No Secret Anymore...

10 weeks 2 days and counting.... we're PREGNANT!

I have been anxiously awaiting to tell the world our news, and so right after we found out I wrote our story and how I felt down so I could share later, so here goes!

"August 19, 2010

Oh my goodness! My thoughts are running in a million different places, but they all keep coming back to one: our God is so good! On August 9, I half-heartedly told Daniel I wanted to take a pregnancy test ( 4 days away from my period). I had felt nauseated a few days that week but nothing else- I know now that it was the Lord who put that idea on my mind, and we had no clue of what journey we were about to embark on. We had a test that turns into a plus sign if it is positive, and with eyes glued to the test, we both watched this faint line form a plus sign. I asked Daniel if he saw what I saw, and we both looked at each other bewildered! I can’t describe the flood of emotions that came over me, nor can I describe the thankfulness I had in my heart for the Lord to be so gracious to us and entrust us with one of His own. We hugged for an eternity, and I cried like I always imagined I would when that day came.

After the initial excitement and shock, I decided I wanted to go buy another test. (At this point I had no clue that pregnancy tests really are 96-99% accurate and that a false positive was extremely rare.) So the next test was 2 lines = pregnant 1 line = not pregnant.. and within 20 seconds we could see that 2 lines were showing up! Now we were for real PREGNANT!

What happened after that is already a blur to me- all I remember was laying in bed with my sweet husband, both of us still in shock and talking about our baby. I didn’t sleep much that night..or the next. I Googled everything I could think of- what to eat, what was going on inside me, vitamins to take, nursery colors, cribs, baby names, when I could hear a heartbeat, and any verse I could get my hands on about the blessing of children.

Fast forward to Thursday: We were headed to Lakeland for the weekend and told my mom on the way there. We told Daniel’s immediate family late that night. And now I am just bursting at the seams wanting to tell the whole world, or maybe just our close friends J We have been calling our child “Sweetpea” and I can honestly say that everything I do revolves around this sweet baby forming inside me. Sweetpea already has daddy’s full attention, and we love being a family of 3. I already feel this baby’s presence- frequent bathroom trips, nausea, vomiting, cravings, and lower back pains and every single bit of it makes me smile because it confirms that our Sweetpea is there and growing! "


Now.. I'm not so sure that I smile much during the nausea/vomiting anymore since dealing with it for 6 more weeks. :) But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I hope to update weekly so stay tuned...

Willow House

Sorry for the delay in posting- it has been a busy month for me. Good news though!! I am now officially self-employed as a Willow House consultant! I received my consultant kit last week, and I am looking forward to booking some parties and getting the word out...

So, what is Willow House? Well, most of you may know it as Southern Living at Home, but they changed their company to Willow House as of August 1. For those who may not be familiar, the products are home decor & entertaining items. With all of the big changes going on, one thing remains the same: the products! Willow House has the same product line with the same design team, so the quality is GREAT.

If you would like me to send a catalog to you, just let me know! In the meantime you can check out a little more about the company and view our products at the website :

http://www.willowhouse.com/

(If you see something you like just contact me and I'll place an order for you)

before & after:: buffet table

Since our dining room in our apartment is too small for a buffet table, I tried to envision a future home for a piece of furniture I found at the GoodWill in Atlanta. I decided to paint it with a neutral gray-taupe color because of the unkown color palette of our future dining room. My goal once we have moved is to add some decorative molding to the smooth lines to take away from the modern feel, and to paint all these new details to match so that they look like they were always part of the table.

Total cost of project: $30 for the buffet and paint supplies

before::

after::

*the color is Behr- Cheyenne Rock

-Jessica

Recipe:: Shrimp and Grits

I looove Shrimp and Grits, so I went in search of a good recipe that Daniel and I would enjoy. Let me tell you- this was not so easy! Most recipes had a mile-long ingredient list which scared me away quickly, and the rest seemed like we would be eating all of our calories for the week in one meal. So, I created my own recipe by making major improvisions to the recipes I had found and they turned out great!




...And the Shrimp and Grits were "husband tested and approved" :)


Wanted to share the love for anyone who is a fan of Shrimp and Grits- enjoy my recipe below:



Easy Cheesy Shrimp & Grits


ingredients for grits:

-1 cup quick cooking grits
-2 cups water
-1 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1 tbsp butter (I used light, salted)
-1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar, other recipes used parmeasan)
-3 pieces bacon (well done- save bacon grease)
-1/2 tsp. salt
-pepper to taste


ingredients for shrimp:
-1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp (Publix has them on sale frequently)
-1 clove garlic (I used 1 tsp. minced garlic)
-1/2 tsp. paprika
-1 tsp. italian seasoning
-hot sauce or cajun seasoning to taste


Cook bacon first. Crumble bacon, set aside, and keep grease in skillet. Cook grits according to package- make sure to use 1 cup milk and 2 cups water instead of 3 cups water. Add butter, salt, cheese, pepper, and crumbled bacon.
In bacon-grease skillet, add minced garlic and cook on med-high heat for 1 minute. Add shrimp with paprika, italian seasoning, and hotsauce/cajun seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through, but be sure not to over cook them.

Serve shrimp immediately over the grits.


Yields 4 servings.


-Jessica

Braves vs. Rays (our first Braves game)

After 3 weeks of waiting, Daniel's birthday gift day finally arrived- the Braves/Rays game!
I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but will share a few details of our night at Turner Field.
1. It was HOTTT and the sun was beaming in our section at right field! (we were sitting right behind Jason Heyward)
2. At sunset a storm popped up but luckily it rained for 60 seconds and just loomed overhead the rest of the game. (see storm picture below)
3. The Braves WON 6-2!


sitting in the shade before the game started.

our view of the game.

relieved that the sun was going down.

Jason Heyward.

This is the storm that hung out all night.

"better late than never" birthday post

Daniel and I celebrated his first birthday as a married man! (Actually, we celebrated his birthday for the first time together period.)

June 3, 1984 was a very special day in my "unborn" world because God brought my future husband into this world :) It was so much fun to reflect and enjoy what the Lord has done in our lives on his birthday, and to thank Him for blessing us so much.

Just as both of us would have wanted, I made a surprise dinner that included one of his fave main dishes from home- Chicken Chilupe- and finished off with a solo "Happy Birthday" and a cake I made for him:

Just wanted to share!

Before & After: our living room.

Just a little insight before you see the transformation that took place in our apartment:

I am a huge fan of "before and after" posts I see on other blogs, especially anything DIY project related. So, I have been inspired to start posting my own, and our living room is the lucky first "before and after" I have decided to post. The "before" pictures were taken the day we moved Daniel's stuff into our apartment... and the "after" happened in the free time I have had since the honeymoon :) (it is still a work in progress) ....hope you ENJOY!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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AFTER:

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