Phase 1 complete: A preview

I'm am happy to say, I have now finished the hard parts of Jett's room. It was a ton of work but well worth it. This is just two finished projects. I'll put more pics up when his room is complete. I'm just happy I didn't have to buy a $40 stencil to get this wall the way I wanted it!

 My first glaze. It was harder, or I guess, more frustrating than I thought it would be. I used up a whole bed sheet and an old t-shirt. I have to say I don't think I'll ever use spray paint again. I'm in love with my mini foam roller and paint brush! I didn't have to worry about dripping and it basically took one coat. At least I know what to do now for future projects. Hopefully I won't have to re-do something this big again.

So Indecisive

I'm seriously struggling with the colors and decor for my little Jett's room. I think I've changed from black furniture to espresso. I like the yellow and blue better with the dark brown. Then I can use this cute rug I've had since we moved in(thanks Jamie!) and I'll only have to paint one wall. I'm pretty sure the wall will look something like the yellow part in this pic. I feel like I'm always changing my mind. Hopefully, I'll decided on something soon since I only have a few months left.

The Best Pasta Sauce Ever!

My mom had us over for dinner a couple weeks ago and made this to-die-for pasta. The sauce was seriously better than any other I had ever tried... So good, in fact, that I had to find the recipe to add to my collection. It's super healthy and fresh. I don't think I'll ever go back to store bought sauce. She found it in the May 2011 Bon Appetit magazine (I need to subscribe to it! Also, found at www.epicurious.com). Anyway, because of this recipe I have had pasta five times in the last week and bottled some. I have to share it. So, enjoy!

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes or ground red pepper 

1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, puréed in a food processor

Kosher salt

3 large fresh basil sprigs

12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti

2 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 5-quart pot. Season with salt; add spaghetti or bucatini and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.

I swear it's because I'm pregnant...

I think I'm starting to nest. I feel like I am cleaning constantly and completing tasks that I've needed to do for a long time. Thank goodness for that second trimester energy renewal. I feel like I can think again. I'm getting close to my last three months. Hopefully, I feel this great throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. I finally got the frames back up in our family room. I still need some more decorative frames. That one in the middle seems a little lonely. But, it's a heck of a lot better than before and I made sure I did it right... with two nails to a frame.

I still feel like I have a ton to do. I need to start getting the nursery going. I have nothing... no crib, no decorations, nothing. I have ideas of what I want to do though.

This is just a "super rough draft" of my thoughts. I like these colors and I really want to stencil the wall his crib would be up against. I just need to find/make a stencil. It really kills me that stencils are like $30-$40 online. It's a piece of plastic for crying out loud!! Is wallpaper easier??

Anyways, I'm thankful to have a lot on my plate right now. It keeps things interesting and when you're at home everyday, you just need that.

San Diego

We were lucky enough to finally get a vacation. Dal's wondeful parents took the whole family to San Diego for a week. We got to stay in an amazing beach house. This is just a glimpse of our awesome week. The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We slept most of the way and Jaiden was wonderful! He was pretty hilarious. His favorite thing to do was point out all the trains and tracks along the way. Way too exciting!
Our first day on the beach. The fam decided to take a stroll to check out the local beach and it turned out to be wetter than we hoped for. All the cousins were soaked and in heaven.

I'm so blessed to have such wonderful boys in my life! They are way too cute!

We made stops at Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. So much fun, yet so exhausting.

Sea World has a Sesame Street area that Jaiden loved. He saw his opportunity to meet Elmo and almost had a heart attack. I've never seen him so excited in his life.

I would love to turn this next set of photos into a flip book. Jaiden ran to Elmo and Abby.

I love my handsome little peanut! He was too cute and didn't want to leave after his photo.

Dal, Jacers, and Jaiderbug.

I thought this ride would make Jaiden sick but everytime they passed by Dal kept calling to me that Jaiden was yelling, "FASTER!!"

My little Lucha Libre.

Jaiden really wanted a baby polar bear.

Our last day. I think we were all worn out. It was so nice to get away and spend time with the family. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and I love everyone of them.

Face Paint

My friend, Kristy, threw a carnival themed party for her 1-year-old and I was lucky enough to be able to paint faces during it. I had so much fun. All the kids were adorable. I got to paint kitty and puppy faces, a tiger, princess eyes, butterflies, and the very popular Spiderman. Jaiden was the most difficult to paint. He wanted a little spiderweb, then he wanted a blue face. So, here's my little spider-Smurf.
After all the kids got their turns, it was mine. I let Jaiden paint all over me. Somewhere on my face is a basketball.

Mr. I NEED A NAP. What a fun Saturday.

4th of July

Dal got the chance to walk in a parade on the 4th with some of his co-workers from the sheriff's office. We had a blast waiting for him to walk by. I felt very pregnant in the heat and I think this photo shows it. Jaiden loved the parade more than I thought he would. He about had a heart attack when he saw the Kung Fu Panda float roll by. He got a ton of candy and loved all the other things that went by. He loved spending some time with his Gigi(my mom).

What a handsome guy! He looked like he was having fun.

Jaiden was so entranced by everything else going on that he didn't even see his Dad standing right in front of him. Finally, he looked up and said, "Hey Dad!" with a big grin. What an awesome 4th of July! We had so much fun with friends and family!