Nursery - Before and After

On (possibly) the eve of becoming a Mom, I thought I would post some photos of the bedroom we changed into Harley's nursery. Enjoy!

Before:

During:After:

We're still missing some items for the walls (a mirror that Mom and Dad are painting, some more branches & birds to put around the "harley" letters), but isn't it cute? :)

Baby Update

I'm 36 weeks. On Sunday, I'll be 37 weeks, which is technically full term. Went to the doc yesterday & my amniotic fluid is too low. SO, there is a high probability that Harley will be making her arrival on Monday. Whoa! Flood of emotions...happy, worried, excited, scared, anxious, did I say excited? Much to do now...gotta go work on some websites. And finish cleaning. And packing my hospital bag. And give some major loving to Abbie & Ezra. :) Keep us all in your thoughts & prayers, please. More updates later!

Good Times and Bad Times

Bad times first...my heart goes out to my brother-in-law, Lane, my sister, Lori, and the entire Lynchard Family. Lane's father passed away on January 18th after a 6 month battle with cancer. He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed. From Lane: "My dad taught me that success is not found in what you have, it is found in being a good husband, father and friend. Well done dad, your life was one success after another and I could not be more proud of you."

Also, Coach Moore's wife, Charlotte, passed away on January 17th. Even though she's had Alzheimer's and hasn't recognized Coach Moore for years, he visited her every day and he still has a picture of the two of them as a young married couple in a heart-shaped frame on his desk.

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Good times next...Bama won the National Championship. My hubby went to the game with my Roll Tidings. This is one of the souvenirs he brought back for me:

While he was gone, it actually snowed for a minute in Bham. Our lake half froze...not sure if you can tell, but it was pretty cool. After a few below freezing days, it completely froze but you couldn't tell on camera. Probably one of the few times we'll ever see a completely frozen lake in central Alabama!

Finally, I'm 35 weeks now! Harley will be here SOON!

Exciting day today...

Several events have occurred or are occurring today that elicited my excitement. First, it snowed. Well, kind of. I saw snow flakes come down. They didn't really stick, but it was pretty for a little while.

Next, I made a website live that I've been working on since July. I love this site design, I love the products the site features, and I love the gal who creates these beautiful items!

Check it out: http://www.carysrosedesigns.com!

Finally, tonight Bama plays in the BCS National Championship Game! Hubby is there and I couldn't be happier for him. As for me, I'm having a few friends over & cooking a big pot of chili.

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!

Black-Eyed Pea Stew

Yummy stew that I made today for the New Year. I substituted collard greens for mustard greens since you're supposed to eat collards on New Year's Day. I also used canned black-eyed peas instead of dried...because it's easier.

Black-Eyed Pea Stew from CookingLight
This stew is a cousin of hoppin' John, a Southern dish made with black-eyed peas and rice traditionally served on New Year's Day. We use mustard greens in this rendition, but kale or collard greens would also work well. Serve with hot pepper sauce and corn bread. Beer pairs well with this dish.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
8 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) bag prewashed mustard greens

Sort and wash peas; set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender.
Add sausage; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
Stir in broth; bring to a simmer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in peas, salt, peppers, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until peas begin to soften.
Uncover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken.
Stir in vinegar, tomatoes, and mustard greens; simmer 10 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

While the merry bells keep ringing...may your every wish come true!

I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Doing the Heisman...

Went to the Football Building to visit friends and Mark Ingram's Heisman was there! Had to strike the pose...31 weeks pregnant. :)

So thankful...

What a wonderful time in my life. I think I'll reflect a little... :)

I'm so thankful for the bundle of joy growing in my belly. I'm 29 weeks now. She moves around A LOT which makes me happy because it gives me a sense that she's doing well.

I'm so thankful for my fun, frustrating, awesome, handsome, loving husband. Every day is a new adventure and after celebrating three years of marriage (on Nov. 25), I'm still not tired of him. :) In fact, I can't wait to see what adventures are ahead for the two...make that three of us. I appreciate him more than he knows and thank him for supporting me while I've turned Cahaba Creative into a successful business.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful family. My family and the in-laws do so much for us and I'm so appreciative of their love and support. From giving me a fun childhood to putting up with me through high school and college antics to helping me grow up and become an adult, my parents have always been there for me no matter what paths I've chosen, attempting (usually successfully) to steer me in the right direction. And now, with Lori & Lane's help bringing Bryan's nursery furniture up from Pcola and Mom & Dad painting and repairing and cleaning and shopping, they're helping me with my next endeavor in life...bringing my sweet daughter into this world! (I'll be posting pics of the nursery later.) As for Granny, Ava & Charles, April, Steve & Sarah...I'm fortunate that they are a constant support system and are always helping me with whatever is going on at any given time.

I'm so thankful for all of my amazing friends. My B's are like my sisters and I don't know what I would do without their love, humor, and advice. Bay's friends rock too and have taken me in as if they've known me forever. My group of girls in Bham are always there for me when I need them and always up for a good laugh. I'm so happy I've reconnected with my high school girlfriends and glad they keep me up on Ttown gossip. And I can't leave out my boys that are dear to my heart even though I think they like Bayron better than me now. ha! I'm also thankful that my friends have wonderful growing families...husbands, wives, significant others, children and pets...that love them unconditionally.

I'm so thankful for the kids. Bryan, Madeline, Mary Beth, Avery, Ruby, Juliette, Cade, Macey, Mason Grace, Ethan, Tanner, Stephen, Elliott, Carson, Wells, Dax, Ethan, Sydnee, Joshua, and Liv are amazing additions to this world. And there are more on the way!

I'm so thankful for my constant companions, Abbie and Ezra. I love them both so much!

I'm so thankful that I got TWO Thanksgivings this year! Being pregnant (or even if I wasn't!), it's always great to eat that wonderful food twice, plus leftovers. We had a great time at the Baggett/Burroughs Thanksgiving on Thursday; then we beat Auburn (RTR!) on Friday; then we had a great time at the Bryan/Phillips/Bullard Thanksgiving at my house on Saturday!

And finally, I'm so thankful for the Crimson Tide's awesome season! This past weekend, Bay & I headed to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Unless you live under a rock, you know BAMA won and we are going to the National Championship. It was an amazing game and although I'm too pregnant to go to the BCS game, I'm so happy and proud of the Tide and I'm also happy Bay gets to go and support the team. Here are some pics from this past Saturday's game.


Click here for vids from the game.

There are lots more things I'm thankful for but these are the high points. I hope everyone can be as blessed, lucky, and fortunate as me through the holiday season and always.

Fall days...

I'm a little behind in my blogging because I'm in major nesting mode...cleaning out every drawer and cabinet I can think of! Yesterday officially started my third trimester!! 89 days to go until Harley's due date!

To catch up on my fall days...first, Mom and Dad went with Bayron and I to the LSU game which was AWESOME! See the LSU Rammer Jammer vid in the previous post.


Second, we had two great baby showers! See the CA-YUTE invites from this post. To see lots of pics from the showers, click here. THANK YOU so much to all of my wonderful family and friends that helped host the showers! It was great to see everyone in attendance. :)

Third, April & I went Angel Tree shopping this past weekend. We go every year and buy for three Angels Tree kids to represent the three kids in our family: a two year old girl, a five year old girl, and a five year old boy. It was fun!

That's my high points other than cleaning house and getting the nursery ready! Bama is 11-0 and headed to Atlanta next weekend for the SEC Championship Game against also undefeated Florida. We have to get through the Auburn game on Friday first though. Roll Tide!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving...we get two! One in Ttown and one in Bham.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

Roll Tyeeede!

Ca-yute invitations!

I'm so excited about my two baby showers that are coming up in a couple of weeks. The hostesses did such a cute job on the invitations.


I feel SO honored and blessed that so many of our friends and family want to help celebrate Harley's upcoming arrival! And I LOVE that we're having one super-girly shower and one very co-ed party.

It seems very fitting to have a margarita on the co-ed invitation since Bay and I got engaged in Cancun, had a fiesta-themed engagement party, honeymooned in Costa Rica, had one of the most fun trips ever in Cabo, and especially since I had numerous margaritas by the pool with April on the day little Harley was conceived. :) And of course, the shower is at the Cantina!

Dear Cantina...I missed you this summer. But don't worry, I'll be back for my margaritas when the weather gets warm again! Until then, I'll enjoy your yummy fish tacos at my baby shower. :) Love, Amy

Pregnant Woman's Delight

Mmmm...bread, chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmellows. In the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. Heaven!

"Beef" Stew

I made two big pots of "beef" stew this past weekend (one with soy crumble and one with turkey) and several people wanted the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:

1 lb. soy crumble (I used Yves) or ground turkey breast
3 potatoes diced
1/2 bag of baby carrots (cut into thirds) or 5 carrots sliced
2 stalks celery diced
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
28 oz can pureed tomatoes
1/2 box of vegetable broth (about two cups)
frozen peas
frozen corn
water

Palmful of:
dried thyme
dried oregano
dried basil
garlic powder

I heated up the soy crumble in a skillet with some garlic powder and olive oil (same with turkey). Then, I sauteed the onions & garlic in a dutch oven with some olive oil and added the soy crumble (turkey in the other pot) once the onions were translucent. Next, I put in the tomato puree, potatoes, carrots, celery, veg stock, and spices. After all of the above simmered for a couple of hours and was tender, I threw in frozen peas & frozen corn, added a little water to thin out the stew just a bit and let simmer for another hour or so.

I concocted this from two other stew recipes. You can change the seasoning and ingredients to anything really. The key is letting it simmer long enough, I think. Enjoy!

Fall is here!

I love fall! I love college football and Halloween and Thanksgiving. I got married in the fall. And now, I love being pregnant in the fall. :) It's been a fun October so far. I had a few people over for the Alabama vs. Ole Miss game. Here's some of the Roll Tiders:


The night before the game, I went to see Widespread Panic & the Allman Brothers with Emily, Brian, Bayron & Ward. It was Harley's first of many concerts.


We had a good time...Living the moontime. :)

Update on the Tide...we're undefeated! Be sure you vote for Coach Saban for Coach of the Year here: http://www.coachoftheyear.com!

Arkansas vs. Bama

Last weekend was a great one as Sandra, April, Jessica, Jason, Bayron and myself watched Bama roll over Arkansas. Here are some pics from our day. Now, I'm revving up to watch Bama vs. Kentucky. RTR!




After the victory, we had dinner with the McFarlands & cutie Wells!

Sloppy Joe, Sloppy Sloppy Joe...

BEST veggie Sloppy Joes: http://www.fantasticfoods.com

SO GOOD!! You can get this at Publix or Whole Foods.

Introducing...

Our little GIRL!!! Harley will be here sometime around February 21st. I think Bay is in a state of shock but he'll be putty in our little girl's hands in no time. I'm so excited to start shopping and planning now. GAME ON!


Yokie & Pop sent Harley a gift already. :)

Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to Tanner (Sept. 10th)!

Happy Birthday to Tanner's Mommy, Dana!! (today)

Happy Birthday to Charity!! (today)

What an exciting couple of weeks!

The week before last, Amanda & I drove down to Ttown to see Tina & the kids before her big move to Virginia! We're going to miss you SO MUCH, Tina! Roll Tide!


The next week, Bayron & I took a trip to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons & Jackson Hole. Being 14 weeks pregnant at the time (16 weeks TODAY!), we couldn't do much hiking, but we did get to enjoy the amazing scenery, good food, and nice quality time. :)

Last week, I got to have a nice happy hour dinner with April, Alicia & Stacey. Great seeing you gals!

Prior to leaving on our trip, Amanda came to visit & she looked so cute & pregnant, I snapped this pic:
Well, on Friday, September 4th, Ruby Sofia joined us weighing 5 lbs, 13 oz and 20 inches long. She's so beautiful & perfect!! Congrats to Amanda & Aaron! I love you guys & your sweet little girl!


Roll Tide!!! We're making sure Ruby learns early. :)

And, this was in my back yard one day last week...a bald eagle! Amazing!

And finally, we spent this past weekend in Atlanta to see Alabama's victory over Virginia Tech. It was a great game! Abbie's ready for Alabama Football: