Lesson learned from Pinterest

I love all things Pinterest. Its completely addicting. I pin away all throughout the day, then when hubs gets home, I show him all the things I need him to make for the house. 

I have an entire folder pinned for fall things. Adorable things. Like these presh acorn cookies  that I decided to make for play group tomorrow. I got all the ingredients and got Coop all hyped up to help me. 

When I started putting them together, I realized they look weird. Not like acorns. Not like the pin I had been drooling over for a couple weeks. More like flying saucers. Or those pesky mushrooms in my front yard.

I hurried over to my beloved pin and actually followed the link to the instructions. It was there I realized that you are supposed to use mini vanilla wafers. Loverly. 

I almost quit and just ate the entire bag of Hershey kisses. Since I couldn't get to the store to buy the mini ones, I just went ahead and made them. Weird and all, I guess they're kinda cute. Not really acornish, but I learned an important lesson today. 

I learned to never trust someone's description under a pin. Don't just look at the picture and think "oh, those look so easy!" and make your shopping list. They could have very well left the all important word "mini" from their 4 simple ingredient list. Follow the link and get the real instructions. 

That is unless you really love serving weird UFO looking cookies to your neighbors. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake {RECIPE}

 I found this recipe on Epicurious and I'm pretty sure it completes me. It's total comfort food. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake 

For topping: 

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored (I used canned pineapple, juice reserved) 

 3/4 stick unsalted butter 

 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 

 For batter: 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 

 2 teaspoons baking powder 

 1/4 teaspoon salt 

 3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened 

 1 cup granulated sugar 

 2 large eggs 

 1 teaspoon vanilla 

 1 tablespoon dark rum (I used 1 tsp rum extract) 

 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (From the canned pineapple) 

2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Make topping: Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in a 10" cast iron skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just melt butter and sugar in a saucepan then pour into a 10" cake pan. 

Make batter: Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.

Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

Or cut into it as soon as you flip it out of the pan...because its THAT good.

Go make this ASAP!

What I'm wearing - 33 weeks pregnant.

Last night, I went to a blogger event at Brookstone in our local mall. I know, I know. I'm supposed to be on bedrest. How could I go to the mall? Well, I really wanted to go and I wanted to get out of the house. I also found an article about how women on bedrest can develop depression that can last after the baby is born. So see, I did myself and my unborn child a favor. And I will never tell my Dr's name because y'all will tattle on me. 

Anyhoo, this is what I wore. 

It takes talent for a shirt to button around this massive belly and not the boobs. Holy hugeness. 

This is probably the most comfortable outfit I've worn in awhile. Probably will keep showing up for the next few weeks.

How far along: 33 weeks. I.Can't.Believe.It.

Size of baby: Half a pineapple. Average is a little over 4lbs and 17in long.

Total Weight Gain: I hit the 30lb mark. It hurt bad. Then I decided that it doesn't matter and kept eating donuts. 

Maternity Clothes: A mixture of both. 

Gender: Sweet baby boy!

Movement: Tons!

Sleep: Insomnia like whoa. You may find me tweeting at 4am.  

What I miss: Eating a full meal then not having to eat for a few hours. I am having like 1/4 meal every couple hours. 

Cravings: Cherry Dr. Pepper. I am really trying to only have like half a glass because its sooo bad, but I NEED it.
Symptoms: More contractions, some swelling and intense, hold nothing back heartburn. 
What I’m looking forward to: I am getting so excited about having my little one here for the holidays! I have been looking at matching Thanksgiving outfits for my boys. Eek!

Outfit Deets:

Shirt: F21 (Non Maternity)

Leggings: Papaya (Non Maternity)

Shoes: Target
Belt: F21

Necklace: Julie the Fish

Ring: F21

Bracelet: Stolen Borrowed from my Sis-in-law

Earrings: Can't remember

Happy Weekend, Y'all! 

NY + Fall = Perfection

Hubs had a boys camping ("camping" in a gorgeous log cabin) trip in upstate NY with some of his friends last weekend. Pretty sure all they did was drink beer, fish and golf the whole time. Oh, boys. 

Anyway, since I am supposed to be bed resting, he dropped Cooper and I off at his parents house so they could take care of us. It was so relaxing to have them play with Coop while I really rested without worrying about anything. I knew I wanted to get some apples while I was there because there is nothing like a fresh picked NY apple. The weather was cool and completely perfect for apple picking!


Cooper has been apple picking there for 3 out of his 4 falls. I love traditions!

First bite

Picking out the perfect ones with Ma'am.

Plenty of McIntosh apples, aka, Macs.

Total ham

We picked tons!

The apple cider donuts that made the drive up TOTALLY worth it. 

My little man feeding the goats at the Apple Festival. This outfit makes me realize what a big boy he is!

The Amazing Kid Circus they got picked to be in. It was disaster meets hilarious meets my kid is so adorable that you better move your kid out of the camera's way.

And some munching on a fresh carrot from Pa's garden. 

It was a wonderful, relaxing trip. Although, after the drive home, I decided there is no way I'm going on any car rides for the rest of the pregnancy. Finding room for my massive belly and my swollen feetsies while cramped into a car is just not my idea of fun. I'll keep myself right here on the couch thankyouverymuch. 

What I'm wearing - 32 Weeks Pregnant

Humph. My face looks fatter than it did last week. I think I'm starting to get the puffs. Cuuute. 

{No one comment on how big the bootay is getting.}

Happy that it was warm enough for sandals one last time. 

My most favoritist earrings.

How far along: 32 weeks. 7 to go!

Size of baby: Size of a large jicama...Whatever that is. Average is 3.75lbs, but my linebacker child was 3.9 4 weeks ago. 

Total Weight Gain: 29lbs. Bumped it up an extra lb this week. It went right to the baby, though. Riiiight.

Maternity Clothes: And regular still. 

Gender: Sweet baby boy!

Movement: Plenty! 

Sleep: Ehhhh, okay. I just have to keep waking up for the bathroom. 

What I miss: Fitting into the clothes I want to wear. When I pulled out the fall/winter stuff yesterday, I realized not much fits. And it made me mad since I can't really go to the mall.

Cravings: Apple Cider Donuts, which I'm getting TODAY!
Symptoms: Contractions. Lots of them. I'm really trying to take it easy, but its so hard. Hubs went on a boys camping trip in upstate NY this weekend, so he dropped me and Cooper at his parents on the way up. Hopefully it will be easier than me staying home alone and I get those donuts here!

What I’m looking forward to: Getting rid of the bruises I got from falling down our entire flight of stairs yesterday. I look completely beat up. But luckily, I didn't hurt my belly. I managed to stay upright and just slam into the window frame at the bottom of the stairs. I guess that means I am completely front heavy and have no balance left whatsoever. 

Can you tell pregnancy is getting kinda ugly on me?

Outfit Deets:

Maxi Dress: Ross last year (Non Maternity)

Shoes: Walmart (cause I'm cheap like that)

Earrings: Lia Sophia

Happy weekend y'all! We're off to pick some apples and get some donuts in this chilly NY weather. It was 38 last night! 

Fall nail polish love.

I really wanted to get my hands on some fall nail polish...a tricky task when I'm not supposed to be going anywhere. I have been eyeing OPI's A-Taupe The Space Needle that is new this fall, but the closest Ulta is out of my bed rest driving limits. Soo, when I made a trip to Target yesterday to grab baby hangers, I did a quick run through the nail polish and found this:

NYC in a New York Minute in Park Ave caught my eye. I was trying to at least get the Nicole by OPI or Essie in hopes of a "better" polish, but I didn't see colors I liked. This one was $1.72. Big spender over here. I LOVE the color though! I topped it with OPI's Natural Nail Strengthener to make it last longer.

Its got more of a purple undertone than green of many taupe colors I've seen, but I like that. It may be my go to color of the fall! 

When life brings you days and days of rain...

Eventually, the only reasonable thing to do, is let your child have a hayday in it. 

Running up and down the driveway "catching" rain,

Making faces,

And having the time of his life.

What I'm wearing - 31 Weeks Pregnant

I'm so ready to dress for fall, but lets face it, it's way too hot for chunky knits and boots. I've seen so much about the midi skirts being a trend for the fall, so I decided to give it a go. Mercy is that thing comfy. Nothing better than an elastic waist band when you're the size of a school bus. 

The unstoppable outie can no longer be hidden.

How far along: 31 weeks down, 8 to go! I really love having a set delivery date!

Size of baby: Size of 4 naval oranges or a large squash.

Total Weight Gain: 27lbs. Consistently gaining 1lb/week. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes and regular...quite the mix.

Gender: Sweet baby boy!

Movement: Yes! Lots of hiccups still.  

Sleep: Hit or miss. But now, we just put the second queen size bed in our bedroom, so we're both sleeping in our own sweet space. Its heavenly! 

What I miss: I would really LOVE to scrub my floors. And our shower.  

Cravings: I've been feeling way too full to eat. I'm eating such a small amount at a time and nothing is really delish. 
Symptoms: Still having contractions when I move around so I'm still spending tons of time on my butt. (Which is growing at an alarming rate) Although, I got really stir crazy and went to JoAnns yesterday. (The reason I'm wearing more than sweats in these pics) I needed to get some stuff to craft fall things and fabric to start working on the nursery curtains!  Oh, and I totally went through the Starbucks drive-thru for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Oh, perfection.

What I’m looking forward to: I can't wait for the hubs to paint the nursery! We have all the bedding in and I have all the wall hangings ready to hang as soon as he paints. I also am looking forward to my Dr's appointment next week to see if I can move around more!

Outfit Deets: 

Tank: Target (Non Maternity)

Skirt: Maurices (Non Maternity)

Shoes: Target

Belt: Came on some jeans from Macy's forever ago

Bracelet and Necklace: F21

Happy Weekend Y'all! 

Modern Day Lucy and Ricky

I'll admit it for him, the hubs is a complete bed hog. Granted, he's 6'3" and we should probably have a king size bed, but we don't. And I don't want to buy all new bedroom furniture until Cooper needs a queen size bed. Then we'll pass ours on and get a bigger set. 

The only problem with that is it's probably 7-8 years from now. 7-8 years of me being squished in the corner. Of me rolling over and getting a big whiff of open-mouth-breather morning breath. 

Someone suggested these sheets to me. Yeah, well, the hubs doesn't sleep with his eyes open and will cross that line before I even fall asleep. 

I was thinking a solution more like these brilliant people.

Only have it looking more like this:

Or this:

So, I did what all reasonable wives do and suggested we sleep in separate beds. After all, how could he say no when I am currently the size of a mac truck and insist on having 2 pillows plus my body pillow all snuggled up with us?

Then I had my research ready. This article from AARP says sleeping in separate beds can bring couples closer. (Ignore the fact that it talks about couples over 50 and menopause) 

Hubs admitted that he loves sleeping alone in the hotel when he travels. (Then I silently sang the Hallelujah chorus) Since our bedroom just so happens to be big enough to put our extra queen bed in it, why not? 

Tonight, this brick house of a momma is going to be sleeping peacefully at an appropriate 2 feet away from my dear hubs. No knees in the back. No morning breath. No monster body pillows in his way. No sticking his massive feet through the slats at the end of the bed. 

In other words, perfection.

{via} {via}

Pumpkin Roll {RECIPE}

Trust me on this one, you want to make this. If there is any food that screams fall, this is it. I made my first one of the season over the weekend and there will be an innumerable amount made before the weather starts to warm again. 

 They look difficult, but they really aren't. Here's what you'll need:

For the cake:

3/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I make my own with this recipe)

1 cup pumpkin

3 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

For the filling:

1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all the cake ingredients and pour into a greased jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with sides. Bake 15 minutes. While baking, get hand towel, piece of linen or other cloth and dampen it, then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of powdered sugar. When the cake is finished baking, you are going to let it cool a couple minutes, then flip it onto that towel. Roll up the cake and the towel from the short end and allow to cool for 20 minutes. (This will help it keep that rolled shape once you fill it.)

 While its cooling, beat the cream cheese and butter together, then add in vanilla and powdered sugar. Unroll the cake and towel and spread the filling evenly across the cake. Roll back up, this time without the towel and wrap tightly in saran wrap before refrigerating. Serve chilled, cut into 1/4" slices with more powdered sugar sprinkled on top, if desired.

Go ahead and serve everyone a couple slices...they'll want it.

Baby #2 - 30 weeks!

It's feeling a bit like fall!! I wore white linen shorts today since their days are numbered. Come Tuesday, its fall decorating and heading to Starbucks for Pumpkin Spice Lattes! 

You know you're on bed rest when you get dressed up to ride to the grocery store and back...and not even get out. 

I adore the stripe trend for this fall.

 Its been awhile since I wore these shoes, but flats are much comfier these days and I love these oldie but goodies!

How far along: 30 weeks! 9 weeks to goooo! 

Size of baby: Size of a cabbage. 

Total Weight Gain: 26 lbs. It's a shart ton. Really. But if I keep up with 1lb/week, I will end up 10 lbs less than with Cooper!

Maternity Clothes: Oh, yeah. 

Gender: Sweet baby boy who definitely has a first name and 2 potential middle names. Eeek! 

Movement: Plenty! He had the hiccups last night and it was adorably weird. 

Sleep: I went from great last week, to completely miserable this week. I keep waking up, tossing and turning and not being able to fall back asleep. 

What I miss: Now I just want to go shopping. Not being to get out is miserable. Shopping online isn't the same for someone who loves to feel up every article of clothing in a store. 

Cravings: Salad. Tons of salad with fruit and I especially love canned chicken on top. 
Symptoms: Contractions still keeping me on moderate bed rest. Lots of heavy breathing (cute, right) and feeling like the baby is going to fall right out. 

What I’m looking forward to: I ordered the nursery bedding and I can't wait for it to come in! I haven't seen it in person, so I really hope I love it as much as in pictures! 

Outfit Deets:

Shirt: Merona @ Target (Non Maternity)

Shorts: Old Navy (Non Maternity)

Jacket: Aeropostale (Non maternity)

Shoes: Polo @ Macys

Purse: Nine West @ Ross

Happy, happy weekend y'all! 

Hubs is off today until Monday and we have friends coming in from NY to spend Labor Day with us. So excited!