Holy third trimester batman.

I'm a horrible blogger, I know this. It's been a week since I last posted and every time I thought about picking up my computer to write, I either got sidetracked reading all of your awesome posts or couldn't think of anything blog-worthy. Yeah, I could give you a recap of my weekend, but it would sound like this: Thursday - I ate turkey. Friday - I shopped from midnight to 7. Then slept from 7-1. Then I ate turkey again. Saturday - I cleaned and then I ate. Sunday - I shopped some more and then, you guessed it, I ate.

Exciting stuff, I know. To be completely honest, I really did spent most of Friday and some of Saturday recovering from Black Friday shopping. At seven months pregnant, it really took it's toll on me. We seriously had a blast and I didn't really feel the pain until I laid in bed and my back started throbbing. It's time to realize I can't do things like I used to!

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still a healthy amount! (Minus the Thanksgiving binge.)

How big is baby?  The size of a cabbage, 14.8 inches in length and weighs 2 1/4 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Either maternity clothes or Kevin's sweats. Very little of my old shirts fit without showing my mid drift which is not a good look for me.

Stretch Marks? Yes.Kevin thought the dog scratched my stomach because they are ugly and red. I hate them. No matter how much lotion I lather on, they're there!

Best moment this week?  Not feeling guilty about eating all the Thanksgiving noms! Everyone should be able to wear maternity pants during the holidays. ;)

Movement? All the time, especially after I eat. He particularly likes to hang out do jumping jacks on my bladder. 

Food Cravings? Cereal and ice cold milk. Mmm.

What I miss: Everything? I miss running, having energy, wearing stilettos (I gave in to the pain and am wearing the shortest wedges I have to compromise.) I miss being able to bend over and pick things up without a struggle, getting off the couch with ease, rolling over in bed without groaning, and basically functioning as a normal human.

What I am looking forward to:  Maternity pictures with Anni this weekend! If there's anyone that can tackle the task of making me look half decent, I know it's her. Can't wait to see her (and all my other peeps!) this weekend!  

Nausea/Vomiting?: Not even a little bit! 

Labor signs? Nope, I think I felt some Braxton Hicks a couple of times but nothing else.

Gender? Baby boy!

Belly Button in or out? Innie but definitely flattening out.

Wedding rings on or off? On even though I have sausages for fingers.

Sleep? Still sleeping through the night okay, without having to get up to pee but there's a lot of tossing and turning since I can't stay comfortable. 

Weekly Wisdom: I already said it, everyone should have a pair of maternity pants during the holidays. You can eat three pieces of pie without having to unbutton your pants. :)

Thanksgiving!

Our family is big on traditions. Whether it's Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, I've always looked forward to the holidays. I have already told my parents that I fully expect an Easter basket and Christmas stocking until the end of time. It's something I love doing with my family and can't wait to pass these family traditions down to my kids.

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays because, well, let's be honest, it revolves around food and since I'm a foodie, there's no better combination. And as the household foodie, I took over the cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner when I was about 15 (I think?) and have been fixing the holiday meals ever since. It's something I really enjoy and let's be honest, no one else in my family wants to do all the work.

In years past, my family (minus my husband who is hunting) would all head to my mom's house around ten in the morning and we start the day off with fresh cinnamon rolls while I get started on making dinner. This year, however, will be a little bit different. My parents are unable to get away from work in North Carolina and won't be able to make it. Not only that, but one of my brothers is currently living in Texas so I'm afraid he'll be missing out as well. It will be quite a change making dinner for 4 instead of 6 or 8 people. It'll just be me, my sister and her husband and my brother. Well, and my niece but she's not allowed to eat turkey quite yet.

Not only does my family stick to their traditions but my friends do as well. Every year, I join the masses for Black Friday shopping with my best friend, Katie. This Thursday night, everything opens at midnight in our town so I'm thinking we'll hit up Target and Kohl's as soon as we can.

Maybe this time I'll actually  buy some gifts for other people rather than myself. Although, I do have a few things on my wish list as well...

{Oster Immersion Blender}

{Comforter and duvet cover}

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! What are some of your families holiday traditions?


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Black Cloud

This week needs to die. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it definitely feels like a gloomy black cloud has been following me since Monday.

I've never been more ready for the weekend. I needed to jump start my car a total of three times in the last week and a half, my work computer broke, I spilled coffee all over my desk calendar - twice in one day, I sliced my finger open and slipped at work, landing on my elbow. All these tiny little mishaps have added up and made me a complete grouch. 

Weeks like this, I really wish I could drink. Dang pregnancy!

BUT, I really try to be a glass-half-full kinda gal so I'm going to go ahead and be optimistic and say that this weekend, things will turn around. I don't have any plans for tomorrow so hopefully that means I'll get to sleep in and work around the house. Then on Sunday, I'm meeting my BFF's to see Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1. 

Bring it on weekend! I'm ready for you!

In the meantime, if you don't already follow my awesome-sauce cousin, Nicole, you should hop on over to her blog today. I'm featured as a celebrity guest blogger! That certainly picks my day up a bit. ;)

TGIF my loves! 

Blogger Interview by Erin!

Last week, I was talking to my dear blogging friend, Erin, about how I couldn't think of anything to write about and she came up with the idea to do a blog interview with each other. We each came up with a different list of 10 questions to ask and you folks get to see the result!

The catch is, for my answers, you'll have to hop on over to her blog, Just Run With It and for all of her readers, here are the questions I asked Erin along with her answers!

1.  Why did you start blogging? 

I started blogging because I had a list of 24 things I wanted to accomplish before turning 24 ("24 before 24"), and I wanted a tangible place to keep track of them all. I thought it'd be fun to make the blog public so that my friends and family could follow along. It quickly turned into a running related blog, because that's my #1 hobby/passion!

2. What's one thing that is different about your life now that you're married? 

So much more laundry! Haha, but seriously. How do couples with multiple kids handle this?! My hubs and I run/hike a lot, so the dirty clothes racks up a lot faster than when I was living by myself. But in all seriousness, getting married was the best decision I've ever made and I'm happier every day because of it. 

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and could take three items with you, what would they be?

Does company count? :) Otherwise, a hammock, swimsuit, and my running shoes. If you're gonna be stranded on paradise, ya might as well enjoy it, right?

4. Take a picture of where you work. The building, your office, wherever! :)

I'm a chemistry graduate student, so I work in a chemistry lab! How glamorous, I know.

5. Name your one celebrity crush your hubby would give you a "free pass" for. 

Justin Long. You know, the "Hi I'm a Mac" commercial guy. So nerdy, so cute. I'm into the a-dork-able ones. 

6. You just got a puppy, what's one crazy thing she does that drives you nuts? Video or photo proof would be great. 

She's really into the whole "jumping up on everyone" phase. I wish she'd cut that out. We're working on it. I have no video of said activity, but I've got this really cute video of her playing in snow, instead! 

7. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, breakfast, lunch and dinner, what would it be?

Steamed artichokes with garlic butter. Every year for as long as I can remember (5 yrs old? 6?), I've requested steamed artichokes for my birthday dinner. They're my absolute fav.

8. Show us a picture of you and your best friend, your husband doesn't count. ;)

I have a best friend from each phase of my life. There's no way I could rank one above the others, and I'm so thankful for them every single day. From left to right: Niki (college bff), Melon (running/HS bff), me (in red), Kelsey (bff from when I lived in Singapore), Priya (HS bff), and Liv (my sister). 

9. If you had to go on either Fear Factor or Survivor, which would you choose? 

Survivor. I went through a phase in HS and college where I sooooo wanted to apply. But I wouldn't do well with all the drama and back stabbing.
 

10. If you can, go to makemebabies.com and plug in your picture and your hubbies picture so we can see what your future kids would look like!

Hahaha, wow, never done this before. This baby looks pretty darn generic. I hope our future babe gets Weez's eyes though, 'cause those things are gorgeous.

Thanks Erin for playing along! I especially like the photo of your future baby, haha. And you're not the only one with a crush on Justin Long. ;)

To see my answers to Erin's questions, head on over to her blog, Just Run With It and give her some love.

Homeowner Woes

Or more appropriately titled "The Only Reason my Husband and I Argue" because that'd be the truth. Our house has been a sore subject in our relationship since the day that I moved in. Now, let me preface the rest of this post by insisting that I really am thankful and blessed for what I have. There are a lot of people in this world who live with a lot less. I have a roof over my head, I have electricity, running water, food in my fridge and a family that loves me.

However, the way I see it, if you're not happy with something in your life, you change it if you can. That simple. My house needed painting, so we started painting.





The bathroom needed an overhaul, so we gutted it.





The kitchen needed new tile so we re-tiled it.

But the problem is, none of these projects are FINISHED. The kitchen hallway leading to the sunroom still needs to be redone, the bathroom tiles need to be replaced where we had a leak and the living room is the only room we've painted. As you can see in the kitchen, we still have a ton of wooden paneling to paint in there as well as in two of our three bedrooms. 

Thankfully, the one bedroom that doesn't need paint will soon be the nursery. Currently, this room serves as my closet because our home only has one and it's tiny. Figuring out how to move out all of my stuff out of my "room" and into Kevin's "room" (the other spare room is his closet) - is the new headache we have to deal with. We're realizing that we barely fit into our tiny house with all of our stuff, how are we going to make room for a baby? 

With storage being the biggest issue, ahead of painting and tiling, we finally decided on doing built in shelving against the far wall of the nursery, creating a reach in closet. This also gives me an opportunity to bring some color into the room with some pretty curtains, hiding the unit.

You need a visual, yes? Well, here's what we're looking for:

{Source}

Only, imagine it without old man suits and with cute little onesies and a pretty dark blue curtain on either side.
Like this:

That's more like it! A plus to this option is that it will be relatively inexpensive. After pricing some closet shelving and rods, the total project should cost us less than $300.

Now, the only problem is getting this project in motion. Procrastination seems to be our arch nemesis as you can tell by all of our other unfinished projects. I swear, this one really will get done otherwise I may have to ask one of you if you don't mind having roommates. 

Weekend Recap

Why is it that the weekends leading up to Christmas always fly by?? I think Santa knows I'm not ready.

I tried to prepare myself by getting some Christmas shopping done this weekend but all I ended up with at the end of the day on Saturday was a new dress and cardigan for my maternity shoot along with a new jacket. Turns out, Anni is not only a great photographer but she's also my new stylist. Lol. Thanks Anni for answering all my pestering questions this weekend. I can't wait for our photoshoot next month!

By the time I got done shopping on Saturday, it was time to head back home and get ready for bingo. Yes folks, I'm 25 years old and went to bingo on Saturday night. It was to raise money for my nieces annual school trip (I think) so even though I'm the only one at my table who didn't win, it was all for a good cause.

When I got home, I was pooped so while Kevin watched the end of some boring football game, I passed out for the night. It was 9:00. I lead a crazy life, I know.

Sunday morning, my sister asked if I'd head into town with her and help her do some shopping. I figured I'd tag along and possibly buy some gifts since I failed to do so on Saturday night. Fat chance. We hit TJ Maxx, had a late lunch and then we picked out some adorable clothes for her daughter at Kohl's.

No gifts purchased, yet again.

We ended the weekend by having dinner at my parent's house since they're in town for a couple of days and they, as usual, fought over who got to hold my sister's baby. Good thing I'm having one so there's one for each grandparent! ;)

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Too bad I started my week off on a bad note and left a light on in my car all night, draining my battery. I had to call my poor neighbor to come give me a jump so I could go to work.

BUT - on a brighter note, I'm featured today on one of my favorite blogs, A Girl In Pearls!
Check it out and I hope your Monday is better than mine so far.

Veterans Day!

This Veterans Day, be sure to thank any military personnel who has served our country. Past or present, we're a free country because of what they do. 

An extra special thank you to my Daddy.

Take a minute and remember those lives lost, saved and those who fight for our freedom every day.

It's Okay!

Again, I'm completely stumped on what to blog about so back to linking up with my boo, Neely. 

So without further ado,
it's okay... 

....to commit to three Christmas blog swaps and still want to do more.
(Shameless plug: you should really sign your pet up for the Kitty and Canine Blogger Gift Exchange.)

....to have no idea what to blog about. Sometimes life is boring. And that's okay too. 

....to be scared shitless at the idea of having a child in THREE months.

....that I haven't bought anything for said child. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

....to be more excited for Black Friday shopping than Thanksgiving.

....that I know what I'm getting my blog friends for Christmas and zero ideas for my own husband.

....to wear high heels when you're six months pregnant.

....to have an occasional Coca Cola when you're supposed to be cutting out caffeine. (Sweet elixir of LIFE.)

....to stay up late watching Top Chef and make up that half hour of sleep by not showering.
That's why God invented perfume. 

What's okay with you this week? Link up with Amber and Neely!! :D

Boob Tube Babble!

This week, I'm kind of stumped for topics to write about so I decided to link up with my boo, Neely, for Boob Tube Babble today!

A lot of good stuff was on this week and I wasn't about to pass any of them up. My poor husband had to sit through hours of the Top Chef marathon just so I could get excited for the new season. Which, by the way, did not disappoint. 

{Source: Bravotv.com}

I loved that they brought on Emeril Lagasse this season and excited to hear what he has to say about the chefs. I was never a huge Anthony Bourdain (however you spell it) fan and hoping he doesn't make regular appearances this season. 

Not only am I excited for the new line-up of judges, but I really enjoyed how they narrowed down the top 16 this time around. Top Chef ain't messing around! Can't butcher a simple pork loin? OUT. Loved it.

Moving on, I'm really digging Parks and Rec this season. I discovered it last year when it came on after The Office and was glad they made the move to come on prior because that way I can go to bed earlier. I'm an old maid.

{Source: NBC.com}

Seriously though? Amy Poehler is hilarious and so is Aziz Ansari. Not to mention the rest of the cast who bring nothing but laughs. I will also take this time to give a shout out to Kristin who got a new job in our town's Parks and Rec department. She's the new boss. She gets to fire people. I'm jealous. 

And I can't do a post on my fave TV shows without getting into The Office. Granted, the first few seasons were way more entertaining but last nights episode featured some classic Dwight antics which brought back a few LOL's. :)

{Source: NBC.com}

What have you been watching this week? Link up with Neely! 

Week 23 1/2 update!

I hope all you goblins and ghouls had a fabulous Halloween. Kevin and I get zero trick or treaters and to be honest, if we did get one, I was afraid I'd have to give them money last night. This girl had zero candy in the house. Don't get me wrong, I'm pregnant here meaning we have plenty of Little Debbie cakes on hand, just no candy. Hopefully, if/when we ever move, we get a home in a cozy little neighborhood where I'll be able to take our future trick or treater from house to house.

In the meantime, I'll have to deal with the little devil kicking me in the ribs. That, along with having a cold, definitely means I'm having a Debbie Downer kind of week!

How far along? 23 weeks and some change

Total weight gain/loss: A healthy amount, aka: none ya business.

How big is baby?  The size of a mango, 11 inches long and weighs more than a pound.

Maternity clothes? Yup. Pre-preg jeans still button below the belly and still wearing some non-maternity shirts (See pictured) but maternity wear is by far the most comfortable thing these days. Either that or Kevin's sweats.

Stretch Marks? Yes. Dammit. One right next to my belly button. Ugly red stupid thing.

Best moment this week?  Being able to eat salad again without gagging. Not sure my stomach was feeling all those veggies again but it felt good to eat healthy for once. This baby is a carb lover for sure.

Movement? Lots! Especially this morning. He's up in my rib cage fighting to get out I think. 

Food Cravings? Balsamic vinegar. Mmm. 

What I miss: Sleeping on my back and bending over to pick things up with ease. It's starting to get difficult to bend and I can barely see my feet.

What I am looking forward to:  My new order of maternity clothes to come in the mail. I'm on the look out for some cute and colorful outfits for my upcoming maternity photo shoot. Hopefully with the beautiful and amazingly talented Anni if we can make it happen. ;)

Nausea/Vomiting?: Nope, cue happy dance. More hungry than anything nowadays.

Labor signs? Nope, just lots of movement from Baby T!

Gender? Baby boy!

Belly Button in or out? Innie for now.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Sleep? Usually sleeping okay through the night but my hips are starting to hurt more as I sleep on my sides, making things uncomfortable. 

Weekly Wisdom: My internal thermostat is wacky these days. I'm colder than I normally am and had to crack out the closed toed shoes this weekend when it snowed. Where did Fall go?! (Ok, I know that wasn't weekly-wisdom worthy but I have no words of advice. So there.)