Wednesday, November 30, 2011

'tis the season!

I'm pretty into the Christmas spirit this year which is surprising because normally, for whatever reason, I just feel kinda "meh" about the whole season.

I love it but I don't luuuuuhhh-ove it, ya know?

Last night, however, I couldn't get enough of my Christmas Pandora stations.
I even scouted the outside of our duplex for an exterior outlet so we could put up some lights.
And when we couldn't find an outlet, I felt genuinely disappointed.

Making hot chocolate and seeing this little guy in the living room made me feel a little better, though.

We've yet to spend Christmas at home so we haven't crossed the buying-our-own-real-tree-and-ornaments bridge.
But, for now, this little cutie works just fine.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Young People Style: oh hey, 2nd trimester!

top: F21, dress: Gap, socks: Juicy Couture, combat boots: Nordstrom (early Christmas present from mom), necklace: Charlotte Russe

This week, I'm officially in my second trimester. 
Hooray!!!

I keep hearing that the next three months are the best part of pregnancy. 
Morning sickness will subside, I'll feel little cryings move for the first time, I'll have more energy, and not be as moody. 

Yes, pahhh-leeeze! 
To all of the above.

Our next appointment and ultrasound is in just three short weeks.
Hopefully, if little cryings cooperates, we'll get to see the gender!

The best early Christmas present since the combat boots from my mom. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Giveaway! {pics-o-andrea}

Another lovely giveaway for everyone today! 

Andrea of Pics-O-Andrea is giving away one of her hand-made pillowcase covers. There are plenty more cutie covers to choose from in her shop as well! 

Wouldn't one of those pillows be the perfect little pop of color in your living room or bedroom? 
Yes. Yes it would. 

Andrea is also offering all readers a special 25% discount off anything else you'd like in her shop.
Just use promo code YOUNGLOVE at checkout. 

I don't know about you, but I'm seriously tempted to get one of these rad custom fox portraits for myself someone for Christmas. You just can't beat that price!

To enter, must be a follower of Young People in Love.

Then, just visit Andrea's shop and let me know what item you'd like for Christmas. 

For extra entries: 

Follow Pics-O-Andrea's blog
Like Pics-O-Andrea on facebook.

>>>

And the winner of last week's See Kate Sew giveaway is: 
 Congrats!

Friday, November 25, 2011

be a December sponsor!

YPIL is now accepting December sponsors! 

Click here to check out current stats, affordable rates, and testimonials. 
Email youngpeoplelove@gmail.com to reserve your spot and schedule a giveaway!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

thanks

Dear little cryings, 

I wonder who you'll resemble more and what your personality will be like.

I really hope you get your daddy's dark, long lashes and tall skinniness. 
For your sake.
Trust me on this one. 

But even if the curse of my blondy lashes and baby-face knees befalls you, I hope there will be lots of Chas' personality deep inside you. 

Because that's what I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

I hope, little cryings, you'll be gentle, meek, and patient like him. 
I hope you'll show your love by easily serving others and always seeing the good before criticizing. 
I hope you'll be confident in yourself with nothing to prove. 
And when others around you are struggling, you'll be able to listen well and then know just what to say like he always does. 

Thanks for giving us both so much to look forward to this coming year, little cryings. 

Love.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Young People Style: why we'll never rent from Redbox again

coat: Target, top: sister hand-me-down, black skinnies: Ross, boots: Cathy Jean, clutch: c/o See Kate Sew

Chas and I hardly ever watch T.V. and even though Chas is a film guy, I can only take a max of 1 movie a week before my brain starts to become mush and I feel disconnected from my husband. 
And because we stream Netflix through our DVD player, we hardly ever hit up the local Rebox for a movie. 

Also...
We have serious problems when it comes to actually returning a Redbox movie. 

So Saturday night, on a whim, we picked up a Redbox movie and the whole time we're promising each other that this time we'll return it the next day.

Fast forward to Tuesday night. 
It's late and I'm picking up Chas from his long work day. 
We remember that the movie is still sitting at home and notice we have exactly 10 minutes to return it before we get charged for another day. 

The race is on.

The deadline for returns is 9pm. 
We return the movie at 9:03pm. 

Fail blog but
"A" for effort. 

Then we realize the car is almost out of gas so we stop by the gas station to fill up. 

As we pull out of the gas station, we get a flat. 
Chas bundles up and starts the process of changing the tire. 

...2 hours later (and after help from the Barber Shop guys across the street), the tire is changed and we're ready to drive the 8 blocks home. 

But the car won't start. 
Apparently I hadn't turned the engine all the way off and so the battery had been running the whole time and was now dead. 
Love it.

I call to enlist my friend's husband.
Aaron comes and saves the day with his car and jumper cables. 

And then we finally drive home. 

And that, my friends, is why we will never rent from Redbox again. 
(And the movie was dumb.)

:)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

necessities

Recently, in my stress management class, a group presented on the topic of Healthy Lifestyles. 
A requirement for group presentations is providing some kind of handout for each student. 
And because I'm the professor, creativity is strongly encouraged. 

This group passed out a balloon to each student with the phrase, "Don't let life weigh you down. Fly high with healthy lifestyles!" attached to each balloon. 
Even I got one. 
Standing in front of my class and seeing rows of colorful, floating balloons above each desk was one of my favorite moments of the semester. 
So cute. 

I just love teaching that class. 
It makes me happy and has become a real necessity in my life. 

You know what else I've decided is a must?
Whipped cream. 
The kind that sprays out of the can. 

Suddenly a bowl of strawberries or a steaming cup of hot chocolate seems super fancy.

Everyone needs a little extra fancy in their life, don't you think?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Giveaway! {see kate sew}

This giveaway just makes me so happy. 
I still haven't figured out why exactly, but it just does. 

It might have something to do with that happy hedgehog like the one above and these ones here.
Yup! 
Nailed it. 

Today, See Kate Sew is giving away $20 credit to anything in her darling shop!
That's almost TWO happy hedgehogs! 

(I may need to just break down and buy one for little crying's crib.)

To enter, must be a follower of Young People in Love. 

Then follow the See Kate Sew blog and let me know you did!

For extra entries: 

Follow See Kate Sew on twitter.
Like See Kate Sew on facebook

See Kate Sew is also offering all YPIL readers a special 15% off with code YPIL15 at checkout!

Happy Monday!

>>>

And the winner of last week's Life of a Passeri shopping spree giveaway is: 

Congrats! 

Saturday, November 19, 2011

turning that frown upside down

This past week was hard for me. 
I got hit with a wave of sadness and apathy. 
On Thursday night, I had a little breakdown and cried a lot of the depression out. 

Starting Friday night, I've felt much better. 
It helps to have a husband who will bring you tissues and still love you when your nose is red, your eyes are puffy, and snot seems to be everywhere. 
Wet chicken isn't a great look for me. 

But enough about that. 

What I want focus on are some of the things that made this past week not so hard:

First, and foremost, we got to hear little crying's heart beat for the first time! Apparently there's a galloping little pony inside me! Cutest sound ever. 

In the mornings, Chas brings me breakfast before I even have to get out of bed. 
This week, it's been healthy smoothies. 
Raspberry yogurt, strawberries, orange juice, and spinach. 
Together, we sit in bed and sip away the goodness. 

It snowed this weekend. 
At about midnight last night, we pulled up the blinds, snugged in bed, and just stared out the bedroom windows at the blankets of snow and pink glow of the sky. 
Have I told you how much I love not living in a basement anymore?
Utah winters are so much more enjoyable when you can actually watch the snow fall.

I have the greatest friends and am getting ever-more excited to finally be able to join the mommy club with the rest of them! 

This week, I loved being an art therapist. 
And I love the other therapists I work with. Truly some of my favorite people in the universe. 
Just being at work this week made my mood instantly lift. 

And last, but not least, knowing that Thanksgiving is less than a week away is enough to chase away all the tears.
It's my favorite holiday! 
A whole day dedicated to eating, family, and being grateful. 
Love it. 

Friday, November 18, 2011

Mercedes Macarons

Mmmm...yes, please? 

Making real-deal French macarons can be tricky business.

But never fear! 

Mercedes has gotten the tricky part already figured out for you! 
Mercedes Macarons sells pre-made French macaron mixes in both vanilla and chocolate (vanilla forms the base for any other flavor). 
Each package includes all of the dry ingredients necessary, a piping bag, and parchment paper. All the ingredients are precisely measured according to Mercedes' own tried and true recipe. 

So, if you have a kitchen, you can make your very own macarons!
And guess what.
Mercedes also offers private macaron-makin' classes at your own home.
So you don't even have to read a recipe on your own. 
Sweet. 

Or, if you're cool like me, you can be even one step lazier and just stop by Mercedes Macarons at the Bijou Market this weekend in Provo, UT and buy some. 

Yum in the tum! 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

aaand action!

See the cutie with the basketball and blue beanie?
That's my sis-in-law, Betta, and she's just totally directing a movie. 

Betta's capstone film, Dante's Hamlet, is in full production swing. Shooting started last weekend in downtown Salt Lake so Chas and I got to check it out, VIP style. 
At one point, someone approached me and asked if I had "signed in."
"Ummm I'm related to the director," and then I waved him away. 
Like I said.
V.I.P.

But seriously, we were so proud of Bette.
It was amazing to see so many people on the crew and how real it all was. I don't know what I was expecting but it felt like there was a real-life little Hollywood set in good ol' SLC! 

All of a sudden, our little Betta is all grown up. 
Making movies and directing drive-by shootings...

Sniff. Sniff.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

let's talk about insurance, baby

Many of you offered such thoughtful and helpful comments after yesterday's post. Lots of the comments centered on the insurance issue. There were questions and great advice. I also received some wonderful emails on the topic.
Thank you. 

I thought a little follow-up post about the insurance issue was in order for today. 

I believe that one of the reasons Chas and I were blessed with such peace on the subject was because we do have a plan. 
I hope I didn't lead you to believe that we're just gonna wing it and hope that everything comes together somehow. That would be silly and irresponsible. 

There have actually been multiple plans drafted ever since we started wanting a little cryings. 

Plan A was praying our hearts out (for a long time) that Chas could get a full-time job that offered benefits. 
Turns out, that hasn't been in the cards for us. At least, not yet. 
We both feel like a job with benefits will eventually happen for our family. We're just not sure when.

Plan B was to go ahead and just start trying for a little cryings, regardless of not having benefits. 
Heather told us how there is great financial assistance offered through a local hospital. 
(I wrote a post about that story here.)

The first part of Plan B (the most important part) eventually worked out great. 
I'm making a little cryings! 

But, as I explained in yesterday's post, we apparently don't qualify for the hospital's financial assistance. 

So here's Plan C: 

In meeting with the financial aid counselor, we got a lot of good information and helpful specifics. 
We're using an awesome nurse midwife at the hospital and the total cost of all the visits with our midwife, the actual delivery, and post-natal care is a chunk of change that we can definitely work with. 
Adding hospital bills and a possible epidural, is still something we can afford.** 

If, heaven forbid, there are complications which shoot our medical bills through the roof, we will be in a much better place to qualify for financial assistance through the hospital after the birth because we'll owe tons of money and have a dependent we can claim. 
In fact, the counselor we spoke with was very certain that we'd be covered if this were the case. 

So that's basically what we're using as our "insurance policy" right now. 

We used to just pay for a policy with a super high deductible but have since cancelled it. The hospital's financial aid program is basically taking the place of that policy except we don't have to pay a monthly premium! 
The hospital also automatically deducts 20% from our bills because we don't carry insurance.
Win win. 

If Chas doesn't have a job with benefits after little cryings is born and we pass the time when the baby is no longer covered under the "post-natal care," we'll look into CHIP or something similar so we can be sure that our child will get the proper medical care it needs. 

** Ever since we got married two years ago, Chas and I have been working very hard and very diligently to make paying off my graduate school loans a top priority. 
If all goes as planned, we're hoping to have it almost alllll paid off by the time little cryings is here. 

Even though putting money towards my loans every month feels like we're just giving money away, an unexpected blessing has come. 
We both have a different, renewed perspective on large quantities of money, our ability to live frugally enough to save, and our ability to put money towards something super important.

It's a mixture of confidence in ourselves and faith that the Lord will provide if we sacrifice and do what's right. 

Blessings come when we do all we can on our own and then have faith in Heavenly Father being aware of our situation and his ability to open doors for us.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

some little thoughts

Just a few things I'm thinking about lately...

The last four days have been pretty rough. I had to cancel my class on Saturday and didn't leave the house at all yesterday. My morning sickness is the grossest nausea. The kind where you're just praying you'll throw up so maybe your tummy will stop burning and that sick lump in your throat will subside. Bleeeeeh!

The whole thing can make me rather grumpy.
But Chas always takes care of me so well. Especially when I'm grumpy. 
Thank goodness for my Chas. 

>>>

We have another ultrasound appointment on Friday. 
Can't wait to see our little lime!

>>>

Because we both do contract work (starving artists), we don't have health insurance. 
We recently met with our hospital's financial aid counselor and were told we don't qualify for their assistance.
We don't qualify for Medicaid, either. 

Looks like we're going to be paying for little cryings all by ourselves. 
And we both feel surprisingly peaceful and calm about it. 
No panic. No anxiety. 

I just love when Heavenly Father blesses us with peace and I'm brave enough to accept that peace and choose not to worry. It's a lovely thing. 

>>>

We'll be spending this Christmas at my family's cabin. So excited.
I had the idea for everyone to make something homemade for family presents.

But then I remembered I'm not good at homemade. 
Any ideas on a gift I could put together for my 24 year-old little sister?

>>>

I really need to dye my hair. 
Really. 
I'm thinking dark, chocolate brown.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Giveaway! {life of a passeri shop}

I have a really fun giveaway today!

Heather has a little shop where she sells super cute clothes for super low prices.
Most of the stuff has never been worn and, believe me, if my tummy wasn't getting increasingly chubs these days, I'd be alllll over those pencil skirts! 

Today Heather is giving away a $35 shopping credit to be used towards anything in her shop!

To enter, must be a follower of Young People in Love. 

Then just follow Heather's blog, Life of a Passeri, and let me know you did!

For extra entries: 

Like Life of a Passeri on Facebook
Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link. 

Happy shopping!

>>>

And the winner of last week's Shabby Apple giveaway is:

Congrats!

Friday, November 11, 2011

model missionary

My little sister, Rosemary, was a high-fashion model.
But that's old news. 

She's spent the last 18 months of her life serving others in Arizona on a mission for our church
Now she's a month away from coming home! 
We can't wait to see her and introduce her to nephew Banks!

Rosie is spending her last month in Arizona serving at the Mesa Temple visitor's center. 
So if you happen to be checking out the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple, keep your eyes peeled for the cutest and tallest sister missionary around. 

And give her a hug from her big sister, Sam!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

little cryings Q&A

Why do you always call it a "little cryings?"

Here's the story behind the term "little cryings."
One night, before I was pregnant, I asked Chas to tell me a story about what a morning at our house would be like with a baby.
During the story, he said something along the lines of, "...and it's early in the morning and we start to hear little cryings coming from the second bedroom..."
And, just like that, "little cryings" was born. (pun?)

When is the official due date? 

I'm due June 2nd.
Exactly one week before my birthday. 

Will you guys find out the sex of the baby?

Although I really love the idea of waiting and having the sex of the baby be a surprise, there is no way I could have the patience for that. No way.
We actually plan on paying a little extra to find out the sex in less than 4 weeks (eek!) at a special ultrasound place that does 3D ultrasounds. 

How did you find out?

I had just gotten home from work. I realized it had been over 4 hours since I last peed and, even though Chas wasn't home, I just went for it.
So the first person to find out was me, and only me. Even though I wish Chas could have been there so I could run into the other room, screaming, waving the stick in his face,
it was actually a fun little moment that I got to have just with myself. Like suddenly there was this most wonderful secret that only I knew.

How did you tell Chas?

After the first test was positive, I quickly took another test (of a different brand), just to be sure.
Then I layed two positive tests next to each other on the bathroom counter and texted Chas the picture.
No words.
Just the picture.
He called right away and said, "Ummm...whaaaat is that??!!..."

You say "cryings" (plural)...is there more than one?

Nope. Just one.
But I'm sure there will be lots and lots of cryings once it gets here!

Did you feel any different before you found out for sure? Some people just "know."

I actually did have a little experience that happened a few days before I found out.
But I think I'll leave it at that because it was a pretty special moment that I'd like to keep just between Chas and I. 

What was your first pregnancy symptom?

Before I knew for sure I was pregnant, I was getting up to use the bathroom at night much more than usual.

What was your first thought when you found out?

"Holy crap."

How long did you keep it a secret that just the two of you knew?

Probably one full minute.
As soon as I got off the phone with Chas, I called my mom.
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and telling my family and hearing their reactions was too fun to wait for.

Do you guys have names picked out?

We've got a few that we like but we'll probably keep them a secret for now.

Who was the first person you told?

Chas.

I know you all had been trying for awhile. What, if anything, did you do differently the cycle you got pregnant?

I don't know if we did anything differently during that magical cycle.
I do think that I had started to feel more calm and faithful about trusting in Heavenly Father's timetable for us and being ok with however long it took.
Just an overall feeling of reassurance and peace.

And I will say this:
If you're trying for your own little cryings, look into Preseed.
I highly recommend it.
And that's all I'm gonna say about that.
:)

And now here's my question for you: 

Have you noticed the little poll on the right?
Check one!
We wanna know what your guess is!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

New Painting! baby abby

A custom portrait for the winner of The Wiegand's giveaway. 

Loving those cheeks!

Speaking of...
I've got your little cyings Q &A post coming tomorrow! 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

oh hey, muffin

Rewind to early last week: 

Our new apartment is a maze of unorganized piles of books, cleaning supplies, clothes hangers, and random stuff that we're still trying to find a place for. Basically, it's hard to walk around the place freely.
We've both been working all day and
have just gotten back from a huge grocery store trip. 
It's 11pm. 
We're so tired. 

It was the perfect time to make some banana pecan bread and muffins! 
Of course! 

Or, as we like to call them, 
BONANZA bread and muff-tins!

Sounds like a party, huh? 

Here's our favorite recipe:

BONANZA BREAD

Ingredients:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Instructions: 

With a hand mixer, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and crushed pecans over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last and mix. Pour batter into a buttered 4x8in loaf pan. 
Bake for 1 hour at 350F. 
Remove from pan, let cool on rack, slice, and enjoy! 

(For muffins, cook for 30 mins.)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Giveaway! {shabby apple}

Shabby Apple is one of the hippest vintage-inspired clothing boutiques in the universe. 
If you haven't checked them out, you must! 
Their dresses are so, so beautiful. 

Today, Shabby Apple is giving away this Light As A Feather necklace. 
(A $50 value!) 

Can't you imagine yourself totally rockin' that little feather this winter?

To enter, must be a follower of Young People in Love. 

Then, just "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook and let me know you did so!

For extra entries: 

Follow Shabby Apple on twitter
Follow the Shabby Apple blog

*Giveaway open to U.S. readers only.*

>>>

And the winner of the Circle Prints giveaway is: 


 Congrats!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

aaaand we're back!

Just some iPhone preview shots of our new apartment.

Hey, guys. 
Sorry to be so blog MIA.
After a whole week, we finally got the internet service working at our new place.

At first, it was really weird not having internet access on our home computer. 
But then something unexpected happened. 

I was totally fine and even happy without internet.
Honestly, it was a real breath of fresh air to be temporarily disconnected from the virtual world.

With no internet, we've had plenty of time to focus on unpacking, organizing, eating breakfast and dinner in bed, telling each other how much we love our new place, snugging, and watching the snow fall outside our bedroom window for an hour this morning. 
Mmmm. Hmmm. 

And now...

I'm writing this blog post while Chas is watching football and Facebooking on his phone at the same time. 

Yup. 
We're back. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?


Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? from Lilly McDowell on Vimeo.


I normally don't post videos on here- especially two in a row.

But just watch this and you'll see why I had to show you all!
I'm mildly obsessed.

My good friend, Holly, put together this short film with her kids for her husband's 30th bday.
She schemed up the whole thing.
Every little perfect detail is 100% Holly.

Pretty darling and beautiful. 

I recommend watching it at least once a day.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

grateful


Currently diggin' this song and the snowy sentiment.  

Today is the first of November and someone turned on the winter-time switch.
We woke up to snow.

But when you can turn up the thermostat and take an extra long hot, cozy shower, a little snow on the ground is just fine with me.

Wanna know what else is just fine with me?

YOU ALL.

I can't tell you how much Chas and I appreciated the outpouring of love, enthusiasm, and support for yesterday's happy news.
Reading the comments together, we just looked at each other kinda dumb-founded.

"Oh. My. Gosh. People are SO nice!"

And this definitely wasn't the first time we've been so grateful for all your goodness and thoughtfulness.

THANK YOU.

So here's some of the deets on little cryings:

I'm almost 10 weeks.
At first, I was super nauseous, grumpy, and a little depressed.
But the last few weeks have been much better.
As long as I'm always eating (every hour), the nausea isn't so bad. Or it could just be that I'm getting more and more used to the constant underlying gaggy feeling. Either way, I feel really lucky that I haven't been "driving the white bus," as my dear father would say.

You would think that having to never stop eating would be a dream come true.
And when I go to grab that donut or second bagel for the day, it is.
But it's also kind of annoying.
Having to stop and find something to eat every hour can be quite the hassle!
But then again, satisfying a pregnancy craving is one of the most glorious feelings in the world, I'm discovering.

So...
Yeah. It IS a dream come true. Basically.

Lately, little cryings has been LOVING orange juice.
I downed almost an entire large jug of Tropicana by myself in 24 hours.
I've never even liked orange juice.
But this orange juice had some crack cocaine mixed in.
Probably.

If you have any little cryings questions about the last 10 weeks, don't hesitate to comment and ask!
Maybe I could dedicate a whole post to answering your questions.
Might be fun. :)