Guilt

The five letter word that has haunted me so much lately.

Mom guilt. 

Wife guilt. 

Teacher guilt. 

I've basically had some sort of form of guilt from the moment we came home with Hadley. I couldn't carry her, barely take care of her or myself for a few weeks from complications I had after her delivery. Thank goodness for my husband! Then I went back to work and the guilt hit me even harder. I feel terrible that I don't get to spend my days with my beautiful daughter (but I'm very thankful she's in wonderful care). I feel sad knowing I spend the day with other children and I can't my own. I feel frustrated because I know I'm not give my 100% at work or at home. 

My family has always been my top priority but work came shortly behind. Before having children, J and I had each other, grad school (for a few years), and work to attend to on a daily basis. I would stay at school until 5:00 or later each evening and go in every Sunday. I could plan ahead and have exciting lessons. I knew what I wanted to do and would be able to act quickly on my feet if I needed to change something. Now I leave work at 3:45 (the latest). I'm always behind. I bring things home but sometimes it doesn't get touched for a week. I try to go in on the weekends but it is so much harder. I'm lucky to know what I'm doing for the day, let alone the entire week. I'm not the teacher I used to be and that is okay. But it still leaves me feeling guilty.

It's also hard for me not having those extra evening times with Josh. Lately it's been more difficult because he's finishing his thesis. And the time we do have together, we'd rather spend it as a family. But we also know how important it is to have couple time. But when?

There's just not enough time. 

I can't be 100% mom + 100% teacher + 100% wife. It doesn't equal out.

It’s okay to feel the guilt, as long as you aren’t living the guilt. Guilt isn’t there for you to dwell on, it isn’t there to dictate your life. -Jennifer Green @ Life in the Green House

A few weeks ago, Jennifer had a post all about the guilt of a working mom. I had actually be talking about my guilt with Josh weeks before her post. It was something that was constantly nagging at me in the back of my mind. Then she shared this great post with us and I felt a little better. We all go through guilt in some shape or form. Mom guilt is a big thing that got to me when I went back to work in January because that's when it really set in and hit me. Now I've transistioned to teacher guilt. I've become so overwhelmed with what I need to do becuase I missed the first half of the year. But, like Jennifer said, there's no need to dwell on the guilt. 

If I'm doing what's best for me and my family then everything else will fall in to place.

Update on life

Busy is an understatement of what our life has been lately. Now that life has begun in full swing, it is crazy! I can't even describe it. My mind is constantly going a mile a minute and over all I'm just tired!

I wanted to do an update to what is going on in our lives since this blog is to document our life.

• Josh has to turn his thesis in in three weeks! I am so excited and so proud of him. We are both ready for this journey to be over. After he turns it in, he will have to defend it, and then he will graduate in May! This all means that he doesn't get home until 7:30-8:00 pm every night. He also works on it every Sunday. We eat dinner then collapse and do it all over the next day. We pray that a new degree will lead to a new job. Then he will start on his doctorate this fall! And so it begins again...
  
  
• Hadley is growing daily! I will post her 5 month update next week right after she turns 5 months! I cannot believe how fast time is flying. While I want her to stay this age, I'm so excited to be with her this summer and really watch her take everything in!
  
  
• I'm back at work and learning how to balance being a working mom. It's crazy! I'm so glad we prep as much as we can on the weekends but honestly it's still hard. I bring work home every night and try to go in on Saturday mornings. But I still don't feel caught up. I'm sure by the time summer rolls around I'll feel like I've got my act together again. Until then, I have a lot of work to do and just not enough time in the day to do it all.
  
  
• Our home is back on the market. We will not be taking it off until we sell it. We have no idea where we are going to move but we are ready.
  
  
• Oliver and Wembley are doing great! Wembley is still such a little sh*t and was locked in Hadley's room for three hours earlier this week...while she was sleeping. Of course I panic because I don't want him to hurt her, but luckily he is scared to death of her so would never jump in the crib. I finally went in her room to adjust her heating vent and he comes out meowing like crazy; almost yelling at me. Oh that cat! Oliver is still having a hard time adjusting to not being the main baby. We still give him so much attention and he's snuggled in our bed each night. But he gets upset when I hold Hadley and can't have him on my lap as well. But do worries, he totally tries to join us.
  
  
• Meal planning is still going very well! I need to get back on the ball and share on my Tasty Tuesdays. We were thrown a curve ball a few weeks ago. Josh has had a lot of stomach problems for over a year and I've been telling him that he needs to see the doctor because my instinct has always been a gluten problem. While he has not been tested yet, he has taken gluten out of his diet almost completely. Already he has done so much better. He hasn't been sick and feels better overall. This has changed how we eat. We've talked about how gluten free is a lifestyle change and, whether or not he has a gluten allergy or not, we know that it is a healthier choice.
  
  
• I haven't shared on here yet, and don't want to say a lot about it, but I'm still not recovered from my delivery with Hadley. I have an appointment with a surgeon on Friday so any prayers you could send my way would be very much appreciated. I'm hoping everything will heal on its own and surgery is not needed but whatever happens is for a reason.

2013: The Best Year Yet!

2013 has by far been the best year of my life. From the first day until the last I have never felt so much joy and love in my life.


We welcomed 2013 with a secret. We were pregnant. We found out just shortly before Christmas and told our families on Christmas day. It was definitely the year of family, like I had hoped.

January started off with a big move for my parents. We said goodbye to my childhood home. They left all of our neighbors who became our family. They moved into the country. Where there are no street lights. No lines on the road. And it's 22 minutes away instead of five. I cried a lot (like up until September). But it's a process and I have grown to love their new home. Not as much as "my home" but in its own way.

On January 10th, we celebrated four years of marriage. We were excited to go into our fourth year with a baby on the way!


I just loved linking up with Rachel in 2013 for Menu Monday. Two of my favorites I shared in February include the Spicy Pasta Sausage and Skinny Enchiladas (which are an overall favorite).

February 14, 2013 was a day that will go down in history for us. It's day day we told all of our friends we were expecting! We were overwhelmed with all of the excitement and joy we were able to finally share with everyone! The blog world was also a baby boom in 2013!

With a new pregnancy comes lots of hormones. I shared about my melt down with Wembley (who is still a sh*t)  and how my hormones were out of control when it came to animals. Glad I'm not as bad about this anymore. I'm pretty sure if I would have started watching Duck Dynasty then, I would have been in trouble. I also started weekly bumpdates in February. I'm so glad I did this because I plan to make my blog into a book. Then Hadley and I can look back and remember all that happened while I was pregnant with her--hormones and all! In February I posted weeks six, seven/eight, nine/ten, eleven/twelve, thirteen and fourteen. The day I told my students about baby G was one of the best days of the year. That class was so special to me (I miss this a lot this year) and I'm so thankful I got to share our joy with them! The end of February ended on a sad note. Our dear sweet George, my cat I grew up with, passed away. We miss him so much. He was such a sweetheart and will always have a special place in our hearts.

March was a fun month! I updated about week fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen. It's so fun to go back and read everything that was happening each week! We shared the gender of our sweet baby on March 18. Before we found out I read a lot of different wives tales trying to figure out what we were having! They were so much fun to read. On the Ramzi test, Josh later on corrected me telling me it was a girl. He knew from the beginning this "test" was going to be correct. We also told our families the gender in cute ways they will (hopefully) never forget. My mom still talks about it to this day! I was so thrilled we were having a girl but a little worried about Josh. I wasn't she he would know what to do with one. His sweet words reassured me everything would be okay. The great month of March ended with sharing Miss Hadley's name to the world!


April was a busy month for me. We had state testing at school and it was nonstop working! I did get to post weeks nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two. I finally reached the half way mark! I also shared some sweet pictures and updates of Oliver and Wembley.

Hadley's 20 week picture

We have a lot of family birthdays in May. It's also the end of the school year--my favorite time. But even though its busy, there were a lot of things to look forward to! In May I shared updates for weeks twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five {when I had my school shower}, and twenty-six. I got my craft on in May and made this adorable spring wreath. I'm not crafty at all, so for me this was a huge deal. I still really like it and excited to put it up again! At the end of the month I was looking forward to ending the school year, even though I was going to miss the crazy things the kids asked me about regarding the baby! I was also excited to celebrate Josh's 30th birthday on the 31st!

June was such a good month. It was the start of summer break and finally a time when I could relax. I was really not looking forward to having a fall baby when I found out I was pregnant. In fact, I cried about it a lot. I was worried about how we would adjust when I went back to work. But having a fall baby has been such a blessing! I loved that I got to spend the last couple months preparing without any stress. I loved being able to sleep whenever I needed to. It was so nice not to worry about dressing my huge baby belly when it was 90* outside. I could just sit in the A/C all day!

I share week twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, and thirty-one! I went through the dreaded glucose test, which turned out to be much easier than I thought. I also admitted I was a complete drama queen about it. It had also been six months since we found out we were expecting. Crazy how time flies!I continued to meal plan throughout the year and in the summer started freezer meals so we would be prepared for when Hadley made her arrival. These were a huge help and plan to continue freezer meals as much as I can!

My baby shower was planned for July and Tiny Prints really helped inspire the theme of the shower. I also had this great game at my shower which I loved reading and saving for Hadley. Speaking of showers, Jenny, Shannon and I were given a surprise shower by some of our Columbus blog friends. It was a wonderful night full of yummy food and great conversations. I'm so thankful to have these girls as my friends!

I just love July. Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays! In July I shared updates about weeks thirty-two {where we had our 3D ultrasound!}, thirty-three, thirty-four, and thirty-five.  Since we were getting so close to our due date I decided it was time to prepare our pets for baby Hadley's arrival and make up a to-do list when we had one month to go.

I also attended my hometown shower hosted by my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin. It was beautiful and I'm so thankful for all of the time they spent preparing it. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and Josh's aunt hosting a lovely shower in Josh's hometown. I loved that it was held outside in his parent's back yard. His mom has the most beautiful flowers and pots in her back yard. She is a wonderful gardener! I'm so thankful to have had two amazing showers!

August was by far my favorite month because it is the birth month of our sweet girl! I share weeks thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, and thirty-nine. She was born on week forty! We were preparing for Hadley's arrival, thinking of all of the crazy last minute things we needed to do and picking out her birth announcement! I didn't blog a lot at the end of August because I was learning how to juggle wearing all of my new hats! Definitely worth the short break.

In September I posted Hadley's first pictures on the blog. Looking at this picture makes me miss how tiny she was! I shared her crazy twenty-eight hour birth story and how thankful I was to have J by my side during the delivery and when we got home. He was my rock and I'm still so thankful to have him by my side today. Going through labor and delivery for the first time taught me many things. I'm so glad I went in with an open mind because I sure did need it!

My favorite fall month is definitely October. Not only is it my birthday month but I think the foliage is just beautiful during this time of the year. It's amazing how time just flies. I shared about being a new mom and Hadley turning four weeks and a month old {I also learned the difference between these two}!

November was an enjoyable month. I took extra time off for maternity leave and tried to soak up every minute of my last month home with my baby. I'm a huge fan of meal planning {if you didn't already know} and shared how I started meal planning with a baby. It's a whole new ballpark! I also started Tasty Tuesday, where I share recipes and tips. I started out these weekly updates with how to organize your pinterest boards.I'm not sure if I'm going to continue TT into 2014. I really enjoy it and it keeps me organized but I want to make sure I'm sharing enough about our life--because that is why I blog.

We took newborn pictures at the beginning of September and I shared the beautiful pictures KariMe Photography took for us. We made her birth announcement and sent them out to family and close friends. Hadley also got to meet her great-grandparents, on her Gigi's side, for the first time. We are so thankful they came to Ohio for her first Thanksgiving!

Hadley turned three months old on November 26, but I was a little behind posting it. Then on December 26th, she turned four months old. Where does the time go? She's getting so big and definitely becoming more of a baby than a newborn. We celebrated her first Christmas at home on Christmas day. It was wonderful to open her couple presents and enjoy the day as a little family. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and went to visit Josh's family a few days after Christmas. My favorite thing about this year was definitely not feeling rushed or pushed from one house to the next. We decided a long time ago that once we had a family we would not travel on Christmas day. Our families are always welcome to come see us but it was definitely the best decision for us.

2013 will definitely go down in history. I am so thankful that I posted about our new family. It will always be wonderful memories to go back and read. I'm excited to watch Hadley grow over the next year and hit new and fun milestones. This year will definitely be hard to beat, but now we have a whole new adventure in front of us.

Thank you for sharing 2013 with us! Happy New Year!

So What Wednesday

Today I'm saying So what if...

• I'm not ready to put up Christmas decorations. Normally I'm all over this. Two weeks after having Hadley, I hobbled around the house putting put fall decor. But Christmas...I'm just not ready {but my shopping is done}!

• We're packing up our home in hopes to put it back up for sale in January. I swear it doesn't matter how much we pack, I still feel like there's stuff everywhere!

• Josh can't keep people in movies straight. Sunday night we were watching The Wizard of Oz and he asked, "did she kill the Ompa Lompas?" referring to the Wicked Witch. No, that would be Willy Wonka.

• My cat gets on top of the kitchen cabinets every day...all the time! I am constantly wiping down the counters. He drives me BANANAS! But I still love him.

• I love Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte. It's delish! Thank goodness for the Groupon I bought a while back! I wanted to make them at home but have you seen this recipe?!

What are you saying "so what" to today?

Five On Friday: Recipes, Halloween, & Pictures

Don't forget to link up with Five on Friday here!

{one}

Last weekend we went apple picking. I've had ever intention to make apple crisps this week but it hasn't happened yet. Josh has even asked if I wanted to go apple picking again. Let's try to eat what we have (about 30 apples). He's an apple-pickin' machine!

Doesn't this look yummy?!

{two}

If you do not have children and are planning to one day, let me tell you about a little something called, "cluster feeding". I had no idea what this was until after H was born. Basically babies will nurse for hours at one time. Not going to lie-it's exhausting, especially at night when you're already tired. But it's great bonding time too.

{three}

I love Halloween. Actually I love all things fall. But my favorite part about Halloween is dressing up. I haven't dressed up in a few years but I can't wait to dress H up as she gets older. Pinterest is busting with costume ideas. Here are a few of my favorites family costumes!

link

link

link

Link

J is already hoping H will be Princess Peach one Halloween!

{four}

I still have not been behind the wheel of my car. I could have started driving this week but my dad had to borrow my car since his was getting fixed and I didn't need mine for anything. The more time that passes the more nervous I get to get behind the wheel. I'm already a nervous driver but add some time (which feels like nothing) and a newborn and I'm a mess! I'll be getting lots of practice this weekend.

{five}

On Monday our amazing photographer Kari came to take pictures of Hadley and do a few lifestyle pictures. I will definitely post more when I get them back but I have fallen in love with the ones we have so far!

My Rock.

I could have easily written about this in Hadley's birth story but I decided that it was so important to me and was such a huge part of Hadley coming into this world, that it needed a whole post itself.

My husband.

I honestly could not have gone through childbirth without him.

When we read about the Bradley Method (the birth method we had originally planned) I was worried. A lot of this method involved  husband support. Josh is very supportive. He always has been there rooting me on. But I was worried that once we got to the childbirth part he would freak out a little. He went into the birth not even wanting to cut the cord! But he came out a completely different person.

If you read about Hadley's birth story, you know that our "plan" of the Bradley Method went out the window...and that's okay. From the moment I woke Josh up and told him I thought, "today was the day" he was there for me 110%. During the laboring process he did everything I asked him to do along with asking me questions about what I needed. He rubbed my back, got me ice chips, and held my hand during every contraction. He supported me through my tears of getting an epidural because that was something we agreed that we didn't want to do but didn't rule it out by any means.

He went in to the hospital not wanting to see a thing and left being completely educated. I even joked with him during labor that he never knew he would be going to medical school that day. My nurse, who was wonderful, put him to work. By the time she was delivered he knew where just about everything was located in the delivery room. I don't want to go into too much detail but the poor guy saw way more than he ever wanted and even watched the birth of his daughter. I'm so proud of him and could not have gone through it all without his support. I'm also so thankful he decided to cut the cord. After what he went through with me, that was nothing!

Since we've been home, he has been a blessing. I was not allowed to use the stairs more than twice a day for two weeks. This was very difficult because we don't have a bathroom on the first floor (weird I know, but we've gotten use to it). Every morning he would bring up breakfast while I nursed Hadley. On the days he had to go to work, he would pack me a lunch so I didn't have to worry about using the steps alone. He made sure someone came over to check on me the days he had to work late. He always had the house picked up, dusted, and vacuumed. He is awesome at laundry! He did everything I couldn't do.

He has taken the "dad" role on and has turned around as a husband. Not that he wasn't a good husband before (because he was), to me he seems to see things differently. I thank him daily for his help and I try to tell him as often as I can how thankful I am for him.

He was my rock through all of this. And almost three weeks after being home, he still is. I'm so thankful to call Josh my husband but I'm even more thankful that he is Hadley's dad.

Five on Friday

Linking up with Darci today for 5 on Friday!

{one}

My two love bugs have been cracking me up lately. Oliver is obsessed with Wembley's cat toy. He hits it so the mouse goes in circles and then tries to get the mouse out of the holder. He carries it all around. Not the brightest bulb!

Wembley is obsessed with ribbons. If you came into my house you would easily find three or four ribbons laying around on the floor. They're all different and from different things. His latest obsession is a new purple ribbon. He's like a kid in a candy store when he gets a new one. But he still carries around all of his other special ones. Really, carries them around the house like a lovey.

{two}

Last Saturday, after our great hospital tour, we went to the Food Truck Festival. I'm not going to lie...it was hot and busy. And we even got there right when it opened at noon.

Oh! Burgers is my favorite food truck. It's owned by a guy I went to high school with, which is how I found out about it. A friend of mine and myself try to meet there when it is close by us in the summer. They always have the freshest ingredients and I love that they buy local produce. Seriously, best burgers!

We also were given FREE Chobani flip yogurt. I'm going to be honest, I've never been a big Chobani fan, but the flip Almond Coco Loco was very good.

{three}

I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday but here is Miss H in all her watermelon glory (she's really dropped too). Yes, I just wore this dress a few weeks ago. Actually I've worn it several times since then but the first time this school year! I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes so I just keep changing up accessories.

{four}

Last weekend J and I went out to dinner to Cap City Diner. It was very good (although J said his burger was kind of dry). I had been waiting for this cake all week and it was totally worth it! This looks like two slices but they have to cut it in half to fit it in the container. It was amazing and no worries, I kind of shared with J.

{five}

My two (out of three) boys. They just melt my heart!

Holy devil eyes! I tried several times and they kept glowing!

Loves!

Five on Friday!

{one}

The nursery is taped up and sanded. Tomorrow will be primer and Saturday paint. I'm so excited to get all of this stuff put together and put away! I feel like I have baby things coming out of the walls! Next week will be spent finishing up the room and organizing. Then it's back to school!

{two}

I'm obsessed with Essie nail polish. Really, who isn't? I love how smooth and clean it goes on. I can actually paint both hands with it. Today I went on a little Target trip (yes, $30 little), and bought one of their new colors, Sunday Funday. I love it! It's the perfect pink-orange. Definitely out of my pink box but sometimes you just need a change!

{three}

I really wanted to go on a mini-vacation this summer but that didn't happen. So we're trying do some fun things here and there in town. Wednesday night we went to a nice dinner at The Melting Pot. It was very good. J and I both enjoyed the time together more than anything and the dessert. We're usually in and out of a restaurant in an hour but we spent two and a half hours there. It was so nice to relax and talk...not just about the baby, which is easy to do. We have two more things planned but I hope to come up with an additional two or three more. Gotta enjoy our date nights while we can!

{four}

The weather has been beautiful! Seriously. I don't even know if it got much hotter than 80* today. I had the a/c off for a bit (I couldn't handle it for too long) with the windows open. I'm loving this weather and feel so thankful that it's not 90*+ humidity out anymore. Hot and pregnant is not cool.

amazing

{five}

My HTC Droid has been a major pain in the behind. It will no longer charge with a cord. So I have to take the battery out and  charge the battery then put it back in the phone. J has the same problem. We have three batteries and one charger between the two of us. Not cool when your husband takes two of the three batteries and charger to work and forgets them there for two days. NOT COOL. I miss my phone. Guess who will be visiting J's work today to pick up the charger--this girl.

I did go to Sprint today and they're sending me a new phone. I basically told them I don't care what they give me but that I'm 9 months pregnant and need something. Since I have insurance they're sending me a new one. I should have done this two months ago but hate waiting in line (left the store twice). Hopefully after Monday I'll not have to worry about this anymore. Never knew I'd miss my phone so much. #pathetic 

Five on Friday

Today I decided to participate in Five on Friday! What a fun way to wrap up the week :)

{one}
How is it Friday already? This week flew by and with the holiday being on a Thursday it totally messed up my schedule--even though I'm on summer break and don't really have one per-say.


{two}
July 4th was filled with family and friends. And guess how many pictures I took? One. Total fail. I think I was just so busy talking to people and enjoying our time that I didn't even think about it until everything was said and done. It also rained a lot so that didn't make things as fun to capture.

{three}
J took today off and it's been so nice to just relax and spend time together. We went to the library and even stopped at a yummy food truck for lunch! He's doing some extra work for the next four weeks and will be away from home a lot more. I'm sad that I have to spend even more time alone but it will be great to get some extras for Hadley and the house. 

This was my meal. We said we were going to split the fries. I half a whole meal left over...with fries...and so does J!

{four}
 Our baby showers are a week from tomorrow and Sunday. Eeeek!

Check out my tinyprints blog post here!

{five}
I haven't been to the movie theatre in forever and cannot wait to see Monster's University!

Check out these 10 life lessons you can learn from the monsters

Happy 30th Birthday!

J's 30th birthday was on May 31st, however we celebrated with our families over Memorial Day weekend. We've done the same Sunday for the past five years and he loves every bit of it!

This year J asked me if we could have his "party" at my parents. He likes that their house is out in the country so there is a lot of space for everyone. Plus if it were to rain, which it was calling for, everyone can sit comfortably inside...that's not possible in our house! In the end it made it easier for me not worrying about people being our house while it was up for sale. I have enough stress so it was nice just packing everything up and going over there.

A little over a month ago I had planned to have an old comic book themed party. Later we renamed it to the onomatopoeia party (pow, crash, boom). I didn't tell him what I had ordered and he was pretty excited when he saw it. Usually I go to a local party store for the plates and napkins, but they didn't have this theme, so I ordered online!

We even had some balloons--only for your 30th!

I told J I would get him any cake or dessert he wanted for his birthday. I was hoping he would have let me order something just to be easier, but he picked his favorite go-to birthday cake--yellow cake with chocolate icing and it had to be from a box. So I tried to decorate it a bit. 

I even bought store colored icing which I hate and is usually a big no-no but it was so much easier!

Dinner consisted of yummy Pioneer Woman Sandwiches, pickle slaw, mac and cheese, chips, and watermelon. You can find the menu here.

Finally Emily and I made these fancy birthday banners just in time for J's birthday! I'll post a tutorial sometime this week! I love how it turned out and it was perfect for our fire place!

Overall, I think J had a great birthday with his family and friends. He only got a few small things from me because he went on a big camping (cabin) trip with his friends the weekend before. I'm just thankful that everyone made it safely and enjoyed the time for him.

Menu Monday: Pickle Slaw

Last week we celebrated J's 30th birthday, which was May 31st. I decided to go with a pretty easy menu that was yummy for summer time. I actually let him pick out the main part of the meal (sandwiches) then I added the rest. Oh, he also request Stouffer's Mac & Cheese. I was excited to make homemade but I can't argue with the birthday boy!

I love a good coleslaw, especially with BBQ. A coworker gave me a delicious recipe for a pickle slaw. It's similar to regular slaw but much different at the same time. It's so good! But if you don't like pickles then you will not like this.

Looks similar, right?

One key ingredient in this recipe is the pickles. You must use Farmers Garden by Vlasic. They are delicious! With the mixture of red peppers. carrots, and onion in the jar it gives them a great flavor. I think they're a little crunchier too!

Here is how you make it:

1 bag of of slaw (you can make it homemade but the bag is easier)

1/2 cup mayo

fresh dill to taste (start with 1/4 c.)

Pickles to taste (I started with 4)

Pickle juice (1/2 cup but I added more)

salt and pepper

Basically this slaw is going to depend on your taste. If you want it to have a little more liquid, add more pickle juice. If you like the dill flavor, add more! I actually like to make it then let it sit overnight and let all the ingredients blend together. It's something a little different and was a big hit!

I gave J a couple of options for the main part of dinner. We talked about burgers and bbq but we get that at every picnic or summer party (although I can never turn down bbq). When he asked me for other options I went straight to my favorite blog--Pioneer Woman. We love everything she makes!

I found these Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches and knew that J would love them (he did). I also liked that I could change up the recipe with different meats, cheeses, and sauces.

I should have warmed it before I took the pic!

PW's look much better

These sandwiches were all made the morning of, then I just popped them into the oven about 20 minutes before it was time to eat and wallah! I made half roast beef and half ham. I did make two with Cheez-whiz, which J's brother enjoyed! They were huge sandwiches and we even had extra. I loved that they were hot (so I could eat them), gooie, and delicious!

Happy Menu Monday and don't forget to link up!

Busy Busy: Brain Dump

We have been so busy around here. I was actually looking forward for things to slow down at the end of the school year but I was totally wrong. I guess it makes the days and week feel faster and that's okay.

• We have 8 days of school left. EIGHT. Where did this year go? Holy cow! This is my second year with this group of kiddos (I looped up) and I feel like I've had them forever. I'm going to be so sad to see them go (for real) but it does feel like the year that never has ended.
  
• I will suddenly become very panicked knowing that when I go back to school in the fall I will have days or weeks until Hadley's arrival. CRAZY!!!
  
• Our house is up for sale. This is stressful in itself. It's hard not being able to move furniture and left heavy objects. I really try not to.
  
• It's weird not knowing where we will be in a month. Will be still be in this home? Will we find a new home? I hate not knowing. But I've been praying a lot that whatever happens will be what is supposed to happen for us. If we don't sell then we need to stay where we are and it's for a reason. If we do sell, then I hope we find a great home for our new addition.
  
• J will be 30 in eight days. I'm pretty excited for his birthday celebration this weekend (pictures to come).
  
• Wednesday is field day. It's supposed to rain. Thursday is 5th grade picnic. It's supposed to rain. This means I have to find something entertaining for my class to do :( #movieday
  
• One of my good friends (shout out to Abby) is due with her baby very soon. My other good friend is having her shower in just a few weeks. It's baby central around here!
  
  Now just to make it through the next 8 days and home free! Summer vacay here I come!

Hello May!

I'm so happy May is finally here. April was a long month! Testing for school is officially over. The kids took their test yesterday and I'm so thankful we are finished. I'm so proud of all the hard work they have done. Now if I could get them to remember we still have 22 days of school left, that would be great!

Things to look forward to in May:

Visiting my cousins

Teacher Day at Chick-fil-a

My first (kinda) Mother's Day 

Hadley's baby shower at school with my coworkers!

Two PD days at school

5th Grade Talent Show

J camping--excited for him even though I'll miss him

Sister's 19th birthday!

Memorial Day

5th Grade picnic

Last day of school--bittersweet!

J's 30th birthday!!!!

What are you looking forward to this May?

J and his girl

We have this blog mainly to document what is going on in our lives. Up until now it has been pretty bland. Our lives have consisted of our sweet furbabies and grad school. But now that I'm done with  school and J is almost done with school and there is a baby on the way, our lives have started to shine a little. Which has been quite fun!

Last week I announced that we are expecting a little girl! I also wanted to post about the short conversation I had with J later in the day. This is definitely more of a meaningful conversation between him and I but it's something that I never want to forget, which is why I'm posting about it. Honestly, I don't think I will ever be able to forget it. At the end of the year, when I will hopefully be able to make a blog post book, I will be able to go back and remember the excitement we had while waiting for our baby.

After we were told it was a girl I was ecstatic! But I was kind of worried about J. I knew we would both be happy with either one, but for him I wanted to have a boy because I knew how important it was for J to play football with him in the back yard or teaching him how to throw a baseball. But I'm not loosing this dream. One day it will happen. I know he will be a great girl dad because he has such a soft heart and a lot of patience with little kids. He's definitely the type to dress up and play tea party. No matter what it was, we both said going into the ultrasound we would be thrilled and we just wanted a healthy baby.

Later that evening J went out to get his haircut and run a few errands. I told him to give me a call if he had time or had to wait. A few hours after he left, the phone rang. We were talking about our wonderful day and I thanked him for making it so special for me. Then he told me the sweetest thing I had ever heard. He explained to me that as he was driving in his car he looked at the passenger seat beside him. He imagined a little girl sitting there in her dress and ruffled socks kicking her legs back and forth. He imaged taking her to one of my favorite tea rooms and having a daddy/daughter date. Just the two of them.

Melt. My. Heart.

At that moment I no longer worried about J being somewhat bummed it was a girl. He's not the type that gets excited. There's never been any jumping up and down or "wahoo-ing" from him {unless OSU wins} but usually smiles and comments. He doesn't even like to give me high-fives but will if I get super excited. But I didn't need that reassurance. What he told me, about imagining what life was going to be like with he and his daughter, was enough.

With lots of tears, I told him that was the sweetest thing I could have ever heard him say.

I can't wait to see that day.

Now that our family knows he has been telling everyone, helping me pick out clothes, bedroom decor, you name it. The excitement is definitely showing!

Weekends in the {Not So} Newlyweds house

We definitely live up to the not so newlyweds on the weekends. Especially over the last few weekends.

Let's start from the beginning. I'm a mean wife. I know, I know. When J and I got married we both had some debt and I was (still am) teaching piano lessons to pay off my student loans. Since J wasn't to educated on credit cards, I made him get a second job to finish paying them off. There was a brand new pizza place in town and I told him to try it out. Almost three years later and he's still there. Cards are all paid off. I'm not forcing him to be there. He enjoys it. No lie! And hey, I can't complain about some extra cash! We had discussed a few months back about him quitting. He decided to quit in January. Next thing I know, he decides to only work Friday nights instead of both Friday night and Saturday night. Since I basically crash on Friday nights after work and piano, I was supportive about his decision (even asking if he was sure he wanted to continue working there altogether).

J and I decided that Saturday nights were our nights. We don't have a lot of quality time during the week due to meetings, class, piano lessons, etc., so Saturday was just for us. I was excited for this new adventure! We've only had a few of these in the past four years of our marriage.

Since the first weekend of January our Saturday nights have been spent at home! We watch movies, play games, catch up on things that need done around the house. We are boring.

This weekend we cleaned and organized...a lot. But it's so nice to get things done. We feel good about ourselves and the house when everything is picked up and ready for the week.

Is this blog post super exciting and something I needed to share? No. But it's nice to go back in a year or more and read how we spent our time. I know when we have kids our weekends will be anything but boring, so we shall enjoy it while we can!

Happy Monday!

#FourYears

Four years ago, I walked down the isle and married a wonderful man.

Four years ago, it was snowing, sleeting, and raining, but we still looked fab!

{note my big tight hair-we weren't sure how it was going to 

hold up in the crazy weather. It settled by the reception.}

Four years ago and I'm still thankful that my dad was able to walk me down the isle.

Four years ago, we said "I do!"

Four years ago, I was lucky to have my friends by my side.

Four years ago, we danced the night away.

Four years ago, we toasted to the years ahead!

Happy anniversary to my amazing husband! I'm so thankful for all he does for me and our future family. We been through a lot of ups and downs together in our short four years, but we come out together and stronger every time. I'm so proud of him for working so hard to get through grad school and starting his doctorate.

I'm so excited for this year and the many years to come together!

All my love

Note: Four years later and I'm still regretting my photographer...