5 facts about yours truly

Also known as "I have writer's block." Let's be honest here. ;)

1. The mountains are my favorite place to be, and I'm happiest when I'm outside enjoying them. The picture above is from one of my favorite spots to do so, taken a few years ago.

2. I have come to accept that I will never understand Google+. Please tell me I'm not the only one that can't figure it out! Although it's not like I need any more social media in my life, so in the end maybe that's a good thing.

3. I'm not very picky, but I do not like shrimp, meatloaf, cream soda, or dark chocolate. I will still choke them down though, with the exception of shrimp, which is where I draw the line. Yuck.

4. I can count the caffeinated drinks I've had in my life on one hand. The only times I've had it were either accidental or because I really needed to stay awake while driving at night, partially because I'm really sensitive to it and it makes me feel very weird and leaves me with a headache. Probably a blessing.

5. I don't particularly enjoy cleaning, but I love organizing. Having everything in its place makes me really happy!

Why hello, November!

Is it really November already?? This year is slipping away so quickly. I hope things slow down a little bit though because November and December with their cool weather, holidays, and the abundance of delicious food that goes with said holidays make me really happy. I don't want it to slip through my fingers before I have a chance to thoroughly enjoy it. 

Today I wanted to put up some more fall/Thanksgiving decorations and I made these printables to frame. They aren't particularly festive so I can leave them up all year. Also, I couldn't decide which quote I preferred so I just made them all. :) Which one is your favorite?

(Click image to enlarge and then right click to save and print)

What are you doing to get in the Thanksgiving spirit? I have been nesting something fierce lately, so I plan on decorating my house, drinking lots of apple cider, and baking goodies in the next few days... All while wearing my favorite comfy, warm clothes since it has been pretty chilly here and I am hoping to avoid turning on the heat for as long as possible. In other words, I will be living in sweatpants, fuzzy socks, and my oh-so-cozy Hello sweater for the next 6 months.

I think I'm okay with that.

U Can't Touch This

As of Sunday, I'm 24 weeks along! 

This baby boy is growing bigger and stronger every day! He is very wiggly and seems to enjoy sending big kicks my way whenever I'm trying to fall asleep. In fact, a couple times he kicked so hard that he woke me up when I was fast asleep. Stinker. Good thing I love him.

I finally caved and wore my new maternity pants yesterday for the first time. I've been using a hair tie wrapped around the buttonhole on my normal jeans to make them work for a little longer, but I've grown enough the past week or two that it just doesn't work anymore. Not comfortably, at least! They still fit me kind of weird, but they are so comfy I don't care. It's like wearing pajamas, and that, my friends, is something I can get behind. Yes sir. 

I've been feeling a hundred times more energized lately. I still have to rest a few times during the day, but that's a huge improvement. Yesterday I had a much-needed burst of energy and motivation and I got a lot of cleaning done that I've been putting off. My kitchen (especially my stove) is in much better shape than it has been my entire pregnancy, and it feels oh so good! The nesting urge must really be kicking in because I still have the itch to clean and organize today. Hopefully that means I'll make good progress on getting the upstairs bedroom ready to paint!

Besides what I mentioned already, everything is going pretty well! I only have a couple complaints. 

The main one is I'm not a fan (AT ALL) of having my belly rubbed my strangers like it's some magic lamp or I'm their pet dog. I'm already not a very touchy person, so having random people invite themselves to touch my belly is not my favorite thing about pregnancy. Not even close.

I have one thing to say to those people.

Just kidding... but seriously. 

Also, I'm glad I found a use for one of the ever-so-lovely outtakes from the pictures we took yesterday. 

So very attractive. ;) 

Have a happy Tuesday!

Crock pot chicken curry

I have yet to try a curry I didn't like. I love that stuff. Since I've been pregnant, I've been craving Indian and Thai food something fierce, so when I found this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to try it out. It looked so easy and delicious, and it lived up to my high expectations! 

I will absolutely be making this again, and maybe experimenting with turning it into a freezer meal. I really want to stock up on those before this baby comes along in a few months.  

All you have to do is puree the sauce, throw it in the crock pot with some chunks of chicken breast, stir in some cornstarch an hour or so before it's finished cooking to thicken up the sauce, and serve over some good rice. I used jasmine, my favorite. 

Does it get any easier than that? 

I followed the recipe exactly except for a few minor changes. Since I like a lot of flavor I added some extra garam masala, curry powder, and salt. I also substituted a bit of cayenne pepper (somewhere between 1/2 and 1 tsp) for the dried red peppers, just because that's what I had on hand. Last of all, I didn't end up cooking it for the entire 6 hours. I put this in around 8am and the chicken was done (And smelled amazing. Seriously.) when I got home from church a little after 12pm. I added the cornstarch then and let it cook for another hour or so until Dallin got home from his meeting. It's a good thing it was done a little early because we were both really hungry and the smell was tantalizing. 

Click here for the recipe! Also, if you have any other favorite Indian/Thai/curry recipes you should do this pregnant lady a favor and send them my way. ;)

23 weeks down, 17 to go

My pregnancy has been going really well lately! I feel good most of the time (although I have a pretty hard time getting going in the morning for seminary) and my doctor's appointment this morning went smoothly as always. I'm big enough to be obviously pregnant, but not enough to be uncomfortable... unless I am silly enough to try to wear something too constricting. I've already got a lot of clothes I have had to put in the back of my closet for at least the next 4-5 months because there is just no way to comfortably fit this growing boy in there. It ain't happening! 

I wonder how much longer I'll be able to see my toes...

People often ask me what I've been craving. Uh, what have I not been craving? Now that's the real question here! ;) I just want to eat all the food. I can't eat very much a time, but I am constantly snacking all day errryday. I do have a few things I've been hungry for lately, namely pomegranates, tomatoes, salad, waffles, chips & salsa, and Ben and Jerry's pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. 

I've been fulfilling most of those cravings, especially with deals like these that made me so excited I did a happy dance in the store...

...but unfortunately I have yet to see a single carton of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream anywhere, and this is a very sad thing indeed. I MUST HAVE PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM. It's October 22... shouldn't that have been out with the Halloween decorations two months ago? Also, if you have not tried it, you are missing out big time. I've had some other pumpkin ice creams, but this is simply the best. Perfectly creamy, pumpkin-y ice cream with slightly crunchy graham cracker crust swirls... 

Oh man. We need to change the subject. 
This is making me want it even more, which I didn't think was possible. 

People have also been asking me what we're going to name him. I have two answers: (1) We're split between Hagrid Bartholomew or just giving our kids numbers instead of names, and (2) I'm not telling. ;) You'll know when we officially name him... after he is born.

In other news, I'm currently working on turning our other upstairs bedroom from the canyoneering/hunting room into a nursery. It's taking some time though since I've been so indecisive about what the heck I want to paint the walls. I picked out a really light blue I liked and painted a couple test spots, but now I'm having second thoughts. I think I probably like it, but gosh... I just don't know for sure and I'm worried I'll paint the whole room and then end up not liking it, which wouldn't be the end of the world but I only want to paint once if at all possible. I might end up going for some kind of neutral instead, like a light tan or something that would be a good base for colorful pictures and things on the walls. We'll see.

I'm anxious to get it done though so we can get a crib, decorate, and put away the four big bags of cute boys clothes my mom gave me! My nesting urges are starting to kick in big time so hopefully that will help me be more motivated to get 'er done already. Or maybe I can just convince Dallin that he wants to do it. Right babe? ;)

Although I am a bit impatient to meet the wee man-cub that is growing in my belly, I have to remember to enjoy this waiting, anticipatory period. I know I am going to miss the quiet evenings with just my husband and me, being able to sleep/eat/go to the store/shower/use the bathroom whenever I want to, and feeling our baby kick... even when it is aimed at my bladder. ;)

Pregnancy is one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had, but also one of the best. I love it. I'm so happy to be at this stage in my life. 

I love Sister Hinckley.

Yesterday, I had a quote in my head from Marjorie Pay Hinckley, who is the wife of my church's previous president, Gordon B. Hinckley. She passed away in 2004, and he was reunited with her in 2008.

I absolutely adore them both. They are such beautiful examples of happy lives and a happy marriage. 

Ah! I can't handle it. They are too adorable.

Anyway, as I was saying, I had this quote come to my mind, and I looked it up so I could share it on instagram. 

 

 

While I was looking it up, I found a plethora of quotes by her, some that I had heard before and some that were new, and I spent some time reading through them. I have some things on my mind this week that have been stressing me out a bit, and some of the quotes by her were just what I needed to hear. I love her way with words and spunky personality. Here are a few of my favorites:

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either 

have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” 

“We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.” 

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow what a ride!” 

“We are His children, and if we ever got that through our heads thoroughly, understood that completely, we would never do a small thing, we would never say a cross word, we would not use bad language, we would not criticize anybody, we would love everyone the way the Savior loves us.” 

Isn't she the best? I want to be just like her when I grow up.

P.S. Please tell me you thought of The Three Amigos when I used the word "plethora". If not, you should click here to be enlightened. ;)

P.P.S. Happy Friday! Yippee!

Wanderlust, homesickness, and Segovia

There are few things I love more than travelling. I love to explore, especially off the beaten path, and I sure am glad that I married someone that shares my love for adventure.

However, I do have a bit of a problem. You see, every time I go somewhere I get really emotionally attached, and then I miss it like crazy when I leave, but at the same time I am a major homebody. When I'm away from home for very long I start itching to be back. I spent four months in Russia when I was unofficially engaged to Dallin, and every day was a mix of intense homesickness and equally intense happiness and love for that beautiful, crazy, somewhat sketchy place. Every day I crave Russia's colorful architecture and culture, California's sandy beaches, southern Utah's canyons, Spain's vineyard-spattered countryside, Maui's rocky coasts, Arizona's mountain peaks, and my own home all at the same time. I love them all and wish I could somehow be everywhere at once.

Today, however, I'm especially missing the quaint, picturesque town of Segovia that we visited on our trip to Spain earlier this year. This place was like stepping into a painting from a fairy tale. It's a bummer that there is an ocean between me and this... if only going back were easier and less expensive! 

The castle was my favorite.

Inside the castle

View of the cathedral and town from the castle

Looking up at the ceiling in the cathedral

Roman aqueducts, with Dallin standing at the base for scale.
This was so impressive!