Pregnant Pause – Week 23

On Monday we discussed bedding. Well actually I meant to just discuss my new dining room table and the chair that we want, but apparently all I can think about it baby stuff so I talked about my bedding dramas as well.  Many of you had some good advice, a few of you just gave links to other soft baby blue sets that didn’t really rock my world. I’m not a soft color type of person. And then one of you recommended this site: Mod Pea Pod. And for the next 2 days, all I could think about was bedding.

I sifted through the photos and almost had a heart attack when I saw THE fabric (<- link) that was used in the $919 bedding. My mind was made up, that was what I was getting. But by this point I had also decided I would going to do a turquoise, lime green, and orange room. (See, I like bright. No soft colors here.) So while I still loved this fabric, it wasn’t quite in the color scheme I envisioned. So I kept looking. And then Lauren sent me a link to this set (<- link). Bright colors plus camo! So I was back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. I emailed my girlfriends. I emailed my sisters and mommas. They all said the same thing, “I like ___ a little bit better but they are both so cute.” Not much help. Back and forth. (Insert moaning, whining, and asking why oh why did I ever have to see this website???)

I finally made a decision. I’m going with the second one. I’ll just be ordering the skirt and a pillow. And maybe a diaper hanger thing. The camo won’t actually make it’s way into the set, only the stripes and bright orange. But I’m so excited about it because I just love that color scheme! I still have my eyes peeled to see if I can find that striped fabric on my own. I’m having a rough time with it. So it looks like I’ll need to order it instead of having someone I know make it for me. Oh well. Life goes on!

Things are really coming along. Jansen already has a ton of clothes (I haven’t bought any, thank you very much!) and a few cute books. We are registering next weekend and I’m sure you’ll get to hear all about the woes of registering while fat and needing to pee every 30 minutes. I won’t be offended if you skip that post. (Actually, I’m pregnant. I’m offended all the time. So just don’t read it but leave a courtesy comment so I think you did.)

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

I was a gift from my MIL! I currently have it on the same necklace chain as my monogram charm because I’m going through a phase where I really like multiple danglies on one chain. If I get tired of that, I’ll probably put it on some sort of bracelet. Not sure yet.

In other pregnant news, I have two over-the-belly panel jeans. One is capris, one is jeans. This week the seam in both of the panels pulled out. So now the top of the panel rolls a bit which is so dumb and it annoys me… but not enough to buy new pants. Last week I ordered jeans from Gap. They are cute but the butt is super saggy. I’m wondering if there is a defect because all the reviews on the internet were favorable. I think I’ll send them back and have them trade them out. If the second pair is saggy, I’ll just return them. Aren’t you glad I’m telling you this? I’m nothing if not thorough.

And now, for your viewing pleasure… my week 23 picture.

Big belly! And THANK THE LORD I am still one of those women that don’t look pregnant from the back! It’s all baby, baby! I have an appointment this afternoon so we can see how much weight I’ve gained this month. (Well that’s not the only reason for the appointment… obviously.) I’ll try not to be shocked and ashamed. Remember last time I had gained 9 pounds, for a total of 15 pounds. If you care to take your guesses, feel free. Maybe you should all guess really high numbers so I feel good when I hear the actual number.

I think that’s all the pregnancy news I have. And because so many of you always ask me for pictures in real clothes, here you go!

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is beauuuuutiful Friday!

Loser Season 9 Finale!

YAY! The finale!!

Alison is looking beautiful in her red dress and her hair is fantastic.

Flashbacks from before the contestants got to the ranch. (I will do everything I can to make you proud… again.) These flashbacks make me so happy. Such a wonderful show. How can anyone not like this show???

So we know that Ashley and Michael are in but we have yet to find out if the third finalist is Koli or Daris. My guess is Daris because 1) he’s cooler and 2) my highly scientific method of asking my blog readers who they voted for shows that Daris will win.

Before we find out, we get to see them. DARIS! Looks amazing. He’s learning how to manage his time and stress so he doesn’t over eat at night. Atta boy. He has a ladyfriend! Yay for ladyfriends! Her name is Heather and she’s beautiful. They are a beautiful couple.

Now Koli. What is he wearing??? And why is he screaming? Pink pants are not okay. I feel like he is a different person than he used to be… but not in a good way. He annoys me now and I think he’s obnoxious. Koli just said “swagger.” Out loud. On national television.

The results: The winner is DARIS! My blog science is accurate!

OH! I forgot Shay is back!! We get to see how much she’s lost since the last finale. She gets $1000 per pound that she’s lost. She is gorgeous! She started at 304 and is now 252 so she wins $52,000! If she completes a marathon with Jared (Jared the Subway guy) they will double her amount. Awesome!!

Cherita and Victoria. And Sherry (so cute!) They are all wearing dresses in their team’s color! And now Maria. Cherita looks amazing for only being on campus for 5 seconds. And now they are going back to change… wow, they were out there for a minute.

Cherita  – 91 – 32.85% ALL at home
Victoria – 136 – 37.99%
Sherry – 99 – 45.41% She looks a lot older because of her loose skin. My sister thinks she looks like Helen. (Gross.)
Maria – 114 – 40.57% She looks awesome!!! Gorgeous! So proud of her and Michael! They have gooood genes!

Patti and Stephanie. James and John. Again, we are going to talk about how in loooooove Stephanie is with Sam. The brothers are still pretty big.

Patti – 73 – 30.04% She is so cute!! I just love her!
Stephanie – 99 – 37.50%
James – 128 – 26.39% He’s lost SO much weight ON HIS OWN and is still big!
John – 149 – 30.79% Good job.

Melissa… blah. Lance. My sister said, “I love how he dressed up for the occasion.” Migdalia and Miggy. This is the most hated group from this season. “Biggest Loser was not about the money for us.” Melissa… it’s the finale, no need to lie anymore. It was clearly about the money Miss Game Player.

Melissa – 90 – 38.something% I love that they showed her fight with Bob… just incase you forgot that you hate her.
Lance – 128 – 35.07%
Migdalia – 52 – 19.62% Still unhappy. Not my favorite.
Miggy – 91 – 37.92% Her hair looks so much better!

Sherry is still in the lead. Couldn’t be happier for her. Sherry is so sweet!

O’Neal styling in his suit! Sunshine- gorgeous. Darrel, looks great!! Andrea, her hair looks goood! Seriously, I love that they are all wearing their team colors. Did they do that before??

O’Neal – 159 – 40.87% Alison just told him that he was her favorite. I think that’s against the rules!
Sunshine – 114 – 41.45% She looks so good, she is so tiny!
Darrell – 189 – 45.76% HE DID IT!!! We like him too so I’m okay with that!
Andrea – 84 – 28.19% (I wouldn’t be getting these percentages if I wasn’t at my parents watching the DVR.)

Cheryl, so cute. Sam – WHY DO THESE GUYS DRESS SO WEIRD??? That shirt DOES NOT fit. Koli in his pink pants. Ugh. Sam looks like the Village People. Gross.

Anyone plan on watching Losing It? Not it!

Cheryl – 76 – 33.48% She looks healthy and not saggy!
Sam – 142 – 38.17% Knew it wouldn’t be him.
Koli – 215 – 45.76% WOW! But his attitude, ugh. Cheer up and smile a bit. (Edited: His percentage was actually 53.35% — I must’ve seen Darrell’s percentage still on the screen and marked that down. Sorry y’all!)

So Koli is the at-home winner. Good for him……..

Daris is still hunky. Ashley WOW. She is SO small! She is so pretty! Yay Ashley! Michael HOLY MOLYYYYY! How did he do that??? Not my favorite outfit… but sheesh! He is sooo handsome. Wow. I love all three of these contestants so I’m goinbg to be both happy and sad in a few minutes! The order will be Daris, Ashley, and then Michael.

(I will do everything I can to make you proud.) HEY BIGGEST LOSER, next season let’s not repeat the same clip 461 times. Kapeesh?

Daris – 168 – 48.55%  IN YOUR FACE KOLI!
Ashley – 183 – 48.93% I am just shocked looking at her!  So she’s ahead now.
Michael (I love him! “Are my abs showing??” One of the best BL moments ever!) – 264 – HE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! A-mazing!!!

Yay Michael! I LOVE this show. Anyone have any thoughts and feelings on this episode?? The finale is always so wonderful! My mom is depressed because now it’s over. I’m not depressed because I know there will be another season! I’ll see you then!

I’ll leave you with a conversation that went on at as we were watching…

Stephen- Man, Michael and Ashley are dating.
Lindsay- No. They aren’t. I think he just likes her.
Stephen- Or maybe he’s gay?
Chelsea- He’s not gay!
Mom- He’s not gay. He’s Italian. Italian men aren’t gay.

Ten on Tuesday (32)

We’ve got an easy bunch of questions this week. Not much thinking involved. That’s probably because I made up the questions and thinking is a hard activity for pregnant women.

1. What is your favorite piece of furniture in your house?
We don’t have very many new pieces of furniture. Most of what we own is second hand. But right before I graduated I bought this and I love it.

(Sorry the quality sucks, I just took it with my cell phone. You get the picture though. It’s a big beautiful red cabinet.)

But soon we will have a new beautiful dining room table. That may be my favorite. And then we’ll (hopefully) have the most comfortable recliner in the world. And that will be my favorite until the end of time.

2. If it was raining so hard on a Saturday that you couldn’t leave your house, what would you spend the day doing?
I would sleep in. Then I’d either cook, bake, watch Food Network, or maybe even clean something. I’d probably slip a nap in there because napping while it’s raining is the best. I may read or watch a movie depending on my mood.

3. What was your favorite candy as a child?
I have always loved Reese’s. But when I was a kid I also liked that nasty super sugary stuff. Like those flavored gels in a squeeze bottle, Fun Dip, Pop Rocks, etc.

4. Did you get an allowance? What was it based on? What did you do with it?
Yes I did. I don’t know how my dad calculated our allowance but he had some sort of method. We got a raise on our birthday each year. A portion went to the church and a portion went to savings, even as a little kid. Then the remainder was usually spent on nail polish, candy, and other junk from Eckerds.

5. Do you have a favorite Etsy store?
I am partial to Taryn’s shop. (<- That’s a link.) I also love Savvy Stitcher and Glamour Damaged.

6. Do you prefer time with family or time with friends?
I love both. My family is a lot of fun. But if we are talking friend time of the Lauren/Lyndsey/Kelly variety, I prefer that because it’s so rare that I get to see them.

7. Looney Tunes, Tiny Toons, or Animaniacs?
I loved Tiny Toons and Animaniacs! Looney Tunes annoys me. I think my favorite is Tiny Toons. They were so cute. We used to have the Tiny Toons game on Nintendo and if you were Plucky Duck and you stood still, he’d start tapping his foot at you. For some reason I thought that was hilarious.

8. Best daytime talk show: Oprah, Ellen, The Doctors, Tyra (ha!), Dr. Oz, or Dr. Phil?
Ellen all the way. She is hilarious. I used to really like Oprah but now she’s weird and I don’t really enjoy watching her. In all honesty, I don’t ever get to watch any of these shows because I’m at work all day.

9. Would you rather have the power of invisibility or the ability to fly?
The ability to fly. I don’t see any benefit to being invisible. You’d only use it if you were trying to be sneaky and that’s not the type of person I am. Flying could be fun but also sort of scary. And if I was the only one who knew how to fly, there wouldn’t be a huge benefit. I couldn’t really use it for vacation because I’d still have to wait for Stephen to fly in a plane with my luggage.

10. Name 1 thing you love about being an adult.
I love being married. There are plenty of other things that I also love but I only said to name one. So the highlight would be that I am married to a wonderful man. He is fun and he makes life interesting. Plus, he’s pretty easy on the eyes!

Add your link to Mr. Linky! I hope to visit around a bit this week.

Why I Am Not A Decorator

I was so excited to find out the sex of the Hurstling for many reasons. One obvious reason was that I was anxious to get started on the nursery. I wanted to pick furniture and bedding and paint. I wanted to answer all of your questions about what colors we’ve chosen. So after The Big Appointment, I hit the internet. I have this problem… I don’t like themes. I don’t like the overly matchy matchy junk that is out there. I don’t want 72 elephants surrounding my son. I don’t want him to wake up in the middle night and think he’s on Noah’s ark with lions to his left and lizards to his right. I don’t want random words like “TOUCHDOWN” and “GO TEAM” screaming at him on his bumper pads. That’s just not me. Unfortunately I seem to be the only person in the world with this opinion so it has been impossible to pick something.

I found a bedding set I liked but it’s only available online. It takes 4-6 weeks to ship– which is ridiculous, in my opinion. But I just don’t LOVE it. I want to love it.

On Saturday Stephen and I met up with his parents to test out some gliders. I had found a chair at Babies R Us that I was pretty pleased with but I needed to put my tooshie in a few more to be sure. There was a glider at a boutique by their house that they say “feels like you’re sitting on a cloud.” We went to test it out. Yes, it did in fact feel like you were sitting on a cloud. It also cost about the same amount as it would cost to have a private jet fly you up to actual clouds each time you need to rock your baby. And while his parents were offering to pay for it, I just couldn’t handle it.

But as I was testing out another chair in that store I looked to my left and an angel of the Lord was hovering over the most amazing bedding set I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I loved the colors. I loved the non-themeyness (sound it out, it’s a new word) of it. It was perfect. PERFECT. I walked over to it and kept repeating, “I really like this. Like… I really like this.” I pet it and cuddled the pillow. I asked where they store the bedding so we can see how much it costs. My MIL looked around right there and saw the tag hanging down. Ladies and gents, I almost died. The set included a pillow, a dust ruffle, a sheet, and bumper pads and cost $919. Nine hundred nineteen dollars and zero cents. I thought I was going to cry.

Defeated, we walked out of the store.

On Sunday Stephen and I had several errands to run. Remember about 10 months ago when I told you that my mom bought us a dining room table and we just needed to find chairs? Well we finally went looking for chairs. On our third store we decided that we no longer wanted new chairs, we wanted to get a completely new dining room table set. The cost was comparable, even favorable, if we took that route. We found a beautiful set at RoomsToGo. (Have y’all been there? Great prices. Seriously nice employees that don’t hover! I highly recommend the place.) As we were looking around, Stephen’s eye was caught on something and I saw a nice plush recliner calling my name. I thought I’d take a seat for a second to rest my pregnant feet. I had no idea that I was about to sit in the most comfortable chair in the world. The second I sat down, I moaned. Audibly. It embraced me and told me it loved me and that I was beautiful. I told it that it was my long lost love. Stephen stared at me. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I reclined. OHHHH LAWDY HAVE MERCY! 

It was fantastic. It was perfect. It was soft and cozy and unlike any other chair I had ever touched in my life. Stephen tested it out and agreed. The Best Chair Ever. We knew we had to have it. I considered hiding it under my dress and walking out the front door. Surely nobody would question a pregnant woman. But that seemed like too much work… and I’m really not into the whole crime thing. The only other option was to buy it. But you see, we just bought a dining room set and we have a baby on the way. A $500 recliner is not in our budget at the moment. Stephen tried to convince me that we should get it for the nursery instead of a glider. I couldn’t get on board. It just didn’t seem to fit in a nursery and plus we would want this chair in the living room where we spend most of our time.

But because we know our priorities and are ignoring the looming problem of no bedding for our son, we have devised a plan to get this chair. We have some money left over from our dining room chair budget and we’re hoping to sell the dining room table we already have. If all goes well, that’ll be enough for the dream recliner. We are giddy when we think about it! Last night we even rearranged our living room to make room for our new friend. Our new friend that we have yet to purchase.

But incase you are the type to not ignore my son’s sleeping and visual stimulation needs, maybe you can help this momma out. I don’t understand why I cannot pick out a freaking bedding set for my child. Why is this so hard? If only they were all out on display and I could lay in them and give Jansen his perfect cloud atmosphere of his own. He could sleep in his super cute bedroom while Stephen and I argue over who’s turn it is in the recliner.

Thoughts? Feelings? Advice? The one that I fell in love with had a brown giraffe print crib sheet and the bumper was striped – burnt orange, dark green, brown, and even had a turquoise stripe in there. Maybe another color or two. It was simple and gorgeous. And it seriously makes me livid that someone would charge $919 for it. I could use some help. I fear that if I cannot find a set that I love, I’ll just buy Jansen a recliner of his own and make him sleep on that. Not that he’d complain or anything. CPS might have a problem with it though.

Seven Quick Takes (I Think It’s Actually Wednesday)

I don’t really think today is Friday. I swear that just last night I was watching Biggest Loser. I hope weeks don’t keep going this quickly, I’m not quite ready for Jansen’s arrival. I’m not sure I can come up with seven things to tell you after such a quick week. Let’s see.

1.
My belly button is almost even with my belly. It looks really weird but it’s fun to touch. Stephen calls it my turkey timer. The baby isn’t done cooking because the button hasn’t popped out yet.

2.
During my first trimester, my sister went through a phase where she made grilled cheese sandwiches with muenster cheese, tomato, and avocado… then she’d send me a picture message of it. So every few weeks I get this deep urge to have one. I’ve had it for dinner twice this week. If you’ve never made a grilled cheese like that, I suggest you do it so that you see why God invented muenster cheese.

3.
On Wednesday night, Stephen’s car had a meltdown. We were leaving Babies R Us in separate cars and just as I was pulling into the driveway at home, he called to tell me he was still in the parking lot. His gears wouldn’t change so it was stuck in park. Isn’t that fun? After 30-45 minutes of playing around, it finally changed. He dropped it off at the mechanic’s and we came home and tried not to sulk. It’s our old clunker. Since we carpool to work 4 days a week, we don’t have to use it much but it is still convenient to have. So turns out it was a transmission issue and it’s pretty big deal. We’ve decided to just ignore it. Ignoring things always makes them better. That’s why sometimes when Stephen doesn’t like what I’m saying, he closes his eyes. True story.

4.
A couple months ago I told you how upset I was that some idiotic squirrels were digging seeds out of my freshly planted garden. Well guess what those stupid punk squirrels did now? They are pulling up my mature strawberry plant. PULLING IT UP. Like I think these animals have thumbs and biceps.

5.
Have you seen the Swagger Wagon video? If not, watch it.

Did you watch it? Seriously. Just watch it. Then if you don’t read Lauren’s blog or Lyndsey’s blog (their names are links), you may not have seen this video. Maybe one of the funniest videos of all time.

6.
My husband vacuums with his tongue sticking out. I don’t mind. He could vacuum in a toga and tiara if he wanted to. There is nothing sexier than a man vacuuming. I speak truth.

7.
I don’t know much about my child yet but I do know this. His favorite hobby is kicking my bladder. He likes to treat it as a punching bag. Or a pinata. I get the sharp sudden urges to pee and then it’s over. And then it happens again and again. It’s a very weird sensation. But I’ll take it over no kicking at all. I love to feel the little guy moving around in there!

Happy weekend to you all. I have plans that involve a baseball game, glidder testing, hanging out with family, and possibly shopping for dining room chairs. Whoo hoo.

Life’s A Beach

I don’t even know what that means. Life’s a beach? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Whatever. I went to the beach last weekend.

Early last summer my parents bought an amazing beach house in Galveston. I invited two of my very best girlfriends from college, Kelly and Lyndsey,  to spend a weekend at the beach for a girl’s weekend. We had a blast and talked nonstop. (If you’re dying to read about it, you can click here and see what I wrote last year.) We decided that we would make it an annual event.

Last summer was also the time I met Lauren. You know Lauren, my Blog Friend 4Ever. We immediately meshed and she became one of my very best friends. We went to the PW Cooks signing where she met Kelly. Then earlier this year, Lauren and her husband joined Stephen and I on a trip to Austin to meet Lyndsey. And just like that, she became One Of Us.

Shockingly I wasn’t nervous about her joining our established group. She was our sister from another mister. Or something.

The plan was for Lyndsey to fly in at 3:30 on Friday afternoon. Kelly would pick her up and they’d make their way to Galveston. Lauren and I would meet them there when we could slip out of work unnoticed. That would have been fun if it had worked out that way. Unfortunately God had other plans. He opened up the skies and grounded all the planes. She arrived at something like 11:00 pm. Then she had to sit on the runway for an hour because the stupid plane couldn’t find a freaking parking spot. Then she couldn’t find her bag. (Let’s not get into the ridculousness of checking a bag for 2 days at the beach, but whatever. I love you Lyndsey.) So basically Kelly and Lyndsey arrived at the house at about 3:00, right about the time Lauren and I turned to pumpkins.

We chatted for an hour and then passed out. We woke up at 8:30 (WHY???) and laid in bed talking. I jumped out of bed at 8:50 when I smelled bacon. Turns out, Lauren was in the kitchen whipping us up some bacon and french toast. We wanted to wake up and have breakfast so we could get out onto the beach. After I fanned two smoke detectors (did you know that even burnt bacon still tastes delicious?) and put down a healthy portion of sugary french toast, we got ready for the beach. We got dressed, packed lunches, applied sunscreen, etc. Then we walked a few blocks to the beach.

Side note: Did you know that when you’re pregnant, your friends don’t let you carry a beach chair? It’s a pretty sweet deal. I’m considering becoming the next Mrs. Dugger so I can be pregnant my whole life.

Anyways. I have no idea where I’m going with the post. I just feel the need to tell you all about my weekend.

We got to the beach and after getting settled in we looked up and saw The Giant Black Cloud of Death heading our way. We repacked all of our stuff and headed back to the house. We only moaned a little bit. We didn’t want to go back inside because we had a perfectly delicious picnic waiting for us in our cooler on wheels so we had a picnic on the porch while watching the rain.

It was wonderful. Fabulous. And then we all started fading. What do four girls do at a beach house when they are sleepy? They take a group nap. Y’all, there are three bedrooms at this house. There are five beds. But of course we took up a whole two beds. We snuggled. Which may explain why I had a nasty cough last week and Lauren has one this week.

I don’t have the time, energy, or loyal readers to continue with the play by play of my weekend. Let’s just say that it involved homemade ice cream, fried pickles, the sun, and NON-STOP talking.

I would post a few pictures but all of mine have serious red eye and I forgot that website y’all told me to use to fix it. (hint hint… help a girl out.) But if you go to Lauren’s blog, she has a couple posted that don’t have demon eyes. I posted her link above but those of you who didn’t notice, let me help you out. CLICK HERE to visit Lauren’s blog. Here’s one picture to prove that I actually have a few… and also to show off my fried pickles.

And for the record, we are now taking applications for the fifth member of our super exclusive group. Applicant must bring some sort of sweet skill to the table. We don’t like boring people. Oh and you have to be funny. And smart. And you have to think I’m funny and smart. So basically that means that our group will stay at four. And also, it’s preferable if you are above 5’8… we don’t really want anyone bringing down our average.

Loser 9.18: The Marathon

Koli, Ashley, Daris, and Michael. We are down to the final four. We are starting off with some flashbacks of their time on campus. I’ll just pepper in my thoughts. Michael is really handsome. Ashley’s face has changed so much, she looks like a completely different person. Remember that week when Daris ripped up his arms on the floor? That was gross.

They are going home for 30 days to do it on their own. Then they’ll come back to campus to weigh in. Not sure if one person will immediately be eliminated or if we’re voting for the person to keep the final slot. We shall see!

These homecoming parties are amazing!! I wish I was at all of them and could run up and hug these people. They look fantastic! I’m so proud of them!!! UGH I LOVE THIS SHOW!

“I will do everything I can to make you proud.” AGAIN. That’s probably the fifteenth time they’ve used that sound clip. Enough! Daris has lost a total of 151 pounds. Amazing. Michael has lost a total of 204 pounds. TWO HUNDRED AND FOUR. Ashley has lost a total of 143. She still has a ways to go, she could very well win this season. And Koli has lost a total of 172 pounds.

Alison showed up on their screens to tell them that they’re going to be running a marathon while they are home. Yuck. No thank you!

More random thoughts: Koli is talking about how happy he is but his tone is depressing. He doesn’t sound happy. I hope he is. Michael’s interviews from the first week… wow. His voice is so different! OH MICHAEL. How much did they pay you for the Jennie O Turkey plug? (For the record, Jennie O, there’s a tab at the top of my blog. Feel free to contact me… I can do cheesy product plugs in exchange for cash.) I love Daris’ mom! What was her name? Cheryl? “You went from a boy to a man right in front of my eyes.” In front of our eyes too. OH listen to him! “If I want to impress anyone, it’s my mom.” Atta boy! I’m proud of Ashley for growing up a bit and knowing that she doesn’t need to live the party life in order to be happy. It’s so true girl, I became the happiest when I gave that life up too.

 Ashley has perfect skin. Ashley calls Michael to chat and it seems that they have an agenda. Michael mentions that he’s up weight, he must be the one that gains. I hope not. They decide to run the marathon together. Michael calls Ashley “shortcake” and Ashley calls him “babe.” Which, as you know, means several dozen people will Google “Are Ashley and Michael dating?” I still think that they aren’t, but they may have little crushes.

Curtis Stone showed up to Daris’ house and talked about going to his favorite restaurant. He says he can’t go because there aren’t any healthy options. So Curtis adds a Daris section to the menu with a few healthy options.

UGH OH! Daris is eating. He got stressed and ate. It made him feel like crap so he ate some more. And more. Not good man. Not good!

Koli went to Vegas to work out and focus. He wanted to get away from all the temptations at home. Pretty smart. I know the trainers won’t agree because they’ll want him to get used to life at home, but really, who cares? It’s still a game. He can get used to it after the game.

Bob and Jillian surprised the contestants at their houses. I don’t really have many comments right now…

Time for the marathon. It’s raining. Bummer. Daris is leading the pack, of course. Then Koli. Then Ashley and Michael. On mile 13, Daris is met by season 2’s winner, Matt. I have no idea who that is. I wonder if they make them study these people so they don’t have to ask who they are. Sione met Koli at mile 13. Sadly, Sione has gained some weight back. I hate seeing that. Ali greeted Ashley and Mike met Michael. I LOVE MIKE! He looks like maybe he’s gained a little weight but he still looks great.

Tara’s time was 4:55 and Daris not only wants to beat it but he wants to finish around 4 hours. He finished at 4:03. Wowza! That’s pretty amazing. Koli finished at 6:08 and had a bit of a physical, emotional breakdown. Michael and Ashley finished at 6:26. I didn’t see that coming, I thought they were quite a ways behind Koli.

Time for the weight in. I hate Alison’s top. Hate it. The two above the weight in are guaranteed in the finale. The two below are up to a vote. Our vote.

Michael – 23 – 7.14% Fantastic! He’s out of the 300’s and he’s lost 23 pounds at home by himself.
Koli – 13 – 5.63%
Ashley – 18 – 7.79% Well done girl! 
(I’m dreading this… the teaser last week showed us that someone gained 2 pounds.)
Daris – +2 – Sad to see him struggle. I don’t know what’s going on with him but it breaks my heart.

So Ashley and Michael are in the finale for sure! Daris and Koli are against each other to fight for the last spot.

(My husband and my dog are wrestling on the floor. I have the worst heartburn EVER. It’s 9:00pm and I’ve had heartburn a total of about 9 hours today. Your prayers would be appreciated. Seriously)

There really isn’t a bad vote here, either are a great choice. My vote is for Daris. I’ve loved him from the beginning. He’s struggling, yes. But I’d love to see him as a finalist. Anyways, CLICK HERE to go vote. And leave me a comment to tell me who you’re voting for.

Ten on Tuesday (31)

Today’s batch of questions are from Ashley at Double Shot of Texas. They are answered by Stephen because I was busy getting treatment from my Looocy on this awful back of mine. Enjoy!

1. If your name was a verb, what would “to Chelsea” mean? (Insert your own name though…)
Awesome; as in “to awesome something up” which would become “to Stephen something up.” …yeah, coolness.

2. What myth have you always wanted to prove or bust?
I would like to prove that some tornadoes really do take you to a technicolor dreamworld where cities are green and the only way around is by an unusually well kept brick road with no wear whatsoever.

3. If you had the ability to get a message out to the entire world, what would you say?
wuzzuuuuuuuup! …hopefully the largest commercial parody ever would ensue.

4. I know you’ve answered a similar question before, but it’s been awhile. Please name your current top 10 blogs.
1) Roots and Rings 2) Drudgereport  …that is all, because frankly I don’t really read blogs….sorry.

5. Do you have a junk drawer?
I would like to address this; there should never be a junk drawer.  If you call a drawer a junk drawer, then you probably just have a disorganized drawer which you can’t identify much inside of it.  This is not the point.  I have an eclectic drawer, organized, and knowing what’s in there, even though it’s full of things that there aren’t many of or belong together.

6. Bottled water or tap? 
filtered…in  your face!

7. As a kid, did you have a favorite Biblical story?
Mine was David and Goliath.  There was a cartoon where live action stuffed animals played the characters and David was played by a raccoon.  I loved those cartoons!

8. What is your favorite black and white movie? 
Schindler’s List, didn’t see that one coming, huh?!

9. Aside from your engagement/wedding rings, what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own? Does it have a story behind it?
Even though I haven’t been able to find it for a couple of months, I have a ring from James Avery (which means I saw other people wearing it too) but it was a beaten metal ring with a raised cross on top.  I wore it on my pointer finger on my right hand because it’s hard to forget you have it on and what it is.

10. What sports/activities do you hope your kids will be involved in? (Answer for both a boy and a girl) 
I hope my boy will be involved in a martial art like tae-kwon-do, kung-fu, or boxing because they have basic rules that can be inherently learned and used throughout life as natural feeling rather than thought…plus a boy’s gotta know how to fight and how to use fighting to keep peace through gentleness.  Girls I would say the same thing, perhaps Yoga instead since girls have to learn how to keep a clear head with all those hormonal boys around.  I also want both to play baseball and soccer.

(This is Chelsea speaking now.) I just read his answers. Some of them are quite goofy! Sorry if you were expecting something more serious! Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of a change around these parts. Yes?

Add your links below!

Pregnant Pause – Week 22

Happy Monday to you all. I’m on the brink of falling asleep this morning. I fear that if I fall asleep, I may not wake up for a few days! This weekend was our annual girl’s weekend at the beach. My three best girls and I went to Galveston and talked all day and night. I’m really not exaggerating either. I’ll tell you more about the trip later in the week.

Yesterday marked the beginning of my 22nd week. According to The Bump, Jansen is the size of a banana. (Obviously he’s much bigger around than a banana, that’s just his approximate length.)

I thought today would be a good day to post all of my bump pictures. It’s pretty shocking.

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22 (TODAY)

I see a HUGE difference from last week to this week. Sometimes I’m scared of how much bigger I’m going to get! It makes me very thankful that God gives us 9 months to grow a baby instead of one or two. We all know that God has the capability to grow a baby in far less than 9 months, but obviously He knows that we can’t handle it. Physically or emotionally!

I need to start thinking about nursery furniture and decorations. My amazing husband was extremely productive over the weekend and it’s given me a burst of nesting energy. He moved the bed out of Jansen’s room… which has now showed us that we need to get our carpet cleaned. We got it cleaned last year after Rookie had an accident (to put it politely) on the carpet. Like an idiot, I told them they didn’t need to move the furniture. I honestly didn’t think it was dirty under there. I was wrong. So it looks like we’ll be inviting our dear friend Mr. Stanley over to steam our carpet again!

That’s all I’ve got for you this sleepy Monday morning. I hope everyone had as amazing of a weekend as I did. (I’m sure you didn’t.) I’ll post the Ten on Tuesday questions in a bit. If I don’t fall asleep on my keyboard first…

Seven Quick Takes – WHAT A WEEK!

Can you believe it was only 4 days ago that we found out we’re having a little boy? I feel like everything has changed. Everything is real! I can talk to Jansen by name and imagine him as a toddler. I promise not to make R&R into a complete baby blog, but for the time being… you’re getting mostly baby stuff.

1.
Thank you SO much for your comments yesterday. If you didn’t get a chance to weigh in about the “must haves” for a baby, please add your comment! I’m going to print the comments next week and organize my thoughts.

2.
Remember on Tuesday I showed you the beautiful photo of my parents’ beach house? Well I’m going there today. This weekend is my annual girlfriends weekend at the beach. Last year was Lyndsey, Kelly, and me. This year (after careful deliberation and a vote) we have invited Lauren to join us. I’m so excited to see the three of them. Please be praying that the rain holds off and doesn’t spoil our beach time. Not that we can’t find things to talk about while indoors, but the scenery is so nice while sitting on the beach.

3.
I need to show you two things. Two very important things.

First, this is Jansen’s first outfit from his Nana (my mom). LOOK AT THE CLEATS.

And this is his first pair of cowboy boots, compliments of his Emmie (my MIL).

4.
I accidentally dried my maternity jeans twice. UGH. Now they are a tad shorter and the belly panel is smaller. I’m totally bummed. It’s hard to remember to not dry jeans when you’re washing them two or three times per week. I’m frustrated.

5.
I’m having a hard time focusing because all I can think about is the beach. Beach. Beach. Beach.

To all of you who live in those crazy northern states that have had snow within the past couple weeks, I’m sorry. But not too sorry because you COULD move. You could come to Texas and be going to the beach this weekend. Beach.

6.
The Astros swept the Cardinals this week. This is unbelievable.

7.
I just realized that we’ve only posted Part One of Our Story. And that was like 3 or 4 months ago. Apparently I’m a bad blogger. Hey Stephen, maybe this weekend when you’re missing me because I’ll be at the beach, you can write Part Two. I bet people would like to know what happens next. Although we’ll have to repost Part One because it’s been so long that nobody even remembers. Maybe one day I’ll get the hang of this blogging thing.

Not today.

Have a good weekend. I know I will!