Whoa it’s bright! (A nursery update)

I spent Saturday moving all my junk crafting/office stuff out of hubby’s old childhood bedroom my craft room to begin the conversion project to the nursery. I don’t know where all this stuff comes from…it seems to breed like rabbits!

Let’s take a moment to fully appreciate everything that is now piled in the hallway.

1. Dress I wore one time to hubby’s sister’s wedding that I’m now waiting to sell at a garage sale? Check.
2. 2nd computer monitor I haven’t used in over a year because my desktop PC died? Check.
3. Printer I haven’t used in just as long due to not having a computer? Check.
4. Paper chain I made from scrap papers to start counting down the days until baby girl arrives (starting at 67 of course since that’s how many spare strips I had)? Check.
5. A wall hanging water fountain that I purchased a couple years ago for our home only to realize it was still going to be a couple years until we were in our own home? Check.
6. At least 10 more items with the same story as #5? Check.
7. 6 piles of papers waiting to be filed in my one filing drawer? Check.

And it goes on and on and on.

Where does all this junk valuable stuff come from? More importantly, where am I going to store it all for the next 6 months until our place is built?

I’ve thrown a lot of things out and I just keep reminding myself that it looks like so much because I had one room functioning as my crafting space, storage space for some of hubby’s office stuff, storage space for decor items for our home (when we finally move out of the in-laws) that were either purchased on deep discount or given to us, my office space, my closet, and whatever else my in-laws needed to stash someplace but didn’t know where to put it. That kinda explains it all!

Once I cluttered up the hallway, I now had a blank slate to start painting:

My clothes are in the closet on the right and have to stay there. I still need to empty out the suitcases, winter coats and other miscellaneous household items/wedding gifts that are being stored in the closet on the left to make room for our little girl’s clothes. I’m going to build shelves to flank the window and I’ll use the top of this built-in unit as a changing table and the drawers hold the rest of baby girl’s clothes (formerly home to my craft supplies).

This corner on the right of the picture is where my awesome craft table (which I picked up for $10 at the Christmas Tree Shop a few years ago) used to be stored. Where I’m going to store my table and get my craft on now I don’t know. It makes me so sad :( Now this corner will be home to a rocking chair, table and lamp. The window seats have never been properly finished in the 30 years hubby’s family has occupied this house, so I need to remake the top and buy some foam and fabric to actually make a functional window seat. However, I did discover hubby’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cards that are being stored underneath it. Maybe his daughter will like playing with those someday?

This is looking back out towards the hallway. The crib will be along the wall on the right. You’ll notice I forgot to paint over the horrible lovely blue color that was hubby’s room before I painted it Dry Sage (by Benjamin Moore) when I converted it to my craft room. R.I.P. I loved you Dry Sage and miss you terribly already. I promise we’ll be seeing each other again in the new home.

And here is where the room is at as of today:

 

The first coat of Benjamin Moore’s Potpourri Green has been applied to the walls. I used the Behr Paint & Primer-in-One from Home Depot and was told it would probably take two coats. That is the truth, but it’s still one coat less than if I primed it separately. Unfortunately this type of paint was thicker than normal and I only have 1/3 of a gallon left. I don’t want to have to buy a whole new gallon because while the color matches the fabric perfectly, it’s too bright of a green for me and I will not use it again. I’m more of a muted Dry Sage kinda girl than a hi here I am Potpourri Green type of gal. So, I’m trying to figure out if a quart will be enough. Any words of wisdom for me on whether a quart (in addition to the 1/3 of a gallon I have) will be enough or whether I need to bite the bullet and buy another gallon? I really want to finish putting the 2nd coat on tomorrow while hubby is out of town.

Next step after I get the 2nd coat on the walls is to touch up the trim and repaint the built-in dresser/desk unit. I liked the distressed look with the Dry Sage, but not liking it with the Potpourri Green. I’m also hoping to get the shelves up before hubby gets back this weekend. We have a lot of scrap mdf at work and I’m hoping to avoid having to buy any new material. I’m all about free shelves after all!

After that it’s on to new carpet (can’t wait to get this gross stuff out of there) and accessories. I’m hoping once I start to get the fabric and other items in there the green will be toned down. It doesn’t look bad in the picture above, but when you see the whole room it is BRIGHT! In my head I always see it as more neon green than it really is, but I’m just going to make it work.

Hopefully I’ll be back next week with another update. After all, this Thursday marks the start of my 3rd trimester. How in the world did it get here so soon!?

Butter Pecan Turtle Cookie Bars

Today was another birthday at work. I love using the guys at work as my guinea pigs so today was a new recipe – Butter Pecan Turtle Cookie Bars.

I came across this recipe as I was flipping through the cookbook my mom made me for Christmas a few years ago. I don’t remember her ever making these growing up so I don’t know where she got the recipe from, but they sounded delicious.

The guys at work were not disappointed in the least and quickly devoured the pan. In fact, hubby stole a few pieces before I even brought them this morning. Of course the pregnant lady is the one who got blamed for sneaking the pieces prior to morning break!

BUTTER PECAN TURTLE COOKIE BARS
Makes about 3 dozen (Yeah, right!)

CRUST:
2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. butter, softened
1 c. pecan halves

CARAMEL:
2/3 c. butter
½ c. brown sugar

TOPPING:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl combine all crust ingredients except pecans. Beat at medium speed until well mixed and fine (2-3 minutes). Firmly press on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Place nuts evenly over crust.

In 1 qt. sauce pan combine the butter and brown sugar for the caramel. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until entire surface begins to boil. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Pour evenly over pecans.

Bake 18-22 minutes or until entire caramel layer is bubbly. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cool completely.

NOTE: Chocolate chips never firmed back up for me which made it a little difficult to cut clean bars and prevented them from being stacked on a plate like brownies. I will make these again, but may try to make the caramel layer a little thicker…how I do that without adding more butter who knows. Any ideas?

I’m linking up a day late to Hope Studios Tutorial Tuesday.

Happy Birthday, Braden!

I don't even know how it's possible, but today my oldest nephew turns 3 years old!

I gave him his gift a few weeks ago when the whole family was together in Michigan. He looked so cute, but serious, in the chef's hat and apron I made for him.

The next day I promised him we'd bake a treat of his choice - peanut butter cookies - together when he woke up from his nap.

Doesn't he look so thrilled to be baking with "Aunt Bee"?

I promise I didn't force him to make the cookies with me. He said he wanted to, but I don't think he woke up from his nap in the best of moods. It gave us all a great laugh, though!

The next day he was a great helper when I was making fajitas for dinner. He added the seasoning to the peppers and onions and stirred them for me while I made the chicken. Such a wonderful little sous chef!

Please ignore my windblown and sand-filled hair (courtesy of Braden's younger brother, Caleb) from the beach. And, for posterity's sake, this is the best photo I have of me at five months pregnant.

Happy 3rd Birthday to the best sous chef nephew an aunt could ever ask for! Hope you have a wonderful Thomas the Train birthday party this weekend...wish I could be there to celebrate.

The Archer

In our continued effort to get the new farm ready for our friends' wedding reception in September, we had a couple bonfires this weekend to clear some more brush piles. My hubby decided he wanted to play Robin Hood by lighting the bonfires with a flaming arrow.

Friday night we had the soon-to-be-newlyweds over for the bonfire. While we're waiting for them to arrive, hubby is in the front yard practicing his archery. He comes in so excited that he has it down and we all head over to the bonfire.

So, we're all waiting there with eager anticipation to watch this huge brush pile light up in flames via the flaming arrow. We cut the headlights, countdown and hubby lets the arrow fly. What happens? It soars through the air in a beautiful arch only to land 3 feet short of the pile. We all double over in laughter. He takes 5 steps closer and tries again. The flaming arrow flies through the air and this time falls 2 feet short of the pile. More laughing follows. Determined, hubby picks up the arrow to try a third time and this time it breaks in half as he puts it on the bow so he decides he better just throw it on the pile. It may not have had the climatic effect he was hoping for, but all of us sure got some great laughs out of it. Of course, we had to tell the story to the rest of our group at church on Sunday.

Saturday night we had another bonfire and hubby was determined to get the flaming arrow to work this time. He realized that on Friday night he forgot to compensate for the fact that when the tip of your arrow is on fire, you won't be able to pull back the string on your bow as far. So, to compensate, he made the cloth tip shorter on Saturday night. We had a different couple over for Saturday and we're ready and waiting, cut the headlights and hubby lets her fly. What happened? The arrow reached the pile. Went right through the pile as a matter of fact, but nothing lit. He tries it again. Same exact thing. Turns out that the cloth wasn't thick enough so the arrow was extinguishing before it even reached the pile.

Poor hubby. He wants to light the fire with a flaming arrow so badly, but all he's accomplished the firstt two times is providing us with some good laughs. He thinks he has it all figured out now, so hopefully when we burn the next pile he'll get to fulfill his dream of being Robin Hood. Doesn't matter to me whether he succeeds or not...he sure looks cute trying!

An Update on Sonja

I wrote about my friend, Sonja, and her battle with cancer here. She is still bravely fighting and leaning on our Lord and Savior.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t seen her since she moved from the East Coast a few years ago because each time hubby & I are in town working on the house, she either was recovering from surgery and I was sick and couldn’t be around her or she was out of town. However, I did get the most recent update this past Wednesday and wanted to share for those of you who may be praying for her.

She has gone through the chemo treatment and unfortunately, it did not work. She also had radiation treatment that had no effect either. About a month and a half ago she had a mastectomy. This next week she goes in for a complete hysterectomy because they discovered a lump in her uterus. In addition, they learned that the cancer has eaten a hole through her spine causing it to collapse and putting her at risk for paralysis from a simple trip or fall.

But, through it all, she remains POSITIVE and strong in her faith in GOD. They’re still giving her 3-5% chance of living another couple years. Her daughter has started her senior year of high school and is the Senior Editor of her yearbook and the President of the Christian club at her school so I was happy to hear how she’s doing.

In addition for continued prayer for healing for Sonja and wisdom for the doctors as they treat her cancer, she is desperately in need of prayer for her marriage.

She recently discovered some things that have been occurring for all but the first 5 months of her marriage and there are other much more serious spousal issues (that make me so livid) I can’t disclose here, but she feels like she’s between a rock and a hard place because she depends on her husband’s insurance for her cancer treatment. She is an Air Force veteran so that’s a possibility, but all these are decisions she shouldn’t even have to be considering at this point. Without being able to reveal anything more, please just pray for comfort, guidance, encouragement, etc as she makes some tough decisions over the next couple weeks.

I’ll keep you updated as I know more.

26 Weeks (98 days to go!)

It is so hard to believe that today is 26 weeks. Seems like just yesterday we learned we were having a little baby, but this morning I realized she could be here in as little as 10-12 weeks. I sure have a lot to do before she arrives!

Thankfully the renewed morning sickness I was experiencing in week 24 was a one week thing. Besides getting a little winded when I’ve been working hard all day, I’m feeling fantastic. I’m so thankful that for the most part this pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing. Hopefully the delivery will go the same way…I’m terrified of that part, but I guess there’s no turning back now!

No one was around to take my photo this morning so I used the timer on my camera. Unfortunately I wasn’t thinking when I stood in front of a black fireplace with a black dress on, but hopefully you can make out where the baby bump ends and the fireplace begins. (Please ignore the fact I never swapped out my 4th of July decor…at this point I’m waiting until I put the fall stuff up in September.) I’ve put on 13.5 lbs so far. It will be interesting to see how much I put on total when all is said and done.

Thanks, Mom, for the gift card – this is one of the dresses I purchased. I’m hoping I’ll be able to dress it up enough when I’m 37-38 weeks pregnant to wear to the Mayor’s Ball for hubby. It has super cute satin ruffles along the neckline and down to the band under the bust. I figured if I wear black hose and snazzy jewelry I should be able to make it work. It doesn’t make any sense to buy a formal dress that I’ll NEVER wear again due to how pregnant I’ll be at the time of the ball.

We definitely have an active little girl. Daddy hasn’t been able to feel her move inside the womb yet (I think he’s expecting it to be more distinct from the outside), but I sure feel all her little somersaults and gymnastics moves!

In other news, we think we have decided on her name, but we are still planning on keeping it a secret until she makes her arrival into the world. Things are going great with work…less than 12 weeks until I go on maternity leave. God answered a big prayer in that I found someone to fill in for me while I’m out and then she and I will split the work week (one of us will work 2 days, the other 3 and we can swap if need be) upon my return so that will provide a lot of flexibility as well as a little income still. God is good!

Here is what the little one is up to this week according to this site:

What's up with your baby? She now weighs a full two pounds and measures nine-plus inches. And this week, her eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. Of course, there's not much to see in there, but if your baby spots a bright light (or hears a loud noise) near your belly, you may notice an increase in fetal activity. (“Hey, I'm in here, Mommy! Where’s the party!”) What accounts for that response? Her brain is more developed and sophisticated.

Feel like you're carrying the Karate Kid with all the kicking going on? Your baby is actually practicing all kinds of movements that will eventually be used in life on the outside — including pedaling against your belly, a sort of prewalking skill. As your baby's nervous system becomes more developed, the movements will become much more coordinated. And as the baby gets bigger and stronger, the movements will become much more powerful…and occasionally, even painful to you. If your baby lands a good one, that tiny left hook might hurt — a lot. Another trick she may try — stretching that leg out so far that the foot becomes lodged between your ribs (ouch). Next time you come under attack, try changing positions or doing some stretches of your own. You can also gently push your baby back with your hand when your knee-jerker jerks a little too hard. You just might be able to send your slugger back into the corner of the ring!

Hubby & I have started taking nightly walks on the farm (about an hour each night) and she sure likes to settle right down in the lower front half of my abdomen sometimes. Thankfully I can get her to move with my hand to make walking a little easier. My belly button hasn’t popped yet, but it’s definitely become just a tiny slit. And, I think our little girl would make her daddy proud already because she started moving like crazy while I was watching a video of Pres. Bush greeting returning troops earlier today and stopped as soon as the video was done.

Organized Clutter

If that isn't an oxymoron of a title, I don't know what is. Why does it always seem that the more you try to organize things the messier they get?

For the past few days I've been working on converting my craft room to a nursery. When I started the project over the weekend, the craft room was completely clean and organized (minus two piles of papers I need to file). Last night it looked like a bomb exploded despite the fact I've cleaned out three drawers of craft supplies, organized them into labeled containers, put away some decor items for future seasons (seems my craft room became a partial storeroom too...guess that's what happens when you only have two rooms available to you to sleep-in and store all your crap coats/furniture/clothes/decor/etc for every season).

It's a hard project for me because I know I'm going to want access to all my craft supplies, but there's just no room for them in the nursery. Where to stow them for easy access is beyond me. I think I'm most sad about having to pack up my huge craft table. That baby was perfect for collecting piles of papers to be filed sewing and scrapbooking. But, when it's all finished and all the drawers look like the three I filled last night with piles of pink, girly clothes, it will all be worth it.

Until then, I'll be spending every waking hour when I'm not at work with organized clutter. After all, the painting must start on Saturday so I can get new carpet installed shortly (which my mother-in-law offered to pay for...yipee!).

How To Make Handcrafted Cards

I’m joining in on Tutorial Tuesday today at Hope Studios. Swing by to check out the other awesome projects posted.

One of my favorite hobbies is making handcrafted cards. If you have scraps of paper/ribbon/embellishments and glue, you too can make handcrafted cards that look just as nice as the ones you’ll pay $4 or more for in the stores.

Here are quick “tutorials” on the most recent three I made.

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR 3 YEAR OLD NEPHEW

This card started with a blank note card I picked up at the local craft store. It was in a pack of 10/$1. All I did to dress it up was add the red ribbon (use a glue stick) and the 3-D gift and balloon stickers (reused from a card I made hubby last year). Easy and cheap.

ANNIVERSARY CARD FOR MY PARENTS

This card started life as a blank note card from a package of computer printable ones I picked up at an office supply store. To jazz it up, I stamped brown lettering on the background using a giant script stamp I found on clearance a couple years ago. Then I cut a strip of striped paper from my stash and glued it across the bottom. To set that off, I glued a thin ribbon on top. The word “LOVE” is a rub-on I had and I also had the 3D leaves and flowers that are just glued on too. This was a great way to use up some items I’ve had sitting around for a couple years.

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR MY HUBBY

Hubby does not like store-bought cards at all. Even though his birthday was on the 3rd, we just celebrated it this past Saturday with his favorite meal of chicken & grapes with cous cous and buster bar dessert (two more “freebie” tutorials for you!). I made sure to have a handcrafted card with a personal message inside because no matter how many times I’ve given him a bought card that contains the exact sentiments I want to share, he never reads them because they weren’t written just for him. So, to make him feel extra special, I put a little more embellishment into this card.

It also started as a blank, computer-printable note card. I used a 1-1/2” circle punch to punch out three circles from paper in my stash and then glued them on a strip of yellow paper. To add some texture, I used the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine around the top and bottom circle and sewed a random pattern using a straight stitch across the middle circle. Here’s a close up:

Next I glued buttons on top of each circle before attaching the yellow paper to the card. Lastly, I attached the blue and white striped paper to the card and a ribbon to finish it off with a little red sticker in the corner that said “Wish”. And, what did the birthday boy think of it? He LOVED it! The few extra minutes it took to make it was totally worth it to make him feel special.

So, don’t pay $4 or more for those fancy cards from the stores. Look through your stash and see what you can come up with. Speaking from past experience, people love receiving handcrafted cards more than store-bought cards any day.

Not Much To Say

Not much to post about lately, but here are some random updates:

* Yesterday was the 25 week mark (how did it get here so fast?), but no picture because hubby was gone and today...let's just say not my best hair day.

* I scored some awesome things for the nursery at the Christmas Tree Shop the other day. Can't wait until the decorating starts in full force!

* I must stop dropping things on the floor accidentally - it's getting harder and harder to get down there to pick them up.

* All of our water is ORANGE. Yuck! One of the many downsides to having to rely on well water for your cooking/cleaning/laundry/drinking/etc needs. We thought it was due to the well possibly drying up due to the extreme drought we're having this summer, but we think it's actually something wrong with the filter that adds the salt. Hopefully we can get it fixed soon because I'm anxious to wash all the baby clothes and fabric for the nursery and I'm tired of my toilet bowl being orange each morning and my water tasting funny.

* We're making big progress on the new homestead. It's hard to believe what a difference clearing out some scrub makes. We must have reclaimed at least 3-4 acres in total around all the fields.

* Sunday I'm finally getting my first (and most likely only) trip to the beach in for the summer. We're going with some friends from church and I can't wait. Now if I can just decide if I want to grin and bear it (literally) and wear a bikini (too cheap to buy a maternity suit for one day) or just go in shorts and a tank top.

* I've been a bad wife and still haven't made hubby's birthday cake and his birthday was on the 3rd. But, tonight is the night and tomorrow we'll be able to enjoy it (the downside to ice cream cakes...having to wait a day to consume them)

* I'm really craving Cheesecake Factory for dinner, but don't think I'll be able to convince hubby to venture out on a Friday night...even if we do have over $50 in gift cards to there (can I get an "Amen" for free gift cards from Staples through work?!)

That's what's going on in this neck of the woods. Haven't cooked much lately so no new recipes to share. Haven't crafted much lately either. Hopefully both of these will change in the not too distant future.

Have a great weekend!

Nursery Ideas

I’m in the beginning stages of converting my craft room into a nursery for our baby girl. I didn’t want to go with a “pre-packaged nursery theme”; instead, my theme is more color-oriented and sophisticated girly. Pinks, greens and creams. I picked up the fabric for the crib bedding a few weeks ago when I was on vacation:

Poor picture quality, but the colors are close to what they are in real-life. The fabric on the left is for the crib bumper (I know the arguments about them and SIDS, but unless my little girl sleeps right up against it, I don’t think it will be an issue, and if she does, I’ll remove it.), the fabric in the middle is for the main part of the crib skirt and the striped fabric is for cording around the bumper and a band along the bottom of the crib skirt. I registered for pale pink and dark pink crib sheets that will show between the bumper and the crib skirt.

I also priced out carpet the other day to replace the stained (courtesy of hubby’s sister’s dog) and paint splattered carpet that’s currently there and not too baby-friendly. That’s a few hundred $$ I wasn’t planning on spending, but I know my in-laws aren’t in any mood/position to put in the hardwood floors they intended too a few years ago to remedy the stained carpet, so it is what it is.

Needless to say, all this has scaled back the other plans I had for the room.

But, I did find some great carpet at Home Depot. It’s in the new Martha Stewart line and it has a nice textured pattern (similar to a waffle weave) and is only $1.95/sq. ft (before padding). Installation is only $37. This is the color I’m leaning towards (unfortunately I couldn’t find a picture of the carpet anywhere, but this is the same color in paint…again not as accurate as it was in real-life compared to the fabrics):

Originally I wanted to install crown molding and some board and batten molding, but any money I would have had for that is now going towards carpet. Thus, it’s solid color paint for the walls. Benjamin Moore Potpourri Green to be exact:

This color is not a good representation of it. In the fabric picture, it’s darkest of the green squares where you can still see the name (3rd from base of strip). It’s a perfect match the fabric and I’m hoping once I get a sample of it up on the wall it won’t be too bright of green that it overwhelms the space. If it does, I’ll probably go for paler color right above it on the strip.

I’m also going to build some cabinets to flank the window that is above the built-in desk/dresser thing. That area will be used as a changing table (to avoid having to buy an additional piece of furniture) and it’d be nice to have storage shelves there. I found these plans on Knock-Off Wood.

This is the crib I picked out:

I’m torn between getting it in espresso or white, but I think I’m going to stick with espresso. The trim in the room is all white and the built-in desk is white, but I’m using my in-laws rocking chair which is a darker wood (not this dark unfortunately) and I think if we ever have a boy I’d rather have a dark crib instead of a white crib. I may change my mind, though, when it actually comes time to buy it.

Instead of a crib mobile, I’m going to make some of these in shades of pink and cream to hang in the room:

I’m also going to make some wall art on canvases that I picked up a few weeks ago at Michael’s for dirt cheap. I have a few different ideas I saw in PB Kids catalog that I may try to recreate.

Lastly, there is no overhead light in the room so I’ve been searching on Craig’s List for a cheap chandelier. If I can’t find one, I may just get this one from Ikea (if it works with my hanging pom-poms, otherwise I’ll just get some table lamps):

So, that’s where we’re at for now. This weekend it all starts with a major packing up of my craft room stuff. Where it all is going to go for now I don’t know, but it needs a major cleaning/organizing anyway.

24 Weeks (and sick again)

Well, I’ve now made two trips to the toilet in the past week and felt nauseous many other times in between, so I think it’s safe to say I’m one of the unfortunate few who also experiences morning (yeah, right) sickness in the last part of her pregnancy as well. I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it when I hold our baby girl in my arms.

Due to being on vacation, I have no pictures from weeks 22 or 23, but here I am at 24 weeks in all its glory:

Our little one started moving hard enough where I can see her from the outside over the past couple weeks and it’s brought me tons of entertainment and laughs. Her daddy still says he can’t feel her or see her, but I think he’s just teasing me. I definitely feel her constantly and my shortness of breath reminds me of that!

Here is what our little girl is up to this week:

Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!).

Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like?  If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now.  That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed.  What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin.  Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.

What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days?  All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

While we were away on vacation I hit up one of my favorite fabric stores (that unfortunately is not present where we live) to buy fabric for the nursery. I hope to get started on the crib bedding soon and start painting shortly too. I’m so excited to start making a special place for our little girl.

I have another dr. appt this evening so I’m anxious to see our little one on screen and find out how much she’s weighing in at this week. And for all those who are asking…we have it narrowed down to two names that we really like, but we’re not revealing which we’re going with until she’s born.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

33 years ago today the love of my life made his entrance into the world. I started celebrating birthdays with him when he was turning 26. I don’t have pictures from every birthday, but here are a few pictures of his past birthdays:

1st Birthday

3rd Birthday

27th Birthday (celebrated at Melting Pot)

29th Birthday (celebrated in NYC)

30th Birthday (celebrated in CO with my family)   

It’s been such a joy to celebrate another year of life with him and I love witnessing the amazing ways he grows deeper in his relationship with Christ and steps into his role of husband and soon-to-be father more with each passing day.

To celebrate, I woke up early this morning to make him one of his favorite breakfasts of homemade cheese danishes and fresh pineapple, kiwi and blueberries. Then it was off to the airport for him as he was on his way to TX for a business trip. Unfortunately, he was flying standby and the flight ended up being oversold, so we had to pay $800 for another ticket that will get him out there tomorrow morning. Yikes! The good news is I’ll get to see him and celebrate with him tonight; the bad news is that I don’t have any of his presents or cake ready yet because he was supposed to be gone until Thursday. Oops!

Happy 33rd, lover! Hope you have an even better year this year than all the ones before.

I love you!

Did you miss me?

Sorry I went MIA for a couple weeks. Just got back in town a day ago after visiting family and friends for two weeks. I was internetless (and without running water) for a large part of the time so sorry for the lack of posts.

More updates soon once I work through the mounds on my desk. Unfortunately no pictures of the belly were taken while I'm gone, but I'm about the size of a house now and am enjoying the many kicks and squirms from our baby girl and thoroughly entertained when I seem them from the outside of my belly.