Friday, October 14, 2011

Floor and Bathroom Redo

Here are some pictures of our new tile floors and bathroom redo.  AH-MAZING work by Mark and Sam of R & K Services.  They are Renovations Specialists but they do it all, even plumbing!!  I swear they are so great to work with.  Nothing but gentlemen and they paid close attention to detail.  Looking around my house still brings a little tear to my eye because I am so happy and so ready to bring a baby home now (well once the nursery is done that is... more on that later).  We Brian will be doing the nursery ourselves himself this week.  We considered tackling the tile floors but figured with our time constraints it was better left to the experts and we couldn't be happier there.  But the nursery is manageable.  First paint color is up.  Next is the border color, then the floors and floorboards.  Then we will get to the fun stuff.  Crib, curtains, etc.   Now!  On to the pictures!!!

TV view.  (We are getting a flatscreen hand me down from a friend soon, YAY!)
Dining Room (With my new blinds, and I haven't hung the wine glasses back up yet)                                  

                                                              Living Room                                                                

The funny little room with no electricity that I have no earthly idea of what to do with.

                                                      The new bathtub and tile!!! 
                                                     (Shower curtain from JCP)

                              Beautiful Skylight in bathroom! You can't tell but they also fixed the texture on the
                  ceiling which makes a huge difference.  It was ugly starburst, now it is flat and I'm in love 

                    The new vanity and toilet.  We kept the medicine cabinet to save on cost.

Where I blog :) 




Thursday, October 13, 2011

Spinach and Orzo Salad

I made my mom hungry when I told her about this salad.  I made baby back ribs last night and served them with this salad, that I adapted from allrecipes.com 

Spinach and Orzo Salad

8-16 ounces uncooked orzo pasta  (the recipe called for 16, I used 8.  That way it's more spinach) 
9 ounce bag fresh baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 
 (Since the original recipe called for 16 ounces of orzo and 1/2 cup oil and vinegar and I used 8 orzo, I could have cut it back a little on the O&V but I used the whole 1/2 cup of each and although it was strong it was delicious)

Cook orzo according to directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Transfer to large bowl and stir in spinach, feta, onion, pine nuts, basil, and white pepper.  Toss with oil and vinegar.  Refrigerate and serve cold. 

This makes a ton.  We had dinner and lunch today.  Delicious as a side dish and would also be good with shrimp or chicken to make a main course. 

Mom's Apple Squares

I have been MIA for a long time here but wanted to stop by and leave a recipe for my mom's Apple Squares that I loved when I was a kid.  Still do.  Have to have them every fall.  I made them last night and realized that the paper recipe is getting old and ratty and might not survive too much longer, so I better get this down where it will be immortalized. 

Mom's Apple Squares
2 cups flour
1 cup Bisquick
2 cups sugar (I use 1 1/2 and it's plenty)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup Crisco (I use 1/2 and it's plenty)
3 eggs
4 cups diced apples (I usually bake with Granny Smiths, however since I grew up near orchards in NY, for this recipe I am a Macintosh loyalist.  I've never strayed here, but other varieties may be good also)
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts

Mix all ingredients.  Grease and flour a 9x13" pan.  Pour mixture in.  Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.  Voila!

Weekly Check In

How far along?  28 weeks 4 days

Weight Gain/Loss?  Let's say I started out at 126 which is where I was at my 9 week appointment.  Gain of 22 lbs.  Hopefully tapering off soon, but I'll likely gain another 11.  Oh my...  I'm getting uncomfortable.

Maternity Clothes?  Can I get a hell yes?

Sleep?  It's not the end of the world, but I toss and turn a lot and getting up every 3 hours to pee.  When it's bedtime I'm definately ready, but I'm rising a lot earlier than I'm used to, mostly because I'm hungry.

Best Moment of Week?  Maybe when I saw Brian set the Tivo to record a season pass of Baby Story and another baby show.  Cute!  or when he carried my purse for me through our hospital tour because my arm was sore and I felt crappy from my flu shot.  Or when he started painting the nursery last night after working a 12 hour day.  There are a lot of best moments right now, these are just a few that popped into my head immediately.

Movement?  Yes.  This baby is a crazy insane acrobat.  Although there were 2 different times when she stopped for a few hours and I go into full on panic mode, but everyone needs to sleep I guess.  It's just that when she does, I'm up worrying about why I'm not feeling her. 

What I Miss?  Movement and flexibility.  Exercise endorphins.  Life without heartburn. 

Looking forward to...  Getting the nursery done.  Started the painting last night.  Then the floors and floorboards.  Then I will feel like we are getting somewhere. 

Milestones. 
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Labor Signs..  Had my first Braxton Hicks contraction yesterday.  I didn't expect the belly to grow as much as it did during it, but it did go back to "normal" within an hour.  Slightly painful, mostly uncomfortable.  Deep breaths.