Stop Eating the Paste Special

I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest, leaning heavily towards hate. I like the concept of a collection of really great ideas on so many different topics. What I do not like is the lack of organization, and the way things stack up on my boards without me doing anything with them. I have hundreds of pins for kid activities, interior design ideas, gardening ideas...And I have done none of it.

For several years I haven't even been spending any time on the website just because it feels so useless. But, I have decided on a new tactic. I am going to (slowly) go through everything I have pinned and actually try these ideas, deleting them as I go, because--let's face it--I don't really understand how that website works, and I'll never find these specific pins on my boards again anyway. If I like something I will preserve the idea in hard copy, because that's how I keep everything else in my life organized.

The goal is to do a couple of things, from various boards, each month and eventually have a completely empty Pinterest account within a few years. I get excited just thinking about it.

The first idea we tried was edible finger painting. You can find the original idea here.

Rice Cereal + Water + Food Coloring

Butcher paper taped to the floor

Camden immediately poured out all the yellow "paint"

Thank goodness it's edible!

The gorgeous final product.
I'm currently brokering a deal with MoMA for it's purchase.

Review: I wouldn't really call what I created "paint." It was just colored rice cereal. Maybe I got the rice to liquid ratio off, but it was more goopy than typical paint texture. And yet, the kids did not care a bit. They squeezed, squelched, tasted, rubbed, and "painted" for almost an hour! Basically, they had a blast. The butcher paper made for a relatively quick cleanup, and some wet paper towels took care of the rest. My one regret is doing this on the kitchen floor instead of the bathroom floor--holding Witten at arm's length to keep myself clean, then carrying him up a flight of stairs, and into the bathroom, is, surprisingly, not as easy as it sounds. But a quick rinse in the tub and both kids were clean and ready to go. It was a good afternoon activity. And, most importantly, it has been deleted from my Pinterest page!

Theme Song: Try Everything, Shakira

It's a...

Moving down the direct Davis line, it has been over 60 years since a girl was born. No joke. And the streak continues! I wanted to beat the odds, but at the same time, I'm so excited to be having a little boy. And there's always next time.

I finally bought some maternity clothes! I'm still wearing some of my own shirts and all my own pants (thank you belly bands), but it's fun to buy new clothes, and I am digging how nicely these clothes fit because they're actually designed for the body shape I am right now.

The headaches are gone, but the heartburn is getting steadily worse. I've always had some reflux issues, and now it's all day every day. It's actually getting bad enough to cause nausea. It's like the morning sickness is back. I've come full circle!

Baby: Our little man is papaya sized and a little over one pound in weight. He's responding to light and sounds, and dancing around like a champ. Seriously. He is a mover and a shaker. Every once in a while, Will can even feel the kicks. When I first felt the movement a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure it was real--it just kind of felt like a muscle spasm, like a twitch in my arm or eye. But now, it is very clear that there is an active little baby in there. 

Cravings/Aversions: Yay fruit!! Meat...eh... Nothing new in this department. The other day I went grocery shopping and bought a bag of unripe nectarines. And I was too impatient waiting for them to ripen. I chopped one up and crunched through it. I stirred one into a bit of ice cream to combat the unripeness. It's almost a problem. When they were just barely ripe I was eating 2 to 3 a day. And now they are gone, and I am desperate for more!

Theme Song: Beautiful Boy, John Lennon

The World's Next Biggest Caps Fan

Our little family will be growing by 50% in late October of this year!

Our pregnancy announcement 

Right now, at 12 weeks, I don't feel pregnant so much as sick and pudgy. You can see a slight bulge in the picture above, but honestly I just look like I've gained weight around my waist at this point. 

My first trimester has been kind of miserable. Lots of headaches, back pain, and nausea. Hopefully at least some of that will clear up within the next few weeks. Actually, this has been the first time all school year I've been grateful to be a part-time teacher. I can be sick all morning, then shake it off and go into work like nothing happened. Ah, blessings...

Baby: Baby is the size of a lime, just over two inches, and weighs half an ounce. His/her reflexes and brain are developing quickly, and she/he can actually feel it if I touch my stomach. 

Cravings/Aversions: All I think about day and night is fruit. Apples, mangos, green grapes, peaches, plums...oh man. I'm also very into melted cheese: grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pizza. The one thing that I really cannot handle lately is meat. Chicken, beef, pork, it all makes me slightly queasy even to think about. I power through because I know I need a lot of protein, but this baby has turned me into a closet vegetarian.

Theme Song: Child of Mine, Carole King

How To Get Your Life Back Together

2 January--Turn 22 [check]

7 January--Drive the (enormous) new car to SLC for an undercoat [check]

8 January--Start student teaching [check]

17 January--Take over the classroom for the whole day (things get real) [yikes. check.]

18 January--Clean the house [no comment]

19 January--Promise yourself you will clean the house [don't make promises you can't keep]

20 January--Ignore the mess the house has become [check...]

21 January--Clean the House. [check! free at last (see what a did there. nice reference? eh?)]

          Attend a fantastic MLK Day party/brunch.
          Listen to a wonderful speech.
          Hang with friends [check]

          Begin Teacher Work Sample [check. ugh.]

          Prep lesson plans for tomorrow [check]

          Thank lucky stars you had the day off [CHECK!]

With a finally clean apartment and a finally completed lesson plan, it's safe to say my life is back together. Hopefully I can keep it that way. Will's life is always together. As long as he has sports. Luckily he's still playing both tennis and hockey and can watch the NHL and the Australian Open. It's a comfort to know that the next time I fall behind on everything and lose my mind, there is a man here who is forever unruffled and grounded. It's a good yin-yang thing we have going.

Some belated photos:

My Personal Birthday Lunch: fish tacos and a history on the Civil War

Will bought me flowers. I like the wheat. It's cool and winter-y

Theme Song: No Rain, Blind Melon

The Longest Day of the Year.

Somebody probably told you that the longest day of the year is Summer Solstice.

Somebody lied.

Christmas Eve is the longest day of the year for me. It's full of anticipation and excitement. I can never sleep on Christmas Eve night. I usually roll out of bed by 4:30 or 5 and then wait for my siblings to wake up. Mom and Dad cannot be woken up until 7:30.

This year is a little different. It's mine and Will's first Christmas together. Usually for Christmas Eve, my family will spend the day out and about doing something to get our minds off of how slow the day is going. Two years ago we visited Valley Forge. Last year, Gettysburg. This year Will and I are stuck in Provo. No historically significant sites to visit. 

Every year Mom makes pot roast on Christmas Eve--Rare Who Roast Beast--for dinner. So naturally I had to make some today too. I decided to start by searing each side of the roast to create a crust in hopes that the meat would not dry out as it cooked. There were some browned bits in the pan after I finished searing the meat, so I poured in some grape juice, hoping to pull the bits of flavor off the pan and start making a sauce/gravy. Instead, I created a volcano. Hot liquid shot everywhere. That's one Christmas Eve tradition I don't care to repeat next year. 

However, now the roast is cooking away. The Who Pudding is prepared and setting up in the fridge. We cleaned the kitchen instead of visiting a site of national significance, but it did serve to take my mind off of things. Now, we wait until dinner is done cooking and then I can spend the rest of the evening counting the seconds until bedtime and watching the Google Santa Tracker.

Merry Christmas!

A little sampling of my gift wrapping skills...

It looks better from this side.

Dinner in the Crock Pot. Hopefully it'll taste as good as it smells...

Individual Servings of Who Pudding

All the gifts under the tree. And Will's arm.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

Theme Song: O Holy Night, Josh Groban

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

13 December and the count is on! 12 days people. 

I should probably wrap those presents I bought almost two weeks ago...

Me being crafty. Hilarious.

Will did an excellent job setting up this lovely REAL tree. I love real trees.

An adorable thrift store find. Thanks Mom. :)

Only about half the amount of what was there this morning...

Our stockings are my favorite Christmas decoration. I like to think my stocking is bigger because I was more loved as a child. Will likes to think it's because I was spoiled rotten.

Theme Song: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas--Bing Crosby (no other version will do)

BzzzzZzzzzZzzz...

A few days ago there were a couple of flies trapped in one of the fluorescent lights in our kitchen's vaulted ceiling, and Will took it upon himself to solve that problem:

Yep. That's my husband. Standing on our fridge. No big deal. Luckily he did take care of the fly problem.

Theme Song: Fly on the Wall, Miley Cyrus

Words

What to do on a slow weekday night:

Work together to use up all the Bananagram tiles, adding one at a time.

Alternatively:

Go head to head and very nearly tie. (I could tell you who won, but it's not important...)

Theme Song: Words, The Monkees

Obtaining Joy, One Heart Attack at a Time

A while back I made these:

via here

They were amazing. Cinnabon amazing. Will's an authority on the subject and he confirmed it. And I just so happen to have enough ingredients to make another batch in the near future. You should probably come by our apartment and eat some. Yummmmmmmmmmm.

These too:

via here

Not perfected yet, but we'll get there.

Theme Song: Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows, Lesly Gore

First Place

Our apartment is small. And when I say small, I of course mean tiny. But, it's come a long way in about a month, from this:

to this:

Yes, Will is taller than our refrigerator. NBD.

Will's Favorite Apartment Feature

Theme Song: Our House, Madness

Domestic Perfection

In the true spirit of the 1950s, I made a food item from scratch. Pizza dough. Okay, so not that exciting, but I did go pretty nuts when it rose properly after I let it sit--Will can attest. Two pizzas were made with this fine dough: so good I didn't have time to get pictures of the finished product.

Pizza Dough!! Oh boy!!

Resting in the fridge in neat storage bags

Ready to Use

Theme Song: Settle Down, Kimbra