Fall Bucket List

Now that it's officially September I can post my Fall Bucket List!!! 

I'm so excited for fall to arrive!

Celebrate our first anniversary, September 7th!!!

Get lost in a corn maze

Got to a Huskies game

Host Thanksgiving

Make hot apple cider

Host a chili feed

Go hiking in the fall foliage

Drink tons of Pumpkin Lattes

Have a bon fire

Make pumpkin pancakes

Go to the Puyallup Fair

Have a scary movie night

Pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch

Carve pumpkins

Make caramel apples

Bake pumpkin pie

Got to a Seahawks Game

Make pumpkin chai fudge

And that's only the beginning! Fall is my favorite time of the year!!!!

Mason Jar Caprese Pasta Salad

Anything with basil, tomato and mozzarella has my name written all over it. (must be the Italian in me)

So, when thinking of lunch options, I knew I had to do something caprese!

Adding pasta was the perfect solution to making 3 ingredients into a satisfying, filling meal!

You Will Need:

1 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegarette

Salt/Pepper

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes

1/4 Cup Cubed Mozzarella

1 Cup Penne Pasta

Large Handful of Basil

One Step!

Layer all ingredients in order provided above. That's it!

This salad is so incredibly delicious! I love that it can be put together ahead of time and will stay fresh for day when stored in a mason jar. And because all the liquids are on bottom the basil doesn't get wilted and the mozzarella doesn't get gooey. When you're ready to eat it, all you have to do is shake the jar and  you're good to go! This is by far my new favorite grab and go lunch!

Blueberry Peach Smoothie

After getting my wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago, I was forced on an all liquid diet for a few days. It was a great excuse to make some yummy homemade smoothies and have far too many Frostys from Wendy's.

Luckily, the blueberry peach smoothie I made was a much healthier option than Frostys!

And with fresh peaches and blueberries readily available right now it's super convenient too!

You Will Need:
1 large peach, diced
1 cup blueberries
1 vanilla bean greek yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Splash milk

Blend and Enjoy!

Side Table Refinish

This adorable little side table was a freebie find on craigslist! It's in pretty good shape structurally and seems sturdy enough. The only issue with it was that it needed to be refinished. Um... for free I'm willing to do it!

This is what I was working with to start. The stain was splotchy, there were water marks and it was completely uneven.

 I started by sanding with fine grit sandpaper (220). This piece didn't have a top coat or anything so I wanted to make sure I didn't strip it too far down. 

The fine sandpaper worked perfectly and I was left with this medium colored wood.

To get an even coating without brush strokes I decided to apply my stain with a washcloth rather than a brush. (wearing gloves of course!) I made sure to only put a little bit on the washcloth at a time. I didn't want it go on splotchy. Working in small sections is key.

I prefer darker woods in my home so I used Dark Walnut by Minwax. As you can see, it was quite dark!

After letting it dry for a few hours I drilled a hole in the front of the drawer and added this cute little crystal knob! It looked like it was missing something and this totally did the trick!

I absolutely love the result! Even though I'm not pregnant yet, I've already planned to put it in the future nursery for a side table next to the glider. It's the perfect height and will be great for a little lamp.

This was such a cost effective project. The table was free, I already had the washcloth, gloves and stain so the total price was only $3 for the package of sandpaper! And, because I only used 1/2 of 1 of the 4 sheets, it really only cost me  about $.38! SCORE!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

 

My husband is notorious for getting too busy to eat. He'll work for hours, realize he's getting shaky and hasn't eaten, so he'll grab a quick protein bar rather than a real meal. 

This drives me nuts of course as his worrisome wife. Not only do I firmly believe in a well balanced meal, I also believe in saving money. And those protein bars don't come cheap! 

So, after years of nagging him I decided to finally give in to this little quirk of his and make some homemade protein bars. I know it's still not a well balanced meal, but it's better than those chemical laden pieces of crap he buys! Right?!

What You Will Need:

1 3/4 Cup Honey

2 Cups Extra Chunky Peanut Butter

3 Cups Granola or Oats

1 1/4 Cup Chocolate Whey Protein Powder

Step One: Combine honey and peanut butter in a bowl. Be sure to think ahead and not use a metal mixing bowl like I did. If you do, scrape everything into a microwave safe bowl like I had to... Microwave for 90 Seconds.

Step Two: Add granola and protein Powder. Mix well... Mixture will be very thick and will hurt your arm to stir after awhile. Take a break to taste test it if you need to. Or 2. Or 3...

Step Three: Press into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate to cool.

Step Four: Once cool, cut into bars and store in airtight tupperware.

Loving Where I Live

 I absolutely love living out in Buckley.

 I have not once regretted moving to "the country."

I mean, look who my new neeeiiiighbors are. They just moved in May 31st. 

 

 

I love that since I moved here I am actually proud when I have beautiful things in my yard.

 

 

 

 

 

I love that my baby has a huge yard to play in and he is growing old in a place that makes him happy.

(Although he doesn't look it... he's camera shy)

Life After Miscarriage: Avoidance

Any lady out there who has experienced a miscarriage will know exactly what I mean when I say this: After a miscarriage, baby and pregnancy related stuff seems to everywhere. 

I can't seem avoid it. 

I feel like I'm being haunted and it follows me everywhere.

I turn on Friends looking for some comic relief. It's an episode where Rachel is pregnant. Or one where Phoebe is pregnant. Or one where Monica is dealing with her fertility struggles.

I turn on a childhood favorite, Full House. That show ought to be some good clean fun, right? Nope. I happen to tune into an episode where Becky is pregnant with the twins. 

I log into Facebook (knowing this could happen) and somebody posts a picture of their baby bump. Or somebody announces their pregnancy. Of course I'm happy for these women but I also struggle with wanting to throw my computer across the room.

Head over to Pinterest for some DIY ideas and maybe a sinful recipe or two. What shows up in my home feed? Nursery ideas, maternity photo ideas, baby articles and on and on.

Decided to watch a movie one afternoon waiting for my husband to get home. Awwww... Marley & Me, a movie about a family and their dog. I can watch this! This movie came out in 2009... I randomly decide to watch it 4 years later not knowing there's a scene where Jenifer Aniston's character finds out she has had a missed miscarriage. This scene is almost exactly the way I found out. (Except my husband wasn't there with me). Cue sobbing for the next hour.  Of course.

Same thing happened the other night when I tried to watch What to Expect When You're Expecting. I thought it was going to be a fun comedy about women going through their first pregnancy together. But of course, there's a miscarriage scene. (I know, I know. I shouldn't be watching any movies like this right now, but I thought it was a straight up comedy!)

I CANNOT ESCAPE THIS.

And all this is just from the comfort of my own home...

Go out into the real world. Um... Now I'm faced with real life preggos everywhere, right in front of me.

I started my new job recently. One of my first days they had me shadow an employee at the call center so I could see what they do. Who do I happen to get put with? The woman my age who's expecting her first child. She was wonderful and super cool, but it was awful to listen to her talk about her baby and see her pregnant belly. She was the ONLY pregnant woman working at our call center, and of course, I was put with her!

My second week I get put at a branch to shadow a coworker. Who is her manager? Another adorable pregnant woman. I spent a whole week with this woman fighting feelings of jealously and sadness. I truly adored the woman, but it still hard for me, even 4 months later.

Life just seems to be an emotional roller coaster that I came seem to get off of.

Avoidance doesn't work. It's inescapable.