29 November 2011

No Peeking!

So much to catch up on!
I didn't realize it has been so long since I've posted something fabulous (or anything, for that matter). I had a doctor appointment on Nov 23rd, and he informed me that I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. I thought for sure I'd be headed to the hospital within a few days...no such luck. 

Thanksgiving was a GREAT time with friends. 
We shared a potluck style meal, and everything was delicious!!


Chris and I did a lot of relaxing and watching of football over the weekend. We wanted to be extra caught up on sleep if Mini decided to make her arrival soon.

On Sunday I had a few contractions, with no consistency in between. They fizzled and faded away after a couple of hours. We even took the dogs for a walk in hopes of getting things moving a little faster. Again, no luck. 

So what do I do? Bust out my crafting stuff and get to work, of course!
I bought some fabric at JoAnn's to make my own nursing cover. After seeing so many in stores, I couldn't swallow the $40 price tag that most of the stores stocked. 

I purchased 2 yards of fabric and 20" of boning. A whopping $13 total. I chose to make my cover with a  "lining", just to be extra private. I don't want nobody peeking in on me when my parts are hanging out.

I used this link and that link, combining the two styles together. I already had a couple of D rings left over from making the diaper bag, so I used them for the strap.

I had it completed in just a short while. Here I am (looking oh so grand) sporting the new cover.


I loved the "hand drawn" look of the paisley. I figured I had to choose a girly fabric to let people know that I've got a little girl under there. To even further prove my point, I lined it with hot pink. Yes, I did. If you know me, this was a big pill to swallow. However, I Aimee'd it up with a secret little pocket for a burp cloth.


After finishing the cover, I gave it one last college try to put my self into labor. I vacuumed the ENTIRE house. Chris will stand by me on this one. He thought it was cute that I was nesting, but it was a combination of nesting and exercise, really. I was working hard!

Since Sunday night, after no more improvements or changes, I've been cleaning the house daily, and sleeping- trying to stock up. I've got another project on the back burner- as always. Maybe I'll get that out this afternoon. At this rate, I'll be so bored of waiting that I'll throw myself into several projects, have them spread all over the house, and then have to rush to the hospital with the house looking like a tornado came through. Ah, well. Such is life. I'll get over instantly once that little bundle lands in my arms.

Any guesses as to what day she'll be arriving? How big she'll be? Dark/light hair? 
I just can't wait to see my little Mini in person!



17 November 2011

Let it snow... kind of.

While perusing Pinterest this week, I came across an ingenious idea, taken from a department store window display. The designers found a miraculously cheap presentation of fake snow.

Cotton balls and fishing line.

Behold.


OK, let me back up.



It'din'it purdy?


I was so please with the way it turned out, I made more.
Lots more.


It's hard to see with the windows open, but that's how I got the best lighting here.


Even if we hardly get snow in Arkansas this year, I'll have snow at my house!


Now here's the rest of the holiday cheer around the house.
I still have yet to make Mini her stocking. And no I won't take a picture of it when it's done unless she's already arrived. Her name will remain a secret until she gets here. She told me she wanted it that way.


The ornament clusters are to go outside on our garage lights, but I'm not going to be that person in the neighborhood to put them all up before Thanksgiving. 

A little party-time cheer in the kitchen.
These were left over from one of my baby showers.


Lastly the tree.
Nothing fantastical, but all of our ornaments are from Chris and my childhood years or our recent years of marriage together. They all have great meaning, which is super sweet.


Side view.
Oh, you noticed it's a little bit close to the wall? That's because I didn't add all of the branches this year so that it would be a bit more "out of the way" while family, friends, and baby things invade our home upon her arrival. I'm pleased with how easy it was to squeeze it into place.


Have you guys thought of how to decorate for the holidays? I thoroughly enjoy looking at the designer photos of home decorations, but I'm so stuck to tradition and sentimentality that I'm afraid Better Homes and Gardens will never be knocking at my door to photo my home during the holidays. Better for it. There's something to be said for a season of green and red. Any other time of year it just seems silly to pair the two together. Why not celebrate the twosome in all their glory... after Thanksgiving, that is.




16 November 2011

Tummy update!

We are now officially under 20 days until the wee one makes her debut. Hopefully. I'm betting she's going to arrive early based on what the Dr. said this last week. He mentioned that I've started to thin out quite a bit already. We'll get another update tomorrow at my appointment. Chris and I are betting November 26-28 as her window of arrival. Do you have any guesses?

Today I'm sitting here at 37 weeks and 2 days. I THINK I've started to have some Braxton Hicks contractions, but I'm not exactly sure. There are times when my stomach will get insanely tight and you can't feel her positioning at all, but this doesn't hurt and isn't a lot of pressure either. I'm crossing my fingers that this is what's going on and I'm just "immune" to the pain.

Other than that, I've really be so lucky with a great pregnancy thus far with hardly any complaints. My back is holding up strongly, and my feet don't look like stuffed sausages yet, so we're doing OK!

Here are some pictures that we shot yesterday (after a nap, hence my lovely appearance).




I wish I had more to post about with projects around the house. The truth is I've been nesting and getting the house organized and all of my supplies purchased before we bring her home. I did get my Christmas decorations up yesterday in preparation for her homecoming. I decided that I didn't want to be putting decorations up after Thanksgiving in my 39 week...if I last that long. If I waited too long, I'd be putting them up after she's born...in which case Chris would be putting them up. Disaster. So I opted for the extremely early approach. No one can blame me. I'm pregnant. I do what I want.

Today will be spent vacuuming out the car and installing the car seat. Also making a run to the store for last minute items to throw in my hospital bag. Then to choose my going home outfit and get that packed (hers has been decided on and packed for MONTHS). Then we will finally be in business. The bags will go in the car and we will be ready for whenever her little heart desires to bless us with her presence. Don't worry, the cameras [still and video] are already packed and charged. Expect photos very soon after the birth, as I know we'll be anxious to brag about her immediately.

Any plans for your lovely Wednesday? Any guesses as to when she'll arrive? Any last minute guesses on her name? (No, we're not giving it away, but the guesses keep us entertained!) Later gators.

09 November 2011

Dancing Queen

So... Miss Mini has been dancing up a STORM lately, and I broke out the video camera again to document her new found love. She's quite a bit more active in this video over the last, so enjoy.





I think she really gets her hips into it. Or elbows or feet. Whatever it is, it's cute. 

Music by: Dave Barnes "Crazyboutya"

06 November 2011

Feature Creatures

This week I got my hands dirty in the acrylic again...
I painted a lovely little something for Miss Mini's room.


I saw all of these little creatures in multiple prints and totally thought I could gather them all together to make a nice forestry scene. The grass is painted newspaper in various shades of green. Much more fun and "poppy" than more brush strokes. The sun if strips of fabric with a fabric flower embellishment in the center (from an old shirt I've been scrapping out).

The nice thing about it is that I could incorporate all of the colors in her room (which is pretty much every color) rather than searching for the perfect print or painting that's already been created.

There have been lots of updates in the room- most of which I haven't blogged about.
Here's what you see now when you enter her room.


And the opposite wall.


And the doorway.


The painting fills a void above the crib nicely. I'm sure I'll continue to add little projects here and there, and eventually I'll give you a close up tour of everything in here. But until then, enjoy everything from afar. Only 4 more weeks (ish) until she's here. So hard to believe!






31 October 2011

Space Balls.


Another project that I tackled while me dad was here...

Space Balls.
(or so one of our friends called them)


I originally copied them from this pic on pinterest.


They remind me of Allium flowers, but I liked the all white look better. I think I could have achieved the colored look by dipping them into a shallow dish of food coloring.

Didn't figure out what it's made of yet? Here's a closer look.


Styrofoam balls and Q-tips.

It just so happens, I had an extra box of Q-tips on hand [because my pregnant brain forgot that we DIDN'T need any during one of my shopping trips]. I don't forget everything though. In fact, I remember an old answer from a years-ago game of Trivial Pursuit. The question was, "What does the Q in Q-tip stand for?" Out of the multiple choice questions, my guess was Quality. I was right! Bazinga. That's probably the one and only time I can remember getting a question correct without any help from my family. Maybe that's why I can remember it. Success!

Have you made anything lately out of supplies you already had around the house?
Show me, show me!





Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Here's a look back at a few of my favorite candy-grabbing outfits.

1985- 17 months

Back when neighbors would make bags of popcorn, 
and Nestle crunch bars were still in a red wrapper.



1993- 9 years old

If you're not laughing now, wait just one second.


2011- 27 years old, 33.5 weeks pregnant

I can't wait for next year when little Mini will start the amazing tradition of dressing up in something ridiculously cute/funny while stocking up on sweets. 

Be safe and have a great holiday!

28 October 2011

A bit of brightening.

My dad and I always dive into some sort of project when we're together. During his visit this time, we painted the guest bathroom. It was on my long list of things to do to the house at some point, but it seemed the most time-convenient project during his visit.

Here's the bathroom before:



I chose a celery green (specifically Olive Marinade by American Tradition) to match the existing vibe and accessories already in the room. 

While taking down the hideous "backstage" lighting (which I also planned to replace one day), we couldn't help but notice the gigantic hole they chose to put in the sheet rock. Lovely. So now when I wanted to replace the fixture, I had to look for something with an enormous wall base to cover it up...I'm not going the other direction to have someone fix the hole in the dry wall. 

A better close-up.



Lucky for me, after this quick discovery, Dad offered to foot the bill for a new light. The hunt was on. We couldn't find anything in stock at Lowes or Home Depot, so we opted for the online order. We found a perfect replacement that shoots the light upwards towards the ceiling- even better. 

Here she is:



I received the light in the mail on Monday and immediately dove into swapping it out. I again, quickly discovered a quirk. Whoever put the hole in the wall must have screwed up with the original fixture, because the holes in the wall plate for the new fixture line up perfectly with the big hole in the sheet rock. Yay. Chris helped me drill new holes in the wall plate, which helped with the sturdiness of the entire light, anyway. The designers of the light apparently didn't take into consideration the weight of the glass. Had we not added extra screws to the wall plate, the whole fixture probably would've just fallen off the wall at some point. Lovely. Maybe I'll stay away from Seagull Lighting next time I'm in the market.

Here's the whole look together.


Still trying to figure out what to put above the toitie.


I added a special hook for Mini's towel. It had to be at her height, of course.


So there's the updated Guest Bath. Chris' best friend, Jerry is coming to visit this weekend, so he'll be the first to give it a test run. But, he's a boy, so I don't think he'll disapprove.

More to come on house projects!

15 October 2011

Nice little Saturday.

After my momma's visit last week, 
my daddy decided to come for a visit as well- but he wanted to ride his bike. 
No, not bike-cycle- a BMW Touring motorcycle.

After waiting for his call this morning to say he was off on his second leg- I get a call with ickier news.
Someone chose to ram his beautiful piece of machinery in the parking lot of his hotel.
So sad and maddening. Of course, no note was left. 
People are so aggravating.
Regardless, it's rideable.

Here's what I've been up to this morning while waiting for his arrival on his no longer mint-condition bike.

I finished this little jewel last night for a friend of mine (which she doesn't know she's receiving yet!)



After watering the pepper plants this morning, I found a few treasures.
Little Serrano peppers with gorgeous pops of color.


A teeny red Hot Portugal.


And a little shocker- our first RED PEPPER! YAY! I'm going to try and hold off picking it until the mister gets home at the beginning of the week. Eeeek!


And then during my attempt to snap a lovey photo of the pups for Mini's room, this is what I got.
Remmie smothering Kingston with her sisterly love. If there were not wet concrete and snaggletooth in this shot, it might've had a chance.


Finally, I didn't do this today, but I DID forget to take a picture of it last week when it was actually completely. A whole 5 minute of cutting contruction paper, and then arranging my beakers and sciency things on the front entry table, and it's ready for Halloween!


How are you spending your day?
Tailgating? Game day? House projects? Shopping? Yard work?



Recap.

And so I thought I'd catch you up on the last week of madness around here.

My momma came to visit last Friday (which is why I haven't posted since then). 

Saturday was spent at Target, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, Old Navy...you get the point. I was piling on the rest of the "essentials" that I needed before little miss Mini arrives...annnd a little shopping for myself. And if you know me, you know I don't EVER shop, so this was a milestone. 

Sunday was spent at the Little Rock Zoo for Momma's birthday- the biggest animal lover I'll ever know. 


I snagged a photo of this bad-a eagle before my battery died.


Monday we went to The Old Mill in North Little Rock. This is the site where the opening scene from Gone with the Wind was filmed (mom's FAVORITE movie). We had a nice little photo shoot of the us and Mini (in the belly). There were hundreds of pictures to pick from, and I think I narrowed it fairly well for you to get a good idea of what went on. Ha.

Chris liked the balloons...just not for the reason I was thinking of using them.


So excited for his little girl.


Hello baby.


The Old Mill


Love this light.


Baby Toms.



Waiting on you, little girl.


With our great friends, Kim and Sam.


We'll miss you dearly when you move away. 

So that was my week. That's all.