38 Weeks

38 Weeks

Time has flown by... SO FAST! We can hardly believe that it's almost time for this little one to make her appearance. We're so excited! I'm trying to treasure these last snatches of time with just Kyle and I at home during the days. Please pray with us that he'll adjust well to having his own little sister. Tim is still in class, and we're still praying that he'll be able to finish before Kimber arrives. He has one more week in the classroom, and then exams. 

These past few days I have officially hit the uncomfortable stage. Sleeping at night has become a chore! My 9 month pregnant body STILL insists on turning onto my back in my sleep... no matter what position I start out in. I'm thankful that I'm not waking up numb, but I seriously wish I could just stay on my side! Rolling off of my back first thing in the morning is not very comfortable. 

We had four hours of hard, consistent contractions last Wednesday night... and that got me working hard to whip our home into shape for baby. I'm hopeful that things will be in decent order whenever "labor day" does hit. We have Kimber's little nook in our bedroom almost complete, and her clothes are washed and sorted into her little storage baskets. I can't wait to see everything when it's put together! Hopefully this weekend Tim can spare and hour from the books to hang our shelves. I'll try to post pictures once everything is finished.

For now, I'm just hoping to stay rested, healthy, finish some small projects and keep my home clean until Kimber's birth. We're almost there! 

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DIY Bow Holder

Blogging this month has been slower than I had planned... but there's been a lot going on in the Davis household! Tim is on the home stretch for the trimester (yes, we both have trimesters right now... different types though) with final papers and exams looming on the horizon. I, on the other hand, am trying to keep the home front stable while my size is increasing and my energy is decreasing. I was loving the third trimester energy while it lasted, but I think it has finally said farewell.

The little "baby nook" in the corner of our bedroom is coming together slowly. We have the pack'n'play with bassinet attachment all set up and ready for baby, and the shelves are almost complete. I have purchased the baskets, and the baby clothes are washed and sorted into them. I can't wait to get them off of the floor and onto the shelves!

One thing that I worked on this past week was bow organization for all of Kimber's adorable hair bows. I have spent hours looking at different bow holders on pinterest and etsy, but at the end of the day I decided to make my own from what I had on hand. A little spray paint and ribbon... and this was the final result. I love it!

Here it is with her bows clipped on...

I'm storing all of her headbands in a glass container that I had on hand... won't it look cute sitting on one of her little shelves???

I'm so excited for my little girl to arrive!!!!! 

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New Recipe #4- Quick Yeast Rolls

Well, I no longer have a perfect record of trying one new recipe a week. Last week got pretty insane, and we ate some really awful stuff around here (like pizza, mac and cheese...). Let's just say that there was not a lot of cooking going on. Thankfully, when I stepped on the scale at the midwife, I had only gained a pound. It should have been so much worse!

I did make some homemade yeast rolls this week though. I normally (prepare yourself) spend the money and buy the frozen Sister Shuberts yeast rolls at the store. However, they are so expensive, and we were buying them almost every week! I needed something quick and easy, so when I saw this recipe on pinterest, I jumped at it. Sure enough... we love them! Yay for an easy staple! Tim and Kyle have gobbled them up each time I've made them this week, which is a good thing because I'm trying not to eat a lot of carbs after my sins of last week. :-)

The recipe is very simple. All that you need is 1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water, 1/3 cup oil, 2 tbsp yeast, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg and 3 1/2 cups of flour (I used all purpose and it worked just fine).

Heat the over to 400 degrees. Combine water, oil, yeast and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Next, mix in the salt, egg and flour, kneading until combined and dough is soft and smooth. Form the dough into 12 balls, and put on a greased 9 x 13 pan. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown.

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Makeup Series: Is Skin Care Important???

Makeup Series: Is Skin Care Important???

In a word? Yes. Skin care is very important. When I became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant a few months ago, I was shocked by some of the things I learned about my skin! I'd always used a cleanser/moisturizer, but was constantly switching brands or skipping steps. I thought that at my age (early 20's), it was just important to keep you skin clean and acne free. I was wrong. Good skin care should do more than simply cleanse your face. Mary Kay teaches that it should also exfoliate, freshen and moisturize.

It is vital that your skin care system be custom-matched to your skin's specific needs. Not sure what those needs are? Normally people fall into one of the following categories...

Dry Skin: Skin feels tight, and has a tendency to flake or crack. Aging strikes those with dry skin very early, especially in the areas around the eyes and mouth.
Normal Skin: Skin has a smooth texture, with few blemishes or early expression lines.
Combination Skin: Oily in the "T-zone" (forehead, nose and chin), but dry around the outer edges of the face.
Oily Skin: Skin appears shiny, and feels sticky or greasy. This skin type is very prone to acne breakouts, even after the teen years are over. The good news? Aging does not strike those with oily skin until later in life.

Now that you hopefully have a bead on what skin type you are, let me share something with you that truly shocked me. Did you know that skin actually begins to show signs of age in your 20's???? It is recommended that women over the age of 21 use an anti-aging skin care system. Did you know that? Because I certainly didn't!

www.marykay.com

So what do I use and recommend? Well, I have come to use and love the Mary Kay Timewise Miracle Set. This set delivers deep cleansing, gentle exfoliating and intense moisturizing... all while it fights aging! It's simple to use, and very affordable when compared to any skin care set of equal caliber. This skin care set has different formulas, specifically designed for the skin types I mentioned above. It's never been easier to know exactly what your skin needs!

As a parting word, let me say this. If you do nothing else for your skin... do these two things.
1. Moisturize! Find a moisturizer that lasts all day long. If you do this one thing, it will slow down the appearance of aging. Hydrating your skin well actually diminishes lines and wrinkles.
2. Be Consistent! Do your research. Don't just buy "what's on sale," and leave your skin starving one month and over-nourished the next. Find a product line that works for you, and stick with it.

Next time I'll talk a little about foundation. It has so many protective qualities (think, sun protection)! And yes... it is possible to find the perfect match for your skin!

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New Recipe #4 - Pizza Rolls

This week I was searching for an easy lunch recipe. Pinterest came to the rescue! I found this pin online, but there was no link to a blog or anything... so I don't know who to give credit to. And of course my camera was out of battery today, so I'm using the picture from the pin.

 I don't think I'd ever bought the garlic crescent rolls before, but for something like this... they were perfect! 

The thing that I love about this recipe is the 90 second preparation time. Literally, it took no time at all! Simply roll your pepperoni and 1/2 cheese stick into the crescent roll, and then bake according to the crescent roll instructions (375 degrees for 11-13 minutes). Definitely not the healthiest meal ever, but I comfort myself that Kyle had a huge green smoothie for breakfast.

Both Tim and Kyle loved these pizza rolls! I will be making these again for sure. Quick, easy, and my men both love them... that's a score in my book.

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New Recipe #3 - Green Breakfast Smoothie

I decided to try a new breakfast recipe for week #3. Hopefully next week will be an easy kids lunch recipe, but we'll see... I need to find one yet! I was searching for something that both my men would enjoy, that was quick and easy, and that Tim could take with him in the car for his drive to school. This Green Smoothie really fit the bill! I researched a bunch of different smoothie combinations before choosing this one. I found it via pinterest, and you can get to the original recipe by clicking here.

So I threw together some spinach, pineapple, peaches, orange juice, and half a banana... my own version of the recipe.

It came out a lovely green color, just as predicted! I actually think this is a beautiful drink... even though Tim looked rather weird when I handed it to him. He drank it though, and liked it!

I was surprised that it worked so well in Kyle's normal sippy-cup. I think I should get a couple of plastic cups with big straws if this recipe sticks.... but for now this worked well.

Kyle drank the entire thing within minutes, and it was so nice to see him play while he consumed all that spinach! Little did he know... :-)

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33 Weeks (almost)

Here is my baby bump at 33'ish weeks. :-) This week I'm feeling great. There's still a ton of pressure from this baby, but I'm surviving well and continuing to faithfully visit my chiropractor. I'm very thankful that my strong contractions have not been heard from in over a month now. That was getting old! Kimber continues to be very active, and it's one of Tim's favorite past-times just to watch my belly move all over the place. He seems to be quickly falling in love with this little girl's personality. He laughs each time she punches or kicks with vigor (so, if he were me and feeling all of them... he'd be laughing all the time!). 

I am so thankful for my inedible midwives, Linda and Amy. I have enjoyed working with them so much during this pregnancy, and I can't wait for our big arrival day. (Okay... well... maybe I can wait) There is so much more to think about this time around, like what to do with Kyle if I go into labor in the middle of the night again etc... But I think we're slowly getting all of our ducks in a row. Kimber will be here before we know it! I'm SO excited to meet her.

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