Day 43: What you Would do With the Power of Invisibility

I wouldn't do the silly things that most people say-- I wouldn't spy on people. I would't listen in on their conversations. (Ignorance is bliss from where I stand and the less I know, the better!!) So, having said that, I'd do stuff like this..

1. Move things around on people. How hilarious would that be? They sit down with a big, cold glass of water. Grab the remote, flip the channels, and I pick up the glass of water and move it. The go to grab it and it's missing. I fall over laughing hysterically (and they can't even see it hahahaha!) HILARIOUS. I'd definitely pull some cute little pranks.

2. Do really kind things for others. Yeah, I'm going to the other end of the spectrum :) Maybe I overhear someone talking about their money struggles, so I randomly place a $20.00 bill in their wallet. Or leave food on the doorstep of someone's house without ever being seen. How amazing would that be?

3. Give people hugs. How cool would that be? You feel a hug... but you don't see anyone? It messes with your mind, but it still makes you feel all warm and cozy inside. Okay, probably not. They'll probably be freaking out that a ghost is surrounding them. Either way, it'd be beneficial, haha! :)

Project 365: Day 459- March 4th

So. I have to say-- I'm getting old. What did I get excited about today? WE GOT A NEW VACCUUM CLEANER! Oh my heavens, how exciting is that? hehe! Our vaccuum broke a few weeks ago and we were trying to just get it fixed but it was going to cost a good bit to get it fixed, so we figured, hey! Why not just spend about $15 more dollars and just get a new one that we LOVE (and that has a hose!) So, we did it and oh my word, I'm in heaven, haha!



How cute is that little beauty? I know! :)

And then I met my mom at Walmart for some grocery shopping. Never good when you're hungry, but oh well. We needed it so I could get the stuff for our meals this week! I'm excited because I'm trying some new recipes!! :) We'll see how it all goes this week, hehe!

See all that yogurt? YUM YUM YUM!

And prior to grocery shopping, my mom gave me a present from a lady that she works with and her husband :) She bought Tayler some adorable things!

(An adorable little outfit, hehe! I just love it and it's perfect for summer!)

(Some cute bibs! "Mommy's little lovebird" hehe! She is!)

(And a cute pair of shoes, bows, socks, and finger-nail clippers kit)

Thank you so much Tammy and Paul!

I came home, unloaded all of the groceries, ate a snack, and went to bed! I was beat and the contractions were just starting for the evening, haha!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 42: The Things You're Good At

1. SMILING :) I absolutely LOVE smiling and I like to think I'm good at it haha!
2. Making people smile. I love telling jokes, writing funny things, etc.
3. Inspiring people. I also like to think I'm good at that too. I love posting quotes, I love writing inspirational things. I love helping people see the beauty in the world around us!
4. Cooking. I won't say I'm the best or even close to being a chef, but I'd like to think that my mom taught me well and that I'm a pretty decent cook hehe! Ethan might even agree ;) hehe!
5. Organizing. I LOVE making lists, organizing places, purchasing things to organize with, etc.
6. Game shows! Are you allowed to be good at something like that? haha! I LOVE the Game Show Network and I think I could totally smack down someone in Family Feud. Juss' sayin, hahaha!
7. Eating. I won't go into those details. haha! :)
8. LOVING :).

Project 365: Day 458- March 3rd

Today marked being 35 weeks pregnant :) We've got 14-35 days to go until we can meet our sweetheart... and my nerves and excitement are seriously going to cause me to BURST!  :) I don't feel like I'm getting any bigger, but I do know that my contractions are getting stronger.. Which only means one thing: SHE'S ALMOST HERE! I could cry just thinking about it. I lay in bed every night, close my eyes, and picture the doctor holding her up after that final push... and seeing her for the very first time. I picture them cleaning her up and bringing her over to me, all swaddled up, and gazing into that face. I know she's going to be breathtaking. Babygirl, mommy can hardly wait to meet you! Not much longer now!



And here's an upclose bare belly shot, haha!

And look mommy, NO FEET! hahaha! You can see the immense amount of space she's taking up if you look at my belly from this direction, haha! I LOVE it :)

I relaxed the rest of the day.. worked on a grocery list, but got started on dinner in the afternoon! I was trying out "Crunchy Taco Chicken" this evening... and oh my word, it was tasty! Like I always say, haha, I don't want to toot my own horn LOL but it was yummy!!!

And here's my plate... with crunchy taco chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a salad. OH YES! I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEED it!

Would you like the "Crunchy Taco Chicken" recipe? Click HERE.

After dinner, we ran some errands. We ran to Sam's Club and met our friend Lindsey there. She was giving us some bottle brushes for Tayler because we didn't have any yet! They are adorable!!! Thank you SO much Lindsey!

And Tayler Bug's Daddy bought her a few things last night! :) He bought her an adorable little toy/stuffed animal, some white onesies (because we have NONE lol), and an adorable little sleeper. He's such a good daddy!

Carrie and Matt came over later and told us they got the trailer next to us which is awesome!! I'll finally have a friend close by and Tayler will have a playmate because Carrie is my fellow preggo pal that is due a little over a week before me! :) Then Laken and TJ came over and we all watched "American Idol." :) It was elimination night and I came out PRETTY CLOSE to the right finalists. I switched around a couple. Here's the list and you'll see parentheses around the people I didn't pick, but congratulations to them nonetheless :)

1. Casey Abrams
2. Naima Adedapo

3. Lauren Alaina

4. James Durbin

5. (Ashton Jones) -- I would have picked Kendra Chantelle, but to each his own! :)

6. (Stefano Lagone) -- He really redeemed himself with "I Need You Now" last night, but I loved Robbie!

7. Jacob Lusk

8. Scotty McCreery

9. Paul McDonald

10. Thia Megia

11. Haley Reinhart

12. (Kim Rodriguez)

13. Pia Toscono

I'm really excited about next week! It will be interesting to see who continues on in this journey and who doesn't. It's going to be a great season!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 41: Times When you Looked and Felt Your Absolute Best

1. Well.... right now. Thank God :) I don't know if I LOOK my absolute best hahaha (I've gained 29 pounds with this little chunker ;) LOL) but I feel AMAZING and I hope that doesn't change. God has truly blessed me this pregnancy and I have never felt healthier! Sure, my blood sugar drops a little more quickly, I'm out of breath a little more often, but waking up in the morning-- I FEEL ALIVE :) I LOVE being pregnant and will do this again some day, Lord willing hehe!

2. Prom. I felt like a princess. Honestly. I am not one to really get all dressed up, with the curls, and a big puffy dress, but that night I did and that night I felt like a beauty hehe! :)

3. Every day I'm with Ethan. Okay, okay.... don't sit there and say "Ewww" or "Gag me!" LOL It's all true. I don't mean to be cheesy, but let me tell you-- my husband makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world EVERY DAY. I swear. Every single time he walks through the door from work, he tells me how beautiful I am. Tells me he loves my hair. Something to remind me how he feels about me. It really helps with my self esteem.. and the fact that some days I feel HUGE, lol, and he still looks at me like he did the first day we met. It takes my breath away :)

Project 365: Day 457- March 2nd

I had a pretty lazy day today. With the increasing number of contractions I was having Tuesday, the orders were to take it easy today and that's what we did :) Tayler and me (yes, we are a package deal, haha) put our feet up and enjoyed some game show network :) Earlier in the afternoon, I put together the ingredients for Mixed Berry Cobbler. The recipe stated that it would take about 3-4 hours in the crock pot, sooo I combined everything and put it in the crock pot about 12:30PM. (Here's the recipe link for Mixed Berry Cobbler: Recipe)

Ethan finally called and said he would be home for some dinner, so I also threw together a Breakfast Casserole (Ethan's favorite!) Would you like the recipe for our breakfast casserole? Of course!

I bought a frozen bag of hash browns at the store and pu...t those on the bottom of the casserole dish. I scrambled 5-7 eggs and put those on top of the frozen hashbrowns. Then, I cooked about 10-12 slices of bacon and crumbled those up over the eggs. Then I bought frozen sausage crumbles and poured those over the bacon. Smothered ALL of that in sausage gravy and added a little bit of cheddar cheese and pepper. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour and you're ready to go!!! :) We have wheat toast with ours! It's YUMMY!

Here's a shot of the breakfast casserole (this is my plate, without scrambled eggs. BLECH, haha!)

And here's a shot of the Berry Cobbler (after it was eaten, taken out of the crock pot, and put in the storage bin hahah!)

Then, Ethan had to work AGAIN :( Breaks my heart when he has to work day and night, but what can you do right? So, I spent the evening cuddled up in bed. I talked to my mom a little bit about labor and other things, then it was American Idol time! :) The girls performed last night and if I can be honest, I don't think it's a girl's year to win. We'll see, but I have my doubts, haha! So, what ladies do I think will make it through?

** Lauren Alaina-- MY FAVORITE! :)

** Haley Reinhart-- This is my husband's favorite. I think it's just the short skirt ;) haha! No, I'm kidding! She's really good!

** Pia Toscono- She got a standing O. She better make it through :)

** Thia Megia--  Young, but an amazingly strong voice!

** Kendra Chantelle-- LOVED her version of "Impossible!" I hope she makes it through!

And the judges wild card pick? Naima Adedapo. I think they like her style. I don't know if America will vote her through, but I think the judges will keep her! :)

So, lets recap. Who is going to be our Top 12 American Idol finalists? I think this:

1. Lauren Alaina

2. Haley Reinhart

3. Pia Toscono

4. Thia Megia

5. Kendra Chantelle

6. Naima Adedapo

7. James Durbin

8. Scotty McCreery

9. Jacob Lusk

10. Casey Abrams

11. Paul McDonald

12. Robbie Rosen

What are your thoughts? We'll see how close I get! :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 40: The Most Important Turning Points in Your Life

1. Seeing that positive on our pregnancy test July 29th, 2010. That was the MOST amazing turning point IN MY LIFE. I knew from that moment on, my whole life was about to change. It was overwhelming. I remember feeling so scared, so nervous, but so happy and excited! This little lady has been SUCH a blessing, it is unreal!

2. The day I married Ethan. Dating him was wonderful, but marriage creates brings a whole new aspect to a relationship. It's the "commitment" part. It's HUGE. I mean, I was obviously very committed to him while we were dating, but calling him my sweet hubby is just WONDERFUL :)

3. Graduating from High School. It sent me from "childhood" to "adulthood" really quickly. After graduation, I was soon thrust into a world where I was starting new. I could go to any school, pick any major, decide what path I wanted to head down. What a turning point, right?

4. Graduating from college. It also opened new doors for me. Of course, those doors led me back to school to get my Master's Degree, but it has been an amazing journey thus far and has been such a wonderful turning point in my life! I am SO beyond thankful for it :)

5. Publishing my book. It brought my dreams to reality. It spoke to me. It told me that I could do ANYTHING if I put my mind to it! I am so thankful for that turning point. It truly changed my world!

Project 365: Day 456- March 1st

I woke up this morning with an agenda! I was making stuffed peppers for dinner in the crock pot and according to what I'd been reading online, they needed about 6-8 hours to cook (on low.) PLUS, our landlords were coming over today, so I wanted to clean up the house, mop, etc. I got up started cleaning... dusting, mopping, sweeping, laundry, etc. And then it was stuffed peppers time! :) Want the recipe? OF COURSE!

I took 6 green peppers and cut the top off of them and cleaned them out in the middle.
I cooked 1 1/2 cups of rice.

After that was done, I stirred in 1 lb. of un-cooked hamburger with the rice.
I took the rice and hamburger combination and stuffed it inside of the peppers.
I took 1 mozzarell cheese stick and stuck it down the middle of the peppers.
Then, I dumped 1 jar of pizza sauce all over the peppers
and I added 1 cup of water to the crock pot.
Then I covered the peppers with pepper and garlic.

And here was what it looked like PRIOR to cooking:



And what did it look like afterwards? Oh AMAZINGNESS. I know I know.. I shouldn't be this excited about food, but I was sooo worried about these stuffed peppers because I'd read over and over about how they re funny things to cook. You want them to be soft and not too hard, etc. Well, these were so soft! They were falling apart when I put them on our plates! I am so happy that they turned out! We even had leftovers so yes indeed, those are our lunches for tomorrow :)

I cooked them from about 945AM to about 4PM. And this is what they turned out looking like:

Ethan enjoyed them.. and so did I, so I think we did okay, hehe! :)

We also got our bottle sterilizer for our sweetheart today! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's the kind that you don't put in the microwave, which makes me very happy!

And I thought I'd take a picture of our hospital bags (well, Tayler and mine)... Daddy is still slacking in that area, dang it, haha!!

And we spent the rest of the evening cuddled up watching "American Idol" :) The top 12 guys performed tonight!

Here's my opinion on the top male performers along with my top 5 picks:

**James Durbin-- tries too hard to be like Adam Lambert, but has a great voice. Not my favorite though.

**Scotty McCreery-- should definitely advance. One of my favorites-- and I think he'll get a country deal with someone regardless. He has THAT voice.

**Jacob Lusk-- moves you with every performance. Should advance.

**Casey Abrams-- ABSOLUTELY LOVED his performance last night! He's different and that's what I like! Definitely one of my favortes!

****Paul McDonald-- MY FAVORITE!!!! :) He better advance if America knows what's best for them, haha!

Stefano Langone-- Did not like his performance whatsoever last night. I don't know what judges heard haha, but I wasn't a fan. Love the song, but I think it's for Bruno Mars.

Tim Halperin-- I can't even remember his performance, so not sure, but I don't think I really enjoyed it if I can't remember it LOL

Clint Jun Gamboa-- Alright, here's the deal. Yes, he can sing. BUT, I don't care for his attitude. I haven't been a fan of his since Hollywood week when he asked Jaycee to leave his group. Not a fan. Period.

Brett Loewenstern-- He's a good guy with a lot of energy, but I'm just not a fan personally.

Jovany Barreto-- Beautiful rendition of the song, but I don't think he's American Idol material. I don't foresee him advancing.

Robbie Rosen-- BEAUTIFUL song. I was kind of disappointed that the judges critiqued it as harshly as they did because I enjoyed it, but I don't foresee him advancing (unless the judges vote to save him for their wild card.)

Jordan Dorsey-- Dear heavens, get him off the show. I know, that's really mean of me, but seriously-- he's another one that I haven't been a fan of since Hollywood week.... going around auditioning people for his group and telling them "No that isn't good enough for me." Shoot. Then, doing OMG by Usher for an American Idol performance? You don't even sing. No thanks! I hope he doesn't advance.

There you have it! You see my top 5 picks as to who is moving on and who is not! We'll see if this is accurate Thursday night :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 39: The Places Where you Feel Completely Comfortable to be Yourself

1. My house. Yes, this is where you will find me most like myself :) There's no judgment here, hehe! Ethan knows all about me.. my ups and downs... my cheerful side and my upset side, haha! There's no hiding it here!

2. My parent's house. Another place that I'm very comfortable. Shoot, I better be. I lived there for 23 years of my life :)

3. Anytime I'm around my family. They're a bunch of laid back individuals and I know I can be the lovely person I am (hehe) with them! They all know me. There's no hiding anything haha :)

4. Libraries or book stores. Yep, I get lost in these places and LOVE it. I feel like myself here. I feel free and happy and just... all around.. at peace :)

Project 365: Day 455- February 28th

Today was the last day of February and if you all can remember, my goal was to have all of my homework done by the 1st of March. So, I knew I had TODAY to get 3 homework assignments done and well guess what? I buckled down! And guess what? I finished the last homework assignment about 10 minutes before I had to walk out the door to my doctor's appointment. YAY!! :) Yes, I am finished. All assignments are saved on my laptop and a flash drive and they are ready for submission. It is so relieving to know that now, all I have to do is focus on chunking up Tayler... and delivering her :)



Then, it was time for our 35 week appointment. This is our last every 2 week appointment. The next appointment starts our every week appointments, wahoo! :) It was a pretty good check up today, thank God! I have a problem with being nervous at ANY doctor appointment which always makes my blood pressure go up, but today-- it was NORMAL. :) It's amazing, because the whole way there I prayed and prayed that God would make it normal so they could see I don't have high blood pressure, just a problem with being nervous.. and He did it! He is such an amazing God! :) We're not dialated yet. The doctor said that's what he wants to see at least for about 2 more weeks or so... so Tayler is listening :) But she was a little pistol at this appointment, haha! There was a nursing student in there getting her heartbeat today... and she would find the heartbeat and she would start counting (must have been for a class or something? not sure, haha) and she'd get about 4 seconds into counting and our sweetheart would MOVE. LOL Then she'd lose the heartbeat... haha! She told us we had an ornery one... oh honey, I already know that! :) Welp, we'll see where we're at at the next appointment!

Once I got home, I hurried up and cut up everything I needed for stir fry and started cooking it for dinner. It's a favorite around here (well, besides breakfast casserole, haha) soooo we were both pretty excited about it :) It's SO yummy!

And I spent some time editing my blog-- it has a "St. Patrick's Day" theme now! Go check it out. Oh wait, you already are ;) haha! Hope you all enjoy it!

And we finished the evening cuddled up watching "Pretty Little Liars." Oh yes, it's our addiction.  :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 38: Things that Inspire You

1. Quotes. I think that is quite obvious. Quotes make me think a little deeper. They make me focus on diverse things. They help adjust my outlook/perspective. I LOVE quotes :)

2. Music. Music changes my mood. I know, I've heard that's dangerous, but it does. I can have zero motivation to clean, turn it to channel 901 (the hits station on our local cable station haha) and hear an upbeat song. 10 minutes later, I'm up ready to get my organization on! Riding in the car... music is a must! It relaxes me and inspires me.

3. Hearing stories about people's lives. I LOVE hearing the stories of people's lives. I love hearing about how they overcame obstacles, how they came up from a low spot. I love hearing about people opening their hearts and helping others. It really blesses my heart!

4. Nature. When I was writing my book, I did a great deal of writing outside on our porch swing. I find SO MUCH inspiration and peace outside, it's unreal. Now, let me clarify, haha! I don't find peace and comfort in 90 degree weather. I find a heat stroke, LOL. It's that spring/fall weather... 60 degrees... calm wind blowing. Mmmm :) I do miss that!

5. Art. Art also inspires me. I remember when I went to Paris, every museum we went to, I would just be captivated by the paintings and sculptures that surrounded me. I could have seriously gotten lost in there for hours :)

Project 365: Day 454- February 27th

I posted on Facebook about the chocolate chip pancakes I made for breakfast, so I figured I should take and post a picture of those :) Mmmmm! Too much sugar, but SO SO yummy! Chocolate chip pancakes with bananas, syrup, and powdered sugar :) MMMM :D



Then we got our things together and met my mom, dad, and my little brother at a local arcade/pizza place :) We (Ethan, Brad, and myself) got there a little early, so they got started on the games as soon as we walked through the door, haha! First it was racing:

Then they played some basketball. I swear, they're worse than kids in this place, haha! Ethan decided to pose and although you can't tell-- he scored the highest record there yesterday-- 62 points! He was so proud, haha!

And Brad decided to get a fruity drink... haha!

Here's our little brother-- he won LOTS of tickets in one game and was super excited haha!

Then Ethan kept begging me to play air hockey with him, haha, so after I downed 2 slices of AMAZING meatlovers pizza, I decided to try and dominate him, haha! And actually, it was a tied ball game (6-6) until Ethan scored. Boo him! LOL

See his victory arms? LOSER! hahaha! :)

But my favorite game? Deal or No Deal. I used almost all of my tokens there. It's brilliant. You sit on a stool and press buttons. PERFECT pregnant woman's arcade game, haha!

And here's some pictures of our crew that was there :) Here is Ethan and me with our yummy goodies:

Mom and Dad:

And Brad, Ethan, and me. (The little guy was still off playing games haha)

We had SO much fun! :) I can't wait until Tayler is old enough to take her there, haha! :)

After that, I came home with a terrible migraine again thanks to the lovely weather that is approaching us, haha, and cuddled up to watch "The Oscars" :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 37: The Times You Have Asserted Yourself

This is hard to say without calling out names or certain situations, haha! We'll see how well this goes....

1. A few weeks ago I stood up for myself and part of my family. I had had enough of a few things and it was time to handle the situation. I tried to do it with as much grace and poise as possible and I think it worked.

2. At Walmart Friday night. I asserted myself in the "Site-to-Store" pick up area. Unfortunately, I still didn't get my items (until Ethan picked them up Saturday), but it felt good to assert myself none the less :)

3. Whenever Ethan and I have an argument, I assert myself. He loves it, haha!

4. Being pregnant has encouraged me to be more assertive because it made me think about what I want in this pregnancy, delivery, etc. I know how I feel, how my body feels, etc. It has made me a bolder person.

Those are just a few examples. I felt kind of awkward doing this one, haha!

Project 365: Day 453- February 26th

We woke up this morning and I made hashbrowns, toast, and sausage gravy :) It was YUMMY hehe Then we got a few of Tayler's essentials :) We got a drying rack for her bottles and pacies and we got solar shades for our cars! We're trying to get EVERYTHING ready for her.. and we're almost there! Next task: Overhauling my vehicle (new brake pads, new air conditioner belt, etc.) Here's the things we got today:

[The drying rack]

[Our solar shades]

And guess what? Susan's sweet sister purchased a few things for us and we finally picked those up at Walmart as well! :)

I know, I know... you don't wanna see this, but it's my breast pump! :) So excited!



My nursing wrap because I do want to breast feed our sweet Tayler!

And she purchased a co-sleeper so for those mornings when Daddy heads off to work and Tayler gets in bed with her momma, I can put her in this without having to be constantly worried about rolling over on her :) I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Then I met up with my momma and we went shopping at Hobby Lobby! :) She said she would purchase a few things for my Birthday (yea.. it's a bit early haha.. March 6th, but who's counting right?) so we went around selecting a few things to hang up for the house! :) Here's the picture frame/sign we got for the living room (and we're still waiting for 2 other frames to come in)

The picture frame says "Our Family" and the sign next to it says "Family- the center of life's meaning" :) Beautiful! I am so excited for Tayler to finally be here so we can get some FAMILY pictures :)

And here's Tayler's room. We didn't really "add" anything new to it, but I wanted you to see how crowded it is becoming haha! Once she's here, some of these things will move around the house, but for right now, they're just hanging out in her bedroom, haha!



And we got a sign for the left bathroom wall. I'm still looking for more things to add to it, but for right now, it really brings a nice theme to the room :) I love it!

And our theme in our bedroom is "big cities!" We have a London sign, a Paris/London hook, and a New York case on our black shelf :) Eek! I can't wait to get a few more things to add! I LOVE it :)

Thank you mom and dad for all of those things! Our house looks 10x better because of it hehe!

And then mom and I grabbed some Taco Bell and we headed to a Scentsy/Thirty-One party where I spent entirely too much money, but had such a great time :) I can't wait to get my new scents... blueberry cheesecake, cinnamon, cinnamon vanilla... and a few more! Mmmm! :)

After that, we came home, decorated, grabbed some dinner, and I laid down with a terrible headache. I don't think I ever recovered either, haha. Laken and TJ came over to watch "Due Date" and I only made it through the first 20 minutes. I guess it happens, haha!

Cheers to Project 365!