How to Clean a Glass Sink

Our first floor bathroom has a glass, above counter sink in an effort to make it look fancier. These things are definitely not cheap so you want to take good care of them. Since it's the downstairs bathroom, we don't do things like spit toothpaste in the sink or have hair products drain into it but it still gets dirty--mostly water spots.

We had first tried to use a rain-x type product that you would use on a windshield so the water drops wouldn't sit in the sink and would run off. This actually worked for a bit but I don't know if it just wore off or wasn't ideal but our sink is dirty again.

After researching, it sounds like you basically clean it like you would any other glass. You first wet it and wipe dry with a paper towel. (To be honest, I don't know what the point of this first step is but I have gone without it before and it really seems like you do need it.) Then, spray with windex or a vinegar solution. Let sit for a bit (like a minute or two) and wipe clean with a rag. Be careful that the rag is soft and smooth because glass can scratch easily and anything rougher (like some sponges) would be too much.

If you really want to make it shine, after wiping out the windex, wipe the sink again with crumpled newspaper.

And you're done. How easy is that?

Hot Weather, Kicks, Sunburn

Boy oh boy has it been hot here! This last heat wave (which hopefully ends today, started on Sunday) was even worse than the one a month ago! The temp was easily 100 every day with heat indexes even higher (living in the midwest with humidity is REALLY awful sometimes). Of course, being pregnant and without a/c I am a million times hotter than most people. It took some pretty intense public air conditioning (think library, out to dinner, seeing movies, etc) for me to even stop sweating while David is sitting next to me shivering. Being warmer while pregnant is no joke! 

But a happy thing about being pregnant this week is that David felt Teeny kick! Well, actually I think it was more of a headbutt because it definitely felt bigger than a foot but it's so exciting that he can feel too! He can't feel nearly as many as I can but it's still early. They say usually the dad can start feeling around 20-27 weeks and I'm 20 weeks today but he felt it a couple days ago. I seem to have advanced symptoms for everything. 

One more sad thing about being pregnant during this heat is that pregnant women get sunburned more easily because we produce more melanin. Great! I literally got sunburned walking from the house to the car in our driveway (maybe 40 steps away?). Not enough to get pink but enough to get itchy and start peeling. If you're outside for under 30 seconds, you should not be getting sunburn! That is just ridiculous but I guess I'm stuck in the house for the rest of summer unless I want to slather on sunscreen (which by the way, the smell makes me nauseous). 

I hope I don't complain about this pregnancy too much...I can't wait for the baby but I seem to have every bad symptom there is! Usually people don't get ALL of them but I guess I'm an exception. 

Shrimp Linguine

A while ago, I found a recipe I wanted to make that called for cream of shrimp soup. Our grocery store doesn't carry this so when I found it at another store, I was super excited. However, in between that time, I lost the recipe and couldn't find it anywhere. I did find another recipe that uses the soup and was super excited to make it while my mom was here because she doesn't get very many shrimp dishes at home (my dad and brother don't like seafood). So I finally made it this past week, with a few adjustments, and it was very very good!

1 can condensed cream of shrimp (do not dilute with water or milk)
1 pound shrimp (we use the frozen kind--make sure the tails are off)
1 pound linguine (typically one box)
about 1 cup chopped mushrooms
about 2 cups sugar snap peas

Cook the noodles according to the box and your preferences. Meanwhile, in a pot on medium heat, warm up the soup, shrimp, mushrooms, and peas. Stir frequently and cook until hot and bubbling. Ladle over the noodles.

This is very very easy and really doesn't take very long to make. You can mix up the vegetables to your family's tastes. I really recommend this recipe!

No More Posts This Week

Hey everybody. I know I was originally posting every day and then I got busier so it got down to a couple times a week. Now, my family is coming and staying til Sunday so I will not be posting any more this week so I can spend time with them. I will pick it back up on Monday (or Tuesday).

Fruity Crumble

I'm not really sure what to call this. The original recipe calls it a blueberry-peach crumble but I also added blackberries. Blackberry-blueberry-peach crumble is just too long! I made lots of modifications and I"m not even sure you could call it the same recipe as the original. This is what I did.

1/2 pint blueberries
3 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

Crumble topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a bowl, combine everything in the first ingredient list. Mix until fruit is well coated (David used his hands and kind of mushed it all together). Set aside.
3. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together with a whisk. Mix in the butter with your fingers until the mixture comes together and it's crumbly.  (Where my butter was ended up crumbly but not everything stuck to it. It still turned out okay)
4. Place in a glass baking dish. If you use a 2 qt dish, you  need to put a baking sheet under it to collect everything that bubbles over. We used a 5 qt dish and didn't need the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 minutes (until the topping is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly). Serve warm with ice cream! (You obviously don't have. Room temperature works too but with ice cream, it's SO much better!).

Corn on the Cob

Lots of food posts lately! Can you tell I've been feeling better so I can actually cook more?? It sure is nice! Anyway, we got corn on the cob from David's family (yay! more free food!) so we had to figure out how to cook it.

First of all, don't husk it until you are ready to cook it. I'm not entirely sure why this is but I assume it makes if you do it too early, your corn could dry out or something (kind of like peeling an apple way before eating it? I don't know. My guess.)

Now bring a covered pot of cold water to a boil. Add your (husked) corn and cook for 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, take it out of the water when time is up and you're done!

A couple notes: DO NOT salt your water. This makes your corn tough--not something you want. You can, however, add sugar to your water. David and I didn't do this but we did end up slathering it in salt and butter when it was done cooking and it was the most delicious thing I ever tasted (well, on that day. I swear I get a new favorite food every day). It was just like something from the fair---not really all that healthy for you (or at all really) but SO good you can't help but eat it anyway! Of course, you can eat yours plain or not completely smothered.

I'm also pretty sure you could make it in the microwave if you wanted. You'd have to have a covered microwavable container big enough to hold your corn and enough water to boil it in. I know my mom does this method but I'm sorry I can't be more help with it. I would assume you boil your water and let your corn sit in it for 3-4 minutes. (But I don't know how much microwave time that takes).

Chicken Salad With Grapes

I have never made chicken salad before (and up until my pregnancy, I hadn't eaten meat in 5 or 6 years) nor have I ever even tasted it. I decided on one with grapes since I have to use those up (notice how many things I have to use up lately? That's summer for ya. Everything's in season!). A lot of them called for celery but David said that's just for crunch anyway so I used cucumbers (with the seeds cut out). We plan on having this for dinner so I haven't officially had it yet but I did taste it to make sure I got my seasonings right and it's SO good! I should've made a bigger batch!

I think this will only serve 2 people but of course, adjust it as you need it.

2 chicken breasts, chopped and cooked (I have frozen ones that I just baked in the oven for 45 minutes at 375)
half a cucumber, chopped and de-seeded
grapes, cut in half (in half seemed a little bigger so maybe next time I'd do quarters, or I'd cut my chicken bigger) I aimed for about a cup of these and I have HUGE grapes so I think I used about 10 or 15
1 tsp liquid smoke (the original recipe called for worcestershire sauce but I don't have that. I looked up substitutions and this was a suggestion)---really just anything to give it a tangy flavor
mayo (or miracle whip), 1/2 cup or as much as you like. I don't measure but I think I actually managed a half cup

Mix everything in a bowl, chill and serve (on bread or in a wrap would be my suggestion but some people do crackers, chips, by itself, on a bed of lettuce, etc). I don't know how long to chill it before serving but we're not eating for several hours so....I have time. I'm so excited to eat it!! It was so easy to make and it seems very versatile. You could exchange the grapes for apples or craisins.  You could add walnuts or pecans. You could try steak sauce instead of liquid smoke. The options are endless! Plus it's perfect for a nice hot day when you want a cold dinner without much work and without turning the oven on (I did have to cook the chicken but technically, you could buy one of those roasted chickens from the grocery store).

Cucumber Mashed Potatoes

We were given about 7 or 8 decent sized cucumbers over the weekend. Cucumbers tend to go bad fast but I did learn the proper way to store them is on the counter, not in the fridge. This is because in the fridge, the cucumbers can get cold-related injuries. Weird, huh? Anyway, I can't just eat 8 cucumbers raw and not get sick of them. I looked up recipes and it seems the most common things people use them for are cucumber salad, cucumber sandwiches, and cold cucumber soup. None of those sounded like what I wanted (although I may make up some sandwiches today) but then I came across a recipe for cucumber mashed potatoes! I like mashed potatoes, I like cucumbers. It sure sounds like a strange combination but I'm sort of used to weird vegetables in my potatoes because David's grandma usually adds things, especially rutabaga. So I thought we'd try it. It only serves two people so if we didn't like it, we wouldn't be wasting much. (Oh and did I mention, we also got a whole grocery bag full of potatoes this weekend too?? But those last longer so I'm not in as much of a hurry to use them up. They're even still dirty from the garden---which apparently makes them stay good longer. Who knew?)

 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (we used red potatoes but I'm sure you can use anything)
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons milk, divided
1/2 small cucumber, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped onion (we used yellow and we keep our onions in the freezer so we don't cry when we cut them and when mixed with the hot potatoes, it thaws out just fine. We didn't cook them first or anything.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 tsp sugar

Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender (we used a fork to tell how easy they would mash since we forgot to chop the potato up first. It did take a little longer to cook but no big deal).

Drain well. Mash with butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. (This is a very basic way to make regular mashed potatoes so if you usually use more milk or butter, go right ahead). Stir in cucumber, onion, and salt. In a small bowl, stir vinegar and sugar into the remaining milk. Stir into potato mixture.

I just have to say not only was this recipe easy to make, it was AMAZING! I definitely give it 5 out of 5 stars, maybe even 6. I couldn't stop talking about how good it was! David is not a big fan of onion or vinegar but he thinks they're essential to the recipe so don't leave them out. He still gave it a 5 too!

Painting While Pregnant

This weekend, our master closet was ready to paint! I haven't worked on the house much since I got pregnant but I really wanted to contribute so I looked up if I could paint and they say yes, as long it's acrylic or latex (not oil). So we gathered all the supplies and since it's a closet, I decided I should use a mask (kind of like the ones surgeons wear) and we had brought in a fan for ventilation.

We opened the paint, stirred it up, and I started to paint. I ended up taking the mask off because it smelled worse than the paint itself but within very few strokes of paint rolling, the paint smell was also too much to handle. I thought if I just took a break, got some fresh air, I would be okay. So I sat in front of the window, breathing in the air and I felt better. I went back to painting and did about 3 more strokes and basically called it quits because the smell of the paint was so strong (remember, pregnant people have an amazing sense of smell) I was just getting a bad headache and felt like I may throw up.

Needless to say, David finished the job for me. (I did end up finding a job I could do, which was pounding nails into our plywood flooring).

If you are wondering if you can paint while pregnant, the answer is yes, it's safe for the baby (as long as you're being safe about it---taking breaks, keeping the area well ventilated) but you may end up saying no anyway because it's just hard to breathe all that in. My advice is you won't know til you try but you better have someone there to finish the job (or least pour the paint back in the can for you and clean up) just in case.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cake was prominently featured in my dream last night so I woke up wanting some very very badly. We don't buy the cake mixes (although we do buy brownie mixes) so I looked at the ingredients we had to come up with what kind of cake I wanted. We didn't have the ingredients to make our own frosting so I decided a pound cake would be nice. We have some cream cheese we need to use up so I thought this recipe would be perfect. I've never made it before but it's been sitting in my arsenal of recipes I want to try for a really long time. I will be making it tonight since you want all the ingredients at room temperature and my butter is frozen (literally. We didn't have enough left in the fridge to make this cake but we did have some in the freezer)

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese (people say the low fat kind works out just fine)
• 1 1/2 cups butter (I believe this works out to be 3 sticks)
• 3 cups sugar (this sounds like a bit much to me and all the comments on the original recipe said to cut this down. 2 1/2 cups if you are a real sugar lover, 2 cups if you want)
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups flour (all purpose works just fine but cake flour is best)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (or whatever you want to use. I think lemon would be really good)

Directions:

1. Grease your 10 inch tube pan (I will be using an angel food cake pan).

2. In a large bowl, mix your butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until mixture is fluffy.

3. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add all the flour at once and mix in. Add the extract.

4. Pour into the pan. Put in the cold oven at 325 degrees. Check after an hour. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. All ovens are different so check frequently but could take an hour and a half or longer. 

Note: I made this last night and it was SO good. David gives it 5 out of 5 stars. We used about 2 1/4 cups sugar with vanilla extract. Be patient when you are mixing and it will turn out just fine (it took us an hour twenty to bake). We did think it might also be good with whip cream and berries but it's also awesome on its own. 

Finding Out the Gender of Your Baby

David and I still have a few weeks to decide (I'm 17 weeks along) if we want to know Teeny's gender or not but I think we have finally decided not to (we may still change our minds but for now this is our reasoning). Of course we're excited and would like to know but here are some of our reasons for NOT finding out:

• It's not 100% accurate. I don't know the true percentage but I do know of people (and my mom personally knows people) who are told one gender and then the baby comes, and it's the other gender. Butts can look like vaginas, hands can look like penises....yes, the technician knows more than you do but they have been known to be wrong.
• We are planning on having more than one child so we are trying to keep everything gender neutral. Some people find out so they can decorate a certain way and buy gender specific clothes but since we plan on reusing the same things for each child, it doesn't make sense to have it gender specific.
• There are very few true surprises in life. We are going to be happy with a boy or a girl (some people find it weird that we aren't rooting for one or the other but at this point, we really are neutral on it) so it doesn't really matter to us which gender comes first.
• If you are more traditional like we are (before I got pregnant, I wasn't even going to let David in the room. He was going to have to wait out in the hall like plenty of dads from decades ago), then it makes sense not to find out ahead of time. They weren't always able to give you a sonogram and tell you what gender. Just let it be natural without technology involved (sonograms still have a purpose other than the telling you the gender though).
• My midwife says you're more likely to push harder and want to get through labor faster if you don't know the gender because you're anxious to know. It makes your effort more worthwhile.
• If we knew the gender, it would be really hard not to call Teeny but whatever our top ranking name is. This really bothers me when people do it because sometimes the baby comes, and they just aren't a (whatever name you picked). I think you should have your top choices when you go to the hospital but decide once you get there. It seems easier to do this if you don't know the gender.

I guess those are all the reasons I have but of course it's totally up to you and your partner as to whether or not you are going to find out. 70% of couples do find out (which means that 30% of couples don't). It's completely personal preference and I'm not trying to put my opinion on you, but if you are undecided these are just some things to think about. 

Getting Rust Off Silverware

David and I bought cheap silverware right after we got married because the good stuff is kind of expensive and this is one thing we didn't get as a wedding present. We've had it about a year now and the rust on some of the pieces is horrible. We used to wash our dishes by hand and let them air dry on the counter. For the most part, we now put everything in the dishwasher but we still let it air dry (to save on energy costs). However, I recently found out that this is very bad for the silverware and no wonder we have rust spots! We assumed it was just the cheap silverware copping out on us but then we were given some nicer (older) silverware that quickly got rust spots too so we knew something was wrong.

We have always been pretty good about doing our really nice, expensive knives by hand and towel drying right away but now I know you're supposed to do that with your silverware too. So in the future, that's what we'll do but for now we have the problem of rusty silverware. However, there is a solution!

Depending on how many pieces you have to clean (in our case a lot), you can use a lemon or bottled lemon juice. You mix it with baking soda (or cream of tartar) until you have a thick paste (does this remind you about my tea stain post? Apparently baking soda can clean anything!). Then you rub it on your silverware, rinse well, and towel dry (do NOT let air dry--apparently ever!). If it still has rust, you can repeat. And voila! You have clean silverware again.

I will note that I haven't tried this method yet but everywhere else online recommends it. I will also mention that for your fancy knives, you can soak them in a glass of lemon juice and then rinse and towel dry. I'm not sure why they would be any different but I don't want to take any chances wrecking ours because like I said, they were NOT cheap (although they were a gift).

I'm excited to try this method and I'll be sure to let you guys know how it goes!

Cocoa During Pregnancy

As you may know from previous posts, Cocoa (our bunny) lives in an area in our loft surrounded by 3 foot tall fencing. She has developed two petting spots: her step stool and her speaker box (we put weird stuff in her area but she loves it all!). Her step stool is actually so we can get in (we have a step stool on our side too) since 3 feet is so tall (but it has to be that tall or she can jump over it. Actually, she can still jump the 3 feet but since we got her spayed, she hasn't tried.) With both of her petting spots, you can just lean over the fence and pet her so you don't have to inside. You do have to go inside (or really really lean over) to get her more food and water though.

However, since I have gotten my baby bump, it is really hard to lean over the fence to pet her (at either spot, although her bench is a little easier because it's closer to the fence.) (I'm sorry all the logistics are hard to explain but my picture uploading never got fixed). I also can't lean over to feed her anymore and I really struggle getting into her area without losing my balance (a common pregnancy symptom).

This means, David has to feed her and give her more water every time (instead of just half the time). He also has to wait for her to jump on her speaker box so he can take her out and put her on my lap so I can pet her and give her some attention. (She knows she only comes out if she goes on her box and we'd like to keep it that way). So, in other words, David has to do a lot more work. He was also the only person who could reach her litter box without going in (that was true even before my bump) so he can hand it to me and I will dump it and refill it. Lately though, the smell of Cocoa's pee is so bad I can barely do it without throwing up. Another job for David! He's been a good sport about it all but I know it's only going to get worse once the baby comes. I wonder if other people have this problem with their pets during pregnancy.

P.S. Cocoa receives plenty of love and attention. She never goes thirsty or hungry. My pregnancy makes it harder to do things for her but don't worry, they still get done and she doesn't feel deprieved in any way. She probably doesn't even notice the changes.

50 Books Reached!

Back in January, I decided I was going to read 100 books this year. After a few weeks of realizing how hard that was going to be, I backed off to 85. This is still more than most people I know. There are all kinds of people who have the goal to read 50 books in a year (roughly one a week). Last night, I finished my 50th book for this year! It's only a month after the halfway point of the year so I still have plenty of time to meet my goal (and I'm right on schedule) but I am so excited that I made it to 50! I will admit that most days, I read about 100 pages and I know that isn't realistic for some people so if 50 is your goal. that is still quite commendable. Most of my books are around 400 pages so don't think all my books are like Dr. Seuss or something either. I think the shortest book I read so far was around 250 pages and the longest was close to 800.

I've read several different genres but I do admit most of them are girly chick lit books. I have also read a lot of thrillers and murder mysteries, as well as others. Almost all of my books came from the public library, even though I do have a personal home library. I only check out 3 books at a time and I don't check out any more books until I finish those 3. I'm not quite sure how I decided on 3 but they fit in the crook of my arm nicely (I walk to the library) and I can finish them between a week or two so I can still go to the library frequently.

I keep track of everything on shelfari.com. It's a free website that allows you to keep track of books you have read, are reading, and plan to read. It's all very  nicely organized and even linked to amazon if you want to buy something. If you are need of an online bookshelf, I highly recommend this site. The downfall is (to my knowledge), they don't have a phone app yet but there are lots of forums about it so I wonder if they'll be getting one soon.

Happy reading!

My Latest Pregnancy Symptom

So I believe my morning sickness may have FINALLY stopped (I'm 16 weeks as of yesterday) and they do say you'll feel better and more like yourself in the second trimester but now I'm one of those lucky people who leaks colostrum (it's like your "pre-milk" and the baby will actually have this for the first few days of breastfeeding before your real milk comes in. It's full of protein and vital nutrients for the baby.) UGH! Sorry for those of you I didn't warn with a TMI label but...this is not fun. Apparently, the only way to stop it is to have something to absorb it (like breast pads). If you're unlucky like me, you'll be sitting around in your cotton-topped pajamas and leak....and then your nipple will seriously be stuck to your shirt because it's a sticky substance. If you pull it off, prepare for pain almost as bad as a band aid! Ok now this is getting gross. I'll stop. For most people it happens in your third trimester but for some of us who are less lucky, you can get it as early as like 13 weeks (or earlier if it's not your first kid). Great!

On the up side, due to lots of promo codes I received because I'm on pregnancy newsletter email subscriptions, I got a free baby sling, free car seat canopy, free nursing cover, and a free nursing pillow! I just had to pay shipping, which equaled less than 40 dollars (although their shipping was a little pricey...). The products (without the shipping) would've cost me almost 200 dollars!! So I got a bargain and couldn't be happier! It's not only world breastfeeding week, it's national breastfeeding month! If any of you are in the market for anything I have listed and wouldn't mind paying about 10 dollars shipping, let me know and I can get you the codes for those products. Just leave it in the comments!