January Addition

No no, you did not  travel back in time to January. Nor did I spell "edition" wrong. There will be an addition to our family coming January 2016 - Baby Anderson is "coming round the mountain" as they say in Gilmore Girls. Well Baby has a few more months until that exact point but you get my drift.

Back in the beginning before I told the whole world we were expecting, I documented as much as I could of the first 11 weeks. I'll be trying to do a weekly Bumpdate on here that documents my progress and growing stomach. Here are just a few Bumpdates that I put together as well as some pictures.

I was obviously so excited I took the time to edit and fancy up this picture!

10 weeks - obviously not showing yet

This was - no joke - my life 2 weeks ago. I would alternate sweet and dill and was in total heaven!!

Now for the bumpdates

How far along: 6 weeks

Gender: unknown

Weight gain: 1.4 pounds

Maternity clothes: nope

Sleep: sleeping OK. Only waking up once or twice a night

Best moment this month: telling my mom about the baby! We laughed, we cried, we talked about the future

Worst moment this month: Not being able to tell all my close friends for another month

Miss anything: hot coffee. I have to drink it iced or room temperature.

Movement: none

Cravings: fried chicken and strawberries

Queasy or sick: yes for over a week now. It's pretty much not cool.

Looking forward to: my next midwife appt and maybe hearing the heartbeat.

How far along: 9 weeks

Gender: unknown but the family is making bets

Weight gain: according to my scale? 1lb. According to the Dr? 4lbs

Maternity clothes: I wish – all things stretchy sound so amazing right now!

Sleep: still waking up once or twice a night, aka how my nights will be for the rest of my life probably

Best moment this month: telling a close friend about our news over Mexican food which I shamelessly ate enough for two and then some.

Worst moment this month: not being able to hear the heartbeat at my 2^nd appt – it was too soon.

Miss anything: a good solid nights sleep

Movement: none

Cravings: Mexican is something I'm always craving. And caramel iced coffee from McDonalds. They are beginning to recognize me in the drive thru. It's sad really but I have no shame.

Indulgences: Donuts. I had 2 just because I could. And then I ate a bite (or 4) the next morning when the left over poor lonely donut was going to be thrown away. I tried to save it from its unfortunate fate. I tried.

Queasy or sick: I have my moments but for the most part I haven't felt queasy in weeks.

Looking forward to: Announcing it to the world!

Anything making you queasy or sick: the thought of touching – or heck even thawing – raw chicken turns my stomach so much.

Belly Button in or out? I have an innie outie. It's weird I know but I guess it is considered in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Depends on the day. I definitely go through moods!

I also watched “The Business of Being Born” last week as a recommendation from my sister-in-law. What an amazing video and full of information! As much as I would love to do a home birth I know my family would freak so the next best thing is having a midwife at the hospital.

Also this was my last week in the single digits – I'm a sentimental fool for stuff like that.

How far along: 11 weeks

Gender: unknown

Weight gain: 2lbs

Maternity clothes: nope

Sleep: up once a night to pee but still sleeping well.

Best moment this month: Is bloating a good thing? Because I've been bloated a lot and it's given me a real good glimpse at what a baby bump will look like. My husband however is still convinced I'm showing big time and that we are having twins.

Worst moment this month: none that come to mind

Miss anything: raw cookie dough. It's going to be a long 8 more months.

Movement: none

Cravings: popcorn. And for those that know me know that before pregnancy I was not a fan of popcorn so this is so weird for me. We went to the movies one night and I ate half the bag of popcorn by.myself. No shame

Queasy or sick: Queasy only after dinner usually

Anything making you queasy or sick: Oddly I get queasy after I eat dinner. After 5 minutes it subsides but it's pretty hard to look at the food you just ate and want to puke.

Looking forward to: hearing the heartbeat

Belly Button in or out? same
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy but I've been crying a lot lately and over nothing. It comes out of nowhere...just all of a sudden I'm sobbing.

So there you have it, my first blog as a pregnant woman. I hope you will join me on this exciting and yet crazy ride that is...pregnancy and parenthood. For those who are also wondering if I am still doing Yoga or any fitness regimen. You know me and my addiction of Yoga. And since now I am a pregnant Yogi - I'm considered (in the Yoga world) as a Yoga Goddess. Giver of life. I find that beautiful. I love Prenatal Yoga so much and I look forward to doing it all through my pregnancy.

Goddess Pose in Yoga

I am also not opposed to hand-me-downs. Clothing. Words of wisdom. Baby product do and do-withouts. If you got something to share - please do so!

7 degrees

It's currently 7 degrees. It hasn't risen out of the single digits in at least 24 hours. I'm beginning to feel like Laura Ingalls (Wilder) during "The Long Long Winter". But I am grateful that I do not have to live off of brown bread and potatoes or twist hay for heat. Although that did give a person character and strength when you were pushed to your edge to physically survive. Laura lived to be 90 years old! I would be lying if I said I wish I didn't live back then. I'm convinced that I am part 1880's child and 1950's housewife. I would have loved to live back then at a much simpler time!

    Train Stuck in snow 1881, Wikipedia                                   

So what is one to do on her day off when it's only 7 measly degrees outside? Grocery shopping. Kid you not that is what I did this morning because it was the only time this week I would have to go do it and boy was I glad to be back home! I have beef stew in my crock pot for dinner. This is only the second time I've made beef stew and I really hope it comes out better than my first. There are so many recipes out there for beef stew so I kind of took three of them and just winged it.

I started out with browning my beef before putting in the crock pot. This is something I learned from my mother (and some recipes DO say to do it - others do not) that it starts the cooking process so the beef can get good and tender while the potatoes and carrots cook. I then took the drippings from cooking the beef and made a flour gravy and added it to the crock pot of goodies. I am tempted to add some tomato sauce and paprika since some recipes call for it but others do not. I only want to add it because right now my stew is looking and smelling the same as my first time around - good but not great. Recipes say to let the stew cook and an hour short of it's finishing time to taste it and adjust seasonings etc then so that is what I shall do.

Yesterday the husband and I spent a few hours doing our own separate thing in the same room. He choose to research trucks and watch cartoons. I chose to make some more cards for my Etsy shop. I made 6 cards in 4 1/2/ hours. I never think it's going to take me that long to make cards but especially when my mind gets blocked I have a hard time making a specific card. And I'm not the creative type either. I know my cards show some sort of creativity but I mainly get inspiration from Pinterest and re-create the cards I find on there. But no matter how many I make and how blocked my mind gets I always come back and make more. Even if they aren't being bought like I hoped they would.

Speaking of the olden days I've finally confessed my favorite Judy Garland Movie. No not Wizard of Oz, that movie really scares me to be honest. Flying monkeys? *shudder*
My favorite Judy Garland movie is "Good Ole Summertime".

 

This movie along with "Shop Around the Corner" inspired the 1990s movie "You've Got Mail". I simply love finding out newer movies were inspired off of old ones. Like my other favorite movie "The Women" was a remake of the same movie from the 1930s. How amazing!

Well anyway I'm going to go fix myself something hot to drink so I can get warm again. Cheers!

Tuesday Lessons

I sit here with an aching back and an aching nose. My back is aching because I've been standing on concrete (aka my kitchen floor) for the last 2 hours making and cleaning up after dinner. My nose is aching to smell the brownies that are in the oven. Let me explain...

It all started last week when my husband and I went grocery shopping at Aldi. I am a firm believer in Aldi and love 1. How far my dollar goes there and 2. The large selection in each food group. Well I went with my list of things to buy and on it was pork shoulder so that I could make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches in my crock pot tonight. Well all my local Aldi had in terms of pork was pork chops. Now experience has taught me that when it comes to pulled pork sandwiches pork chops do not shred the same as pork shoulder. So I decided to pick something else and alter the menu for tonight. I landed on the Fit and Active Rotisserie Flavored Turkey Breast Tenderloins. After consulting with my husband and explaining that we were NOT having pulled pork (or pulled turkey) sandwiches and that we would just have this nicely flavored turkey breast with some mashed potatoes etc. He obliged.

So...tonight...the night of the turkey breast tenderloin disappointment. I was so excited to cook it because it was a super easy "put it in the oven and forget it for a whole hour!" type of meal. My kind of meal sometimes. So I cooked it with some baby carrots, made up some homemade mashed potatoes from Yukon gold potatoes (the best kind of potato in my opinion) and by 6 o' clock we were sitting down to eat. An sitting down to disappointment. The turkey was terrible. The flavoring was not rotisserie flavored it was more of a cajun/pepper-y flavor. I truly cannot even describe it accurately because I had about 5 bites before I was done.

I also learned tonight that when making gravy you can make it in the microwave when pressed for time. You dissolve your chicken bullion in hot water, keep nuking it until it dissolves. Then slowly mix in cornstarch and nuke until it thickens. Ok so this isn't a very good recipe but that's because I got really impatient waiting for it to thicken so I thought "hey lets try flour instead and see if it thickens it faster"....four, three, two, one...beep. Ok. Open the microwave. Gravy EVERYWHERE. Did you know that if you microwave flour it basically explodes? I did not. Until tonight. Luckily I let it cool down while we "ate" and by the time I went to clean up the liquid mess it had solidified enough that it did not run all over the place.

So I was seriously considering just having cereal for dinner since it was such a bust but then my mind went to brownies. "why don't I just save those calories for brownies? duh!" So that is why I sit here, smelling the lovely homemade brownies. Drool seeping out of the corners of my mouth...down my chin...you get the picture. I used this amazing recipe I found on Pinterest. I fell in love with it because it tastes identical to the Betty Crocker box brownie mix but it's homemade! Yes I know homemade is always better but I was so in love with the box mix I could never find a homemade brownie recipe that compared...until this one!

Picture courtesy of website as mentioned above. 

Crispy layer on top. Soft, chewy layer underneath...holy crap why am I still typing and not eating my weight in brownies?

So lessons learned
1. Don't buy "rotisserie" flavored anything and expect it to taste good.
2. Don't microwave anything with flour in it
3. When dinner sucks...just make brownies!

The flu bug

Let me start by saying I've never gotten the flu. I know crazy right? I've had my share of strep throat, sinus infections, colds etc but never the flu. I'm still not sure I even have the flu but when I went to the Dr. the other night that is what she said I have, or might have. The flu. The gosh darn, good-for-nothing flu. And when does it decide to hit me? The night before my husband comes home...so a week ago. I've been a coughing, hacking, miserable sick person for a week. Boy when it hits it hits hard and stays a while. Like a relative you never see but when you do see them they decide to take up residence in your guest room (my lungs) for way longer than you were expecting them to stay. I've got things to do Uncle Chester...can you please leave? Anyone else picturing those Mucinex commercials with those green globby characters? I get that commercial now, I didn't before but now I do.

So the past week as miserable as I have been I've also been as productive as possible. I've gone to work (too soon which is why I'm still sick), I've kept up with all my "womanly duties" as my husband calls them, I've opened my Etsy store, had one Etsy order AND was recognized on the blog www.madebytheshop.wordpress.com for my Etsy shop. I guess I can say it's been a pretty good week despite the fact that I really would like a whole 8 hours of solid sleep without waking up to cough up a lung. That would just be the nicest thing in the world right now. Solid sleep. Getting through washing dishes without feeling tired and nauseous. Or reminding myself it's time to dose up on Dayquil so I can get better.

The Mud House at Etsy.com

I will say that being sick means you get to feel less guilty about sitting around watching TV. That is probably the best part about being sick - zoning out in front of endless episodes of Friends and Gilmore Girls but there also comes a point when you cannot watch another episode and you have to get up and do something...ANYTHING.

I should be better by Monday. That is what the Dr. said. "You're on day 5...maybe so you probably have 2-3 days left. Just lay low and get plenty of rest and fluids" Well Doc if I'm not better by Monday I'm coming to see you again and getting some real drugs and maybe that x-ray you talked about to rule out Pneumonia. Speaking of Pneumonia that is one word I never could spell when I was younger but all of a sudden I can spell it without hesitation. Weird?

So here I sit, another Saturday going by of doing nothing. Well OK not nothing. I made homemade meatballs and did a load of laundry. But not before I watched an episode of Parenthood - best show ever in my opinion -  it gives me anxiety and tears every time. Cheers to the weekend and I toast you with my shot glass of Dayquil. Here's to getting better. By Monday.

Civilian Life Transistion

Today is the start of a new chapter my life – heck – of OUR life. Today our lives change from Military to Civilian. Four years I waited for this day and it's finally here, I can barely believe it. For the past 4 years our relationship has come second to all things military and I am looking forward having a change of pace – finally!

I've gotten so many questions about our relationship and how it related to the military. I'll try to answer some of them here for anyone who is curious or never did get a real answer from me. 

Did we know each other before my husband went into the USMC? 

  - Yes, my husband and I have known each other since grade school. We dated once back in 2007 but I was the one who broke it off. And broke his heart in the process. I know...I'm terrible

Are you from a military family? 

 - Immediate family no. My husbands Grandfather was in the Army. My Great Grandfather served in WWII. That is about as much military experience either of our families had and yes...that made it harder for everyone (including me) to understand the whole thing. 

Have you been married the whole time he has been in?

 - We started dating 2 months before he "shipped out" and my heart went with him. We exchanged letters (41 to be exact) during his boot camp stint. He came home as often as he could but the first year of his term we saw each other a total of 2.5 months (this includes the first 2 months before he left). His first deployment came right after our engagement. Planning a wedding with no wedding date is NO small task let.me.tell.you. I did not have a wedding date until 2 weeks prior. And even then...it changed a week later. I thought I would loose my freaking mind. But in the end it was all I asked for; small, simple, legal and my dad walking me down the aisle. 

What happened when you got married? Did you live separately or together?

  - Together. We moved to NC a week after our wedding and lived off base for a little over a year. After that time he went on his second deployment and I moved back home to Ohio. 

Was it hard? Didn't time fly?

  - Yes and no to both questions. The hardest parts were saying good bye and keeping communication open. Once you get used to being alone it's nice to have the bathroom all to yourself, the cereal not running out, minimal laundry and eating dinner anytime you want. Going to parties and weddings alone - on the other hand - were hard from day one. Time flew during our time in NC. It seemed like one day I was thinking "this is my life now...it seems like it's going to last forever. And the next week I was thinking "holy crap this is my last day at work...I move next week....my time in NC is over". And then I cried because it flew by. 

What is next on the horizon now that he is out?

  - My husband is technically in the reserves now. Which means he is out of the USMC but if crap happens and they need him back they can technically call him back without hesitation. But in the meantime he has gotten a job working with his brother for a company who sells and repairs air compressors. We are also house hunting now which is strange but exciting!

So there is our story in a small nutshell. We are excited for this new chapter to begin and see where life takes us! 

My Yoga Journey

One year ago today I decided to step into unknown territory. I decided to explore this thing called Yoga. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know if I would like it despite hearing everyone I knew that practiced it say they loved it. I didn't think it would teach me so much. I didn't know what I was in for.

I had a free Yoga mat that had taken up space in my closet for years. I was a committed wearer of Yoga pants and so I thought it made sense to actually put it all to use. I also saw the quote "Your pants say Yoga but your butt says Mcdonalds" which really spoke to me. I wasn't concerned that my but said Mcdonalds but I was concerned with being a poser of Yoga-doing. My journey started when I inquired to a cousin about her recent Yoga posts on Facebook. She told me about the app called Pocket Yoga. This app was $3 which I thought was a steal compared to Yoga classes in a studio could cost between $12 per class or up to $100 a month for unlimited classes. The $3 was bargain and perfect way to see if I really wanted to do Yoga.

Well 12 months, 4 Yoga Classes, half a dozen home videos, 71 online videos, hundreds of hours of practice, numerous pictures and videos on my phone later...I'm hooked. I strive to practice every day but we all know that life has a tendency of getting in the way - especially in the way of those things that are good for us - and that usually causes me to practice every other day. But they call it practice for a reason, because you never become perfect. There is always something to improve or make harder (and thus becoming better). This became real to me when I starting taking pictures of my postures and boy...reality check! Even the simplest of poses that I felt I was doing right I ended up doing all wrong. As awkward, time consuming and annoying as taking pictures of myself is, it's really helped improved my posture..in my postures.

Along the way I have acquired another yoga mat, a yoga block, hot yoga towel, a yoga strap and a carrying strap. Not to mention the reputation with all my posts to Social Media about Yoga. My Yoga clothing has expanded and I'm exploring the world of Yoga socks - yes they really do help!

I continue to practice a majority on my own in my own living room. I do venture out to classes when time allows but my last two classes did not cater to my needs so I am a little hesitant to go back at this moment. I prefer to let Jillian Michaels yell at me from my TV :) Doing it in my own living room also allows me to wobble and fall without anyone seeing me. But even the greatest Yogi's fall...it's inevitable.

I have been asked if I will ever teach Yoga and my answer is - it's something I would love to do if time and money allows. Time I have to take out of my already crazy schedule and money I have to find when we are not saving up for a house and paying off debt. I think Yoga Teachers have one of the coolest jobs. You get to wear leggings and comfy shirts all day and you are a lot more free of stress than most!

One of the first things I learned in Yoga that I am most proud of is a handstand. I took a month long challenge on Instagram and as skeptical as I was at first it really truly taught my body how to handstand! Other poses I've learned to love are Crow/Crane Pose, Side Crow, Eight Angle Pose, Pigeon Pose, Dragon Pose and Tree Pose. All heart openener poses are great but I shy away as I don't feel they are beneficial - I'm kidding myself when I think that but honestly I love the challenging poses more. Balance poses like Half Moon Pose, Vertical Splits, Crescent lunge and Warrior 3 are my least favorite. They seem simple and yet I wobble and fall almost every time - Tree pose however is a standing balance pose but I can hold it forever! Hip - opening poses are the most beneficial to me. I learned in a class that I have tight hips - mainly because of Gymnastics/Dance classes over the years. Having stiff angry hips is very common in Yoga which is why there are so many practices for opening the hips. I have a love/hate relationship with all hip-openers mainly because they hurt so good! Arm balance poses are probably my favorite poses. The power and strength your wrists and forearms posses is amazing - I never knew I could hold my body up with just my arms! Poses that still boggle my mind are Scorpion, Forearm Stands, Toe holds, Swinging my feet under & jumping back, Bird of Paradise and Grasshopper Pose. This are all very advanced poses that I no doubt have a goal of eventually reaching them but right now I am comfortable where I'm at in Yoga. Slowly improving but never perfect.

The changes in my mind and body that have come through Yoga have inspired me to keep going - shin muscles exist!? I love the beauty of showing up to the mat and accomplishing what I set out to do. I love having a Yoga agenda that gets thrown off halfway through my practice and my body shows me what it really needs. I also wish I wasn't so late to game of Yoga. I wish I would have started years ago. But today is day one of year number 2. Let it be beautiful. Let it be strong. Let it be self improving. Namaste!

A nutty adventure

Did you know you can eat acorns? Did you know there are 14 different varieties? Did you know there are at least a dozen recipes using acorns? I, like most people never really saw past their cute little hats but these nuts are a secret of the forest that one should explore, understand, and if feeling adventurous enough, eat. But first a disclaimer: Do not eat Acorns raw. All acorns contain a toxin call Tannin. All though the amount of tannin in acorns varies (the bigger the cap the more tannin it has) it has to be leeched out no matter what. Tannin if ingested will not be fatal but it will make you very very sick. Leeching out the tannin is as easy as soaking the nut meat for 24 hours and switching out the water every 8 hours. This story ends with Acorn pancakes (I know right?) But lets start at the beginning...

The mighty Oak

I was able to walk a neighbor's property and scour like a squirrel for acorns. At first I was looking too hard and quickly became discouraged but soon I realized they were right under my nose...er feet. 

How many acorns can you spot?

The stages of acorns: new, ripe and over ripe.

My sweet acorn busting helpers!

After the searching, the busting, and the leeching came the roasting or drying. I did not get a lot of acorn meat from my scavenge but it was a great first time experience for me. If you crack the acorns open and the pale beige meat has an brown spots or lines it can contain worms so these were tossed right away.  Drying the acorns takes a lot longer than you would think. I found no guideline as to how long I should dry them in a low oven so lesson learned here dry them longer than you'd think. I dried mine in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes.

 I then put them in my coffee grinder to which they turned in to a thick mush. After that I decided to dry the mush for another 30 minutes which made it dry and crispy and much easier to grind.

The second time around of grinding I got the flour consistency I was looking for. I then got to pancake-making. I used this recipe from PBS. This recipe did not call for any sweetener and that is one thing I would change next time. A little honey, maple syrup or brown sugar would be delish!

Mix it up baby now!

Wah-la silver dollar sized acorn pancakes!

Now you want to know how they tasted right? Well they tasted like acorns.. No it wasn't a bad flavor it was just different and would be very easy to get used to especially with the added sweetener. Though I haven't ever tasted a whole wheat or buckwheat pancake I would imagine they taste very similar to these. So in short, it takes a little effort but if you're willing to put it in and do a little hard work you'll be well rewarded with a product you've probably never tried before. My next acorn recipe? Maple Acorn bread!