New favorite show?

We just started watching Homeland! We're on episode 3 of season 1 and are officially hooked. My parents are coming this weekend but if they weren't we would totally spend the whole weekend watching hours of this show.

I can't wait to get caught up!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We've finally crossed the Christmas decorating off of our to-do list!!! Yay. I love our tree. It's full of pretty glass ornaments and some sentimental things like wooden ornaments my mom and dad brought back from Germany, where they lived for a couple of years before I was born.

How do you decorate your tree? Do you have a theme?

P.S. Leroy totally photo bombed me!!

Bye bye wedding rings...

Well, I might be done wearing my rings until this little baby is done cooking. I'm sad! Maybe it'll be a day by day thing?

22 Weeks...

Well, I had a very busy week! I have been baking and trying to get things done in advance for Christmas. We also put up our Christmas tree and decor since my parents are visiting this weekend, and the following weekend we're having our big party at our house! All of these holiday things are getting a bit overwhelming.

Anyway, we also attended my husband's work holiday party. I bought myself a pretty dress to wear since I've been feeling less than awesome about myself, and I felt really pretty :). The $80 was WELL worth it, and I'm trying to think of some other occasions for me to wear the dress again! So far I think I could get 4 wears out of it.

In other news, I forgot to mention that I am feeling baby kicks these days! It probably started around 17 weeks, but I wasn't entirely sure it was baby until probably 2 weeks ago. At this point my husband can feel it, and sometimes we can actually see my belly move. It's actually so cool. I just love the feeling! I thought I might find it kind of creepy and alien-esque, because I'm weird like that, but I totally don't. It's just simply amazing. I'm still waiting for the kicking to become a little more consistent, right now it's just a few times a day.

I would update you on the weight gain, but I can't even bring myself to step on the scale... People tell me it's all belly though :)

Next week I should have the very first nursery update, as my parents are planning to do a bunch of work while they're here. I'm so excited to see it really come together! Stay tuned!

Interesting...

Apparently the Starbucks barista spells Simon way different than most people...

What I did today...

Shortbread cookies!!!

Here's the recipe, it comes from the box of cornstarch :)

1 cup butter, softened (no substitutions) 
1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups flour 1/4 cup Corn Starch

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). 

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and corn starch.

Form into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten using a fork. Place a small piece of cherry in the middle, I only had red but a mix of red and green would be awesome!

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

And voila! These are super simple!! And so buttery and yummy. It's hard to eat 10 at a time...

Another 101 in 1001 update!

I have actually crossed quite a few more things off of my list, so I figured it was time for another update! Some of these things will have to be put on hold for a little while, like I won't be trying any more new beers for a while... or I won't be losing 20 pounds in the immediate future... But I think I'll still have time to fit everything in :)

Start blogging (Started in May 2012)

Take a photography class

Take a cake decorating class (Completed in April 2012 at Michael's)

Blog every day for 30 days (In progress as we speak!!)

Go to NYC (Went for our 1st anniversary in May 2012)

Plant a vegetable garden (Planted a veggie garden with my mom in June 2012)

Sell 1 item a month from our Etsy shop (My mom and I had to temporarily shut down our Etsy shop so she could sell her stuff at Christmas craft markets!!! Hopefully soon we'll be up and running again)

Lose 20 pounds (get to 160 lbs) (this will now come AFTER baby is born :) )

Maintain weight for 6 months (see above)

Refinish a piece of furniture (A work in progress, hint: it's for the nursery!)

Reupholster an old piece of furniture (See above!!!)

Go to Las Vegas

Take a knitting class

Knit a winter hat

Take one photo I am really proud of

Take a photograph of a rainbow (in progress - this was actually code for "get pregnant again and carry to term!")

Say “yes” to something I wouldn’t normally

Host a dinner party for 8

Go a week without buying anything

Read 40 books (It's sad, but I have read 1 so far - The Help. I have edited this and picked a better number, 100 in 1001 days?? Yikes. Who can read 1 book every 10 days?? Yeah, new updated, I have still only read 1...)

Don’t say anything negative for one day

Complete a 365 day photo challenge

Try a sport I've never tried before (My husband and I played flag football summer 2012!)

Donate money to a charity

Kiss in the rain

Make spaghetti sauce from scratch

Bake and decorate a birthday cake for someone (Baked my husband's birthday cake in June 2012)

Try a new recipe once a month for a year

Find out my blood type (easy! Had to do this when I got pregnant, I'm O+! August 2012)

Go to the gym 5 days a week for a month

Take a cooking class

Send a hand written letter

Spend a weekend without the internet

Make bread without the bread maker

Train Leroy to come when called

Learn how to cook fish!

Finish the photo wall going to the basement

Go to a wine tasting

Make homemade ice cream

Watch Gone With the Wind (Loved it! July 2012)

Carve a pumpkin

Figure out what to do with my wedding dress (I donated it to a charity here called The Breast Dress Project which raises money for breast cancer research - October 2012)

Send in the paperwork and get my PEng

Have a blog post published on a well known blog

Have my blog redesigned to have a more personal style (Thanks to Emily at oh hello, love! this has been completed, July 14, 2012)

Make a meal with all ingredients bought at the farmer's market

Throw a surprise party for someone

Go on a girl's weekend with my sister

Have a will written

Try being vegetarian for one week

Write 100 thank you notes

Meet an internet friend in person

Go on a picnic

Go camping with the dog (We went camping in August 2012)

Go to trivia night

Be professionally fitted for a bra

Send at least 3 letters to the editor of our local paper

Move my blog to self hosted

Give up Facebook for a week

Try 10 beers I have never tried before (Rickard's White, Molson Canadian 67 Sublime, Upper Canada Lager)

Go to an exercise class that makes me feel awkward

See 45 movies in the theatre

Go for a ride in a helicopter

Get a promotion

Eat at 10 new restaurants (In progress - Must Wine Bar)

Host Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner

Make a surprise visit home to see my family

Spend 1 day a week television free for 6 months (Started this in July 2012, we're going with Wednesdays!)

De-clutter our house

Go to a comedy show (went to Absolute Comedy with two of my coworkers! July 2012)

See The Nutcracker at the NAC

Do something nice for someone anonymously

Go to a spa

Go to a Green Bay Packers game

Give a 100% tip

Have a booth at a craft sale

Take a spontaneous road trip

Create a scavenger hunt

Decorate Christmas cookies

Finish bathroom and back room in basement

Finish the fence in the backyard (Last pieces went up in May 2012!)

Buy a mouse pad for my desk at work (Just did this! I got a mouse pad AND a keyboard wrist rest. July 2012)

Learn how to use all of the applications on my Mac

Grow and use 3 varieties of herbs (Grew basil, oregano, and parsley, used all 3 in my roasted red pepper soup! July 2012)

Organize all of the documents/photos on my computer

Finally load up my digital picture frame

Go to a drive-in movie theatre

Have someone guest post on my blog

Go on a date night once a month with my husband (Edited to add a timeframe - let's go with a year! Started this in July 2012)

Get 5,000 views of my blog - I just checked and I can't believe I've already passed this goal!!!!!! Thank you to everyone for reading :) (5550 of 5000)

See the Best Picture Oscar winner from the last 10 years.

Enter a photo contest

Complete a crossword puzzle

Host a poker night (We did this recently, it was so much fun! We had about 8 people and I made homemade pizzas and had some other snacks - November 2012)

Buy a bigger TV for our basement den (We unexpectedly crossed this off on Black Friday 2012!)

Plant a tree

Read a novel in french

Make homemade jam

Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

Write a list of 101 things I have already achieved in life

Celebrate finishing this list!