Some of my doings...

In the life of Stephanie....

I finally got pretty close to the Panda Express chow mein! Woohoo!! I've only tried half a dozen times. Sigh. Each resulting in gross noodles and a destroyed kitchen. So here's the trick folks! Lots of recipes say to get vermicelli noodles. Try to find actual chow mein noodles instead. Then, after cooking them, let them dry on the counter for at least at hour (I'm going to try overnight next time.) Letting them dry first means you won't get mushy, wet chow mein. Good luck!

I also got a little craving for homemade bread. I couldn't even tell you the last time I made bread. Sooo glad they turned out! It's so frustrating to waste that much time on something that doesn't taste good. I was enjoying sandwiches for the rest of the week!

I finally got to reading this book my mom recommended. Well, most of it. There is a 2 week, no fructose diet that the author suggests doing (followed by a low fructose lifestyle afterward.) Basically, you can eat from a selective list of vegetable, grains and meats. No sugar and no fruit. I have never craved watermelon or strawberries like I did that first week! I am truly a sugar addict. I only lasted until the second Tues. and then I caved and ate some fruit. But I lasted 11 days without sugar or dessert. Which, come to think of it, is pretty sad. People go on "sugar diets" for much, much longer. I'm going to go ahead and blame pregnancy for this one, even though I know the results would have been much the same, sans baby. I can see the benefits that would come from really sticking to a low fructose/sugar diet. I'm just not sure what it would take to get me to stay with it. Alas, this will have to be labeled another diet {fail}.

I have been searching for almost a year for horizontal striped curtains for Collin's room. Man, curtains are expensive! Well, I finally found a shower curtain from West Elm that worked perfectly! I just cut it and hemmed it and added some tabs on the back to hang it from. For $40, I was a happy girl!

Ever waited 7 years to change your vacuum cleaner's HEPA filter??

Sick. 

The dirt was just caked on.

With so much going on before baby girl's arrival, I have basically done nothing to prepare. But the last time we were in AZ, we brought home a really cute cradle that Travis's grandpa made years and years ago. It had a bumper pad in it that looked like it had seen better times. So I sewed some new covers for it. I like the fabric so much, I think I'll do her room in these colors.

Someday. :)

A friend of mine, just had her first boy, so I tried to replicate a soft, little blanket that both Collin and Weston have loved. My sewing skills are most lacking. Hopefully, it will be the thought that counts.

Last Friday night I went to a Relief Society retreat in Bloomfield, about 1/2 hour away. The idea was to stay and camp, but I wasn't feeling too cozy about sleeping in a tent and getting up 3x to go pee. Since I was only staying for the evening, I also drove up an older lady and 2 other women from the ward that wanted to go home that night too. Once we got there, I looked around and realized I was the youngest one by at least 10 years. But it was fun! We had some "survivor" activities to complete as teams. We ate dinner and had a PJ fashion show that I was the MC for. Being at activities like this remind me how important it is to not limit your circle of friends. I have really come to love some of these "older" ladies in my ward. They are funny and creative and have great stories and advice. They might be old enough to be my mom or even grandma, but it really doesn't matter! I would almost chose to spend time with them over girls my own age. Yay for Relief Society and the way it brings us all together!