Pony Express Trail

A couple of weekends ago Spencer and I (and the dog) took a drive down the old Pony Express Trail.  If I remember correctly, it starts somewhere west of Eagle Mountain and winds south around western Utah until ending near Delta.   It's a fairly well-maintained dirt road, about 4-5 hours from start to finish.  If you want to know more about the trail itself, click here.

Spencer recently had the 4Runner re-geared.  I don't know exactly what that means, but it has something to do with compensating for the bigger tires he put on so we can maintain better gas mileage and power ratio.  I think.  Anyway, they needed to be broken in a bit, so we figured this would be a fun way to do it.

We stopped at a couple of monuments and ruins of Pony Express stations along the way.

We drove through a big herd of deer and saw some wild mustangs.  I didn't get a picture of the mustangs unfortunately.

After finishing the trail, we kept going on down to Fillmore to visit my parents for a little while, and then it was back home (on the freeway this time) to Pleasant Grove.  Overall, a very nice day trip.

I figured this would be a good indicator to see if I could handle an extreme off road trip while 7 1/2 months pregnant.  The Pony Express Trail went off without a hitch, so the following weekend we packed up and hit the road for Hole in the Rock.  The Pony Express Trail may as well have been a paved interstate compared to the trail for Hole in the Rock.  But that will be its own post, so stay tuned!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I love Relief Society!  A few weeks ago my ward held a Relief Society activity where we learned how to make safe, natural cleaners for our homes.  I learned a bunch of helpful tips on keeping things clean around the house while avoiding some of the dangerous chemicals found in store-bought cleaners.

One tip that I was anxious to try right away was how to make your own laundry detergent.  Here are some great reasons to try this out:

1 - It's SO cheap!  Much cheaper than buying detergent, trust me!

2 - No extra fillers, dyes, perfumes, etc., and safe for the environment.

3 - It works!  Clothes are clean and fresh every time.

So now that I've convinced you to try it yourself, here is what you need:

2 bars of Fels Naptha
3 cups Borax
3 cups washing soda

These can all be found in the laundry detergent aisle of any grocery store.  I got mine at Winco I think.  The Borax and washing soda boxes will last for several batches of detergent.

Grate the Fels Naptha bars like you would a block of cheese.  I used the fine side of a cheese grater so the pieces would be nice and small.  I've heard that if the chunks are too big, they can clump up on your clothes and not rinse off all the way.  Once the bars are grated, mix everything up in your container and VOILA!  You're all set!

I used an empty tin can from our food storage (one of the big ones, #10 I think?) and it was just the right size for this recipe.  I also wrote the recipe on the lid so that it will be easy to make again when I run out.

If you look closely at the top of the lid you can see the amount needed for a load of laundry.  4 tablespoons is all you need for a full load in a regular washing machine, and just 2 tablespoons in a high efficiency machine.

There are a bunch of recipes for homemade laundry detergent that you can find online.  Most are pretty similar to this one with just a few minor changes.  Some add Oxi-Clean, others add regular baking soda along with washing soda.  I liked this one because it is nice and simple, and it works well.  You can also make liquid laundry detergent, but I heard that liquid detergents are harder on machines than powdered detergents.  For babies and people with sensitive skin, you can replace the Fels Naptha bars with Ivory soap.  I haven't tried this yet, but I probably will at some point.

If you end up trying out this recipe or one like it, let me know how it works for you!

bawk bawk bawk ba-GAWK!!!

Our little chickens laid their first egg today.  In fact, they laid their first THREE eggs today!  I found the first one this morning, on top of their coop.  It was cracked and a little frozen, so it must have been laid overnight since they like to roost on the roof of their coop most nights.

We got lucky with the second egg of the day.  Spencer was home for lunch and we both heard one of the hens outside making some major racket.  Sure enough, when we peeked out she was sitting in a box that I put on top of their coop this morning after finding the first egg.  She hopped out of the box after a minute and we immediately went out to check for an egg.  BINGO!

We were not expecting eggs yet because most people say chickens need at least 12 hours of light each day in order to lay.  We have installed a light in the coop to increase their daylight hours, but haven't gotten around to installing the timer and turning it on yet.  I guess these little ladies were ready anyway!

After finding the first good egg in the box, Spencer went back to work and I ran a few errands.  When I got back home I went out to put fresh pine shavings in the coop and found another egg!  This one was mixed up in the pine shavings in their coop, next to the box we put in there for them to lay in.  So three eggs in one day.  Only one of them ended up in a laying box, but overall I'm pretty satisfied!  We'll have to figure out how to get them to lay all their eggs in the laying boxes from now on.

On Being Pregnant

I love being pregnant.  I love everything about it.  I love getting bigger, feeling the baby kick, and even all the little pregnancy symptoms that might seem to be a little "inconvenient."  I attribute this great love for my pregnant self to the fact that for a while there, I didn't think it was going to happen.  In fact, I had come to an acceptance of it not happening, and had even moved on from the sadness of it all.

So now that I am lucky enough for it to happen anyway, I am taking full advantage!  I have lost track of the number of books I have read in the last few months about pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care.  Here are just a few that happened to be floating around in my living room today.

I've read books from the library, free pregnancy/parent magazines from the women's center, and online articles.  I am learning A LOT about pregnancy and childbirth.  And one bit of knowledge that I have appreciated the most, and that appears in most of the books I've read, is that I can control quite a bit about how I feel and how I handle this new experience.  And the things I choose to do now can benefit the baby and myself in the coming months.  Right now I am focusing on a healthy diet and good exercise.

Healthy Diet

From day one of finding out I was pregnant, I improved my eating habits.  I wouldn't say I was a terrible eater before, but there's always room for improvement.  I am making a conscious effort to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet, and I am working on cutting out empty carbohydrates and replacing them with whole grains.  I am also trying to get more protein every day.  For me, eating more fruits and veggies is easy because I like fruits and veggies.  I also like meat, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other high protein foods, so it's not too hard to get more protein.  But whole grains, now that's a different story.  I love me some good old fashioned white bread from Grandma Sycamore.  And white rice.  And pasta.

So if you're like me and looking to increase whole grains in your diet, here are some tips.  Winco has great whole grain bread for a really great price (around $1.50 a loaf I think).  The brand is Cascade Pride, and they make a bunch of different whole grain breads.  Read the labels though, because not all "wheat" breads are whole grain.  My favorite is the 100% Stoneground Whole Wheat.  It makes great toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and is good with chicken salad.  I don't love it for peanut butter and jelly though.


Here are some other whole grain foods worth trying out.

With the pasta, I make it with half whole grain noodles and half regular.  Using just the whole grain noodles is a little too much for me.  

The whole wheat tortillas are great for enchiladas.  Of course, if you put enough cheese and sauce on top, anything will taste good, right?  I haven't tried the tortillas for something simple like a quesadilla yet, so I'm not sure how they would work for that.  

I got the wild rice medley at Costco, and I think it makes a great side for chicken or another meat.  It's heartier than white rice and has a more earthy flavor.  The different textures of grains is nice too.  And you can make it in a rice cooker just like you would make regular white rice.  I don't know how it would work for something like fried rice.  I'll have to try it out one of these nights for dinner.  It's more expensive than white rice, but at least it's something worth eating.  White rice seems a little like a filler food. That's probably why we had so much of it when we were poor.  It's cheap, it fills you up, and it tastes good!  I don't like the taste of regular brown rice, so this wild rice mixture is a good alternative for me.

Exercise

This has been a tough one for me.  I've never really had the need to exercise, and that makes the motivation hard to come by.  Usually what happens is I go in little spurts of exercise activity.  When we were in Idaho, we joined a gym and I was really good about going on a regular basis.  We did a lot of rock climbing at the time too, so I was motivated to be stronger so climbing would be easier and more enjoyable.  When we moved, there was no more gym membership and not a lot of opportunities for climbing, so I slacked off.  Then for a while I found some exercise DVDs that I enjoyed and could fit into my schedule, but that didn't last long.  But I always imagined that if I ever got pregnant, I would be really diligent about getting in a good amount of exercise.  Then came the first trimester, and I had ZERO energy.  I felt like I couldn't walk the dog because since we live in the foothills, everything seemed too steep for the amount of energy I had.  I didn't want to do the exercise DVDs because they weren't designed for pregnancy and were too intense.

So for the first trimester I basically did nothing.  And starting the second trimester, while I did feel more energized than before, I still couldn't get myself going.  But for the last little while, I have miraculously found some inner motivation again.  I signed myself and Spencer up for memberships at the local rec. center, and I now go to a prenatal class every Tuesday and Thursday morning called Baby Bump Pump.  The instructor is great, I feel like I am really working hard every time I go, and it's all exercises that are safe for pregnancy.  It's working my muscles enough that I feel sore muscles afterward, but nothing feels strained or injured.  So far the class is pretty tiny too.  It's usually me and one or two other girls.  I feel like I have my own personal trainer that way.  I tried a beginning yoga class that I could do every Monday, but a lot of it was boring, I didn't like the instructor, and time seemed to drag on FOREVER.  My plan now is to go to my class every Tuesday and Thursday, and on the off days try to walk the dog or do some walking or cycling at the gym.

I am so thankful that Spencer is working hard and doing well with his office so I can stay home and dedicate my time to enjoying the pregnancy.  It's much easier to plan healthy meals and get into an exercise routine when I don't have to worry about lesson plans or annoying coworkers and don't have to spend 8 - 10 hours a day at school.

I am still trying to earn my keep around here though.  Read the next post to see how I'm helping around the house.

(Disclaimer:  While this post and the next one makes it sound like I am busy being productive all the time, keep in mind that I still spend way too much time on the computer, I watch a few episodes of my favorite sitcoms on Netflix every day, and I play games on my iPhone a little more than I should.  But the important thing is, I am trying to do something worthwhile every day.  Today's big accomplishments:  I walked the dog and I updated the blog.  Maybe later I'll do some vacuuming.  And that's good enough for me!)

Workin' Hard for the Money

This is the first year in a long time that I am not earning a paycheck.  For the first few years of our marriage I was the primary income earner, so this has been a bit of an adjustment.  Okay, okay, so having no work responsibilities, sleeping in, and doing what I want with my time have all been pretty easy to get used to.  The only real downside is I want to feel like I am still contributing financially in some way.

So now, instead of bringing home a paycheck, I get to provide free labor for home improvements!  I must admit, the house projects pretty much screeched to a halt during the first trimester of my pregnancy.  Who knew pregnancy fatigue could be so exhausting?!?  But recently my energy levels have picked up a little and I have set my sights on tackling some jobs around the house (while still finding the time to nap almost every day).

Project #1

First on the list, the upstairs bathroom.  Here is the one picture I could find of what it looked like before.  I wanted to capture the hideousness of the pink walls, but the picture does not do it justice.  They were seriously the color of Pepto Bismol.

What is not shown is the wooden toilet seat lid, outdated sea shell towel fixtures, boring shower curtain, and an unstained wooden vanity with plastic drawer handles.

I first removed those disgustingly ugly brown vinyl dots and repainted the pink walls.  I also  repainted the trim to go from cream to white.  Spencer helped me remove the old wooden toilet seat lid, and I installed a new white one.

Next, I sanded down and refinished the old vanity and replaced the plastic hardware with brushed nickel door pulls.

I added new towel racks and a toilet paper dispenser and a new shower curtain rod, shower curtain, towels, and rugs.

And the final product...

The wall and trim paint were left over from other projects, as were the wood stain and polyurethane for the vanity.  The only costs were the toilet seat lid, fixtures, shower curtain, towels, and rugs.  Not too shabby!

Project #2

We have a small two car garage, and Spencer is always working on auto repairs, rebuilding an old army trailer, or modifying the off-road capabilities of his 4Runner.  With no built-in garage shelving, it was getting pretty messy in there.  So for one of Spencer's Christmas gifts this year I had a cousin of mine help me build two 4' x 8' shelves to use in the garage.  Ben (my super-helpful cousin) gave me a supply list and instructions, and even helped me for a few hours one evening to get started building the shelves.  I finished up on my own the next day, and VOILA!  

Total cost for supplies was around $60, which is pretty cheap considering the size of the shelves and how sturdy they are.

Project #3

The second story of our house has been pretty neglected up to this point.  Since most of our main level rooms have been updated, it was now time to focus on the upstairs.  After finishing the upstairs bath, I turned my attention to the master bedroom.  It's a good-sized room, but every wall, the ceiling, and the trim around the doors were all painted the same creamy beige color.  Blah.  And the crown moulding (if you can call it that) and baseboards were just flat pine boards covered in a creamy beige whitewash.

Spencer pried off the old baseboards and crown moulding while I sifted through dozens of paint samples to try to find the slate blue-gray color I was envisioning for the room.  I eventually chose a color, bought the paint, and completely painted the room - two full coats plus trim and touch-ups.  I tried really hard to love the color I chose.  I told myself it would work.  I imagined what room accents I could get to go with it.  And after about two weeks of having the color up on the walls, I turned to Spencer just before going to bed and said, "I'm repainting the bedroom."  The color just was not right.  Too much blue, not enough gray.  Grrr.  

Now while the blue color was still up on the walls in the bedroom, before I decided to change it, I bought another paint color to use as an accent in the bedroom and to paint the upstairs hallway and stairs area.  I loved the way this new color looked in the hallway, so that's the color I used to repaint the bedroom.  And I love it in the bedroom too!  Good thing, because I did not want to have to repaint it all a third time!

Here's what the hallway and stairs look like now (the walls were a boring, dirty white before).

Spencer painted the tall parts of the walls around the stairs and helped with the trim around the stairway and hall.  I didn't trust myself to climb up a ladder on stairs while pregnant.  Yikes!

As for the bedroom, that is still a work in progress.  We got a killer deal on some new crown moulding thanks to a friend of ours who had the inside scoop on a company going out of business.  But it still needs to be installed and painted.  And we need to buy, install, and paint baseboards and trim for around the window.  At some point the master bath will be redone too.  And new carpet in the master bedroom, hallway, and stairs.  And I want to replace all the brass door knobs.  Before I can get to all that, I will be replacing all the cream colored outlets in the bedroom and hallway with white ones.  So no pictures of the bedroom yet.

My goal is to have the crown moulding, baseboards, and trim installed and painted by the middle of February.  Spencer is in charge of installing it all and I will paint.  I'd like to have the door knobs replaced by then too.  In fact, if I can fit it into the budget, I may go pick up new knobs and get them installed sometime next week.

Then it will be on to the main level office (which needs wallpaper removed - UGGHH!), the upstairs office/craft room, the upstairs bonus room (nice big room, floor to ceiling wallpaper - DOUBLE UGGHH!), and then down to the basement family room, spare bedroom, and bathroom.  The baby room upstairs was already painted a pretty pale yellow and has nice trim and molding, so it's basically ready to go.  Good thing too, because I have a feeling I'll be working on some (or most) of these projects after the baby comes.  Probably a while after the baby comes.  From what I hear, pregnancy fatigue kicks in again during the third trimester.  So I better get crackin' while I still can!

Boy, oh boy!

We went to our 20 week ultrasound appointment on December 22nd and found out, much to our surprise, we are having a BOY!!

Spencer and I both thought it would be a girl, and we even had a name all picked out.  Now we are hunting for a good boy name!  We are both so excited.

So here's how the ultrasound went.  The tech was very personable, and I think did a great job with everything.  We saw our little baby on the monitor right away, and he sure was active!  I hadn't really felt a whole lot of movement that I could recognize as the baby, so it was so reassuring to see that he was definitely moving around just fine.  Everything looked good and healthy, and the shot she got of the "boy parts" was very clear.  There shouldn't be any surprises on the day of his birth!

Here are the pictures from the ultrasound.  We also have a DVD of the entire process.  Each little picture has been labeled in the top left corner telling what the image is showing.

(click on the image to enlarge it)

My favorite is the top right picture where he is yawning with his little hand up by his face.  So cute!

Our appointment was scheduled for 7 pm, and when it was all over we went into the hallway and sat on the couch for a while just soaking it all in.  We called and texted family members to share the news, and then Spencer and I just sat with each other and enjoyed the moment.  

Since the ultrasound, I have really wanted to get things prepared for the baby.  I have spent hours on Amazon.com reading reviews and adding baby products to our registry.  I have also started organizing the baby room.  We've set up the crib and bought a used changing table and ordered crib bedding.  We still need a crib mattress, but I'm trying to hold out on buying one in case we acquire one as a gift.  Spencer's parents gave us an ADORABLE wooden rocking chair for the baby for Christmas, and my parents gave us a bag full of baby clothes, bottles, blanket, and more.  

I'm a little antsy about getting a bassinet, but it has been hard finding a good one for a reasonable price.  I have to keep telling myself I still have MONTHS left to go before the baby comes, but I just want everything in place NOW!  And Amazon.com's baby registry isn't helping.  Have I mentioned the hours I've spent on there?  And it's not like I am adding tons of things to our registry, it's just that each item has to be carefully scrutinized and compared and the reviews have to be read... 

So as of tomorrow I will be 22 weeks along, or about 5 months.  I'll post a belly picture tomorrow or Friday.  Today for the first time I can visibly see my tummy being kicked around by the baby.  It is pretty amazing.

Lucky Dog

I gave Jack an empty jar of peanut butter the other day.  It kept him busy for quite a while.

I think he liked it.