Military Appreciate Day at the Rodeo!

Even though I've lived in Texas for nearly a year now, I still had yet to go see the Rodeo.  It's not really a first thought of something to do for my husband nor I. However, in honor of memorial day they had a night where the military gets in free! I couldn't pass up a FREE date night! So, after much convincing to get Kendall to go, we decided to enjoy this "Texas experience."

We were surprised at how fun the evening actually was. It was incredibly hot initially and we had to sit on bleachers (not the best place for a pregnant woman to sit!) but overall I feel that I did really well :).

Enjoy a few pictures from that very fun evening! They started off with a show by the US Army Cavalry which was followed by the actual Rodeo. 

I tried to take a picture together and instead he made this face... So I decided it was only fitting to share it with the world! :) Hope we can have more new experiences in the near future!

With love,
Erica

My Growing Belly

I have just reached 22 weeks of pregnancy, which is absolutely amazing! I So far the only real cravings I've had are foods from back home, which of course I can't eat here :( However, I do really enjoy anything sweet and I will never pass up Macaroni and cheese! According to an app on my phone, our little girl, Marie Isabella Gilliam, is currently about 11 inches long and nearly a pound. It's amazing how much she is already growing!

She also started kicking within the last few weeks. She isn't a huge kicker, typically one time and then she'll wait a while. But every once in a while she will have little kicking fits! Kendall has only gotten the chance to feel once or twice though :( She usually stops when he comes around.

A few weeks ago I did have an ultrasound and found out I do have placenta previa, which means my placenta is covering my cervix.  Although 99% of women's placenta does move away from the cervix, I do have another ultrasound next week to make sure that it has moved like it is supposed to.  So please pray that this is the case! If it has not moved by the time I go into labor I will have to have a C-section as well as there is higher risk of bleeding out.  So we want everything to go safely and smoothly!

Here are some pictures of my belly's progression as far as growing is concerned!

above: 12 weeks 

 above: 13 weeks 

above: 14 weeks 

 above: 15 weeks 

  above: 16 weeks 

  above: 17 weeks

  above: 18 weeks 

  above: 19 weeks

  above: 20 weeks 

 above: 21 weeks 

I have yet to take my 22 week photo, but you can see that my tummy has really grown over the last few months! I am planning on doing several crafts and projects before little Marie is born! So keep an eye out for those! I will also be updating with a photo each week as she continues to grow inside of me :) 

I can't wait til I finally get to meet our little girl! 

Love, 

Erica 

Our trip to Oklahoma

I used to be so good at taking pictures everywhere I could! Anytime we went somewhere my camera was by my side.  However, after always being behind the lens I have really wanted to just enjoy things through my own eyes.  Although, I always wish I had more pictures from the trips we take or the things we do!  So I am re-learning how to keep my camera with me...  Sometimes this is an easy process and other times it feels like a bit of a chore. But I'm working on it, which is the point.

Over memorial day weekend we made a trip up to Oklahoma City to visit some family. My Aunt Jackie lives there and my grandparents as well as my cousin were making the trip down from Indiana. So we thought it would be a perfect time to make a trip up to visit as well! It was, however, a very short trip as Kendall had to work on Sunday. So we drove up Friday morning (6 hours!) and then drove back Saturday afternoon. While we were there we got to spend some much needed time with family. It's so hard to get a chance to be with our family while living so far away.  Although I don't have a ton of images from our time there, I do have a few and I wanted to share those with you!

Above: I wish I could say that I took this image, however my amazing husband Kendall did! When I was getting the image above it he grabbed the camera from my and just held it in front of him and got the above image! I didn't crop it at all. It's the exact image he got.  I was really impressed with his ability without even trying to get a good shot!

Altogether the trip was very fun! I do wish I had a few more pictures to show for it, but I thought that these few would definitely give a bit of the beauty we saw while on that trip!

With love,
Erica

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 Want more tips and tricks for living an environmentally sustainable life?

Stop by my new blog Our Living World.

I've always had an interest in living as green and simply as can, while also staying budget friendly and realistic.  Several years ago my mom began making her own liquid laundry detergent and that has always been really interesting to me.  When I moved down here they made some for me and it lasted me from August to nearly February! That was amazing because we had spent no more than $7 on all the ingredients.

Recently while looking through blogs I found another blogger who makes her own laundry detergent, using the exact same recipe as my mom, however her is powder instead of liquid.  This sounded much more realistic to me because the liquid takes over a day to make and the powder was much quicker.  So I wanted to share this recipe with you today! I found the alternative version of this recipe over at Elisa Loves, which is definitely one of my new favorite blogs, so check her out!

Homemade Laundry detergent
This recipe is very simple and only requires 3 ingredients!  Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and a Fels Naptha bar. Even better, the box of Borax and Washing Soda will last for several recipes and you will only need to buy Fels Naptha (97 cents at Walmart, last time I was there).  Not too bad at all!

Required Materials: 

1/2 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda 

1 Fels Naptha Bar 

Container to hold detergent (This can be glass like what I got or simply a tupperware container, anything you want!)

Strong knife to cut the Soap bar 

Food processor (If you don't have a food processor you can always try to use a cheese grater as well, although I don't know how fine the soap will get. Let me know if you try it, please!)

Small bowl to hold soap throughout the process 

Let's get started! 

Step 1: Take the Fels Naptha Bar and cut it in at least 8 pieces. 

Step 2: Place each piece in the food processor. I have a 2-3 cup processor, which is the small one, I found it was easiest to do one piece at a time. Allow it process a few minutes until the soap has become more of a powder. (It may not be the finest powder, just do the best you can! We will put it back in later) 

Step 3: Dump out the powdered soap into a small bowl and continue which each piece of soap remaining. 

Step 4: Once finished with each piece dump the powdered contents in the bowl back into the processor and allow it a few more minutes in the processor. 

Step 5: Pour contents from the processor into your detergent container.

Step 6: Add 1 cup of Washing Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax (per bar of Fels Naptha). 

Step 7: Mix and enjoy! Each load use between 1-2 Tablespoons of soap depending on the size of the load. 

Left: one "serving" of soap.  I bought a 1/2 gallon glass container from walmart ($4) which should hold between 3-4 servings of soap. 

Notes: If you do multiple "servings" of this soap, I recommend giving your food processor a break between bars, especially if you have a small processor like I do. I felt mine was getting a little hot after I finished processing the bar. 

This recipe is a little messy, so make sure you have plenty of counter or table space to utilize. 

Let me know what you think of this recipe! So far I like it alot and find it's a lot easier to handle a small container of powdered detergent than a 5 gallon bucket of liquid detergent! 

Have you ever tried homemade detergent? If so, what is your opinion? 

Talk to you soon! 

Erica 

I'm back home!

Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time since I've blogged regularly and I am very sorry for that! When I had started my new job, although I had plenty of time to blog, I didn't have the drive or determination to keep it up.  However, after much thought and prayer I have made the decision to step down from my full-time job and return home.

There were several things that went into my decision to stay home again.  Part of it were struggles as work. At times things reminded me a bit of high school and the drama that entails.  However, that was not my only reason for quitting.  I also was tired of not being caught up on my laundry, my dishes, heck, my whole house! I was always spending Saturday picking things up, but never actually cleaning and I hated that!

So what will I be doing? 
I have lots of plans in place to help keep me busy as well as make the most of this time home. Some of the everyday things are:
-keep the house picked up/clean
-work on my art (sometimes that will mean going different places to do so)
-take better care of myself with walking and yoga
-getting the nursery ready
-blogging :)

I also have little projects that I am very excited about getting finished as well! Those include, but aren't limited to:
-completely cleaning out my pantry
-reorganizing shelves and closets
-finding creative ways to reuse everyday items

What will my blog posts look like?
I am sure that my posts will slowly change their focus a bit as I get closer to becoming a mom, as well as after I am a mom. However, I will still post recipes, tips and tricks, crafts, etc... If there is ANYTHING you are interested in seeing, please let me know! That way I make sure that I will continue to bring things that are relevant and interesting to my readers!

I am very excited about all these changes and can't wait until I get more settled into a regular schedule!

Erica

Dear Baby Gilliam,

I know I have only known of you for the last few months, but I am already so excited for you to enter this world! Your daddy and I can't wait until we can see your beautiful face and touch your tiny hands! I thank God everyday for the opportunity to grow you and help you become big and strong.  I can promise you, even though I don't really have an experience yet, that I will love you with every aspect of my being. I will protect you when I need to, and let you take steps alone when you need to. I hope to be able to teach you everything that I have learned from my mom and more! It is my dream for you to grow up free to do whatever it is you love.

I know that I haven't met you yet, but I can't wait to get to know your personality. I know you'll probably be a little stubborn, since we both are :), and I hope compassionate.  I want to teach and inspire you to see the world through the eyes of the Lord. I want you to see the beauty and happiness in the world, not just the bad.  I want you to experience all that you can and whatever you can't experience, to dream about.  I pray that the Lord gives you a heart for the people around you and to love all.

I pray that you grow up with a strong relationship with the Lord. I know that it's always a journey, but I will aim to push you and encourage you towards a love and passion unlike any other! I pray that God will protect you and keep you safe and use your life to bless anyone around you.

You know, I'm a little scared though. This is something I have never experienced and I know that I will do some things wrong, and when I do, I hope you forgive me.  I know that I won't always have the answers when you ask, but I promise that I will always listen to you when you need it the most. Although I don't yet know what joys and hardships you life may bring, I continue to pray that the Lord will give me the peace and patience to handle any situation. I can promise you that I'll mess up, but I can also promise you that I will always be here to clean those messes up.

I can't wait to meet you, my love! My love for you grows with each passing day and I know that will continue as you grow. I know I will always want to protect you from the world around you and at times, it will be hard to let that go, but I pray that I will make the decisions that will best help you become a part of this wonderful world.

I continue to pray for protection and strength as you grow. I pray that I will know the right decisions to make each step of the way and for clarity when needed. I thank the Lord that I am surrounded by amazing women to learn from and look up to! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to grow up learning all the things I have and for the foundation I have been given. I know that I don't know it all and I realistically never will, but as I learn and grow I will work to help you learn and grow in this life as well.  Thank you Lord for this amazing addition to our family, and I pray for the strength and safety as the next few months progress!

Not too much longer until I will get to meet you, and I seriously can't wait! Your daddy and I are preparing and getting everything ready for you. We can't wait til the day we get to see you for the first time! Until then, I will love, protect, and care for you, and pray the Lord will continue to bless this pregnancy.

With mountains of love,
Your mommy, Erica

This years gardening adventures!

This year I decided to significantly expand my container garden! Although I can't actually plant in the ground (since we rent our place), I didn't want to that stop me from having lots of veggies and herbs these next few seasons.  I did do a few "experiments" as far as how many things could go in a pot, and figured I won't know til I try! If I lose a few plants, in the long run, I'll learn a lot more in the future!

I am going to try to update you guys every week or so on how everything is growing and what kind of yield we are getting!  The best part of a container garden is that anyone can do it! You can't have to have a ton of space. I've even seen videos of people who grow veggies inside near windows and get great yield.

This year, I tried really hard to plant things that I know we enjoy! I also wanted to try different variations to see which type grows best in pots.  We also got a few new herbs that we haven't really had a chance to try without growing them ourselves. I'm really excited for my garden this year and hop that everything works out well!

Above: This is my entire garden.  We have it on the side of the yard that will get plenty of sunshine, but it's also a little more protected from environmental factors.

Above: 3 Cauliflower plants.  I've never planted them before and didn't know how they would do in a container, but I figured I would "Go big or Go home" So I put three plants in one pot.

Left: This is the "Better Boy" Variety of a tomato plant.  They are supposed to grow large tomatoes.  I also have two small Kale plants in the container with this tomato plant.

Above: Here are the "Beef Master" Tomato Variety. These are also supposed to grow very large tomatoes. Last year, I had a plant that was supposed to do large tomatoes, but instead they looked like cherry tomatoes.  I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again this year (Hence the difference varieties!). I also have some Spicy Globe Basil in this container.

Right: This is the "Black Cherry" Tomato plant.  I've never seen these before, but they are supposed to be a variety of Cherry Tomatoes that are supposed to have a deaper color, almost a purply-black. 

I also have "Cowhorn" Cayenne Pepper plant in this container.  I didn't know if these who would grow very well together, but I figured it was defintiely worth a try! I dont' know what will use the Cayenne peppers for yet (besides salsa), but I'm excited to try some new things!

Above: Here are my lovely Sweet Basil plants! Last year my basil did incredibly and I dried a ton of it! I'm hoping that this year I can dry extra to keep for the off seasons.  I also have a Grape Tomato plant in this container as well.

Above: I was getting creative with my containers (These are free after we eat the strawberries!). Here I have some Romane Lettuce plants.  I didn't know exactly how they would do in the smaller containers, but I figured it was definitely worth a shot!

Above: Here is one of my two Strawberry plants! I planted both Strawberries in strawberry containers from the store! I'm very excited for them as they are already starting to get little buds!

Above: MMMMM Chocolate Mint! Every time I go over to water them it smells so good!! I don't yet know what to do with it, but I don't care! It was a MUST in my garden!

Left:  This is actually my oregano plant left over from last year! I did great through the couple frosts we had down here! I ended up transplanting it into it's own container this year as it likes to take over whatever world it lives in.  This year it's in the bottom of a milk jug!

Right: This is the beginning of a chives plant. I have never seen a baby Chive plant, so I don't really know if it's doing well or not, but I am really hoping this one works! Kendall and I both LOVE adding chives to our meals!

Also, you can see that I planted this in a milk jug as well! Gotta recycle those plastics!

Above: Here is my Swiss Chard plant! I absolutely love the bright colors of these plants! I also have another one planted in a strawberry container as well! I can't wait for these to grow big and strong so we can eat them!

Left: This is Curly Parsely.  I also have two regular parsely plants as well in milk jugs.  I have never grown this variety before and am very excited to use it in some fun cooking!

Right: This year I also did a German Thyme plant! I haven't planted Thyme before either.  It's not something Kendall and I typically use in our cooking, but I think it's about time to add it to some of our recipes! Suggestions on how to use it would be very welcomed!

Above: Here is a Sweet Green Bell Pepper Plant! I am very excited for these as they are great to eat alone and to cook with! I'm really hoping that it will yield some fantastic fruits! I also have some cilantro here. I haven't grown this before, but we love to use it in guacamoles and salsas we I thought we might as well have some in our garden as well!

Above: This is the only plant that I didn't plant anything with. This is my "Bush Goliath" Tomatoes.  This is a bush tomato plant and since it is supposed to be more thick and bushy I didn't want to plant anything else in the pot to avoid things being over powered! From pictures I've seen these have great yield in containers, so I'm hoping that I get something very similar!

Left: Here is my rosemary that is leftover from last year as well! It has survived this winter really well and I am hoping that it will perk up again as the weather gets warmer!

I also have two broccoli plants in this container as well! I haven't done broccoli before, but I am really excited as they have almost doubled in height over the last 2 weeks!

Above: Here is my Bok Choy plants! I am so excited about these because they are doing so well already! I planted them about 2 weeks ago and they have definitely grown really well. I can't wait until they are ready to pick! These go great with stir fry and in salads!

Above: Here are four more broccoli plants! These were planted about a week ago, so they haven't really perked up like the other ones, but I am hoping that they will grow well this spring! I am also planning on replanting these this fall for some more broccoli later in the year!

Above: Last, but certainly not least, is my Thai Basil plant! I am very excited about this because of the gorgeous colors and a new use for basil that we don't already do! In this container I also am trying some Crewneck Squash plants. I'm not totally sure how they will do in the container, but I figured it was definitely worth a try!

I hope my little garden as encouraged you to try something of your own, whether it's large or one small plant, there is something about growing things yourself! I can't wait to see how everything does this spring!

What are you planting this year? Anything new that you are super excited about? I'd absolutely love to hear about it!