It is all worth it

The moment when I saw my son for the first time.

It is safe to say that I had a little pity party for myself this week. For starters my OB told me I have gained a teensy bit (my words not hers) too much weight. She is not the most sensitive of ladies so she told me in a not so nice way. I cried. Maybe its the loads of Italian mushrooms and kalamata olives soaked in a yummy garlicky-salt sauce or all the cream cheese that's doin in?

Any whoo...then a girl at the gym told me...and I quote, "Your butt is definitely getting bigger." No joke. What do you say to that?! HA! I am also getting these annoying little bumps all over my shoulders and back. Same weird thing happened when I was pregnant with Max. Thank God it is cold and tank tops are out.

I got my act together yesterday...went to the gym, blasted some good music and got my uphill walk on. I reminded myself that every new zit, every pound gained, every boring protein shake that I have to drink (when I really want waffles with syrup) and every sacrifice I have to make is ALL worth it in the end when I see my baby's face for the first time. I can not WAIT.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Skin Care Tip of the Week *Calendula Oil Benefits*

A few months ago I noticed I was getting this really annoying little red itchy spot on the inside of my arm where my elbow creases. The more I itched it the more I irritated it and the more it grew.

I made an appointment with my Dermatologist to see what it was. Turns out it was eczema. The Dr. prescribed me a prescription and sent me on my way. Of course I read every single ingredient on the back of the label and decided no way was I going to use that. I did some research and discovered calendula oil was a wonderful all natural remedy for eczema. I purchased a little bottle right away. The redness went down almost immediately and the irritating itchiness was gone by the morning. I have now been using it on the eczema spot for 3 months and its almost completely gone.



What is Calendula oil:

• Calendula oil is distilled from the deep orange colored flowers we're all familiar with as an annual plant in many home gardens.

Who can benefit most from Calendula oil?

• Calendula oil is perfect for those with sensitive skin. It can also be extremely beneficial to those who suffer from dry or chapped skin.

Benefits of Calendula oil:

• Great all natural moisturizer for dry skin.
  
• It has antiseptic, anti fungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which make it a great option for treating skin infections.
  
• Helps reduce inflammation in skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.
• It is mild and soothing. Perfect for skin that is irritated.
  
• Amazing all natural diaper rash remedy for babies. I use this along with Emu oil on my son whenever I notice a little diaper rash starting to appear.

You can find calendula oil at almost any heath food store. You can also order it online here.

If you have any questions regarding this post you can leave them in the comment section and I will be happy to answer below.

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The Jewelmint giveaway winner is:

Val Fox!

Congrats Val! Please e-mail me at lindsay.kujawa@yahoo.com

What is your favorite Christmas Movie?

It finally feels like Christmas is in full swing around here! We started decorating our house (going on a thrift store hunt today to look for little Christmas trinkets that I can spray paint silver), lights are up, Christmas cards have been ordered, fudge has been made (and eaten) and we are getting our tree this weekend.

During the Christmas season the only thing that is on our TV, other than the occasional Tivoed episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (I'm obsessed with that hot mess of a show) is Christmas Movies. I am pretty sure we have seen every single one a million times but they never get old.

My top three Christmas movies are:

1. Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation
2. A Christmas Story (its tradition to watch this every Christmas Eve after church)
3. Home Alone


What is your favorite Christmas movie?


On a side unrelated note: Pregnancy hormones are no joke. I cried last night because my husband brought home the wrong salad dressing. Who likes Chunky Blue Cheese dressing anyway? Not this crazy pregnant lady. Poor guy.

5 Minute Vanilla Chia Seed Fudge

Ian has been begging me to make a holiday "treat." Since fudge is always a holiday staple around here once the Christmas season begins, fudge it was!

I am a huge fan of chia seeds (see chia seed coconut pudding recipe here) and all the amazing health benefits...plus they expand in your tummy and make you feel full faster (great for when eating dessert). I used a basic fudge recipe but added my own little twist.

What you will need:

• 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and butter in a large microwavable bowl. Microwave for about a minute and then stir. Microwave an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is all melted together.
   
2. Stir in chia seeds.
   
3. Pour into a greased glass baking dish.
4. Refrigerate until it is firm and set.

Such a quick and delicious dessert to make if you don't have a bunch of time. The prep time literally only took me 5 minutes.

My husband said, "this was some of the best fudge he ever had..and the chia seeds were subtle and not overwhelming." Such a great food critic he is :)

On a side note: I decided to extend this giveaway (because its AWESOME) a few more days. Don't miss out on a chance to win $150 to Jewelmint!

Inspiration for your Week

Its Monday already?! Ian and I had a wonderfully romantic weekend just the two of us. He set up a pedicure and pre-natal massage for me, we relaxed went out to dinner, saw movies and talked (actual adult conversations). If you have kids you know how hard it is to have adult conversations that don't revolve around everything kid related. The only thing that was missing was a nice big glass of wine...ahh I do miss my wine...

My husband shared this video with me over the weekend and it gave me chills, in a good way. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.





WOW right?! Love that.

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Opening that first little window filled with chocolate in our Advent calendar.

Fallen golden leaves everywhere.

Homemade ornaments made by my Grandma. Last year she made hand folded origami crane ornaments for all the grand kids. This takes so much time and I love how thoughtful she is.

Ever since I made these earrings I have been obsessed with wrapping everything with embroidery thread.

A pair of warm fuzzy boots. It has been FREEZING in my house...okay it has only been 60 degrees but that is freezing to me.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Any fun plans?

This is the first weekend since Max has been born that Ian and I are taking an ENTIRE weekend vacation, just the two of us. I am excited but a little sad to be leaving him for that long, but this is much needed. We are dropping Max off his Grandparent's house first thing this morning and we are off!

DIY Painted Chevron Bracelet

Let me start by saying I had no clue if this pattern was chevron, tribal, triangles or just something random. Thanks to a few helpful Twitter friends I was informed that it is indeed chevron. A chevron pattern was my original plan but things that I concoct up in my brain do not always translate into what I had originally imagined...hello house decorating. Whole other story so anywhoo...

What you will need:

• Strip of leather (found at Michaels)
• Some kind of closure. I used button snaps
• Paint brush
• Acrylic paint
• Scissors
• Blue painters tape
  

Decide how wide you want your bracelet and cut the leather accordingly.

Cut out thin triangle strips like above and place evenly spaced along the leather strip.

Paint the strip of leather.

Wait about 20 minutes until the paint is dry (I am so impatient so this was hard) and remove the blue tape to reveal the pattern.

Attach the button closure.

Such a fun little accessory to make! Plus, the whole project only cost me $5 (cost of leather) since I had everything else.

On a side note: It is the first day of December, which means....I am going to eat the first piece of chocolate in our advent calendar :)

*Update my husband just got nosy and wanted to see what I was giggling about while I was typing...bummer we have to split the chocolate now :(

Don't forget to enter the giant giveaway from JewelMint here!