Pages of Penrose : The Book of August

Just one book this month! It was a pretty busy month with lots of things taking up my usual reading time, and once I finished the first book a couple weeks ago I did not get to go to the library to pick up another.  So, here is the book of August:

The Storyteller By Jodi Picoult

Thankfully, for being the only book I read this month it was one fantastic book! I love anytime bits of history are incorporated into a book.  This novel, which is set in present day but through the telling of certain memories and stories it takes you back into history, was incredible.  This is my second Picoult book (last year I read Leaving Time) and I have been so impressed with her writing style.  The topics that she brings into her books are thoroughly researched and developed, which make her stories so gripping and real.  If you want a to read a book that inspires you, try a Jodi Picoult book, especially The Storyteller!

Remember to follow along with me on Goodreads.  I find so many great recommendations on there!

Baby #2 Bumpdate : 29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks, 3 days!

Total weight gain: +21 lbs

Maternity clothes? Of course  

Sleep: Usually good, but occasionally it will be tough to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night.

Best baby moment this week:  Lots of big movement.  

Miss Anything?  my old wardrobe. I'm feeling more limited on maternity options lately, mostly with good summer shirts. I guess now that I can't mix in some non-maternity items much anymore I'm noticing that I don't have as many maternity tops as I thought.

Movement: Yes, more and more lately.

Food cravings:  Turkey Sausage Breakfast muffins (Jimmy Dean's Delights are my go-to!)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Only my seasonal allergies lately.

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? I've started wearing a different ring that I have which was a size bigger than my wedding ring because I usually wore it on my middle finger.   It's a black pearl & diamond ring that I was given when I graduated from high school.  It's much more comfortable, and while it's a tiny bit big, I'd much rather that than feeling like my wedding ring was getting stuck.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired. Allergies are taking a tole.

Looking forward to:  Finding time to get more done in the nursery.  Also we go on our hospital tour at the end of the month! I'm looking forward to it because I'm delivering at a different hospital this time and I have heard all kinds of wonderful things about the maternity ward!!

Projects of Penrose: Kitchen Remodel

When we were making selections for our kitchen at the builder's design center last year, I knew I would want to have different finishes than our previous home and I also knew that I would want to select the granite and backsplash on my own--not from the builder's limited selection.  Sometimes builders can have nice colors but often times they are basic options and I like granite that has more movement in the pattern. Plus, I am admittedly picky when it comes to things like this after I spent almost two years doing high-end kitchen remodeling at my first job.  #designerproblems  So, we initially just installed a laminate that had a granite-like pattern to it.

We have a large kitchen - about 12'x19'- and the layout allowed for a bigger island than what came standard from the builder (just 3'x4').  I knew I wanted to extend that, so I decided to go with a furniture-style island.  We extended it to be about 40"x 72" using a frame and furniture post legs, which gives us overhang on the back and one side of the original base cabinet which we kept for the storage.  We used bead-board to cover the back and sides of the island for easier painting.  I wanted my island to be a contrasting cabinet color because our floors ended up very similar in color to our dark Espresso cabinets.  The entire 1st floor of our house has shades of blues as accents, so I decided to gamble and go a little bold with a blue island.  I LOVE how it turned out!  The photo below does not show the color exactly, it's got some teal/gray undertones.

After the island frame was done, we had granite installed.  I had decided on white for this kitchen, and fell in love with this slab of Himalaya White.  The whites and grays with some dark speckling swirled in work perfectly with the other colors of our home and tie in so well to the dark cabinets.  Since the granite had a lot going on, we went with a simple white porcelain subway mosaic in 2"x4" size.  I wanted a gray grout for some contrast and to bring in a little bit more of the dark contrast.  We went with Dove Gray, which is the medium-tone gray that was available. I'm glad we did not go with the darker Charcoal and I think the lighter gray would not have stood out as much as I would have wanted. #win

This photo was taken just a short time after grouting was finished, so it had not completely dried and now is just a tiny bit lighter than what you see in the photo.  I'm so happy with how the grout color pulls the dark veining in the granite.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm so glad that we waited to do this the way that I wanted instead of settling with the builder options.  

Pages of Penrose: Books of July

Genuine Lies was such a great book! It was longer than average, but the story had some great twists and plot kept me interested the whole time.  An oldie (originally published in 1991!) but a goodie!

I loved this brand new Elin Hilderbrand book! She has written a lot of books and I am slowly trying to work my way through most of them, but so far Here's to Us is one of my favorites.  The characters were interesting, the storyline was neat, and I liked the personal growth that the characters made throughout the book.  If you are looking for a good airplane/beach/summer read, this is your book!



See all of the books I've read so far in 2016 here, and follow along with me on Goodreads!

Baby #2 Bump-date: 27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks, 1 day!

Total weight gain: +19 lbs

Maternity clothes? Of course  

Sleep: Touch & go.  Mostly good.

Best baby moment this week:  Not this week, but since my last update--Ryleigh got to feel Aubrey kick and it was pretty much the best thing in the world.  She was already being sweet and acknowledging the baby in my belly, but now she's all about her little sister Aubrey.  I'm sure this will change once Aubrey actually arrives and takes up more of my time ;)  

Miss Anything? Not having swollen feet...

Movement: Yes, especially mid-morning and during the night.

Food cravings: Icees, Cereal, Milk

Anything making you queasy or sick: The nasty glucose drink from my test this morning!  I do not recommend the clear orange drink.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, definitely.

Gender: girl 

Wedding rings on or off? Most of the time on, but if I'm spending a lot of time outside on the weekend I have been leaving it off. No point in wearing it because I know my fingers will swell in the heat.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy

Looking forward to: Tax free weekend shopping---getting things for Big Sister and filling in the wardrobe for Baby Sister!  Also, our backsplash is getting done this weekend so the nesting-mode part of me is very happy!