32 weeks

Mary did a photo shoot for me 2 weeks ago. It was AWESOME - not just having her take amazing photos but hanging out together. I love those times so much!
Here are some of the photos she took.


Now it feels like in the last 2 weeks I've grown A LOT! I'm still measuring a bit small but growing steadily so that's good. It's so hard to believe my due date is just 6 weeks away! I'm not ready yet!!!!!!
p.s. As for a color on the crib, we're leaning towards a dark stain. We don't have a nursery. Our place is just a tiny one bedroom so baby will be sleeping in our room for now so I'm not doing any decorating. :( But hopefully next spring/summer that will change. Jonathan likes cherry wood but I don't like the red as much.

5 Weird Things about Me

Okay, so totally procrastinated on this one! Life has been so insanely busy lately. Whew! I'm wiped. We're doing well though - just lots on the go and lots on the go until my due date. We're either gone or totally booked every weekend now until my due date. Um, crazy?!?! Yah, I think so.
I had to spend some time thinking about this one so that took some time too but here's the list.

1. I can eat dill pickles like nobody's business - 7, 8, 9 at a time, no problem! Just the other week I ate an entire jar of pickled carrots in one sitting. Yah, I like me some pickles. (I must admit though for the first 6 months of my pregnancy, I couldn't even stomach the thought of eating them but that's ended now).
2. I can't eat wheat, rye, barley or oats. I'm gluten intolerant but I've recently read that for most people it turns into an allergy so I've been extremely careful lately. It really does suck some days but I get horrible headaches that last for days and have major stomach issues so it's not worth it to eat it. So yep, that means no bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, pies, canned soup, licorice, certain yogurts and ice creams, and much, much more. However, thankfully, there are lots of companies that make gluten-free products and I've found some bakeries that I can get stuff from too. I rarely do though because it is SO expensive.
3. I can't stand using public washrooms. They gross me out so bad. I do use them because I have a bladder the size of a small walnut, I swear, and I just wouldn't be able to go out if I didn't but seriously, GROSS me right out. I also hate touching door handles, shopping carts, and any thing like that. YUCK!! The second I get home, I have to wash my hands.
4. When I scrapbook, I measure everything. I never used to but now I do. It's crazy. I measure to the millimeter. Everything has to be measured, balanced, and in its place. The ruler on the my trimmer is wearing off from measuring so much.
5. I can't stand when my glasses are dirty. It drives me crazy. I hate going out in the rain with my glasses on because I can't stand getting waterspots on them. I'll often take my glasses off if it's raining just so they don't get wet - even if I'm just walking from the car to a store. The minute they are dirty, it bugs me. I can't stop thinking about it and staring at the dirty spot. I've even taken my glasses off when they get dirty just so I don't have to look through them.

There ya have it - some strange things about me!

Our Crib

Here it is. It just needs to be sanded and stained. Isn't it GORGEOUS?!?!?! My grandpa did such an amazing job! I absolutely LOVE it! If you have any color suggestions, I'd love to hear!!!!

Oh and I'm not ignoring the 'tags' I've received. I just haven't had time to sit and think about the list. I promise to answer soon!

Why is it that weekends just seem to fly by so quickly?!?!?! Honestly, it always seems like Monday is here before I know it and I'm back at work wishing it was still the weekend.
I had an AWESOME weekend! I was up in Edmonton and area for the weekend. I spent some time on Friday with my great aunt and uncle, who so generously put me up for the weekend. They are 2 of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever met - so full of energy and life and joy. I love being with them.
On Saturday, I was at Scrapfest. I met up with a bunch of online friends and it was SO cool. I first met up with Caroline and Melissa. I've known both of these girls for a while now through scrapbooking and was SO happy to finally meet them both. They are even sweeter, funnier, and nicer than I imagined them to be, if that is possible.
I also met Mona, who I know from my time on the DT at Scraptivity
and Lea, who also hangs out at Scraptivity. They are both so nice and sweet. I met Melissa Chapman as well but didn't get a photo on my camera. I think she got one so I'll have to get her to email it to me. And I met Jayme too - she was part of the brains behind the whole show - she is a sweetie!
I also managed to meet up with my friend, Theresa, who just happens to be one of the owners of the store I teach at in Calgary, Scrapbooker's Bliss. We took one of Ali Edwards' classes together. I'm so glad I got to sit beside her and she helped me through all my mess and confusion. Ya know for someone who teaches classes, I have a hard time following directions! LOL! Thankfully, I managed to save my project before ruining it completely.
Speaking of Ali, she is AMAZING - so real, inspiring and down-to-earth. She's just like she is on her blog except funnier - she has an awesome sense of humor. Her class was so inspiring. She is so inspiring. I just wanted to sit there forever and soak it all in. The class was called: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Always and we made a little mini-book with the Making Memories 4x4 mini-books. They are very cool. I hope to finish it up in the next little bit and then I'll post it for you all to see.
I think the highlight of my weekend, while there were many, this one just might take the cake, was meeting Melissa. We've been emailing back and forth for a while now and she is just so awesome! We have lots in common and to me, just kinda seemed to click. Meeting up in person, in Edmonton of all places, was so, so, so good. I WISH we lived closer. I know we would hang out lots. She's totally full of life and energy and dang, is she ever funny! (have you noticed a trend here, I'm thinking I really like funny people!) She is also incredibly generous. She did a maternity shoot for me and I'm so excited to see the photos!
I also spent some time at the Fontwerks booth. Holy cow, those girls ROCK (and so do those stamps)! Kate, Kah-Mei and Melissa are a hoot yet still so darn nice and funny and sincere. When I started the 100 layout challenge, I gave myself permission to go shopping at Scrapfest with the money I had made from teaching classes in September. I know it might sound kinda like cheating but I knew that if FW was gonna be there, I was gonna be shopping. It's not always easy to find their stamps around here so I stocked up. I am SO excited to get scrapping now - some yummy new goodies and a dose of Ali and I'm ready to go!
Whew! Sunday was my Grandma's 80th birthday. I'm so glad I was able to be there for the celebration. She is a beautiful lady, both inside and out. She's like a rock yet so humble and patient and caring. I love her dearly and am so glad she is my Grandma!
And after what felt like a pretty long drive home on Sunday, I got to see my husband, who was away for a week! Ahhhhhh, so very good to have him home again. He surprised me by cleaning the entire place and doing laundry before I came home. I just love him so much!

Just in case you were wondering...

DRAEM does not spell DREAM and those Heidi Swapp iron-ons do NOT come off clothing very easily. *$%*&^ pregnancy brain!

Other things I've learnt this week:
1. Many, many people do NOT know the difference between a yield sign and a merge sign. There IS a difference, people.
2. Hazelnut steamed milk is a very good thing.
3. One of the best ways to brighten someone's day is to send them some mail. One of the best ways to brighten my day is to get something in the mail.
4. 100 layouts is a LOT of layouts.
5. An unexpected phone call and visit from my dad is a real blessing.
6. No matter how many warm wheat bags I go to bed with, they still don't make up for my husband.
7. Doctors can make big mistakes. My health and the health of my child are worth fighting for.
8. It's okay to cry. Sometimes it even makes you feel better.
9. There is nothing like spending some time with a good friend.

Recipe Share

Just thought I would share 2 of my favorite fall recipes.

Slow Cooker Lasagne

8 lasagne noodles, broken into bite-size pieces
3 L boiling water
2 tsp. cooking oil (optional)
2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 x 14oz canned tomatoes, with juice, broken up
5 1/2 oz. tomato paste
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried whole oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried sweet basil
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook lasagne noodle pieces in boiling water, cooking oil and salt in large pot for 14-16 minutes until tender but firm. Drain.
Scramble-fry ground beef in non-stick frying pan until browned. Drain well. Turn into 3 1/2 quart (3.5L) slow cooker.
Add remaining 12 ingredients. Stir well. Add lasagne noodle pieces. Stir. Cover. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Makes 10 cups.


Sweet & Spicy Lentil Chili

2 tbsp. butter
1 stalk (1/2 cup) celery, chopped
1 small (1/3 cup) onion, chopped
1 small (1/2 cup) green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 cup dried lentils
1 cup water
1 – 28 oz. cans beef broth
1 – 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 small (3cups) winter squash, peeled, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 small (2 cups) sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
Sour cream
Cilantro

Melt butter in saucepan, until sizzling. Add celery, onion, green pepper & garlic.
Cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened (3-4 minutes). Add all remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil (7-10 minutes).
Reduce heat to low. Cover. Cook until lentils are tender, about 1 hour.

ENJOY!

It must be the weather...

combined with these crazy hormones but I have been rather domestic today and that really is not like me - just ask DH. I woke up, had breakfast, put Slow Cooker Lasagna in the crock pot for dinner, cleaned the bathroom, did a bunch of laundry, went grocery shopping (bought ingredients for Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili) and now I have Peach Crisp in the oven and am about to start doing some ironing. Seriously, this is SO unlike me but I said to DH this morning that it must be the weather that is putting me in the mood to cook. That's one thing I love about when the weather turns cooler - yummy soups, stews and slow cooker recipes.
Tomorrow morning Jonathan flies to Virginia for a week for work. I'm going to miss him so much, especially since we've barely seen each other this week. He's been putting in so many hours at work and even had to work today. I'm sure the week will fly by and he'll be back before I know it. I've got lots of plans for the week so that will help. And I'm really glad he's not going away any later in my pregnancy.
I hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

Look who

I got to hang out with yesterday!!! Naomi and Meadow! We met in Red Deer for lunch and some shopping! Meadow was such a little trooper. We kept on disrupting her naps hauling her in and out of the car and in and out of stores. Poor little girl! I hope she slept all the way home for Naomi. And the weather was SO GROSS!!! It was cold and pouring rain so that made getting in and out of places that much more trying. But it was so good to hang out. She's grown so much in the past 6 weeks since I last saw her. I wish we lived closer. I hope once my baby arrives, we can meet up in Red Deer even more. It's almost exactly half way between where we both live.
And now I'm even more excited for my little one to arrive!

Weekend Getaway

So we spent this past weekend in Jasper with our friends, Mark and Krista. It had been a year since we'd last seen them and it was SO good to connect again. Jonathan has known Mark for a long time now (before I was in the picture). He is a great guy and an awesome friend to Jonathan but I have to say, I'm a bit partial to Krista - she is AMAZING - beautiful, funny, caring, and so sweet. I'm so glad they have each other - they are such a great couple.
We went hiking on Saturday up to Bald Hills which happens to start at Maligne Lake and ends with a view of the lake. It was a 10km hike return with about 450m elevation gain. It was a great hike, not too long but dang, the elevation was brutal on me. I am having a bit of a hard time accepting limitations but I realized when we got to the top that I need to be careful and not overdo it. I came very close but was okay and am really, really glad I went. The weather was awesome but the sky was very smokey from the forest fires burning in BC and Montana. We could smell the smoke as soon as we opened the car doors when we arrived.
The rest of our time was spent hanging out at our little cabin, going out for dinner and coffee and a little walk around the cabin grounds that night. Of course, the weekend went by way too fast.
And with the way the next 2 months look, this was probably our last little trip away to the mountains before baby arrives.

Busy, busy, busy!

Whew! Life has been rather busy lately. It's all good though! We spent the weekend in Jasper with some friends and had an awesome time! I will update with photos soon! Work has been crazy - lots to do in the next few weeks. It's hard to believe I only have 6-7 weeks of work left. The girl who is replacing me started last week so it's all seeming VERY real now.
Baby is doing well - still growing like crazy and super active.
I'll update more soon!

RAK winners!

Thanks to everyone who played along! I hope you will continue to play along in the future too!

The winners are:

Anita
Dale Anne
Lea

If you can please email me your addresses, I will get your RAK out to you by the end of the week. To email me, click on the "View Complete Profile" link right beside my photo on the top RH corner of my blog and then click "Email".

A Present

Look what Daddy bought baby!!!! He even got the matching stroller!
I was shocked and thrilled! I definitely wasn't expecting him to pick that up - means the world to me. This makes everything seem so much more real now. :)

Ode to Summer

Since summer is coming to an end, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things about summer. I'm going to miss it! Winter always comes far too soon in my opinion.

1. the longer days
2. fresh fruit - peaches, cherries, nectarines, blueberries, raspberries, plums, pears, I love them all!
3. hot weather
4. fresh herbs growing on my patio
5. wearing capris
6. thunderstorms with refreshing rain
7. ice cold drinks
8. eating dinner outside
9. going for ICE CREAM!!!!!!
10. warm walks down by the river
11. tank tops and tees (no jackets!)
12. hiking in the mountains
13. fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market - beans, baby potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, corn on the cob, garden lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers
14. sitting out on the patio at a restaurant
15. sandels and flip-flops
16. that cool, refreshing breeze at night
17. green grass, green leaves, green plants
18. the hot summer sun
19. blooming flowers
20. the smell of fresh cut grass
21. my first tomato plants - so many delicious tomatos this year!
22. late evening runs
23. summer sunsets
24. driving with the windows down
25. waking up to the birds chirping in the morning

Just read...

THIS and had to share. Powerful stuff. It really hit home for me.

RAK time!

Okay, so I've been doing lots of cleaning/purging lately and I've started to tackle my scrapping stuff. Last night I was going through some of it and was so overwhelmed by how much stuff I have!!!! So between now and when the baby is born, I'm doing to do some random RAKs through my blog. I'll always post what I'm giving away so you can decide if you want/need that particular item and I'll try to include a photo when I do it too. However, this time, since my camera is at work, I'm not going to include a photo. Sorry! Then I'll do a random draw and mail it out to the lucky recipient.
Anyway, this time, I've giving away ribbon and blossoms - a random selection of each from my stash - so between now and Wednesday night, post a comment here if you would like to be included in the draw and I'll pick 3 winners to send this RAK to.
Thanks for playing!
Happy Labour Day Weekend!

So...

I was going to share some of what I've been working on lately but unfortunately I think I left my camera at work. I'm really hoping it's there because I have no idea where it is right now. I remember taking it there and don't remember bringing it home so I'm assuming that's where it is.
Instead, I'm gonna share a couple layouts I did for HOF. I know that was months ago but I just haven't gotten around to posting them. However, now seems like a perfect opportunity.
Jonathan and his parents. I took this photo last fall when we were in Banff. I handcut the title and leaves and then popped up some of the leaves for some dimension.
This layout is all about a game we play with Jonathan's family. It gets rather competitive but is lots of fun.
I hope you have a fantastic long weekend!