Mommy Mondays Week 21

It's hard to believe I am officially more than halfway through my pregnancy! I really feel like time is flying by, although I doubt I'll feel this way when I'm huge. I've watched a ton of Vlogs on YouTube, and I love the way women answer the same questions every week about their pregnancy. I've decided to pick a few to answer. Because I'm starting out a little later, I'm going to skip things like gender (she's a girl), morning sickness (already had it), and whether or not I'm in regular clothes (trust me, I've definitely outgrown them). I will also include a belly shot every week, they're so much fun!

The Nursery

Good news! I can finally start planning the nursery now that I know what we're having . . .

Mommy Mondays

The secret is out! My husband and I are expecting our first baby, due February 4, 2014! I've been wanting to announce this on my blog for quite some time, but life kept getting in the way! I've been working full time, pretty much, since April. It's been exhausting. We found out we were expecting in June, and I've been completely exhausted ever since!

I'm attempting to commit myself to 2-3 blog days a week. I can do Mommy Mondays, maybe a recipe on Wednesday, and something else on Fridays? It's hard setting aside the time. I work, come home, watch Netflix, eat something that can be heated up, and then go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. And basically sleep all day and run errands on the weekends. Luckily I'm 5 months along now, and feeling much better! I have energy and motivation again, something I've been lacking for a while.

So if there is anything in particular you would like me to blog about, let me know in the comments below! I am also open to doing YouTube videos, if that's something you're interested in. I can definitely do a baby haul soon, we are getting so much cute stuff from grandma(s) already! I think it's easier to share in video form. Although I'm extremely nervous about that! Can't wait to update more about the pregnancy. My weeks roll over on Tuesdays, so tomorrow I will be 19 weeks! ^_^

Dairy Free Coconut Flan

  Without a doubt one of the best parts of the flan, besides the velvety rich texture, is the caramel syrup at the bottom. I love sugar, but my body does not! I've recently rekindled my love affair with agave nectar (organic and raw) and decided to give it a shot in place of the caramel syrup. Agave is already a thick luscious syrup, all I had to do to thicken it up a bit more was place it in the fridge. I hope you find this recipe as satisfying as I did. I highly recommend toasting the coconut before you add it in, it just creates another wonderful layer of flavor in this dessert.

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

  Unfortunately I had trouble getting good pictures of this dish, the above shot was the winner. This was one of those meals where you could eat a giant bowl, and then go back for more. So I recommend making this for a crowd; save yourself from those extra pounds!

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 3 of 3: The Food

  This is the most delicious part of the tea party series, food! Luckily when throwing a casual tea party for friends, you can make the food as simple as you'd like. I recently co-hosted a tea party for a few close friends; M and I decided to keep the food pretty casual and simple. I made chicken salad on croissants, and she made delicious BLT's with avocado on white bread; no crusts, of course.

Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna

  Oh my goodness. This. Was. Good.

 We love Italian food, especially the stuff heavy on the carbs. However, me being me (aka high maintenance) I am currently eating low carb/low sugar. It just seems to work best for me! Hubby wanted lasagna, so I decided to ditch the noodles and use zucchini.  Not only does skipping the noodles cut the carbs, it cuts the calories significantly. So you can have more cheese. Because really, isn't that what life is all about? More cheese? Maybe that's just my life.

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 2 of 3: High Tea

  Welcome back for part two of how to throw a tea party. Today I will discuss how to host high tea. Many Americans associate high tea with something very fancy and regal; however, in other countries it's thought of as meat tea, or simply: dinner. 

Throwing a Casual Tea Party, Part 1 of 3: The Buffet

 Hello all! Life has been crazy lately. I was sick three times in the first three months of this year, and one of those illnesses was the flu. Yuck. My husband started a new job, I was in the process of being interviewed and thankfully also started a new job! We have been busy bees, and cooking has been on the back burner. Our meals have consisted of pre-made salads, quesadillas, and crock pot meals. Something that has been a constant in my day to day is tea. 

Firmoo Glasses!

I was contacted by Firmoo.com recently, and was excited to learn more about the company when I heard they sold glasses and sunglasses. Here in sunny California I can't go a day without sunglasses, but I never spend the money to get good quality glasses. Firmoo offers your first pair free, you just pay for shipping. If you don't like the glasses you can exchange them, or get a refund. 

My new glasses arrived at the perfect time, because my super cheap new pair had just broke. It wasn't an issue of the lens popping out, the side of my sunglasses actually broke off. It was tragic. When my sunglasses from Firmoo arrived I was happy with the packaging. I received a hard case, a soft pouch, and an eyeglass repair kit. The hard case is nice because when my sunglasses get put in my handbag they get smashed and tossed around. I'm hoping the hard case will help prevent future scratching, and smashing. The hard case is also super lightweight which I appreciate since my purse already weighs about 5000 lbs.

I have to say that the glasses I chose are totally not something I would go for normally. I always reach for aviators, but I thought these glasses looked sort of vintage. Plus I think they're on trend so maybe I look cool wearing them? Overall I love the glasses, mainly because they stay on my face without falling down. I really don't have a particularly small face or nose, but glasses always without fail fall, not slide, off of my face. I'm convinced my husband wears them when I'm not looking and stretches them out. I got these glasses with the darkest brown tint, since I don't actually need prescription lenses. They work great as sunglasses because the tint is dark enough to shield my light eyes from the sun, but I still feel like I can see clearly. They don't darken everything while I'm driving, I just feel like my eyes are protected and I don't have to squint. 

The customer service was great, and shipping was fast. I received these glasses in a week, which was great timing, I was due for a new pair of sunglasses. I chose this style frame, with the C3 coloring. I love the coloring because it's a hint of the tortoise shell but the top and sides of the frame are just plain brown. 

I'm definitely happy with my new glasses, head on over to Firmoo's website if you're looking for nice and affordable glasses!