Happy end of October, y’all! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated the blog, so I figured What’s Up Wednesday with Shay and Sheaffer was a perfect way to give one big update!
What We’re Eating…
Monday- grilled shrimp and vegetable skewers (we’ve gotten very into marinating and grilling lately and it has been so delicious!)
Tuesday- sweet and sour chicken with rice (I made this once last week, but Steven was on call and didn’t get home until way late (like 11:00) and just wanted some quick frozen pizza. He said it sounded good, and I absolutely love it, so I decided to throw it back in this week.)
Wednesday- Outback!
Thursday- chili, either Frito pie style or chili dog style– or both! (I don’t know why, but I absolutely love making chili on Halloween. It just seems right, haha! So, I was ecstatic to see that the weather will be perfect chili weather on Thursday here! ((because no one likes to eat chili when it’s hot outside, haha!)))
Friday- Mississippi pot roast with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese (this will be a new adventure… hopefully it’s good! But I have a Pioneer Woman recipe and she never steers me wrong!)
Saturday- keeping this one a little flexible. I have the ingredients to make chicken alfredo or tacos, but there’s a chance we might go out/ get take out instead. Steven will still be on call (at the VA, so it’s a little less busy) so we can’t go far, but we can still go somewhere, haha!
What I’m Reminiscing About…
Look how much this little pumpkin has changed since pumpkin pictures last year! She was just an itty bitty scrawny thing this time last year, and then she discovered her true love for carbs, haha!
What I’m Loving…
So, several weeks ago, our Keurig started acting up a little bit. I’m certain it just needed a cleaning, but it sparked a conversation about how neither of us were super pleased with it- Steven was constantly frustrated with how often it felt like we had to fill the water, and I was frustrated with how it felt like I was constantly buying K-cups- which aren’t cheap- and the coffee just wasn’t that great. I started researching other options, and found that Ninja coffee bars were much better priced than I thought they were for some reason. After much online researching and gnashing of teeth (it takes me FOREVER to make an online purchase decision about 85% of the time. In that 15% of the time, I know exactly what I want and I get it done. But that 85%- I look at all the options, and then all the options again, and read reviews, and look for comparisons, and google questions about the product, and google for coupon codes, and then let it sit in my cart for at least a few days before finally pulling the trigger. I must have swapped out things on our wedding and baby registries a thousand times, haha!), I bought the Ninja CF080 with the glass carafe.
I love that it still makes individual cups because I like flavored or half-caff coffee and Steven’s ride or die is Colombian, which is a little strong for me (and you can do a regular cup or a travel mug). You can also do a half or full carafe if everyone wants the same, or you need to make more at one time. Compared to the Keurig, the brew sizes are biggie sized- the first time I tried the travel mug setting, I had to stop the drip (luckily there’s a handy drip stop switch!) and grab another mug because I wasn’t expecting so much! The largest our Keurig made was 10 oz- the Ninja makes about 12-14 oz for a normal cup and then near 17-18 oz for the travel size, I think? The travel size fills my 20 oz Yeti with just enough room for creamer. And for the first several weeks we had it, I mainly used it for iced coffee for me (and still regular for him) and it is delicious! Our brewer came with a Ninja insulated cup with lid and straw perfect for iced coffee, as well as a milk frother for making lattes, etc. I’ve picked up a few flavored syrups and have experimented but so far I really love the switch! Another pro– it has a time with a delay setting so for those mornings he needs to be at the hospital crazy early, I can set it the night before and it’s ready for him on it’s own (We use Yeti mugs, so it definitely stays hot. And yes, he could also just make his own coffee those mornings, but it’s a small thing I’ve tried to commit to doing for him as a sign of love!). It’s definitely not as fast as the Keurig- you have to put in a filter and grounds vs. a pod, and overall, the brewing seems slower, but I think the pros far outweigh that– along with everything else I mentioned, the coffee is great and ground coffee is way cheaper, haha!
What I’ve Been Up To…
We have been busy this month!! We started October by celebrating Steven’s 30th birthday with dinner out (just the two of us!!) and going to Waco to the Heart of Texas rodeo and to see Aaron Watson play after!
My mom was coming in to cover for our nanny while her husband had surgery, so she came a day early and let us have a late night out. And that’s probably the last late night out we’ll need for a while, haha! AW didn’t start playing until nearly 11 and we didn’t stay for the whole show because we were so tired! We enjoyed what we saw, and hopefully the next show we catch will be a little earlier!
We had Grammy with us until Wednesday, and it was so fun, and we were sad to see her go home! She and Livy started working on potty training and I think Livy misses their group trips to the bathroom, haha! We finally got some slightly cooler weather at the end of that week, and we definitely enjoyed it. We celebrated by going to buy Livy a bigger coat and eating chili that night! In case you weren’t aware… this girl LOVES her daddy, and holding his hand! (me too, girl… me too! 😉 )
On Saturday, we dropped Liv with Grand Betty and Papa Wayne for the day and we headed up to Waco for the Tech/ Baylor game! They’ve played this game in Dallas the last 10 years, so it hasn’t been convenient to go, but this year they played in Waco, which is the closest Tech comes to us, so we took advantage. It was a rough ending- double over time, but we still had a lot of fun! (and how cute is our little Red Raider in training in her red and black??)
The next weekend was pretty low-key- Steven was on call at the VA, so we hung around the house, got our flu shots, and watched Tech get beat. Again. Sigh. It’s a rough time to be a Tech fan, y’all.
Last week, I stopped by our local train station area on our way home from Bible study to snap a few updated pics of Liv and they turned out pretty good! Her little dress is from Old Navy and the boots are Wonder Nation from Walmart. (Do we think she enjoys hamming for the camera?? Yes. Yes, she certainly does!)
I finally got myself together and decided to stop putting off the pumpkin farm for pumpkin pictures on Saturday. When we got there, it was immediately evident why I was dreading it so much. There were so. many. people. People everywhere. And we are not people people. I took a few pictures here and there where they had little areas set up for pics, but people were typically waiting right in behind me to get their turn, and Liv was not interested in smiling whatsoever (I think all the people overwhelmed her, too). These were about the best I could get…
Until she wandered next to this to the petting zoo and made friends with some goats. Those goats got all the smiles and laughs {face palm}. But such is life with toddlers, right?!
Steven was on call at the main hospital this past week and they kept him mighty busy! We’re glad to see him a little more this week 😉 Livy decided to catch him up on all the kisses he missed on Monday, haha!
What I’ve Been Working On…
Well… not to drop huge news and run, but… I’ve been working on growing another baby! We found out in August that we are expecting baby #2 and that is the explanation for my longer hiatus! I’m planning to drop a bigger blog post all about this soon (hopefully the end of this week), but we found out the gender today, and shared on social media, so I thought I’d throw this in now, too!
What I’m Excited About…
Haha, see above! I’m excited to see Liv as a big sister, and the different dynamic and experience having a boy will be. Mostly I’m just excited to finally have that big news out to the public! It feels like it’s been a long 16 weeks!
What I’m Watching/ Reading…
I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars each week, but I don’t think I really have a favorite this season so I haven’t been voting (which, last year was the first and only time I ever voted for DWTS and I voted for Bobby Bones every week). I’m caught up on This Is Us, and I’ve been watching the reboot/ new styling of Nancy Drew on the CW. And, of course, a lot of Muppet Babies, Puppy Dog Pals, and The Incredibles 2, haha!
I don’t think I’ve read a book in months, honestly. What should I read?? I started Daisy Jones and the Six a few weeks ago and just couldn’t get into it. The lifestyle it was describing at the beginning just turned me off for some reason and I didn’t feel like investing any more time in reading it. I’m reading The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller for our Side by Side Bible study this semester, but I’d love to read a good fun book, too! Drop me some suggestions in the comments! 😉
What I’m Listening To…
Let’s see… This All Out 90s playlist on Spotify is legit! I found it looking for “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips and fell in love, haha! I am also totally in love with Ben Rector’s latest album Magic. I had listened to an interview with him and Annie F. Downs on the That Sounds Fun podcast and liked him, but for some reason had him confused musically with Ben Folds, who I don’t particularly love, so it took me a while to actually give it a try. But I’m glad I did because it’s so good! And I’ll be honest, I’ve given Kanye’s new album a few listens and y’all… I don’t hate it. And by that, I mean, I actually really like it. Who knew?? Part of it I think is because that entire situation is just a great example of the phrase “But God”. Like, looking at Kanye’s earlier life, there’s no way you’d think that guy is putting out a gospel album that would be worth anything- but God. God can do anything, change any situation and circumstance, and use anyone to make a difference. Can you imagine the people he is reaching with this? It’s not my job to judge if he’s sincere, but if we treat it like he is, this is a huge tool to reach so many people with the Gospel, y’all. How exciting!
What I’m Wearing…
I bought these flats from Target back in August in the leopard print and I LOVE THEM. They are so stinking comfortable, and don’t rub blisters or anything. I would love to get the black and cognac to replace the very uncomfortable flats I have in those colors but they are out of my size (boo!). Good thing the leopard print goes with so many things!
I also got this long sleeved baby doll dress in all three available colors because it is also ridiculously comfortable, and it’s a good fall to winter transition piece- I can wear it when it’s warmer with flats, and then tights, a scarf, and boots when it’s colder. I got my normal size- small- and it also has plenty of room for a growing bump! (and I know they call it a mini dress, but I’m 5’4″ and it is a normal dress length to me!)
What I’m Doing This Weekend…
Steven is on call, so we can’t leave town, but we don’t really have any plans other than that. We have our “First Friday” playdate with the moms/kiddos from church on Friday morning, but we’re pretty wide open otherwise! Plus, we’ll enjoy that extra hour of sleep from daylight savings time! (I think? Liv’s a good sleeper, so we should be good!)
What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month…
Nothing in particular, but I do love some Thanksgiving! Ours will be a little different this year because Steven is on hospital service that week, so we may have to get creative with dinner, but it’s all good! And I’m looking forward to seeing what types of deals we can find for Black Friday!
What Else is New…
We went walking on the walking trails with the girls from Bible study a few Fridays ago, and after I dressed Olivia, I realized she had the perfect college girl outfit on– oversized tee, black tights, Ugg boots, and Columbia fleece. And if we’re honest, that’s really how I still dress on my home days, but I’m not kidding myself to think that this 30-year-old mom of 1 and 1/3 still looks like she did in college, haha!
Since Papa Wayne’s surgery, Livy has been spending her days over at their house instead of ours. They have a beautiful yard, and she has so enjoyed getting to play outside and walk their neighborhood every day! And one day I got there and she was so tired, she’d fallen asleep snuggling Grand Betty, which means she must have really been tired because she’s typically like snuggling a rabid raccoon!
The other night while Steven was still at the hospital, I decided to have a cup of hot chocolate for dessert. Livy was really interested in it, so I held her off until I got down to the last few swallows, and decided to let her try it. She was not quite as graceful with it as I hoped she would be, haha! She thought it was delicious, but I’m not sure that pajama top will ever be the same!
Gump is probably most enthusiastic and interested with Liv. He tries to give her kisses and play with her, while Boudreaux just lets her do what she wants to him, and Pecos isn’t sure what to do with her, and Ruger couldn’t care less about her. Gump is the one that will let her read him stories and will sit with her happily waiting for pets. He is the best and we love him so much!
We had a week long grilling extravaganza a few weeks ago, and at the end of the week, we had rib eye carne asada tacos (which were delicious!), including chips and dips. Livy was here for the guacamole. Clearly.
And this year, I debated and debated over what she should be for Halloween and felt like I couldn’t come up with anything good. We set such a high bar last year that everything felt pale in comparison. So, last week, I decided it was time to stop investing any more time in worrying about it and just grabbed this cutie Minnie Mouse costume from Amazon (Prime for the win!). She was not super crazy about it at first, but warmed up to it after a few minutes. We’re not trick or treating or anything, so it wasn’t super important for her to have a costume, but I felt like we needed one to at least document the occasion! The dress is good quality for the price and she has a little room to grow in it (it’s the 18-24 mo size, and she’s wearing 18 mo clothes now). I think it would be absolutely precious for an “Oh Two-ddles” party if you had a Mickey/ Minnie themed two year old birthday party, too! (Hmmm… maybe we should do that this year!)
And that’s about it for this month! Happy {early} Halloween, and I’ll see y’all back here in the next few days!
CONGRATS on baby Henry!!! You’ve been up to so many fabulous things, loved getting a little catch up 😉 Livy as the perfect college girl is PRECIOUS and I feel the same as here about guac lol! Can’t wait to hear more about baby #2 and watch your journey to becoming a mom of 2!
Congrats on Baby #2! So exciting that you guys are going to have another little bundle of joy joining the family in 2020!
p.s. you have me so stinking excited about the Ninja coffee maker … adding to my christmas list! I drink so much iced coffee that I need to invest in this because the Keurig was a nightmare and never filled my cup! 😉
Congratulations on baby #2! How exciting for your family!
I just have to say, we have that EXACT coffee maker and we love it so much more than our Keurig. It has it’s own little quirks (definitely read and save your manual) but we are SO happy with it. Have a great weekend xoxo
Oh so happy for your growing family congrats! Was glad to see your review of the Ninja our Keurig has been acting up as well and have been looking for a replacement.