five on friday!

ONE
I finally made a to-do list for baby. We seriously haven't done a thing yet, and I'm 8 months pregnant!  To say I'm a bit overwhelmed is an understatement.  The time is flying this time around, can't believe we are having a baby so soon!  Here are some things on my list....

• Get out the carseat, bases, rock n'play, swing, bouncy seat, etc - clean!
• Prep the nursery (Hadley's old room)
• Wash NB and 0-3 month clothing
• Wash blankets, sheets and other linens
• Pack hospital bag
• PICK A NAME
• Buy new parts for my breast pump (and hopefully the thing still works)
• Get out all the bottles and sterilize
• Make freezer meals (more on this in #2)
• Notify pediatrician
• Attend breastfeeding class (scheduled for next week)
• Get a cute coming home outfit

TWO
I definitely want to make some meals to have on hand for when baby girl arrives. I've pinned some freezer meal recipes on Pinterest, but never actually took the plunge. Last week I was invited to a Wildtree Freezer Meal Workshop ('get your grill on' was the theme) and it was SO MUCH FUN!  You can read more about Wildtree here. It was hosted by a girl from my barre studio and she had about 12 girls attend. We purchased and prepped our meat and veggies before the party and brought our freezer bags (filled with the meat/veggies) and added all the Wildtree seasonings/spices/labels at the party. I left with 7 meals (herb grilled chicken, savory grilled tilapia, rodeo blue cheese burgers, grilled shrimp skewers, hickory grilled chicken, and Asian ginger chicken skewers). It was so easy and I'm looking forward to pulling these out this summer. I have a few more things I want to make in June and now I feel like I can actually do it!

THREE
In case I didn't have enough to do (see #1 above), we decided to repaint the interior of our house before baby girl arrives. Like, the whole enchilada, every room. Picking paint is seriously ridiculously hard.  I mean, I can't even commit to one type of ice cream lately.....



pregnancy problems - bought all 3

I have a small fortune invested in Benjamin Moore paint samples, and I've also painted random squares of paint throughout the living room, dining room, kitchen, and halls. But, we have finally picked our colors with the help of our sweet OP Jenkins friend that helped us with our furniture last year.  Painter is coming first week in June. I cannot wait!  Out with the beige/gold, and in with the greige!

 

FOUR
Hadley is getting promoted to her new classroom at Nanny's in a couple weeks. Just another reminder how quickly she is growing up.  She is 3.5 years old now, and I swear she gets sweeter every day. I asked her the other day how she got so sweet and she told me the bees made her sweet (they've been learning about bees and birds at school recently :) )  I just absolutely love her to pieces and can't imagine how I could love another little girl as much as I love her....but everyone says it just happens....your love multiplies.  I am trying to savor each hug, each bedtime story, each conversation with her right now before our family grows!

FIVE
I ran across this article on facebook last week and I was literally in tears at my desk from laughing so hard.  If you have a baby, or are expecting, you must read it. After-birth: 10 surprises from those first days after delivery

 

 

TGIF FRIENDS!

Five on Friday!

ONE
 I am so thankful it's Friday y'all. And, a HALF Friday at work for me!  Going to meet my better half for a sushi lunch date (I go for the cooked sushi these days but can't wait for the real thing post delivery), hit up the afternoon barre class, and then go pick up my sweet little toddler!

 

TWO
I've already meal planned for next week. And it's only Thursday. WOW! Next week we are having Grilled Flank Steak with black beans, corn and tomatoes, Tuscan Chicken with a big ole green salad, and Buffalo Chicken Tenders (making a GF batch for me) with a Southwest stuffed sweet potato.  I've been trying to eat clean and cook clean for my crew, which sort of goes hand in hand with my gluten free diet. I'm not totally hardcore, but I just try to use real food and avoid the center section of the grocery store (don't fret though, this working mama still cracks open some Kraft mac n' cheese for my gluten eaters as a side dish - sometimes you just gotta do what works). Usually over half my grocery list each week is fresh veggies and fruit.  We get a lot of our fruit from Costco (it almost always looks better than my local grocer), and also our almond milk, quinoa, chia seeds, and coffee there. Love me some Costco.

 

THREE
We have been wanting to sign Hadley up for a dance class lately, and we are going to try out the intro class at Little Gym next weekend - Jazzy Bugs Tap and Ballet. I cannot wait to get her all dolled up for class!  She's not the most graceful child I've ever seen hehe :)  She is so excited!

FOUR
For Lent this year, I'm participating in a 40 day "mini-challenge" where I am giving up shopping for myself.  Check out "The 1 Year Wardrobe Resolution" on Facebook (or The1YearWardrobeResolution on instagram) where a wife and mom details her one year journey of learning to be happy with the things she has and discovering that "less" really is "more."  She started a mini-challenge to people who want to give it a try during Lent and I am totally in.  I am excited to focus these 40 days on being thankful for all the things God has blessed me with!  It is much more than I deserve.

 



FIVE
My amazing mother is celebrating her birthday this weekend. I asked her what she wanted this year, and she said "help mulching my flower beds." Umm, was hoping she wanted to get mother-daughters pedis or facials. So my wonderful husband is going to mulch for her this weekend, and Sunday we are heading to her church and then brunch at Tomato Head.  My mom is such a special, sweet, loving mom, and I hope I can be more like her when I grow up!

 

Five on Friday!

 

ONE
I am extra excited about Valentine's day this year. I've already picked up Hadley's valentines for her classmates (Doc McStuffin's of course!) and pinned tons of cute treats I want to make and share with my work people. Valentine's day is on a Friday this year and I want to do a fun breakfast-for-dinner that evening for my Valentines, complete with heart-shaped red velvet pancakes and eggs!

TWO
It's been freezing here this week and I'm super busy at work with year-end reporting, which means this mama has been wearing out the crockpot. Please do yourself a favor and make this crockpot balsamic pork tenderloin!  It is sooo easy and delish! I served this with a broccoli and cheese quinoa casserole this week.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pound boneless pork tenderloin
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup good balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (I use tamari for gluten free)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

 

Instructions

1. Place pork tenderloin into  crockpot. Mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and set the timer (4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low).
2. Once pork tenderloin has cooked, remove from crockpot. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ – ½ cup of sauce over pork tenderloin.
3. Store remaining sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

THREE
Seems like Ms. Hadley has figured out how to get out of bed all by herself. She literally scared the sh*t out of me one morning this week when I was getting ready for work as she popped into my room yelling. It's definitely time for a toddler alarm clock - if the sleeping bunny's picture is lit, that means stay in bed and snooze awhile longer. Once the "awake" bunny illuminates, it's okay to rise. I think she will love this!

 

FOUR
Have y'all tried Panera's newest soup, their turkey chili? I had it for lunch one day this week and I really liked it!  It's really different as it's made with pulled turkey, rather that ground meat that is usually found in a traditional restaurant chili. Plus it has garbanzo beans which I love! I'm totally putting garbanzo beans in my chili next time. This soup certainly hit the spot during the cold snap this week!

FIVE
I am starting to make a list of odds and ends I want to get for baby Skeen #2. We have mostly everything we need, but there are a few things everyone talks/blogs about that I want this go around!



Aden+Anais swaddle blankets



Sophie the Giraffe
 

Snap n' Go stroller frame for infant carrier
 

Arm's Reach Co-sleeper - I was not a fan of the wood bassinet I used with Hadster. I have been reading reviews on this one and decided I wanted it. I actually found it at a consignment sale this week for a steal!
 

Puj Tub - this is soft and flexible and doesn't take up much room



TGIF friends and Happy Weekend!

Five on Friday!

ONE
We have had fun with all the Christmas festivities this year with Hadley. She really is into it all this year - we even started Elf of the Shelf (which she named "Frank" of all things). He's been very mischievous and she loves running and looking for him every morning. Usually I am moving him around right before she wakes up, almost got caught this week!  What has Frank been up to so far?

TWO
I never blogged about Thanksgiving, but we had a wonderful weekend, away from work and spent with our dear family.  Brandon and I ran a 10K on Thanksgiving morning (around 24 degrees when we started!). I placed 5th in my age group and finished the 6.2 miles in 50 minutes (give or take a few seconds) at a pace of 8:10/mile. I was so excited! Brandon finished just a minute or so later and placed 7th in his age group. Post race pic...

Twinkies!

We took Hadley to the Fantasy of Trees that weekend. She is at the perfect age for all the activities and couldn't wait to see Santa! She decorated a sugar cookie (which she consumed in like 2.5 seconds), got her face painted, got a princess manicure, rode the carousel with her daddy, and sat in Santa's lap like a pro (soooo unlike last year - she was terrified of the man).

Me and Brandon managed an amazing date night that weekend with dinner at Blue Coast Burrito (I had the most amazing fish tacos) and then had front row seats at the Amos Lee concert. That man is so talented.

THREE
Hadley really wants a big girl bed for Christmas. Is it bad to admit she is 3 and still in her crib? She's never climbed out but I think we are all ready for her to make the move. She wakes up every morning, "MOMMYYYYY, I NEED TO GO POTTYYYYY." Counting down the days till she can do this by herself!  We ordered her furniture and bedding which should be delivered the weekend before Christmas. Here is a sneak peak!




Bed, nightstand, and dresser

Bedding from PBK

FOUR
Last weekend Hadley came down with the most terrible stomach bug (the pukey kind). We pretty much didn't leave the house all weekend so we are ready for a fun time this weekend with Christmas parties, gingerbread house decorating, and present wrapping!

FIVE
I've been working on Christmas gifts for Hadley's wonderful teachers. I ended up getting these adorable mugs from Anthropologie. I think these are so cute and I can't wait to fill them up with goodies and package them up!

I also ran across these adorable milk bottle measuring cups which I think would be the cutest little present for the cook in your life!

Five on Friday!

ONE
We had so much fun last weekend at Oakes Farm as a family, and then at Foothills Milling Co. for an amazing anniversary dinner date later that night with just the mister. We had never been there and I'm so glad we tried it - one of my all time favorite meals! Can't wait to go back to Oakes Farm and Foothills Milling Co!

 

 

TWO
You know how good Chex Puppy Chow is, right? Well the Halloween Puppy Chow is even better....I made some this week and shared at work.  Hadley was my little helper!  Here is the recipe and the finished product!

THREE
I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Hunter boots I've been lusting over. I'm actually looking forward to the next time it rains so I can sport these puppies!

FOUR
Someone I know is turning 32 tomorrow! Excited for a sushi lunch date today to start the celebration off right!

Okay, this is SO funny and I know others can relate - I hope :)

FIVE
It's finally fall y'all. Like as of yesterday.  I'm rocking my Frye boots and long sleeves today.  I stopped at starbucks for my pumpkin spice latte on the way to work. Fallelujah!!