Our Fun Pregnancy Announcement!

After 13 years...I am pregnant again! Our family will be expecting a new baby around August 10th of this year. We are so excited! 

We totally copied off of some other fun pregnancy announcements I checked out on Pinterest. I am so happy with how this turned out and even more happy that I finally got to share the news with everyone on Facebook this evening! 

I am 12 weeks pregnant and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat today. I almost had a mini heart attack as it took my doctor a long time to find the heartbeat. But not to worry, all is well! After about a minute of searching, we heard that wonderful little noise. My husband says the heartbeat sounds like a helicopter :) The doctor informed us not to worry, we just have a very wiggly baby! 

I hope to keep updates and pregnancy posts coming...

Thanks for reading! 

A Long Day In My Pink Patterned Shoes

Some days are longer than others...

Just because a day is long, doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. I actually enjoy long days at times, they make me feel more productive and accomplished. In addition to blogging, I work full time, go to school and attempt to tend to every need of my family. I posted last year about a typical day in my life, you can read that here. Now that I have a brand new job and a slightly different schedule, I thought it might be fun to revisit a day in my life.

So here we go...A Day in my Pink Patterned Shoes...

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013

6:30am: Time to wake up! Take the Chiweenies outside, wake up the pre-teen and start up the Keurig. I have got to have my morning coffee! I pick out a Starbucks blend this morning. I have been drinking my coffee black for months now. I actually enjoy it this way. The only think I add is a few ice cubes. Then it's time for a shower and getting ready for work. I feel like it's a vintage kind of day, so I pick out this denim polka dot dress and this awesome coin necklace I bought from a vintage shop. The pre-teen is out the door just before me.

7:35am: I am out the door and on my way to work. My new job is super close to my home, which makes me a very happy lady! Even with a little morning traffic, I am at the office in 15 minutes.

7:50am: I'm at the office bright and early (I don't need to be there until 8am), but I am still fairly new and I like to keep up my good impression. I check my email and make sure all of my documents are in order for my morning meeting.

A co-worker suggests bagels for breakfast...yum! We all chip in for some Bread Company. I love sesame seed bagels. I also love blueberry. And pumpkin pie.

Just so you know what I do...

At my new job, I work with people with physical and developmental disabilities to assist them in discovering what kind of job/career they might be interested in. I do hands-on assessments at places they might want to work and I administer paper and pencil assessments to help them discover interests. After I finish the assessments, I either recommend job development or other services.

10:00am: Morning meeting! I get to recommend job development for a client, which makes me happy because I know she is excited about getting to work!

11:30am: Lunch time! Everyone at my new office eats a bit early and I have happily adapted to the new schedule. Everyone tries to eat together if at all possible. I love that my co-workers do this. I think it brings a sense of togetherness to the office. I was a good girl this day and brought my leftovers. Before my break is over I text the hubby and check on his day. We never go a day without texting each other. I am more in love with him everyday :)

I spend the rest of my afternoon finalizing paperwork and organizing client files. I make sure all of my appointments are scheduled for the following week and reminders have been sent.

4:00pm: I leave the office and head out to school! I am scheduled to graduate in May with a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. I'm more than ready for graduation!

4:30pm: Career Development class...we learn about career interest inventories and Holland Codes.

6:15pm: A school mixer with the Rehabilitation Counseling and Music Therapy students. This is an out of the ordinary event. We mix, mingle and are served cheese, crackers, fruit, beer and wine. I can't shake the uneasy feeling that I should not drink alcohol in between classes. It's weird. But I have a glass of wine and a beer while I mix and mingle.

7:30pm: Internship Class...Tonight we are video taping mock counseling sessions. I meet up with my partner and we take turns playing counselor and client. Each session is only 12 minutes, but I am nervous about being taped. There are four students in my internship class. We watch all four 12 minute sessions. I take note that I need to learn to have better posture and that I really should begin working out again.

9:49pm: I pull up in front of my house. It feels good to be home! I picked up a banana for dinner. Watching the video of myself totally killed my appetite. I foresee this won't last long and my regular appetite will be back tomorrow. I get to spend about 10 minutes with my son before he's off to bed. That's probably what I dislike most about late school nights. Even if we aren't doing anything productive, I like just being at home with my family.

11:00pm: My husband is actually ready for bed before I am (which never happens). He is a night owl and loves to stay up late. I drift off to sleep after vegging out to QVC. I just love that channel. It's on right now as I right this post. Rick is selling computers.

Well, that's my day! I'm so happy everyday isn't this long. I know putting in the hours and effort will be worth it, so I'll keep on keeping on until I own my evenings again!

Thanks for reading!

Trending: The Writer's Block Rescue and Ronan Farrow

Sometimes...only sometimes...I don't have a recent craft to display or recipe to share. Sometimes...I am fresh out of "words of wisdom" and cleaver anecdotes. Sometimes...I know I want to blog about something, I just don't know what.

This happened to me today. True story. Like 30 minutes ago.

So I thought to myself, "why not see what's trending and write something about that? Gosh Michelle, you are so smart. And I bet you are the first blogger ever to think of this idea. Your post is going to get a million views!"

I am very confident I am not the first blogger to think of this. Just as I was not the first blogger to make a holiday wreath or use owls in Christmas decor. But my hope is that this post will reach someone who has not heard this idea and to help spark a little creative writing.

• How to I find what's trending?

• Go to Google. Type in "Google Trends". You will be taken to a whole world of trending.
• Twitter. Hashtags. Left side bar.
• What the Trend (whatthetrend.com)

Once you find what's trending, write about it. For example, the top trend on Google Trends this evening was Ronan Farrow. I have no idea who that is. Who is Ronan Farrow?

Ronan Farrow is a human rights activist. I thought he was a movie star. Now I am embarrassed. According to his Wikipedia Page, he is also a freelance journalist, lawyer and government official. And he looks pretty handsome. 

He has actually lived quite an amazing life. I highly recommend checking out his page and learning more about him. He was a child prodigy and went to Yale University at age 15. He is trending today due to talks of hosting an MSNBC show. So interesting! 

In conclusion, I hope this blog post has helped at least one person with the dreaded blogger writer's block. Thanks for reading! 

Information on trending gathered from Make Use Of.

Spicy Jalapeno Orzo

I will not lie to you guys.

Tonight I suffered from a "make whatever is in the pantry" dinner.

You know what I am talking about. When you haven't been to the grocery store...don't feel like going...refuse to get fast food...would rather eat all carbs than spend $40 on pizza delivery?

So what was on the menu tonight? A box of macaroni and cheese, reheated pretzel buns and what turned out to be excellent orzo.

I was so impressed with this orzo, I kept telling my husband to try it all night...until he finally did...and he loved it. Enough about how I am too lazy to go to the store. On to the recipe!

Spicy Jalapeno Orzo

2 Tablespoons Oil (olive, vegetable, whatever)
Quarter of a white Onion, chopped
Half of a Jalapeno, chopped (more if you can take the heat)
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Orzo
Salt and Pepper (I use a lot, but this is all up to you)

Heat up your skillet: medium heat.
Saute the onion and jalapeno in the oil for about 5 minutes or until there is some color on the veggies.
Salt and pepper your veggies.
Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil.
Add the orzo. Salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir it, let it set for a few minutes and eat it up!

If your orzo starts to look a little dry, add a dash more chicken broth. If your orzo is a little soupy, simmer a bit longer.

My cooking is not an exact science, I wish it were so that I could give you amazing instructions. 

I hope you enjoy this! I sure did!

What's the weirdest "make whatever is in the pantry" dinner you have ever made?

Life, Lily Pads and Bad Blogging

What makes a "bad" blogger? 

A blogger who doesn't post for three months? Or a blogger who lets their domain expire?

I think I have been a "bad" blogger.

The truth of it is, my life has been a bit of a whirlwind during the past few months. I went through a job transition, which has been turning out to be fabulous. I have learned the meaning of "drained" and "overwhelmed". I spent my summer balancing graduate school, old job, new job and always: my family. The truth of it is, many nights I come home and can barely muster up the energy to turn on QVC before bed.

I love blogging. I love creating things. I love writing. I love the blogging world. I love link parties. I love meeting new bloggers. I love comments. I love social media. I love photographs.


I hope to be a better blogger over the next few months. As always, thanks for reading: blogs are happier when they have readers :)

Have you ever been a "bad" blogger?

Imagine Your Perfect Day

This post was inspired by an exercise I found at Silly Grrl Design and Circus. Her website is truly amazing! Check out the post that inspired the one you are about to read, The Escape: Imagine Your Perfect Day.


My Perfect Day...

I wake up with the sunshine, no alarm clocks.
I make coffee and go to morning yoga or Pilates.
I come home, shower, get dressed for the day.

I go to my shop (Columbia Upcycle), where I am surrounded by creativity. I spend my day looking at the treasures customers bring in for exchanges. I get to make unique things, write tutorials and blog about it. I get to meet people who share a love for things that are vintage and a love for crafting. I am always on my own time. There is no boss to correct my work. There is no one to report to. I feel a sense of calm and excitement. There is no stress. There are no deadlines. I play music all day and sing along in my store. I make enough money to pay all of my bills on time. I have enough money for my family to take vacations. I don't have to borrow money from others just to make it to my next paycheck. My family is happy.

I come home to my husband, our son and our crazy Chiweenies (Ok, sometimes the puppies spend the day at the shop with me). We have healthy meals and a clean house. We all talk about how great our days were. We are all happy.

In the future there are more children, who spend the day at the shop with me until they go off to pre-school. I always make my own schedule, so I never miss a field trip or class party. I will never again drive an hour or more to work. My shop is close to the kids' schools and to our home.

Ahh, what a perfect day!

I have to be honest, when I first starting writing this post, I had every minute of the day planned out. For example: "8am: wake up, 9am-10am: yoga, 10am-10:30am: breakfast". I wrote out my whole day and then I said "NO". This is exactly the kind of life I am trying to escape. I do not want every moment of my day scheduled. I do like some structure, but the anxiety of trying to meet a deadline every half hour has taken its toll on me.

So, this is my perfect day. What's yours?