WHW {#87}: PA Baby Shower

.....or, as it felt, "the last shower before the big show" haha

I'll give you the highlights from our weekend in PA and the baby shower my MIL and two SIL's threw for me in today's edition of What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday:

~Made our way up to PA Friday night with my mom in tow and drove through some crazy rainstorms which was no fun (thank goodness MG was driving)

~Listened to the Missing Richard Simmons podcast which I'd heard was good, and it definitely kept our attention during the drive

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~Saturday morning we were up early, had breakfast and got ready for the day. I was told I wasn't allowed at my SIL's house until 11:30 at the earliest (my shower started at noon), so we hung around until around then and then made our way over.

~I walked into the basement/party room area and the decor was super cute! And I was greeted by a gorgeous cake (it was legitimately bigger than our wedding cake haha). My SIL's had also borrowed some of the decor my bestie had put together for my VA shower and incorporated it into the room as well. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

the super cute party favors

(The story behind this diaper cake, I actually love. So when MG and I were struggling through fertility treatments, and about to do IVF, my one SIL had told this older, very religious woman at her church--I dont remember how it came up--but that woman said that she would pray very hard for us to get pregnant. Well, that woman is the one who ended up making us this gorgeous diaper cake, which made it even more special to me. We'd never met this woman, but she gave us a space in her prayers, which makes my heart smile).

~Soon enough everyone was arriving and all of the catching up convos and circulating began. I got lots of compliments on how good I looked (and a weird encounter with my BIL's mom who said I looked great, had me turn around and then said "oh, I see some areas that got bigger"....couldn't have let that go?? womp womp lol)

~My SIL had lunch catered so there was tons of yummy food, but that cake was calling my name (and since I hadn't had my carbs for lunch that day.....hehehe)

us and the grandparents-to-be

~After lunch I opened presents and we were definitely spoiled by all of the extended family and friends. I wasn't joking when I said we might need a Uhaul to get everything home on Sunday (we did leave some of the bigger things at my in-laws place that we don't need right away and they'll bring it down to us once we have the baby). 

~After presents were opened, we figured people would start leaving, and some did, but my shower lasted probably 3-4 hours because people were just chatting and catching up.

~Once everyone left, MG, my mom and I went back to my in-laws house to change, and we ordered food for dinner and then went back to my SIL's house to hang with the family.

~It was so fun sitting around the table, laughing about past stories, hearing about baby stories, and just enjoying being around each other. I'm so glad that my mom was there--she seemed to really have a good time which was nice.

~And just like that, it was time to head home since it was after 9:30 and we were all exhausted from the day. Saying goodbye to everyone was actually kind of emotional since it kind of hit all of us that the next time we'd see each other, there'd be a new member to our family. On the drive home, I kind of got overwhelmed with the feeling of it and started tearing up just thinking about it all. The nerves got me and just thinking about how life is going to be different. I don't regret this at all, but when you know life is about to drastically change, it can hit you. Plus I started thinking about my dad and how he would have loved to have been around to see this. That didn't help the hormones either.

Sunday we got up, had breakfast, packed up the car the best that we could and made our way back home to VA. My MIL had found this little step stool somewhere which totally fit our color and elephant theme (luckily we had room for it in the car because I love it so much)

I got ants in my pants and MG and I decided to install the carseat base in my car, so that's making things for more real every time I get in my car, too.

That was pretty much a wrap on the weekend and what's been hap-"pinning" over here!

Now it's your turn to link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

{Recipe Files}: Easiest, Most Tasty Crock Pot Meatballs

As promised, I'm here to share with you the yummiest crock pot meatball recipe there ever was. Strong statement, yes, but these are a winner in our house and have been eaten multiple times over the last few months since I discovered them!

What You Need:

~1 lb ground beef or turkey (I like it with ground turkey personally)

~1 C Italian bread crumbs

~1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

~1/2 tsp minced garlic (or 1 fresh clove minced)

~1/3 C milk*

~1 egg

~1/2 tsp pepper
~1 tsp dried parsley

~salt to taste (I add very little)

~40 ounces of pasta sauce--this part may be key to why I love these meatballs so much. We use the Victoria brand from Costco. The sauce is SO delicious and you get a two pack (80 oz total). MG and I are sodium nazi's and this pasta sauce has decent levels of sodium when compared to other pasta sauces, too. A win all around!

What You Do:

1. Either spray your crock pot with cooking spray OR use a crock pot liner. I recommend using the liner--it makes clean up SO much easier! (You can find these at Target in the baggy/saran wrap section).

2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the pasta sauce. 

*If the meatballs feel too dry, you can add in more milk. The original recipe called for 1/2 C but I found those to be too mushy and the meatballs fell apart. 1/3 of a C worked perfectly for mine.

3. Roll out about 1-2" balls and either place them in a container to refrigerate overnight, or if you're making it right then, just place them in the bottom of the crock pot.

4. When you're ready to cook them, I add a bit of pasta sauce to the bottom to give a little layer between the meatballs and the crock pot. Put the meatballs in and then cover those suckers with all of that delicious pasta sauce.

5. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours (I usually do about 9) or HIGH for 4-6 hours.

P.S. Your house is going to smell amazing and it's going to torture you and make your tummy growl waiting until it's time to eat these :)

You can serve this up over pasta or by itself. I've been having mine lately with only a smidge of pasta (bc of the Gestational Diabetes) and am totally full afterwards, but have also eaten it over pasta (and then am REALLY full afterwards). 
You can also put these into subs and top with some mozzarella cheese! That was the original way we made these, but pasta was just a little less messy.

And you can obviously load it up with Parmesan cheese, because cheese makes everything better--heh heh :)

This makes about 28 meatballs, depending how big you make them, which is always enough for 4 servings for us.

Enjoy!!

Will Return Shortly

I couldn't get my recap of the weekend together after a really fun weekend in Philly for my baby shower, and today at work is probably gonna be pretty busy, so I'll be back tomorrow with that yummy meatball recipe, and will recap the weekend and the shower shortly.

For now, here's a sneak peak at this awesome diaper cake my one SIL had made for me :)

It was so cute, I felt super guilty taking it apart!

Happy Monday friends :)

This N That

A post with a little of this, and a little of that!

~I'm loving this warmer weather we've been having! The only downfall is that the heat is still on in my office and even when it's not turned on, the hot air seeps out of my vents. On Tuesday I was SO hot that one of the teachers I saw said "you look like you got some sun today" and I said "no...that's just my cheeks flushed from being so hot". It was so hot, in fact, that it shot my blood sugar numbers up!

Lucky for me, I'm friends with the building guy and he shut off my heat. Now let's hope there aren't any freak 30 degree days or I'll be a little icicle in here!

~MG got back from a work trip to Germany last night for a few days. I was a little nervous about him being gone, but I'm 34 weeks and SHOULD be ok. Then my friend who was a week ahead of me got induced at 35 weeks (on Monday) and I semi panicked. Luckily she and baby are doing well, and me and baby are good, and MG is back home so I can stop having mini panic sessions. #phew

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~With MG's travel, we now totally have enough miles to get ourselves to Hawaii which has been a goal of ours since Greece!

When we will be able to actually take said trip, who knows....but at least we have the miles now! #thankyouworktrips

{via} I can already picture myself lounging on the beach...haha

~I have my PA shower this weekend and I think only like 4 people have gotten stuff for us off of our registry, which is a little disappointing. I'm sure we'll still get some cute/nice things, but there are still things on there that we need, so I guess we'll just be buying a bunch of stuff after this weekend. (I totally don't mean that to sound ungrateful at all, so if it comes off that way, I don't mean it to!)

~Also on that note, why do people ask you if you already have certain things, when they can clearly see that you registered for it, and someone bought it? It's like when people text asking details about a wedding when you sent them the information cards. Look it up!! (again, not trying to sound ungrateful, just a small rant!)

~I started reading a book by an author I've really liked in the past (Harlan Coben), and I started with the first book in a series he's written, but I'm finding that it was written so long ago (1995) that it's totally out of date. Like they're talking about using *69 to figure out who called. Those kind of things kind of take me out of the story a bit--does anyone else ever have that happen? I'm regretting spending $8 on the Kindle edition. Womp womp.

~I have no idea what to wear for our newborn photo shoot once our baby girl arrives. I have no idea what my body is gonna look like or what's going to fit which is my main problem... any advice from mamas? I'm thinking I'll just wear one of my flowy pre-pregnancy shirts and hope it covers whatever bumps and bulges there are!

~Did you guys see that they are doing a Southern Charm Savannah??? Apparently starting in May! Read about it here if you didn't see it already!

~I made dinner Monday night and had 4 servings worth of food. And by the time I had it for the third time, I was kind of over it. But I hate to waste food. One of the problems with cooking for one I suppose (but I did enjoy not cooking dinner the next night!)

~Speaking of food, I'm making the best meatballs ever today in my crock pot! I've made them so many times and I always forget to take pictures to share with you, but I didn't forget this time and I'm gonna share the recipe with you all next week! They are SO easy and SOOOOOO good!

Ok, on that drool-worthy note, I'm off!

WHW {#86}: My Pregnancy Essentials

Happy last Wednesday of March, and another round of What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday!
Before I get started with some of my pregnancy essentials, can you all take a minute and let us know if you still like the link up? We are getting less and less interest as the weeks pass by and are just wondering if it's still worth it for Jessi and I to host this link up weekly?

The best thing that I realized after writing this all out is that you can get it all on Amazon!

Belly Bands

this isn't the exact kind that I got, but it gives you an idea of what they look like

These are what helped me extend the life of my non-maternity jeans during the first trimester. They helped to keep the ever-widening gap between the two flaps of my jeans (that were less and less easy to button and/or zip), flat so that it wasn't obvious to the whole world that my pants weren't closed up. After getting some great maternity jeans (motherhood maternity Indigo Blue brand are my faves!), I've just been living in those from second trimester on.
Link to the ones I got on Amazon: 2 pack for $15.69

The Spoiled Mama Tummy Butter:

 I heard about this one from Owen, and then saw it a few more places. It is pricey, but it goes a LONG way (I've been using it since early in the first trimester and am just getting to the end of the jar now). So far, no stretch marks (even though I know that's more hereditary than anything). I like that it goes on and dries pretty quickly so it doesn't feel oily or sticky for a long time. It's perfect to rub on after the shower and give my growing bump some love.

Baby Bargains book (they have an updated version as of April 2017)

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This book was the perfect supplement to all of the amazing mama recommendations I had from friends. The hard part about getting so many recommendations is that a lot of them are different and you're stuck right back where you were before. This book goes through the pros and cons of all things baby (cribs, carriers, strollers, bath supplies...etc etc) It really helped me narrow down even further from the recommendations I got from friends, in addition to the cost of it all. It definitely helped me figure out my registry.

Hiccapop Wedge

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My SIL got this for me around Christmas when I was just getting into my 2nd trimester. It helps as a wedge for your back (to keep you from rolling onto your back), or under your belly for some extra support. I've used this later in my pregnancy for between my legs since my most painful situation is when I've been laying on my sides all night and my hips hurt. I didn't find the need for the huge pregnancy body pillow, but some people might. This was definitely a nice solution for me. Added bonus: it has a soft side and a harder side, so you can flip back and forth depending on your needs.

Baby Center App (not available on Amazon)

This one is still being used because it has good information for every day of your pregnancy. Plus the weekly updates about how big your baby is, and how your baby is growing and developing are great--it's part of our weekend routine to read about what's going on with Baby G for the week ahead. Added bonus? It's Free!!
Another good one is What to Expect, however I found the app to be a little overwhelming with information about pregnancy and after pregnancy stuff. Baby Center kept it nice and simple for me.

These were some of the staples for me-- hopefully they help any newly pregnant friends out there!

Now it's your turn to  link up with Jessi and I and share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

Weekending: The One with Girl's Night

Can you guys believe it's already the last week of March? Like seriously I feel like time is FLYING by!

My weekend wasn't terribly busy and I didn't take many pics. In fact, I only really took two...and one of them was on Snapchat that I didn't download to my phone so I only have one to show for it.

My weekend highlights included:

~Friday night girls night to celebrate me and my friend Cali's birthdays earlier this month

~Dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and lots of fun with my girls!

~Saturday morning we ran to Costco for some things and then stopped by our condo to chat with our friend/tenant

~Had lunch at home and then went for a 2.5 mile walk around the lake by our house since the weather was in the upper 70's.

~Busted out our zero gravity chairs to enjoy the deck (and it also feels heavenly on your back when you're in zero gravity)

~Started a new book after finishing The Power of One

~Sunday was supposed to be nice weather again but it was chilly and overcast all day, making me just want to stay inside and watch tv/movies and read....so that's what I did.

~Chatted with my SIL's on the phone, just catching up

I also got some loads of baby clothes, sheets, bibs etc done so pretty much everything that I have right now is washed and ready to go (minus the things I'm keeping tags for since we don't know how big she's gonna be or how fast she's gonna grow).

So like I said, it was a pretty low key weekend overall, but the girls night was definitely a high point! :)

Friday Fun!

Even though I've been totally off on what day it is all week, I'm happy to report that it is, in fact, finally Friday!

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This week was a good one, albeit busy at work, and had some fun stuff come along with it!

~These PJ's~

{via} $19.99  the piping is a light pink color

In my prep to have my hospital bag ready, I read that I should bring a comfy pair of PJ's with me that button in the front, which I don't own, so I went to the mecca that is Target and picked up these OH SO COMFY pj's. They are SO soft and the Small fits me now (given, not entirely well), so I think post partum, they'll fit even better. If you're looking for a super soft and cozy pair of short pj's, look no further!

~Mail Days~

don't mind the one on the left--I had already taken it out and then tried to put it back for the photo #fail

Don't you love when something arrives that you totally forgot about?? I won the SwaddleDesigns giveaway on Brittany's blog a few weeks ago, and since then had totally forgotten about it. Then when I got home on Wednesday, I had a package waiting for me which I figured was another baby shower gift. But when I opened it, it was my set of 4 swaddles! And I had seriously JUST added this exact set to my registry that morning because I realized I was lacking in the swaddle/receiving blanket department. They are super cute and soft and will be washed this weekend in prep for baby!

~Butt Massages~

Yep, you read that right. One of the highlights of my week is getting butt massages. At our birthing class we learned various massage techniques that help relieve pressure/pain, and one of them was lower back/butt massage (lots of pressure points in your butt!). This week particularly at the end of the days my lower back hurts quite a bit, so MG has been a godsend and has been massaging my lower back and one spot on my butt that is SO super sore. God bless that man. And BOY does it feel good!

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~Cuddles~

Cooper has always been a cuddle bug, and my pregnancy hasn't changed that (he just has less room to cuddle on now). Case and point is this photo from Wednesday night:

~For Laughs~

I mentioned it yesterday, but seriously check out BOTH of the Chapelle stand up specials on Netflix. MG and I watched the second one last night and at one point we were both laughing so hard we were crying (and I almost peed my pants). If you like Chapelle, and have some free time this weekend, definitely put it on.

~Funnies~

How I felt walking into my coworkers office and seeing the most monstrous cupcake I've ever seen in my life

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When you want to play with your friends' baby but he's too distracted to pay attention

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What I think when I hear the saying "dance like no one is watching"

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When my husband asks what the packages by the front door are

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Me, on Friday, at the end of the day

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Hope the day is quick, and the weekend is gorgeous! Catch you loves on Monday!