My Hubby the Handyman :)

Last weekend Michel and I had a fairly low-key weekend planned, so we decided that we would do some little things around the house to change, and beautify it :) Our plans were to buy a new faucet for the kitchen and the bathrooms, a new chandelier for the entryway, and I wanted some new picture frames so that we can FINALLY get some art/decorations up on our walls! So, off to Home Depot we went! Unfortunately, once we got there I was rudely awakened by how expensive faucets cost. So we ended up with just the sink faucets, but that's OK...the ones in our bathroom was what I really wanted to change. They were gross-looking from the time we first saw the house. 

Here is what we started with:

Look how gross it is around the base!

Here's another good picture of how gross the faucets were

Here's the final result!

They're much nicer, cleaner, and modern! Good job, Michel!!

Our first ABF pool party of 2012!

For me summer time equals pool parties, hanging out with friends, ice cream, and Sonic drinks! Today, I had the privilege of indulging in all four!

Some friends of mine from my ABF got together (all of us pictured are teachers and lucky enough to be on summer vacation!) at a neighborhood pool for a mid-afternoon swim.

You can't tell because we're all in the pool, but I'm the only one in the pool who isn't pregnant!

Around 3:00 we all decided to call it a day. It was hot and we were starting to feel burned. So I decided to swing by Sonic on my way home and get a drink. While looking at their menu I saw their milkshakes, and I suddenly started craving a milkshake! So, in order to make it a little bit healthier, I decided to make it using frozen yogurt rather than real ice cream, and it was DELICIOUS!!

It was chocolatey, creamy, and something I'll be making more often!

 

 I had so much fun at the pool with some girl friends today! However, as the night went on I did notice that I was feeling a burning sensation on my upper-to-mid back, and in parts of my legs. I went and looked in our bathroom mirror, and I definitely got burned today! Michel and I went to our neighborhood pool twice this week, but only for about 30-45 minutes, and we stayed in the water the entire time, so I never get burned when I'm in the pool. This was my first "true" time out in the sun, and I was out there for 2 hours. Apparently, I need help in applying sunscreen....

My splotchy legs

So, I definitely need more pool time to even out my splotchy burn, and to add more color to me since I'm apparently so pale that I burned so easily even after wearing SPF 50 sunscreen! Oh well...a small price to pay for some fun in the sun!

Swimsuit Saga

I generally don't get so discouraged looking for a swimsuit, but this year has been a different story! I've been on a mad search for the perfect swimsuit since April!! I'm kind of picky about my swimsuits, so that's partially my fault. I think this year I was even pickier than I normally am. Since this past Monday, Michel and I have really been trying to watch what we eat in preparation for Hawaii (btw...I apologize if you hear me talk about Hawaii a lot; I'm just SOOOO excited about it)! Anyways, I decided that I really wanted to wear a bikini. I generally shy away from bikinis because I carry some weight in my lower stomach, but I decided I really wanted to get one for Hawaii. Anyways, I still wanted to take a tankini with me because I know myself...I'll eat all of my favorite foods and after about day 2 I probably will feel more comfortable in a tankini than a bikini. So the search was on.

My perfect tankini is something like these:

They're fun colors, cute patterns, and they look age-appropriate for me. Another thing I really like is that it still shows SOME skin. I'm by no means trying to be naked on the beach, but I also don't want to cover everything up. I mean, if I was going to cover everything up, I'd be eating a cheeseburger and a milkshake for lunch everyday rather than a grilled chicken salad.

Anyways, I have a tankini that I really love, and will definitely be taking with me on my vacation:

Apparently this year tankinis have changed and they now cover EVERYTHING!

My original plan in shopping for a swimsuit was to wait until about mid-July to see if I had lost the few pounds that I'm working on and toned up like I'm trying to do. But in looking around at the stores, I realized if I wait until mid-July I will be out of luck. Today is only June 7th and stores are already running out of their matching pieces (that in itself is frustrating!). So I've been going out in search of the perfect swimsuit: a tankini that shows a bit of skin, in a bright/fun color and pattern, and that's age-appropriate. Oh, and also it had to be  CHEAP!!! I refuse to pay $100 for a swimsuit. I finally found a swimsuit that I really loved!

LOL...it only matches 2 of my must-have qualities! A.) it's not a tankini, so this will make me get in shape before August; B.) it's not a bright/fun color - it's your basic black! However, the picture doesn't show it well, but the flower on the top is all sequins, so it's brighter than the picture makes it out to be. I loved the ruffled edges of it, the top provides some much-needed coverage/support (not because I'm big on top, but because I'm little, so I need something that ties on top so that I can adjust it to my unfortunate small size). However, I loved that it is age-appropriate, and I bought it for $12 each piece...$25 for the whole thing! That's my kind of pricetag! So glad my mad search is over!

However, if anyone sees a tankini that meets my criteria please let me know...I would still like another one to take with me. :) Thanks for listening to my rant!!

Meal Planning Monday

Monday: Grilled sirloin steaks, grilled corn on the cob, grilled asparagus

Tuesday: Julie on her own; Michel working

Wednesday: Monday's leftovers

Thursday: Out to eat with some of Michel's friends

Friday: Julie on her own; Michel working

Saturday: Hamburgers on the grill, baked French fries

Sunday night: Grilled chicken, brown rice mixed with pineapple, broccoli and cheese

Blast Off!

Today I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for a sweet friend! Her nursery theme is outer space, so our shower theme was based on her colors and theme. So excited to be able to do this for Joel, Carissa, and baby Landry!

My friend Alicia, and co-host of the shower made the adorable decorations.

The diaper cake, and the cookies I baked in the background

The picture below is our game that I created (btw...I apologize for the bland black and white paper. I had cute colors and decorations on the paper, and I printed one copy and saw that our printer was out of colored ink :( So it was either no game, or a blah black and white paper. I thought the game was fun, so I still wanted to do it, and chose to let it be blah. Anyways, I titled our game "Baby Names that are Out of this World". On the left column was names of celebrity babies, and on the right were the celebrity parents. The object of the game was to match the baby with the crazy name to the celebrity parents. I researched this last night, and I found that there are STUPID names out there! Some I already knew, but some were new to me (Jermajesty is the child of Jermaine Jackson; Bluebell Madonna is the daughter of Geri Halliwell - a.k.a. Baby Spice - just as an example). I think it was a lot of fun!

Our fun game! "Baby Names that Are Out of This World"

Me, Alicia, and mama-to-be, Carissa

Carissa's little sister made this for her! I'm so envious of her talent!

All the mamas-to-be from our ABF!

More pictures to come once others post their pictures (thanks Alicia for letting me steal your pics...and thank you in advance to Katy and Carissa who I'm sure I'll be stealing pictures from!)