Twenty One

How far along: 21 weeks! Just a little over halfway there. =)

Weight gain/loss: Um... Last I checked it was 13 pounds.

Body changes: Just the growing belly... Although, I did go to Motherhood this past weekend for a bra fitting {you know, 'cause those are growing too} and come to find out I have doubled in size since getting pregnant. Doubled. Sigh.

Please excuse the lack of makeup and attention to my hair.

Gender: It's a GIRL!! =)

Movement: Lots, lots more these days. Sometimes I can even feel her kick when I'm up and moving around, which is a new development. For the most part, little Miss Charlotte thinks it's cool to kick, punch and jump on my bladder. That, my friends, is not cool. I love her tiny little feet and hands but I sure wish she'd leave my bladder alone. =P

Sleep: Meh. It depends on the night, really. Between creepy dreams, getting up to go to the bathroom and waking up to roll over, I don't always get a good night's sleep. But I do sleep in between, so there's that.

What I'm looking forward to: Going home to see family next month!! We bought our plane tickets yesterday. While that process tires me out, it got me excited about seeing family. Not to mention I get to eat Chick-Fil-A and shop at Hobby Lobby! =D

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, sleeping through the night {oh, the irony...}, not getting heartburn regularly... Oh and having a working brain. Ha!

Cravings: At this point...anything sweet.

Symptoms: Mostly just heartburn. I have some round ligament pain occasionally, but it's not so bad right now.

Best moment this week: How to choose? Hosting Thanksgiving was fun, as was hanging out with my hubby for 4 straight days... Then today I "found" the lost memory card that wasn't. Funny story, really. Last night I was up blogging and picking out our Christmas card. I had uploaded some photos, took the memory card out of my computer and set it on top of the camera...on the couch. At some point, I moved and everything on the couch shifted. The memory card was nowhere to be found. I gave up the search until the morning...which turned into this afternoon when I remembered I needed to look for it. =P I searched under the couch, pulled up the cushions...nothing. Finally I resorted to the {ancient} 512MB card. I grabbed my camera to put in the card and whaddaya know?! The memory card was there all along. Sigh.

And then we got our first baby gift from my bio dad {yeah, I don't talk about him much...don't feel out of the loop}! Miss Charlotte now has a Pack N Play!! Which she won't be able to use for about 5 more months, but that's ok!

Joe already wants to put it together. =) I'm inclined to let him but at the same time, do we really need to put it together right now? Meh. We'll probably do it anyway. That's our prerogative, right?!

P.S. Stay tuned for a crafty giveaway this week!

My Memories Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the lovely people at MyMemories to review their digital scrapbooking software. I was pretty darn excited because I've been wanting to try out this whole digital scrapbooking thing for quite a while, but never could justify spending so much just to try it out. Not only have they provided me with the software to try, they are also allowing me to give away one free copy to my readers! =D

I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if their software was Mac friendly or not. Good news: it is! They have a PC version and a Mac version! It's really easy to download and doesn't take too much time. I was also surprised at how easy it is to maneuver. Some programs aren't so easy for me to find my way around, but this definitely is. So easy that I've been able to start a few albums already. =)

I've been wanting to do one for Joe and I yearly, but haven't really done anything. What I love about this software is that you can easily add your photos to it. It's not like regular scrapbooking {which I still love doing} where you have to purchase everything, print out the photos, decide which to use and then cut them if need be. Just click and add. Easy peasy!

For these, I chose to select a photo layout and then my own "paper" background. You can also make your own photo layout, or choose from papers they have. You can also purchase backgrounds and paper kits from their online store. Some layouts are free and others are a few dollars. Here is what I've done so far:

A homecoming page for the Joe and Sarah album...

And a little page for photos we had taken about a week ago by the lovely Annie. =)

Not only will I be able to use it for our yearly photo album, but I'll also be able to use it to document the life of our little one once she gets here. I can only imagine how many photos we'll be taking... For this one, I chose a ready-made layout. Here's a little preview of what I'd like to do with her album.

So cute and girly. =)

You can also use their software to create Christmas cards, announcements and pretty much anything you can imagine. I just like the easy scrapbooking function. 

Yeah, yeah, but how do I enter, you ask? If you would like to win one copy of MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software, here's how:

1. Visit MyMemories and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout. Then come back and tell me which one you chose. {Mandatory, 1 entry}
2. You must be a follower of my blog. Be sure to leave me a comment! {Mandatory, 1 entry}
3. Tweet about it, mentioning me: @gijoeswifeblog. Limit 1 tweet per day. Be sure you leave me a comment each time you tweet!
4. Blog about it, linking your post back to mine. Be sure to come back and comment with the link! {1 entry}

The giveaway starts today and will end Wednesday, December 7 at midnight EST. If you haven't gotten the memo yet, please make sure you comment for each entry. 

If you would like to purchase MyMemories software now or after the giveaway is over, please enter my special coupon code: STMMMS86011. This code will give you $10 off the software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories store.

Go forth and enter!! =) Good luck!

Stuffsgiving

I figured since Thanksgiving was almost 5 days ago I might want to post about it. =P

We had a really great Thanksgiving this year. I was really excited that Joe was home with me this year. It's amazing how completely different everything is when your husband is deployed. I really felt like I could enjoy myself this year. So, I decided I'd host Thanksgiving...20 weeks pregnant. =P

We were planning a Thanksgiving lunch, so we got up at 0700 and put the turkey in the oven. Not without issues, though. It's the first turkey I've ever made, so I guess I should have been prepared to have a problem with something. Fortunately it wasn't a huge problem; we just couldn't get the darn wire from around the legs. I ended up calling my Nana because, well, she's made a bazillion turkeys in her lifetime. She's far wiser than I when it comes to cooking. I think she enjoyed me calling to ask how to get the wire off...she had a great laugh at our expense. =P And after her instruction, we {read: Joe} got the wire off in no time, buttered it, seasoned it and popped it in the oven. I was still worried about it though.

I had planned to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast, but I forgot that I wouldn't be able to cook anything else in our oven after the turkey was in there. Oops. So we had a lovely breakfast of cereal while we awaited turkey dinner. We watched the Macy's parade for a while before we started getting the house {and ourselves} ready for the day. If nothing else, the house looked really nice..in my opinion. =P

The table all ready for our guests!

Dessert table in the kitchen...awaiting more desserts.

Sadly, these are all the pictures I took of the kitchen, food, etc. I took a couple of desserts after the fact, but none during. Actually none of us took any pictures. There were 3 bloggers in this house on Turkey Day and not one of us took a single photo!! For shame. ;-) I'm going to say we didn't take pictures because we were having too much fun and digging in on the good food. I did manage to get a shot of our lunch menu:

I was so nervous about how the turkey would turn out... Like my awesome hubby said, I shouldn't have worried so much. It turned out far better than I expected it to! It didn't look that great, but it tasted very good. I think it would have made my Nana proud...as would the mashed potatoes I made that were gone by round 1 of lunch. ;-) I now understand why she made so many - they don't last long! Jennifer was a big help and brought the green beans, salad and rolls. It was a relief not to have to do everything.

For dessert, I made a chocolate pecan pie {first pie and first pecan pie ever}. 

Annie brought some delish red velvet cupcakes, apple pie {with ice cream}, and pumpkin pie. I really don't think we had enough options for lunch or dessert. Do you? ;-) By the time we were finished eating, I think we all could have used a nap. Well...I could have, anyway!

One of Annie's yummy cupcakes. Mmmm.

It wasn't the Thanksgiving I'm used to having with family, but it was definitely a great one. I'm thankful that I was able to spend it with my hubby and good friends this year. And next year I won't have to worry so much about making a turkey! We rounded out our 4 day weekend with a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping, Saturday tree decorating, and Sunday dinner with our good friends, Mr. & Mrs. C. =)

I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving weekend as well! 

P.S. Stay tuned for a super fun, crafty giveaway this week! 

Twenty - Halfway!

How far along: Twenty weeks (and one day)!!! We're halfway there!



Weight gain/loss: I weighed myself on Friday and I've gained about 13 pounds. Just a few more than 7. The app that I use says this is too much for where I'm at... But, seriously, I'm hungry all. the. time.



Body changes: Not much... I think I'm seeing the beginnings of stretch marks, but that could be my imagination.

Taken Saturday...so not quite at 20 weeks.

Gender: It's a GIRL!! Charlotte Ann. =)



Movement: Depends on the day, but I've been feeling a lot more these days. She was very active yesterday, especially last night. I love that I can feel her kicks...even though they're getting stronger every day! She actually kept me awake last night kicking away. Silly little girl.



Sleep: Eh. It's better-ish. I've been waking up in a sweat the last couple of nights thanks to the lovely hormones. =/



What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the photos my awesome friend Annie took of Joe and I on Friday afternoon! We took a few belly related shots and one of us with an ultrasound photo. =)



Cravings: Pretty much anything sweet...or chocolate. What can I say? She's all girl!



Symptoms: Heartburn. Before dinner, after dinner, after Tums, after baking soda and water... It comes and goes as it pleases. All I can say is, she better have lots of hair!



Best moment this week: Seeing Joe's face when he was able to feel her kick for the first time. =) He was so excited. She usually won't kick when his hand is on my belly. I guess she was just feeling cooperative. No clue where she gets that! ;-)

Creations for Baby

Believe it or not, I've actually been doing a fair amount of crafting lately. I'm just glad that I finally feel like doing something again! I knew I felt awful during the first trimester, but I don't think I truly realized the effect it was having on my life. Thankfully that's over and I feel like being productive again!

A long, long time ago {okay, like a year} I bought some super cute fabric for a baby quilt. Joe was deployed, I was learning to sew...and I was a little bored. Not to mention I had baby fever. ;-) So, I ordered the fabric, had it sent to Melissa so she could be sweet and cut it for me {again, learning to sew}, she sent it to me and I laid it all out. Then it sat in a drawer...

Until I found out I was preggo! I suddenly had the urge to start on it. Imagine that. I started working on it again in September, I think, and I finally finished it this weekend! Yay me! It's a rag quilt similar to the ones I made for my mom and then for my nephew, Harry.

A little over halfway done...

All 6 rows sewn together!

The final product!!!

Baby Girl now has her first quilt. =) I know it's not super girly, but I still love it. And it'll definitely still go with the fabric for her bedding. Well, mostly anyway. 

A couple nights ago, I was going through a drawer and found some extra fabric I'd forgotten about. I actually bought it to do my very first project with, but that never worked out. It was supposed to be a flannel blanket for a baby shower gift. I cut it out, pinned it together and everything... And it's been sitting in that drawer since we moved in over a year ago. Whoops... 

Since baby is a girl, I figured I'd go ahead and make it for her/me. ;-) Unfortunately, my super-novice self did a horrible job cutting the fabric out so it was a little crooked. And my preggo self had no desire to correct that either. I sewed it all together and only ended up having one issue that was easily solved. It took maybe a half hour to do, and I think it turned out well. What do you think?

Side 1: super cute polka dots. Squee!

Side 2: hot pink plaid with lady bugs. =)

It makes my heart happy.

Now little miss Charlotte has 2 blankies and I am feeling like a pretty accomplished momma. =) I'm still working on a diaper clutch. And I'd like to make a few more burp cloths... Oh and I need to make another blanket with some minky fabric. I'll tell you the story behind that one later.

Maybe I'll get to work on those after I host Thanksgiving. Oh yes, it's going to be interesting for sure! Stay tuned! 

It's A...

Baby!!! ;-) Just kidding! {Well, it is actually a baby, but I'm talking gender here.}

Today was a big day! I woke up right before Joe at about 0500 and had a very hard time going back to sleep. My mind kept wandering! Plus, I'd had a dream about the ultrasound and it's result...that didn't really help things. =P My appointment wasn't until 1100, so even though I got more sleep, I still had time to kill! It was brutal.

I don't think I've been more anxious about anything in a long time!!! I suppose maybe I was anxious the day we found out I was pregnant, but I didn't have an appointment time to worry about. Anyways, I thought it'd be like a normal appointment minus chatting with the doctor, so when we got there I tried to calm down so my blood pressure wouldn't be so high. Well, they didn't check it. =P All that for nothing!! They just called me back and walked me to the ultrasound room. =)

Y'all, I can hardly even begin to describe what happened when Joe and I saw our baby on that monitor. It was absolutely amazing. We saw feet...

...which look like tiny versions of my own feet. =) We saw arms and legs, and the cutest little face:

Thankfully, our tech was very nice and told us the gender very early on in the appointment. I took a poll here on the blog and a poll of sorts on FB and Twitter. This of you who voted here thought Baby was a:

Boy. =) Most of my FB friends thought Baby was a girl. And I think it was kind of tied in Twitterland. So, what is the real answer? Well, our Baby is a.......

GIRL!!!!!

Our sweet baby is a little girl!!! And her name is Charlotte Ann. =)

 She even waved to us once or twice:

Look at those long little fingers! Again, me. 

Hands by her face. She was so done with the photo shoot by this point. =)

I have to admit that I cried a little bit. I just couldn't help it! Whether it was the hormones or it just kind of sunk in that we're having a baby, I'm not really sure. It was definitely a moment that I'll never forget and I'm incredibly thankful that Joe was able to be there with me. Even though it got a little uncomfortable for me {having someone press down on your uterus with baby inside while you have a full bladder is not what I'd call fun}, it was worth every single minute. Learning that our baby is a girl was great, but knowing that she's absolutely perfect and healthy was even better. =) 

Seeing Joe's face was also pretty great. He loved looking at our daughter wiggling around in my belly. She kicked a few times where I could feel it, and he just thought that was the best thing ever. Of course, I thought it was neat to be able to see her kick instead of just feel it, but I'm glad he got to experience something other than my symptoms for once. 

After the tech checked every nook and cranny of her heart and the rest of her body, we took our baby's first pictures and headed to lunch. {Praise the Lord!} After our delicious lunch at Subway, we grabbed a few things for little miss Charlotte at the PX. We ended up buying her 7 outfits... Spoiled much!?

I love these sweet little outfits!!

Do I have to tell you why we bought these?

I think Daddy's heart melted a bit when he saw this one. ;-)

This is one I made for her with my Silhouette a while back. =)

Joe ended up having to do CQ tonight, but even that can't put a damper on this day. We are over the moon excited that we're having a little girl. Now we just have to get through the next 20.5 weeks and we get to meet her!!

Drama, Drama, Drama...

What better way to celebrate my 500th post than with a little bit of good 'ole fashioned drama?!

I don't normally air "dirty laundry" on the blog, but this is something I just need to get out for my own mental well-being. And hopefully a few of you will have some good, helpful advice for me too!

As when most people do, once I found out I was pregnant {and told the family} the planning began. Planning for decorations, clothes, and when people are coming to visit. My mom is a paraprofessional at an elementary school and since the baby is coming during the school calendar, it isn't really possible for her to come. As some of you know, teachers don't get vacation days and they only get a few sick days a year. So my parents plan to come in June, after the school year is well over. After learning this, my MIL graciously offered to come right after the baby is born to help out. I was over the moon excited because I know I will be needing some help! I'm no newbie when it comes to babies, but I hear it's a little different when they're your own. ;-) Obviously, I accepted her offer.

I was a bit nervous about telling my mom the news, but I prayed she'd understand. When I told her, the conversation went very well. I know she was a little sad she couldn't make it, but I assured her it'd be fine. I didn't want to be upset when there was nothing I could really do about it anyway. I guess this is one of the things I've learned being a milspouse. There are just some things you can't control and being upset about it doesn't do anyone any good. So, anyway, I thought that was the end of discussion about who was coming when.

Until a couple days ago. Mom texted me asking how long Joe's mom would be here and when his dad would come. I didn't really think much of it {other than that it was a little odd} and told her that my MIL will be here for 2 weeks and my FIL will come for probably a week in there somewhere. I got little response and it didn't cross my mind again. Until yesterday morning. I got the joy of waking up to a text that went something like this:

I'm upset because you said you wanted your MIL to come care for you when the baby's born... Sometimes I feel like you left your family behind when you got married...


There was a bit more to it, but that's the gist of it. I automatically locked my phone and didn't think much about it. Or tried not to. When Joe got back from PT, I showed it to him to see what he thought. Since I wasn't feeling well, he offered to call her and tell her that the way she was feeling wasn't necessarily what was true. Sadly, his conversation with her didn't go so well. I suppose I can understand why, but I think she should know {at least by now} that he knows how I feel and what I think just as well as I do. Anyway, after she talked to him she texted me... Even though I learned later that Joe had said he'd talk to me when he got home and then I'd call her if I was feeling well. That alone irritated me. We talked when he finally got home and I called her because I basically wanted to be done with this issue. It'd been bothering me all day... I was upset and worried and...everything I should not be right now.

So I called. Joe says it went better than his conversation with her, but I'm not so sure. I told her that, no, I did not accept my MIL's offer to come after the baby was born until after I knew that she wouldn't be able to. She apparently doesn't believe this but then said that she wanted me to know that she'd come if I begged asked her to come. That she'd "make it happen" even though it'd be difficult. After going round and round with this for about 5 minutes, I realized that she wanted me to beg her to come. She wants me to be upset that she can't come. Basically? She's making this all about her.

To be honest, I don't really care who comes after Baby gets here. The one person that I'd be very, truly upset if they weren't here is Joe. And he'll be here, so I'm fine. Will it be easier if my mom or MIL were here to help me afterward? Absolutely! But I'm not going to beg anyone to come help me, and I'm certainly not going to put anyone in a difficult financial situation. Nor will I be upset about something I can't control. So, I can't tell her what she wants to hear. I can't validate her... And I honestly don't think it's right for her to put me in that position.

I don't know what to do now. She ended the conversation before I could try to make her really see my point of view. Which, I guess is relatively normal when we have arguments/disagreements. All she wanted out of that conversation was to make me say something and when I didn't do it, she was done. I want to have a good relationship with my mom {and my family}, but I can't be responsible for validating her feelings. I won't apologize for the way I feel.

I didn't even touch on the "I feel like you left your family behind" portion, because that's just blowing all this up. You guys know that when I got married I moved to NC with Joe. I did it because - wait for it - I wanted to. I always wanted to move after I graduated college. Sure, Joe put NC in my brain, but I was okay with it. My family, however, wasn't {and apparently still isn't} okay with me moving. Why? Mainly because that's the central location of Joe's family. Nevermind that we'd have someone close by to help us out if we needed it, they stayed focused on the sole fact that his family would be there.

She says things like this without recognizing the fact that she and Dad have never, ever come to visit us. Not one single time. I'd bet a million dollars {that I obviously don't have} that the only reason they're coming next summer is because of Baby. Yup. I said it. It's Joe's parents that have made an effort to come see us, no matter where we lived. Meanwhile, my parents travel to Vegas every year and don't come to see me. Now you see why I didn't bother bringing that up.

I don't know what to do. I prayed about it all day yesterday and I do feel a certain peace...if only that it's okay for me to feel and think the way I do. I don't know how to make this better. I've always been at odds with my parents over the years, but I thought I was done with all this. I suppose the better part about it now is that I don't live in the same house and I live far enough away to let it be for a while before really needing to hash it all out.

Just say a prayer for me so that I'll be able to figure this all out. I do not need this right now. I should be happy and only thinking about the happy future of my little family. Instead, I have my mom creating issues that shouldn't even be there. And if you have any advice, I'll take it! I'm at a loss.

Oh, and today's the last day to cast your gender vote! My ultrasound is tomorrow! Eeeek! =D

Nineteen

So I realized earlier that it's been a whole week since I posted last. Whoops! Sorry, readers! I promise I'm trying not to make my blog into an all-preggo, all the time blog. Must be better. =P

How far along: Nineteen weeks!

Weight gain/loss: Around 7 pounds. We'll find out in a couple of days.

Body changes: Just the growing belly!

Gender: Don't know yet but we find out Thursday at 11 {Hawaii time}!!! We are SO excited! I can't wait to find out if Baby is a boy or girl. Go make your vote over on the right hand side! I enjoy seeing who thinks what...and seeing if they're wrong. =P

Movement: Lots more lately!! In fact, just as I was sitting down to write this I got two pretty hard kicks. You know, compared to what they felt like before. And I usually only feel anything when I'm sitting down or resting.

Sleep: Sort of better the past week. I got the preggo pillow and finally figured out a decent way to sleep with it. Plus, I've been going to bed later {which is my norm} so that helps too. Although I'm either having allergy issues or I have a cold... Last night's sleep wasn't so great and I'm not holding out hope for tonight either. Sigh.

What I'm looking forward to: The ultrasound Thursday, of course! =D

Cravings: Cookies. Yeah, that's pretty much all I've been craving the last couple of weeks. Maybe some ice cream too.

Symptoms: Heartburn {usually just when I eat pizza or something equally spicy/acidic}, back pain {sad face} and round ligament pain. Doing more Yoga/Pilates will help with the back pain. I just have to remember to do it. The others I have no real control over.

Best moment this week: Getting my hair cut yesterday! I used a Groupon I bought forever ago to get it cut, styled and a treatment - which ended up being a clarifying treatment. It was fabulous. My hair turned out great, and I barely had to give her instruction. Honestly, that's the way I prefer to get my hair cut. I go in and say something like "I want a little more layers, but I want to keep some of the length" and then they just do whatever. Not everyone can do that, but I think my hair always turns out better when the "artist" has creative control. =)

It looked so much better yesterday...when I wasn't the one fixing it. Oh well! I'm still loving the new 'do. =) What do y'all think?

Eighteen

How far along: 18 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: Last we checked it was about 5-7 pounds. Not too shabby!

Body changes: The ever-growing belly and girls! Oh, and I'm getting more heartburn these days. Yay.

Sooner baby belly! 

Taken Saturday, so it's not exactly 18 weeks...but pretty close.

Gender: We find out on the 17th!! {Vote what you think via the poll up on the right side of the page!}

Movement: I've been feeling a lot more these days!! It's still not every day, but I notice it more. Mostly it's after Pilates or Yoga...or after I clean for a while. That sort of thing.

Sleep: It's been better lately, but I think it's because I've been going to bed later instead of going to bed when Joe does. I'm a night owl and he's not. I like going to bed with him (and sometimes I do, I just read), but it makes my sleep not so good.

What I'm looking forward to: The ultrasound next Thursday!

Cravings: Pretty much the same...but I haven't been downing all that sour candy lately. I did have a craving for chocolate chip cookies last week and remedied that with this recipe. =)

Symptoms: Heartburn, round ligament pain and back pain occasionally. One of my apps says that Yoga and Pilates help with back pain, so it looks like I'm already doing well on that front!

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby more and picking out bedding!! Well, the fabric for bedding that Melissa is going to make for me. =D

I'm seriously in love with the elephants and chevron. Thoughts?

What Ifs...

Don't worry, this is a post of good "what ifs"! I found this on Rebekah's blog, who also got it from someone else. It's a really cute little post, so I hope you enjoy! =)

What if I were to get pregnant? Already there!! And super excited. =) I've really been itching to get started on the baby's room lately. Just another week and a half before we find out the gender! Eeeek! You should vote on what I'm having on the poll on the right side of the page. Hint, hint.

What if I could have any job in the world? Hmmm. I always thought I'd be a teacher (which I kind of will if I absolutely decide to homeschool), but I really like the idea of working in a museum. Volunteering in the museum on post here during the deployment really got me interested in the research and art behind all the displays in a museum.

What if I had a day all to myself? I'd be bored. =P I think I had enough of that while Joe was gone... But if I could do anything...I'd probably get my hair cut and get a mani/pedi. Just a little pampering!

What if I could get married all over again? Sign me up! I loved our wedding, but if I had it to do over again I think I'd just elope. Get a pretty, simple dress and run down to the courthouse...just like my grandparents did. Oh, and I might grab a photographer too, just so I'd have pictures. Our wedding was very pretty, but the planning was hectic and stressful.

What if I could live anywhere in the US? Put me on a plane back to NC, please!! I fell in love with NC when we moved there 3 years ago. Well, really before that. I'm not sure what it is about that place - the people, the scenery or the history - but I love it and I'd love to move back.

What if I were to have more children? Can I please have this one first?! ;-) Seriously, though, we'd love to have more in a few years. We haven't exactly talked about it a lot, but I know we'll have more and it'll be a blessing. For now, I'm just going to worry about getting this baby here and loving on him/her. =)

What if I could have any talent in the world? Hmmm. I suppose the only talent that I don't have to some degree is dancing. I sing fairly well, I play the piano and flute, I sew and scrapbook, so I am talented...but I'd honestly rather get better at those things than have a new one.

What if you met me in real life? Well, you'll probably discover that I'm a little shy at first. True to the introvert's description, I like to feel out a situation before I feel really comfortable. I was much better about this in college, but since being out of a lot of social events I've crept back into my little shell. Once you've been around me for a while, though, you'll find that I'm very chatty and open. And maybe a little loud sometimes. =) That one I can't really help, it's a family trait.

What if I went back to school? I'd probably try to get my Master's in American History. And then maybe I'd try to work in a museum.

What if money weren't an object?  Fun question! I'd pay off my student loans and our car...and maybe buy another car because I'm not a fan of being carless while Joe's at work. Then I'd work on refurnishing our house. =)

What if I could meet one celebrity? Honestly, I could care less about celebrities. They're people just like anyone else, they're just well known. I wouldn't pass up meeting Patrick Dempsey (*wink, wink*), but I don't dream about meeting him.

What if I could only shop at one store for the rest of my life? Just one?! I can't do it! I'd say Target (pronounced tar-jay ;-)), but I have to have somewhere to get fabric too! I shouldn't have to choose. =P

What if I could choose an animal/pet? Done! We've had Jasper for almost 3 years. He's definitely a member of our family [and if you ask if we're getting rid of him when Baby comes, I'll hurt you]. Sometimes I think I'd like to adopt another dog/puppy, but then I think about training another one and forget about it.

What if I could go on a trip right now? Trip, as in a different country? SO hard to choose! But I think I'd have to pick England. I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember.

What if I had to choose between a house cleaner and professional chef? House cleaner, please!!! Having someone come clean my house would make my life a lot easier. Not to mention it'd give me more time to meal plan! I'm a pretty good cook [if I do say so myself], so I think I'll pass on the chef.

What if I had the option to get plastic surgery? Meh. I'm not a huge fan of plastic surgery, or surgery in general. I may consider it once I'm done having babies, but even then I'm not sure I would.

Best Cookies Ever

I have a special treat for you today! And you can thank yesterday's craving {brought on by a Facebook post of Chantal's} for this. =)

Anyway, I've had bad luck with chocolate chip cookies...and other cookies lately so I was reluctant to try it. But the craving was there and I had everything I needed so I started searching online for a good recipe, with good reviews. After a few minutes of searching, I found a good recipe from my allrecipes.com app. So I've decided to share with you the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. You can thank me later. ;-)

Never Fail Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir with fork so all ingredients are mixed together. [Set aside.]

3. In large bowl, combine sugars and butter. Mix until smooth. [Mine was still a little clumpy because of the brown sugar, but just make sure it's mixed well.] Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy.

4. Add 1 cup of dry ingredients at a time to [wet] mixture until all is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. [I cooked mine for about 11 minutes because my oven tends to run a little hot.]

I didn't take pictures of the process because, honestly, I wasn't sure how they'd turn out. Oh, and I used 1 cup of semisweet chips and 1 cup of white chocolate chips because I didn't have enough semisweet. It was definitely a win. This is how they turned out:

Last batch baking in the oven. Looking good!

Mmm-mmmm good!!

I've never been so happy after baking cookies in my life! I'm a little proud that I didn't have another epic fail on my hands, but I mostly attribute that to the recipe. =) Go bake some now! You know you want to!

Happy Weekend!

P.S. If you have fall photos, feel free to send them anytime!! And for those of you who've wondered where to send them {and don't have your reply-to email set, shame, shame}, my email address is on the left side of the page under my photo.