thumb's turning green

Turns out, I'm not as useless as I thought when it comes to gardening!

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

And by some stroke of a miracle, my houseplants seem to be thriving, too. And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that we now live in a first-floor home with lots of windows, sunlight and air circulation, instead of the stale-aired, million-degrees-in-winter box we used to inhabit ... but I digress.

I give a lot of credit to these little gems ...

My mum actually gave them to me as a gag gift last Christmas, poking fun at my lack of gardening skills, but joke's on her — they work like a charm! I fill these up and stick them in our houseplants. When I see that they're empty — usually about a week later — I know it's time to add more H2O. If you're horticulturally challenged like I am, give these a try.

try it tuesday

You know what's gross? Fruit flies. They're annoying and disgusting and multiply at unnatural rates. They must be stopped.

I was justifiably embarrassed by these unwanted house-guests when brother- and sister-in-law A & L came over for a visit last week. They swarmed the kitchen table until we couldn't see one foot in front of our faces. I swear, that isn't an exaggeration.

I've tried different things in the past to destroy these awful pests — a jar with plastic wrap and tiny holes — but nothing really worked. Luckily L had the perfect solution.

Using a piece of printer paper, we fashioned a funnel with a narrow hole at the bottom. We then inserted the small end of funnel into a glass jar containing a little piece of fruit, like a raspberry or slice of banana that will quickly turn into something disgusting that, to quote lovely sister-in-law C, these little winged spawns of satan just love.

Here's the proof. A jar packed full. Every day or so, we take it outside and give it a shake to let them loose outside, far far away from our kitchen.

During this humid summer, you definitely should try it.

pregnancy revelation #421

This little baby is real. Very real. With the already-acquired, very real ability to keep me up at all hours of the night by trying to escape through my belly button.

Husband whispering "Come on baby; you can do it!" at my belly certainly doesn't help.

33 weeks

At 33 weeks — only 48 days to go! — time is really starting to fly by. Just yesterday, Husband told me that he booked the next two scheduled weeks off from his casual job.

Me: Why?! [I asked in confusion, running through our social schedule in my mind]

Husband: Umm, we're having a baby?

Me: [crickets]

Husband: [raises eyebrows, points at belly] Umm ...

Me: OHMYGOD! That's so soon! Eeeeekkkkk!

[followed by an all-too-common hormonal outburst, as my eyes fill with tears]

YAY! I'm so excited!

How far along? 33 weeks.

How big is baby? Growth spurting like crazy, our boy is now more than 17 inches long and about four pounds already, and he'll gain about a half a pound each week for the next seven weeks. Whoa.

Total weight gain: Still hovering just over 20 lbs. Husband consistently tries to feed me snacks, but it's getting harder and harder to find room in my increasingly packed abdomen for extra food.

Maternity Clothes? Nothing new. It's been so hot lately that I'm wearing the bare minimum around the house and the lightest dresses and T-shirts, so there's no sense in buying anything new if I can't wear it out.

Stretch marks? Knock on wood — None yet!

Sleep: Seems to be getting easier. Maybe it's because I'm extra tired? I'm starting to feel first-trimester-esque fatigue again, which is really putting a dent into my library-book reading.

Movement: He still moves all the time, but it's mostly rolling and a lot less kicking. He's getting cramped in there, but still manages to work on his yoga poses.

Food cravings: Like I said before, I'm feeling a lot less hungry, because there's less room for my stomach to expand. But a few things I've been enjoying — fries with lots of ketchup, chocolate milk and guacamole ... not all in one sitting though!

What I miss: Doing anything without sweating.

What I am looking forward to: Making the most of the remaining seven weeks, including finishing up some nursery projects, catching up on some sleep, making and freezing food for the busy post-birth days and lots of reading.

Milestones: We celebrated our first baby shower for our boy this past weekend with our lovely CB family. It was a great time, we received many generous gifts, and these celebrations are really making his impending arrival seem all the more real!

Oh, and THIS: Little known, yet common, pregnancy symptom? Kidney stones! I unexpectedly landed in the hospital with one of these little (that is — little in size, huge in pain) annoyances and later found out that it's fairly common to pass a kidney stone while pregnant. Luckily, I passed it about 24 hours after the pain started and I've been symptom free since. Lots of friends and family have come to my aid, sharing stories about how kidney stone pain is worse than labour. If that's true, I'm all set!

re-do a re-do

Remember this makeover?

This reno'd message board sat in my now-defunct Etsy shop, unloved, and once I decided to close the store, it then rested, even more unloved, in the back of my closet. It doesn't really match anything in our house, but I didn't want to discard it. Luckily, now it's found new purpose.

I left the blue background, but picked off the yellow ribbon and star decals. Then I added thicker, chocolate brown ribbon.

But the two strips of ribbon didn't seem like enough, so I added some more.

Followed by a few upholstery tacks leftover from another project.

Ta da! And now it resides in the perfect space on Baby Boy's nursery wall ...

Now all it needs are some baby photos of me and Husband!

More nursery reveal to come soon!

a guide to surviving mat leave

Technically, I'm not on maternity leave yet, but I have been unexpectedly put off work on sick leave (nothing major, simply precautionary). Since I have about seven weeks to go (give or take) until Baby B arrives, I've got to figure out a game plan — yes, friends, I said game plan ... you know it's my favourite term — to surviving nearly two months off work.

Lindsey's Guide to Surviving Leave from Work

1) Get out of bed at a decent time. Don't get me wrong; I'm not anti-sleep-in. That said, on my first day off, I was wide awake at 5:45 a.m. and never did get back to sleep (my neurotic brain couldn't stand the idea of letting me sleep in on my first day off). That's the opposite of what I mean. I just can't spend half my day in bed, and napping makes me cranky. Plus, keeping regular hours will hopefully make for an easier transition to the inevitable baby-induced sleep deprivation.

2) Get clean and dressed. While the obvious inclination, when I have no intentions of leaving the house for the foreseeable future, would to stay in pajamas all day — I just can't do it. Nothing makes me lazier/crankier/slobbier. Even if getting dressed sometimes means clean yoga pants and a T-shirt, it's still something fresh and different for the daylight hours.

3) Make intentions for the day. I can't live without purpose. I have no problem with putting meaningless things on my list, like have breakfast and make lunch, etc., but there have to be goals in progress and a list to cross off.

4) Take advantage. I'm not going to lie — I checked my work e-mail A LOT during that first day. I swear I'm not so vein as to think that the place would fall apart without me. I was just ... well ... bored. I puttered around the house doing small chores, while also getting the doctor-recommended rest, of course. But I still couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't quite right to be home during the day on a Monday. Thankfully, I've reassessed the situation and have realized that there are many things to do to prepare for Baby B's arrival — not to mention that this is the last seven weeks of peace and quiet I will enjoy for the next 18 years or so — and this time off is a gift.

5) Talk to others. And by others, I don't just mean talking to my two cats or my unborn child (though both are certainly effective in their own right). I'm trying to use this break from the office as a great chance to catch up on correspondence — sending messages, e-mails, old-fashioned letters and thoughtful cards. Spending the whole day in silence isn't good for anyone, especially the talkative individuals among us. So I'm doing my best to make conversations happen, even when I'm solo.

project in progress

The trick is to take the projects from in progress to completion ...

summery sweets

I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but it's been humid to the tune of feels like 35 (celsuis) for about two weeks. In my world, that's when popsicles become a food group all their own.

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I'd never tried make-your-own popsicle moulds before, but Husband insisted that they were awesome when he was a kid, so we picked up a set. Here's what we used in our first concoction.

There's no science to it, as far as I can tell. You can use just juice, or combine it with other juices, purees and yogurt for a smoothie-esque treat. We decided to use bits of sliced up strawberries and pineapple in ours, topped off with pink lemonade.

I must admit that I was skeptical at first, but here's the final product ...

Pretty awesome! Now I can't wait to try other combinations of juice and fruit. Any suggestions from any popsicle-making pros out there?

incubator

Me: [asking the most ridiculous, hormonally charged of questions] Husband, why do you love me?

Husband: [points at belly; says nothing]

try it tuesday

Better late than never ... the return of Try it Tuesday!

In honour of Husband's birthday recently, I tried out a new recipe — a twist on a family favourite — barbecued pizza!

I made the dough from scratch using Martha Stewart's whole wheat pizza dough recipe. It's fantastic.

I rolled out the dough and gave both sides a thin spread of olive oil, crossed my fingers and tossed it on the grill.

I love the grill marks you get on the dough. But that's when things get tricky. Once the dough is reasonably cooked on both sides, you have to dress your pizzas. I don't recommend this for anyone with knuckle hair they'd like to keep.

Sauce ...

Then, for us, green peppers, pineapple, broccoli and marble cheddar cheese.

Mmmm!

Try it! It's easier than you think!

bouncing back

Sorry for the lack of weekend posts. A small health issue — one the size of a kidney stone — kept me indisposed for a few days. Thankfully, I'm pretty much back to normal — we all know normal is a relative term — and I've got a bunch of new posts in the works! Stay tuned!

new try it tuesday inspiration

It's been a while since I've done a real Try It Tuesday post, but my lovely creative partner C has given me some fresh inspiration.

The posts will now be branded with this super cute logo she designed! Fun!

Stay tuned for Tuesdays!

pregnancy lesson #481

Clumsy pregnant girls shouldn't wear white pants and carry water bottles unless they want to end up looking like they're instituting a more scandalous twist on the wet T-shirt contest.

30 things: revisited

Now that June has come to a close disappeared in a matter of seconds, I thought I'd check in to see how my summer 30 list is going ...

1. Celebrate the wedding of friends J & A and stay in a cottage with brother- and sister-in-law B&C. And it was lovely!

2. Spend many early Saturdays at the Farmers' Market with Husband. We'd like to do this more, but our busy out-of-town-every-weekend schedule has made it pretty tough. I also really want to make it to a u-pick strawberry field really soon to pick enough berries to make homemade jam this year.

3. BBQ all the time. We just invested in a barbecue, since this is our first place with outdoor space, which still feels like a huge luxury. In just a few weeks, we've already barbecued at least a dozen times, and there's no signs of stopping anytime soon. I love how convenient it is and my sweaty preggo self loves not turning on the oven and heating up the apartment.

4. Take the time to sit out on our new porch often with a cold drink and a good book. I've done this once already and hope to do it many more times!

5. Go to a drive-in movie. I've never been to one before and Husband has been wanting to take me for years.

6. Have at least one more prenatal massage before Baby Boy arrives. Did you know there's a round belly insert that they take out of the table so you can lay on your front? I love it! Not only did I have one, but I booked another for next month, too!

7. Have a short, but sweet, visit with lovely friend A for the first time since she moved away in March.

8. Continue our prenatal classes until July 6 in preparation of our upcoming arrival. Read all of our "expecting" books. We had our final class this week, which included a tour of the hospital where Baby B will be born — providing he doesn't decide to rush his way out while we're stuck in traffic, or some other God-awful scenario. I'm really happy that we took the course. We learned a lot and it was a great opportunity to ask questions.

9. Have a girls night at our place with lots of yummy food and lovely company.

10. Solve my design dilemmas. Another work in progress.

11. Keep playing "Name That Baby" until we finally have a winner.

12. Take in a Joel Plaskett concert with Husband on PEI later this month. It was a great show, as always!

13. Try not to look absolutely ridiculous at an outdoor, rain-or-shine concert with a 7-month pregnant belly. Success, I think?

14. Make a few DIY accents for Baby Boy's room.

15. Start stocking our deep freezer with meals and snacks for our post-birth days. Send along any favourite casserole recipes, please!

16. Maintain the little garden I have planted on our front patio. Better wish me luck on this one — it's my first real attempt at outdoor gardening and I'm known to be a bit of a brown thumb. This is going surprisingly well, but I don't dare to cross it off just yet. The season is young, but so far, so good.

17. Make many trips to the library to enjoy the wealth of books and movies that are just around the corner. I am drowning in a sea of books, as you probably already read.

18. Take many leisurely walks around our new neighbourhood with Husband.

19. Take more pictures. I've let my scrapbooking habit fall by the wayside, but there's no reason why I can't do a better job chronicling all of life's fun moments, even if the photos just end up in a plain album.

20. Take videos! Husband and I recently treated ourselves (thank you, tax refund!) to an HD Flip video camera. It will be perfect to take quick shorts of the babe to send to friends and family.

21. Finish Baby Boy's nursery.

22. Celebrate the wedding of friends R & J in the Valley. This weekend!

23. Go to many more prenatal yoga classes. I hope I'm still able to attend when I'm 37 or 38 weeks pregnant like some of the lovelies in my class!

24. Spend Canada Day on the boardwalk and enjoy the fireworks. We did catch the fireworks, but not from the boardwalk. We actually had a pretty decent view of the spectacle from our neighbourhood. We also celebrated with an early-birthday BBQ for Husband and his twin brother.

25. Celebrate the wedding of friends S & N in CB.

26. Make at least a dozen new recipes.

27. Celebrate Baby B's pending arrival with two baby showers, one in CB and one in NB.

28. Spend a week at home in NB visiting family, and lounging by the lake and pool.

29. Go to the beach as much as possible.

30. Read at least one of my lovely classic novels.

Still lots to do. Do you have fun plans for the summer?

he said, she said

Husband: [busily picking things up around the kitchen]

Me: Just sit down and relax; it's your birthday!

Husband: No no, it's OK.

Me: Why are you being so productive all of a sudden?

Husband: It's called nesting, wife.

31 weeks

We're down to single digits! Only 9 weeks to go until Baby B is ready to make his debut!

How far along? 31 weeks.

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How big is baby? About 17 inches long and nearly 3.5 pounds. According to What to Expect When You're Expecting our boy is busy making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet and even sucking his thumb.

Total weight gain: 19 pounds. I can admit that now. For a week following my last doctor's visit, I wasn't admitting that number to myself or to Husband. I've embraced it, and even celebrated it with a chocolate chip cookie.

Maternity Clothes? I stumbled upon an amazing maternity store a couple hours away from our house and was thrilled to find two daytime nursing bras, a comfy, sleeping nursing bra, and a great, adjustable nursing tank top all for 20% off. I'd looked at a few other stores, but was having trouble finding styles that were comfortable. I got these items, two packages of washable organic cotton nursing pads in pretty prints, and a GumDrop newborn pacifier all for under $100!

Stretch marks? Still none! I keep forgetting to moisturize as much as I should though.

Sleep: The biggest annoyance is still getting up in the night to pee on a regular basis. I'm pretty comfortable for the most part though and am doing my best to remember to sleep on my left side to provide the babe with maximum blood flow. To help me stay on that side, I spoon Husband, and he likes it too because Baby B kicks him in the back.

Movement: All-the-time, non-stop, makes-me-think-he's-trying-to-escape rolling, twisting, punching and jumping. I love it.

Food cravings: I keep craving pop. I don't know if it's because it's hot out and I just want a cold drink, or what. But then, when I actually have a drink, I'm totally grossed out by the syrupy-ness of it. Figure it out, hormones.

What I miss: Eating or drinking anything without heartburn. And getting up off the couch without grunting.

What I am looking forward to: Finally ironing out the details of the nursery decor. We have our crib, complete with mattress and sheets, so that's one check mark on the list. We're still waiting for items to come in from Babies R Us, including wall decals and a valance. And I still can't seem to find a slipcover for the hand-me-down pink nursery chair.

Milestones: Since I'm in the home stretch, I've started to see the doctor every two weeks instead of every month. It's exciting to hear Baby B's heartbeat twice each month and get a status update on his growth. He's definitely getting crowded in there!

Oh, and THIS: Nose bleeds pretty much every day lately. I never had one before I was pregnant, and now they just seem normal to me. I have abnormally small sinuses and all of the pregnancy swelling, excess blood flow and congestion is doing a number on me. Luckily, the doctor assures me that it's nothing out of the ordinary.

always, sometimes, never

I couldn't resist borrowing this post idea from lovely S at A Laugh is a Smile that Bursts. She made a fun list (and who doesn't love lists?) of things she "always, sometimes or never" does. I started to write this one myself, but then thought it might make an interesting guest post by Husband ...

Wife always:

- Makes plans and keeps my schedule in order.

- Falls asleep first.

- Leaves her wet shower towel on the bed.

- Makes the best sandwiches.

Wife sometimes:

- Lets me play golf.

- Remembers to water her plants.

- Doesn't stop talking.

Wife never:

- Remembers to floss (I always have to remind her make her do it).

- Gets up after one snooze (or three).

- Remembers to put the lens cap back on the camera.

And to make it fair ... I think I'll give it a go too ...

Husband always:

- Rubs my feet or my back, even when I don't ask.

- Gets up early to feed the kitties.

- Will move heaven and Earth for the chance to golf.

- Falls asleep while reading at night and then complains the next night because he can't remember what's going on in the plot.

Husband sometimes:

- Does all the chores on his to-do list. He sometimes usually misses a few.

- Tunes me out completely.

- Blames me for stuff I didn't do (like forgetting to put the lens cap back on the camera).

Husband never:

- Remembers to take his vitamins.

- Forgets to check his fantasy sports.

- Tries new recipes if he thinks I snuck in an ingredient he doesn't like.

in progress

So we have this mirror ...

It looks a little weird leaning up against the speckled carpet. It's beige and gold and textured. I liked it a lot in our former dining room, but now there's not much space to hang it here.

So I picked up my very first can of spray paint, in white.

And covered up the glass in the mirror ...

And enlisted Husband's help ...

To be continued ...