Five on Friday

It's Friday! Make sure to linkup with Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina.

ONE
I met a friend for lunch this week at The Spotted Salamander Cafe. I just have to tell you about this salad I had. I got the Spotted Salad, with mixed greens, Sweet Tea Vodka Chicken BBQ, bacon, cheese, cornbread croutons, and the best buttermilk ranch you've ever had. It was amazing! Oh and they have cronuts and homemade oatmeal cream pies. Mind blowing! If you find yourself in Columbia, SC for lunch this is a must stop.

TWO
I am slightly ashamed at how addicted I am to the show Southern Charm. I honestly don't love that this is the image we are sending out of South Carolinians, but as Cameron would say "they are all on the hot mess express" and who doesn't love watching that?

THREE
I made one of my favorite recipes this week: Caprese Lasagna with Sausage. I found this recipe a couple years ago and I make it a couple times a year once the tomato and basil crop start to come in. It's light, but filling at the same time and the flavor meter is over the top. This is also one of the few dinners where we fight over the leftovers.

FOUR
I am officially over fall and winter nail colors. Bring on the bright, fun, and flirty. 

FIVE
My puppy dog turned 2 years old yesterday. We celebrated with a new dog bed and a pupcream, his favorite. I never had a dog growing up so Camden is my first and I can't believe how attached I am to him. I hate it when we are in the house and he is at the boarder/groomer. Life is too quiet. We just love him to pieces. Happy Birthday Pup!

Trip to Pittsburgh

We had a wonderful trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend. We drove up with another couple and we talked and laughed the whole time, which made the drive go really fast.

We were staying in the South Side area of Pittsburgh and met up with all my college friends and their husbands Friday night for dinner at Bar Louie's. We had the chance to take pictures in front of the city all lit up which was really fun. (Side note: Pittsburgh missed out on all the snow that the east side of the state got, thankfully!)

 

Saturday was a marathon of events. First was a Catholic ceremony and then the reception was later on in the evening. The schedule was pretty different than what I'm used to but it actually worked out great. Since the ceremony was at 2:00pm we knew we needed to eat something before so the boys went exploring and came back with sandwiches from Primanti Brothers. They are "almost famous" in Pittsburgh for putting french fries and slaw on their sandwiches and they made for the perfect pre-wedding lunch.

The ceremony was happening 45 minutes outside of the city so we all squashed into a couple cars for the drive out there. The service was beautiful and the newly weds looked so happy. Then we drove back to the hotel and chilled out for a bit and met in the hotel bar for a pre-reception happy hour. (Which consisted of a diet coke for me. ;)

 

The reception was just down the street from our hotel in the Grand Concourse Restaurant at Station Square. It was the old Pittsburgh train station and it was beyond beautiful. My pictures honestly don't do it justice.

We had a full dinner of steak and crab cakes, then lots of dessert options. They had cupcakes instead of a full wedding cake, freshly made donuts, and a cookie room! Oh yes, you read that correctly a whole room filled with homemade cookies made by the brides family. They even conveniently had to-go boxes set up so we could take handfuls I mean a couple home with us as favors. ;)

Of course we worked off some of those calories with lots of dancing and singing on the dance floor. There is just something wonderful about being surrounded by your closest college girlfriends that brings the best out of you. It's crazy to think that we have just as much fun singing along to Whitney Houston songs at each other's weddings as we did in the bars of 5 Points in college.

I was pretty proud of myself because I lasted until 1:00am. Of course I'm still exhausted and have a feeling it'll take a couple more days to recover, but it was so worth it.

Congratulations Erin and Steve!

27 Weeks - Hello Third Trimester

How Far Along? 27 weeks - Hello Third Trimester!

Size of Baby: Cucumber (15 in, 2.2libs)

Gender:  Sugar and Spice = Little Girl!

Maternity Clothes: I’m so happy that I’m still only in maternity pants, although I have a feeling that this will come to an end pretty soon. Baby girl is growing and so is mama. 

Nursery: I am happy to say we have finally figured out the bedding. I have someone on Etsy making the rail cover and then I’m going with a simple white or navy bed sheet and skirt. We are also ordering curtains from a different store with the hopes that the colors match as well as the swatches did. I never would have expected this process would be so difficult.

 

Little sneak peak of the accent fabric.

Movement: Tons! She is way more active during the day which is fun and I think she was stretching last night because I felt her kick and punch in two different places in my belly. I love it!

Symptoms: This is kind of weird, but my belly button has been a little sore and sensitive. It’s pretty shallow at the moment so I’m not surprised; it’s just an odd feeling. Also, I’m sad to say, my wedding rings have become awfully tight lately. It doesn’t help that I have a triple band. I’ve gone without the third band a couple times this week and will try just my wedding band before I start looking for a stand-in ring. I know it’s silly, but I freak out when I don’t have a ring on that finger.

Sleep: I’m still pretty exhausted from my trip to Pittsburgh. (I stayed up until 1:00am so I wouldn’t miss anything. I’m a child, I know.) Thankfully I’ve been sleeping great since we got back, but its torture getting up in the morning. I feel like I could sleep in all day.

Cravings: With the weather getting warmer I’m definitely craving fresh fruit and veggies. Last night for my monthly girl’s nights I made bruschetta and it was so good. Like, I ate the tomato mixture right out of the bowl and I don’t even like tomatoes.

What I Miss:  I would have loved to have a couple drinks at the wedding this past weekend, but since I wasn’t the only pregnant lady there it wasn’t too bad. Other than that, I’m not missing much.

Best Moment This Week: Best moment was definitely seeing all my sorority sisters from college and them loving on the belly. Each one of them said hi to the baby bump before saying hello to me, which I thought was so cute. Baby girl got lots of fun presents from my best friend from college, many of which were hand made. (Hi Aunt Danielle!!! ;)

Looking Forward To: I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home to fully recover from the trip and maybe getting a chance to see some friends for a college buddy’s birthday on Sunday.

A Breakfast Worth Getting Up For

One of my favorite things my husband and I used to do was make breakfast on Saturday morning together. Brunch used to be Andy and my thing. We'd make all kinds of fun stuff just for the two of us on Saturday mornings and it was so great to spend that time with each other before the craziness of the weekend got underway. But honestly we haven't been doing that much lately. So after a quick Pinterest/Allrecipes search I found our brunch kickstart, Pancakes (from scratch!) and Baked Bacon.

Okay maybe I'm the only one who has never made pancakes from scratch, but man are they worth the extra enough. I don't think I'll ever make them from a pre-made mix again. We had everything we needed right in the pantry and every pancake came out perfectly. This recipe would be great to impress house guests or to make a Saturday morning in special.

Pancakes (from scratch!):

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

(I may have added a little cinnamon and mini chocolate chips. Trust me, it's amazing!)

Next came the bacon. I love bacon, but really who doesn't? I do however dislike cooking bacon. I feel like it smells up the whole house, makes the whole kitchen and you greasy, and sometimes it's hard to keep an eye on both the bacon and the pancakes to make sure they are done at the same time, but neither burn. I pinned this recipe for baked bacon ages ago and finally gave it a try. And again, I don't think I'll ever cook bacon the old way again. You just pop the bacon in the oven and it takes care of itself. All the bacon gets cooked at once, the clean up is a breeze with the tin foil lining, and your house and kitchen doesn't smell for days.

Baked Bacon

• Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack in the middle.
• Lay bacon flat on a foil or parchment covered baking sheet.
• Bake for about 15-18 minutes depending on how thickly cut your bacon or to desired doneness.
• Bacon will begin to curl & crisp up, but be sure it does not burn.
• Turn the pan once during baking so your strips brown evenly.
• Remove from the oven and transfer bacon to paper towel lined plates to drain.

Five on Friday

It's Friday and that means I'm on the road with one of my sorority sisters and our husbands. We are on our way to Pittsburgh to watch a friend marry to perfect guy for her. I love weddings and I love seeing all my girlfriends from college. It's sure to be a great weekend. Let's start it off with Five on Friday with Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina.

ONE
I haven't had the chance to go yet, but I really want to see the new Cinderella movie. I usually don't like recreations, but this one looks so well done and magical. Anyone else seen it or going to?

TWO
At 5 foot even I rarely wear flats. However, with the anticipation of not being able to walk in heels too much longer I took advantage of the sale Marley Lilly was having on their Monogrammed Ballet Flats. I got them in black, so they will go with everything and I know they will come in handy when flip flops just won't do.

THREE
It's our dog Camden's birthday next week and I'm gathering a few goodies together for him. I can't believe he will be two! People look at us like we are crazy when we call him a puppy, but honestly he really is still in his puppy stage and will be for another year. I know I'm bias, but really, look at that face....

 
FOUR
I love pasta and will eat it almost anyway you make it, so I was intrigued but this Roast Red Pepper Alfredo recipe. We tried it on Wednesday and really liked it. We paired it with chicken and a salad. It was a fun spin and the usually marinara sauce. 
 

FIVE
Wish us luck in Pittsburgh: land of the bridges, Heinz ketchup, perogies, and my husband's arch nemesis the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

Wedding Outfits - Thoughts For Thursday

Wedding Outfits by sarahos featuring beige patent leather pumps

 

I am so excited about my trip to Pittsburgh this weekend. I get to see a dear friend get married and catch up with a ton of my best girlfriends from college. It's hard to believe we've known each other for 10 years now and how much we have grown and changed.

I'm a little unsure about what to wear though. It's going to be in the 50's in Pittsburgh and being pregnant does not help. Here are two options I'm playing round with. Of course depending on the weather I might have to throw tights on or even a cardigan to start.

Any thoughts?

Remember to join Thoughts for Thursday with  Annie and Natalie.

26 Weeks

How Far Along? 26 Weeks! (It’s weird to think I started these updates at 6 weeks and that was 20 weeks ago. Time really does fly!)

Size of Baby: Eggplant (9.2 in, 2lbs!!!!)

Gender:  We are still pink hairbows and monograms over here

Maternity Clothes: Still rocking the maternity pants and can get into most of my pre-pregnancy shirts. I went maxi dress shopping this week and found that anything with an elastic waist is no good. If you put it above your belly than there is too much fabric on top and no one wants to see the waistband cutting across the belly. However the dresses with no defined waist are awesome!

Nursery: I got a couple fabric swatches for the bedding in the mail and I’m still waiting on a few more before I make my final decision. Who knew this would be so hard?!?!

Movement: Oh yes! I’m getting used to feeling her move throughout the day. It’s such a reassuring feeling.

Symptoms: I’ve been a little more uncomfortable this week than usual. Nothing major, I just can’t get comfortable. I like to curl up when I sit on the couch and little girl isn’t having it. I end up having to sit up really straight and that’s just no fun. I also think baby is growing because my under belly has been a little achy this week. Again, I really can’t complain.

Sleep: Still getting lots of sleep, however I wake up more when I try to turn over. In the mornings my belly feels like it’s pulling toward the mattress so I might need to put a pillow under just my belly.

Cravings: Nothing specific, but I’m loving food in general. I feel like I’m eating constantly. I’ve tried to be good and fill the house with fruit to snack on, but let’s face it, that doesn’t always happen.

What I Miss:  Nothing really. A really wanted a cold turkey sub this week, but Firehouse was a good substitute.

Best Moment This Week: It was great to see a bunch of friends this weekend. We really haven’t seen each other since I’ve “popped” so they loved seeing the belly and talking about all things baby. I love having experienced moms on hand.

Looking Forward To: We are headed to Pittsburgh this weekend to see one of my sorority sisters get married. I can’t wait to see her and all my other college friends. I haven’t seen them since we announced the pregnancy, so it’ll be fun to see their faces when they see the bump for the first time.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Five on Friday

It's that time again, Five on Friday time! Make sure to link up with the girls, Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina.

ONE
I finally cracked into my Prenatal Pure Barre video. I’ve had it for an embarrassingly long time and haven’t used it until this week. It’s just like the classes, you wonder what in the world you were thinking trying this throughout the whole class and then at the end you feel great and say “well that wasn’t so bad.” My thighs and arms are beyond out of shape, so workouts are happening if I like it or not.

TWO

My husband and I have been missing lots of sleep lately because of the new season of House of Cards. Good grief that show is addictive.

THREE
I just finished Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and I loved it. I like historical fiction, but rarely get into biographies, however this book is written in a novel/thriller format and it’s so good. It’s a fast read and I’ve already recommended it to a bunch of people including my husband and younger brother. I can’t wait to try Killing Kennedy and Killing Jesus.

FOUR
I saw this on Buzzfeed and I really want this movie to be made. 

FIVE
We have a bunch of friends coming into town this weekend and I can't wait to see them. We are hopefully going to the USC baseball game, but we'll just have to see with the weather. I swear we have had every kind of weather possible this week. Either way, nothing is better than hanging out with friends who are like family.