My Birth Story

I've been meaning to write out Keegan's birth story, I don't want to forget a thing about that amazing day, or should I say dayS (this is your warning that this story is not short)!  This is a birth story and I'm not going to try to tone it down for blog purposes because I want to be able to look back and have all the details, so reader, you have been warned.

If you follow me on Insta, you know I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes early in my second trimester.  The diagnosis devastated me, I cried for several days but after meeting with a nutritionist, learning how to use a glucometer and ultimately being put on insulin, I adjusted fairly easily.  I also learned I would be induced at 39 weeks which I was surprisingly (or not) okay with.  I am a planner, I make as many lists as I can to stay organized and being able to plan out exactly how my birth would go put me at ease.  Of course he could've still decided to come on his own, but I was pretty sure he would be getting evicted, since first time moms tend to go over their due date.

Because Gestational Diabetes can cause additional issues, I had two extra ultrasounds scheduled, one around 29 weeks and one at 37 weeks.  The ultrasounds had two goals, to check my fluid levels, as Gestational Diabetes can cause high fluid levels (Polyhdramnios).  Polyhydramnios can lead to babies not being in the right position for birth, cord prolapse, and preterm labor to name a few risks, so it's important to make sure fluid levels are normal.  The ultrasounds were also to measure the baby's growth, as babies can grow bigger than normal in moms with GD.  The first ultrasound fluid levels measured great and so did Keegan's size.  The second ultrasound, fluid levels were again great, but they said Keegan was pretty big, almost 9 pounds.  I went home feeling fine (albeit slightly nervous to birth a 9+ pound baby), looking forward to being induced in just over two weeks.  

Later that day though, I got a voicemail from my doctor, saying the baby is really big and she would like to talk to me.  We talked that evening and once we hung up the phone I was in tears.  She said she estimated Keegan would be 4437 grams at birth (9.78 lbs) and started naming the risks of birthing big babies, and birthing babies of moms with GD.  The most concerning a broken clavicle (due to shoulders getting stuck) or even fetal fatality.  She said if I wanted I could elect a c-section, which are typically recommended when babies are estimating to be 4500 grams (9.9 lbs).  A C-SECTION!?  That is not what I wanted or envisioned for my birth story.  I felt so torn because I didn't want anything to happen to my baby if I "selfishly" chose to try a natural birth regardless of the risks I had been advised.  I cried so much that night.

I started doing tons of research, some of it frightened me, but mostly I started to feel more comfortable moving forward with an attempt at a natural birth.  I learned that doctors pretty much HAVE to offer a c-section, to eliminate any liability on their part.  I felt like I was always hearing of 9-10 pound babies being born and that I could do it.

Back to the big day(s), the induction was scheduled for December 27th at 9am (technically I was 39 weeks on the 25th but that was Christmas and they don't do inductions on Christmas) and I wanted to go in the day before my induction to have my membranes sweeped, in an attempt to do as much as possible to prepare my body to birth my baby boy.

On December 27th I woke up at 6:45, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat on the couch relaxing while Chris showered.  I called the hospital shortly before 7am to make sure they were okay to take me at 9am and they said come on in.  Chris took Guiness to camp (Camp Bow Wow, aka dog boarding) and I got in the shower.  I was surprisingly really calm and not at all nervous.  He got home and we had a healthy scrambled egg breakfast, packed the car and we were off.  The hospital is about 25 minutes from our house, it was so surreal that we were on our way to "go get our baby" as my uncle would say. 

We checked in at the desk and got called back shortly later.  We got our room, LDR 7, I got changed and they hooked me up to monitor the baby while they did my vitals.  

After an hour it was time to start the induction process, with the foley bulb catheter.  This is basically a tube with a balloon on the end that is placed above your cervix, the balloon is inflated with saline and puts pressure on your cervix which leads to dilation.  Every hour or so Chris and I walked the halls, which is super awkward in a robe with tubes hanging out your nether regions, but I knew staying active was the way to make things progress.  I had some slightly uncomfortable contractions throughout this process, but nothing regular.  We had lunch, watched The Proposal (which I actually napped through) then it was dinner time and I couldn't believe how long this was taking!

The bulb was removed after 12.5 hours, and the doctor said I was dilated to a 5!  I couldn't believe it, but was so happy.  The plan was to start me on pitocin, but first they monitored the baby more and got me a snack, since once pitocin was started I wouldn't be able to eat.  Pitocin was officially started at 11:15pm.  I was able to rest for a few hours, but contractions definitely started to pick up.  On one trip to the bathroom I lost the mucus plug, which is super gross, but made me so happy, things were progressing and by now it was already December 28th.  At 5:15am the doctor came and checked me and I was still a 5.  ONLY A FIVE?  I was pretty discouraged, but he said the foley bulb causes a mechanical dilation of the cervix and my body had to catch up, which is what it was doing.  He said it was time to break my water.  That was a weird, warm feeling....  

They continued to monitor the baby and boy did things start to get intense pretty quickly after my water was broke.  I was ready for an epidural by 6:15am.  I never planned on an unmedicated birth, I didn't even want to try and I'm glad I always had it in my mind to get an epidural because the pain at that point was unreal.  I was shaking, freezing, nauseas, it was rough.  It was so hard to sit through the epidural process, but once it was over they covered me with a warm blanket and I was SO happy.

Now that I was bed ridden, with the epidural, continuous blood pressure monitoring had to occur, and any bathroom trips had to be via catheter.  I was able to sleep on and off and around 8am I met a new doctor, who I will never forget.  I had breakfast consisting of a jello and diet ginger ale.  At 9am they checked me, still a 5.  I started to get a little nervous that I wasn't going to progress, but the staff seemed content and the nurses helped me change positions on the bed to hopefully help things along.  The most interesting position was around 11:30am, they got me on my knees and arms bent over a bean bag, on the bed.  At first it was okay, but then the pressure came, it literally felt like I was going to poop all over and I was horrified for that to happen.  The nurse had the doctor come check me and I was an 8, 100% effaced but a -1 station.

PROGRESS, finally.  I was back on my back and they called for an epidural booster because I could not stop my body from pushing, it seemed like it was doing it on it's own!  The boost helped take away some of the pressure pain.

Around 1pm we started to hear things happening in the room next door, and by things I mean grunting and screaming.  Talk about intimidating for a first timer.  I was convinced I would not be that wild but also scared about what was to come, but surely she was unmedicated, right?

2pm, I'm 10cm and it's time to push.  Even though it has been a day and a half, I couldn't believe I was about to push my baby out.  Pushing was, let's say, interesting.  We did three pushes for every contraction (maybe that's typical?).   At first it was hard timing them to occur during the peak of the contraction, but with the doctor's encouragement he was coming and soon I would know for sure my pushes were working because holy crap, the feeling of him crowning was insane.  It was painful and stressful and soon I was the lady next door grunting and screaming through contractions.  Prior to the pain of crowning the doctor talked me through what would happen if Keegan were to get stuck in the birth canal.  I remember her being so calm and understanding while explaining what could be a very scary experience for all of us.  She said if he got stuck a lot of people would be rushing in quickly bu it was important that I remain calm and focus on her for instructions.  I never felt scared because her bedside manor was perfect for a laboring mom. 

When the doctor started suiting up, and they dropped the bed (and apparently put down a tarp Chris told me after the fact) it was like an out of body experience.  I was about to have my baby.

At 4:23pm Keegan William West was born.  They put him on my stomach immediately, he was crying his head off!  I remember saying, "he's so cute, he's so cute" and I too cried my eyes out.  I was in total disbelief that I just had a baby and he was here with us.  I am literally tearing up just reflecting back on it now.

Keegan did not get stuck in the birth canal (I should've known but I did ask the doctor to be sure since the last little while of pushing was excruciating I don't even think I had conversations between contractions it was that intense).  I only had a small 1st degree tear, it was bleeding so the doctor did a couple stitches while Keegan was still on my chest.  At some point Chris cut the cord, I think probably before I was stitched up?  Keegan was moving his arms all around, the nurse had to hold them so he didn't get cut!  

Keegan was on my chest for over an hour, he had calmed down and it was the most glorious feeling of my life staring at him, looking at as much of him as I could, his little hands with long fingernails, cute nose, small ears and long hair on the back of his head.  I told the nurses that my family all did wagers on Keegan's birth weight, so we all took turns guessing how much he weighed, no one thought he looked as big as the ultrasounds estimated!  The nurses guessed high 8's, I guessed 9, Chris guessed

It turns out he weighed 9lbs 2oz and was 20.5 inches long.  After his vitamin K shot, eye ointment and other vitals were completed he was diapered, wrapped up and handed over to Chris while the nurses tended to me.  They removed the epidural and helped me to my feet for my first trip to the bathroom.  No need to get into those details, but I have to talk about my nurses who got me through the end of my labor, delivery of Keegan and the couple hours after.  Jamie and Jessica were their names, one was in training, as a labor and delivery nurse, the other seasoned veteran. They were seriously amazing and I will never forget them.

Just over two hours after Keegan was born we were being wheeled to the "Mother and Baby" unit at the hospital where we would stay until it was time to go home!  I hugged the nurses goodbye and choked back tears because they really were wonderful and I was so grateful for them.  I don't even know if I got to say goodbye to the doctor who delivered Keegan, but I did send her a thank you note, because she was that amazing and I am so grateful for her.

If you're still here, thank you for reading my birth story!  Stay tuned for a post about my first two months of motherhood and my newborn must have suggestions.  

IKEA HAUL

Hey Friends, Happy Friday!   I confess I started writing this on a Friday several weeks ago and then my pictures weren't automatically importing to Google for me to use and I got annoyed and didn't come back to it until now.

If you follow me on Insta, you know a few weeks ago I posted I was going to IKEA with my best friend who is also pregnant.  I'd only been to IKEA once before and I wouldn't necessarily consider it successful.  Not knowing what I was getting into, I didn't come prepared and was subsequently overwhelmed with the products and ended up leaving with a wine rack, food storage containers and some coasters.  What a waste of an IKEA trip.  So this time I was determined to buy useful things and started making a list a week in advance.

Here is me and my best friend Monique!  We have been friends since 10th grade, she is about 12 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy and is having a sweet little boy!

I knew I wanted to look at things for the nursery, so I started to gather ideas on Pinterest.  I searched "IKEA hacks," "IKEA nursery," and "IKEA organization," to try and get some good ideas.  I quickly learned that the IKEA Kallax cube was popular for nursery's and so that was on the top of the list.  They come in a variety of colors, but ultimately not yet knowing the gender of our baby I decided to go with white and I also got gray storage bins that fit perfectly in the cubes.  I am proud to say I got home, unloaded all my goods myself and then built this thing all by myself!!  

The Kallax cube is in the baby's closet with the thought that I don't really know what else you put in the bottom of a child's closet, it's not like their clothes hang long when they are so little.  While baby is still a baby I plan to use the bins for things like crib sheets, extra wipes, blankets and other items that we will use frequently. As our little one grows I imagine it's use will evolve into storing toys and books.  Also you can see a fabric laundry tote in the closet, which I also picked up from IKEA, it's black and white and I think it will be perfect for toting laundry up and down the stairs.

Also for the nursery and myself I bought some fabric storage bins that fit in drawers.  For the baby they will hold his tiny socks, no-scratch mittens and other tiny items.  For myself it's holding my intimates in my dresser (in case you were wondering).  They aren't pictured here but they are white and come in either a 6 or 8 pack of assorted sizes.

A couple other small things I bought were this wooden classic hammer toy.

This thermometer/clock that I love called the Klockis, depending on which way you turn it you can see the time, temperature, set an alarm or a timer.  I think this thing was $5.99 and it was so worth it.  I got it not realizing most monitors have a thermometer on them, so I think it will stay in our room.  

I also got a few other random things that weren't on the list but seemed like good buys!  First, a small wooden cutting board for things like lemons and limes.  We just have a variety size of white plastic cutting boards which are fine for food prep but not so cute to have out when having guests over, so this inexpensive wooden one will do the trick. I can't find the exact cutting board I bought but they have tons of options.

I also got this drink stirrer, thingy.  Well I actually got two because they are only $2.99!  My girlfriend had one at her house last time I was there and it's awesome for stirring coffee, it gives it just a bit of froth on top!  Also, it means my husband can use it in the morning, rather than using a different spoon everyday, so less dishes and more spoons in the drawer.

In this picture you can see a small plant and pot, as well as an organizational unit I bought for our coat closet.  I plan to use the small plant on a shelf in the nursery.

Cheap slippers!  Along with a photo bombing step stool.  I read on someones blog that these slippers are great for the hospital because you only wear them a couple days and then will throw them out, so you won't be sad if they were a super nice pair.  I got the step stool for our little one to use one day when brushing their teeth, or washing hands, or whatever.  My husband laughs because we are more than a year out from the baby using it, but I figured "When in Rome!"  Also not pictured that I plan to use when it's baby time, the blue IKEA bag you have to buy when checking out (unless you have spider arms or came prepared).  As I did some excessive Type A personality research recently, I read they are great for bringing pillows and a blanket to the hospital when you go to have a baby.  

Lastly, a picture of the wall organizational unit I bought.  This comes in separate pieces, so the baskets are separate from the wall portion, which is actually called the Algot and can be used for a lot more than just these baskets. For my purposes I liked that I can adjust the height of the baskets and of course make the unit as long or as short as you want it to be, just keep buying more pieces if you want it to be longer.  This came about as I searched for ways to make our coat closet more useful.  It's a walk-in space, with one rod for coats, one shelf and three hooks on the wall.  We had a basket on the shelf for hats, but the basket was no where big enough and you also had to take the basket off the shelf to find the hat you were looking for.  This new method has allowed us to separate hats based on use, for example, we now have a basket for yard work type hats, hats my husband would wear in public and hats for Brittney.  We also have a basket for sunscreen and an empty basket that I think will come in good use for everyday winter gloves or hats.  So here's a picture of what that looks like.  This is not an Instagram worthy, perfectly organized closet.  What it is, is real life :)  

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So that's all I have for now, but I will say the nursery is making great progress and I cannot wait to put together a whole post for everyone to see!  In the meantime, is there anything I should've got from IKEA that you recommend?  What are your favorite IKEA hacks?

Love, 

Britt

We're Having a Baby!

It's true! Baby West is due 1/1/2019!  

I am so excited that we have a baby on board!  And in this new phase of life I want to take some time to blog about my pregnancy so I can look back one day and remember this blissful time!  So this post will be all things pregnancy and baby and not so much home/decorating related.

I found out I was pregnant on the morning of May 2nd.  I somehow managed to not tell Chris until after work, partly because I wanted to do something special and partly because I wanted to take another test just to be sure.  So after work I picked up a little something to creatively break the news and another test!  To my shock it was also positive so then I just had to wait for him to get home.  I had picked up two books from Barnes and Noble, one children's book called "Just Like My Dad" and then a book for him called "Rocking Fatherhood."  I had them in the bag from the bookstore, along with the tests.  When he got home I let him do his usual routine then told him I had something for him.  I think he had to read both books titles to really figure out what was happening.  I was giddy with joy and it seemed like he couldn't believe his eyes.

We told our parents relatively quickly.  We were invited to a brewery with my aunt and uncle (like my parents) and so it was obvious pretty quickly when I declined a taste of her beer, my aunt knew right away!  We told Chris' parents and siblings mother's day weekend, turns out it was also obvious to them when I was drinking water.  What does that say about me!? LOL

We had our first doctors appointment at exactly 8 weeks which is the first time we saw our little peanut!  I couldn't help but get emotional, it was so overwhelming.  I was extremely nervous because you really hope that everything is okay but you don't know until you see that little baby on the screen and then hearing that the baby is measuring on track I felt a little relief.

I thought it might be good to answer some commonly asked questions!

How are you feeling?
I'm feeling really good!  I have been so lucky to not be plagued by morning sickness.  I had a couple afternoons of uneasiness but that is the extent of it.  I was definitely very tired from weeks 6-11ish.  I couldn't wait to get home and take a nap, but those days are gone and while I'm no night owl (and wasn't before getting pregnant) I haven't been needing 5pm naps anymore.  

Have you had any food aversions or cravings?
My major food aversion has been pulled pork.  We had a family BBQ Memorial Day weekend and had SO MUCH leftover but unfortunately the thought of eating it made my stomach turn (and still does).  I also haven't been wanting meat such as ground beef, but we don't eat a lot of ground beef in general anyways.  In terms of cravings, during my very mild nausea weeks a lot of peanut butter and jelly was consumed.  I have continued to enjoy them and take them for lunch a couple times a week.  I did recently want ice cream sandwiches which could be due to the major heat wave we had though.  

Do you want a boy or a girl?
This question is hard, I would love one of each eventually, so in that "perfect" world the boy would be first.  I do get emotional thinking about having a daughter though.  My mother was not always present in my life, when she was we did not have a good relationship and to this day we have no relationship so thinking about trying to be everything my mother wasn't to my own daughter is something I both fear but deeply want.

Are you going to find out if it's a boy or girl?
YES!  We absolutely will be finding out, August 8th is our anatomy appointment.

Do we have names picked out?
I never realized how hard it would be to pick names until now.  Most names I suggest to my husand I get responses like the following example. 

Me: "What about Kennedy for a girl?"

Husband: "Like the president?"  

He can't separate anyone he knows (personally or in the public eye) from a name.  Another recent example 

Me: "Do you like Ashton?"  

Husband: "Like Kutcher?"  

Has anyone else had to combat this?  How are we ever going to choose both a first and middle name?  

What color will you do the nursery?
Before we moved in, and before new carpet was installed throughout the house, we painted every single room.  Knowing we hoped to have kids one day, we painted what will be the nursery a light gray, expecting to incorporate a gender specific color through decor.  If it's a boy the current plan is to incorporate navy and white.  If it's a girl, the current plan is to incorporate lavender and white.  Lavender is my absolute favorite color so I don't see that plan changing, but I have seen some cute boy stuff in light turquoise and even some orange so we will see.  I plan to do a full blog post of the nursery once it's "finished," so stay tuned for that in a few months!

We have already ordered nursery furniture, from Wayfair, of course.  We chose the Kalani dresser and crib by DaVinci.  They aren't put together yet, but it's on the list for July so we can make sure nothing was damaged in shipment, etc.

We still need so much for the baby though!  We have picked up a bassinet and floor play mat off of swap sites on FB, Chris' mom gave us a new rock'n'play and my aunt took us shopping for baby clothes when we first found out so we have a few gender neutral things but we have a long ways to go.  I've picked up a couple of baskets, small toys and books over the past couple of months as well.  I'm trying to do as much research as I can about what things are a must have and what things are novelties that don't really get used so we don't waste money but also don't go without something super important!

I'd be interested to know what my momma friends insist I must have before baby arrives!  Please, first timer here, help me!

Love, Britt

Dreaming of Spring in Michigan

Hi!  It's been a while since I've posted, sorry for that!  

"Spring" has been pretty busy with both work and my personal life!  I say "spring" because while technically spring is here, it doesn't feel like it in Michigan.  We have still been experiencing highs in the 30's and yesterday there was a fresh dusting of snow on the ground and I had to scrape the ice off of the windshield.  I'll say, I'm not a huge fan of scraping ice and I don't usually have to, but my husband took my SUV out of town for work so I'm driving his truck, which doesn't fit in our garage (which is strange because our house is only 20 years old and has three stalls).  So much to my displeasure, after searching his cab for a scraper, then our garage I finally found it in the bed of the truck and tried my best to scrape the ice off, which is particularly hard on a full size truck and I'm not even a short person.  It does look like we might see the mid 60's for a couple days before we drop back to the 40's.  As we wait for spring I'll continue to day dream and think up plans on how to landscape our new house for the first time!  

Another thing I get from my Nona is her love for her landscaping and yard!  I remember every year, on one of the first warm weekends the mulch delivery truck would be dumping a huge pile in the driveway.  My Poppy (grandpa) would load the wheelbarrow over and over dumping piles for us to spread.  When Chris and I got our first house, which was much smaller than my grandparents, we went to Home Depot, got our 10 bags of mulch and thought we were set.  Boy were we wrong and after that year we never went back to bag mulch and we just committed to the bulk order.  If you're local to Brighton, we have been using the company Leppek Landscape and will continue to use them at our new house.  Their pricing is the best out of the local options and they also don't have a minimum quantity for delivery, which is great because we can usually get by with less every other year as the brown color we choose is really natural and long lasting.

Here's a picture of our first house, showing off it's lovely landscaping!  You can see we have a variety of annuals and perennials. We were very lucky to have a lot of perennials pop up our first spring at this house.  There were a lot of Hosta's, daylillies and one very big iris.  I had to get my green thumb on and split and replant a lot of the perennials because they weren't spaced very uniformly and just needed some maintenance in general.  There were also two Japanese maples, notice how you only see one, I had to get rid of the other.  *Gasp* I know, I know, what am I crazy?   In my defense, it was to the left of the sidewalk as you walk up to the front door, it blocked the view of the front yard from the living room and I know they are expensive trees but to be perfectly honest I am not a huge fan of them, they just aren't that pretty!  

So in addition to the perennials, we planted a hydrangea that I just adored, you can see that on the far right in the picture above.  We also planted azaleas last summer and then yearly planted begonias on either side of the sidewalk as you approach the door in addition to the pots I put together yearly and scattered them throughout the landscaping (front and back).  You can see our pretty brown mulch, hydrangea and a little bit of the pots in the two pictures below.  💗

Let's not forget the New Mexico state flower, the yucca, as seen in the picture below, in true yucca fashion.  I tried to get rid of it, but if you've ever had a yucca you know it's pretty impossible to stop them so you might as well just learn to love it because you'll have it forever.

Here's a reminder of what our new house looks like, I definitely need to trim up those bushes on the left, do a general cleanup of last year's dead plants and create my pots (thriller, spiller and filler style) but I don't have definitive plans for the rest of our landscaping.  I'm hoping perennials will pop up in a few weeks (if warm weather ever comes) that I can work with so I don't have to buy everything new!  

I've still got a lot to learn, but here are my few tips for beautifying the outside of your home and creating curb appeal:

• Buy mulch in bulk - it's much better to have a real thick layer of mulch than spotty coverage.  You can also use any extra you have in the bottom of your pots.  This is great for two reasons, mulch is really good for plants and it makes your pots weigh a LOT less, making them easier to carry and move around your landscaping than filling it with dirt does!  
• Work with what you have - don't be afraid to split your perennials.  They are generally pretty hardy and it's much cheaper to fill your beds with plants you already have than buying all new, it also helps create a cohesive look to use several of the same type of plant throughout your landscaping.
• Pick weeds as often as you can - if you spend just a few minutes picking weeds every few days, your landscaping will look very maintained and you'll save yourself hours later when you realize a jungle of things have grown that don't belong.
• Use colors that pop - I generally think yellow and white can be seen best from the street, try to mix some white and/or yellow in to grab the eye.

So while we wait for Spring in Michigan, leave a comment and tell me what your favorite part of spring is!  What are your favorite perennials and annuals?  What landscaping or gardening tips and tricks do you swear by?  If it's already spring for you where you live what have your spring projects been so far?

Love, 

Britt

Recent Reads

I'm currently avoiding reading a book that I'm just not that into, so I figured what better way to avoid it than writing about what I've been reading lately!

Based on a recommendation from a friend, I started The Grant County series by Karin Slaughter.  I'd never read anything by her before, but after just a few chapters of the first book, Blindsighted, I knew she was going to be an author I like.  I would classify this series as a thriller with romance mixed in.  It follows a doctor (who is also the coroner) in a small town and her ex-husband who is the police chief through several years of personal loss, drama and heartache.  Every book was a page turner, I highly recommend picking starting this series!

http://alphareader.blogspot.com/2010/07/broken-grant-county-7-by-karin.html

One of my favorite bachelor alums is Ashley Spivey who is not only a feminist and skincare addict, but she's also really funny and loves to read.  She started a book club on Facebook, that I of course joined immediately.  The page has monthly book club voting, book exchanges and also provides a forum to discuss books you've recently read or to get recommendations on great reads.  Click here to go to the Spivey Book Club page if you're interested in joining.  Don't forget to answer the questions in order to be allowed into the group!   Anyways, Ashley herself recommended a book called All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker, and wow, it was really, really, incredible.  It is written from a very interesting perspective which pulled me in from the start.  

https://www.amazon.com/All-Not-Forgotten-Wendy-Walker/dp/1250097932

Now let me tell you about a book I read in ONE DAY.  I started it on my lunch break at work, and then finished it after work.  I'm serious, 300 something pages, in one day.  I could not put it down.  I even ate cereal for breakfast to limit the amount of time I was not reading because I had to know what happened next.  The book is The Couple Next Door, by Shari Lapena.  Read more about the book here if you'd like!  

The Light We Lost is a book about a couple who met on 9/11, in New York.  Reese Witherspoon chose it as her February book of the month for her book club and I did really enjoy this book about this couple and their relationship spanning many years. 

https://www.amazon.com/Light-We-Lost-Jill-Santopolo/dp/0735212759

Onto the book I'm avoiding, it's called Coming Up for Air, and sadly it just doesn't compare to the amazing books I've read lately, so that's disappointing.  I'm committed to getting through it, even though I've now had to renew it from the library 👀.  My goal is to finish it this weekend while my husband is out of town, I have plenty of time on my hands to accomplish this goal!

Next on my reading list is The Last Mrs.Parrish.  I've heard amazing things about this book, it's another Reese Witherspoon recommendation as well, she picked it for her December 2017 book club book.  I've also got The Heir and The Spare on hold at my library, which if you know me, you know I love me some British Royals and so that's why I can't wait to get my hands on this royal inspired fiction.

Leave me a comment to let me know what you've been reading lately!  I am always open to suggestions and book discussions.  I keep adding to my digital book list on my phone, you can never have too many books on deck!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Xo, Britt

This Weeks Menu

Things We're Eating this Week!

We recently started and ended the meal service Home Chef.  We did it for a few weeks, and I did really like it, but I felt the value wasn't there when I looked at the meals we were eating and what I really thought they would cost if I bought the ingredients myself.  And here's the thing, I like cooking!  I am happy to try new recipes I find on Pinterest and I am not lacking time for grocery shopping, which is where I feel the meal service companies can really benefit folks.  Also, I was still having to go to the grocery store weekly because we don't only eat dinner three times a week and we need breakfast and lunch items too.  Overall I did like the variety of meals I was eating, but I couldn't justify $60 a week for three dinners, plus a decent amount in groceries.   

Home Chef

With that being said, I am back at my first week of cooking based on my own planned meals so I thought I would share a couple of our favorite recipes and a new recipe we tried this week!

Monday - we had a favorite in our house Baked Pesto Chicken.  I found the recipe on guinesskitchen.com and we really like how fresh this meal is!  Not to mention we also recently got the Costco size and brand of Basil Pesto and now I find myself pinteresting (that's a word right?) "recipes with pesto" because I can't get enough of it!   Back to the recipe, I've embedded the link above but essentially you coat chicken in pesto, bake it, add fresh tomato slices and mozzarella (I prefer fresh) and bake it for a few more minutes and it's done.  It's really very simple and like I said really delicious.  Along with the chicken we had a side salad and used our favorite dressing Garlic Expressions.  If you haven't tried this dressing yet, stop everything you're doing and go to the store immediately.  It's in the vegetable/fruit section of my grocery, it's low calorie and incredibly flavorful.  I haven't tried it this way, but it can also be used in pasta salads or as a marinade!

Basil Pesto Chicken

Tuesday - we tried something new, Greek Feta Turkey Burgers sans bun!  I love feta, seriously I love it so this was a no brainer for me.  I did modify it slightly for Chris because he is not a feta fan.  He tells me this story of his younger days, he worked at Little Caesars where the feta came in a huge bin (I picture a Home Depot orange bucket with lid) and when he opened it, it smelled like the worst dirty feet and so ever since he won't dare give feta a chance.  So for him, I used shredded colby jack cheese as a substitute (I also added Zataran's blackened flavoring to his because I know he likes it).  I was anxious to try them because they did seem to be a little loose while I was cooking them, I think because I only chilled them for a half hour or so instead of the recommended an hour, but nevertheless they were really good and FRESH.  I feel like that's the theme of the week for us, fresh, healthy food!

Greek Burgers

Thursday - yes I skipped Wednesday, we are naughty and ate out.  In my defense there's this restaurant by us that does $1 bottles of domestic beer and sometimes we give into those hump day temptations and have a couple cheap beers and dinner.  Okay confession over, onto Thursday.  We really like stir fry in our house and this is a great way to switch up your typical stir fry with chicken.  The recipe is by Yellow Bliss Road and it's called Teriyaki turkey rice bowl.  It's carrots, broccoli and ground turkey simmered in a homemade teriyaki sauce, its relatively quick to whip up and it has a lot of great flavor.

Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl

Tonight we will probably have tacos, I do have to pick up some guac mix and Coronas for my hubs but I don't have anything exciting to add about tacos because I really don't fancy them up, wraps, ground turkey, onion, lettuce, cheese, salsa, the usual.  

I know it can be hard to get out of the weekly grind and everyday recipes, but I really encourage you to try to throw at least one new recipe in a week, you might just find your next new staple dinner!  

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Love, Britt

Hi!!

Let Me Introduce Myself!

Hi!  My name is Brittney, but my friends and family call me Britt, and you can too!  I am a Michigander wife and dog mom.  My husband and I recently purchased our second home in a southeast Michigan and the plan is for this house to be our home for a VERY long time.  I always cared about decorating and trying to make my house look pretty, but with this new home, I cannot turn my decorator brain off, I just want to make it picture perfect and beautiful all the time!  I also recently discovered amazing bloggers like the wildly talented Kelley Nan, the hilarious and thrifty My Vintage Porch, and I can't forget the incredibly sweet Julie from The Design Twins who have really inspired me to create and share my home for the world (or my 3 followers) to see.  You have to start somewhere and this is my where.

Our New Home!  Purchased September 2017!

So where do I get my decorating bug from you ask?  My Nona!  My mothers mother has always had a huge talent for creating beautiful spaces, using unique pieces.  My Nona and Poppy currently live in Florida, but I'm hoping to visit them sometime in the next six months and when I do I will be sure to photograph their home for you all to see.  I also plan to sit down with The Nona (as my husband calls her) to pick her brain on decorating and hopefully share some knowledge with you all!

The Nona and I on my Wedding Day

Back to more about me!  That is what this post is about right!  My favorite stores to shop home goods are:  the Homegoods, TJMaxx's, and Marshall's of the world.  I also really like At Home, and Target on occasion.  My favorite music is country, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean and Lady A are my favorites.  I work in the healthcare industry, but I'm non-clinical, I stay on the business side of the blood!

As I mentioned we don't have any children, just my fur baby, Guiness.  My husband and I met on St. Patrick's Day 2009, and so keeping with the spirit of our relationship for our dogs name is kind of special to us.  Yes I realize we spelled his name wrong and no we didn't realize at the time, but it just makes him extra special to us. 

Guiness Sherman West

My husband Chris and I met at college, Central Michigan University, located in Mt. Pleasant, MI.  My husband studied engineering and I studied business, specifically Business Administration with a concentration in Health Services (what a mouthful).  While we met on St. Patty's Day, it wasn't a love at first sight thing, I was in a different relationship at the time.  Sometime after that ended, I was moving to a new apartment and was looking for someone with a truck to help me move.  I happened to text Chris, even though we hadn't talked since St. Patty's Day to see if he had a truck (I knew nothing about him y'all we only met the once) and it turned out he did!  Being the super nice guy he is, he immediately said yes and we kind of hit if off from there.  I hit the jackpot in husbands, I am type A, slightly neurotic at times and I have a weird obsession with the British Royal Family and he loves me just the way I am.  I am SO thankful for CMU, Fire Up Chips!  

My goal is to blog about my life, from home decorating, DIY projects, home transformations, cooking, traveling (the little that we do) and everything else in between!  I'm looking forward to this journey with all of you!

#athomewithbrittneywest #homedecor #midwestliving #michigander #dogmom #countrymusic #DIY #decoraddict