Five Favorites

Linking up with Hallie for Five Favorites!

1. Plurals. My old roomie, Ashley reminded me that I needed to change my Instagram profile because it was missing a letter. I quickly changed boy to boys and all was right in the Instagram world and my heart. The birth story tab will soon be birth stories (once I finish writing the missing part to Conor's!), we talk about our sons, and we talk about brothers. Never have I ever loved the letter 's' so much.

2. My mom. She is here for the week spoiling us. Cooking for us every night, cooking things for the freezer, holding the baby, waking up with Ryan at 5am and letting me sleep in. Yep, spoiled is the correct word. Ryan woke up from his nap today asking for Lola. He loves her!

3. Burt's Bees. Alexandra brought me this in the hospital and I love it! My lips have been chapped lately, (I need to drink more!) and this remedies that while giving my super pale lips some life.

4. Fall walks. Okay, I guess I can't use the plural there since today was the first time that we ventured out the old pedestrian way to campus. Nevertheless, it is hard not to like them:

5. The Places We're Going. My best friend is quite the poet, and I know it. She has just launched a new blog for her witty poetry so click on over and check it out! I have adored going through her poems the past week, and I think you will, too. Here are some samples:

For those who are a tad OCD:

No time for mincing. Coarse chop!

DON’T! touch my toothpaste
You’ll mess up the flow
You’ll squeeze it all wrong
You’ll bother me so.

I’m very particuhler
About how it lays
It sits on the counter
In one spot it stays.

I know when you touch it!
Yes yes I do
I can tell that it’s moved,
And I know that it’s you!

I go in to use it
And something’s not right
The cap’s facing sink-ways
Not toward the lights!

And further I tell you
It’s rolled on its side
With Crest to the wall-
Oh! How I cried!

A terrible way
To start off a morning
With messed up new toothpaste-
Not even a warning.

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!
The sight hurts my eyes
You squeezed from the top!

You squished at the sides!
Where in the world
Did you learn such poor tactics?
Who told you that this way

Was toothpaste best-practice?
Now it’s a habit,
A rote-y routine
I tell you it’s wrong though

That’s easily seen.
Next time you’re thinking
That your teeth need a scrub
DON’T touch my toothpaste

Til you’ve seen the above.
Kindly please follow the proper direction
And then I will show you a gentler affection.
I’m not being mean- you’ve just ruined my day

My toothpaste was tousled- someone’s to pay!
 - Laura LaPlante
---
And then what I think is the perfect autumn poem:

---
The sun, it was  shining from behind the clouds.

A soft dawning light found a crack in the blinds,
Came near to greet me and draw open my eyes.
The quiet was comfort and the comfort was full,
And warmth from my covers had distanced the cold.
A brisk frigid morning stood icy outside,
Stretching and seeking every crack it could find.
Its winds I could hear and they told me of greyness,
With hints of grey-blue that had no show of sameness.
These vivid chill colors just starting to show,
As the sun mosied up with its warm welcome glow.

I smiled a bit as I snuggled in more,
Today would be good, with good things in store.
Cloudy and cold was my type of weather,
For feeling so warm and light as a feather.
I’d start out with tea, I knew that I would,
And giddily read for as long as I could.
A cozy knit sweater to accompany me,
And all the day long lost in kind revelry.
Socks would be needed on my old wooden floors,
With boots at the ready standing tall at the door.

Yes, they’d be used; I’d venture on out
To cut through the air and walk into town.
No work today—not the typical kind,
Just my own wishes, all else left behind.
The café would be waiting, just waiting for me
To get a hot drink, a drink that I’d need.
Red-faced and bundled I’d linger to chat,
With coffee in hand and a hand on my hat.
Taking my time I’d cross the main street,
Thankful my boots were the things on my feet.

Leisurely then, ever easily so,
I’d go into shops with my heart all a’glow.
Warm friendly lighting on the wide range of shapes,
Backdrops of Venice- a warmer escape.
Notes I would make in my head as I went,
Things to remember from the studio’s bent.
The cold air around me brought warmth to my mind,
And active it harnessed and traced and designed.
So many ideas! I’d need to put down,
So hard at work without making a sound.

The red rustling leaves told me where to go next;
To the bookstore it is—new, used and the rest.
Something to read in the soon-to-be snow,
Something for evenings as candles burn low.
One more for the measure, with pictures and food,
Ever so apt for my mesmerized mood.
Home again, home, I made my way there,
I walked with the wind and forgot every care.
From the cloudy and cold, I stepped through the door-
It’s my type of weather; good things are in store.
- Laura LaPlante

--- Isn't she gifted? Click, click, click on over there.

Five Favorites

Happy Wednesday! I'm up late waiting on the diapers to finish washing so I'm linking up with Hallie for Five Favorites. 

1. Grilled PB&J with cinnamon.

On Fridays during Lent in college, our dining hall didn't serve any meat and there were lots of seafood options. I love seafood, but some days I wanted to mix it up. One day, I smothered one of those soft pitas with peanut butter and another with jelly, married the two of them and then plopped them on the panini press. Oh my goodness. Then the next Friday, I saw the cinnamon spice shaker near the toast area and sprinkled some on the PB part of the sandwich before I grilled it. World changed. Everyone should try it! It seriously makes it a luxurious and comforting walk down memory lane. Dinner was just me and Ryan tonight, and he was requesting PB&J so, why not? I grilled my sandwich like you would a grilled cheese since my aversion to dishes includes getting my panini press down from the shelf. Ryan's did not get any grilling treatment because he is quite attached to his open faced sandwich torn up just so each piece has some "delly" on it. 

Favorite 1, part b. check out that jelly pocket. I love pockets in dresses, and I love pockets of jelly in my PB&Js!

2. Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Five Guys' Cajun Seasoning

I Insta-ed these the other day, but I love them so much I had to bring them to blog-land. The last time we went to Five Guys, I asked for the Cajun seasoning on the side since it is too spicy for Ryan, but I could eat a whole large myself. I still have the seasoning so I chopped up a sweet potato, tossed it in cornstarch and olive oil because I read that is the trick to crisping up yummy yams, then baked at 450 degrees for 15 minutes a side. After I pulled them out of the oven, I gave them a generous dusting of seasoning. Give it a try!

3. Ryan's reaction to Chris getting home tonight. 

Happy Dad is home from Katrina on Vimeo.

If you can't tell, he is in a dad phase. 

4. Amazon Prime

A couple of weeks ago, I was supposed to receive my prenatals and my favorite supplement, and it showed up as delivered online. Sadly, I had no clue where the package was even though we had successfully received another package that day. Alexandra came to my rescue to tide me over because she is the sweetest. 

I called Amazon Prime customer service, and it was quite a quality call. They promptly overnighted new prenatals and then refunded me for the Blood Builder because that wasn't fulfilled through them. It was the fastest customer service call ever ... Ryan didn't even have time to become a stage five clinger like he normally does any time I am on a phone call that may be recorded for quality purposes. 

Thank you, Amazon!

5. Chris' weird taste in background movies. 

So far tonight Netflix has played: a documentary on Lord of the Rings, a documentary on zombies and a documentary on the Bermuda Triangle. Thrilling. 

He is mine, ladies! 

Five Favorites

Linking up with Hallie for Five Favorites. 

1. Once Upon A Child. I mentioned before that we like to keep things simple when it comes to baby stuff. For example, Ryan has worn one pair of jeans for the past nine months! He had another pair of pants until he outgrew them, some stretchy pants and then he was just in mostly gifted shorts for the summer. Well, that one pair of jeans (thank you, Oma, for the Christmas present!) recently started to look a bit too Hollister-ish with threadbare knees and a hole on the upper bum. Thankfully, despite their striking similarity to the distressed jeans of that dark store, they did not adopt a smothering scent of teenage cologne. So. Ryan was in need of new jeans so off we trotted to Once Upon A Child, my favorite clothing store in all of the region. It just always gives me what I need. Ryan is now set with a pair of jeans and a pair of cords to go with his hand-me-downs from Uncle Johnny that he still needs to grow into.

(I did actually buy seven! pairs of pants because I couldn't choose at the store and the ever-so-loud store-tolerance-exceeded alarm of Ryan's was going off  (Maria, if you read this, I wish I were as smart as you were to go to Once Upon a Child alone!) so I brought them all home to Chris so someone with a backbone could send some of the pants to the return pile).

2. Nerium AD. Earlier in the summer, Rachel was kind enough to send me a free ten-day trial of Nerium AD, a simple night cream. It really was so simple to use, which was pleasant for me because my only skincare involves maybe rubbing some coconut oil on my face after a shower, and I rarely wash my face (oops). I just washed my face off at the end of the night, massaged it into my skin and then rinsed it off in the morning. More than I was used to, but so easy! 

I will be the first to admit that I don't need to be banishing wrinkles at the age of twenty-four in search of the mythical fountain of youth, but Nerium is not just an a facial wrinkle releaser. It made my skin insanely soft. My before and after photos aren't perfect (should have worn my hair the same! and same outfit! should have been closer etc. etc. I am not wearing makeup in either because my drugstore brand makeup does not win against the Texas heat), but I wish you could actually feel my face in the after photo. I'm sure it made Ryan jealous since Nerium no longer made his skin the softest in all the land. I think it makes up for Chris' distaste for Nerium's scent being similar to a car air freshener (his words). I thought it smelled refreshing, but Venus and Mars and all those planets.

Not happy that Mama's face is competing with mine.

For better before and after photos, check out the real results! If you are interested in Nerium, be sure to contact Rachel here or on her Facebook page.

3. Strawberry Shortcake. My dad, mom and sister came to visit over the weekend, and it was beyond wonderful, of course. My mom and sister made strawberry shortcake on Saturday night, which was the only thing that got me through the horrific Notre Dame game. Although, looking back, once I started eating it, Notre Dame started scoring so maybe this week I need to make some and start eating it at the beginning?

Where, oh where have the other pieces gone? Where, oh where can they be?

4. Puzzles and Ears. For the past couple of weeks, Ryan wakes up wanting to do his puzzles which has offered me the chance to wash or put away the dishes from the previous night (more often the former ... ) or sit back and slowly wake up while thoroughly enjoying his concentrated pout and puzzled forehead. Ryan also has been insisting on wearing, "Ears," while doing the puzzles even though they are not connected to the music source playing Ho Hey or the Victory March on repeat (his requests). It will blow his mind (hopefully not his eardrums), when he discovers how to really use those, "Ears."

I kind of like my morning cup of not coffee. Puzzles, ears and pouts for everyone!

5. ASOS Maternity Maxi Dress. I cannot wear this maxi dress enough.  It is still on clearance in hot coral, so hop over the internet pond to the UK-based ASOS.

Five Favorites

Linking up with Grace for Five Favorites. Good luck with your deadlines, Hallie!

The finished product was gone too quickly after it was made to take a photo. Oops. 

1. A new-to-me macaroni and cheese recipe. We all know that I love mac and cheese. Remember when Pinterest started a couple years ago and you couldn't scroll two times without seeing the cake mix + can of pumpkin muffin recipe and the macaroni and cheese recipe where you boiled the pasta in milk? Well, I finally tried the one pot wonder mac and cheese recipe. And it was delicious. It was so creamy and rich, which is just my style. I only had medium sized shells and they cooked just fine even though the comments warned against them. I think the key was stirring the pot very frequently to keep them separated. I used 2% milk and then 3/4 of a cup or sharp cheddar and 1/4 of a cup of grated Parmesan. Delicious! The recipe definitely doesn't make enough for my tastes though so next time I will be doubling it. 

2. Yepp Mini Bike Seat. I have sang  its praises before on this blog, but really ... I LOVE it. All-caps, bolded and italicized. We are definitely getting our money's worth out of it. I use it every day to bike to campus. It is so easy to balance, and Ryan adores it. He is big into sequences lately like, "Ceiling! Angels! Church! Heaven!" (of course you have to imagine all of that with the pronunciation of someone with a peanut butter full mouth or something). When I say we are going on the bike, the sequence that follows is normally, "Bike! Helmet! Church! Quiet! Shhhh!" Which makes me feel like I might be doing at least something okay in this whole parenting endeavor amid the ups and downs of sharing meltdowns and I-shit exclamations. One of the best parts is that we can switch it from my bike to Chris' in maybe five seconds tops.  If you are thinking about a child bike seat ... yepp, yepp, I recommend the Mini. 

Source

3. Baking soda. Yesterday I made a berry smoothie and some of it spilled on to the counter. By the time I cleaned it up, I noticed that the berry color was not coming off of the counter. Very berry bad. Out came Google, and then out came the baking soda. I mixed baking soda and a little bit of water until the mixture looked like yogurt. Then I smeared it on the stain and covered it in plastic wrap. I waited a couple of hours maybe and then peeked to see if the stain was fading. It was gone! 

I feel a linkup coming about neat cleaning tricks. 

4. Tamales. The local Mexican grocery store sells homemade tamales and most of the time I go, they are sold out! However, the past two times there have been tamales just waiting to be bought. Tamales for lunch every day over here. 

5. A question for you ... what were your favorite maternity leggings? Or leggings in general. I'm looking for some that are not see-through and hold their shape. Thanks in advance! Although will I even need them with the way the weather has been lately? 

Five Favorites

Finally linking up again with Hallie for Five Favorites! Hop on over for the link-up's half birthday edition.

I guess these aren't really my five favorites for the week, but more so five favorites in the past month since I have been a slow blogger. 

1. My boys. 
This two-wheeled pack camel came cycling up our driveway at 9am after I slept in last Saturday morning. They had a boys morning and came home with groceries for Oreo dessert, donuts and flowers. You know it has been a good day when you find leftover donut glaze on your arm later in the afternoon. 

(I had started to take Ryan out of his seat so that is why his straps are down and his feet are out of the stirrups!)

2. Google Maps app
This was my best friend for the 38 hours I spent in the car in one week spanning ten states. I can't stand the regular Maps app that comes on the phone, but for some reason,  I didn't download this amazingly helpful and free app until now. I wonder what other apps I am missing out on ... 

3. The diaper look

Hi, my name is Katrina, and I rarely dress my son. I snapped this photo right after we met the new family that moved in next door. I thought I should document their great first impression of my parenting. 

4. Italian family.

Remember when I wrote about the family that invited us over and forever ruined other Italian food for us forever? Chris casually mentioned on Saturday that we were invited to their annual wine party the next day and if I wanted to go. Silly question. 

There were three food tents: one that dished out Italian beef and their homemade Italian sausage (I asked for both on the same sandwich, and the lady working the tent said I was the first one brave enough to ask for that ... if she thinks pregnancy nonchalant eating is brave, then I like her) AND fresh pizza straight out of a pizza oven, one tent for the goodness shown directly above and then one tent for desserts that people brought and probably one hundred bottles of wine! And that was the wine that was out when we were there. As we left, I spotted a whole lamb roasting. They know how to throw a party. 

5. Adorable pregnancy announcement.
Is this not a clever and cute announcement? I love it. I was scrolling through Facebook not really paying attention to it on Sunday when I did a furious back scroll up when I realized I had read the word "announcement" in the photo caption of my friend, Sara. Then I shrieked with excitement. The label is even in their wedding colors. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but this creepy friend remembers that detail. Congratulations to Sara and John! Can't wait for our babies to cheer on the Irish together.  

Five Favorites

Linking up with Hallie for Five Favoritos.

1. Graeter's Ice Cream. Yesterday Ryan and I stopped by Whole Foods to buy some ice cream (and only ice cream ... very Whole Foods of me, no?) and to try out the samples. Side note - the guacamole was quite good. 

Graeter's is an ice cream company from my good old state of O-hi-o. Their ice cream is so rich and creamy and their chocolate chips are the best you will ever have in ice cream because they add it in liquid form when they are making it so it freezes softly. They are really more chunk than chip. You can read about how they make their ice cream so divine here and here. Graeter's is only made two gallons at a time, weighs more than regular ice cream, and the only place I can find it is Whole Foods. Put those three together and you have one pricey pint of ice cream so I've only had it twice outside of Ohio! It is definitely a special occasion treat ... special occasions like Annie's last week in Indiana. 

If you get a chance to grab some ... get the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. You won't be sorry. 

2. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I've always had dry skin, but ever since this baby set up house in my womb, I have had extremely dry skin. Is pregnancy eczema a thing? Coconut oil doesn't last long enough, Aquaphor is the same except it is greasy and Ryan's Aveeno Baby Soothing Moisture Cream did much better than the previous two, but I still itched for something better. Ha. After consulting Dr. Amazon Reviews, I purchased some CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, and my knee is as happy as a cat being scratched. It is thick like Eucerin, but it goes on light and doesn't leave me feeling greasy. I have only had it for a few days so maybe this love affair won't last, buuuut for now I am very smitten. 

3. Tazo Passion Tea. Alexandra was a dear and gifted me with some of this tea. I normally drink water like a fish, but when I am pregnant, water doesn't seem to quench my thirst. Passion fruit iced tea hits the spot. 

4. My new iPhone case. Normally when I put my phone down, I place it with the screen up ... which is probably what you are supposed to do anyway. Ever since I switched out the fraying canvas fabric for this blue wonder, I find myself putting my phone down with the case side up. You can check out my tutorial here.

5. Christmas in July! Last Friday, Annie and I went to pick up a craigslist purchase and the lady's street was hosting a row of garage sales. I walked away with the $3 mini Christmas tree, and she picked up those adorable bikes. I have been telling myself that if I am actually going to decorate for Christmas this year (unlike last year), then I need to start preparing now and not when I have a newborn. Luckily, I am on my way to decking the halls one garage sale at a time. 

Five Favorites

Linking up with Hallie via Grace for Five Favorites

Source

1. The Royal Postpartum Baby Bump.

I might be crazy, but sometimes I get discouraged when I see the seemingly millions of new moms in the blogosphere and on Instagram who seem to have it all together right after they have a baby.  They are out and about in gorgeous, and at a few days or a couple weeks postpartum, it seems like they have no telltale bump leading the way for them. It is silly of me, but I do get down. After I gave birth to Ryan, I still rocked quite the bump (plus a lot of extra weight), my face had swollen so much and was covered in broken blood vessels, I didn't want to wear anything at all because breastfeeding was painful (but I did ... I don't think visitors would have appreciated me in my birthday suit, Ryan's inaugural birthday or not), and I practically cried at the thought of possibly being without reach of my Peri bottle. 


I completely expected Kate to look flawless with her hair and makeup team because, well, she is married to the future king and just birthed another future king! She's a duchess, folks. And I knew she would probably be in heels because again, she is a duchess. But I was floored when she stepped out as a glowing new mama in a dress that didn't hide her bump at all, rather it accentuated it. 

The Duchess of Cambridge brought sleeves back, but my kindred spirit alarm is sounding off because she brought no-baby-in-there bumps back. Girl after my own heart. 

I do have to say that she did an impeccable job hiding any fear of postpartum gore as the whole world watched her family of three debut, although I don't think anyone can top the Mongolian mother who gets onto a motorcycle to ride home on after giving birth.

You can hop on over to Buzzfeed to see Ellie's round-up of photos from the future king's debut!

2. The ice cream truck

Last week for the very first time ever, I took Ryan out to the ice cream truck that constantly roams around our neighborhood letting us know that the weasel goes pop! 90+ thermostat inside the house makes me a fun mom. We will ignore the fact that the watermelon pop stained his skin so that the thorough sprinkler shower didn't suffice. Soap is needed for those suckers.

3. My new last name dictated by Ryan.

Ryan changing our last name from Katrina on Vimeo.

I will be stopping by the Social Security office later to change our surname. Or maybe I should just set Ryan's sights high and not settle for a two syllable pronunciation of a three-syllable last name. 

4. Sweet moments. 

On my parents' last night here, my dad was just sitting out on the porch probably because our house is a sauna, and Ryan just wandered out and took a seat next to Grandpa. It was so sweet. Then they played for almost an hour just the two of them and just on the patio which is a miracle because going outside makes Ryan resistant of staying in one spot.

5. Maternity Swimsuits. 

Okay this isn't a favorite because I don't have one, need one and can't find one that I like that isn't $100. Does anyone have a favorite maternity swimsuit that isn't mucho dinero? If so, send them my way! My bump is in no way fitting into any of my swimsuits. Preferably not a matronly number, although rest assured... I get the irony of that request. Pregnant = mother = matronly by default.

Five Favorites

Linking up with Hallie at Moxie Wife for Five Favorites. Everyone please pray for Dwija, Baby Nicholas and the rest of the family! You can visit Clan Donaldson to read about Operation Laundry Room. 

- My Bass Clementine Sandals - 
I eyed these all of last summer when I was searching for a new pair, but never took the plunge since they were not in my price range even though I loved them. I like sandals that offer coverage for my unsightly toes.  This May, we stopped by the outlet mall near my parents' house, and I poked my feet in the Bass Outlet just to try the shoes on in case they ever went on sale. Mayday in a good way! They were way cheaper at the outlet than even online, and they offered a coral color. My year of waiting paid off. I love them, and I have the tan lines to prove it. They are so incredibly comfortable, too, but maybe I'm just used to Target sandal soles? 

- Hand-me-down, hand-me-downs -
Every time my mother-in-law visits, she brings Johnny's old clothes and shoes that were hand-me-downs to him as well. There are always gems like these Chucks that he brings to me every time that he wants to go to out-sigh!

One of those photos that my phone took when I didn't know it was taking photos that somehow works perfectly for a blog post

- Anne - 
My sister-in-law is living with us for the summer, and it is a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Having her around really is one of my favorite things.

- Blowing Kisses -
Ryan has become smitten with blowing kisses (okay, really kissing his hand). Want one? Click away.

- Megafood Blood Builder - 
Hallie and Grace have already sung their praises about this oh-so-amazing supplement that is not breaking news to the Five Favorite scene. I love it. I have been turned down from donating blood more times than I can count because of low iron. I started taking Blood Builder, and now (most of the time) it has turned me into Bob the Builder. Can we do it? Yes, we can! I don't know if that show even exists anymore nor do I think I have ever seen an episode, but I every time I see the words, "Blood Builder," that song hammers its way into my head. I still of course get tired at times thanks to this growing baby of mine, but for getting on average six hours of sleep a night, my energy level is that of good old Bob. Cross your fingers and toes that this continues once I enter the third trimester.

Five Favorites, Volume Two

1. I Will Not Nurse You Forever. I stumbled upon this blog post the other day while I was nursing Ryan. Of course, the water works let loose. Ryan stopped nursing, looked up at me with sympathetic yet confused eyes, then reached up and placed his chubby hands on my cheeks. "Maaa-ma? Mama." he alternated between questioning and soothing while he touched his forehead to mine. Oh, what a little fifteen month old can do to your heart when he isn't eating yogurt painting himself with yogurt. 

I really can't believe how much my nursing outlook has changed since those first three months when I didn't enjoy it, and it was so painful. Anyway, if you love nursing as much as I do, read it! But, you will most likely cry. 

2. Ribena at Meijer. When I was studying abroad in France, I discovered a love for all things black currant. Chris thought it was hilarious that the Yankee he was engaged to thought that that was such a novelty since they are so prevalent in the UK, and they were such old news to him. Well, excusez-moi. He told me about Ribena, the black currant flavored drink, and I guzzled it down any chance that I had. Imagine my surprise when I was strolling through the ethnic aisle at Meijer in searching of some El Pato sauce when my eyes saw this:

Glory! Except that it is $6.99 for a bottle. So I didn't buy it, but I like knowing that it is there. 

3. Gorilla frowning. We have a book from the library that is basically photos of gorillas scratching, dashing, laughing, yawning, etc. It is my favorite book to read to Ryan purely because of the way Ryan mimics the gorillas in the photos. Here is, "Gorilla frowning."

4. Wicker laundry hamper with a lid! Last month I purchased a few things from Amazon with my gift card winnings from this wonderful day (thanks, Meagan and Tommy!)
. Part of the loot included a wicker laundry hamper because I am the most exciting twenty-three year old that you will ever meet. It is amazing. For the past two years we have just thrown our dirty laundry into regular plastic laundry baskets or, more frequently, into a pile on the floor or on a chair. This new member of our closet makes me want to put my clothes in it, which is a miracle if you asked any of my former room-sharers. 

5. Sleeping baby.

This post was brought to you by a sleeping baby. 

Head on over to Hallie for more interesting favorites! I loved her five favorite pregnancy supplement list. 

Five Favorites

Linking up today with Hallie's Five Favorites via Jen. And Happy Birthday to Hallie! I know what birthday present you will be wishing for :)

So here are my five favorites on the internets and in my life right at this moment.

1. Rage of Thrones. Okay, confession time. I haven't told many people this because I am slightly embarrassed about it.  I have read all of the Game of Thrones books. That is probably surprising to a lot of people since I don't really seem to be into super gory and super explicit reading. And, I am not! However, when you find yourself living with your husband and brother-in-law and their fantasy-reading friends are over all the time AND all they do is read Game of Thrones while you sit around craving conversation and everything else under the sun because you are pregnant, you might find yourself picking up that terribly disappointing (not happy with any of the story lines and there have been five books...you better get it together, George R.R. Martin! Because I just know you'll listen to a request from a sappy girl who likes happy endings), but terribly enrapturing series. Chris even brought Dance with Dragons to a concert...thank goodness I love him. 

Anyway, Game of Thrones is now a hit TV series on HBO and all of social media is obsessed...and the majority of people have not put in the time to read the heart wrenching and book-throwing inducing series. Now I understand how all of the Lord of the Rings (insert cult favorite) aficionados feel extremely annoyed when people go on and on about the series and then confess, "Oh, well I've never read the books." !!!! 

Okay, where am I going with this...if you look up Rage of Thrones by The Axis of Awesome on YouTube, you will see a slightly exaggerated depiction of this household's feelings. Necessary disclaimer: not child appropriate or appropriate for some adults. You were forewarned. 

2. Baby bow ties. I made another bow tie for Ryan to wear to a wedding this weekend. My husband doesn't see why I am obsessed with them, but maybe he is just sad that I can make bow ties for a toddler, but the jeans that he wanted patched have been sitting in the closet for a year? Tutorial coming soon. 

3. Pad Thai. I tried making Pad Thai for the first time using this recipe on Monday. It was good! Next time, I think I won't let the last bit of sauce cook in as much though. And does anyone have a more authentic recipe? I chose this one because it didn't call for tamarind paste, which I had forgotten to pick up at the Asian grocery store. 

4. Free fonts. I have been dabbling in invitation design for my best friend's wedding (not the Julia Roberts version), and I am so thankful for dafont.com! I used it when designing our wedding invitations, but forgot how much they have. You probably already know about it, but if not, check it out. 

5. Buzzfeed, Catholicism and Communion. One of my friends from college writes for Buzzfeed now, and she wrote this comprehensive quiz about whether or not one is in a state of grace to receive the Eucharist. I love seeing pieces in the secular media that actually quote the Catechism. Thank you, Ellie! 

Maybe next week my five favorites will be more exciting?