Insta-April

I like to do monthly updates at the end of each month rather than a lot of small boring posts during the month. (just one BIG boring one hehe) 

This month I thought it would be fun to show you last year's April and this year's month of April!

APRIL 2012

It is crazy how things have changed since then! If you'll notice, that post verifies I've had Instagram for a whole year!
It also marks a year since I left ShopKo!

Now here is April 2013 =]

My mom got these for me and it was like the best day ever!

As you saw HERE we did a bedroom makeover.

I did some bloggin' and Ellen watchin'

Domer stole my spot in bed when I got up to pee...
well he did this on multiple occasions.
#preggoproblems

Did some cuddlin' and Idol watchin'

New fun nail color

I have a rocking chair project in the future =]

NFL Draft Day!
Yeah, my poor dog got dressed in a way-to-small-for-him
jersey. He hated it.

I enjoyed me some Peanut M&M's

As you saw HERE it was a fabulous month for music.

And the month in bumps!

I'll admit, not looking forward to seeing how big May's bumps are!
Hope everyone had a fabulous April and here's to a beautiful May!

Tuesday's Tunes

April was such a good month for music!

(Which is why I waited to just put them all on one post and didn't do a music post every week.)

1- Blake Shelton {Sure Be Cool If Ya Did}

2- Zac Brown Band {Goodbye In Her Eyes}

3- Kacey Musgraves {Merry Go Round}

4- Eric Church Live (a MUST have!) {Over When It's Over}

5- Thompson Square {If I Didn't Have You}

6- Tate Stevens {Power Of A Love Song}

7- The Band Perry {DONE}

(videos are most recent or only video off this album)

What are ya'll listening to?!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

CROCK-POT LASAGNA

I'm sure you've all seen this recipe on Pinterest, so I am not going to give you the whole recipe. 

However, I'll tell you my little secret.

Well, I can't take the credit really...

Because the secret is Michael's sauce.

Every once in a while he cooks. Usually it's spaghetti or tacos.

But I don't care it's just nice that he does cook and to not have to worry about dinner every once in a while.

Well this week Michael made spaghetti at the beginning of the week and I used the leftover sauce for crockpot lasagna!

It was delicious!

Cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, browned ground beef, and seasoned to taste. 

(Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic salt is what he usually uses I think...he tastes it until it's right.)

Full recipe -HERE-

What you'll need: Cottage cheese, shredded cheese, lasagna noodles and special sauce.

Layer One: Sauce

Layer Two: Noodles

Layer Three: Cheese Mixture

You can just read the full recipe but basically repeat those layers and cook on low for 4 hours.

But wait..let me just tell you...

I have made this a couple of times and both times it started burning around the edges at hour 3.

I don't know if my crock-pot is extra hot or what but just beware!

Enjoy!

Happy "BUMP" Day!

My whole pregnancy there have been times I literally forgot I was pregnant.

I never got sick, never got emotional, never had super-smell, and never had cravings.

I mean I'm super lucky this pregnancy has been so easy, but now my emotions are catching up.

I seriously cried getting dressed yesterday morning.

I had NOTHING in my whole closet to wear.

(HERE is what my closet looks like so you have an idea of how ridiculous this logic was.)

SO that made me think of something I found on Pinterest.

DRESS YOUR BUMP WITHOUT THE FRUMP

I love this. It's not necessarily what you should wear but little things you can do that just make you FEEL cute and dolled up. 

That has been super hard for me lately. I HATE getting dressed every morning because I just don't feel cute AT ALL!

(PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one!)

I have to say, her jacket tip, I totally agree with. As you can see HERE, HERE, and HERE I am all about the blazer/jacket/layering look. (And as you'll see in this week's outfit!)

One other thing I have come to find is that heels make me feel good too! 

I feel taller, and when I feel taller, I feel thinner.

Now, I know I won't be able to wear heels my whole pregnancy because I'm sure my feet will swell and all that good stuff but for now, heels are awesome!

IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TIPS/TRICKS/ADVICE FOR FEELING CUTE AND SEXY WHILE PREGNANT, PLEEEEAAAAASSSSSEE SHARE WITH THIS EMOTIONAL GAL OVER HERE!

Ok, back to this week's outfit.

Here is the one I chose off of Pinterest...

And here is what I had in my closet!

24 WEEKS 6 DAYS

I even tried to match the jewelry did ya notice?!

Ok now let me tell you about these pants.
Pregnant OR NOT, these pants are AMAZING!
They are technically Jeggings which means no button, no zipper.
Comfort!
They are so comfortable! I got them in a size large so I could hopefully wear them for a while into pregnancy. I can pull them up towards my belly button so I don't have that tightness around my waist. 
Oh and get this! They were $10.00!!
Yup you saw that right! 
I have them in 4 colors. Red, black, white and mint.
I'm seriously in love.
I got these at Wal-Mart!
(FYI: People are always shocked when I tell them I got a cute clothing item at Wal-Mart. Yes they have cute clothes and they are cheap! Now go shop!)

The Pinterest picture shows sandals but I chose heels because of what I said earlier. I loved how they looked but man my feet were killing me at the end of the day! Pain is beauty right?!

And once again you see me in a jacket. I love this one because I can wear it with basically anything and everything! And a jacket doesn't need to button up to be able to wear it!

Another tip I have for any expecting moms that have the same emotional problem I do when it comes to getting dressed. 

GET THINGS OUT OF YOUR CLOSET THAT YOU CAN'T FIT IN RIGHT NOW.

I had to do that. I had to take all my cute skinny jeans and shove them in the back where I can't see them. I even took a few downstairs to our spare closet down there. If I can't see it, I can't be sad about not being able to fit in it.
It helps!

Like I said earlier, anyone with tips or advice on this matter, send it my way! I hate feeling this way, hope it doesn't last!

I hate to complain because I am so blessed to have this opportunity and I love the moments where she kicks and I get to see her on the ultrasound screen. Here is another pregnancy quote that I just LOVE. 

MYSTERY SOLVED

Remember the story of the missing pups? Well HERE is the link to the whole story. Anyways, I have an update...

I had a missed call last night from a number I didn't recognize. I had a voicemail and it was a woman asking if I was missing a dog named Raider. My stomach dropped. Was he alive? Would we once again have 2 dogs? How would that work, with Domer being so spoiled? Would they fight? My mind immediately went to us getting him back. I called her back and she then asked me if I was actually missing two dogs. I was shocked. They were still together after all this time? Would we be able to handle 3 dogs and a baby on the way? How would that work with them being mainly outside dogs and Domer being a spoiled inside dog? How bad of shape would they be in, seeing as how they had been missing since what...September? Then she said the word I wish I could unhear. Bodies. That thought hadn't crossed my mind and I don't know why. She had said she found them by train tracks so that probably should have been the first thing I thought but, call me an optimist, it wasn't. She asked if I wanted the collars because they kept them. Tags still in tact. She said the bodies are still out there not far from each other. I can't go see. Especially if they have been out there since they have been missing. I don't want to see them like that at all. But do we just leave the bodies? I don't know what I should do. I immediately got off the phone and started bawling hysterically. I don't know what is better, not knowing, or knowing this. I almost wish I didn't know because at least there was that chance and that hope they someone had taken them in and was taking care of them and loving them. I guess we have "closure" but it doesn't exactly feel like that because it's so sad and awful. I don't want to even think about how it happened. Did they get hit at the same time or was it one then the other? How bad of shape must their bodies be in? Ugh I can't think about that...

Anyways, mystery of the missing pups sadly solved.

UPDATE:

We had a couple of people offer to go get the bodies for us. (Thanks Jessie & Teague and Jesse & Tiffane!) And we let one friend because he could take them and bury them on his mom's property. At first I didn't know about any of that. I just couldn't think about it and hated to worry about it. But Michael made a very good point. He said, "If he [Jesse] goes and gets them, you'll have the comfort of knowing they were taken care of." This made a lot of sense. I think if I didn't have him go do that, I would always wonder where their bodies were and by wondering that I wonder the worst of how they looked. So I'm glad that now I know they were cared for and they are taken care of. We owe them big time for doing that for us. Neither Michael or I would have been able to handle it I think.

HAPPY "BUMP" DAY!

Get it?

Instead of saying Happy Hump Day or even Wardrobe Wednesday I am going to change the name to Happy BUMP Day!

I will still post an outfit I found on Pinterest but also give a pregnancy update IF there is one!

=]

Enjoy!

Here is the outfit I chose for this week:

Now, I don't have a cute giraffe scarf or shoes SO I had to improvise. 

I didn't wear the scarf because I don't have one the right color and because I didn't want one anyways.

So here is what I did with it:

23 WEEKS, 5 DAYS

I love this blazer that I got at Gordman's because it is a little big which means I can button it over my belly still!

It is comfy and I love the lace back.

So basically white tee, red blazer, khaki pants, and gold shoes.

I didn't have gold jewelry so I wore just some plain silver hoops and that was about it.

Now here is the exciting part...

We got to see Baby Z in 3D at our last appointment!

I ALMOST cried!

We saw her face and got a glimpse of what she is going to look like and I cannot believe that we can do that before she arrives!

It is amazing!

Here she is!

She TOTALLY has Michael's nose already!
And lips!

Personally I think she kinda looks like me here..
Oh and that is her FOOT right next to her head!

I was so THRILLED we got good pictures!

She finally let us see her face!

She moves A LOT. I can feel her so good and sometimes her little kicks are actually pretty big and they startle me!

Sometimes it takes all I have not to jump out of my seat at work when she gives me a big kick.

She is low so she kicks me in the bladder quite often which is annoying but at the same time I just love feeling her move!

However, I think I am in trouble when she comes out if she moves as much then as she is now!

Everything is good. We finally saw her lips so we know those are all in tact which is good. I tell ya, I'm getting more and more excited!

However, I am stressing big time about having her room ready.

I don't have a crib.

I don't even have a paint color picked!

Michael is so sweet and keeps telling me we'll get it done in time and my mom tells me too. 

She will be helping me a lot when she gets out of school so that's when we'll get a lot done. 

We have,

-a rocking chair makeover

-bedding to make (bumper, crib skirt, etc...)

-a dresser makeover

-a room to paint

All in just 4 months! 

Anyone want a project?! ;)

That's all the update for now, stay tuned for another one next week!

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY

I had an outfit picked out for this week but due to this darn weather I opted for something a little warmer.

Here is the one I picked...

And here is my version of this outfit:

22 WEEK 6 DAYS

I wore this to work so I did not do jeans I just did some gray pants. 
(Which I probably won't get to wear again until after Baby. They were pretty tight..)
And my blazer is not as nice as the one in the picture. I wish I had a better one.
But I loved the color combo!

I realize doing this is helping me take pictures of my growing belly! I had been such a slacker at taking photos so by doing this I will start documenting how far along I am!
Dur! Don't know why I didn't think of this before!

So for a pregnancy update while I'm at it...
I will be 23 weeks along tomorrow.
I go in to the Dr. for my checkup tomorrow and I hope I hope I get good pictures! The last 2 times we have been in, every time they try to look at her face, the little stinker turns her head! 
I have a feeling she'll be a little diva!
And possibly a tumbler or dancer or CHEERLEADER!
She is CONSTANTLY moving! When we went in for our targeted ultrasound the tech commented on how she was trying to flip completely over. It was hard to get good view of a lot of parts because she was moving so much!
I'm pretty sure I'll have my hands full when she arrives!
Michael FINALLY felt her kick a couple of weekends ago! Every time we tried before, the second he put his hand there, she would stop. 
The first time he felt her his eyes got all big and he got genuinely excited! It was so cute and so special!

Bedroom Makeover

We have been in this house for like 4 years now and I FINALLY painted our room!

Well it's a good thing I waited actually because when we found out I was pregnant we decided to put Baby Z in our room and we would take the smaller room at the back of the house.

SO.

Last week I went to work. 

Every day after work I started clearing our the room that would soon be ours and prepping it for painting. I cleaned it, taped it, and got it all empty and ready.

I didn't take a picture of what it looked like before because honestly it was always a mess. We called it our "dressing room" because that's basically where we kept all of our clothes. So there were always clothes everywhere.

But here is a little peek of the before...
(Also {HERE} is a link of an old post that has some pictures of my home including one of my closet in the "dressing room")

As you can see the paint job was that old fashioned style that was the spongey
textured look. I mean my bedroom was this look when I was little.

Here are my color choices. I knew I wanted blue and I picked a few I really liked.

And here is the finished product! I just painted a light tan over the bottom half and
I chose the lightest blue on the top.
It's called "CLEAR BLUE SKY"

Michael set this up for me while I was gone and was so proud of it.

My closet. It may look a little messy but it is actually sooo organized! I love this
little space!

Well that's our room!
All done!
Now I can get Baby Z's room ready!
I have a lot of furniture projects for her room first that I will be sure to post!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

CHICKEN POT PIE CUPCAKES

found {HERE}

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups of cooked chicken breasts diced
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon of  dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 (10 oz) cans Pillsbury biscuits

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, cheese, herbs and spices.
3. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and place the Pillsbury biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides.
4. Evenly spoon the pot pie mixture into each biscuit cup. Slide into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Check at the 12 minute mark.
5. Let rest for about 3 minutes and dig in!

I did not use this whole can but I didn't have
any small ones on hand.

My favorite veggies are the Great Value mixed frozen
ones seen here. They are sooo yummy!

This is what the mixture looks like.
I didn't have any cheese on hand (which is strange
because we always have cheese) so I just left it out
this time.

Ready to go in the oven!

Hot out of the oven!

This recipe made a lot. 

16 cupcakes!

I think next time I make it I will just make a little more mixture and do 3 cans of biscuits to make an even 24 cupcakes or two pans worth and then freeze one pan before it goes into the oven.

Anyone know if this biscuit dough would be freezable? 

I have frozen recipes before and it was so nice to just have something I could pop in the oven when I didn't feel like cooking!

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY

 

I am a day late on my Wardrobe post because my house currently has no internet.

Modem is DUNZO!

But we have a new one coming tomorrow!

 

Ok so here is the outfit I picked off of Pinterest:

 

 

And here is my version:

 

21 WEEKS

 

Like I have mentioned before Black and Tan are iffy for me...but I like this! I like the way it looks.

I added a shirt with sleeves under my top because I HATE my arms. They need to be toned before I wear shirts with short sleeves! =]

 

Well it's officially happening...People who don't know me are asking me when I'm due. That means I actually look pregnant and not just chubby. Should I consider this a good thing or a bad thing?

My mom got so excited the other day at how cute I'm looking she just had to take a picture so she could show everyone at work.

She's silly.

 

 

This weekend is my Spring Break and I got a lot of fun things planned including painting a room in my house and a girl's day with my mom and sister for her dance competition.

Pictures to come!

 

Have a happy weekend everyone! 

Getting To Know Me

I am...127 days (approximately) away from being a mom!

I want....that 127 days to be 8 days. Can she just be here already?!

I have....too much to do before Baby Z comes so I guess 127 days is sufficient.

I wish....I could whistle as good as my dad.

I hate...clowns. And political discussions. Leave me out.

I fear....being alone someday.

I hear....country music. Almost ALWAYS.

I search....for the perfect paint color for Baby Z's room.

I wonder....what Baby Z will be like. What she'll look like, what will make her laugh, and what will make her cry.

I regret....nothing. I am sad some of my decisions hurt people I love but I'm happy where I am and wouldn't change a thing.

I love....my husband, my dog, my plans for our house this summer, my job...I just love my life right now! =]

I ache....when I think of this scary world and that it will probably only get worse. I hope I can raise a beautiful, independent, strong daughter through it all.

I always....warm my pop tarts for about 15 seconds in the microwave. Perfect gooey-ness!

I usually....have a handful of Peanut M&Ms a day...a habit I should probably break.

I am not....as strong as I'd like to be, brave as I'd like to be, stylish as I'd like to be or graceful as I'd like to be.

I dance....often and love it. I am sure I look ridiculous (OR ridiculously sexy...you'd have to be the judge) but I love it. Although, since being pregnant, I can't shake it as good as I could before.

I sing....in the car. Pretty much ALWAYS. I love a good CD I can sing to.

I never....eat my pizza crusts.

I sometimes....take way too long to pick an outfit in the mornings.

I cry....more happy tears than I do sad tears. Happy stories really get me.

I am not always....in the mood to be around people. Sometimes I just like to be home alone and do nothing.

I lose....my phone often. Michael teases me just as often.

I am confused....when it comes to math..or science. So glad school is over for me!

I need....to start working out. I don't want to be super pregnant and gain weight everywhere. Especially my arms. I HATE my arms. I need to tone them even while pregnant.

I should....not fill these things out. They make me think way too much.

Now, all those with a blog, copy and paste this and fill out for yourself!

I'd like to read how others fill this in!

Comment with a link so I can see!

MARCH UPDATE

An update on my non-eventful month of March!

Pregnancy has gotten the best of me.
Cheesecake and Root Beer for breakfast.

Domer weighs THIS MUCH?!

Our Living Room got a makeover.

I take a lot of picture of my pup.

Jewelry Organization.

A new obsession...painting my nails.

Pinterest and music videos.
My life.

Like I said...me and pregnancy.

Had a WONDERFUL time at The Peak's Girl's Day Out

Saw this amazing performance.

You have to check out that amazing performance {HERE}.
There are also other amazing performance videos on The Peak's FB Page! :)

So happy it's April! Bring on Spring!

Gonna take Domer on evening walks, and get A LOT done with the house. 

Stay tuned for that!