Author Archives: Ali

Chocolate Pudding

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Last night (around 10:30 pm, of course, because I always want something right before I should be getting ready for bed) I had the biggest craving for some chocolate pudding. I dug around in the cabinets and found some way in the back and whipped that stuff right up. And it was so delicious.

Mmm… notice the steam still coming off the top there? Oh man. There’s something great about eating something so nice and warm right before you go to bed. Although I think eating sugary things right before bed is giving me some seriously strange dreams! Another weird craving I’ve been having is for popcorn, and I didn’t even LIKE popcorn before I was pregnant! I suppose it’s better than pickles and ice cream, but strange none-the-less!

Procrastination by Blogging.

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So I am procrastinating on all of the things I need to do today, like go to the grocery store, finish the dishes, fold my laundry, and  clean the living room by blogging. I don’t even really have much to say today, except for the fact that I’ve got this long list of things that need to be done and I just don’t want to do them right now, because I am being lazy and would rather watch old reruns of TV shows on my computer than get off my rear-end and actually do a little work around the house.That sink is calling to me, but I am ignoring it for now to say hello to all you guys out there.

In baby news, I felt the baby move for the first time and that was really exciting. Paul can’t feel it yet, but I am sure that it won’t be too long before he can. I’ve started having Braxton Hicks contractions and it’s not a lot of fun, kind of painful and crampy. The only time they’ve been happening is during/after a long shift at work when I’ve been standing for 7-8 hours, and as long as I am not on my feet for that long they don’t bother me, so I quit my job, (more time to knit, right?)  my last day is on Saturday. I feel like such a loser, getting them to hire me and then quitting on them 3 months later. Whoops? Sorry dudes. But the Nurse Practitioner at my OB’s office said it was probably a good idea to take it easy, especially since my pregnancy has been somewhat turbulent so far. Oh, and sorry for no 18 week picture yet, maybe later in the week when I am feeling put together or something? And when there is a clean spot in my house to take a picture in? Or maybe on a day when I remember to put makeup on. Yes, that will be it. I’ll take a picture tomorrow, since I need to actually look presentable for a social event anyway.

Ok, well, the kitchen has reached a state of disaster (meaning I want to go get a glass of grape juice, but we have no clean cups, so I actually gotta go do something about this situation.) Happy Tuesday, ya’ll.

Blue Angel Fish

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This Blue and White Angel Fish is for the winner of the Giveaway I hosted last month. I’ve been kind of busy so it’s a little late coming, but here he is anyway:

I couldn’t find my black yarn, so he’s got blue eyes.

And now I must go and get ready for another long evening at work!

Cross Stitch

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No new projects of my own to show you today, so I thought I might share a few amazing things I’ve been seeing around the internet lately.

Cross stitched eggs! Yes, you read that right!

(photo via Sublime Stitches)

I wonder how they did that? Aren’t they amazing? So beautiful and fragile!

And check out these embroidered Classic book covers:

(Photos and artwork by Jilliam Tamaki, via CupofJo)

Aren’t they beautiful, too? I think The Secret Garden one might just be my favorite.

 

Well, that’s all I have got for you guys today. Hope you have a great weekend and a happy April Fools Day! I’m off to work for the rest of the afternoon/evening, but I might be back later this weekend to show you some finished projects!

Champion Sleeper

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I’ve never been great at sleeping. I am a really light sleeper, so I wake up at the slightest noise or disturbance, which is kind of annoying, but I am sure will come in useful once the baby is born. But this past month I’ve been able to sleep like never before.


 (image via we heart it)

I’ve never been one to sleep in very late, and unless I’ve am sick I can’t normally sleep past 8:00am (yes, I realize for you moms out there that this would be considered sleeping in) but this second trimester has thrown me for a loop. I can go to bed at 10:00 pm, and (besides getting up 5-6 times in the middle of the night to use the bathroom...) I can sleep until 9:45 or 10:00 am. It’s crazy. And even sometimes that’s with taking an hour or two nap during the middle of the day. (and yes, all you moms out there, I am taking advantage of all of the sleep, yes, I know I should expect not to sleep so much with a newborn in the house, yes I know that I will be sleep deprived in a few months)


(image via PurlBee)

Anyway, that’s lead me to thinking about our bedding and I’ve been really wanting to make a quilt. Mostly that one in the picture above by PurlBee. Isn’t it amazing?  Maybe I will make a baby sized one, because a queen size quilt seems a bit of a big undertaking for someone with a 15 second attention span. (Pregnancy brain is kind of ridiculous) Anyway, I’ve never actually FINISHED a quilt, although I’ve started 3, so maybe I should actually finish one of those before I start another one… so many unfinished projects, so little time….

Mid-Day Snacking

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Is there a better snack on earth than Fuji apple slices, mozzarella cheese and crackers?

I really don’t think there is.

Yum.

I’ve got the day off today, I love having days off. Especially when it’s in the middle of the week, it just feels so novel. Being able to go to the grocery store without it being packed, doing a little shopping, stuff like that. It’s so nice! Today I went maternity shopping and got a super cute maternity swimsuit for only 67 cents. Yesss! Well, it wasn’t really 67 cents, but I had a bunch of gift cards to store that I never shop at, so I was able to use up those and only had to fork over the 67 cents to get it.

(Picture by Motherhood Maternity)

I don’t think I’ll look quite that good when I’m 8 months pregnant… but whatever, it’s going to be hot and I probably won’t really care that my thighs have stretch marks on them, right? I’m definitely thinking about getting a pool pass this summer so I can use this swimsuit as much as possible. (The pool here in Moscow has a lazy river that I am definitely going to be taking advantage of this summer)

Ok, so since I have the day off I should probably try to get some productive stuff done… like folding the 3 loads of laundry that have been sitting there for 3 days, or maybe cleaning the bathroom. We’ll see how much I get done…

Monkey Bread and a Slouchy Hat

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Last night I had a huge craving for Monkey Bread. So, I made myself a batch. And it was delicious.

I don’t have a Bundt pan, so I had to use just a regular casserole dish, so it was a teensy bit soggy in the middle still, but it was perfect on the top and sides. I know some people don’t know what Monkey Bread is, so I will tell you. It’s made of that pre-made biscuit dough with white sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter and baked until it’s all puffy and delicious. And it’s SO so good. Unfortunately I didn’t get started on it until like 8:30 pm, so by the time I made it and baked it, it was well after 9:00 pm, and then I got sort of a sugar rush and ended up staying up past my self-imposed 10:00pm bedtime.  Oh well.

Also last night I finished making another custom ordered slouchy hat.

Sorry for the cruddy picture quality… but it’s like I said, it was past my bedtime.

17 Weeks

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I’m nearing the 1/2 way point! Only 3 more weeks before we find out the gender of my little parasite.

Getting enough water every day has definitely been my biggest daily challenge! I just don’t ever seem to be very thirsty, but I know I need to up my water intake by at least 50%. And now I am feeling like I could really use a big Slurpee right about now (hey, it’s hydrating, right?) Today just sitting back and relaxing, trying to take it easy and recoup from a very long work week and we went out to lunch to celebrate me not getting sick for a whole week!

Ok, seriously though, I am off to go get myself a Blue Raspberry Slurpee.

For Autumn’s Spring baby.

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So, I made this little hoodie for my best friend Autumn, who is due next month! She’s expecting a little boy.

Pay no attention to the hood.. it didn’t want to cooperate without a baby head to fill it up.

Autumn really likes camo stuff, so I decided to make it a little bit camo, but still have a baby boy feel to it.

 

And the backside view:

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, and I even remembered to make it the right size so that it will fit him when the weather starts getting a bit chillier this fall. I’m not 100% pleased with how the yarn pooled in places, but that’s what you get for using variegated yarn, huh?

It’s been such a blessing to have one of my best friends be a few months farther along in her pregnancy than me, so she can give me tips and let me know what to expect in the coming months. Also, there’s the added benefit of having someone to commiserate with when you’re feeling icky. But we can’t wait for your arrival, Baby Parkinson! We’re very excited to meet you!

Spring Is In the Air!

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Whew! Finally got caught up on the housework today. Well, at least the downstairs is clean. The laundry still needs to be folded, but hey, that’s a job for another day, right? I am trying not to overdo it this week, since I’m working a LOT. (Tomorrow I’m working from 9am to 9pm…cringe.) But today the sun was shining and it was positively spring-like! I loved it.

My inlaws got this for me when I was sick. Isn’t it so pretty? And my whole kitchen smells awwwwesome because of it. Purple tulips! Tiny daffodils! Cheery pink primroses! Delicious smelling white Hyacinths!

I’ve added a few small succulents to the garden since I last posted a picture. We got them at RiteAid of all places… but I love my little garden and am proud that I haven’t killed them all off yet. The yellow tulips in the white vase are fake, though. I got them at work because my kitchen needed some cheer a few weeks back when everything was looking really dreary and it just KEPT. ON. SNOWING. But I think it might be done with all that yuckiness. We’ll see.

And even though it’s a terrible picture, here is the bump at 16 1/2 weeks.

It’s actually a little smaller than last week. I lost a bunch of weight when I was sick last week, and so now I actually weigh 3 pounds less than I did when I got pregnant. I am sure I’ll gain it back in no time.

Alright, I am going to continue to try to be productive and make some dinner!