Movie Monday!

I spend all weekend running around and just generally full of energy.  Laundry: Check!  Pumpkin Carving: Check! Dishes: Check! Spending time with my Hubby: Check!

Monday comes and with it comes my 8 hour data entry job.  The ankles swell, the eyelids flutter and I'm out for the count as fast as you can say 045127374567!  (Data entry joke...)  So I come home and I bring the tireds (as we call them) home with me.

I took a nap and my husband woke me up at 6:30 because he knew I'd be bummed if I slept through the day.  What did I do?  What grand plans for Monday did I enthusiastically fulfill?

I ate queso and watched The Lorax.

Yup.  I didn't even replace my pants.  I put on a nightgown, ate queso at the coffee table and watched a children's movie. All the while complaining that "I don't want to get up!"  My husband, sweet queso maker that he is, said, "You don't have to. Just lie down and watch your movies.You don't have to do anything."

*stomp*  

He's right though.  We are in the last week of the second trimester and it's only going to get weirder after this and lots of rest is needed.

The muffins won't, in fact, make themselves but maybe tomorrow I can give them a helping hand.

Do you have trouble getting motivated on Mondays?  What do you do to get out of the nap funk?

P.S. Be sure to check out The Feisty Organics blog.  You won't be sorry!  Chockfull of fun information and inspirational ideas!

XOXO
-Lisa

Lean on Me!

I met up with my Expectant Moms group this afternoon and it was simply lovely!  We're all due at different times (Thanksgiving, New Years Eve and Valentine's) so some of us are further ahead than others.  The amazing thing about having  a small support group is you get more than just information, you get to talk to other people who genuinely care about you and what you're going through and you're able to give that care right back.

It's a bit different than spending time with your close girlfriends.  There's a natural bond with other pregnant women that will most likely continue for quite a while to come.  I wish I'd met them sooner!

We went to a local park and I got to use my fancypants camera and some ideas I found on Pinterest to take beautiful maternity photos of these lovely ladies.  I hope they all come out ok!

I just can't say enough nice things about these ladies and I look forward to meeting their son/daughter soon!

What kind of groups are you involved in?

Next up: Making muffins with one banana and two packets of instant oatmeal, wish me luck!

XOXO

-Lisa

Pumpkin Carving Time!

It's fall.  My favorite time of year.  We may have some warm days but we all know it's going to be cool soon!  I love carving pumpkins and watching them glow after the sun goes down.

Boo!

We invited a few friends over and grilled chicken while we all got to town carving pumpkins.  Everyone had their own methods but here are a few tips to make sure your pumpkin looks it's best!

• Buy a few packages of tea lights from the dollar store!  They don't last as long but at 16 for a $1 you can use as many as you want!
• Make sure to sketch out what you want to carve first!  Remember, always carve the 'negative'.  I like to draw squiggles in the areas where I'm going to cut so I know what needs to be removed!
• China markers or wax pencils make the best marks and clean of easily.
• Feel free to use stencils that you print online.  Use an Xacto knife to cut out the stencil.  I found my favorite Owl stencil here. HGTV Pumpkin Stencils .  Be sure to keep the stencils you like for next year!
• If you're going to use a stencil a bit of double sided tape along the top of the page will help keep it steady.  You can't just lay it flat against the round pumpkin so just do your best. You can always wipe of the mistakes!
• Always be sure to cut the top at a 45 degree angle.  This will prevent the top from dropping into the pumpkin when it begins to dry and shrink. 
• Use a metal spoon to scrape out the inside.  You don't have to scrape a lot, just enough to get the pulp.
• The smaller the serrated knife the better for small rounded cuts.  The kits they sell at Walgreens, etc are actually worth the money, just be sure to wash them and store them properly so you'll have them for next year!

Most of all , HAVE FUN!  

I'm looking forward to next year!  We'll have an 8 month old and I'm sure she'll love to play in the squishy pumpkin pulp!

My cute owl pumpkin (Don't forget the stencil!)

My friend did this witch and cat freehand

 (well, he sketched it out first!)

A few glasses of wine, good friends and some large orange gourds!

Some funny, some scary but all had a good time!

What's your favorite pumpkin carving tip?

Next on Fabrycate Mom: Roasted pumpkin seeds!  (You must have seen that coming!)

XOXO
-Lisa

Getting It Together!

I've got so many things I have to do and so many things I want to do. Then there are all the little things that need to be done but not until next week or next month. Being ME and loving to organize I went ahead and used a simple template on MS Publisher to create a calendar for the next few months.  Not something to keep in a binder but to hang on my office/nursery door and keep me up to date.

Things I put on my calendar:

• Upcoming baby shower
• Reminders to buy gifts for baby shower
• Halloween plans
• Exercise goals/ plans
• How many weeks I am
• Reminders to mail birthday cards
• Reminders to work on Belly Book
• Reminders to work on blog
• Reminders for social events, etc.

I feel like I have so many things that are just dangerously floating around in this preggo brain of mine and I don't want to forget a thing!  Hopefully this will help me stay on track for when the baby comes. I found out while planning my wedding not to leave anything to my memory, just write it down, make a list. Nothing set in stone but at least it will keep me going steady and who doesn't like feeling a little less stressed?

My October calendar

How do you stay on track?

XOXO

-Lisa

Laundry Tip

Being pregnant means some days I've got oodles of energy and others I just really want to sleep through the day.  But as they say, Laundry Waits for No Woman!

Our new apartment came equipped with a HUGE washer and dryer set which I love.  Our old apartment had nada, which of course, meant weekly trips to the laundromat.  Now let me tell you, laundry and few beers at the icehouse next door was kind of fun.  But now that alcohol is off limits it's just a chore!

I got into a habit here with our lovely in house appliances of throwing laundry in at night, drying and folding the next day. The only problem with that is the towels just couldn't wait to be dried and would end up smelly by the time it came to dry!

My current trend and hopefully, new habit, is to avoid filling the washer to capacity and just hoping that I have enough energy to finish the task.  One small wash/dry/fold a night and I think soon we will be on our way to having clean and clean smelling clothes and towels.

Wish me luck!

What are your laundry habits?  Anything I should try?

XOXO
-Lisa

Eeek! Zombies!

Tonight was a new episode of Walking Dead, which, I've never seen. My friend Katie doesn't have cable and I was more than happy to have her come over and end a lovely weekend with food, friends and Zombies!  Or 'walkers' as I believe they are called to fans of the show.

I made Italian Chicken from Our Story Blog.  I had originally found the recipe on Pinterest.  

It turned out really yummy and I also discovered that I do NOT like artichoke hearts.  Thankfully it wasn't a main part of the dish so I just handed them over to Katie and Zoltan.  I used fresh basil from my garden and there was enough for Zoltan, Katie and I to all have some for lunch tomorrow.

Katie was super sweet and brought over Pumpkin ice cream and apple pie.  Two things I've been really wanting this time of year, and pregnancy.  :-)

After watching, and screaming at, Walking Dead we were still too full to eat dessert so maybe tomorrow we'll have to watch the very first episode and enjoy dessert!

How do you feel about zombies?  Love them or leave them?

XOXO
-Lisa 

Tickling The Keys

Recently Zoltan and I were talking about music and I made the comment that I'd always wanted to learn to play the piano but that now at 33 it's a bit too late.  I was always a Tori Amos fan and just love the sound of the piano.

Much to my supreme JOY he replied (a bit offhandedly) that he had a $2,000 fancypants (replace fancypants with the brand and specs) keyboard at his dads house and we could go pick it up this weekend.

Well readers, I'm now a proud owner of a fancypants keyboard, stand and amp!

  

You can't see it but I've put post it notes on the keys for C chord, Fmaj7 and F6!  I downloaded "Learn and Master Piano" and so far so good!  I have headphones so I can practice quietly but I mentioned to Zoltan that the baby should hear the sounds too.  Even if it's not quite music yet, it's stimulating sounds.  So he rummaged around and found an amp in a closet.  Voila!  Piano lessons begin!