Over the moon!

Once we found out we were having a boy, Chris immediately geeked out and thought we could do a Star Wars themed nursery.  Probably didn't help that I showed him this Pottery Barn bedding for big kids.

 

Pottery Barn Kids

Once I turned down that idea, we came up with a compromise.  Solar system!  (I did give in to one Star Wars item for the nursery - the storm trooper clock I already posted.)

So many people say "I'm not into themes" when it comes to nurseries, but I can't help it.  I'm fully committed. 

Here's our inspiration - the All Solar Systems Go bedding from Land of Nod:

Land of Nod

I never realized how hard a science themed nursery would be with a science teacher for a husband.  So far, he has vetoed anything with Pluto named as a planet.  He also nixed a neat and colorful felt planet mobile from etsy because the sun and planets were not to scale.

extra large planet solar system mobile from etsy.com

Today I found some really cute cloud shelves but he informed me that there are no clouds in space!  Oops.

RoomMates Cloud Shelf from Amazon.com

Glad he's here to teach Grant all about it since I'm obviously way behind on my space knowledge! 

He'll also be able to teach him the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek and if it's Han Solo or Hans Solo... or maybe Hans Olo?  Just kidding... I know that's not right.

New floors: Part 1

Part 1 of floor installation was a success!

Since we moved in 5 years ago, we've wanted hardwood floors.  Chris has been talking about new floors and carpet forever as his #1 on the list to change in the house.  We finally took the plunge and are making some improvements around the house. 

We decided against real hardwood and went with Pergo laminate flooring.  There are several reasons why, but the biggest one was wear and tear by our two dogs.  They're a little uncertain so far and couldn't find a comfortable spot to lay down, but I hope we made the right choice. 

We picked the Pergo Elegant Expressions in Handscraped Bocote.  Didn't want anything too dark (shows dog hair and dust more obviously) or shiny (ditto on the super clean floors).

The workers did an excellent job and it only took 3 of them two days to tear up carpet, some tile, install floors and replace the baseboards for ~ 670 sq. ft.  

Here are a couple pics before we put things back together.

living room

dining/sitting room (with new paint!)

Main Hallway

Front Hallway

(Sorry the lighting is funny.)

We're still figuring out rugs for the big spaces.  And eventually we'll have to get rid of the glass coffee table and end tables.

Next weekend is part 2: new carpet in the bedrooms! 

You know what's not fun?

Flooding your bathroom at midnight!  Why ALL sinks don't have those little emergency drains, I'll never know.  (I know my brother in law, G, feels me on that one!)   

Chris painted our "dining room" last night (in quotes because it's never been and probably never will be a dining room) before the floor installers came this morning.  I was washing out brushes in the guest bathroom and left the sink running.  (Who does that in the middle of a drought?!  Can I blame the baby?)

We only had to throw out soggy toilet paper rolls and kleenex boxes so the damage wasn't too bad.  Plus now I have a clean floor!

The newly painted room looks GREAT!  Chris did a wonderful job in just a few hours.  I helped with some of the little spaces but don't worry, we had the windows open, fans blowing and I wore one of those huge masks the whole time.

Next on the list... painting the nursery.  So glad we're not DIY on the floor installation. 

These are a few of my favorite things: Food edition

I guess I like to incorporate music lyrics or song titles into my blog!  :)

 Thought I'd share a couple of my food favorites that I think are a little uncommon.

Mr. Q Cumber

 If you like "spa water" or the refreshing taste of cold cucumbers, you have to try this drink!  I like that it's 7 oz. (portion control!), does not contain high fructose corn syrup and is only 90 calories.  I bet it would be delicious in a cocktail. The only downside is, it's not sold everywhere.  Right now on Facebook, they are trying to get their fans to request shelf space at Whole Foods.   For locals, I buy it at Market Street.  


From their website:  "It's Absolutely Delicious. "Mr. Q. Cumber" is America's first all natural crisp and refreshing drink that taste like you just bit into a ice cold cucumber."

Amy's Organic Brown Rice, Black Eyed-Peas & Veggie Bowl 

If I don't have leftovers from dinner, I usually take a frozen meal to work for lunch.  It's not the best habit but even with the preservatives and sodium that some frozen meals contain, I still stand by their convenience, portion control (there I go again!) and some of the time - veggies, fiber and low calories.  Plus they beat fast food any day!

This one from Amy's is my favorite!  I limit myself to only buying one per week so I don't get sick of it.  Plus, it's a little more expensive than other frozen meals.  It's 290 calories (perfect for lunch) and has 8 grams of fiber.  It's also: gluten free, dairy free, lactose free, no cholesterol, tree nut free, vegan and certified Kosher.

From their website:  "A balanced combination of organic brown rice and black-eyed peas with organic broccoli and carrots in a tasty ginger sauce."

From my website:  "It's DELICIOUS!"      

Be careful with Amy's, while most are very good, not all are low in calories.  They do have a new line called "Light & Lean" (which I have requested at Market Street but they're still not there).  I went to Central Market today and picked up two.  They all sound pretty good!

Brown Cow Yogurt

Along with my leftovers or frozen meal, I always have a yogurt.  Brown Cow is my favorite brand.  I usually buy the Nonfat Vanilla or Strawberry (because those are the only two nonfat flavors Market Street carries) but my absolute favorite is Cream Top Maple.  It's definitely a treat with 7 grams of fat, but it's so good.  No high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.  It's thinner than most yogurts and not quite as sweet. 


From their website:  "We’ve removed the fat but kept the creaminess and full flavor. With just the right combination of cultures and a touch of natural evaporated sugar cane juice, we’ve created this incredibly creamy, rich, tasty nonfat yogurt."  


What are your favorite lesser known foods that I need to try?

Rocket Man

Nursery preview! 

G is for...

Grant Manuel

Baby g finally has a name!  No family connections with the first name, we just really liked Grant.

Manuel is after Chris' maternal grandfather.  Manuel is also known as "Abuelo, Manolo, Nono, Lolo or Yoyo."  (Each generation seems to add their own twist on his nickname!  And before we knew our babies first name, Aunt A already nicknamed Baby g "Manny.")  Manuel is an amazing family man who made a lot of sacrifices to bring his family to the United States from Cuba many years ago.  He continues to stay active (including driving from NJ to TX to visit!) and work hard to this day.  He loves his wife, he loves his family, he loves his dogs and he's an excellent Cuban cook.

We can't wait for Abuela Belkis y Abuelo Nono to meet Baby Grant Manuel (and to teach him Spanish)!

We have also since learned that there are a few Manuels on my mom's side of the family tree as well!

 

Abuelo Nono: July 2006

 

Los Cruz:  July 2006

 

Gollners y Cruz: July 2006

  (Freezing cold) Gollners y Cruz: December 2010

"I am your father."

Like father...

Like son...

 

May the force be with you.

(Thanks for the Star Wars onesie, Christie!)

Half Baked!

Today marks 20 weeks in my pregnancy which means half way 'til my due date!  To celebrate, I had to get this Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  "Chocolate and vanilla ice creams with fudge brownies and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough."

And I totally deserve it tonight.  I did two (small) loads of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, walked the dogs and now I'm making dinner.  Phew!

(My favorite B&J's will always be Chubby Hubby.  "Fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream rippled with fudge and peanut butter."  One good thing about being married to someone who is lactose intolerant = no sharing ice cream!)  

A couple nights ago I finally felt the little guy moving around for the first time.  It was after dinner so I think he likes Hatch green chiles just as much as his mom & dad!

Portion Control: Chicken

Vegetarians and Vegans - Skip this post!


via Google Images

Just thought I'd share my latest trick for portion control with chicken breasts.  My local grocery store (Market Street - love it!) sells boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are already pounded.  Perfect for Chicken Marsala, but I usually buy them regardless of what I'm making because they are so much smaller than the regular ones.  It cuts back on the cooking time and makes it easier to reach the right cooking temperature.  (Otherwise, I tend to overcook chicken because of my salmonella paranoia.) 

Yes, they are more expensive and you could do it yourself at home, but I don't mind paying for convenience when it comes to raw chicken!  They also seem to be trimmed better than the regular ones, so that saves you time too.  Besides the calories (which of course chicken breasts are considered lean), it also helps us eat LESS meat overall.  Win-win.

Cost comparison:
Regular:  $3.38/#
Pounded:  $4.08/#

Weight comparison:
Regular:  8 oz./serving (technically two servings!)
Pounded:  4 oz./serving (one serving)

6 regular chicken breasts = 48 oz. (3#) = $10.14
6 pounded breasts = 24 oz. (1.5#) = $6.12

So really, you're saving money AND calories!

College Game Day

Go Texas Longhorns and Texas State Bobcats!

 Our street does a great job of representing the Texas teams... we live next door to an Aggie 

(and a Longhorn!) then next to them some Red Raiders! 

Baby g is ready for for some football!

 

Terrible pic, but we're excited for college football season!

It's a boy!

This week brought very exciting news for our family.  We are having a baby BOY!

Most importantly, everything on the anatomy scan looked perfect.  It was so cool getting to see the details inside his tiny body... brain, spine, kidneys, bladder, heart, bones, stomach, umbilical cord.  And also his face, arms, legs and feet!  He looked like a little Ludacris, throwin' dem bows with his arms up by his face.  Little stinker was in a funny position to give us a good profile shot of his face (he must not like cameras - already like his daddy).  He's estimated to be 11 oz. or the size of a mango.  We are so thankful for a healthy little baby!  No name yet, so he's still "Baby g."

And now another song that will get stuck in your head for days (In case you forgot - "This is how we do it...").  One of my favorite songs from John Lennon covered by another favorite, Ben Harper.  I can't wait to meet our beautiful boy!





Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
John Lennon

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.

lower-case g

Source: Google Images

Since this blog is called "Growing Up Gollner" I suppose I should post about the little one that is doing the growing!

Since I found out I was pregnant, I've been affectionately calling the baby "lower-case g."  You know, like the Montell Jordan song "This is How We Do It."

"You see the hood's been good to me 
ever since I was a lower-case g
but now I'm a big G."

So maybe it's talking about being a gangster and maybe the lyrics are questionable for a fetus... but I can't help my love for 90s R&B!

So here we are... me and lower-case g @ 19 weeks.

(I swear I look bigger in pictures than I do in real life.  In real life, I think I look like I just ate a burrito.  But that lady in the picture above definitely looks pregnant!)