes from a factory store. By the time we finished shopping, we were starving so we met Kevin's dad for dinner and went to Damon's. After dinner, Kevin dropped me back off at the Bingo Parlor and I played with the ladies while the men went to catch a movie.

Sunday was our last full day at the beach so we enjoyed each minute of it. We slept in till 10 and then got up and got ready for lunch. I was craving vegetables so we headed to Cracker Barrel to beat the church crowd. After we ate, we sat outside in the rocking chairs and played a game of Checkers per the hubby's request. He ended up regretting that as I beat him miserably. haha I was proud of myself considering I hadn't played Checkers in years! We then headed back to the condo and went walking on the beach. When we returned I was exhausted and took a nap. By the time I woke up it was time to get ready again and head to dinner. We ended up going to Nakatos which just so happens to be my absolute favorite Japanese restaurant in the world. They only have three locations: Charlotte, NC; Atlanta, GA; and Myrtle Beach, SC. Needless to say, we never go to the beach without eating there at least once. As always, the food was delicious and I actually ate all of it! When dinner was over we headed to the strip and did the SKYWHEEL. It was amazing. I'm a lover of all Ferris wheels so I enjoyed every single breathtaking minute! Since we were riding it at night, we got to see all of Myrtle Beach lit up. It was quite a site. You have to do it if you're ever in the area!

Sunday morning we got up early and packed up to leave. It was rather depressing. The sun was shining bright and it was 75 degrees at 8am. If Kevin would have had Tuesday off, we'd have stayed an extra day. I could guarantee it. But unfortunately he didn't, nor did I, so we packed up our belongings and headed home. We arrived back shortly after lunch and it was raining and only 60 degrees :( Told you it was depressing. But at the same time, it was great to be back home with our little guy who spent the weekend with his Aunt Debbie.

Overall, we had the most amazing time and it was so great to actually relax and regroup with my husband. It was even better to be able to actually sit and talk with my husband again for hours on end...something we haven't done in ages. So if you're pregnant or just need to regroup with your husband, take a weekend vacation, I promise it'll make it all better (:


I'll be gone now but before I go, I'll leave you with a few photos!
the view from the porch

on the Sky Wheel

The view from the Sky Wheel

The view from our bedroom


11.14.2012

15 Weeks




Pregnancy Highlights

How far along? 15 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of a navel orange


Total weight gain: None! I thought I'd gained at least 3-5 pounds but found out from the doctor today that I've actually lost weight since my pregnancy!

Maternity clothes? None so far but I suspect by Christmas I'll have a few pieces!

Stretch marks? Not so far!

Sleep: I've started having trouble sleeping but a benadryl every now and then does the trick!



Best moment this week:  Hearing baby Holt's heartbeat again today! It was beating strong at 153 beats per minute!

Miss Anything? Just feeling motivated. Every morning I have all of these things I want to accomplish when I get off but by the time I get home, I'm too tired and unmotivated to do any of it!

Movement: No but by Christmas I should feel a little movement here or there!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular. However, I have grown a love for ice cold water! Which is completely strange because everyone knows I hate drinking water!

Anything making you queasy or sick: If I get hot real quick, I'll feel nauseous but that's it. 

Gender:  We find out on December 6th if Baby Holt is a boy or girl!

Labor Signs:  Nah it's too early for that!

Symptoms: Just tired and unmotivated lol

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Mood: Excited!

Looking forward to: Another weekend with the hubby, helping supervising the brother-in-law & future sister-in-law move into their new place over the weekend, and planning our gender reveal party!

11.06.2012

14 weeks






Pregnancy Highlights

How far along? 14 weeks

Baby Size: Still the size of a peach


Total weight gain: 3-4 pounds

Maternity clothes? Still no. I can still fit into all of my clothes but I've discovered that some of my favorite jeans won't be in my clothing rotation much longer :(

Stretch marks? Nope and lets hope that it stays that way. I finally broke down and purchased some Vaseline Cocoa Butter. I sure hope it does the trick :P



Sleep: I still go to sleep the moment my head hits the pillow... be it 7:30 or 9:30! 

Best moment this week:  Finally figuring out how we're going to reveal Baby Holt's gender!

Miss Anything? Being able to take whatever medicine I want! I've had a head cold for the past few days and all of the good stuff is not on my list of appropriate medications to take during pregnancy :(

Movement: Nope but I can't wait until I feel Baby Holt!

Food cravings: Nothing particular

Anything making you queasy or sick: Whenever I cough I feel like I'm going to be sick which stinks because with this sinus junk, I've been coughing alot lately :(

Gender:  We still don't know but will find out around the end of November/ beginning of December. I thought boy for the most part but now I'm thinking girl. Kevin definitely thinks its a girl. 

Labor Signs:  No

Symptoms: When I walk up our stairs now, I have to pause at the top and catch my breath!

Belly Button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Mood: Happy other than feeling miserable with this head cold!

Looking forward to: Heading to the beach with the hubs this weekend. I've felt like such a bad wife lately. I'm asleep before he gets home and I haven't had the strength to do hardly any cooking or housecleaning. So I'm excited about having a weekend together to just relax and enjoy each other's company!