Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie Recipe

The other night I had the worst craving for a peanut butter and banana smoothie.  I've never actually made one, but with my heartburn, it sounded really good! 

All you need to make this quick recipe is a sliced, frozen banana (or 2 depending on how much you want to make...I think I used 2), peanut butter, ice cubes, a bit of water, and a blender from the 70's. Well, your blender can be from the 2000's if you want it to. But a blender from the 70's just makes life more fun. :)

Here's what you have to do:

1.) Slice the banana and then stick it in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.  Slice and then freeze.  In that order.  Have you ever tried to slice a frozen banana?  I haven't, but it sounds hard.

2.) Put the frozen banana slices, 2-3 Tbsp peanut butter, about 5-6 ice cubes, and a splash of water into the blender.  Set the blender to crush the ice first, and then blend smooth.  You may have to play with the consistency/taste to get it to your liking.  I just kept adding a bit of this and a bit of that til I got it like I wanted it.

3.)  Pour into a glass and serve!  Mine made 2 servings, or 1 big one if you are super hungry.  This smoothie is really filling, so it would be great for breakfast.  Enjoy!

23 and 24 Weeks Pregnant!

Man, I am getting bad about doing these pregnancy updates on time!  I blame my husband.  He got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, which I LOVE!    So it seems like such a hassle now to get my laptop out since I have that convenient little thing.  I would just update from my Kindle, but unfortunately Blogger doesn't really work on the Kindle Fire.  Not sure why.  I hope that will be fixed in the near future. 

I have had some new symptoms in the past couple weeks.  They have not been fun AT ALL.  These new symptoms have been the least welcomed so far.  I began getting heartburn a couple weeks ago.  Just short bursts of it here and there.  The other night I had it really bad.  I chugged milk, downed 3-4 Tums, sat up instead of laying down, slept with a million pillows to keep myself propped up, and nothing was helping.  It was misery.  Since that night, I have had more of it.  So not fun.  But, it must mean that our little boy has a head full of hair!  That's what I hear anyway.

Second new symptom is leg cramps.  Oh my goodness.  Wow.  I have been awakened a few times in the past couple weeks to one of my legs starting to cramp up.  I can usually move it a certain way and get the cramp to hold off.  But not last night.  Last night I woke up to a full blown calf muscle cramp. I was screaming.  It was the most horrible pain.  Adam tried to massage it, but it only hurt worse.  I had to get up and put my weight on it and try to walk it out.  It was so sore this morning that I could barely walk.  I thought I was going to have to call into work because I just couldn't get there.  I eventually made it though.  That calf muscle is still sore.  I have had many facebook friends who have told me that they had this same issue when they were pregnant.  I have actually been eating bananas lately, maybe I just need to eat more of them?  I have also been doing really well on my water intake.  I have never been good at drinking water, but I have just been so thirsty the past several weeks that drinking water hasn't been a problem. 

Our little boy has been kicking a lot lately!  I know I say that every time, but it just keeps getting to be more and more!  He has been doing some really big movements lately.  I used to only be able to feel him when I was sitting or laying down.  Now I can feel him moving even when I'm standing or walking.  It's crazy!  Adam and I will just sit and watch my stomach.  The baby has also given Adam some really good kicks to the hand.  We can't believe how hard he can kick already!  This boy is gonna be strong!

Here are some belly pictures.  I look ginormous in my 23 weeks picture.  It's amazing how much I have grown lately.  I have figured out that I feel better if I'm wearing black.   I feel like it's more slimming....even though I'm pregnant.  Haha. 

23 weeks pregnant.  Remember this shirt?  I wore it in my 13 weeks picture found HERE.

24 weeks pregnant.  Picture taken at work :)

Here is the latest about what's going on with our little man!

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

And here is what's going on with me!

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.  Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

Thanks Baby Center!

Well, tomorrow is Friday.  We are having a bit of snow here tonight.  I think the main concern is black ice since the roads are wet.  We will see what happens with school!  Have a great evening!

My 2012 New Year's Resolutions

Yeah, exactly!  Just kidding.  I really do like making resolutions.  It's keeping them that is the hard part!  However, I do think it's important for everyone to set goals.  Call them resolutions or whatever you would like, but I think we should all be working toward something, whether it be small or big.  I have a few goals that I would like to accomplish this year. 



1.) Read the Bible all the way through.  I have actually already started this!  My husband and I are doing it together.  I've actually never read the Bible all the way through, and I'm really excited to finally do it!  We are following a reading plan.  It doesn't go in the traditional order of the Bible.  It's more chronological, which is great because I think it will tie everything in together better for me.  Also, for example, in Genesis when it talks about creation, the very next thing you read are the Psalms written praising God about His creation.  So it's really cool.  If you would like know which plan it is, you can purchase it off of Amazon HERE.  It is called Reading God's Story: A Chronological Daily Bible. Adam downloaded it onto his Kindle.  I am using my new Bible that I got a couple days ago.  It's basically the same Bible I have always had, but a newer version.  My Bible fell apart.  I wish I could say it was from reading it so much, but I think it's from going from the car to my school bag to the house to my purse, etc.  I really love my Bible.  It's for women and has GREAT articles in it.  It's called The Women's Study Bible (NKJV).  The only thing I don't like about it is that the words of Christ aren't in red.  But other than that, it is great!  You can find it off of Amazon HERE.

2.) Cook supper at least 5 nights out of the week.  I have a REALLY bad habit of not cooking dinner often.  I am just so exhausted when I get home from work.  I really want to change this because we are both so tired of fast food, and I know our bank account is getting drained because of it.  I would like to say I will cook 6 nights out of the week, but we did that last year and were able to keep it up for about a month and a half.  It's kind of extreme for us and our busy lifestyle.  I am going to come up with a system for planning meals and organizing our groceries so I can make this process as efficient/easy as possible!  I will be sure to let you know what I come up with!

I was cooking the first meal I ever made us as a married couple!  It was actually Taco Soup.  Great stuff in the winter time, but I made it in the middle of summer.  Haha.  It was the only thing I knew how to make! :)

3.) Get organized.  Disorganization really stresses me out.  It stresses my husband out too.  I am usually really good at coming up with organization systems for different parts of our house, but the real issue is maintaining the organization.  This is something I am going to work on, and you are welcome to follow along!  I am hoping to accomplish one organization project each week.  We will see how it goes! 

Source: bhg.com via Amanda on Pinterest

4.) Simplify.  This kind of goes along with organization.  Since cleaning out the office/nursery (read about that HERE), I have found that we have a lot of stuff that we just don't use or need.  I think extra stuff can make life so much more complicated than it has to be.  I am planning to simplify our lives by getting rid of clothing we don't wear (I recently got rid of 8 bags of clothing....yep, that's bad), makeup I don't need, books we don't read or already have read, purses I never carry, etc.  I would like to live a very streamlined lifestyle because I believe it will be the most simple.  I plan to get the clutter down to a bare minimum!

Do you set goals/make resolutions at the beginning of the year?  If so, what are they?  What plans are you making to achieve them?  I hope your new year is off to a good start!  Check back to see my progress with my New Year's goals!

Top 11 Posts of 2011

I can't believe 2012 is just around the corner.  This year has definitely been a whirlwind with our family.  It has been the best year and the worst year all at the same time.  However, we are going into 2012 with a new perspective in life, full of new goals and new changes.  Let's travel back to my top 11 posts of 2011, as voted on by you readers!  (These are the most clicked posts in ascending order.) Click the title of the post if you would like to take a look back with me!  Let's work our way down to #1, my most read post of 2011!

11.) Gender Reveal- Part Two!- This post I talked about how I made the decorations for our gender reveal party.  That was such an exciting time!!!  I love the way the decorations and boy/girl pins turned out!

10.) 16 and 17 Weeks Pregnant- Our little boy was the size of an avocado during this time!  I shared with you a few belly pictures and some of the things I have been craving lately. It's funny looking at this post because I remember thinking I was so big at the time.  Man, I had no idea what was coming!

9.) 19 Weeks Pregnant- This is the week my belly popped!!!!  I couldn't believe how it just happened all of a sudden.  It seems like it got HUGE over night!  Of course it is continuing to grow, but this was the first real growth spurt.

8.) The Measure of Your Days-  In this post, I talked about the death of my mother in law.  I miss her so much.  Just last night I had a dream that she was calling us on the phone.  I think she would have wanted me to write this post, and if you haven't already, I would love for you to read it.

7.) My Absence- This is when I first announced on the blog what had happened to my mother in law.  I really appreciated all of the sweet messages you all sent me on facebook.  Many of you also came by the funeral home, and that meant so much.

6.) 11 Weeks Pregnant- I remember this time like it was yesterday!  I was exhausted.  As you can see, I didn't even wear makeup to work.  It was all I could do to even get there.  First trimester is soooo hard!  I wasn't sick yet, but I just had no energy whatsoever.  I couldn't wait to be in the second trimester!

5.) Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.- This is the day we first found out we were pregnant! I LOVE reading this post.  It's so much fun to look back on.  I talk about the day I found out, how I told Adam, and all of the emotions we were feeling.

4.) 18 Weeks Pregnant- In this post, I start talking about my ideal birth and what I would like to happen.  I know I've never given birth, and I plan to keep an open mind, but I do have certain things that are important to me, like laboring naturally.  Some of you weighed in and gave me some advice in the comments section, and I greatly appreciate it!

3.) Gender Reveal- Part One -This is the day we found out that we were having a baby boy!!!!  I knew it all along!  This post shows how we planned a last minute gender reveal party and has some memorable pictures from that night!

2.) 14 Weeks Pregnant- I was up 4 pounds at this time, and was eating everything horrible in sight!  I was constantly hungry, and maintained a steady intake of pizza, easy mac, and ramen noodles. :)  This week also had one of my favorite belly shots.  It was when I first started to show.

And the #1 post, which received 544 page views is...............

1.) HOW TO PAINT YOUR COUNTERTOP- I can't believe how popular this post is, but I am glad our experience/mishaps/time spent was helpful to you!  This was a big project for us to tackle, and with suspicions on our side that I was pregnant, the work was left up to Adam.  (I hint in this post that I am pregnant, though I don't think any of you caught on.  Let me know if you did!) 

Thank you for looking back with me through 2011!  I have really enjoyed writing this blog.  It's fun to document things Adam and I have done together, trials we have been through, and the way the Lord has blessed us through it all.  I am definitely looking forward to 2012.  I hope that you will continue to follow us through our journey of making our house a home, stepping out in faith, and welcoming our baby boy into the world!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

The Wizardry of Nesting

Last night, I had my first encounter with nesting.  Nesting is like a drug.  It seriously feels like you are on crack.  No lie.  Ok that might be a lie because I have never had crack.  But I imagine nesting is the equivalent. 

I will start at the beginning.  Two nights ago, I decided that it was time to tackle the nursery.  Up until this point, the nursery has been a storage room.  It once lived a glamorous life as an office/workout room, but quickly became the catch all.  The room where the door always had to be closed.  The room that stressed my husband out.  The room I planned to tackle every weekend.  The neglected room.  The following pictures may not be suitable for all audiences.  Viewer discretion advised.

Yes.  It is shameful.  Now go wash your eyes out with soap.  Anyway, two nights ago, I decided to get all of the baby clothes organized.  We still don't have a dresser, but the whole clothes on the floor situation was not working.  So I went to Walmart (HATE that place with a passion!!!!) and I bought some storage tubs.  I started out labeling them 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, etc.  But then I got confused.  If it's 3 month clothing, does it go in the 0-3 months box or the 3-6 months box?  I'm sure there is an easy answer to that, but my pregnant brain just doesn't function quite like my non-pregnant brain.  So I changed the labels to say Newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 12 month, 18 month, and 24 month.  This way, I knew what went where.  (If it said 6-9 months on the label, I put in in the 6 month box so he would obviously get the most wear out of it.)  I'm sure this seems so "duh" to you reading this, but to me, it was a real stumper.  But I eventually got my system down. :)  Here is the progress, just getting started!

Once I finally finished organizing the clothes, I put all of the Newborn-6 months clothing tubs in his closet.  I stacked the other tubs- 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months tubs in the hallway for my sweet husband to take to the garage/attic.  Once we get a dresser, I plan to wash all of the newborn to 3 month clothing and put it in the dresser.  I'll have the 6 month clothing in the closet for when the time comes.

I am going to make some more legit labels for the tubs since those are just big sticky notes.  So I finished the baby clothes.  The room still looked about the same.  Stuff everywhere.  I decided I was tired and told myself I would use the rest of my Christmas break to make sure his room got in order. 

The next evening (last night) around 10:00 I decided to work on the room.  We had a late dinner at Red Lobster, so I wasn't ready for bed yet.  My husband was playing with one of his Christmas gifts on the Wii, so I thought I would try to work on one of the piles of junk in the nursery.  I started on one pile, finished it, moved to the next, cleaned out some books I didn't need anymore from the book shelf, bagged up some trash, bagged up some clothes I've been meaning to donate, put little knick knacks around the house that I have been meaning to disperse, etc.  Nothing big.  I put all of baby boy's things into his closet. We have an empty plastic drawer set in the closet from cleaning out the office, so I put his shoes and socks in one drawer, gifts in another, and bibs, etc. in the bottom drawer.  I was moving at a constant and fast pace.  Before I knew it, I turned around and saw this.  I honestly gasped out loud because I had not realized what had just happened. 

(These pictures were taken today, not last night obviously.)

This was supposed to be a 2-3 day project.  I finished it in 1 hour.  On accident.  It really scared me.  I seriously thought I was dreaming.  There was no way I had finished that whole room.  I went and got the broom, did some sweeping, and was still in disbelief.  If you only knew of all the things in that room and the number of times I have attempted to put things away, you would be astounded too.  Adam told me he was ready for bed, so I told him to look at my progress.  He walked in the doorway to the nursery, and his jaw dropped.  The look on his face was a combination of shock and sheer terror.  He looked at me like I was some sort of unidenified being.  "What happened????" was all he could say.  He ran to the closet to open it, thinking everything would come tumbling out.  But it didn't. All he found were baby's things put away.

Lots of baby hangers, tubs of organized clothes, baby bath tub on top of that with a pillow in it for the nursery, plastic drawers full of baby shoes, etc.  On top of plastic drawers is a cute wire basket I found and more pillows and decor for the nursery.  In between the plastic drawers and storage tubs is all the things we are going to hang on the wall in the nursery.  On the top shelf is a lap desk (I need to do something with that), and on top of that is a wooden shelf that will hang in the nursery.  To the left in the closet (not pictured) is the jogging stroller.



He couldn't believe it.  I couldn't believe it.  He ran around the house looking for things stashed somewhere.  Somehow...and I don't know how...I put most of them where they go.  And if they didn't have a place, I made one.  Crazy. 

All Adam could do was look at me and say, "What kind of wizardry have you been doing back here?"  The only answer I could come up with was "nesting." 

This was my first encounter with this so-called "nesting."  And let me tell you, it is dangerous stuff.  I am terrified to let myself see any more clutter.  You just don't know what might happen.....

21/22 Weeks Pregnant and Christmas!

Wow....it has been a while since I have done a pregnancy post!  Ahh!  It has been stressing me out that I haven't updated lately, but I have had a lot going on and just haven't had the time to sit down and write.  When I first turned 21 weeks pregnant, I was very sick with a sinus infection.  I ended up missing the last day of work before Christmas break.  It was seriously one of the worst sicknesses I've ever had.  I was miserable.  So, I was living in my pajamas, and my husband was lucky if I showered.  I attempted a belly picture, but there is NO WAY I'm posting that sucker.  Nope.  It would scare my own mother if she saw it.  Some things are just better left out of blog land. :) 

Christmas came and went during 21 weeks pregnant.  It was an awesome Christmas.  I really enjoyed spending time with family and cherishing time with my husband.  I LOVE it when we are both off work together.  I really enjoy his company.  We both racked up this Christmas.  I dunno why.  We got some great stuff.  Adam got me a Kindle Fire.  I cried when I opened it.  I blame the hormones.  I really don't know what happened, but if you would like to see a reinactment of it, my brother will be happy to do it for you.  He was sitting right next to me and thought I was kidding.  Nope.  I bawled.  Then I cried about every gift after that.  Sigh.

I also (well Adam and I) got a jogging stroller from my father in law!  I was not expecting that!  But I'm sooooo thankful!  What a nice gift!  I can't wait to put it together and use it!

Yay!!!  It looks like a really nice one.  I love the orange color too.  We will easily be seen when we are out and about jogging down the road!

Another somewhat baby related gift is a video camera!  My parents got us a video camera because we didn't have one.  I'm always taking 30 second video clips on my phone.  Haha.  That wasn't going to cut it anymore.  We have a regular Canon camera that takes video, but the quality is not that great, and we don't use it that much.  This one is so small and convenient!  We love it!

We got a lot of other nice things.  I feel so undeserving of them.  I am so grateful though.  These are things we would have had to budget for, but they were given to us.  I'm truly thankful! 

Did anyone else LOVE going to church on Christmas morning?  I really enjoyed that, and it made me wish every Christmas was on a Sunday.  It meant so much to get to come together and worship Jesus and celebrate his birthday with my church family.  It really made it feel like Christmas.  I loved it. 

Now I'm 22 weeks pregnant, and this is my week off before school starts back.  I have tried to be really productive around the house.  This is my last break in school before our baby boy arrives!  I really can't believe it.  I had my first encounter with nesting last night.  It was insane.  I will do a separate post on that.  It was actually kind of scary. 

On Tuesday of this week, I had my 22 week doctor's appointment.  (I go every 4 weeks.)  I just had the usual weigh in (I've gained 13 pounds so far), blood pressure (looks great), Q&A with the doctor (which consisits of nothing because I don't know what I should be asking), and then I schedule the next appointment and leave.  On Tuesday, as I was sitting waiting for the doctor, I thought it was really hot in there.  I never get hot.  It was so hot that I had to fan myself to keep my face from getting all sweaty.  It was really strange.  I talked to the doctor for like 2 minutes and then went to leave.  As I was waiting in line to see the receptionist, I got even hotter.  Then, my arms started going numb, my face started tingling, and I got to where I couldn't breathe.  Pretty soon I started seeing black fireworks everywhere.  I quickly jumped ahead and told the receptionist that I needed to go sit down and that I was about to pass out.  She came around the counter, grabbed my arm, and put me in the closest room.  As I sat down, I couldn't even see her face because of all the black fireworks.  It was crazy.  I never actually passed out, but if I hadn't sat down, I definitely would have.  Anyone else have that happen?  I have no idea what caused it!  I wasn't hungry or anything.  The receptionist got me some water, and I sat and drank it til I felt normal again.  It was definitely scary.  I really would like to know what happened.  The doctor did come to check on me, but I was already feeling better and ready to leave.  She asked if I was ok, and I said yes.  My blood pressure was normal 5 minutes before, so I have no idea what was going on.  I hope it doesn't happen again though!

Here is my belly at 22 weeks!

Yep, there he is!  Big boy!  I feel him moving CONSTANTLY now.  I mean, all the time.  This kid likes to move it move it.  I really enjoy it.  I just can't believe how active he is.  OH!  In my last blog post, 20 weeks pregnant, I said that Adam hadn't felt him yet.  Well, that same night, just a couple hours after I posted that, Adam felt him move for the first time!  It was sooo awesome!  We were sitting there, and I got Adam to put his hand on my stomach because I knew baby was moving.  After a few minutes, baby boy kicked, and Adam and I looked at each other.  He had felt it!  He said, "Was that him?"  Well it definitely wasn't me! :)  It was a really awesome moment.  I will never forget it!  I have tried to catch him moving on camera, but this kid is smart.  Whenever he hears the little chime my phone makes when it starts recording, he immediately quits moving.  Stinker.  Maybe I'll capture a good kick soon.  I have a couple movements captured, but they are not big ones.  Just little tummy blips. 

Here is what is going on with big boy this week!

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Thanks Babycenter

Ummmm...almost a pound?  I don't think so, Tim.  If you remember, our little boy was basically a pound by 20 weeks.  We have a chunker!  He's probably well on his way to 1 and 1/2 pounds by now.

Thank you for reading! I have a lot of posts to catch up on, so stay tuned! 

Christmas Wrapping- Part 2!

So I know I just posted like an hour ago on newspaper gift wrapping, but I found another present I had not wrapped yet!  This is a bottle of super moisturizing oat lotion.  It's from a little boutique in East Brainerd called the Feathered Nest. It's really nice stuff.  I was trying to figure out how to wrap it (given my lack of wrapping paper) and decided that newspaper was just too casual for this stuff.  I remembered that I had some white tissue paper in my car leftover from wrapping gifts in the Fred's parking lot for a gift swap.  Yep.  That's how I roll.  I also had a little red ribbon that came off of a gift from one of my students.  So I'm picturing lotion wrapped in white tissue paper with a red ribbon.....with a cute gift tag.  I noticed I have an onion in my kitchen in a little brown bag, so I took advantage.  Here's how it went down!

I used white tissue paper, scissors, tape, sparkly yarn, and an onion bag.  Not pictured: brown sharpie and hole punch.

I love this yarn I had on hand.  It's so festive!



The finished product!  I cut a section of the onion bag into the shape of a gift tag, then just punch a hole and tied the sparkly string through it.

 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy (as my 1st graders would say)!  Merry Christmas!