It's a Boy!

And we cut the cake to find blue icing!! 

We had our ultrasound painstakingly early in the morning…8am. I say it was painful because our party wasn’t until 7pm that night! We had to wait all day to find out…I don’t know how anyone could wait the entire nine months.

The ultrasound tech wrote down the gender in a card and I brought it to the bakery. I was a bit nervous leaving that envelope. Especially because I used some stationary I had laying around, and it had a pink envelope (no expectations, just what I had already). The guy at the counter was like, “Oh we’re making a cake with pink icing, right?” I sort of freaked out and shouted, “NO! Look inside the envelope!” I was a bit on edge, I guess because he just started laughing at me!  

But the bakery did a fabulous job and it matched the card…which I asked to have back just in case! Ha! So paranoid. 

It was the most amazing feeling cutting into that cake with the Ginger. I had guessed boy beforehand but I really wasn’t sure. I always imagined having a girl, but I could not be more thrilled to raise a little boy. Everything will be so new and exciting with a boy. I have nothing to compare it to, like I would with a girl! I know the Ginger is going to be an amazing father and it’s going to be a blast being a parent with him! 

And now we can start shopping! Oh wait. I’m on a spend freeze. Well, we’ll see how that goes. I guess moderation is key, because I know I can’t hold off on buying baby clothes for too long! 

Gender Reveal Party Part 1

The Ginger and I decided we would have the most fun finding out the gender of our baby while surrounded by friends and family! As true products of our age we hosted a Gender Reveal Party! Pinterest was my great friend during the planning process!  You can check out my inspiration board! 

It was a very light, fun party so we decided to have just a dessert bar! But of course we went all out! We had French macarons, chocolate covered pretzels, my Mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies and Hope’s oatmeal peanut butter cookies (my favorite kind), brownie bites, M&M’s…and then the cake! More on the cake in a later post!

No party in 2013 is complete without a photo booth, so we had two options for our guests. Everyone who thought it was a boy got a mustache, while those guessing girl got lips. It’s great to have a log of who guessed correctly before we cut the cake…and I love photo booths because you are sure to get at least one photo of everyone at the party! Stay tuned for the gender reveal! 

I love this feeling!

I just paid off another credit card! I feel so relieved. This spend freeze is so totally worth it! Looks like I won’t be going to the Loft for quite a while, but I’m actually very OK with that!

Credit card count in May = 6, mostly maxed out cards between me and the Ginger

Credit card count in June = 4, consistently being lowered each week

My next goal is to have one more card paid off by the end of August! At this rate I’m very confident I can achieve that!!

Home Spa Day

So I’ve been thinking, what can I do to embarrass myself even more…I’ve already shared my issue with debt to the internet world, how about I add a terrible photo. Well here it is. But as awful as I may look, I feel great now!

Pregnancy acne is a very real thing, I’ve come to realize. It’s no fun. My normal go-to option for a bad breakout is to buy those facial scrubs in the grocery store that make my face burn. But they all have salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide in them and, it’s recommended to avoid those while pregnant. My other option is to get a facial at a spa…which I did last month and shelled out $85+ tip. Not my best move while on a spend freeze, but I was feeling pretty gross considering that I still didn’t look pregnant, just fat, and my face looked like a 13-year-old.

With this latest breakout I decided to look at some other options. My diet is mostly consisting of organic produce and lean meats, with an occasional ice cream thrown in. Plus, I’ve been drinking so much water lately it’s ridiculous. So I don’t think my diet is the cause of the breakout…just the normal pregnancy hormones. With the help of my mom, we put together a little home spa day to see if that helped. If not, at least it would be relaxing. We tried two recipes for homemade facial scrubs that worked together, creating the Fire & Ice Facial. It felt amazing, and it was all made from items at home so I didn’t have to worry about harmful chemicals entering my body. Still waiting to see how well my acne clears up, but all in all it was a very relaxing time. My sister even painted my nails so I got a true spa day.

Home Spa Day: Start with a make-up free face, then use the Spiced Sugar Scrub, followed by the Cooling Cucumber Mask (modified slightly from a recipe in Woman’s World)

Spiced Sugar Scrub Recipe:

    -2 Tablespoons brown sugar

    -1 Tablespoon honey

    -1 Tablespoon lime juice

    -½ teaspoon cinnamon

    -½ teaspoon paprika

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Microwave the mixture for 10 seconds. Apply the scrub over the entire face (watch the eye area because that paprika won’t feel great in there). Massage with fingertips using a small circular motion. Finish by rinsing face with warm water and pat dry. Move onto the Cooling Cucumber Mask next.

Cooling Cucumber Mask Recipe:

    -½ cup cucumber, chopped

    -¼ cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)

    -1 teaspoon powdered milk

    -2 teaspoons aloe vera (I used this from a plant, rather than buying the processed gel)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until a smooth paste has formed. Place mask in the refrigerator or freezer until comfortably chilled. Gently smooth the mask over your face using your fingertips. Allow to soothe your skin for 20 minutes, then rinse with cool water and pat dry. (During the 20 minutes, I put cucumbers on my eyes to relax even more!)

Budget Decorating

I suppose I’m in nesting mode, because I want to do nothing other than clean and decorate! I’m so excited that the Ginger and I have started the rearranging process. We have the new office finished (mostly) and that means the next project is the nursery! 

We rent a three bedroom house and have decided to switch up the rooms. Our former office will become the nursery and the guest room is now the office. We added a futon that I bought used at a yard sale. It’s in great condition and can double as a bed for our out-of-town guests. Other than the futon, we only spent money on paint. We chose grey for the walls and bright white for the trim. The Ginger’s growing scarf collection is our feature wall, making this his sort of “man cave” since he doesn’t actually have one right now. It’s not how I would normally choose to decorate but it makes him happy and does add a lot of color to the room, plus it saves money on artwork! In time I’ll add a few things that I have to buy… a new rug, floating shelves for above the desk, and curtains. I still have a few projects to finish in there as well, including hanging our diplomas and possibly painting the ugly file cabinet. For right now I’m so pleased with the room. It’s very useful and it displays a lot of the Ginger’s sport memorabilia (it’s not going to waste sitting in the basement).  

Cost for this room (white paint will also be used for all the trim and doors in the house): 

Futon $30, Paint (Valspar Paint and Primer in One 1 gallon white and 1 quart grey) $40

My First Bump Shot

Alright, so there’s not really a baby bump yet…just my gut…but I need a before pic and this is it! I am so looking forward to actually looking pregnant. I can’t believe that in a few short weeks I’ll be able to feel the baby! Seeing the ultrasound and then hearing the heartbeat made this all feel so much more real, but that bump will really mean I’m pregnant. That might sound a bit dumb, but I guess seeing is believing? 

Now let’s hope my attempt a being trendy with oversized shirts pays off. I’m hoping to not have to buy too many maternity clothes. We’ll see how that works out! 

Free Summertime Fun

Outdoor concerts are the best…make them free and it’s the perfect night. I really want to make the most of this summer on a budget! Although I’ve failed to be frugal many times so far, in the area of concerts, we’ve done pretty well! 

The Three Rivers Arts Festival is held yearly at the beginning of June in Pittsburgh, celebrating artists, musicians and fried foods. While I did partake in a funnel cake and lemonade, that’s where my spending stopped. I traveled to Downtown Pittsburgh for a total of five nights for the 10-day long festival! The free concerts where amazing. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were the big draw as the opener, with thousands of people in the crowd, but it slowed down after that. The Ginger and I got to relax in our beach chairs in Point State Park and listen to Cello Fury, Lisa Hannigan, and our favorite, Glen Hansard! Glen Hansard, who we’ve paid to see twice in the past, played for over two hours! Not only did we have the best time out with friends, but we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything by not spending money. 

#BabyColePGH

My beautiful baby at 10 weeks! I love the pointed toe! And in the second picture the nose is so perfect!

Yard Sales Rock!

Although I’ve been looking at new cribs online and so ready to just say, “let’s charge it!” I’ve been really good about waiting. And I’m so glad that I did. A thrifty friend of mine suggested that I hit the Highland Park yard sales because every year she always notices baby stuff for sale. She told me that it was a fantastic neighborhood yard sale, but that didn’t prepare me for the amazingness that it was!

The entire neighborhood really does get into it, with a map and description of what each house has for sale. My parents and I only hit about four or five streets before we had our cars filled and had to make a trip to my parent’s house for my dad to get his truck!  

I ended up spending less than $100 dollars and got the following: 

-Jenny Lind DaVinci Crib (similar) $20 plus the artwork

-ABC’s artwork for the nursery 

-Disney Bouncer (similar) $10

-Rock ‘n’ Play Sleeper (similar) $10

-Futon (for the new office/guest bedroom) $30

 I could not believe my luck! I had been really hoping to get a Jenny Lind crib, too! I got one for an amazing price, and all I have to do is re-paint it. It also came with a mattress, but I think we’ll replace that one with a new organic one (besides, what are registries for it not to get a few new things). At first I was a bit wary about purchasing such an important piece of furniture used, but this one was in such good shape and the mom selling it really put me at ease with her explanation of it. Plus, I had my parents with me and no matter how old I get I will always value their opinion on things like this (they approved).

The futon was another great buy! We are converting our spare bedroom into the new office, but since we have so many out-of-town friends we still want a place for them to sleep. The futon is in great condition and even matches the desk we already have! The bouncer and sleeper both looked brand new! I’m sure they will both get a lot of use!

I love that even on this spending freeze I still got to shop. I’m still going to have to buy things, but I did it in a much smarter way! I could have easily spent $500 on everything, but instead I spent only $70! 

Whomp, Whomp Failure

Well, the June totals are in. And it’s not good. I sort of stopped paying attention. I went to the Loft because I felt fat (it didn’t help and trying on clothes made it worse…didn’t stop me from spending money though). The Ginger and I went on a camping canoe trip with friends…and charged it. I didn’t feel like cooking and we ate out or ordered in more than once.

I feel like a failure. I shouldn’t be shocked, but I am. I have to be more focused and put more effort into this spend freeze. But I did anticipate that at some point I would mess up (just not after less than a month), so now I have to pick up where I left off and learn from my mistakes. I have so many bad habits to unlearn. It’s going to take a while but I just have to keep myself motivated. I don’t want to blame pregnancy, but I’m going to. I’ve been really tired and sick, resulting in less motivation to shop for food, cook, pack lunches,exercise,etc.

So it happened, and I’m moving on. The five year debt free plan can still work, but I have to be diligent. Here we go!