Weekending in Philly

I'm coming off of a weekend away in PA and not super ready for a full work week, but alas, I'm at it anyway.

At least I have a weekend of highlights to get me through, which included:

~coming home from work on Friday to my first gift off of the baby registry from my friend Shay--it was the mobile that made me fall in love with the bedding for the nursery (when she was pregnant with her first, I bought the first gift off of her registry, which was the mobile for her son's room). It's so dang cute!

 

(not sure why all 4 of the elephants needed tags on their butts  lol)

~grabbed some pizza, packed and got to PA around 9pm since we left after traffic

~Stayed up catching up with my MIL and FIL--they were both wide eyed when they saw how much bigger the bump has gotten since Christmas

~Woke up at 8am Saturday morning (which is a MAJOR sleep in for me), and got some morning bump snuggles from their dog Ginger

~met up with my two SIL's and their families for lunch. It was fun to catch up with them, talk about the shower they're throwing me in PA, ooh and ahh over baby things....the usual. It's always so fun seeing them.

~Got to hang with my one SIL for a while longer since she came back to my MIL's house. During that time, MG and I taught my niece how to parallel park since she has her driver's test on Friday! She did really well! Also, parallel parking is a lot harder without a backup camera haha :)

~Met up with our VA bestie couple and our other couple friends we used to hang with in VA (who moved to PA). The 6 of us haven't been together in well over a year (maybe even almost 2) so it was incredibly fun to have the gang back together again! And we had Mexican food, and you all know my affinity for that--good food, good friends....the night seriously flew by!

~Sunday morning I slept until 8am again (who am I???) which was made easier because the weather was overcast and dreary. MG and I had breakfast, hung around for a bit and then hit the road around 11. My FIL sent me home with Valentine's Day flowers (he always gets all the ladies in the family flowers for Valentine's Day)...and they are gorgeous!

~Driving in rain blows. Luckily we got home with relative ease, and awaiting us was another surprise registry gift from Brittany!

~We ran our errands for the week, did laundry and had a pretty low key rest of the night. 

I also started reading The Nightingale this weekend. It's been on my TBR list for a long time and Katie raved about it right as I was finishing my last read, so I finally got on board. Liking it so far!

How was your weekend? Hopefully it was a great one!

Friday Funnies

I'm just popping in today to leave you with some funnies since I think we all need a couple of laughs to end out the week!

My face when a student tells me he hit another student with a cheese stick "by accident....because I was angry"

{via}

My face when the student can't see, and I share it with my colleague, imagining this kid swinging around a cheese stick at someone else (in addition to his "logic")

{via}

How I felt when some of my pre-pregnancy (albeit flowy) shirts still fit this week

{via}

How some other days feel in clothes

{via}

How it feels when a student tells me they didn't have time to do their speech homework (that should take no more than 5-10 minutes, and they have a week to do it)

{via}

When the weather people say there's going to be snow and a messy morning commute, getting everyone's hopes up for a snow day, and then you wake up to rain:

{via}

Hopefully that got your day off to a good start so you can power through to the weekend! Sending you love-filled wishes for an early Valentine's Day weekend

{via}

Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday, and hopefully as you read this I either have a snow day or delay (update: I don't), which would be super weird considering the last three days the temps have been in the upper 60s and lower 70s, but this tired and sick teacher will take a snow day please and thank you!

I figured I'd share some random thoughts floating around in my head lately:

~I wish parents were more understanding about scheduling meetings. We had parents at my school who are requesting a meeting with 8+ staff members (half of which are not based at my school) for two days later. And they did it at 10pm, and then told us that if we couldn't meet, the next time they could meet was in 2 weeks and that's "unacceptable." I know some doctor's offices you can't get in with 2 days notice and that's only coordinating ONE doctor. #giveusabreak

{via}

~I wish I could somehow block out all politics-related stuff from every aspect of my life when I want/ need to. I feel like I can't escape it: it's on the news in the morning and evening, it's on social media, it's on the internet, and then it ends up in my dreams at night. I need a bliss bubble that I can escape to from time to time. #ineedtoescape #happyplace

{via}

(Case and point: over the weekend I had a dream that KellyAnne Conway was trying to debunk all of the items on my baby registry....can you tell the two things that are at the forefront of my subconscious? lol)

~Baby girl has been super active lately. On Monday night, I was laying on my side trying to fall asleep (made more difficult with a stuffy nose), and baby girl was practicing for the olympic gymnastics team I think! I put MG's hand on my stomach and he was like "whoa! What is she doing in there?" I will admit, feeling those kicks and movements is a bright spot to my day. Sometimes I'm sitting at my desk and I just stop what I'm doing and feel her moving. It's the best.

{via}

~I got a massage yesterday after work and it was much needed. Especially after they cancelled my appointment two weeks ago and then made me wait 2 weeks to get in. I'll be excited to get a regular deep tissue massage (laying on my stomach) after baby is born.

{via}

~I half-ass watch the Bachelor now. I feel like I know almost nothing about the girls because the only thing they show are Nick and the girls making out and snippets of superficial convos. I know a LOT about Corinne who I still think is atrocious. I'm pretty over this season already. #Bachelorfail

{via}

~MG and I signed up for a childbirth class with a friend of mine from work (the one who is a week head of me) and her husband in about a month. #shitjustgotreal

{via}

What random stuff is floating around in your noggin?

WHW {#79}: A Yummy Recipe!

Happy Wednesday! Half way through the week and hopefully feeling good!

I'm still trying to kick this cold...it feels like it's on its way out, thankfully, so here's hoping it's gone by Friday. I have a massage scheduled today after work which can only be a good thing, right?

Anyway, I thought I'd show you what's been hap-"pinning" in my kitchen this week, with a new recipe that I tried on Monday and it did not disappoint!

If you don't know it by now, I'm semi obsessed with soups this season. Almost every week I have some form of soup or chili on the menu and this week was no exception. I found a recipe that is a twist on the tomato based tortellini soup and uses another favorite of mine: spinach and artichokes!

~Creamy Spinach Artichoke Tortellini Soup~

What You Need:

~2 Tbsp butter

~1 small onion, diced 

~1.5 tsp minced garlic (or 3 cloves minced)

~1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

~1/4 C flour

~6 Cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken because we had it)

~12 oz tortellini (I tried out the dry kind from Target and it was yum!)

~14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

~2 C. baby spinach, chopped

~1/2 C heavy cream

~salt/pepper

~shredded Parmesan cheese for topping

What You Do:

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot, then add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute until softened.

2. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds.

3. Add in the flour and mix together, cooking for about another 2 minutes.

4. Slowly whisk in the vegetable (or chicken) broth, and then bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the tortellini and cook according to package directions.

5. Once cooked, add in the spinach and the artichokes, stirring to wilt to spinach.

6. Turn heat down to low and add in the heavy cream. Mix well. Then remove the pot from the heat and add in salt and pepper to taste.

Serve it up in a bowl and top with the parmesan cheese. And then enjoy every last little bite!

This one has a tiny bit of a kick due to the red pepper flakes. It's not bad, but if you're making for kids, or you don't like any heat, just omit the step with the red pepper flakes.

This made us 4 servings (and a little extra). I will warn you that the leftovers tend to be less soupy and more pasta-like since the tortellini soaks up the soup overnight. It was still good, it just wasn't soupy the next day for lunch.

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

Weekending: Fooding + Sale

Happy post-Superbowl Monday--hopefully you're not too tired from watching the game! It's always hard to start the week already behind on sleep.

This weekend was a pretty low key one which is nice because we have a couple of travel weekends coming up.

The highlights this weekend included:

~Friday date night to Bonefish Grill where I got my tried and true bang bang shrimp tacos

~Was totally taken back when the table in front of us had a man sitting there who reminded me of my dad. I did a double take when I first saw him, and at one point he looked over and I swear it was a look my dad gave me all the time. And then all of a sudden, I was tearing up at the table. Just another reminder that he's always around.

~Went back to the house since I was (and still am) trying to kick this stupid cold, and watched The Jungle Book. Cooper worked on not barking at every living animal he saw on screen--after the first couple of minutes (and lots of pets), he got the hint

~Saturday morning I woke up to feeling baby feet fluttering on my side--a wake up call I don't ever mind :)

~MG had to work during the morning, so Cooper and I took the opportunity to make friends with the couch and my Kindle--got into a good chunk of my current read while being totally lazy

~that evening I had the craving to make chocolate chip cookies, so after dinner MG and I went to the grocery store and got cookies and ice cream and made the yummiest dessert....preggo dream come true

~While we were at the grocery store, we stopped by Redbox and picked up Central Intelligence and watched that. It was definitely dumb funny, but better than we thought it would be. I just love Kevin Hart.

~Sunday morning we had our morning coffee and watched the hilarious Trump/Spicer skits on SNL from the night before, then headed out to run errands

~Did laundry, I vacuumed and MG mopped the floors, and then we ironed the curtains that came in for baby girl's room and hung them. The color looks a little off here, but we really like it. Hoping it goes ok with the bedding we have picked out

~Spent a lot of time researching child birth classes in the area, and pediatricians. #thisisgettingreal

~MG went to watch the Superbowl with a bunch of friends--I had zero desire (the couple who bailed on our dinner party was hosting), and getting over a cold, I was much happier at home on the couch with my feet up.

I will admit, I only semi paid attention to the game. I loved that the Bushes were the ones to do the coin toss--they were so cute! And I really enjoyed the Hamilton ladies, too. I watched the half time show which I thought was really good--did Lady Gaga actually sing that whole time? I was impressed!

Today marks the end of the second quarter which means it's a teacher workday...which also means my day will be spent doing report cards. Not a bad way to spend the day after the Superbowl, right?

Before I go, I wanted to see if anyone was interested in these bags? One is a Coach bag, used once, and the other is a Vera Bradley purse set (purse, wallet, zipper pouch). If you're interested, comment or email me, otherwise they're going to get donated :)

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Bumpin' Through the 2nd Trimester

Since I'm rounding the corner into my third trimester, I figure now would be a good time for a bump date so I can keep a record of these weeks and my ever-growing baby bump!

How Far Along: 26 weeks...last week of my second trimester which is kind of unbelievable!

Size of Baby: According to three separate sources she's either the length of a scallion, head of lettuce or eggplant. Either way, she weighs a little under 2 pounds roughly.

Gender: Still a girl! It's been so fun referring to her as "she" when we talk about her. Makes me feel more connected to her.

Weight Gain: about 14-15 pounds, which is apparently right on track according to my docs. It's still a shock to look down at the scale and see numbers I've never seen in my life, but a good shock because it means baby girl is growing away happily in there!

Food Cravings: still craving chocolate. Every. Day.

Food Aversions: I still don't have any aversions other than cooking fish myself which means we haven't had fish at home for several months.

Movement: Yes, our girl is a wiggly, kicking active little baby in there. So much so that the other night, MG was spooning me as we were going to sleep and he had to move his arm because baby girl was kicking his arm so much that he couldn't fall asleep. We had a good laugh at that :)

Sleep: Still sleeping through the night, and only getting up some nights to go to the bathroom (I'm sure that's about to change in the coming weeks). I've been sleeping with a wedge that my SIL got me for Christmas which helps support the bump when I'm laying on my side (or your back and in between legs). Unfortunately for Cooper, it's taken up the spot that he normally lays in, so he's been going back and forth between trying to lay ON the wedge, and resigning himself to sleeping by my legs.

{via} Highly recommend this!

Clothing: Oh it's pretty much all maternity stuff. I can still get into some tops that are looser, and I can still fit my bump into my long winter coat, but based on the limited space currently, I have a feeling that coat's only going to work (and be zipped) for a few more weeks.
I ordered another dress off of Zulily this past weekend for my baby shower in PA and hoping this one works just as well as the purple one did that I got a few weeks ago 

Other Pregnancy Symptoms: some reflux here and there but it's very minor and only occasional, thankfully.

What I Miss: the other night at dinner with our friends I did really want a dirty martini (I settled for the feta stuffed olives instead haha), and I'm still craving that turkey sandwich from the deli by my work but am resisting the urge so far.

Best Moment: I have two for this one: 1) getting to feel her head/butt pressing against my stomach where I can literally see my stomach's shape change, and feel the hardness of her body parts. It's really a cool feeling. I haven't seen any feet or hands yet, but I hear that's coming. 
2) During her echocardiogram last week, her heart looked normal and so did her size. She's a healthy little girl in there and just hoping it stays that way. It's always so fun to get to see her little body in there, moving around. In case you missed my Instagram post last week, she's also already showing her girl power:

Looking Forward To: Someone asked me if I felt her hiccup yet and I said I didn't know to which I was told "you'll know" so I guess that's something to look forward to, although I have no idea what that's going to feel like.
Also looking forward to my baby shower in March since the date for that has been set and invites are going out this weekend! Curious to see what my bestie has in store :)

We'll see what the third trimester brings! :)

WHW {#78}: Nursery Ideas

Happy hump day friends! I've been fighting off the start of a cold for the last couple of days. Hoping I'm on top of it so it stays away from turning into a full blown cold. Definitely using my natural remedies that have helped me out earlier in my pregnancy.

In the meantime I thought I'd share a few of the things that I'm planning for Baby Girl's nursery, since I'm super excited about it, but can't put it together quite yet.

You know we already painted the nursery light gray, with one accent wall of gray and white stripes.  My idea was to have a gray and lavender/purple nursery, with maybe another accent color. Here's a refresher of the wall in case you forgot:

And we also have this super comfy glider/recliner which is light gray with white piping (floor model price at Buy Buy Baby--best deal ever!)

This is the crib that we picked out--it has good reviews and goes with the white furniture theme that I'd been thinking of against the striped wall

And this is the dresser we have picked out. I'm thinking I may change up the knobs to give it a little bit more character once we get it:

For a while I was in search of a bedding set that I really loved, and one day stumbled upon this set and I've kept coming back to it over and over, so I think it's the one. It has a lavender and teal elephant pattern on the sheets and I love love love the elephant mobile that's part of the set!

I can also get the wall art as well...which I'm totally toying with because it's so darn cute!

I'm still on the hunt for some cute lavender/purple curtains, and think I found a set the other day on Wayfair that I liked. I just always have a tough time finding curtains that I love, especially when I order online.

I'm probably going to add a little light with a cute lampshade and maybe some tissue paper pom poms in one of the corners, like is pictured here:

{via}

So, that's the basic idea for now. I kind of love how the elephant theme just emerged, and now it's going to be part of my shower invitations, too.
*all items are found on BuyBuyBaby's website

What do you guys think? I'm excited to see it all come together, and hope that it lives up to the picture I have of it in my head.

Link up with Jessi and I and share what's hap-"pinning" with you lately!