Teacher's Mason Jar gift

So every year I try to think of something clever to give my son's teachers. I took to Pinterest and found some good gift ideas. I took a couple and made my own. I had most of these items on hand but the pins and those paint colors.

 

What you will need:

• Glue gun
• 2 paper plates
• scissors
• paint brush
• mason jar (your preferred size)
• Magnet pins (Walmart in the office area)
• Acrylic Paint Red, Green, and Brow (not shown)
• Green foam paper
• Black sharpie (not shown)

 

I first took the lip off the jar and turned it upside down. I painted the body red. You will need to put at least 2-3 coats. Make sure the first coat is completely dry before putting on another or the paint will just come off. 

 

I painted the lid green because I thought it would be too much red. As you can see it was the first coat and I had to add 2 more or the writing would show.

 

 

I kept the ring red like the body of the jar. Again use at least 2-3 coats.

 

 

Since the pins are magnets I placed them on a can so I could paint them without getting the paint on my hands. I originally was going to paint it green but decided brown would look better.  

 

While the paint dried in between coats I cut out the leafs. I did not measure because leafs are never perfect. I used the black sharpie for the lines.

 

I would paint another coat then hot glued the leafs together in a V shape. As soon as all the paint was dried I placed a couple of hot glue drops on the inside of the rim and placed the lid on the rim so it would stay together when opening the jar. I screwed on the lid so the lid would stay. I then placed the hot glue on the bottom of the brown magnet pin and placed it on the middle of the lid. I placed some more hot glue on the bottom of the V the leafs made and placed it next to the magnet. (see pictures below)

 

Since I know my son can be a handful but still is a sweet little boy I came up with this saying. My son has an amazing teacher that understands the struggles he has to deal with. I placed peanut M&Ms in the jar to go with the saying.

 

 

 

Let me know if there are any homemade gifts you have given you child's teachers. I love new ideas for any holiday.

 

 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

My family loves this soup. My son and husband are very picky eaters but love this soup. My son really likes Broccoli Cheddar Soup and orders it all the time at restaurants. I can't complain because he's actually eating a good amount of broccoli. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

·      2 tablespoons butter

·      1 medium onion diced

·      6 cups water

·      6 teaspoons beef bouillon (or 6 beef bouillon cubes)

·      1/2 cup butter

·      1/2 cup flour

·      3 cups fat free half & half (or regular)

·      6 cups chopped broccoli florets

·      1 teaspoon salt (I started out with this amount then added to taste)

·      1  teaspoon white pepper

·      4 cups mild cheddar cheese

 

Instructions

In your pot sauté 2 tablespoons butter and onions over medium heat until onions are translucent (I use the pot I am going to use for the soup and put the onions on a paper plate to save dishes). Remove from heat and set aside. In a sauce pan bring water to a boil, add beef bouillon and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and set aside. In your pot melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in flour until mixture

1.   clumps up or forms a "ball". Add beef bouillon/water mixture and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in half & half and continue to stir until smooth. (If large lumps remain, mash them out with a rubber spatula)

2.   Add broccoli florets and onions and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Stir in salt, white pepper, and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve hot and top with additional cheese if desired.

Notes

I prefer my soup smoother so before I add the cheese I put the soup in the blender then put it back in the pot and added the cheese.

 

 

 

 

Hospitals Part 2

Make sure to read Hospitals Part 1 first.

So I do as the nurses told me and I go home, take Tylenol, and use a heating pad. I wake up the next morning in even more pain. I called my doctor and he tells me to get to the Roswell labor and delivery as soon as possible.

I have to drive myself the 80 miles while in pain because my husband had to go to work. I get to labor and delivery and of course the first thing they have me do is pee and hook me up to the monitors. By then my contractions had stopped but my heart rate would not go under 135. They placed an order to get labs done and my urine comes back with blood and protein right away plus I have a 100.4 degree temperature. I was lucky my doctor was on call and in there at the time because he was doing a delivery. After the delivery he came and checked on me and started me on an IV and antibiotics right away. My blood work comes back and confirms I have a UTI. He explains this is why my back is in such constant pain. He said blood in your urine is very painful. Just like if you have cysts on your ovaries that bust, it isn't the cysts or the burst that hurts but the blood that comes out. It can also cause preterm labor and that is why I was having the contractions.

Baby was doing fine the whole time. The staff were extremely nice and never made comments or complained even when I had to go pee every 45 min and they had to help me. They were so busy that I was in the triage room with 2 other girls, one whom had her baby that morning, but never did they try to rush me to leave and they still constantly checked on me. The nurse even searched the hospital for a fan because I was so hot. My fever was already down but my face stayed red. Around 3 in the afternoon my husband got to the hospital because he left work early since I was in so much pain. The whole time I was in the hospital the baby was doing great but my heart rate wouldn't go under 135 and would spike several times at 265 and I was just laying in bed not moving. They believe this was the cause of me being so hot and red. At the end of the day around 6:30 my doctor came and I let him know I was still in extreme pain. He said he figured so and because it was pretty bad he wanted to keep me over night. As soon as a room opened around 7pm it was time to move me but the nurse let me know they were able to give me something for the pain. They had given me Demerol and Phenergan. I was on cloud 9 right away. I felt good, maybe a little high but so good. I couldn't feel the pain.

I finally got to the room and my husband was able to get us something to eat but I still wasn't too hungry. I also was falling asleep this whole time because I didn't really sleep the night before or that day. For once I was comfortable even though they had to come in throughout the night to check vitals and change medicines. I got such a good nights sleep and felt so much better the next morning. They did more blood work and found my iron was really low. I didn't get released until about 5 pm that next night but they took really good care of me.

All of this could have been prevented at the first hospital I went to if they just would have gave me antibiotics at Carlsbad Medical Center and did blood work but they refused to treat me because I wasn't seeing their doctors.  No wonder people here spend the extra time and money to go to see hospitals and doctors out of town. 

Hospitals Part 1

I live in a small town, called Carlsbad, right by the hospital.  When I first moved here three and a half years ago I had heard nothing but horror stories about this hospital. Every person my husband and I had talked to had a very bad experience with delivering here. Now, I'm not just talking about rude staff but life and death stories. Everyone keeps telling me to just make the 80 mile drive to see the doctor in Roswell. This isn't too bad for us because when I had my son 6 years ago the hospital was just over 60 miles away in Southern California with really bad traffic. My luck had me go into labor when everyone was getting off work and it took us probably 2 hours to get to the hospital.

Anyway, I think it is standard  here that when you become pregnant the doctors do not want to see you until you are 12 weeks. My first bad experience with the doctors in Carlsbad was when I was, what I thought, 8 weeks pregnant and started bleeding. I go in to my appointment and they did an ultrasound and found out I was only 6 weeks, not 8 weeks, and it was implantation bleeding. So I finally see the doctor and the first question he asked me was how big was your son when you gave birth. I let him know he was 9.8 lbs and 22 inches. Before he even examined me he said, "Oh, well you will have to have a C-section or be induced, you cannot have babies that big." How does he know what I can do? He hadn't even examined me and when I had my son he was sunny side up and I pushed him out with no issues what so ever. Mind you, my OBGYN that delivered my son also was my mom's OBGYN for all 3 of her kids and delivered me. He knows big babies run in my family and my mom and I have the same type of body and know we can handle it. I was told by multiple people the doctors in this town will give any reason or excuse to do a C-section.

So, I chose to pick a different doctor in Roswell because many people have recommended him to me. I love my doctor because he reminds me of my original OBGYN. He isn't concerned at all about me delivering a big baby. He says we will see when the time comes. The only difficulty I have is it is 80 miles away and 2 weekends ago I was having severe back pain and my heart was racing. I called the doctor on call in Roswell and she was concerned and didn't want me driving all that way if I was in early labor (31 weeks). Her advice to me was to go to labor and delivery in Carlsbad and she would have my medical records ready to send over as soon as I got there, all I had to do was just sign a release form that the hospital in Carlsbad would have to give me.

I got to the hospital and asked the nurse right away for a release form to sign and that the doctor in Roswell was waiting for me to sign the release so they could send over my records. She tells me, "That isn't necessary lets find out what is wrong with you first." She has me pee in a cup and she puts the baby monitor on me and says right away oh you are having contractions. While she is hooking me up I get 20 questions about why am I seeing a doctor in Roswell and not in Carlsbad and she lectures me since I live right behind the hospital.  She says, "I will keep you monitored for 15 min." She leaves and another nurse comes in 15 min later and tells me she is my new nurse and grabs my pee to test it and leaves. She comes back 20 min later to check on me and says. "Well it doesn't look like you are dehydrated but drink this large glass of ice water, maybe it will stop your contractions. Your pee was off a little but you probably didn't use the wipes we gave you to clean yourself good enough." Mind you, I used all three wipes and this isn't my first time peeing in a cup. I told her about my records and she also said it wasn't necessary. She checks me and I am at 1cm but said that is normal. She leaves and comes back and says, "The doctor said I can give you medicine to stop the contractions but let me check your blood pressure and heart rate." I have already been there for over an hour and my blood pressure was perfect but my heart rate was 122. She said she can't give me the medicine unless my heart rate drops because they want your heart rate to be between 60-100 beats per minute and the medicine makes your heart rate rise and they don't want it to go past 130. So they continue to monitor me and about an hour later she tells me my pains are just pregnancy related and I am contracting because my uterus is irritated because the baby is growing. I've been there for about 3 hours now and a new nurse starts to come in and check on me. By this time they shut off the monitors even though I am still contracting. They leave the finger monitor on for my heart but she keeps having to come and shut it off because the heart rate alarm keeps going off. She finally tells me, "There is nothing we can do since we do not have your medical records and you are not seeing one of our doctors. You are having normal pregnancy pains. Go home take Tylenol and use a heating pad and call YOUR doctor tomorrow morning." I told her she could have got my medical records but you guys refused to let me sign the papers. She said, "It doesn't matter there is nothing we can do for you."

To Be Continued......

Crockpot Not so refried beans

I apologize ahead of time because I do not have exact measurements. I just threw things in the crockpot and my husband loved it. Now, my husband doesn't like the traditional ham and beans for dinner. I tried to mix it up because we were tight on money and I didn't want to go to the grocery store.

 

2 lbs dried pinto beans

1 onion diced

2-4 Jalapenos (your preference)

1 package of bacon cut in bite sizes.

Salt to taste

Pinto bean seasoning to taste

Water to the top of crockpot

 

I put all this in the crockpot the night before, around 6, and cook it on low. Check the water the next morning and stir. It starts to get thicker. When it is almost dinner time stir again. The beans will eventually be more consistent with refried beans. I make them to put with my burritos or in a bowl with some cheese on top. So good.


Here is the beans I made for tonight's dinner. I added a tad too much water but I like it like that. My husband likes it a little thicker.



30 Weeks

As of Friday I am 30 weeks pregnant. I have a feeling these are going to go by so slowly. I had a big doctors appointment where I had to take my glucose test and I passed just in time for Thanksgiving. I also had to take the darn Rhogam shot. The shot itself didn't really hurt it was afterwards that did. It was so sore for a couple of days because the serum is so thick. They also did an ultrasound and he's still a boy and measures on the larger side, as expected, but my doctor doesn't seem too concerned.

I think he looks like his brother.

 

On a not so good note, in the beginning of the pregnancy I got the PUPPS rash on my back really bad but they never itched. Now I am getting them back with a vengeance and, even though they are little, they are everywhere and itch so bad.

 

They don't look like much but don't let them fool you. I have them on my belly, arms, back, butt, legs, and I even had one on my face. The itching is worse than bug bites or even chicken pox.

 

I want to leave you on a good note so I will leave you with this picture of my yummy ice cream from last night.

 





Bow Winner!

Congratulations DS Owen!

 

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Thanksgiving Traditions

I love to learn the Thanksgiving traditions of my friends and to see how different or the same they are. My Thanksgiving has pretty much been the same my whole life and I loved it. I have continued the tradition to my family.

Every year my mom would do Thanksgiving really early around 12 or 1. She would get up super early to put the turkey in the oven. We always had the traditional Thanksgiving food and we would just eat it through the day. My mom's reasoning for this was because every year she went Black Friday shopping. Back in the day though, the stores actually opened on Friday around 5 but the time got earlier and earlier. My  mom would always take a short nap before she would go because she got up super earlier to start our Thanksgiving feast. Those naps started going away when stores started opening up earlier. Of course we would watch football and hang out with friends and family. We would go visit our grandparents as well.

Now that I have my own family and live out of state I like to do the same as my mom. I cook dinner really early and we eat throughout the day. I also go Black Friday shopping. This is the first year I will not be cooking or going shopping. We will be having dinner/lunch at my sister in law's house and watching the game there. I did not really see anything that was worth taking my 30 week pregnant self Black Friday Shopping for. The only major thing I wanted to get was on sale at Target and it was only 11 dollars more than the Black Friday deal so I figured it would save me the trouble and bought it.

Now I know a lot of people do not believe in Black Friday shopping because it is on a holiday that should be spent with family. The thing is, when my mom did it she was with family. There would be a big group of them. My aunts, sister, and close family friends would all go sit outside the store and drink coffee and hot chocolate and people watch and visit. They always met new friends and had funny stories when they came home. My sister was the only one allowed to go since she was older.

Please let me know what your traditions are and how you like to spend your Thanksgiving.

Keep a look out for the winners to the hair bow giveaway.

Starbucks Winner

Congratulations Stephanie Phelps!

 

I have sent you an email. Please respond so I can send out the gift card.

 

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Baby Shower

My friend Sarah threw me and awesome baby shower. My family lives 900 miles away and she made the day extra special for me. Here are a couple pictures and a funny video. Sorry this is so short but I am exhausted today.

 

 

Mitchell Loved his big brother gift.

 

 

 

 

Funniest baby shower game.

 

See you guys tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

DIY Fleece blanket

So Saturday is my baby shower and I want my 6 year old to feel special and included in everything and since we are painting his room in red, white, and blue I wanted to make him a blanket to match. His room is going to be super hero themed but my fabric store did not have all of them on one. His daddy was in the Marine Corps and our son knows they are heroes so I picked that pattern. It helps that it will match the room as well.

 

You will first need 2 types of fleece fabric. I chose a pattern for one side and a solid color for the other. You will also need a good pair of scissors, piece of paper, and a ruler.

 

 

First, lay the fabrics down. One on top of the other and trim the sides to make sure they are the same size.

 

Second, cut a piece a paper 4"x4". I use this template to cut the corners. 

 

Third, cut all four corners with the template. Then lay the 8 pieces in a line on one side like below. This lets you know how deep you are to cut for the strips which is approximately 4 inches. I only use the ruler for this part to make sure the squares are placed 4 inches from the edge so you only measure 8 times instead of the 50+ time you will need to cut.

 

I then started cutting each piece using my thumb to measure. Each cut is about 1 in. I wouldn't go too big because it is harder to tie.

 

After I cut one side all the way. I tie the end ones right away just in case I have to stop and continue another time or a kid runs across the blanket and messes it up. It will hold it in place without needles.

 

Above is the way I tie them together. I use this technique because it stays better and it is faster.

 

Once all four sides are cut and the ends are tied I can pick the blanket up and get comfortable in my recliner and start tying all the way around.

 

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this DIY fleece blanket. Better yet I hope my son enjoys it more.

 

Pregnancy #2

I am currently pregnant with son #2. I am 28 weeks pregnant so that means I am officially into my third trimester. As I said in my post about my First Pregnancy this one is the complete opposite.

 

First of all, I have hardly cried this pregnancy. Don't get me wrong there have been tears but for good reason. I had lost my grandmother a month ago and traveled home to be with family. I cried maybe 3 or 4 times. Other than those moments I haven't really cried.

 

Second, I wasn't as sick with this one. I ate a lot less in the beginning but I just wasn't hungry. I have only gained 2 pounds so far with this pregnancy but I gained a total of 42 with my first. I also do not get motion sickness.  I generally feel really good this pregnancy. I didn't actually feel pregnant until about 20 weeks when my belly was getting really big.

 

Lastly, I haven't had any major bratty melt downs. I feel like my emotions and hormones are in check. I do not know if it is because I am old or if it is because I already know what to expect but either way my husband seems to enjoy me better this time around. I actually think he is more hormonal this pregnancy. 

100 Likes Give Away

Give away from November 17-25.

This give away is a big THANK YOU for liking my page. Make sure you follow my blog and share it because more followers means more giveaways, funny stories, reviews, and much more.

 

A lucky follower will enjoy a $25 gift card to Starbucks.

 

 



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First Pregnancy

I am currently pregnant with my second son but I will be talking about my experience with my first pregnancy.

First of all my husband just got home from Iraq and we have only been married for about 4 weeks. No I wasn't pregnant when we got married because well I was on the last day of my period when we got married. Anyway, 4 weeks later I did not know I was pregnant and my husband and I decided to go to 6 Flags. I was good the whole day but towards the end of the night I wanted Vanilla dip n dots. We were about to go on Goliath and there was a stand right out side selling them. I wanted to buy some but he said lets wait until after. Well we get on the ride but the park was closing soon so no one was in line and they let us ride it 2 to 3 times without getting off. By the time we got off the ride the stand was closed. He said there are others open so we find one but they did not have Vanilla and I had a complete melt down. Started crying and I turned into a royal b!tch. Years later he told me when that happened he just looked and me and thought "oh God what did I get myself into".  We have only been married for a month and I have never had a meltdown or tantrum like that before.

My second major melt down was around the same week. My husband always smacked my butt hard and it never fazed me. It was just a thing he always did. One day I was in the bathroom getting ready and he came behind and smacked my butt not even as hard as normal and I just started balling yelling "that hurt!" He just looked at me like what in the world just happened.

There was a bunch of little incidents that happened through out my pregnancy. I was constantly sick but never threw up. For awhile I could only eat Olive Garden salad. One time I asked him to make me Mac N cheese and he didn't measure and put too much milk. I turned into a 3 year old and got so mad and just said I'm not going to eat and was rude and yet again cried. I was a royal you know what the whole pregnancy. I was so emotional and constantly cried over everything.  I also had sever motion sickness even when I drove my car. I gained 42  pounds and was just miserable. My pregnancy wasn't ideal for me or my husband. My son was finally born that was another nightmare. Let's just say before we got married we wanted 3 or 4 kids but after my son, my husband was done. It took me 6 years of begging, pleading, and bargaining to agree to have another and so glad because this pregnancy is so different.

Give Away

The Thankful for Giveaways Hop is here!

You have between November 12- November 26 to enter.

 

When I heard about this give away I automatically thought of

my good friend Kristan at Kreations By Kristan.

Here are the two bows that a lucky winner will be getting.

 

She does custom orders as well.

She makes bows, headbands, wreaths, and much more.

I am a little jealous to only have a boy and another boy on the way

because I don't have a little girl to dress up with all her cute Kreations.

 

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Welcome to the Thankful For Giveaways Giveaway Hop, brought to you by The Hopping Bloggers & Up All Night Blogging! We are a group of bloggers that specialize in giveaway hops - so stay with us and you will have many chances to win some amazing prizes! Each blogger participating in this hop has a giveaway with a prize value of at least $15 - and some are much more than that! Be sure to visit them all - there is no limit to how many prizes you can win! Good Luck and Have Fun!

Weekend Recap

Friday night the husband and I went on an anniversary date night. It has been almost 2 years and it was my 6 year olds first sleep over with friends. We are a boring couple and went to dinner then came home, watched a movie on Netflix, and crashed by 10:30. That is just how we like things. Plus, there isn't much to do in this small town. My son had a blast at our friend's house. He staid up late and got up early so I brought them donuts and chocolate milk.

Saturday, I was able to get my son's room cleared out. I taped most of it but let husband finish it while I painted the rest of his big boy dresser.

After and Before

Knob that are going on it.

 

 

This is my husband getting ready to paint the white on top.

 

My son's room is going to be Captain America colors so we are painting it red, white and blue. The white will be on top, red in the middle, and blue on the bottom. We probably would have got a lot more done but I ended up sick on Sunday and went to the hospital today to confirm I had strep throat. I can't wait to see the room finished and I will post more pictures when it is done.   

 

Coming Up:

~Give Away (soon)

~Finish my son's room

~ Finish painting the baby's Changing table

~Maternity Pictures

~Baby shower.

Suprise!

I am ready to get back in the swing of things but not about weight loss.

 

I am Pregnant!!!

 

I am expecting a baby boy February 6, 2015. That means I am 27 weeks today. Below are some progress pictures.

17 weeks

19 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

26 weeks (Halloween)

27 weeks (sorry it's fuzzy)



 

I had my appointment on Tuesday and I have only gained 2 pounds this whole pregnancy which I am very happy. I gained 42 pounds with my first son Mitchell 6 years ago. When I had my ultrasound at week 18 they said the baby was already measuring 2 weeks ahead. I'm pretty sure he will be big like his big brother. Mitchell was 9.8 and 22 inches.

Coming Up:
~My next appointment will be the 24 and that' when I take my glucose test, another ultrasound, and the shot because my blood is O-.
~Baby shower Nov 22 Super excited because one of my really good friends is throwing it for me. I thought I wasn't going to get one since my family all lives out of state.
~This weekend we should be painted Mitchell and the baby's room. I will post before and after pictures.