Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Mother's Day Giveaway!

















Hi friends and fans,

Its about time for a giveaway, don't you think? This one is in celebration for Mother's Day though I'll be choosing a winner on April 7th. That's one full week to enter and win!

There are several ways to enter to win! Three winners will be chosen at random. You can enter as many times as you want by doing any or all of the items below.

1. What is your favorite memory of your mother?

You can answer this question in the comment section at the end of this post or at the posts I leave on Facebook.

2. Suggest Jillry to your friends on Facebook and have them post your name to my wall. You will get an extra entry for each friend that posts your name. How? Go to my fan page and click on Suggest To Friends under the profile pic on the left top of the page.

3. Follow my blog. This is super easy. Simply click to the right where it says Follow My Blog. I will see your name/face under this section and you will get an extra entry!

I will choose three winners. Yes, THREE!

One person will win their choice of a pair of earrings from my shop.

One person will win a $10 gift certificate to my shop.

One person will win 20% off their next order from my shop.

Questions? Just ask! You can reach me at JillryLove@gmail.com or can message me on my personal Facebook account.

Good luck!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Orange Julius Recipe






















This concoction is so easy, with so few ingredients it feels weird calling it a "recipe". Made of oranges, water, ice and sweetner, this refreshing drink is a hit in my book for the hotter months.

You will need a juicer - I have just a regular old fashioned cheapie from Walmart that works great - plus a measuring cup. I love to pick a pretty pitcher to put it in when serving company.


Ingredients

medium to large oranges (think 1 orange per person)
water
ice
sweetner (2 for each orange used)

Slice oranges in half and juice. Pour into measuring glass. If you like pulp, scoop a little in the measuring glass too. Note the amount of liquid juiced and add a 1/3 water to the orange juice. For example, if you juice 3 cups, then add one cup of water. For a more concentrated juice, use less water.

I like my orange julius's pretty sweet, so for each orange I add two sweet n low packets.

If you plan to serve immediately to guests, pour juice, water, and sweetner into a blender, filling it halfway with ice. Blend well, leaving chunky bits of ice.

Or you can just pour into a pitcher for the fridge and serve over ice when you're craving a sweet and refreshing treat!

Enjoy!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Bump Bump Bump

Good morning. Its 7am Tuesday morning. Even though I'm relapsing on this cold, again, I had a great night's sleep. Pregnancy has completely changed me and its all about learning what works for you to get through it as comfortably as possible. For me, a good night's sleep means exhausting yourself during the day...

Today I am 18 weeks, 3 days pregnant. I promised you baby bump pics, so here you go:






















Still kind of hard to see, but its THERE. I am completely past the days of sleeping on my tummy now. And I still haven't mastered the side-sleeping position. My pre-pregnancy pants no longer have a chance.

Cravings: Still love my oranges, but since it became a little warmer out I'm using them for Orange Julius drinks. So refreshing! I'll share the recipe in a following post.






















Also can't get enough Raisin Bran Crunch with sliced strawberries and/or bananas. Thankfully I'm craving healthy stuff and spend way too much time in the produce section of the grocery store these days!















Names: Definitely want to use Jason's middle name Isaac if its a bebe boy. Not sure if we'll use it as a middle or last name. We've tossed a few names around but for some reason I'm feeling very protective of the names we've picked. The last thing I want to see is someone scrunch up their nose at a name we love. I may share later on.

Finding out the sex: 3 more weeks.

Size of the baby: 5 1/2 inches long, the length of a bell pepper. (Is a bebe-pepper?)

Changes in me: The belly is protruding a little more these days. I went to the zoo this weekend with Jen, Toot and Baber and wore a fitted non-maternity top (that used to be loose on me, WAH!) and Jen said I finally look pregnant, so we took a pic of my belly.






















A very surprising change: I'm suddenly a milk drinker. As a baby I was lactose intolerant and never really got over my dislike for milk. Now, I find myself fixing a bowl of cereal just to down the sweet milk leftover.

Changes in husband: He's putting his hand/ear/face on my belly every chance he gets. And still very protective, which I'm loving every minute of. :)

My next appointment: April 19th. Ultrasound!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Camping at Lake Lincoln

Yes, I'm a bit behind on blogging. Hopefully I can get a pregger update on here next. But first, our relaxing camping weekend getaway at Lake Lincoln, MS...
















Our campsite. Unpacking took literally minutes, though done mostly by the Baberhusband. (I love having the I-can't-carry-anything-heavy excuse!)






























Beware of alligators? ALLIGATORS? Seriously???






















Mini enjoyed riding in the truck, windows down, exploring the entire campsite. Next time we'll camp near the lake. By the alligators. *stare*





























I got a kick out of this church: GODDIDIT. Did what? I mean, we know he's responsible for... a lot... but I'm wondering if they were speaking of something very specific?

Our weekend went a little something like this:

Unpack.
Build fire.
Eat.
Stoke fire.
Read magazines.
Nap.
Explore the grounds.
Take a walk.
Eat.
Nap.
Sleep.
Watch The Office before bedtime in the camper.

We also wrote in the Belly Book! That was one of our favorite parts.

J has already booked another weekend getaway for us in May. Hopefully it won't be too hot by then. All in all it was a very much needed, relaxing weekend. And hubby made me feel like a princess with a steak dinner Saturday night and pretty much not allowing me to lift a hand all weekend.

Feels good to be spoiled. :)

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Crockpot Recipe: Stew Meat & Gravy

By request, I'm posting a recipe I whipped up today. (Hi Amanda!) The Baberhusband noted that we haven't had stew meat and gravy lately. Well, this chic wasn't about to stand over a hot stove... hello Crockpot. You're back in action!

(Apologies for lack of photos. I'll shoot some next go-round, which will be soon. I'm putting this recipe in my frequent meal file. hehe.)

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat (I got the meat pre-chopped)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
3/4 soup can of water

Double for larger families, this was just for J and I. We still ended up with leftovers for another night.

To serve over rice with a side of peas.

Directions

Dump all four ingredients in crockpot. Stir well. No extra seasonings necessary. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. The meat ends up so tender!

Other options: If I had it on hand, a quartered onion placed in the pot two hours before serving would have been delicious! I usually put one in the pot when I make roast.

Easy fix peas: Dump one can of peas (with liquid) into microwaveable safe bowl. Add 1 tbsp butter and sprinkling of salt. Microwave for 1 minute, stir and serve.

I love this best when mixing the stew meat, gravy, rice and peas all together.

Enjoy!

Back to US.

Good morning. *yawn* Just had two mini sausage biscuits for breakfast, the ones Mom used to make for us as kids before school. Remember those? They are just as yummy as I remembered them to be. Pregnancy has lessened my love for cooking lately, so I've found myself searching for quick fixes such as this to make my day easier. I hope the love comes back. Grocery shopping isn't nearly as fun either...

Today is Tuesday. Its wet and yucky outside. I'm 15 weeks, 3 days along.

Over the last few nights I've slept with a spare pillow tucked under me as I lay on my side. The days of sleeping straight on my belly are pretty much over and I am sad. I'm very much a stomach sleeper. I wake very often to flip because an arm has fallen asleep. I need to take a class on how to sleep on your side.

Last night I had Official Breakdown #2. (If you missed the first one, it was really silly and really not worth repeating... I let a few inconsiderate people aggravate me and became really agitated... annnd had a bit of an adult temper tantrum. Went to my room to puff, J came after me, snuggled me and gave me "that look" until I started laughing. That man is something else.)

J and I have been in a rut lately. Before I had mentioned that I felt as if we were just *waiting* for baby to arrive. Quietly doing our own things on opposite ends of the couch, occasionally talking here and there. Lately I've been bothered by our routine...

Wake up, work, come home. TV, computer, iPhone games, books. Dinner, then more of the same before bed.

Let's be honest, I'm much more emotional now. So on the nights when my books don't satisfy me and there's nothing on the television, my mind starts to wonder.

Is he bored with me?
Things are changing so fast...
My belly is jelly. I eat more often. Is that gross to him?
I don't want to cook like before, am I neglecting him?

And so last night I break down a little. I'm struggling with finishing my taxes and it weakens my spirit. So I close the computer and lay across the sectional with him. He's staring at me and rubbing my belly and pushing my messy hair behind my ears. And I can't help it so I let it all out, tell him everything about my recent insecurities. He smiles, nods, listens.

I also tell him I'm scared. I was never the woman who wanted children ever since she could remember. And I don't remember truly having baby fever. The idea of carrying a child has always freaked me out a little. The idea of not being in control, of changing so much.

He says I'm pregnant, I'm supposed to be eating more. He tells me I hardly look any different than before besides the protruding bump beneath my belly button.

He says You don't like change. Things are going to change babe, but we're facing good changes.

He comforts me, let's me cry and I feel better. He tells me I'm beautiful and thanks me for carrying his child. I thank him for letting me purge.

I realize how lucky I am to have him. I know that life is all about change. Still, the unknown shakes me. But I know he's beside me the whole way and that comforts me.

I tell him I want to get back to us. And then I go make myself something else to eat... :)

Before I go, a few things to log for baby:

Cravings: oranges, oranges, oranges. I was all about pickles there for a minute, though that may have had something to do with the heartburn I had every night. Drinking straight from the pickle jar most nights to cool the burn.

Heartburn: Pretty much gone. I'm eating small meals throughout the day to lessen bloating and potential heartburn. I laugh and say I'm high maintenance now. I feel like Pam on The Office with my first breakfast and second breakfast, dinner and second dinner. Turkey and cheese on a piece of wheat, an orange, a small helping of dinner, etc. I've noticed this way of eating helps tremendously. Learning along the way...

Names: We're still not taking this part seriously. When someone asks what we're going to name the baby, Baber says "Drew Brees Brett Favre". My brother and dad got a good kick outta that one. We're just waiting until we find out the sex, that should make it a little easier.

Finding out the sex: 5 more weeks.

Size of the baby: 4 inches long, the size of an apple. (A baberapple?) Think the size of your fist. When I learned this I placed my hand down to my belly and looked at J. We both just stared at each other in wonder. Its not a little bean anymore!

Changes in me: My belly is still jelly, but its hardening now. When J comes in to hug and kiss me bye before work, I can feel the hard dome of my belly when he lays on me now. He's learning to arch or lay to the side of me. He does it without me telling him. Its cute.

Changes in husband: I see more of his protective side these days, to me and to the baby. I've been sick for the past two days so I've been taking the recommended dose of medicine to get me through the day. He presses me to hold off a little. I tell him its doctor approved, not to worry. Baby is okay.

My next appointment: Next week on Tuesday, March 16th.

I'll wrap up now... Off to put stew meat and gravy in the crockpot for dinner tonight; it was a request from the Baberhusband. Then off for errands and to prep for upcoming home jewelry parties and craft shows.

Its going to be a crazy weekend. I hope we have time for a date. To get back to US. :)

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Mini Photo Sessions to benefit children of Haiti

















Hey locals of of Louisiana! Please take a moment to read the special below by White Horse Photography of Baton Rouge, LA to benefit the children of Haiti. This is an amazing gift you can give and receive some equally amazing photos from Amber Bozemen of WHP in return.

Amber has limited sessions, so please contact her as soon as possible to reserve your mini session.

March 13th in downtown Baton Rouge. Reserve some memories, grab a bite downtown and take a stroll. And most importantly, help the children of Haiti.

Read more on the White Horse Photography blog by clicking HERE. You can also check out the WHP Facebook Fan Page here.

Thank you!

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