I Won Something (again)!

I'm not the type of person who enters every.single.giveaway.  However, when I have the time and feel like it, I enter the giveaways I'm interested in!  I'm not the luckiest person but I'm starting to feel luckier.  You might remember over the summer when I won an amazing giveaway through Shasta Anne.  I won a Clarisonic Pro!!  I still use this thing every day and I love it...it makes my skin feel so smooth and clean and I can't believe I got it FREE! 

Well back in December I entered a giveaway on Amanda's blog, One Extra Degree.  Amanda is a fellow teacher and was giving away an assessment recorder.  I figured this would be PERFECT for me since I teach intervention.  In the mornings, I teach small group reading intervention and this recorder will be perfect to help kids build their fluency.  I also plan on using it with my third graders during running records.  That way, we can discuss the results and they can listen to how they read the story.  I received the recorder in the mail earlier this week and I can't wait to put it to use at school.  I have a feeling the kids will think it's really cool, too!

You can see a post on Amanda's blog here that tells about the recorder and she even uploaded a recording she made!  I might be able to use this to make podcasts with my kindergartners for our class website! 

Thanks so much, Amanda....I am very excited to use this new technology resource in my classroom!

Half Baked!

According to The Bump, baby Carson is now the size of a cantaloupe!  To me, that seems unreal.  Last week a mango and now a cantaloupe?   Isn't that a LOT bigger?  Maybe the fruit at my grocery is just weird. :)   We had our anatamy scan appointment yesterday and Carson is right on track!  He weighs about 11oz. and had a heart rate of 145bpm (150bpm later when they checked with the doppler)! 

 

How far along? 20 weeks...I'm officially half-way done!  I can't believe how fast this first half has gone!

Total weight gain: My guess of last week was right on....I found out yesterday that I'm up 4 pounds.  This was right after a big lunch BUT I'm sure it's pretty accurate anyway. :)
Maternity clothes? Not yet....maybe starting the be-band next week!  Scroll down for a pic of my "bump"! :)
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: Still sleeping great besides my sniffly nose...can't wait for this cold to be gone!  I think I've gone through 8 boxes of tissues!
Best moment this week: Seeing Baby Carson on the ultrasound at our anatomy scan!  Scroll down for a pic!
Miss Anything? Having energy and perhaps coffee (even though I've learned to drink decaf Sbux).
Movement: After thinking that I might have felt movement last week, I now know that I am definitely feeling Carson move around in there!  It's so fun to feel and Nick even felt it a few times now, too!  I feel him the most when I'm in bed at night, but lately he has been moving throughout the workday too!
Food cravings: Still craving fruity stuff, but I also like to have something sweet after dinner...preferably chocolate!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not so much....except for the garlic pizza from the cafeteria today!  My sense of smell is SO strong!
Gender: Baby BOY Carson!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: fatigue (I passed out on the couch last night, oops) and Carson reminds me by kicking around in there...which I love!
Belly Button in or out? innie
Wedding rings on or off? on still...hopefully for a while!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Super happy!
Looking forward to: feeling Carson kick harder and more frequently :)


Here is one of the pictures we got at our appointment yesterday.  Unfortunately, our ultrasound tech seemed less than thrilled to be doing this for us and only gave us 5 pictures....NO profile shots even!  Even though I hate feet, I love this pic of Carson's tiny baby foot!

I'm sure everyone wants to see a bump pic so here you go!  I took this after breakfast at work this morning ....officially half baked!  I still feel like I haven't popped but one of my kindergartners told me today, "You have a big belly today!"  Maybe I'm showing more than I think!?

By the way, see my shirt in the bump pic?  I bought it at Macy's because it was $15 and it's long.  I figured it would cover my growing bump through these winter months.  The color isn't my favorite but it was cheap.  WELL, today not one, but TWO of my students told me that I looked like "that girl from Scooby Doo".  Anyone remember Velma?  Haha, I laughed out loud.

Happy New Year, Blogland!

Today was the first day back to school (work) for what seems like a LONG time!  My last day was December 16th...that's crazy!  The kids were surprisingly good today and I was thankful because I'm trying to beat a bad cold!

What did everyone do for NYE?  We had a low key get together at our place with some of our best friends.  We played some card games, the boys played cornhole [in the basement], and we watched Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest on TV.  Did anyone else think Dick Clark was going to retire?!

Usually I'm not too into watching the TV special until the ball drops, but this time we all watched while we sipped champagne.  Me and one of my best friends Kelli (also prego) were sipping on some tasty sparkling juice!

Hubby & I toasting for the New Year!

Some of the group :)

I also made a few snacks for my friends that came over...all of the recipes can be found on my pinterest page (follow me by clicking the link in my right sidebar)!

Peanut Butter Blossoms (I changed this recipe up a bit by putting the PB cookies into a mini muffin tin and then putting the kisses in upside down.)

Andes Mint Cookies

Easy Ranch Cheese Ball (I modified this recipe a bit from what was on my Pinterest.  I used 2cups of sharp cheddar shredded cheese along with a half cup of colby-jack.  I also used regular (fat free) ranch dressing instead of a dressing packet.  I don't care for pecans so I used walnuts instead!)...sorry, no pic, we dug in right away!

A friend of mine also brought these hilarious cake-pops she made.  They were pretty tasty and very cute, too!

 

19 Weeks!

According to The Bump, baby Carson is now the size of a MANGO.  To me, that's crazy.  I remember reading on that site when my baby was the size of an apple seed...it doesn't seem that long ago!

I probably won't be doing this every week, but I hadn't blogged for a while and figured this would be a good post for today since I'm almost half baked!  Sorry I don't have a bump pic, I haven't taken one lately and to be honest, there isn't much there! I'll try to post one soon because I know you're all dying to see my belly, ha!

How far along? 19 Weeks

Total weight gain: Not really sure, I'll find out at my appointment next Wednesday!  I'm going to guess maybe 3-5 pounds?
Maternity clothes? Not yet but my jeans are getting pretty snug!  I got some maternity clothes for Christmas!
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: I've been sleeping great besides some tossing and turning (which has always been normal for me).
Best moment this week: Letting everyone know Carson's name over Christmas!
Miss Anything? Having energy! 
Movement: I could SWEAR I felt him moving in there a few times this week.  It might be wishful thinking, but I felt it around the same time two nights in a row while laying in bed.
Food cravings: anything fruity (smoothies, fruit, etc.)
Anything making you queasy or sick: not anything new....red meat, raw meat, the turkey carcas at Christmas (seriously, doens't that gross everyone out?!)
Gender: Baby BOY!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: fatigue mostly, sometimes my stomach gets a little crampy but nothing bad at all
Belly Button in or out? innie
Wedding rings on or off? on and loose!  Probably because it's been so cold!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: my anatomy scan appointment next Wednesday!  Can't wait to see Baby Carson for the first time in 6 weeks!

He finally has a name!!

 I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  We had a great time visiting with our family and eating tasty food and treats!  I LOVE giving gifts so one of my favorite things is when I get to watch people open gifts!  On the other hand, I hate when people watch me open gifts b/c I don't like being the center of attention!  (I just about had a panic attack at my bridal shower, haha!)

Remember this little guy?  This was WEEKS ago!  We get to see him again on January 4th...can't wait!

After lots and lots of discussions and going back and forth between names, we have finally made a decision!  We're both so happy to announce that our son will be..............

We discussed name ideas with friends and family a little bit but then held off until we made a final decision.  You wouldn't believe how many people feel the right to tell you how awful they think a name is or how they would "never use that".  I really don't share name ideas to get THEIR opinion so if you don't like this name, sorry...we do and you don't have to use it for your own baby! :)

Emily's Kitchen

Last weekend, we had a few parties to go to so I went to Pinterest (where else?!) to find some food to take with us!  I ended up choosing an appetizer and a dessert.  If you aren't following me on Pinterest, click the button in my right sidebar or you can find my boards here!

For the first party (a going away party), we took these Jalepeno Poppers.  They were a HUGE hit and very easy to make!

Source: tastykitchen.com via Emily on Pinterest

Easy Jalapeno Poppers

2-3 jalapeno peppers

3/4 of a block of cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls

The recipe called for canned jalapenos which I thought was a little odd so I used fresh.  I only used 2 peppers because I didn't want it to be too hot for people who can't handle the spice!  If you like it spicier, be daring and use 3!  I also made sure to remove most of the seeds.......

Mix the diced jalapenos with the cream cheese and sugar.  I mashed mine together with a fork to make sure the sugar was mixed in:

Get out your cutting board and spread the crescent rolls into two rectangles.  As the recipe suggested, I pinched together the seams in the dough.  Next, spread your cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough:

 Next roll up the rectangles starting at the LONG end (you'll get more poppers this way)!  Don't roll too tight, the dough will break!  After this step, I stuck my rolls in the fridge for a few hours.  I thought it might make it easier to slice plus I wasn't going to the party for a few more hours!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and slice your logs into about 1" pieces.  Using a sharp knife really helps to make this step stress-free! ;)

Place your poppers onto a lightly greased baking sheet and pop into your oven for about 13 minutes, or until golden brown (mine took about 15 minutes).  Let them cool and enjoy!  This recipe made about 30 poppers for me.

For the second party (a housewarming party), I decided to bring some cookies (mainly b/c they would be fine in the car while we were at party #1.  Sigh....being popular is so hard!  I ended up choosing these delicious Red Velvet Cake Cookies.  This recipe was also very easy and also a big hit at the party!

Source: thesmallthingsblog.com via Emily on Pinterest

Red Velvet Cake Cookies

1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 block (8oz.) cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

1 egg (I used 1/4 cup egg beaters egg product...I hate regular eggs!)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Powdered Sugar, for rolling

Make sure to set your cream cheese and butter out to soften first!  I did this while I was prepping my jalapeno poppers.  Once the cream cheese and butter is about room temperature or softened enough, mix it up with your Kitchenaid stand mixer!  Oh wait, I forgot....I don't have a stand mixer.  Boo!  I used my Kitchenaid hand mixer and it worked fine....at least, for this step....

Mix in your egg and vanilla and blend until creamy.  Next, add your red velvet cake mix.  If you've never used red velvet cake mix, don't be alarmed if it comes out brown - that's normal!  It will turn red, I promise!

Before mixing....

After mixing!

Stick your cookie dough in the fridge for about 3 hours to harden up.  This will make it easier to form into balls.  Once your mixture is sufficiently chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Now you can use your hands or a cookie scoop and form the dough into 1-1.5" balls.  Roll the balls in powdered sugar and place on an un-greased baking sheet.

Pop these in the oven for 10-12 minutes.  They will look cracked and gooey in the middle, but that's ok!  Let them cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

The original recipe said to sprinkle extra powdered sugar after baking.  I skipped this step and they still tasted delicious!


P.S. Just so everyone knows, my Kitchenaid hand mixer about killed me during this kitchen adventure.  For some reason, it was having major issues with the thick cake cookie dough and I had to keep scraping the beaters off.  ANNOYING.  I was trying to explain to my husband that this definitely would never happen with a stand mixer. ;)  Proof:

growl!

The one where I fill in the blanks..

 

 

 

1.   My most favorite "little thing" is   relaxing with a CLEAN and clutter-free house!  I can NOT relax if there is mail on the counter, dishes in the sink, etc so I really love relaxing when all the chores are done!

2.   I give anything to  have some coffee in the morning....gave it up for the babe! :)  .

3.  I can't believe   winter break is HERE!  Today was a crazy last day filled with glitter pine cone ornaments, cupcakes, and candy cane taste tests and graphing.  I'm so excited to leave for FL tomorrow! 

4. The one thing I'd like to achieve today is   packing my bag for FL (since I haven't started) and get a few loads of laundry done.  I cheated because that isn't one thing.

5.  The last thing I want to do today is   the stuff I need to do (pack and laundry)..boo!

6.  If I were writing my own blank today, it would say:  "Over the holidays, I'm most looking forward to..."  .

7.  My favorite candle scent is    I love almost all vanilla candles (and variations of vanilla).  I think they're great for any time of the year!  Right now I have some sort of evergreen candle by our [fake] tree and a cranberry candle in our kitchen - yum!