Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Pottery Barn Kid's Sale

Pottery Barn Kids is having a sale. Had I not already purchased a diaper bag, I may have gotten this Petunia Pickle Bottom backpack. Apparently, they're some of the best around.


There are also lots of wallpapers, decals, bedding sets, etc. on sale. Check it out!

Friday, January 27, 2012

New Diaper Bag!

I got a new diaper bag today! WOO HOO! I am super excited because: 1) It's houndstooth--Roll Tide! 2) It's a Kalencom, and I've heard rave reviews. My little refund check from the University is serving me (and the twins) well. The style is called Jackie O' and it was the only one left on Amazon. I've heard they're discontinued, but you might could check Ebay, or even just Google it.


My one little issue is that this one isn't laminated. I guess they just didn't do it for this style???? Anyway, I feel like this will suit Jaye and Lyla just fine, and I get to show my Alabama spirit every time I go out. My babies are meant to be Bama fans!

3D Pictures

Here are two of the best 3D pictures we got yesterday. Little Lyla was not cooperating, so you won't be seeing here until she decides to greet the world in a few weeks. These pictures are of Jaye. We cannot wait to meet him!

I have two very active babies, so things look a little distorted. At one point during the ultrasound, Jaye yawned, and I think it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.











We had our ultrasounds done at 4D Sneak Peek in Jackson, TN. The lady who helped us had twin girls of her own. She and I were able to relate and chat about all things baby. She worked really hard to get a good pic of Lyla, but all we got were some knees and elbows. Once we get our CD in the mail, I will upload those. There's not a whole lot of room in my belly and throughout the ultrasound, Lyla had her rear end up in the air with her legs over her face. I cannot even imagine how that would be comfortable. Jaye took up most of the room (typical boy) and was stretched all the way out. Lyla said, "Well, take this!" Her bottom was right in his face the whole time. If you are interested in getting a 3D or 4D ultrasound, I recommend this company. We were treated well, the ultrasound gel was warm and the table was comfortable. Stay tuned for the video (if we can get it uploaded)!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

4D Ultraounds

Our 4D ultrasound is today and I am super excited. My husband has been looking forward to this for weeks, and I honestly didn't care, but now that it's here, I can't wait! I debated on whether or not we should spend the money, especially since I am not working right now. Thankfully, the University of Cincinnati (where I attend grad school) came through, and sent us a refund check.

I'm 26 weeks tomorrow, so the girl was a little unsure of how our pictures would turn out, which makes me nervous. However, these could very well be our first and last kiddos, and you don't get a do-over on things like this. If there is a next time, we'll know if the expense was worth it. If you live in Western TN, and are interested in getting a 4D, I suggest 4D Sneak Peek in Jackson. The price was pretty reasonable, but still more than a regular ultrasound. Check back later for pics!

Have any of you had a 3D or 4D? Was it worth it?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pick Me Up Love!

Inspired by a post from Angie Mizzel, I thought I'd share this nugget of JOY with you to start your day off right. If you aren't smiling at the end of the video, or even shedding a tear, I feel sorry for you.



Hug someone today!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Cool Mist...


Look what I got in the mail today!

Owl Cool Mist Humidifier

It's my new humidifier and isn't it sweet?!? I don't know if anyone else is currently preggers, but if you are, or if you plan on being that way soon, hear this : YOUR NOSE WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION.

It's true. I can't breathe. I can't smell. All I can do is blow. And blow. And blow. It never stops, and it's almost like the minute my body realizes there is a narrow passage open in my nostril, it fights to close it. I told my fabulous OBGYN about my predicament and he suggested getting one of these babies. Now, I know he didn't mean this one exactly, but it was so cute I couldn't resist. And, the babies will need it in a few months, so it wasn't like I went out my way to spend money on something that would only be used for a short time.

Crane makes all kinds of fun creatures. My grandmother has an elephant. She's a young at heart :) I got mine on Amazon, but you can check anywhere and find one for a decent price. I'll let y'all know if it worked or not tomorrow.

Night y'all!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes



First, I want to make it clear that I snagged this from Pinterest and made it my own. Look at the original recipe first. She actually knows what she's doing. I do not. I just piddle until I get something that looks decent, and this actually turned out tasting pretty good too.

First, preheat the oven to 350.
Line 10 muffin cups.

Start your crust:

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 5 whole crackers)
2 1/2 tbsp butter melted
2 tbsp brown sugar

I used a big ol' Ziploc bag to crumble up my graham crackers, then mixed in the brown sugar. Next, I poured the melted butter in my baggie so that it could all mesh real nicely together. Then, I got out a spoon and pressed the crust mixture into the bottom of each muffin liner. It ended up being about a tbsp and a pinch per liner of crust.

For the cheesecake:

1/2-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put your cream cheese, sugar and sour cream in the mixer and blend it til it's smooth. I did not do this like the girl on the website said, and it turned out a little lumpy. So make sure you follow her steps! After everything is nice and smooth, beat in your egg and vanilla.

Now, the original recipe called for 1 cup chocolate chips, but I wasn't sure if that would be too chocolate-y for me or not, so I cut down and I am glad I did. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the crust in each liner. Start by putting 1 tbsp of cheesecake batter into each liner, on top of the chocolate chips. You're going to have a bunch left over, so just keep portioning it out until it looks good to you, or at least evenly divided. After your cups are full, sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top of each cheesecake.

Set your pan in the oven for 25 minutes, but CHECK IT A LOT. My edges browned and my crust was a little hard. It also cracked on top, but filled itself in after I let it cool.

After you remove it from the oven, let your cheesecakes sit for about 10 minutes, then remove each one and place it on a wire cooling rack (leave them in the liners!). Once they are completely cooled, stick them in the fridge until they are chilled, and hooray! Instant dessert.

Note: My husband did not like the chocolate chips. He said the chocolate crust made it sweet enough. Leave them out if you like. I plan on trying a strawberry swirl next.

Here is the link for the original recipe. Hers look a good bit prettier than mine, but hey, I did it!

Original Recipe