My attempt not to look like Casper the friendly ghost

This time last year I had just returned from my honeymoon cruise a bronzed goddess and then was lucky enough to spend Memorial Day weekend in the sunny islands of Hawaii. My transition into summer clothes was not a problem. I was more than happy to show off my fabulous tan. This year my legs have not seen the light of day in months and it is down right scary. Since a few sessions in the tanning bed were out, my mission to find a decent sunless tanning lotion began.

I scoured the shelves at CVS trying to find one that wouldn't make me look like an oompa-loompa and decided to try Jergen's Natural Glow Express Formula. Three shades darker in only three days? Sounded like a winner to me. They were out of the fair/medium variety so I went with the medium/tan praying this wouldn't turn into a disaster. I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up the next morning to see a pretty big difference. My biggest mistake was not using any on my hands or feet which resulted in a very obvious white line at my wrists and ankles. Oops. I was able to correct it pretty easily and am now sporting a pretty even sunkissed glow. (It still looks a little funky around my feet, but I think it's because I got a shade darker than I should have.) Plus I didn't think it smelled like a stinky self tanner at all and it left my skin super soft. Bonus! All in all I give it a B+. I think I may try the non-express formula now that I have a pretty good start.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 1

Day 3

Anyone have a favorite sunless tanner they can recommend??

Bump Day - 22 Weeks

( I told the hubs I don't even feel like taking these pictures anymore. Will I EVER actually look pregnant instead of just bigger??)

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 6 pounds overall. Lost 2 this week. Thank God. I knew those 10 pounds in 2 weeks were a total fluke. Some how only gaining 8 makes me feel better. It's the little things these days.

Maternity Clothes? Yep. Though I've resorted to using my belly band to help hold up my maternity scrubs, I'm just not big enough yet to keep them up on my own.

Sleep: Great! I wake up in all these weird new positions, but if it's keeping me asleep, who cares how much of the bed I take up! Oh right, my husband who's practically being pushed off.

Stretch marks: Nada

Best moment this week: Adam got to feel the baby kick...for real this time!! I was laying in bed one night and the baby was pretty active in there, so I grabbed his hand and immediately two STRONG kicks right in a row. It was pretty amazing.

Movement: Lots more these days. I even SAW kicks this week. Yep, looked down and sure enough, my belly moved. This little guy is getting pretty strong!

Food cravings: I hate to disappoint...but not a whole lot of weird cravings these days. I'm kind of in a food rut. I eat the same breakfast and the same lunch every day. Can you say boring?

Gender: Team Blue!

Labor Signs: Nada.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Pants that stay up. Hopefully when I get bigger these elastic waist pants won't need constant readjusting. I think I may actually miss real jeans with buttons. Don't get me wrong, the maternity pants are super comfy, but there's just something not right about a grown woman wearing pull ups.

What I'm looking forward to: Strangers noticing I'm pregnant....heck people I know noticing I'm pregnant. Though I will probably need some sort of a bump before that happens. So many people find out and are shocked at how far along I am. They think by telling me I look great and they couldn't even tell is flattering...when in reality it just makes me wonder how big they thought I was before.

Weekly Wisdom: When registering for your first baby, do as much research as possible BEFORE you enter crazy baby land. It helped a ton and minimized the in store arguments. Though no matter how prepared you think you are when you go in....you will still be ridiculously overwhelmed by the giant wall of nipples. What's the deal with all those anyways??

Milestones: I did a car seat test run to make sure everything fit in the car. I was proud I got the base installed all by myself and then continued to drive around with it in all weekend cause it made me feel like a real mom. Haha. I'm such a dork.

What do you think about reincarnation??

Cause I've decided in my second life I want to be reincarnated as Samantha Brown.
Or at the very least her travel buddy.

She has maybe the coolest job ever....

Who wouldn't want to get paid to travel across the world,
Get VIP treatment and special behind the scenes tours,

Spend half you day eating at 5 star restaurants and local dives

AND have your very own show on the Travel Channel.

I'm just sayin'

Tasty Tuesday -- Crockpot Edition

So lately my crockpot has seen more action than I have.

I blame pregnancy....on both.

But seriously....who doesn't love dumping a whole bunch of crap into a pot before work only to be greeted by a homecooked meal when you walk in the door?

Here's a few of my faves...some old some new. Enjoy!!

Chicken and Dumplings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 TB butter

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I used 1 cream of chick/1 cream of celery)

1 can chicken broth

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 12 oz tube refrigerated biscuit dough torn into pieces

2 cans peas/carrots drained (optional)

(I also added a few generous shakes of salt and pepper)
Place chicken, butter, soup, chicken broth, veggies and onion in crockpot. Cover and cook 5 to 6 hours. About 60-90 minutes before serving shred the chicken and place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until dough is no longer raw in center. (I kept the cooker on low until I added the dough, then switched to high for the last hour)

Black Bean Chicken

(This one I can't take full credit for...I borrowed if from Ms. D.A.R)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can corn, drained

2 cups salsa

4 oz cream cheese

Throw salsa, beans, corn, and chicken into crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. Shred chicken. Add cream cheese till melted - stir everything together - serve over rice or with tortillas.

BBQ Pork

Pork Tenderloin

Bottle BBQ sauce

Place pork in crockpot, cover with BBQ sauce. Cook all day. Shred meat. Eat.

Could it GET any easier than that??

Bon Appetite!!

Bump Day -- 21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds up. Sigh. I guess pregnancy finally caught up with me. I gained 5 more pounds this week. I'm kind of baffled, since I haven't changed my habits....how exactly does one gain 10 pounds in two weeks?? Looks like I have some walking in my future....and a few less trips to the kitchen.

Maternity Clothes? Yes. They're still a little baggy, but even my last pair of non maternity scrub pants I'd been wearing has officially been retired.

Sleep: Better this week.

Stretch marks: Nada

Best moment this week: Seeing our little man on screen again, knowing he's healthy and right on track!!

Movement: Some days a lot, other days not so much. The hubs claims he felt a kick the other night....but I think he was crazy. I haven't even felt an outside kick yet, and the baby wasn't moving when he says he felt it. Oh well. I didn't want to dash his hopes and dreams.

Food cravings: Not much this week...but my sweet tooth is definitely back in full force and probably has a lot to do with those pesky 8 pounds.

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nada.

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Beer. Last Friday was the first time I was bummed I couldn't enjoy a cold, frothy, adult beverage. With spring on the horizon and more time spent outside....I see a lot more bummed moments in my future.

What I'm looking forward to: Registering this weekend!! The amount of crap the modern day baby needs is insane!

Weekly Wisdom: When you gain 5 pounds, two weeks in a row, and your husband tells you to work out more...refrain from punching him in the man business. Even if that's what you really want to do.

Milestones: We bought our crib mattress and car seat this week. Babies R Us was having a one day sale and we saved 20% on both! I'd never been so excited by a coupon in my life! I can't WAIT to move next month and start setting up the nursery!

F....as in F'ing shoot me now!

I knew I left that darn thing somewhere!

So I finally went to get some new bras.

The old ones just weren't cutting it anymore and I don't see any relief in the near future.

In fact from what I hear, it's only going to get worse.

I joyfully walk into the Maternity store, hubs in tow, to see just how big the girls were.

The cheery sales woman offers to measure me first, so I agree.

Easier than a giant guessing game right?

This is where the fun stops.

I went in wearing my pre-pregnancy bra, an already huge 38D.

I left with two bras boulder holders in a size 42F.

I actually almost cried when she told me I was an E but that I better get the F for growth.

I looked at her very seriously and said....do you even MAKE that size.

She laughed and walked me to the back...where they hide the big ones...and showed me my choices. Ugly and uglier.

So what's my husband doing this whole time? Consoling his poor wife? No. Grinning from ear to ear. Not because he's taking pleasure in all my pain and embarrassment...but because he thinks it's AWESOME that his wife has such huge boobs.

"But hun, don't you know how lucky you are?!? Most women have to pay for boobs that big"

Great. Thanks for the uplifting words. They're really helping me right now as I buy this bra with a trap door in it for easy access. And no hun, that doesn't mean easy access for YOU! Nice try though.

Shoot me now.

Wishful Wednesday: Handbag Edition

This weeks Wishful Wednesday spoke to me like no others! I may or may not have actually squealed at work yesterday when it was announced. As you know...I am a self proclaimed purse-a-holic. I have big feet and I'm tall so shoes are hard to find....purses however are the perfect one size fits all accessory. I literally have to speed walk past the Coach store so I don't even peek inside. It's a problem really. I think I should be going to meetings. Anyways, that being said I couldn't possible have picked just ONE bag, oh no. So here it is, my

'I wish' .... I could afford these ______ handbags without putting a dent in my pocketbook!

No wish list would be complete without a Louis Vuitton. I introduce to you the Tivoli GM...isn't she gorgeous. Pardon me while I drool....

Hello Burberry Hobo bag with the amazing white trim. Wouldn't you look nice on my arm all summer? I think so too! It may even warrant a trip to the Hampton's.

My mother always told me every woman needs a classic Chanel Clutch. Who's to argue with that? Not me. I've see my mother angry and it's not pretty.
And of course I couldn't leave out my beloved Coach. The only designer bags I can actually afford...when they're on sale....at the outlet....and I have an extra 20% coupon. I've always wanted one of their luggage pieces and when I saw the pink trim I almost died. Le sigh.