24 Weeks

I cannot believe that I am already 24 weeks pregnant! I feels like time has moved so quickly. So much has happened in the past weeks.

First, we had out gender reveal party! It was so much to fun to announce we are having a boy! We are so excited to meet out little man in approximately 16 weeks.

Also, we have started to get Oliver's room in order. We had the walls painted along with the two bath rooms in our house. We went with a true tan.  This was much harder than I thought it would be! Tans can be blue, green, or even pink base, but finally I found just TAN.

We also have been getting the items that we have in place.  My grandmother gave me a beautiful dresser that we will also use as the changing table.  I at first was afraid that it looked too much like a girl, but i think that after it is in the room it fits well. Also, Jake's parents bought Oli's bed.  I love it.  It's simple and not too fussy. We are still trying to make choices on baby bedding and curtains. When we make a little better progress I will post pictures.

Well, that is all that has really been happening around here. We spend most nights in the den reading, pinteresting, and playing with the dogs. I continue to grow, and so does our little one. My current cravings are any type of Mexican food and starburst candy!

In this picture he was about 19 weeks old, and already so cute!

Well, that is all for now! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

All in His Time

So many of you may have seen that Jake and I are expecting a baby in December! We are beyond excited. The thought of have a new baby at the best time of the year, Christmas, is too good to be true!

Many of our close friends know that this was a very big surprise for us.  "Our Plan" was to be married about 3 or 4 years then start entertaining the idea of having a baby. Thankfully the Lord had His own plan!

I had a doctor appointment scheduled and was not planning for anything out of the ordinary. When I saw my doctor he had concern about how out of sync my body was and how it seemed to not be operating correctly.  He sat down with me and started in the the "infertility treatment" talk. My spirits automatically dropped.  He told me that I need to prepare myself that when we decide to have a baby it would be hard and that we should be prepared to have to maybe undergo some treatment.  But assured me there was nothing to worry about now, and we would, "cross the creek when we came to it."

When he left the room I was automatically worried and saddened.  I had a feeling that this was coming, but I had not prepared myself enough to combat the emotions that I felt.  About 5 minutes later my doctor came back into the room with a smirk on his face.  He sat down be side me and said, "Honey, you can forget everything we talked about a little bit ago because your having a baby."  At that point I was in such shock and on a emotional roller coaster that all I could say was. "Are you sure." I know that I asked him about 10 times before he looked me dead in the eye and said, "Dear, I don't joke about babies." He explained to me that it was very unlikely that I would be able to get pregnant under my circumstances, but it happened!

The amount of relief and excitement was so overwhelming! After my appointment I rushed over to tell Jake.  He was beyond excited! I will never forget the look on his face when I showed him the picture of out little miracle.  His mother asked me later what his face looked like.  I told her the only other time I have seen that "Pure Joy" look on his face was at out first look on our wedding day.  I will never forget how happy he looked.

OK, this is getting long.  I just wanted to share with everyone the complete and perfect timing of the Lord.  He sees so much deeper and better then we do! He's goodness is unbelievable! We are not worthy!

Foodie Friday | Easter Ham

I am not cooking this year for Easter.  Last year I had my whole family + Jake's family and we had a huge meal! I made the Ham and some of the sides.  My mother helped with sides and my mother-in-law brought a roast. This year we are eating a late afternoon lunch at my mom's house and spending the rest of afternoon with my in-laws.

This is Martha's Ham- not mine!

Even though I am not making Ham this year, I want to share the glaze recipe that i used last year.

It was wonderful! And so easy!

Thanks, Martha!

Pineapple Mustard Glazed Ham

• 2 medium pineapples, peeled lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup cup country-style mustard (The one I used was called Stone Ground Mustard)
• 1 smoked, bone-in ham (10 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and all but a 1/4-inch layer of fat
• 40 whole cloves
• 1 cup cup Chicken broth

Directions

1. Bring pineapples, sugar, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, skimming foam. Cook until pineapples are translucent and mixture has reduced to 4 cups, 60 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool. Stir in mustard.
( (I make my Glaze the night before. It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 3 days.) )

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lowest position. Score ham with a sharp knife if your ham is not a pre-cut spiral sliced ham. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan; drizzle chicken broth over top. Coat ham with half the glaze. Cover with parchment, then foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven.

3.Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover ham, and coat with remaining glaze (some will fall to the bottom of the pan). Bake, uncovered, basting occasionally, until browned, 40 to 45 minutes. (Tent bone with foil if it becomes too dark.) Transfer ham to a cutting board; let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings and pineapple.

Here is the link to Martha's Recipe

I hope y'all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Beach Essentials

So, Summer is right around the corner! I am so excited for our beach trip with our friends Nick and Alison, and their sweet Hadley.

Last year Jake and I crashed their beach trip for a couple of days, and we had a great time!

  This year we will be together for 11 days in Rivera Maya, Mexico and we can't wait!

I like to plan ahead, and even though we are 74 days away I am already thinking about what to take.

Here are some must haves on any beach trip!

1. Baseball Cap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Proper Frat Hats

2. Spray Sunscreen

Neutrogena Ultimate Sport

3. Sunglasses

Costa Del Mar Hammock

4. Kindle

Kindle

5. Beach Bag

Vineyard Vines Beach Bag

6.  Sundress

Old Navy Ruffled Chiffon Maxi Dresses

7. After Sun Lotion

Ocean Potion Aloe After Sun Lotion

8. Camera 

Nikon COOLPIX Digital Camera

9. Lip Balm

Bigelow Rose Salve

10. Flip Flops

Havaianas Sandals

I can't wait to pack all these things and head to the beach!

Nothing like relaxing with your friends by the ocean!

Foodie Friday | Chocolate Pie

Those who spend time around me know that food is the center of our home.

I love to cook and come up with new recipies.

It never fails when we have people over to our house we all congregate in the kitchen.

This is I'm sure common everywhere, but in the South food is apart of the soul.

It holds the memory of special events and reminds us of people we love.

Jake has been very sick this week and Wednesday night he just wanted a comfort food.

So he asked for this. . .

Chocolate Pie with Meringue

Filling

1 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder

1/4 Cup Self-Rising Flour

2 Egg Yolks

2 Cups Whole Milk

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

1 Pie Crust (I just buy one if I don't want to put in the time)

Meringue

3 Egg Whites

1/4 Cup Sugar

To Make Filling: Preheat the oven to 325. 

In a medium pot combine sugar, cocoa powder, and flour. Add in milk and egg yolk. Cook without boiling until filling thickens. At the end add vanilla, butter, and salt. Then pour into baked pie crust.

To Make Meringue: Whip egg whites until they froth.  Then add the sugar and mix on high until peaks form.  Then pour on top of pie.  Bake on 325 for 15 minutes.

Jake always likes to get a slice hot out of the oven, but agrees that it is better if you let it chill for a couple hours.

I hope you enjoy!

Catching Up

Yes, I know it has been six months since I last blogged.

So, to catch up on all that has happened I will just hit some highlights!

This year it was great to be a Roll Tide Fan!

Jake and I attend all the home games (of course we miss a few for weddings and such). I love football season in the South.There is nothing better than a stadium dog and a Coke while watching a little football. Especially when you end up being National Champs!

And a BIG plus is we sometimes run into friends!

The only good thing about football season being over is that it means it’s time for the holidays! Christmas is (according to Jake and I) the best time of the year! We also look forward to Christmas, and usually start celebrating a little early. Our Christmas tree is always the first thing to go up.

It makes it truly feel like Christmas!

We also enjoyed spending time with our families!

Santa was very good to us this year; we got everything we wanted and more. For our “Big gift” from Jake’s parents this year they took us to Gatlinburg for four days. We had so much fun, I forgot to take pictures.

One of my gifts from Jake this year was a surprise! All he told me was I would need an overnight bag! The day before we were to go on our surprise, he told me what was going on. . . He was taking me to the Dave Barnes Christmas Concert! I was so excited! The concert was so enjoyable and the decorations were beautiful!

There was of course Dave.

Then Matt Wertz showed up.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get better…in walked Ben Rector.

All-in-all we had a great end to 2011!

Not much has been going on the first of this year.  I promise to do my best in keeping everyone up-to-date on a more regular basis from now on!

Celebrating 235 & 1 years

The 4th of July weekend was not only a great time of celebrating our nation, but also celebrating our one year anniversary!

Jake and I spent the weekend at the river house. It was fun to be on the water and ride the boat, but also to remember how just a year before we were having our rehearsal dinner there. It was great to reminisce about all the people, food, and fireworks. It's hard to believe how fast time passes.

But, I would be lying if I said that whole weekend away was effortless and went off with out a hitch....

It all started with us just trying to make it out of the house and actually more than one minute down the road. In total we turned around 5 times! We kept leaving small but important things.... The key, the dog food, the shopping list, the 10 pounds of hamburger meat we had bought for the family cookout on the 4th! I thought we would never leave, but we finally did! When we arrived at the river house we thought, "wow, it's hot!" "man I wish they would have left the a/c on!"---little did we know, they did---it had just stopped working! After many phone calls to Jake's dad and uncle it was a fact- we would spending our 1 year anniversary with no a/c in the middle of summer!

After accepting the fact and turning all the fans on we just wanted to escape and get on the water! We did and it was so nice. I love the river at sunset!

The next day we were going to make the most of it and stay out of the house as much as possible. We carefully applied 70 SPF all over me. As many of you know I burn at the thought of sunlight.








We spent about two hours on the water and wanted to come in for lunch. When we came in the house Jake looked at me with a look of disgust and pain and said to me that I was very burned.... He wasn't lying I could barely move the rest of the weekend and was forced to wear a T-shirt when outside.

You might be thinking surly nothing worse could happen-- that has to be all---sorry your wrong.

After having to sleep in a house with no a/c + bad sunburn I could not endure another night! So on Sunday night (our 1 year anniversary) we stayed with my in-laws. And let me tell you, even though it was not how I pictured my one year anniversary, I was so thankful to have a/c!

The next day we drove the 10 minuets back to the river and spent the day with my family. We had so much fun swimming, going out on the boat, laying in the hammock under the trees, and eating! We stayed around to watch fireworks- and don't worry we had to leave in a mad dash because I got approximately 25 mosquito bites!

While our anniversary weekend was not "perfect", I did have someone who is perfect for me to laugh at all that happened. We for sure will never forget our 1st anniversary, and I wouldn't change it for anything!


And don't feel too bad for us--- we leave for a week trip to Rivera Maya in 58 days!