eShakti and chambray

Back in February, I was contacted by eShakti to do a review of one of their gorgeous retro-modern dresses. I chose the “Red Goddess Knit Dress”, customized it to my exact size, and blogged about it here. I was over-the-moon when they recently asked me again to do a review. I chose the “Ruched Chambray Maxi Dress” with a flattering empire waist, and again had it customized to my measurements (height, hip, waist, bust, shoulder, etc). It quickly arrived in the mail from overseas, and it is PERFECT. The chambray material is soft and comfortable. For a maxi dress, it’s important that it’s not too short or too long, and this one hits the floor just right so that I’m not tripping on it.


I chose a dress that I knew would still fit while pregnant (well, for a while anyway ;) )

 
Back of the dress

 
eShakti is the only brand in the world offering sizes from 0 to 36 W & custom size/style on women’s apparel. They have classy bridesmaids dresses as well!

One of the other reasons I picked this maxi is because it can easily be adapted to fall weather. I paired it with a cardigan and a light scarf, and I was set for cooler temperatures.

If you’re not interested in a maxi dress, they have many other quality chambray options like the ones below.
 

1. Chevron Pleat Chambray Dress
2. Ruffled Military Style Chambray Jacket
3. Virginia Dress

And you’ll have to check out their other GORGEOUS dresses, like
these three:
1. Gatsby Style Crepe Dress
2. Florence Dress
3. Fiona Dress

I also really love their tops and skirts:
1. Scallop Trim Poplin Blouse
2. Button Front Asymmetrical Hem Top
3. Curlicued Floral Poplin Skirt

If you’ve never ordered from eShakti before, they have a $30 gift coupon they want to give you towards your first purchase! Just click on the offer at the top of the eShakti site.

They also have a free shipping offer going on until September 20 for eShakti Facebook fans. Check it out!

Thank you so much eShakti! You make my wardrobe so much better.

Affordable, Adorable Dresses. Your size, your style, your choice! Only at www.eShakti.com

baby bump: 20 weeks

 
how far along? 20 weeks!  I cannot believe that I’m halfway there! due January 28th.

how are you measuring? on the sonogram on July 16^th, the baby measured 4 days earlier than the due date

size of baby: size of a banana, about 6.5 inches and 10-11 ounces

heartbeat: 142 bpm at last appointment (seemed a little low to me.) Nolan’s was always super fast. What’s the old wives’ tale about boy/girl heartbeats?

total weight gain/loss: + 9 lbs

maternity clothes: squeezing into my pants, but wearing maternity tanks

stretch marks: using cocoa butter, so hopefully not.

belly button: same

sleep: 7-8 hours at night sure doesn’t feel like a lot! I have been napping every other day or so when Nolan takes his nap.

movement: so fun to feel the kicks and swishes!

food cravings: pizza, chocolate, fruit

food aversions: not really any

gender predictions? I am pretty 50/50 on what I think. I don’t feel convinced either way.

symptoms I have: I have been trying to sit and elevate my legs more because they have felt a little sore, and I’ve noticed some veins popping :( I seem more prone to crying. And my skin isn’t as clear on my face. All lovely things. ;)

comparisons to last pregnancy:  since the 2nd trimester is quite pleasant, it’s close to how i felt with Nolan.

doctor’s appointment: I met my new doctor a week ago. She could not have been sweeter. She’s a mom of four young kids, so I love that she’s been through this before. She believes in more natural medicine, and she couldn’t fathom that my former doctor used forceps at Nolan’s birth.
Also, speaking of switching doctors, I found Nolan a new pediatrician—and he has his first appointment in a couple weeks. Unfortunately on Tuesday, we made our first trip to MedExpress because he has a skin infection on his leg. :(  Our best guess is that it started off as a bug bite. He hasn’t been feeling ill or feverish at all, but the open wound is pretty ugly. He is on antibiotics, and we’re praying that he beats the infection with no more trouble.

what I’m looking forward to: in two weeks, we have our big anatomy ultrasound! It is surreal to think that we will know this huge BOY/GIRL piece of information soon! And then I can start nesting… :)

train party: recipes & links

In case you were thinking of throwing a train-themed birthday party, or if you were curious about any of the elements of Nolan’s train party that I shared yesterday, here is how I put everything together:

RECIPES:

Pasta Salad:
1 pound box of noodles, cooked al dente and cooled
8 ounces cubed low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup chopped green pepper
5 ounce bag Hormel pepperoni minis
can of black olives (drained, rinsed), cut in half
16 ounces Italian dressing
grated parmesan cheese for garnish
MIX WELL. Chill in the fridge.

I was THRILLED to find this Olive Garden dressing at my Walmart. It is hands-down my favorite kind of dressing, so it made the pasta salad extra-tasty.

Sloppy Joes:
I doubled this recipe so that I had enough for 40 buns. The Joes were delicious—and I’m not even usually a fan. I love that it’s in my dad’s handwriting…so special.

Fruit Salad:
Chop up apples, peaches, bananas, and strawberries. Add in green grapes, raspberries, and blueberries. Toss the fruit with splashes of thawed orange juice concentrate—enough to coat the fruit but not get too soupy.

Orange Pineapple Punch:
In a punch bowl, combine a partially-thawed carton of orange sherbet (1.5 quarts), a 2-liter bottle of Sprite, and a 46-ounce can of Dole pineapple juice.

These cookies started with a basic sugar cookie recipe, a Wilton train cookie cutter, and a “2” cookie cutter. My mom and I then decorated them using squeeze bottles of royal icing.

With the food coloring, no matter how many drops I use, my colors always end up pastel (red looks pink, etc.) Does anyone know the secret to darker/bolder colors?

We used Betty Crocker chocolate box mixes for the cake. Here is the raspberry buttercream filling recipe, as well as some tips on how to make a tiered cake. We put the cake together a couple hours before the party using wooden dowels and cardboard to ensure that it didn’t collapse upon itself. I was a little nervous that the cake would be too small, but it generously served our 25 guests, with leftovers even.

The orange frosting on the outside was made with two batches of this simple recipe:
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 splashes of milk

Beat all ingredients together with a hand mixer, then add food coloring.

DECORATIONS:

The paper pinwheels were my favorite part of the decorations. I was inspired by this tutorial for folding paper fans on “Oh My Little Dears” blog. We stapled them (instead of hot gluing), and put them up with tape—but the bigger ones needed the strength of command strips.

I made the paper chevrons for Valentine’s Day, and I couldn’t wait to try them again with Nolan’s birthday colors. I had some difficulty with the tension while sewing them, but they turned out well. I then made the garland, using the same idea. I followed the chevron pattern from the invites I designed.

I love having custom color M&Ms at parties. I buy them from the candy store at the mall.

We found this chalkboard in the attic from the previous owners. It was red/blue/green/yellow, so I decided to paint it all one color (a light aqua).

 
 

Nolan and I stumbled upon this Cherokee shirt at Target—and I couldn’t believe it had all four of the party colors in it!

I’m a little bummed that his party and all of my projects are over now. I guess I will just have to put my energy into some new crafts…or start planning next year’s party ;)

Nolan’s train party

On Saturday, we threw Nolan his 2nd birthday party! I had so much fun planning the little details, and I love the way it turned out! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us!

I’ll do a follow-up post to show where I got my inspiration and recipes.

I made these invitations about a month ago, and then based the party decorations on their color scheme.

A joint effort between Steve and me—our first tiered cake.
 
Cookies made by my wonderful mom. She and I had fun decorating them on Friday night! :)
 
Orange-pineapple punch

 
Last week, I painted this chalkboard that we found in our attic from the previous owners. It looks white in the photo, but it’s a minty green/blue.

Fueling station :)

Delicious fruit salad made by my mom.

My first pasta salad.

 
“Steam Engine Joes”—this was also my first time making sloppy joes in the Crock-Pot. The recipe I found was handwritten by my dad, Nolan’s Grandpa Bruce :)

Photos of Nolan from 13-24 months.

We reused this Cricut-made sign that we had at Nolan’s nautical 1st birthday party.

Fascinated with balloons!

“Mini Ivy”—a gift from his 96-year-old great-grandmother, Olive—has definitely become a favorite toy. He often carries it with him into the car, and then into stores :)
 
He loved the train tracks on the table!
 
Wendy, Meghan, & Carol :)


Steve’s side of the family. We were so happy that Phil and Dana (right corner) and their girls came all the way from Indiana!




Meghan and our niece Abby.
 
The four brothers Dave, Steve, Josh, and Phil with the birthday boy.

Singing “Happy Birthday”.

LOVING that everyone was singing to him.

Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling.

 
I forgot to get a photo of us before Nolan put on his PJs. Cute nonetheless! I wish I had gotten more photos of the party-goers. Note to self: Give someone else the camera next year! :)

Running around with his cousins and balloons after the party :)

Nolan had such a great time celebrating TWO years!

Hope you enjoyed this peek into our day. Again, I’ll post my inspiration links soon!

happy 2nd birthday, baby!

Happy birthday to our sandbox playing, letter identifying, Curious George watching, sweets devouring, words mimicking, joy loving, 2-year-old Nolan Bruce!!

More photos to follow :)

my birthday

My sweetie helping me blow out my candles (practice for Saturday at his party!) 

If my birthday falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, it becomes a part of Labor Day weekend. As a kid, I didn't always like this because some of my friends would go out of town with their families, so it was hard to schedule a party. Now, I think it's fun that it falls on a long, holiday weekend. :)

I didn't want to make my own birthday cake, so Steve made it-- first cake for him! Although he used regular sugar instead of powdered sugar in the frosting (a little gritty), it was a delicious chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream filling and frosting.

Steve bought me roses and doughnuts (2 on one plate, 6 on the other for my age). He and Nolan also got me a couple other gifts, and a 2013 quarter to add to the 25 quarters from every year of my life (that he gave me last year). I'm a lucky girl!

And to spend my birthday evening, we drove a couple hours to attend Steve's friend Neal's wedding reception. He and his wife Jen got married two weeks ago in the redwood trees of California. It was fun to celebrate with them and see many of Steve's friends from high school.

Our computer is still in the shop getting a new hard drive. Luckily, our files were recovered! But I've had to steal my mom's computer for the past two weeks to blog and make decorations for Nolan's party.

Hope you all are having a great week! :)