Laundry List

I take after my mother, which means I am an all-out, balls to the wall planner.
We have quite a list of projects to do before Baby S. gets here. We want to paint the family room, foyer and hallway. We would like to finish up the second flower bed in the front yard. We would like to paint the downstairs bathroom. We are definitely going to completely gut the main bathroom upstairs. And, obviously, we have to get the nursery completed. This is quite a list and The Husband is willing to tackle what he can. With Christmas arriving in the first month of my third trimester, a baby shower in early January and getting ready for Baby S. after that, I don't want to be running around, trying to finish up the nursery. I want to get it done before my third trimester even begins so I don't have to worry about it and can then focus on the holidays and doing what I can to prepare and (hopefully) relax as much as possible before our little one arrives.

After finding out we were pregnant, I immediately started planning. We had already decided (before we even got pregnant) that we would go it old school and not find out the gender. I have always, always wanted it this way. I love the idea of not knowing and hearing The Husband yell out in the hallway "It's a ___!!!" to all of those anxiously waiting. However, nowadays, this can cause some grief. ALOT of the bedding, clothing and what-have-yous are not gender neutral. It's either pink/purple or blue/red. It is difficult finding things that can work for either a boy or girl. So this has been my frustration since soon after getting our Big Fat Positive.

I found a few options that I didn't detest, but still nothing that made me go "Oh yes, this is what I have been dreaming about." I am not a huge fan of all the cartoonish animals and characters. I prefer the modern, somewhat eclectiv, colorful and not too matchy-matchy look. So I was constantly on the internet, looking at stores, but found nothing that floated my boat.

Until...

I was at Target with The Husband and found the most perfect patterned comforter that I instantly fell in love with. I didn't buy it, but couldn't stop thinking about it either. All weekend I thought of nothing else, and on Monday, I headed back to that Target to buy the comforter. Here is where I ran into my first issue. The comforter was on deep clearance, at only $7.83! A steal, right?? However, I couldn't find any of the other pieces at any other local store and Target wasn't willing to check any other store around the United States unless I had a zip code. I was willing to pay the shipping costs, but they weren't willing to help. Luckily, I was able to buy the 3-piece set, along with curtains and the crib skirt online. I was ecstatic about that. I couldn't, however, get the changing pad cover or any of the single crib sheets (so I could have more then the one that comes with the set).

I figured I could just find some solid colored sheets and changing pads to coordinate and it would have to do, because I loved the rest of the set so much, right?

Not so fast! My MIL is an amazing sewer (she sewed for Ford Motor Company for 30 years or so) and has agreed to make a changing pad and crib sheet from the curtains that come with the set. They are 100% cotton and very soft and feel just like a sheet! So I ordered two more curtains and VOILA! A nursery has been born :)

Not only is she going to make those, she is also adding material to the bottom of the curtains to make them floor length. A friend and I found some awesome coordinating fabrics to help get the look I have always dreamed of and I couldn't be happier!

Here is a picture of the main pattern (on the right, in the package). It is an off white background with light blue, orange, sage and brown animals (hippos, giraffes, elephants, camels). There is a very small polka dots and a flower pattern inside each animal. The green fabric with white polka dots in the upper left corner is what's going to be at the bottom of the curtains to give them more length. The color matches perfectly and I love the polka dots that ties in with the polka dots in the animals. The orange fabric with the white flowers will be tied into the room by a pillow and possibly some wall art. The other small swatch of blue and brown fabric (on top of the main pattern curtain) may or may not be used, I am not sure yet.


I think we are going to go with the very top paint color, a lighter shade of the same green in the curtains and green polka dot fabric. We tried the darker green that's also in there, toward the bottom, but it is way too dark and olive-y for the room.

I also found a great rug at Target that will hopefully go with all the colors and tie the room together:


The rug arrived today, on the same day The Husband picked up the crib and dresser! He is hoping to paint this weekend and then, hopefully, the room will slowly start to come together.

Just for fun, here is a picture of the crib and dresser we found at Babies R Us. We got a great deal on everything and are very happy with our purchase:

What do you all think? Do the fabrics go? Does the rug tie it all together like it does in MY head?

The only thing I am missing is a mobile. Do I even need one of those?

Blessings

It's been hard not talking about the biggest thing going on in our life, but I can finally share with the world (or at least 9 of you awesome followers) that The Husband and I are expecting our first child early next year! Our little bundle of joy has blessed us in so many ways and I can't believe it's already been three months.

Baby S. is set to make his or her appearance on or around February 14, 2012. Yes, Valentine's Day. The Husband and I got engaged on 2/13/08, so that is definitely a special time of year for us, but I sort of hope the baby doesn't arrive on V-Day. First of all, we already have two different sets of friends who had their babies on the same day, so it would definitely be a shared birthday. Loving my own birthday as much as I do, I would hate that for our little one :( Also, while we have never been big V-Day celebraters (ors?), I hate to think that we'll never have our own little romantic night out, just the two of us, again. I would never want to leave our little one alone on his or her birthday, just so we could have some alone time on, what some consider, a "Hallmark Holiday."

So that's the news going on in our world. What's happening with you?

I am back!

Just returned to work this morning after 10 days of vacation! It was such an awesome week. We had beautiful weather the entire time, with only one or two cloudy days and NO RAIN! We were so lucky! We spent time with family and friends and even took a day to drive around the Upper Peninsula (which I haven't seen much of until now).

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and it should only get more chaotic in the months to come. We are embracing the time we have together now and absolutely looking forward to what is to come. I can't wait to share more with you when the time comes!

How did you spend your holiday weekend?

Happy 4th of July!

I am still at working, trying to get everything finished up before I head out for 10 days of vacation with The Husband and our little ones - Finn and Samson! We are heading up north for the week and we are super excited!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July! Enjoy the warmth, the time off work, the celebration, the fireworks, and the time with friends and family :)

The Husband keeps saying "Winter's almost here!" I keep wanting to smack him. In my mind, Summer just got started and already he is talking about winter. Part of me thinks he is doing it just to irritate me :)

Either way, I do feel like Summer is speeding by without taking a breather and it makes me so sad! I can't believe it's almost July. We are heading up north for our yearly get away to Grand Lake and Cross Village and we arer SUPER excited! Both of us are looking forward to long days on the water, boating, the sandbar, exploring the small towns and just relaxing. This is one of my favorite weeks out of the whole year and I'm so glad I get to spend it with The Husband. Last year, he could only take a few days off for the 4th, so I continued to Cross Village on my own. However, this year he gets to join in ALL the fun! :)

Life in our household is still chaning day by day and we are anxious to get away and just enjoy each other, away from all the hustle and bustle (and stress) of our jobs. We both work long days and are pretty much dead to the world by the time we get to spend a few hours together at night. We can't wait to just relax and enjoy...

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Life is changing in our household...and it kind of scares me. I've always been pretty good at rolling with the punches, but I think, deep down, I am a routine-loving, to do list-making, love-it-when-life-stays-pretty-much-the-same kind of girl.

We've had to make some small adjustments when we welcomed Finnegan into our little family. Adjustments that we knew about when we got him, but have still been somewhat difficult to make (or remember).

However, some big changes are coming our way and while it makes us insanely giddy and excited, we are also terrified. Will we make the right decisions? Will we figure out what we are doing? Will we learn from our mistakes? Will Samson and Finn be okay? Will I learn to let go of the small stuff that. just. doesn't. matter?

Ugh. Sorry for such a cryptic - and generic - post. This is my mindset at the moment, though. And honestly? I think I am really loving it :)

Finnegan!

Meet the newest member of our little family, Finnegan! Finn is approximately 7.5 weeks old and we got him over Memorial Day weekend. I had been wanting another animal for some time now, especially since Samson adores The Husband :) We went back and forth about getting another dog, but I just don't think we have it in us to potty train another small dog. Plus, we worry about Samson and how he'll react. Recently, my SIL told us of the two new kittens she will be bringing home this week and The Husband said "See if there are anymore." Well, of course there weren't, but I was happy that he seemed to be on board with a new kitten. Heworked up north the week before Memorial Day and while on the phone one day, I told him that there were not any kittens left. His reply? "Um...um...oh...um....I guess I should be honest about this. I saw a sign for free kittens near my mom's. We could go check them out if you want." So, when I joined him up north that weekend, we headed over to see what we'd see.


After some searching, we found the house. The mama and kittens (3 total, I think) were outside on the front porch. We knocked, but no one answered. The Husband said there was a dog shut inside that looked pretty miserable and just wanted out. We sat and played with the kittens, not knowing what to do. We were unsure if we wanted a barn cat, since they can be pretty wild. These kittens, however, looked clean and taken care of. The mama was very friendly, but super skinny. Like she was giving everything she had to her babies. When we'd walk around, she'd run to the side of house and then come back if we didn't follow her. It was like she was trying to show us something. She was very lovable, like she was in desperate need of attention.


A few minutes later, we watched as an older man slowly made his way over from the property across the road on a tractor. When he pulled up the driveway and stopped, we saw he was swigging from a can of Busch Light. He asked if he could help us and I asked "Do you live here?" He said no, but that he basically takes care of the place. We told him we might be interested in a cat and he said "Take them all." Poor things. He really didn't want them. There was one that I loved at first sight. It was a very light gray with some darker gray stripes, but it was SO timid! It wouldn't let us near it. It kept hiding underneath the porch step, which is where they all scattered to when we got out of the car. Then we saw him. This dark gray ball of fur that was attacking every weed and flower in sight. I have always wanted a dark gray cat and I instantly wanted him. However, we needed to make sure this was a cat that wasn't wild. He wasn't afraid of us, he let us hold him and he was super calm.


He told us that it was his son-in-law's place and that the animals had been abandoned. Well, being the wonderful, caring man he is, that was all The Husband needed to hear before he decided that we'd give him a good home.

After peeing and shitting all over me, he fell fast asleep in the car and won us over with his calm disposition and awesome car-riding behavior :)

It took us quite a few days to come up with a suitable name for this ball of fluff. Cooper, Smoke, Smokey and Cody were all batted about, but somehow we settled on Finnegan.

Samson still isn't quite sure about him, but Finnegan has made himself at home and has been nothing but comfortable around us and the dog. He is super playful and super cute! He falls alseep so randomly, too. One time, in the car, he fell asleep in his litter box. I watched him as he was laying there with his eyes close and his head slowly fell forward until he was face first in the litter! LOL!!

The Husband and I have also watched him fall asleep while sitting up. He started to slowly lean over until finally he toppled over and fell off the couch. It was awesome. He is constantly jumping and missing his landing spot, falling off things and getting into everything. We are enjoying getting to know him and are so happy he has joined our little family :)

Northern Michigan

I have, essentially, grown up in Northern Michigan. I was lucky enough to have two sets of grandparents who lived up there, on either side of the state. When I was younger, my family spent long periods of time up north. As a youngen, I loved it. As I got a little older (a tween, basically), it became more of a punishment. I just wanted to stay home and hang out with my friends. I missed so much while away and I felt out of the loop. Granted, I also spent large chunks of my childhood summers at sleepaway camp (a post for another day, but one word: LOVED!) but it was usually only a week at a time, so I never missed out on too much while at camp. However, I spent weeks at a time up north. Once I hit the 8th grade, though, I was hooked. Line and sinker! I seriously fell in love with it up there. So much so that I spent three summers up there in high school and before college working at a pretty well-known landmark/restaurant. I lived with my grandma (my grandpa from my mom's side passed away in 1985) and spent my days working or at the beach and my nights at parties and bonfires. I even dreamed about getting married up in this small village, in front of a cross on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan.


Cross Village Beach - Cross Village, MI

My other grandparents lived on a beautiful lake near Presque Isle. We always spent the 4th of July there, with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. We spent our days boating, floating and water skiing. We would take my grandparent's pontoon (affectionately named "SuJeHoMiErRoAmCo," the first two letters of their grandchildren's names from oldest to youngest) down to the sandbar. The kids would swim (under the boat!) and play while the parents tanned, talked and enjoyed adult beverages. When this grandfather passed away in 1989, my grandmother had to sell the home and move away. Not only did I lose my grandpa, but I lost this wonderful place.


On our dock, looking at Three Sisters Island in the distance (Grand Lake)


Big Island in Grand Lake - Presque Isle, Michigan



The Husband also had grandparents who lived up north. They weren't as far north as my family, but he was still able to experience this part of Michigan that no one else, except Michiganders (Michiganians?), can even begin to understand.

My grandmas are now both in their 90s (92 and 95 to be exact) and one is still living up north (during the spring/summer/early fall) in the same small town and the same house. She loves it up there as much as I do and hates it when she has to move down state for the winter. Now that I am an adult and no longer have the summers off, I realize just how lucky I am to have had these wonderful experiences and places to visit. Before, when I hated being away from my friends for such long periods of time, now I absolutely yearn for those days again. I would give anything to be able to pack up my car and head north for the summer. Sure, I get up there from time to time, usually on holiday weekends. It's a long drive (4.5 hours to each place, basically) so it's difficult to go up on a regular weekend. Even so, it's not the same.

Northern Michigan is an amazing, addicting place. The pace of life is so much different then it is down state. Up there, we can take our time and enjoy the lazy days. The Husband and I are constantly talking about our "one day," when we have our own cottage on the water and how we want our own family to continue this tradition. I am heading up there this weekend for the first time this season and I can't wait! Kid Rock sure had it right when he wrote "Summertime in Northern Michigan." There really is nothing else like it!

About five or six years ago, my aunt and uncle bought a cottage up on the beautiful lake, just down the road from my other grandparent's old house. I was so excited to be there again and I rediscovered my love for this place and for being on/in/near the water. I am again spending my 4th of July's at this same wonderous place, year after year. Except now I am the adult who is tanning, talking and enjoying adult beverages at the sandbar.

You want how much???

The Husband and I are embarking on a new experience for the both of us, beginning tonight. We are holding our first ever garage sale! The subdivision we moved into has an annual sub sale and we figured we'd take advantage of the free advertising and (hopefully) lots of traffic coming through.

However, neither one of us has ever been involved with one. I have no idea what I'm doing or what to price things at. I don't want to go too high because I don't need anyone saying "You want how much???" but I don't to lose out on making a good deal either by charging too little. How do you know what to price things at?

We've got some big ticket items - a pool table with table top cover, some furniture, an old TV, a never been used/opened christmas tree - and lots of other goodies, such as lamps, books, handbags, home decor, etc. A good friend of ours is also participating and helping out. I am hoping to get some tips from her. In the meantime, can any of you lovely followers help me out? Do I go a little higher then what I'm willing to accept, especially on the big ticket items?

Thanks in advance! I hope the rest of you are experience better (and much drier) weather then I am. It has been raining for three days straight now. I know April showers bring May flowers and all...but this is ridiculous!

What to do...

The Husband and I are planning and trying for a baby in the near future. We have been trying for sometime now. While we haven't gotten pregnant, we haven't had any serious issues so far either, so I am grateful for that. We had to stop trying the last two months, but now we are back on the baby train!

Since we are really hoping to expand our family next year sometime, we are thinking of taking one last vacation as just the two of us. We know once we have kids our vacations will change drastically, if we are even able to take one at all :) Our anniversary is in December, so we are debating about taking a trip before Christmas. However, because it IS christmas time, I am worrie about spending the extra money on ourselves when, really, we should be saving it.

I am a worrier. I worry about money all the time. I worry how we are going to pay for a baby and daycare and all those other things. I know there are people who have less then us that make it work each and every day. The amount of worry I have about this situation overwhelms me at times and makes my heart beat fast and my temperature to rise. I am sure some of you are thinking "If you worry that much, then don't go on the vacation.." but I really would like to do some sort of nice trip with The Husband before we have kids. We've taken smaller trips and a trip to Disney last year, but it's always been with other people. Never just ourselves. We have contemplated a cruise, since it's a nice way to see some awesome destinations for a better value, but I also would love to go back to Disney, with just the two of us, to really enjoy it before it becomes all about showing the kid a good time the next time we go back. You know what I mean?

What's money-worrying girl to do?

Mish Mash

Sorry for the absence, but after The Husband's health scare and my (unexpected) 6 day vacation from work, it was hard to get back into the swing of things.

*Work seriously kicked my butt last week. On Thursday, my computer got a nasty virus and wouldn't let me get online, which I need to do for some of my job responsibilties.

*The virus got fixed on Friday morning, but I still had quite a few issues that needed to get ironed out. Computer issues + the half day we got on Friday due to Good Friday (that I had forgotten about) = this girl working a full day anyway (but scoring three hours of overtime - YAHOO!). It was a long week!

*Our first party went smashingly well back on 4/16. It was great to have everyone over and actually still have room to move about. Our old condo was so small and it was difficult to have more then four people over at a time, especially if they have kids.

*It has been raining non-stop (at least that's how it feels) forever! I know I should count myself lucky since it seems as if the rest of the United States is being bombarded by tornado after tornado lately, but I just really wish the rain would stop! I am ready to work on the outside of our house. Plus, I just really want our yard to get a chance to DRY OUT!

*The Husband got me a Pandora bracelet for my birthday. Before I received it, I wasn't sure if it was my taste, but I think I will love it the more beads I add. They have beautiful glass beads that I LOVE and that will help make it more my style. The only problem now is that my two measly beads keep sliding all over and end up next to the clasp :)

*As previously mentioned, there have been tornados and other forms of devastation all over the world lately. Seriously, what is going on?!?! I feel like the world is getting back at us for slowly killing it. You know what I mean? All the hurricanes and tsunamis and earthquakes...and now tornados? I am in disbelief that 13 people lost their lives in Tuscaloosa yesterday. I feel so saddened and helpless.

*I really, really want to go back to Disney World! My parents took our family last April and it was the first time I had been since visiting back in 1999. It was The Husband's FIRST visit and he LOVED it! Seriously, he wanted to buy into the vacation club! Anyway, I am trying to find a way for us to go back, on our own. I am hoping they will offer free dining again over the holidays, because I would love to show him what the World looks like all decked out for Christmas!

*It is almost the weekend and I couldn't be happier! The sun is supposed to be out and in full effect on Saturday so we might actually get to do some outdoor work. Rain until Friday morning, though, so we'll see how much everything dries up!

Hope you are having a great week!

Scare of my life!

Last Thursday, I had been at work for about an hour and a half when I received a phone call from The Husband. He called to tell me that everything was fine, but that he was on his way to the emergency room. He had had a stress test that morning and while the test went fine, afterward when he was getting a second EKG, his heart rate shot up to 242 for no reason. It got to the point where they had the paddles out in case they needed to shock his heart to slow down. They consider 250 a heart attack, so we were very happy that it suddenly stopped on its own a few minutes later. Either way, they sent him on his way to the E.R.

I pretty much started freaking out when he called me. He didn't have time to tell me everything that happened at that point, so I was imagining the worst. My poor boss! I was literally shaking and dropped a water bottle filled with water all over the floor in my cubicle. After calming myself down for a few minutes, I left the office and began the entirely-way-too-long trip from the city where I work to the city where the hospital is. I had to seriously control my urge to drive 100 MPH, even though I had the tears and snot to show off to any cop who might stop me. I was mostly calm, until my MIL called to make sure I was doing okay (at the request of The Husband - always thinking of me, even in his time of need. Love him.) The trip seemed to take forever and I was so upset that I couldn't be there with him.

When I finally got to the E.R., he was all hooked up to the heart monitor and had to have some blood drawn. We waited for hours, it seems, until we were finally moved into an E.R. observation room, where he would stay for the night.

We found out that The Husband was born with a heart defect and had something called Supraventrical Tachycardia. They are still unsure of what caused it to happen the way it did and he is now on medication to keep his blood pressure and heart rate low. He heads back to the cardiologist next Friday for another EKG and hopefully some answers.

Needless to say, I was pretty much a mess for a couple days. We debated about cancelling the party for my birthday on Saturday night, but since he was released from the hospital on Friday with no real strict orders, we decided to party on! Our first gathering at the new house was a success and everyone really liked the dining room transformation!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

P.S. - Blogger says I have 7 followers on my dashboard page, but they aren't showing up on the right side of the blog, or when I click on the word "Followers." Did they all disappear? If so, then me asking this question will probably fall on deaf ears.

Wish list

It's my birthday week! I can't believe I've been so quiet about it this year. I absolutely love my birthday and usually torment The Husband for weeks leading up to it. I am that girl who is always saying "Guess what? Only four more weeks until my birthday!" I'm sure it's annoying to everyone but me :) I definitely have some unrealistic wishes on my list this year, but don't we all? Also, as I get older, I find that the things I would like are (mostly) gifts for the house - like the new patio table and chairs my parents helped me purchase this year.

Here is my birthday wish list:

Kate Spade Seersucker Patent Treesh:


Love this bag! I saw it in the store and it is beautiful and so fun for summer!

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash:


Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask:


I read about both these product's on Erin's blog over at Blue-Eyed Bride and I am really anxious to try them. I also would like to try the Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk.

A Sterling Silver Namenecklace:



I had one of these back in high school (and I still have it) but it's gold and I am not a gold fan at all now that I'm older. I think about getting mine replated in silver because I love it so (and they are back in style...I think?).

Tickets to the DMB Caravan this summer:



This sounds like it's going to be an amazing time! With some of my favorite artists - David Gray (by the far one of the most talented singer/songwriters EVER!), DMB, O.A.R., Ray Lamontagne (Beautiful lyrics and powerful voice) and Guster - I would do anything to partake in this experience.

A trip to Ireland, England and Australia: (picture courtesy of www.terragalleria.com)

I am lucky enough to have travled quite a bit in my life. I have already been to Ireland and England, but would love to go back and see more. The Husband hasn't traveled much at all and I would really love to show him these beautiful countries I have fallen in love with. Both of us are dying to go to Australia, so I figured why not make it one big trip - HAHA!!

A new deck, with either a firepit area or fireplace and a hot tub:

(picture courtesy of www.luckymountainhome.com)

The Husband and I would really, really like to own a hot tub. His job is very physically demanding and it would be so great to relax after a long day at work with him and a adult beverage. Having a fireplace nearby and TV and stereo to go along with it would be the icing on the cake :)

Surprise! You are having a dining room instead!

It has been a busy April so far! While the weather is still decidedly winter-ish, The Husband and I are prepping for our first spring and summer in our home. A few weeks ago, he says to me "I have something I want to do, but I don't know how to pull it off without telling you about it." Uh, okay... He then proceeds to tell me he wanted to THROW ME A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! Such a sweetheart...but he's right. There really is no way for him to pull it off without me knowing. You see, The Husband is a blue-collar worker. He doesn't sit at a desk, in front of a computer all day, like me and honestly, he can't even remember his username and password for the iTunes account he set up. He really is not computer savvy at all. Needless to say, I pay all the bills online and both our checks are directly deposited. So, I would see the money being withdrawn in large amounts and grow suspicious and ask millions of questions (which I am known to do around birthday and holiday time - LOL!). Anyway, we decide that we will continue on with the party, even though I am well aware of it, and figure it's good motivation to finally get the family room painted.

In order to get started on painting this past weekend, I needed to finalize the paint color for the rest of the room. I figured I would do a tan/beig/sand color, because it's neutral and easy to change up with accessories. However, I did not want a tan with red or pink in it. Since The Husband is colorblind, I enlisted the help of a high school friend with whom I have similar taste in home decoratin. We had breakfast plans the following morning anyway, so she just came over to help choose a color. (Funny sidestory: When we first moved in, she came over to help paint one of our bedrooms and saw all the colors we had picked and painted so far. THREE of our colors are colors she already had in HER house! So, when I say we have similar taste, I mean we REALLY have similar taste).

My friend comes over the next morning and she is really not a fan of the layout of the family room. It is an awkward space, I'll give you that. Everything seems to be off center. The fireplace and doorwall placement make it difficult to fit any decent size couch in there, so we had a loveseat and oversized chair. Our favorite couch was placed in the living room/dining room combination just on the other side of the family room fireplace. The space in there just didn't flow, though, and we barely spent any time in there so it was also wasted. My friend starts to talk about how the family room would make a great dining room and that the recently acquired 50" TV we have would fit so much better in the living room. After some questions, solutions and chosen paint colors, we are now turning the family room into a dining room and the dining/living room into the family room. Holy hot mess! To be fair, we considered this option when we first bought the house, but I always thought it would be cozy and fun to spend most of our time in the fireplace room, especially in the winter. But after our first gas bill (!!!) the fireplace stayed off for the rest of the winter (minus one night). There was also no cable outlet in the living room, but since The Husband is super handy, that was easily fixable.

So now here we are, five days later. The room was a B***H and a half to paint (the entire room took one coat of primer, the lower half of the walls took three coats and all of the trim took three coats), but we are finally (mostly) finished. I am still unsure of how I feel about it. It's difficult for me to accept it as a dining room and I'm not sure why. The ceiling fan was replaced with a chandelier last night, so that definitely helps. Once it's accessoried and curtains are added, maybe I will be more used to it. Either way, I don't think my husband will ever want to paint it again. We have had quite a few VERY long days and after all his hard work and lack of sleep, The Husband now has a case of acute bronchitis and has been ordered to lay around until Monday. Lucky guy! :)

Here are a few before and after shots. The top half of the walls are a chocolate brown, the bottom half and fireplace wall are all a semi-gloss white. These pictuers were taken before the chandelier and some accessories were added, and the doors still need to be painted white. I will hopefully share more once the curtains are up and some accessories are out and up on the walls.

Before (and obviously decorated for the holidays):



After:




So, what do you think? Still lots to do... The party is set for Saturday, April 16th (my actual birthday) and we are slowly getting the house ready for it's first bash! I got a lovely patio table and chairs from my parents as a birthday gift and we have scored some great deals on other outdoor accessories/furniture to really help us enjoy our first spring and summer here!

Spring Time Giveaway!

I found another great blog just today and boy did I luck out! Sweet Carolina Girl is doing an awesome giveaway and I found her blog just in time to enter! She is gifting a Lilly Pulitzer laptop tote in the Patch Day print to one lucky reader and it is super cute! See? Super cute, right? I have never owned anything Lilly, but have loved their accessories and prints for a while now. This would be a perfect first piece :) Head on over if you want to enter!

Pillow Junkie

I am a pillow junkie. I change them out in accordance with the season. The Husband tries to put his foot down by saying “No more pillows for…” and then tacks on a X amount of time (i.e. five months or until the end of the year), but it never sticks. I can’t help it! I seriously love pillows – for the couches, chairs and beds in our house. I have always been the kind of person who tends to lean toward neutral colors on the wall and adds color(s) with accessories like curtains, wall art, accent furniture, pictures, lamps, rugs…and pillows! Seriously, you can change an entire room up with pillows and some well placed accessories.

I think part of The Husband’s issue is that I sometimes purchase pillows that are so nice and beautiful and, because I want to keep them that way, I tell him he can’t lay on them! Is that bad…? :)

Here are some awesome pillows that I am currently coveting (and apparently, I am a huge fan of Pier One pillows):

Fuzzy round pillow (Pier One)

I have a few oh-so-soft pillows that I bring out in November and leave out until spring and this one would fit in very nicely. Same texture/material, different shape. Plus, one of the other pillows I already have (also from Pier One) has pom-poms on it so this big, round pillow goes perfectly.


Rosey Patch Cream Toss Pillow (Bed, Bath and Beyond)

This beautiful and soft pillow would look so pretty on the new green, lightweight quilt we purchased to change out with our heavy duvet once spring hits.


Bright Floral Chainstitch Pillow (Pier One)

This one would go so nicely with the colors already in our house and our couches. It would be the perfect splash of color for spring and summer.


Tie Dye Stripe Pillow Cover (West Elm)

Reminds me of the shirts I used to make at summer camp. Love the bright colors.


Water Splash Pillow Cover (West Elm)

Love the literal splashes of color on the front of this small, rectangular pillow. Great accent piece with the Tie Dye Stripe pillow above!


Outdoor Kaeden Pillow (Pier One)

Really loving this pillow for our backyard patio! Since we moved into our house just this past November, we haven’t been able to work on the outside at all. I really can’t wait to get outside and clean up our yard and landscaping and also turn our covered back patio into some extra living space with lots of splashes of color. There is an old swing that the previous owner left hanging and I want to paint it this spring (either white or a bright color like lime green or yellow) and this pillow would make such a great addition. Plus, I love the rope trim. I can totally picture it in sitting in the corner of the swing.


Added later, after the part above was already written:
Over the weekend, I headed to Pier One to see if I could make some of these a reality, but I ended up choosing totally different pillows for our front and back porches:






I also got this pillow:


but with a bright white background, instead of yellow, like this one:




Pictures courtesy of: Pier One (obvi), West Elm and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Giveaways

Just wanted to share with my lovely 7 (!!!) follwers that I was lucky enough to win not one, but TWO giveaways last week! How awesome is that?

First, over at Chic & Pink, I won a monogrammed Derby Floppy hat from Marley Lilly!

I picked up a new beach bag while in North Carolina a few weeks ago and it has orange and turquoise coral on it, so I picked hat colors to match.

I am a new reader to Jules' blog, but I've enjoyed it so far and can't wait to read more about her and her little family!

Second, I scored some awesome Picky Stickys from a giveaway over at Katie's blog, Katie's Keepers. Since we are not currently pregnant, I picked a gender nuetral set of numbers to use when our first little one arrives!

I have been reading Katie's blog for a while now and she is a beautiful woman with such a heartbreaking story. I really enjoy reading about her ups and downs and how she has ultimately dealt with one of the biggest tragedies a person can experience.

Both items are on their way and I will try to remember to take pictures once they've been received. Thanks again for such awesome giveaways, ladies!

Has it really only been 10 years?

I have always been a lover of books. I love everything about them – the way they feel, the way the pages sound when it’s turned, the way they smell when you first open them. I hate to crease my books, though I know it’s inevitable. I am the person who takes the dust jacket off while reading it so it doesn’t get damaged. Yes, I know I’m weird. Moving on…
When I was a young girl in elementary school and middle school, I lived for the days when we’d get the new issue of Scholastic or Troll book clubs and my parents would allow me to select a book or two. Then I counted down the days until the box appeared and the teacher would go through the orders and call out the names of those who were lucky enough to receive something. After school, I would rush home and lock myself in my bedroom and read for hours. Though, that last part occurred much more often than just on the days when I’d receive a new book from Scholastic. Seriously, I devoured books and way faster than I care to admit. I would read for hours about the adventures of the BSC, Jessica and Elizabeth, The Fabulous Five, Ramona and Beezus, Fudge, Taffy Sinclair , and The Unicorns. I probably read all those books half a dozen times each, at least. I LOVED them.
Am I the only one who is super excited for the all-new Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 years Later book to come out on March 29th?!?! I am one of the geeky fans who read the first chapter and cannot wait to find out what Jessica did that was so bad that Elizabeth stopped talking to her. We all know that no matter what silly or awful thing Jessica did, Elizabeth ALWAYS forgave her. Did she make a pass at Todd Wilkins…again? Or worse, did she sleep with him??? Why is Elizabeth’s only friend Bruce Patman and, most of all, why is Elizabeth talking about orgasms? Isn’t she wholesome and, uh, a virgin? Apparently not anymore…
Are you going to read along with the rest of America? Don’t you want to find out if they are still a perfect size 6 with eyes the color of the Pacific Ocean? Is Elizabeth the level-headed one, while Jessica only parties it up? Do they still wear their matching lavalieres? These are the questions I need the answers to, people!
In honor of this long-awaited comeback, I figured I would share some of my favorite books or series from my favorite days of having nothing else to do BUT read. Those days are long gone by now, but my love for these books and characters are not. God, I really wish I would’ve kept all these beloved books from my childhood. I’d give anything to re-read them all again now. Would they still be as good? My guess is no, but the memories they hold are priceless.

The Fabulous Five I know not a lot of people enjoyed this series, but I loved it! I really liked the rivalry between The Fabulous Five and the Fantastic Foursome and how Funny and Jana crossed enemy lines to become friends. I was in middle school when this series started, so the scandals were all very age-appropriate.

Any of the Ramona books
I was such a fan of this crazy girl! I ate up any and all of the books: Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Beezus and Ramon, Henry Huggins, Ramona and her Father. Such a great series!

Otherwise Known as Sheila The Great (and pretty much anything else by Judy Blume, including Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge) I thought this series of books was particularly funny, especially with Fudge in the picture! Easy to read, light and fun. I really wish I still had these around for our future kids to read.

Last, but certainly not least: Sweet Dreams!
Does anyone else remember this series? I seriously LOVED it! These were different from SV Twins, SV High and BSC because they were stand alones. The characters were always different from book to book and the stories never overlapped, except for the few sequels from previous stories. I would spend hours at the library, searching the racks for books I hadn't already read.

What are some of your favorite oldies?

P.S. I think it has been much longer then 10 years since I last read a SV High book, but maybe the "10 Years Later" refers to how long it's been since Francine Pascal stopped writing them?

Some new Southern obsessions!

Am I the only one who didn't know much about Tervis? You don't see them much up north here (at least I don't), but while visiting North Carolina last weekend, they were all over the place! I fell in love, fast and hard. The Husband and I each purchased one (with a lid!) and the cost came to $43! While I know they will last forever and have magical powers (keeps cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot!) I still had a hard time justifying the cost. I haven't used mine yet, but I love the glass I got:


My other new love is Belk. My mom has been going on and on about this store for a few years now, but I had never stepped foot inside one until this past weekend. It was raining on Sunday so I said "Okay, mom, I'll go." Well, she told me! Seriously, how come we don't have this store in the northern states? Loved the clothes, loved the prices! It's kind of like Kohl's but the clothes seemed to be of higher quality and a lot more modern and designer-like. I got a couple of great pieces, including this cardigan:

Hot Damn! Another Giveaway...

I found yet another awesome giveaway today! Over at The Undomestic Momma, she is giving away 2 Foley + Corinna handbags! WOWZA!!! This bag is beautiful, with its leather-wrapped rope handles and awesome colors. I also love that the top can fold over. Seriously, I am drooling!