for me

this blog has come in very handy for me trying to remember things

on my birthday i was trying to remember what we had done for previous ones

luckily i had posted about most of my birthday's to remind me 

so this post is for me 

because i know if a year from now i'll say;

what'd we do last year for valentines day

so even though it happened 2 weeks ago

sam and i enjoyed a yummy dinner out and then had dessert at home

we'd(me) been eyeing these specialty marshmallows from harmons 

so i thought it'd be fun to picnic in our house and roast them over a candle 

we bought a couple fancy glasses for our juice and a red candle for roasting

the marshmallows were delicious!

they were vanilla bean marshmallows stuffed with graham crackers then rolled in chocolate

we just ate them plain instead of on a cracker

maternity photoshoot?

I love seeing maternity pictures

they are so creative and charming

but I'm trying to decide if I want to have some done

what's your opinion on them

have you had them done?

did you regret not?

do you know someone who did?

what'd they do with the pictures?

I'd love some input because I'm teetering... not quite sure what to do.

Source: ohjoy.blogs.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: 27.media.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: spearmintbaby.com via Tasha on Pinterest

Source: randisphotography.blogspot.com via Tasha on Pinterest

progress

my mom (in law) came over on saturday for a fun visit so we could piece my quilt

it got me really

REALLY 

excited for this little babes room

also Sam purchased a crib and set it up

it makes me giddy everytime I peak in the room and see it

... oh and since you all probably want to know which crib i chose

none of them 

but the one we got is darling

hamburger

i had been craving a burger all week 

i wanted a really good burger

in-and-out, crown burger, hires, training table just wouldn't cut it

a friend from sam's work recommended flemings filet burger

it's just 6 dollars if you eat before 7.

it's topped with cheddar cheese, and peppered bacon 

i added tomatoes, onions and some lettuce

we ran through gateway to make it before 7 

order 2 burgers and straw fries/onion rings to share

it was delicious, definitely satisfied the craving. 

you should try it.

makes me happy

it makes me so happy to think about my washing machine
sounds weird i know...
but when we bought the house we knew we wanted our own laundry
the current washer/dryer was in the basement making it impossible for us to use without disturbing our tenants
we had a couple options of where to install hook ups upstairs
we went with the most cost effective route, to put it in the kitchen

pretty ghetto i know, but it's totally working out great
the area we put it in wasn't very functional before
and we got small compact washer/drier that we are currently waiting for cupboard fronts
so why does this make me happy...

well my favorite function is the delay start.
i do most the wash while at work, it starts about an hour before i come home
that way i move it straight to the drier and it's all folded before bed
yay!

thank you to whoever came up with delay start, i love you

squeeky

tuesday's i work late and sam gets home early 

go figure, schedules just never work out right?

but lucky me he will usually start dinner and have it pretty much ready for me 

i lurve it

this week we got about 5 yellow squash in our bountiful baskets

not being huge squash lovers/eaters I decided to try something new

this recipe for stuffed squash got good reviews and had lots of things I like it in 

I thought it was fantastic and loved it, Sam liked the flavor his only compliant 

he didn't like how squeeky it was... 

which made me giggle

Source: myrecipes.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

25 weeks

yesterday we hit 25 weeks

that means less than 15 weeks left to go 

i can't believe how fast the time is moving

i did a terrible job of taking pictures early on 

something about buying a house and christmas distracted me 

but i decided it's never too late to start

i have to take most the pictures myself 

sam's gone before i'm dressed and i'm back in my pajamas usually before he gets home

some designer really needs to make more comfortable work clothes

our little one is getting big, the size of an eggplant 

2 pounds, 9 inches

the eyes are making big strides this week starting to open and close 

we used a flashlight and shined it on my belly last night 

this little one started punching and moving all over 

Sam kept saying punch me real good and the baby would give a good jolt

Sam also heard the heart beat by putting his ear to my belly

I love this part of the pregnancy

everyday is such a miracle in growth and development 

and my little one is always reminding that they are in there 

and the time is ticking down instead of up

couldn't resist

I have had some random cravings 

little ceasars breadsticks, corn dogs, in-and-out, hamburgers, shakes galore

yesterday i couldn't resist stopping for a double decker supreme

i ate it quickly at my desk 

a little embarrassed

the green smoothie complimented the mild sauce quite nicely.

gotta love the pregnancy cravings, did anyone have anyone fun ones.

these two

this is erin and isabel(aka rainbow)

they are just 2.5 months apart 

they are always getting into trouble 

playing, dancing, dressing up, and teasing 

but they are best friends

this picture of these two crazies makes me smile every time i see it. 

i love it even more now 

our little one will have a cousin just 3 months younger on both sides of the family 

we are so excited for dave and anna, and katy and cory 

both babies are due the first week of September 

the finish product

last night sam and i hemmed curtains and hung our pictures

it's crazy how big of a difference every little thing makes in our house 

i suppose that's one bonus of buying a ghetto house

here are the pictures

and yes i am guilty of fluffing the pillows

adding accessories 

and switching lamps around for the pictures

 my side

 sam's side

together 

overall i'm pleased with the finish product

i think i could have done a better job picking colors 

but i love having something that we made together in our bedroom

and the affordability was a bonus

the memory makes me love it more 

(when i get sick of it we can just reuse the canvas)

we just bought some cheap-o tray tables for our nightstands 

hopefully we will get them painted this week

then i want to buy some new lamps with my homegoods giftcards

(thank you birthday!)

then we are saving to get bamboo blinds for the windows in the front room and bedroom

and i want to tuft the headboard

every step is small but rewarding.

and maybe in ten years i'll be done... and want to do it all over again

crafting

i've been looking for inexpensive ways to decorate our walls 

i saw a craft idea on pinterest and decided to try this weekend

it was so fun to craft with sam 

what a great husband to indulge in his wife's crazy creations

 we started with two blank canvas's.  they were super cheap: 4.50 for both.

 we painted them all crazy like... i was a little nervous at this point how'd it turn out.

 then we started to tape over our paint... of course sam did a "u" 

then we painted over the tape and covered everything white.

then we waited for the paint to dry.

can't wait to show you the final project after we hang them tonight!

chicken noodle

sam had some stomach bug all weekend last week 

so i wanted to make chicken noodle soup 

i didn't really have a go-to recipe so i decided to try a new one 

it was delicious, I anticipated freezing half

(we do that with most of our soups, they make so much!)

but to my surprise sam gobbled most of it up 

it was delicious and simple. 

                                                               Source: myrecipes.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

I made a couple changes if you decide to make it

1. I didn't have poultry seasoning, so I added sage and rosemary instead 

2. I used just one potato, which was recommended in one of the reviews

3. I added some peas at the end because we always had peas in our chicken noodle at home

hope you try it.

just click here for the full recipe and other reviews

the crib

we've been trying to decide what crib to buy 

here's the narrowed list of our favorites

which one do you like?

the nursery

i spent the night at the fabric store with my mom in law

she's the best and makes a quilt for every babe in the family

looking at all the darling fabrics made me a little sad I didn't know the gender of this babe

they had the most darling girlie fabric and fun boy stuff 

but i'm thrilled with what we decided to do 

after we bought the fabric we brought it back to the babies room and checked it out with the walls

it looks great

here's a picture of the display quilt we are using. 

i picked out light blues, reds and greys like the display 

but a couple oranges and yellows instead of pink

I can't wait to see how it all comes together 

it's called vintage baby, which has become the theme for the nursery

can't wait to start putting it together

he just keeps getting better and better

Source: etsy.com via Pieper on Pinterest

this blog has become a bit of a 'i love my husband he's the best blog' 

but it's true 

neither sam and i are blessed with that naturally smart gene

you know the one i'm talking about 

those people who barely study for a test and get an A-

we both have to work really hard to achieve a good grade

this can a frustrating thing to realize 

but once you determine what kind of learner you are 

and how to study you realize you can achieve your goal 

well every semester sam seems to get better and better 

his personal standard for himself has raised so much in the last three years 

he dedicates and gives so much every semester 

i just wanted to give him a shout out for working so hard and scoring 

95% on his first anatomy test

all of you have heard anything or taken anatomy from Marc at the U can relate 

way to go Sam!

yum. yum. yum.

I made these little beauties for a neighborhood game night this weekend

they exceeded all expectations

Source: sugarderby.com via Summer on Pinterest

delicious!

growing

pretty sure my belly doubled in size this week 

this little baby is on a growing spree for the next 4 weeks

it's supposed to double in size 

which is pretty miraculous

sam got to feel them moving around for the first time last week

and now pretty much every night when we sit down to read together 

the baby reminds us that they are there too

it's such a reassuring and comforting feeling to feel it move everyday

can't wait for the weekend!!

breakfast

Source: macheesmo.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

we tried a new breakfast on saturday and i'm hooked 

it's super easy to do 

just bake an egg in a muffin tin

(350 for 15 minutes)

toast your whole wheat english muffin

melt a little cheese on the muffin 

sandwich the egg 

(dip in ketchup if you are like me)

and enjoy!

josh

the richards have a sweet tradition for birthday's 

when you give your present your tell the birthday person why you love them

last year josh's reason why he loved me was, 'because your my sister in law'

otherwise 'because i have to' :)

well after being teased for an entire year he redeemed himself 

he wrote a poem of all the reasons he loved me 

and i loved it

Amanda, Amanda you know what they say?

Good things come in small packages and we like you that way.

Long long ago you married General Guice

Before that you were uno but know you are deuce.

Boots are your thing, and buying them online too.

And you love easy cheese when you are feeling blue.

Games you like, Ticket to ride to be specific.

Did I ever mention, I think you are terrific.

Whenever I see spots, its you I think of.

And I also think of that little bundle that soon will come from above.

So you have a new house and go to bed around six.

You know another great game you should try? Pick up stix.

Now I know you don’t want to know what sex your baby shall be,

But if it’s a girl you could name her Joshie

As you plan for your little bundle, You’ll probably utilize some lists.

Something like get a crib, get a bumbo, oh and a yellow onesie for IT.

So the fact is I love you for many reasons its true

And not just because my sister in law are you.

For example I love you cause your fun cute and full of sass

And lets just be honest, you’re an amazing lass (with irish accent).

So tonight is the super bowl and your birthday party too.

I hope that my being here demonstrates my love to you.

Happy Birthday kid.

surprise

sam never ceases to amaze me

every year for my birthday he has something up his sleeve

he is so good at keeping secrets!

(the delicious ice cream, reeses peanut butter with oreo crust, so much for the low fat diet I was advised to follow)

this year he went to an extreme 

it was my last birthday without a child

and it was also my 25 birthday... kinda a mile marker!

half way to 50, quarter of a century. wowsa

well friday night we were going to go to the utah gymnastics meet

i was so looking forward to it because it had been a rough day 

i had an unexpected baby appointment to make sure things were alright 

which resulted in blood being taken and some tough conversations

(luckily everything appeared to be good)

at about 630, I was just finishing dinner and getting ready to pick sam up from work 

one of his coworkers called me and told me he fell while helping in the OR and hurt his ankle

he was in the ER and I would have to come in and get him.... 

by get him I mean, WHEEL him out 

I completely lost it, I had all these great plans for the weekend and now everything was ruined!

but I knew I had to keep it together because the poor guy was hurt.

I have to admit I was suspicious of the whole story 

but Sam sealed the deal when he called me pretending to be emotional 

I picked him up and wheeled him out of the hospital while lugging all his stuff 

helped him into the car and drove him home

(here's Sam all bandaged up, his ankle was numb by the time we got home)

I tried to hold my emotions in on the ride but it was really hard

(i can't believe Sam didn't tell me it was all a fake when I was struggling) 

but we got home and I walked up to the back door to unlock it and noticed some streamers 

Some of our closest friends had come and decorated the house 

picked up the drinks and ice cream pie's Sam had ordered 

not only did they come to my party, they created the party!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

It was a fun night, I loved having everyone over

the company, the games and the food was perfect. 

Thanks for making me feel so special

over the weekend

I always look forward to Saturday!

it's project day at our house

I try to do all the cleaning during the week so Sam and I can just work on the house on Saturday

(I even threw the died poinsettia away)

Lately we have been trying to just tie up lose ends... 

which honestly can be a little boring because I have so many big ideas I want to start on

but we gotta finish the other stuff first 

(I take full advantage of the day and stay in my pajamas all day long, so comfy!)

Having this baby growing inside of me has made it challenging to get things done 

I feel like I rely on Sam to do mostly all of it 

But this weekend he taught me how to caulk with the gun so he could finish up painting the trim

later that night I sat on the counter while he hung up these pictures in our kitchen..  

(doesn't it look awesome!!!!)

wish you could have seen how bad it was before. 

super nice guy

                                               

(mr. nice guy reading the funnies on sunday)

I new I married a super nice guy but Sam showed a whole new softness this weekend.
We went to home goods to make a return but of course I we wandered the store as well.

It was awesome!

I've never seen the store packed with so much great stuff. 

well I've been searching for some nightstands

we were so excited(huge understatement!) to move into a house with a room big enough for a nightstand

so I've been on the lookout I've had tons of ideas of what I want 

but we found some cool metal tv stands at homegoods

they were going to be about 100 bucks cheaper than what I had budgeted 

so I left Sam to stand guard and went to grab a cart. 

by the time I came back some other lady was checking it out 

Sam was showing her how to fold it up so she could put it in her cart. 

Mr. nice guy couldn't even tell her that he wanted the pair of them 

of course he felt terrible afterwards, but one day he'll learn to stop being so nice!

we still bought the one tray and put it up at home, and luckily I didn't like it

here are the three ideas I'm trying to decide to do instead. 

Source: bhg.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

(this is an old tv stand, revamped into a stylish nightstand)

Source: takethesidestreet.com via amandajayne on Pinterest

(this is a cheap-o ikea dresser that you paint yourself, amped up with some extras)

(here's the same dresser just a different idea, much simplier because you are just adding hardware not cutting and gluing wood).