Day 484: March 29th- Ice Cream Cones and Visits!

 Today was a bit of a boring day, haha! Ethan was working... and working some long shifts. So, I hung out at the house and relaxed. Finally about 5:30PM or so, my parents came to visit! They decided to come up (since I hadn't been feeling very good) and have dinner with me. We ended up going to Subway and the Dari Twist. Yes, indeed.... I got a yellow cake batter ice cream cone!  

It was SOOO yummy :) I shouldn't have ate it (considering I'm lactose intolerant, haha) but it was well worth it! :) Mom and Dad got some ice cream too and we headed back to the house to relax for awhile :)

And here is mom and dad before they left:

 Ethan finally got home and we headed over to his mom's house because today was his brother's 23rd birthday :) Ethan bought Jon some cooking equipment and an amazing glove.. and Arena bought Jon a brand new grill. How pretty is this? 

Happy Birthday, Jon!

And cheers to Project 365! :)

Tons O' Topics Day 17

Day 17: What is the bravest thing you've seen someone else do? It can be someone you know personally, something that you witnessed, etc.

I know I'm probably a little biased here, but I will say the bravest thing I have seen 'someone' do is--
 
WOMEN GIVING BIRTH TO THEIR CHILDREN.
 
I've yet to do this yet, but I can tell you this--
 
Women become completely sacrificial once they see those two pink lines on that pregnancy test. It's no longer about what YOU want, but it becomes what they NEED. Where you once ate whatever you wanted, drank and partied with your friends, slept in late, did all kinds of crazy things...
 
Now you're focusing on taking vitamins every morning, trying not to throw up, drinking plenty of water, eating the right foods, getting enough rest....
 
You let this other person occupy space within you for 9-10months. They call the shots now. (Am I right ladies? haha!)
 
And then, you go through HOURS of labor to bring this beautiful baby into the world. It hurts, it's painful (of course, I don't know EXACTLY yet... we're getting there, haha) but I can tell you after experiencing all that I have experienced during this pregnancy, pregnant women are some of the BRAVEST people that I know.  

Day 483: March 28th- Taco Soup and Dilation!

Lets start our morning off with a quote from HolliesQuotes: "One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful." - Sigmund Freud

This really hit home with me today and I thought I would share....

And now for MONDAY'S update! :)

I woke up this morning with an agenda:

- clean this MESSY house (the weekend always does that to us...)
- throw in the ingredients for 'Taco Soup'
- shower
- doctor's appointment

First duty was throwing in those lovely ingredients for soup! I wanted to let it cook while I was cleaning and getting ready for my 1:30PM doctor's appointment. So, what's all in 'Taco Soup' you might be wondering?

- brown 1lb. of ground beef
- cut up one onion
- take 2 cans of Rotel dip (I used Queso Cheese Dip salsa... that's what I wanted to make it creamier)
- 1 can of yellow corn
- 1 can of white corn
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can of kidney beans
- 1 can of pinto beans
- 2 packs of dry taco seasoning
- 1 pack of dry ranch mix

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but honestly.... all you do is PURCHASE those. The most work you'll have to do is browning the hamburger. Open up all of the other things and throw those into the crock pot. Do not drain anything (except for the hamburger obviously), cook on high for 4 hours, and voila. You have taco soup! We topped ours with shredded cheese and sour cream.

I forgot to take a picture since we were too busy scarfing down the food, but here's what it should look like.

(Picture taken from here)

Once that was thrown together, it was cleaning time! As I previously stated, our house was a wreck, so I really had to focus on getting things done. I vacuumed, scrubbed floors, scrubbed counters, dusted, scrubbed the toilet and bath tub (the bath tub was so gross from a husband that works in a factory setting...) And FINALLY it was done. But you want to know my favorite part of cleaning?

First of all..... the vacuum lines on the carpet.

Seriously. Does that NOT make you smile? haha! I just love looking at them. It makes the house look so much cleaner and so much nicer.

And my other favorite part?

Sweeping my kitchen. Weird, right? Well, I LOVE doing it because I LOVE my broom!

Adorable, right? haha! Now you see why my husband won't clean ;) LOL

Once the house was clean, it was shower time... and then it was relaxation time... and then... it was DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT time. I was super anxious because I wanted to know how much I was dilated! The appointment was at 1:30PM and wouldn't you know it... the doctor didn't come in to check me until 3:00PM. I was dying! Ethan was freaking out because he wanted to know... and we got the news, 'Alyssa, you're still only dilated 1.' AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I'm ready to have this child, hahahaha! And she's just not wanting to make it happen. Oh well, I guess we'll see what this week/weekend has in store. I just keep telling myself-- she can't stay in there forever, LOL So, with that news, I scheduled an appointment for next Monday too. My 40 week appointment. Lord, let this child come soon! LOL

The rest of the night was spent walking, bouncing on a bouncy ball, and relaxing!

Cheers to Project 365!

Negativity And It's Dramatics

 

  A group of friends and myself have decided to start writing concerning a certain blog topic each week. And well, since this week we have all been trying to focus on being POSITIVE, our blog topic for the week is: "Why is being positive so much harder than being negative in life?" And my answer to that? DRAMA. And no, no, no... I'm not talking about "drama queens" and I'm not stating that what you are being negative about is simply drama and it should not effect you. What I am saying is this: What is there to discuss when what you're discussing is positive? People soon run out of "congratulations" or "yays." But boy oh boy, when you're discussing something negative... people can EXPLODE. They can vent. They can rant. They have so much more to say on the subject! Do you ever find that you share more of the negative things in life with others than you do the positive? Exactly. Because people want a reaction. (and when I say people, I'm talking about myself too!) Most stories told include some kind of negativity because, well, it makes for a better story, right? I find myself just thinking about the dramatic things that have taken place in my life when I get around others because it seems like people are more interested in that then hearing something like, "Oh, my husband got paid $40.00 extra this week, thank God!" I think to myself-- "People want to hear something a little more intriguing.. tell them about the people at his work place causing problems..." And truth be told-- I've got to get out of that habit. I've got to focus on the positive (even if others don't think it makes for a very appealing story..) I will certainly be healthier because of it! Negativity only tears you down. Dwelling on negativity only brings down your spirits. It just isn't worth it!  Winston Churchill stated, "For myself I am an optimist-- it does not seem to be much use being anything else." This is something we should always keep in mind. Pessimism and negative thinking/attitudes get you no where in life. Pessimism is like a rocking horse-- it gives you something to do, but you get no where while doing it!  Cheers to positive thinking! If you'd like to read more about negativity vs. positivity, visit some of my friend's blogs who are also writing about this subject: Emily C.
Emily H.Kris M.
Channing G.  

Tons O' Topics Day 16

 Day 16: What gives you hope? When I see someone do something kind for someone. My hope in society and the world gets lifted.  God gives me hope, because He never leaves me. I feel so blessed to know and trust in Someone that encourages me, that loves me, that embraces me. I know I'm not perfect, but the fact that He still takes care of me gives me hope! He is with me through every situation and I am so grateful for that! 
  

Day 482: March 27th- Bouncy Balls and Grocery Lists

Here's a quote to start your morning off from Hollie's Quotes: "The thing is--- fear can't hurt you anymore than a dream." [William Golding] That quote was more something for me to remember and think about than anything else, but hopefully it has inspired you today, too! :) And now for our SUNDAY update. I completely forgot to share our new bathroom set-up for Tayler-Bug. See, our bathroom is rather limited on space. We have a towel rack/holder above our toilet that holds our towels and Ethan also has his deodorant, razors, etc. in a small basket as well as his lotion and mouthwash. We also have one cabinet where I hold our excess shampoo/body wash, blow dryer, straightener, extra towels, etc. And that's all the space we have! So, we definitely needed to purchase something to hold Tayler's towels, shampoos, conditioners, thermometer, wash cloths, robe, etc. And this is what we came up with: 

 I love it! It comes out a little bit further than I'd like on the door, but it's what we have to work with, so we're working with it hehe! Yes, how adorable are her towels? I can't wait to see that little duckie on her head, haha! And guess what I sat on today? haha! 

 Yea, yea, yea... it's all they had at the store! LOL I wanted an exercise ball, but hey-- Iron Man works just as good! I read online where if you sit on an 'exercise ball' and roll your hips back and forth or bounce for a little while... it helps encourage labor. Who knows if that is really true since I'm still pregnant LOL but it's fun while I'm doing it (and I get out of breath! haha) We went grocery shopping FINALLY today. Yes, this momma had been slacking on that! We desperately needed it. We were scrounging around our cupboards to make things the past few days and today we grabbed food from 2 different places. Terrible! haha! And I have to say, my husband makes fun of me when we go grocery shopping because I have something like this with me EVERY time--- 

I bring along a list... and the recipe(s) I'm using that week. I don't know how women go to a grocery store WITHOUT a list, haha! I'd be scrambling all over the store, that's for sure. I love having a list because I know WHAT I'm there for. It helps keep me on a budget (most of the times.... pregnancy has put a bit of a damper on that, hahaha!) But the list is awesome... Ethan just thinks it's hilarious. I get it from my mother.. and I love it, haha!

After we got home from the grocery, we made some brownies and cuddled up to watch 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid.' My parents told me it was rather funny, so we rented it off Netflix and decided to indulge! It was so cute, haha! Brought back a lot of middle school memories for the both of us :)

Cheers to Project 365!!!

 

Tons O' Topics Day 15

Day 15: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Why or why not? Yes, I do. I am firm believer in this. I don't believe in coincidences. I believe that God prepares things for us and works hard to make sure everything works together for our good.  For example: Last night my mom called me when she got home from the party we had went to. She said that while driving home, she went the backroads. While driving, she passed a church that had a quote about patience on their sign. It said something like 'Patience is respecting those in front of you as much as you would want respect from the person behind you..." (I know that isn't right, but you get the picture, right? haha!) Anyways, she said she read the sign and thought 'Yea, Lord, that's a great thought..." and she kept driving. As she kept driving on these curvy backroads, a jeep pulled out and started driving in front of her. And guess what?? They were driving about 20mph in a 35. She said she was getting so frustrated because she just wanted to get home. As they were progressing up one of the hills, the jeep in front of her hit it's brakes and then kept going. She said she was getting irritated and yelled in her vehicle, "Why are we stopping!?" The jeep continued driving and mom slammed on her brakes. She was 3 feet from a deer. She said had she not been following this slow vehicle and had they not hit their brakes for that split second, she may have hit the deer. And guess what? On the back of the jeep's bumper, it said 'Friend of God.' Now, you might be thinking 'That's coincidence' but I believe that God had His hand on my mother... and I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. God protected her and did all that He did for her. I thank Him for that and that He takes the time to use EVERYTHING for our good!  
   

Day 481: March 26th- Parties and 38 Weeks Pregnant

  First off, here is a motivational quote from HolliesQuotes:   "The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible." [Richard M. DeVos]   And now for our SATURDAY update :)   Today was a bit of a lazy day. Ethan ran tons of errands (stuff I didn't really care for, haha! Like... going to purchase ammo for his new gun.... lifting weights...) Yea, needless to say, I was perfectly content sitting in my peejays on the couch til 12:30. Don't sue me.. I'm pregnant haha and motivation seems to be abandoning me here lately! But I eventually got up and got going haha! We visited with Ethan's mom and his sister and our nephews and then my mom came and picked me up to head out of town for my cousin's birthday/graduation/leaving for the army party. He turned 18 last week, he graduates in May, and leaves for the army in June.. so why not just have a HUGE party for all of those amazingly awesome celebrations! :)   Here I am prior to leaving for the party. I had to ask myself... can I get any bigger? LOL  

That's a 38 weeks, 2 days belly. Yes, 12 days 'til D-Day. Yes, I'm on the countdown, haha!

Here's a shot of part of the decorations there:

We sat at the army table. There was also a 'birthday celebration' table and a 'graduation celebration' table hehe! We were fascinated by all of the decorations here... army hats... little soldiers. Incredible.

And here's my belly sitting. Sorry I'm so obsessed with snapping pics of this thing, but knowing that it's only going to be there for a little longer makes me kind of sad (and really excited because I'm ready to meet our sweetheart! But I am going to miss that belly, haha!)

And Lady Gaga's song 'Poker Face' came on, so my parents thought they would take the time to BOOGY haha! :)

And here's a shot of Izzy and me. Funny story about her. She came over to the table where I was sitting and touched my belly. I said, "There's a baby in there..." and she says, "Baby in there?" and I said, "Yes! You were a baby 3 years ago..." and she got SERIOUS and looked me straight in the eyes, pointed to herself, and said, "I not a baby. I'm BIG!" hahah! I always forget that's a sensitive subject for 3 year olds! :)  

  (I also hear I look like a mommy in this picture... Maybe I'm starting to grow up, LOL)   And here's a shot of my mom, dad, and myself with the birthday boy/graduate/future USA soldier:  

  Congratulations Nick and we wish you the best! :)   Oh and I have to share the outfit Tayler's Gigi (my mom) bought Tayler yesterday! Since Tayler will DEFINITELY be here by Easter (my due date is the 7th and I highly doubt they'll let me go past April 24th... at least they better not if they know what's good for them ;) HAHAH) this will be here FIRST HOLIDAY with us... and thus, mom thought this was appropriate and I couldn't agree more!  

  I can't wait to see her wear it, hehe! :)   After I got home, I relaxed for awhile until the hubby got home from work. Then TJ and Laken came over and we watched 'Case 39.' What a creepy, creepy movie. But-- I always seem to think philosophically about it and there are some true things hidden within this movie.... especiallly about fear. Let me know if you've watched it and what you thought about it :)  

Cheers to Project 365!