Currently

Reading :: I JUST finished the Harry Potter series!! Yeesssss! I'm sad that I missed it when it first came out. It would've been my era, but being able to read them all now was a lot of fun. I loved watching J.K. Rowling's writing develop with each book, the story just get more complex and awesome, and the books growing with the characters. Ah, so good. Now I need a new book to read...or maybe I'll just take a break for awhile. That was a lot to read in just 3 months.

Loving :: Being free from the snow! We had 4 snow days in a row. Because (1) the snow and ice that came were terrible and unstoppable and (2) we aren't allowed to use salt on the roads. So, just 10 minutes across the Canadian border the roads were passable, but on our roads? Chaos, disaster, and ice EVERYWHERE. So, that meant we were stuck in our house from Saturday morning til today. That's almost a week! We did make it outside to sled and throw snowballs, but you can only take that nasty NE wind for so long.

And, our county even declared it a state of emergency. I guess this means that we can get out of our snow days and not have to add them to the end of the year.
 
Feeling :: Frustrated. I just got a new iPhone and there is no Blogger app!! What am I supposed to do? I blame this for my lack of blogging.
 

Watching ::  Too many things. I haven't caught up on This is Us, Grey's Anatomy (I'm unable to stop watching even though it's terrible), and the 2nd season of Man in the High Castle. We did just finish Lemony Snicket's show on Netflix. That was brilliant. And we just started watching Sherlock from the beginning because while I've seen it, Nick hasn't and he's just now discovering how incredible it is.

Thinking :: About coffee. I could use some right now. Especially one that involves going outside of the house and not making it myself.

Wishing :: That I could have a getaway trip about once a month. Just one night of nobody yelling "moooomm! I'm all alone in my room!" and one morning of eating my warm breakfast with my warm coffee with my warm husband.

Wearing :: Boots because 1 ft.+ of snow + rain + 50 degree weather = puddles and slush EVERYWHERE. It took me about 10 tries to get out of the driveway this morning.

Wanting :: Screaming children to stop and little boys to listen to the word "no" and realize that it's probably for their own safety. Maybe there's a reason why mom doesn't want you pulling off all the outlet covers, jumping on the couch next to the edge, and standing on chairs at the dinner table. *sigh*

Wanting :: To magically get an infinite amount of motivation to workout each week. Nick is too good with this. He works out at least 5 times a week. I think he stole all of my motivation. That's my excuse for the day. Ha!

Planning :: 3 more school concerts + a plan to take my middle school band marching in the parade. All that til the end of the school year (if we don't get 20 more snow days put on the end of the year..)!

Currently...on a Sunday

Reading :: J: A Novel, by Howard Jacobson.  It's my Blogging for Books book.  Different than what I usually read, but I think I'm slowly starting to get the hang of the writing and style.  Should be quite the adventure.

Watching ::  The Holiday.  I'm watching it now because (1) my husband is off having fun playing music and rock climbing and (2) we didn't really watch any Christmas-y movies this year. Very sad.  The days just slipped away.  And Mad Men is just the right amount of time between Ellie's bedtime and our brain's bedtime.

Listening to :: The purr of the baby monitor, which is absolutely wonderful when your teething and slightly-feverish daughter is sleeping.  

Thinking :: About the mass amounts of chocolate I still have sitting around since school got out.  Apparently all teachers love chocolate and coffee because that's what was being handed out by all the kiddos.  Alright, alright, it's probably true.

Smelling :: Nothing.  Nothing is baking, nothing is cooking, nothing is burning.  Just normal house smells.  I would love to smell some Starbucks in my hands, though.

Eating :: Tapioca pudding.  Yum.  I used to think it was for old people.  Or maybe this is a sign that I'm getting old.... 

Wishing :: For a little of bit snow to fall down instead of puddles of rain.  Ellie had an awesome time at the mountain New Year's Day.  It would be so awesome to recreate that fun in our own yard instead of driving an hour both ways.

Wearing :: a maxi skirt and sweatshirt.  One of the best outfits for being comfortable while still looking like you dressed up.

Loving :: Into the Woods.  We saw it after Christmas and I LOVED it.  I've been listening to the soundtrack lately.  Nick and his family grew up watching the original broadway version and were a little skeptical of the movie, obviously.  BUT, they all liked it and I got to indulge in a pretty sweet musical.  It helps to have new ones every so often to feed my addiction of great musicals.
 
Hating :: The end of break.  I love these lazy days with Ellie.  Now I'm just looking forward to spring break... only 4 months away!

Creating :: A million things and nothing all at once.  I have been slowly, and I mean S.L.O.W.L.Y, putting together a felt quiet book for Ellie.  That and a cross stitch for her room.  Once again, my time management between watching things and planning for school needs some major improvement.

Wanting :: More outfits.  Why is it that when you go shopping to buy clothes you feel satisfied for awhile and then you start going through your clothes and feel unsatisfied with your wardrobe?  It's such a terrible thing.

A new phone.  I have an iPhone 4 and I think it's time for an upgrade.  Android or Apple?

Needing ::  More and more sleep.  Ellie has been waking up in the middle of the night (probably because of teething) and it's been taking us 30-60 minutes just to get her back to sleep.  Plus, after that she wakes up at 6:30.  I would love to sleep a little longer if she decides to wake us up in the middle of the night!

Feeling :: Comfortable and cold.  I should probably just get un-lazy and grab a blanket for my cold feet.  It's just.. so far away...

Planning :: School, school, and.... more school stuff.  There's too much to plan when you don't have a curriculum.  Here's to the next six months!

Take a step back

Whew!  Life has finally slowed down. Now I can actually DO things that I've been putting off for ages. 

Let's just take a brief moment to catch up on life.

1.  We moved out of our old place (cleaned it and everything) and now live in a little studio at my grandparent's house. 

2.  I just finished my job 2 weeks ago and won't be working for the next few months.  MONTHS.  How weird is that?  Although, it isn't that weird if you're a teacher.

3.  Miss Ellie is now head down (she wasn't for awhile) and I think just about ready to come out.  We'll see when she decides is the right time to grace the world with her presence.  Personally, I wouldn't mind if it happened a week before the due date.  I'm ready for my body to be somewhat "normal" again.

4.  On the same note as her, this week marks number 37.  I actually had to check the app on my phone because I did not remember how far along I was when Nick asked me (I thought 36).  This means that I'm now FULL-TERM and there are only 3 WEEKS left until her supposedly due date.  We'll just see about that...

Someday we'll get some photos NOT on an iphone...

5.  Nick is incredibly ready for this little girl to come out while I'm still sitting here reading and researching everything I can about everything I think I need to know about having a little one.  He's too calm right now.  I need to learn his ways.

6.  Now my time is being taken up by trying to finish little projects, start new projects, and organize for my little girl! 

I'll make sure you all know when she gets here.  And I'll try not to wait an entire MONTH to do so.

Life and all of its currents

I'm not dead, nor have I gone into labor.  I promise. 

As I write this, actually, I am unable to sleep because nobody told my daughter that when mom is tired it means no more kicking, squirming, and rolling around.  Kids these days...


Like all my long unexplained hiatuses, it's because life just got too busy.  I mean, come on, I'm 32 weeks pregnant!  32 WEEKS!!  How did this happen already?  I can only do a fraction of the things I used to be able to do without having to take a massive break to catch my breath.

Can I share with you just a tidbit of my to-do list?

1.  We're in the middle of moving.  We have to be out by the end of this month.  I highly recommend all future pregnant woman to NOT move while you're pregnant.  Especially if you're like me (stubborn and OCD) and you have a busy husband.  This means I have to do little things and then wait for Nick to come home, when he has free time, so I can tell him that I want this one box moved on top of this box so I have more room to pack all the other little things and lay out boxes.  It's a horrible problem to have.

2.  I have a baby/pregnancy to-do list that is a mile long.  Seriously, but not literally.  I need to decide on a doctor for her when she pops out, what kind of immunizations I want to do (I don't want them all), schedule a hospital tour, watch some informational videos and such on birthing/labor, figure out insurance, and a million other things.  And all of this leads me to number 3...

3.  I'm still working full-time.  I know many pregnant work full-time up until a week or so before the birth and I don't know how they do it.  My last week is the end of this month.  I can't WAIT until I get a breather, which includes me not having to wake up at 4 am to work until 5:30 pm.
 
4.  There are only 8 weeks until my due date.  This means that my entire list of things I need to buy before she gets here needs to be ready to go before then.  I don't want to have this little one two weeks early and discover that I have no diaper wipes.  No thank you. 


This doesn't belong on a to-do list, but we're actually leaving for a week-long family vacation on Friday.  I'm ready for a break and some hopefully relaxing, much needed floating time on the lake.  This also means that while I disappeared for way too long, I'm disappearing again for another week because there is no internet/cell phone service where we are going. 


Now that I have given you my entire list of complaints excuses, I hope you'll forgive me and still be my friend.  I'm working on getting life back together and it is only going to happen one check mark at a time.

Until next time...

What's up witchu?

My blog posts have been pretty erratic lately (sorry), and you can be sure to count on continuous erraticness until after miss Ellie gets her butt here.  Or after I take my month off from work.  Probably that one.

Since my posts have been so random, I figured it'd probably be best to do a little "what's up" post.  Just so you all are up to date.

29 weeks.  Apparently she's supposed to grow 1/2 lb. each week.  How will she fit?!

- Pregnancy is starting to get to me.  Do you know how hard it is to sit back and not be able to do anything?  Well, when you are a stubborn Dutch person, like me, and just want to get things done, it is pretty difficult.  I can't lift heavy things so I have to get help with them.  I am noticing a very nice shortness of breath taking over when I try and do too much at once, too.  It would be nice to be able to do a butt load of work all at once without feeling like I just ran 3 miles.  But, alas, I am just ready and excited for this little girl to come out!  I'm not even at 30 weeks yet and I can't wait to meet her.  And see her!  Nick and I are pretty opposite so I have NO idea what our little girl will look like.  The suspense is terrible!

Alright, let's examine this.
My hair is blonde and straight, Nick's is brown and wavy.
My eyes are blue-green, Nick's are light brown.
Nick has huge hands and feet and mine are average.
My face is a little short and pudgy compared to Nicks.
SEE?!  The possibilities are ENDLESS!
Except, we both have pretty long legs.  That could be a given.

- Minus being pregnant, I am getting quite a lot of goodies from my family.  Most of the stuff is hand-me-downs from all of my aunts that have had recent babies (and baby girls).  Have I told you that with all of the clothes I have received already, I have enough to clothe our baby for her first two years of life?!  I am so thankful for this awesome family and for how much they are willing to give and share.


- Nick is super incredibly busy all the time.  He's preparing to climb Mt. Baker again (I'll try and spare you all with my worrying) and his bluegrass band plays at least twice a week around the area.  Therefore, he is busy hiking and playing music.  And working when he's not doing the other two.  I think he's just trying to get all of it out now before the baby gets here because, well, I'm going to need him and so will his daughter.  I told him he has 'til August to get it all out.  His response is to climb Baker AND Rainier this summer.  And possibly Adams.  I can't keep up.

His very fun bluegrass band.

- I have been catching up on some newly acquired TV shows.  Mostly because I'm lazy tired too often now.  But these shows have included Arrested Development and Call the Midwife.  They are both fantastic and have sucked my life away.  Well, Arrested Development has.  Call the Midwife is such a great show, but there's only one season on Netflix.  Figures.

Life lately

Why, yes.  I do still exist!

And, so does this...

That, my friends, is a cloned sample of Justin Bieber's DNA.  Now you too can forever carry around the Bieber.  
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Well that was a bit of an unplanned blogging break.

I hope none of you were let down, because I really didn't mean to ditch you all for so long.  Life somehow tends to get in the way of things.  Well, mostly blogging things actually.

Blogging tends to get put on the back burner when my life gets busy.  That and crafts.  Don't get me started on all the projects I have stacking up that are half completed.

I blame it all on the job during the week.  I work 5-5, get home, shower, eat, and spend an hour or so doing something - usually watching Downton Abbey - and then sink into bed.  It's a pretty boring life I lead Monday thru Thursday.  Hence the lack of blog posts during those days usually.

I do have breaks in my day, but I find that I tend to take a nap then.  I mean, how else am I going to get my 8+ hours of sleep? 

I did do some things this week/weekend that are worth noting.


We bought a juicer.  Yes!  Nick has been wanting one for awhile and he did some research and found one he really likes at Fred Meyer.  

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We've done some juicing before when we went on our week-long fruit and veggie fast, but we're going to need some more juicing ideas.  If you have a juicer or know any good juicing recipes send them my way!

It will be fun to add juices to our routine - besides the smoothies we drink quite often.


Meal planning.  I realized the other day that with my busy/awkward work schedule we don't always have time to cook meals.  Nick has been incredibly busy with all of his music things and he doesn't always have time to cook dinner some days.  This means that I may come home and eat a PB & J sandwich because I don't have that much time to whip up something.

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Therefore, I've decided to start meal planning.  Meaning that we'll probably start doing more crock-pot meals, frozen on the weekend, so I can throw it in in the morning and come home to an actual dinner.  Sometimes PB & J or Trader Joe's mac 'n cheese just doesn't cut it.  

I'm also going to try and make bigger meals on the weekend so we can have leftovers during the week.

Did you know that it's not super easy to find crock-pot meals that don't involve tons of meat, cream of whatever soups, or cheese?  We aren't vegans, but we don't like to eat meat ALL the time - it's also very expensive to do that - and I really don't like using the cream of soups.  They aren't the healthiest of things.

Anyways, I'm saying all this for more advice.  If you have/know of any good recipes that I could make in big batches or throw in a crock-pot, let me know!  I'm so glad Pinterest is around these days for this reason.


And just because I love you all...

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Currently

Currently...


watching:  the last episode in season 3 of Parenthood!  What am I going to do when I have to wait for episodes each week?  What has Netflix done to me!?

eating:  homemade lasagna leftovers.  YUM!

wondering:  why reality TV shows have become so ridiculous.  Example: TLC has a show called Breaking Amish.  What is that?!  I'll end this rant now before it gets out of hand.

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excited:  about getting snail mail and having pen pals.  Getting mail is so much fun!

working on:  more fall crafts.  Anyone know how to decorate with sticks?  I don't want to find some and have them mold or something weird in my house.  Same with acorns.

Source: imgfave.com via broadbean on Pinterest

dreaming:  about our new desktop computer.  We haven't picked one yet, but it's going to be a Christmas present to us!  Any recommendations?

dreading:  the day when my training program will go up to a 5 mile run.  That's going to be incredibly insane and I don't know how I'm going to get myself there (lie, I know I'm going to get there with training, but whatever.).

looking forward to:  a fun and busy weekend complete with dinner with my mom, video games with the brother, canning tons of relish, thrift store hunting, and buying new boots!! 

Currently...

It's time for a little update.  I've been pretty unmotivated to blog (sad day), and I think I'm getting a cold.

Anyways, here's what's currently going on in life.

Current excitement
Having 100 followers!  I mean, seriously?!  How cool is that.  I'm in the process of thinking of a sweet giveaway for all y'all.  Thanks for sticking around and thanks for joining me in this journey!

Current books
I'm reading the Hobbit right now (in preparation for the new movie of course!) and after that I'm sure I'll read either Memoirs of a Geisha or Into the Wild.  Any recommendations?

Current drink
Lemon water.  So good.  And so good for you.

Source: capecodcollegiate.tumblr.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Current bummer
Feeling a little sickness coming on.  It was bound to happen sometime.
I'm also feeling a little bogged down with working out.  I haven't been working out too much with this job.  I need to find some ways to work out with the girls or do it around their house.

Current project
Check this out.  I made two of them!  Books turned binders!  For one of them, I super gorilla glued a binder part into a hollowed out book and the other one my husband drilled out some holes and I just put in some binder clips.  Pretty fun if you ask me!

Current movie
Just watched The Artist the other day.  I was very impressed and fell in love with it!  Have you seen it?  I loved it!  The music, the silence, the actors, everything!

Current #1 blessing
Having a job that allows me to hang out at the water slides all day while getting paid.  Nothing beats this!