Five on Friday

ONE

It's finally here! Today, we're heading up to Palestine, TX to go on the East Texas Polar Express Ride. I can't wait to see P's face when he sees "the north pole" and gets a bell from Santa. I'm also curious as to what a Laura Bush cookie is.

TWO

back away dog!

I'm really happy to be back in Texas. We're catching up on Tex-Mex and Chic-fil-a and loving this weather! It's kind of a zoo with my sister's cat, my mom's 2 cats, and the energetic labradoodle named Nike...but Peyton is enjoying it! They are his buddies.

THREE

Hello maternity pants! My normal jeans are starting to become uncomfortable. I can't get away with just unbuttoning them when I sit down, because thanks to my pregnancy brain I'll forget and possibly embarrass myself! My mom got me this pair from Gap and I love them! The demi panel is perfect for this stage of my pregnancy. The color and quality are great too.

I also got this pair from Mountain Mama. I needed some comfortable pants to wear around the house or to the gym. They're super soft and keep me warm. This brand even has maternity baselayer leggings to go under your pants. They are pretty much the only brand of maternity thermals I could find. 

FOUR

I'm pretty excited about my Christmas gift from my sister. She got me a 6 month membership to RocksBox. You take a survey and they send you 3 pieces of jewelry based on your interests. It's basically Netflix for designer jewelry. You can send them back whenever you're ready to try new pieces. (but you have to send all 3 back at the same time) If you want to keep a piece in your box, they give you 20% off the retail price. I love jewelry, but I'm also a very indecisive person who gets buyer's remorse. My sis knows me too well. Can't wait to try it out!

FIVE

I've gotten pretty used to being a stay at home mom. Part of my morning routine is to drink coffee and watch the Today show, while Peyton eats breakfast and plays. Today I saw this video and was in tears! It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen a son do for his mom. And it hits home since I'm going to have two sweet boys. Maybe I need to stop watching the news until my emotions are back to normal...

Five on Friday

ONE

I'm so proud of myself for making the cake pops for our gender reveal! I followed this recipe and used chocolate candy melts instead of pink. To dye the cake batter I used Wilton's icing gel. I read online that this would work great in dying icing or cake batter. Peyton had fun helping me dip them in the chocolate. Apparently I made them pretty big, because it made 20 instead of 36. I gave most of them away to Peyton's teachers and friends. They are dangerous to have around your house ;) If you ever decide to make them, Wal-mart has all of the supplies! And for better prices than Michael's.

TWO

Loved seeing my sweet little boy's profile on Monday! I'm so curious to see what he will look like.

THREE

This is a public service announcement! Go download SnipSnap to your iPhone ASAP! If you're anything like me, you can't STAND to go somewhere without a coupon. (Bed Bath & Beyond, Babies R Us, Michaels, Dick's Sporting Goods, etc.) With this app, you can upload your coupons or "clip" coupons that other people have uploaded. It's been successful every time I've used it at the register. The coupons have a popularity ranking which is helpful to know if it works or not. If you upload your own coupons, it will even remind you before one expires so you don't forget to use it! So cool. 

FOUR

So I know I'm late to the party, but Downton Abbey is my new favorite show! My neighbor told me about it and I decided to start watching it one day when Josh was working nights. I was hooked! I had watched all 3 seasons for free on Amazon Instant Video in just a few short weeks. I even brought my iPad to the gym and watched it while doing the elliptical machine. Season 4 starts in January and I cannot wait to watch!

FIVE

We leave for Texas in a week! Eek! So much to do to get ready. Can't wait to see family and friends…AND be in warmer weather. I feel more prepared for this flight and bought a few new travel essentials:

The Britax Car Seat Travel Cart

So glad that Peyton will be in a car seat when we take the shuttle to the MSP airport. With this, I won't have to bring a stroller as well. (totally necessary when you travel with a curious little boy!) 

Jeep Car Seat Travel Bag

I've read that if you're going to fly with a car seat, then protecting it with a cover is a must! The Britax cover was too expensive. So after reading the reviews I went with this one. 

Five on Friday

Linking up with these other ladies to re-cap our week...

ONE Pinterest fail this week. I knew it was bound to happen, I've been on a roll lately! I made the Samoa Brownies on the left below. They were hard as a rock and Josh had to use a make-shift chisel to cut them. They tasted great once you heated them up, but it shouldn't have been that way. What a waste of caramels. I think the recipe on the right will work much better since you use a jar of ice-cream caramel topping instead.

the rock hard brownies (Recipe found here)

Going to try these brownies next time

TWO more nights shifts left for Josh this week! I'm working on my issues with staying home alone at night. Making progress!

THREE little bunnies in our usual firefly spot. Peyton currently loves NickJr's new Peter Rabbit show, so he kept yelling "Hiiii Peter Rabbits!" So cute.

FOUR cards from Mee Mee & Paw Paw! Peyton LOVES getting mail. It makes him feel so special. Look how talented my Mee Mee is!

we had to do a little "surgery" on the red envelope. Sometimes you tear things when you're a toddler.

FIVE more days left in July?!? Crazy. That means we've lived in Minnesota for two months. It's really flown by. Not gonna lie...the weather here has been perfect. We go to the park a few times a week.