Plumbing Problems

So, remember how I just posted pictures of my living room looking cute?

Yeah...this is what is currently looks like:

The other day the hubs and I came home to find this:

That's right, my friends.

A hole...in our ceiling...right under our upstairs bathtub!

I immediately had thoughts of our tub crashing through our ceiling

and landing in our front room.

The drywall that had not yet fallen was completely soaked and mushy.

More pieces continued to fall.

This particular piece actually hit my sweet visiting teacher.

She screams, I apologized for my ghetto ceiling, and everything is okay.

The next day, the hole looked bigger.

Because Gene the handyman is making everything better.

The good news: my tub is not going to crash through the ceiling.

The bad news: my living room is currently unlivable.

Hopefully, not for long.

And so it begins...

Know what those are?

That's right...rubber bands.

Currently, these are being used to keep my pants on.

'Cause my belly is getting bigger, but my pants are staying the same.

Right now they are the smallest rubber bands I could find.

But this is just the beginning of the belly.

Any thoughts or advice on buying maternity clothes?

Our Columbus Casa

As promised:

Pics of our new abode.

Well, 1/3 of our new abode.

See...our place consists of 3 levels.

Upstairs is our bedroom, future baby's bedroom, and a bathroom.

Our room isn't decorated.

Future baby's room is completely empty still.

And the bathroom is a bathroom.

The basement is also known as "TJ's Study Hole"...

it has a desk and a chair.

Oh, and our new washer and dryer.

But nothing worthy of pictures.

Therefore, all the pics are of the main floor.

Living room, kitchen, dining room.

Enjoy.

View from the front door.

I totally assembled those bookcases by myself.

Question of the day: what color is that couch?

Hubs and I have an ongoing debate...so you decide.

Is this couch blue? Or green?

See that empty wall next to the door?

Future home of our flat screen tv.

That is, as soon as the hubs decides to buy one.

Kitchen: complete with a DISHWASHER!

Hooray!

Empty dining room.

We have still not yet purchased a dining table.

Some day...

So there you have it, folks.

Mi casa.

If you are ever in the Columbus area, it can too be su casa.

We like visitors.

Drumroll, please....

At least, the doc is pretty sure it is.

I went in for an ultrasound today and doc caught a glimpse of some boy parts.

Baby was crazy active, though, so doc said he isn't 100%.

Maybe 90%.

But he could also be totally wrong.

Since I'm only 16 weeks, doc wants to do another ultrasound in 3 weeks to get a better picture.

I would upload the pictures I got today but:

1. No scanner

2. I don't really know what the pictures are showing

You know that episode of Friends, when Rachel has her ultrasound?

And she starts crying because she can't see her baby?

And she feels like she's going to be a bad mommy because she can't see her baby?

Yeah, that's kind of how ultrasounds make me feel.

But...

I saw baby's face (he looks like an alien)

I saw baby's hand (I only saw one hand...5 fingers...doc promised baby has 2 hands)

I saw baby's legs (kicking like crazy)

So that's that.

I have an alien baby living in my belly that most likely has boy parts.

My Nutter has a nutter.

Things That Suck About Being Pregnant...

I know, I know

Pregnancy is awesome.

Whatever.

I'm sure that when my little bundle of joy arrives, the things that currently suck will no longer suck.

But right now, there are just a few things about being pregnant that really suck.

And yes mom, I will continue to use the word "suck" because it best describes my feelings.

Deal.

1. Acne

Seriously? Acne?

Yeah, apparently these fantastic hormones that make it possible to grow a baby also cause zits.

Last week, I had Mount Everest growing next to my nose.

This week, its on my chin.

Not only am I currently battling the mother of all zits, but there are bunches of smaller ones taking over my face.

Acne sucks.

2. Belly fat

Yeah, I knew when I got pregnant that my belly would get bigger.

I'm not dumb.

However, my belly is currently in an awkward phase.

You know...the one where you see someone with a pudgy belly and you have to ask yourself:

"Is she pregnant? Or just fat?"

Kind of annoying.

3. Feeling like crap

Yes, mother, I'm saying crap too.

I think feeling like crap is the worst part of being preggo.

In the beginning, I felt nauseous. All the time.

Doc gave me cute little pills to help me not feel nauseous.

They worked wonderfully.

Now, I don't really feel nauseous all the time.

I just feel crappy.

All. Day. Long.

I thought I was supposed to feel better in the 2nd tri.

Lies. All lies.

So, yeah. There are some things about being pregnant that just really suck.

But, you know what, some things are awesome.

Like, I heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time this past week.

That was pretty awesome.

Especially since sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant and worry that I made it all up.

But the baby is in there.

I heard it.

And next week, I'm going in for an ultrasound.

So I'll get to see the baby.

Doc said I might even find out if my baby likes pink or blue.

So that will be pretty awesome.

Oh, and I am now 16 weeks.

Which means this week my baby is 3 oz and about 4 or 5 inches.

In other words, the size of a tube of mascara.

Super.

Chicken and Biscuits

Thanks for all the great recipe ideas and suggestions.

My husband will surely appreciate it.

Last night I made Chicken and Biscuits.

(Recipe and picture found at kraftfoods.com)

7 ingredients

(but cheese and cream of chicken soup don't really count cause I always have those)

50 minutes

(once you put it in the oven, kill time by sitting on your front steps chatting with new neighbors. Worked for me.)

I was a bit skeptical about how this would taste.

But there was no need to hesitate...

this dish is YUMMY.

So yummy, in fact, that husband had seconds.

Since we've been married, husband never ever gets seconds when I cook.

Except lasagna.

He'll always get seconds of my lasagna.

So if husband likes it enough to get seconds, it must be good!

Try it.

You'll like it.

And if not, don't blame me.

Chicken and Biscuits
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 cup all-purpose baking mix
3 Tbsp. milk

1. MIX soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, vegetables and cheese.
2. MIX baking mix, remaining sour cream and milk just until mixture forms stiff dough.
3. SPOON into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 min. or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.

HELP!

So here's the deal:

During our move to Ohio, we stayed with some very generous people.

My sister Calli let us crash at her place for a week in Kansas.

Our friends, Jake and Kara, let us stay with them for a week once we reached Columbus.

It was very much appreciated.

The problem?

Both Calli and Kara are better chefs than I am.

(Read: they actually cook for their husbands and I...um...don't)

While we were staying with these wonderful people, my husband became accustomed to eating dinner that didn't come from a box.

So in an attempt to save my marriage, I promised my husband I would be better at cooking.

This is where you come in.

See, the hardest part about cooking dinner is deciding what to make.

I want something quick and painless.

5 ingredients. 30 minutes.

Do you have any good recipes that fit those guidelines?

If so, please share.

Either leave a comment or send me an email.

K thanks.

Fetus or Food?

I'm 15 weeks pregnant now.

Which means (according to my extensive research) my baby is the size of one Kit Kat "finger".

Why is it that my baby is constantly compared to food?

Maybe because they know I'm hungry all the time.

And a Kit Kat sounds really good right now.

I think the food industry is behind this.

Side note: Yes, I find if slightly gruesome that the Kit Kat to which I just compared my unborn is broken...but you try finding a picture of one Kit Kat finger that isn't broken!

Side note 2: Yes, I realize that this is a picture of a Kit Kat Chunky...but I was a chunky baby, so I can only assume that my unborn will also sport some thunder thighs.

Washington 2009

The hubs and I just got back to our little abode.

We've been in Seattle, WA for the last 8 days.

Travelling makes me tired.

We departed for Seattle last Wednesday.

Brief layover in Phoenix where the temp was 92 degrees.

We laugh because we know we are headed to Seattle.

Its always cooler in Seattle.

Wrongo.

When we landed, it was 106 degrees.

Nobody in Seattle owns an a.c. unit.

The first couple of days it was downright nasty.

The main reason for this trip was a wedding

And visiting family.

Lots of family was in town for the wedding.

Most of them weren't "technically" related to us.

But they welcomed us into the fold anyway.

With our newly adopted family, we saw lots of sights in Washington.

Pike Place Market

The Gum Wall

Yes, as nasty as it looks. We added a couple more pieces of gum to the wall.

The Space Needle

No, I did not go up...I don't do heights. Blame my mother.

Science Fiction Museum

Everett Marina

Ferry boats

Snoqualmie Falls

We were very busy people

TJ and I stayed a few days longer than our new fake family members.

They were all gone by Tuesday morning.

That left us with 2 days to spend time with TJ's dad.

So we drove a bit, jumped on a boat, and went whale watching!

I know, me and boats don't sound like a good idea.

You know, the whole "I get motion sickness like nobody's business" thing.

But I was perfectly fine on this boat.

It was a big boat.

The boat headed out into the beautiful waters of the Puget Sound.

Finally, after about 3 hours of cruising along, we reach Canadian waters.

And there, we watched the whales.

We saw a whole pod of orca whales.

Some came up right next to the boat.

Yes, this is the best picture I got.

Whales swim fast, my camera is slow.

Still, it was worth it.

Finally, it was time for TJ and I to head back home.

For some reason we had a layover in Atlanta.

Check a map...Atlanta is NOT on the way to Columbus.

But we finally made it home.

Now we are tired.