Preggo Meg O. - 33 Weeks! (plus a purse thief story)

Today I am 33 weeks pregnant! Woo hoo!! Baby O. is the size of a pineapple today, weighing 4.25 pounds! OMG, seriously?!?

I think I've really popped.....

What do you think? Pardon Greg's foot in the background. He was in the middle of watching Judge Judy (his other lover).

Random Preggo Thoughts:

- I discovered this dress in my closet and it works so well as a maternity dress! I forgot I had it.

- The scrape on my right foot is from falling down a few stairs in the theatre last week. Whoops.

- I had some nausea/puking the other night when I never had morning sickness this entire pregnancy. I am convinced it was a 24-hour bug because I was achy/feverish.

- Baby O. is definitely putting some pressure on my sciatic nerve. Sometimes I feel some numbness in my right leg while walking and it is so awk.

- It is getting more and more of a pain to get dressed every day.

- I still feel great, although I do feel like my weight gain has been too much. It's been close to 30 pounds. No lie. My butt and thighs feel like serious hams.

- My doctor said that he wasn't worried about my weight.
- My toes look absolutely atrocious, as I cannot reach my feet anymore. Professional pedicures from here on out!

And here's the infamous purse story from last night.

Greg and I went to a volunteer appreciation dinner (he is a court appointed special advocate for Child Advocates). Yep, a charity event. It was in this open air pavilion, so anyone could basically walk in and out. I brought a small purse with me with just a few items in it (iPhone, compact, lip gloss, driver's license, and one credit card). I got up to use the restroom and when I got back, the purse was gone. We started looking everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. We asked some of the caterers if they had picked it up, which they hadn't. So, we came to the conclusion it got taken. 

Immediately, Greg opened up the "Find My iPhone" app on his phone so we could locate my phone (because, obviously, that's where the purse would be). Sure enough, on the map, it was slowly moving a block away from where we were. Yep, it got stolen.

Greg was determined to get it. He and another guy ran off immediately. They got in Greg's car. Greg was driving while the other guy was looking at the GPS. Sure enough, they see this random hobo/ghetto dude walking down the street with my phone in his hand. They pull the car in front of him and accost the man, saying, "DUDE, what the EFF are you doing with my wife's purse?? MAN, what's your problem??? How dare you steal from a pregnant woman!!"

Random hobo ghetto guy said, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about! A dude named Eric sold this to me for ten dollars!"

Long story short, they pretty much ripped the purse and phone out of the ghetto hobo's hands and called the police while following him. They lost him and came back to the event. Next thing I see is Greg running towards me with my phone. The purse and phone were recovered. But for some reason, random ghetto hobo guy felt the need to keep my lip gloss, compact, driver's license, and credit card (which was immediately deactivated).

I hope ghetto hobo dude doesn't come to my house searching for retaliation. My thoughts is since he doesn't have a car, he probably doesn't want to walk 30 miles south.

Moral of the Story: Activate your "Find My iPhone", if you have one. It may save you from random ghetto hobo dudes.

p.s. Greg is a total BADASS.

3 Years Ago Today...

...he asked me to marry him.

Just a re-enactment ;)

The "real" proposal, as he likes to claim. But it wasn't.

How things have changed in the last three years! Who knew I would be almost ready to pop with our first child, have bought a house, and have a little Dexter cat?

I love him more and more every day.

If you'd like to read our engagement story, visit HERE (trust me, it's a good one).

It's Going Fantastically...

One weekend of shows down, one more to go! My sanity is slowly but surely returning.

Here's a few little gems for your viewing pleasure.... 

If you're an H-town Blogger, I invite you to come out and see it! Let me know if you want to come.

So, what have I missed? Looking forward to getting back to my regularly scheduled posts!

Too, too busy.

Sorry I've been a little M.I.A.

I attribute my absence to this:

Directing high school theatre is a time sucker, especially show week.

This week's stressors include:
- Students setting off the fire alarm and the fire department being called after I had already left rehearsal. Some idiots went back into the theatre after rehearsal and played with the fog machines.
- Having to meet with the principal after said fire alarms went off. Luckily she is on my side.
- Almost having to kick a lead role out of the show four days before opening night because of not showing up to rehearsal. We fixed the problem.
- Staying until school until 8-9 p.m.
- Lights not finished being hung and focused
- Not having a toy piano and having no idea where to get one. I think I'm going to go to Toys R Us and get a small electric piano and spray paint it.
- Spending more time with my students than my own husband (and cat).
- Wanting too much Starbucks than the healthy amount for the baby
- Losing hundreds of dollars worth of makeup and makeup brushes. Note to self: never bring a few items to do makeup with at school, especially every single one of your MAC eye brushes. The good news is I have a crap ton of makeup and am not missing lots of actual products.
- Falling down some stairs in the dark theatre. I mean, it was only 3 stairs from the light booth, but I got a battle carpet burn to prove it.


I don't mean to gripe. Okay, maybe I am griping. But I'm sorry I haven't been around to read blogs and bring you posts. I'll return ASAP!

In happier news, Opening Night is tomorrow! Let's break a leg!

Christmas Card Help

It might be a little weird that I'm posting about Christmas cards in October, but this little preggo's gotta plan. With Baby O.'s due date being December 16, this year's Christmas card needs to be a little inventive... and sent out in November. Heck, my Christmas shopping is getting done this month!

Here's last year's card!

Haha, kidding.

It was actually this:

How things change in one year!

So far, the idea is that this year we would use a maternity picture with Greg and I and have a theme of Baby O. being the present. I've gotta get creative and use some cute wording.

This year, I'm going to use TinyPrints for our Christmas cards. They have a really adorable selection of Christmas/Holiday cards... so many beautiful designs! They also have address labels and party invitations. How fun!

So, let's take a look at what I've picked out so far. I need your help deciding! What is your favorite? Keep in mind, a maternity picture will be on the front!

Option #1

via

So the thought behind this one is I would use some cute wording on the back like "Coming this December, our greatest gift of all!"

Option #2

via

Now how cute would this be with a maternity pic? I would probably put something on the back like "'Tis the Season for bundles of joy! Wishing your family the gifts of the season."

Option #3

via

Again, I'd have to think of some cute wording for the back about "bundles of joy."

Option #4

via

Would this be too.... overkill? Remember... maternity pic.

Option #5

via

Once again, some kind of wording with "bundle of joy." 

So, which one's your favorite? I'm feeling kind of stumped.

Also, if you have any cute ideas for the wording/back of the card, I am all about your input!

Disclosure: For writing this post, Tiny Prints is offering me 50 Christmas cards.

Yoga Poses for Prenatal Relief

You might have seen me tweet before on how much I love my prenatal yoga class. I go once a week to an hour class, although I wish it were offered more than one night a week!

Before I got pregnant, I had been practicing yoga pretty regularly and seriously for about a year (after only dabbling in it before). I started going to a yoga studio where they focus a lot on alignment points, breathing, the physiological benefits, and personal practice. It's much different than doing it at home or at the gym. MUCH different. You get a lot of one-on-one attention to alignment and instruction this way and you can really feel the benefits in a short time. You really could be doing the poses incorrectly and when you practice at home or elsewhere, you might not reap the full benefits yoga has to offer. Once you know alignment points and breathing, it's good to practice on your own.

Since becoming pregnant, I have continued my yoga practice in a modified way. During the summer, I was still doing yoga in full force without having to modify much, but now that the baby bump is bigger, I am having to modify things. But let me tell you, yoga is great for pregnancy. I am still very balanced. In fact, at rehearsal the other day, I led my students in some yoga poses to warm up and I was far more balanced than half of them! I am also still pretty flexible and strong and I don't feel swollen (yet). I feel it is really helping me carry this baby in a healthy way.

Me doing (iPhone holding) tree pose at 30 weeks pregnant

I just wanted to talk about a few poses that we do in the prenatal class that are just heavenly. I know there has to be some pregnant women who read my blog, but these poses are great in general. Even if you have never done yoga before, these poses are great to try at home when you're feeling particularly frumpy or swollen (and that applies to any woman, not just a pregnant one)! I would take pictures of myself doing these poses but that requires a photographer that's not me.

Legs Up the Wall

Prenatal Modification: Elevate the head and chest a bit with some pillows/blankets. Also have hips a little further away from the wall, so the body looks more like a "V".  

Benefits: Relieves swollen legs and pressure on the lower back. It is also said that this pose is an "anti-aging" pose!

Child's Pose

Prenatal Modification: Widen legs to a wide "V" to make room for the baby bump. You can also stack one hand on top of the other and rest your head on your hands as a little pillow.

Benefits: Child's pose is a restorative pose. So this relieves pressure on the back, legs, and upper body. This is a good pose to do after doing other poses. In fact, do this pose in between other poses.

Happy Baby

Prenatal Modification: Keep legs wide to make room for the baby bump. Rock from side to side to give the lower back a little massage.

Benefits: Stretches out the hips and thighs, gently massages the lower back.

Triangle Pose

Prenatal Modification: Use a block or put a hand on the coffee table if you cannot reach the floor.

Benefits: Strengthens upper body, lengthens the torso without pressure on the baby

---

I highly recommend trying these poses out, even if you are not pregnant! It would also help menstrual cramps or stress relief. If you ever get a chance to try yoga at a studio, I would definitely recommend it.

What kinds of things do you do for relief (prenatal or otherwise)?
Anything helps as I reach the end of this pregnancy!

My Five Minute Face

If you know me pretty well, you know that I never really leave the house without any kind of makeup on my face. Last weekend, I was on the way to the grocery store, so I did my "5 Minute Face." I figured I'd snap a photo and tell you how to make a 5 Minute Face look great. Let me just say, my face is far from having perfect texture and evenness. Like always, I did not retouch this photo.

Products Used:
MAC Studio Finish Concealer
Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation
Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara "Carbon Black"
L'Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Liner in Black
MAC Matte Bronze
Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss


The important thing when doing a 5 Minute Face is to focus on evening out your skin tone. This is where concealer is your best friend. I have 6 foundations in my arsenal that I rotate, and I hardly use the mineral one -- only on those days when I need something quick. It does a decent job of doing what I need it to do. On most days, I use a liquid foundation (in case you were wondering, I also own the MUFE HD, MUFE Mat Velvet +, MAC Pro Longwear, Dr. Jart BB Cream, and Revlon Colorstay). Another important point is framing your face by defining your brows and applying mascara. So, if you don't do anything else, apply concealer, define your brows, and use mascara.



1. After applying my moisturizer (I love the Yes To Carrots Daily Facial Moisturizer), I use the concealer on trouble spots - redness, acne scars, unevenness, underneath my eyes, around my nose, and down the bridge of my nose. I spend the most time on this part.

2. Using a kabuki brush, I buff the mineral foundation all over my foundation, including over my eyes. I really focus on evening out my skin tone while doing this.

3. I fill in my brows with the brow pencil. This is also an essential step to having a complete look on your face.

4. I line my eyes with the pencil liner and using my MAC 219 pencil brush (you can also do this with a Q-tip), I smudge it out to where there is almost no definite line, even up onto my eyelid. This way it gives some depth and shadow to my eyes, without even having to put a smidge of eyeshadow on.

5. I curl my eyelashes and apply 1-2 coats of mascara.

6. I do a small amount of contouring (check out my highlighting/contouring tutorial here) with my bronzer - just enough to add some dimension back to my even face.

7. To polish it all off, I apply clear gloss.




It might seem like a lot to do, but I can really do all of this in five minutes. Like I said, if you even your skin tone out and frame your face via enhancing your brows and lashes, you're all set. It really does make a difference.

What do you do for your "Five Minute Face"?

Check Me Out Elsewhere!

Today I'm guest posting for Michelle over at The Vintage Apple!

So go on over and give her a big "CONGRATULATIONS" because she is officially a married woman!

My first time meeting Michelle back in April

Heart you, girl!

Preggo Meg O. - 30 Weeks!

Sorry this post is a little belated today. I forgot to snap a picture so I got one today at my school's theatre bathroom (I live in this hallway, basically).

Can y'all believe I'm 3/4 of the way done with this pregnancy?!

Um, I can't.

Here's my bullet point list of random preggo thoughts:

• I get a lot of "you're still so small!" Okay, I don't feel small. My thighs feel like ham hocks. Strangely enough, my upper body feels much better.
• My belly button is slowly but surely disappearing.
• My belly is a weird shape. To me, it doesn't look round. You can sometimes still see my once-there ab definition.... but not really.
• Heartburn is a complete bi-yatch. I had such a bad episode, I made a 2 a.m. trip out for Zantac. If I was the only one who couldn't sleep, there wasn't a point in asking Greg to get it.
• Baby O. is really packing some heat to her punches lately. Seriously, it's crazy when you can see it outside my belly.
• Prenatal yoga is still the best part of the work week.
• Bras are the bane of my existence. It's probably a good idea I go get a few new ones...
• I'm worried I've gained too much weight.
• I'm terrified I'm developing cankles.

Happy Friday! 

Today Baby O. is the size of a head of cabbage! Woo hooooooo!

Product Rave: Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion

I have battled with hormonal cystic acne ever since I reached my mid-twenties. Some times were worse than others, but I have never been able to completely eliminate the cycle of cysts that would appear along my chin and jawline. You know what I'm talking about if you've experienced those deep, under the skin, painful bumps that take forever to surface and heal. Luckily I had a good skin regimen and was able to keep them at bay for most of the time, but I definitely would have a cyst appear every two weeks or so.

Ever since getting pregnant, my face has broken out like a teenager all over again. I was able to keep it somewhat under control with my skin care routine but it was starting to get a bit ridiculous this summer. After searching some pregnancy message boards, and then further researching it on makeupalley.com (my favorite place to read and post beauty reviews), I decided that I needed to go and get Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion. I found it at my local ULTA. Keep in mind, however, it is not available on ULTA's website. It also looks like you can get this at Nordstrom.

I have to admit, I know next to nothing about Mario Badescu and his brand. All I knew is that the Buffering Lotion got tons of great reviews and I needed it. I still don't know much about the brand.... so anyone who uses it, please enlighten us!

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion

And, why yes, that's Butter London nail polish in The Full Monty... in case you were wondering ;)

Product Claims:

"Specifically designed to treat large, deep, cystic acne, the buffering lotion covers large erupted areas for overall treatment. Formulated with nourishing B vitamins and amino acids for healthy skin as well as soothing anti-inflammatory herbal extracts to promote healing. Reduce cystic acne fast with this deep penetrating, fast absorbing formula."

At $17, this little baby doesn't come cheap, but I've been using it for about a month and I've barely made a dent in it. It's very liquid-y, and you have to shake it up to get it mixed up before use. After cleansing and toning, I use about a quarter-size amount all over my face. The instructions say to apply it to "erupted areas" but I haven't been paying attention to that (I'm a rebel). I have been using it as a preventative every other night (sometimes every night if I feel something coming on). I do not use any other additional moisturizer/night cream with this aside from eye cream.

Guess what? In the month that I've been using this, I've only had ONE deep pimple. And get this-- it dried up in TWO DAYS and didn't even surface. This is a miracle, seeing as how those babies can take up to a week to fully heal!

I can't speak on its ability to keep other types of pimples at bay, but I can say that I haven't had any other kind of breakout WHATSOEVER.

Y'all. This receives MIRACLE HG (holy grail) status.

THE END.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Are you getting tired with all of the fall / pumpkin recipes on my blog? I thought NOT! Greg actually suggested making pumpkin cupcakes. I mean, seriously.... how awesome is my husband?

Pumpkin Cupcakes

via AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and crystallized ginger in a bowl; set aside.
2. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree with the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting  
(my own recipe, with added cinnamon)

Ingredients
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
6 cups (up to) confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:

Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth (about 3 minutes). Mix in vanilla. Add confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed after each addition, until desired sweetness. Add cinnamon to taste.



Yum O!
Are y'all as much of a sucker for pumpkin as I am?