Treasure Hunting

Happy Weekend!

My mom came into town for a visit this weekend and we got to do some shopping for baby and the nursery and another little side project we have in the works. It was so fun! It's times like these that I really wish she (and all of my parents, hint hint!) lived here in town. They're not far, but I would love to be able to meet for lunch or a quick fun shopping trip anytime we wanted...

.

Anyway, earlier this week I scored some great deals on a few items for the nursery that I thought I'd share.

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I put this very clock on my Target registry last weekend, and then found it, brand new, at Goodwill for $3!! New in the box and everything! Why did I have a clock on my registry?... well, I'm aiming high for this little one and I'd like her to be able to tell time. Simple as that. :)

I've also recently been crib and glider shopping with my MIL, and while we were looking, I fell in love with a pure silk, full bed skirt on one of the display cribs. The boutique had custom bedding you could order, but we waited, since we didn't go with their crib. Then I stopped into Tuesday Morning and found this 100% silk, 104" curtain panel for only $8! It was marked down so low because there was only one panel. The same panels were priced at $99 for a pair- and that was Tuesday Morning's price, so no telling how much their original retail price was! Total score. I wasn't sure at first if this color was right or not, but next to the curtains I made, it's just perfect. Just the right amount of girly, and I'm excited to be making it myself.

Here is another fun find for Tiny Dancer's nursery that my mom and I found yesterday. For whatever reason, I love elephants. This is the 4th I have in my house, even though I am anti-themes and collections in general in my home decor.. also, elephants are my grandpa's favorite animal! Isn't it cute? Someone definitely carved this guy- he's heavy!

I need to think of a good name for him.. Any ideas??

Hope you all had a good weekend!

25 Week Bumpdate

Hello lovelies. A random and unorganized bumpdate for you this week..

1. Baby is the size of a RUTABAGA.What the wha??? 10 points to anyone who can tell me what the heck a rutabaga is and why there's one in my tummy.

2. I am feeling large and in charge today. Not sure what's going on, other than growing and some more growing. This weekend I was getting ready for bed one night and took a look at my belly button to see that it has been stretched out. Sweet. I waddled through the house as fast as I could to find hubs and violently pointed at the offending body part while making a crumply face. He peered in, picked an imaginary piece of lint out and said "got it". Grrrrrrr..

3. I am registered! I think that means I can be a mother now.

4. The nursery is coming right along. The dresser has been refinished and just needs new hardware.

Picture of the Day

25 Weeks

Yes, I need a pedicure. It's on my list.

Inspiration/To-do List

As I peruse all the fun and fabulous blogs out there, my mind is constantly working and thinking through upcoming projects I want to tackle. Sometimes I just get so excited and want to run out and start all of them right now, and to h*ll with things like work and housecleaning and regular bathing!

:)

But first, I'll need a million dollars to fund my little projects.

So here are some ideas I'm currently loving and would like to do/make/try/whatever:

Painted/Stencil Accent Wall

via Centsational Girl

Okay, LOVING this idea. I have seen people do this with a stencil and paint all over blogland lately and want to hitch up my wagon to this Oregon Trail. Yes, it seems a bit time consuming, but when are my projects ever quick and easy?? And if it doesn't turn out, you just paint right over it! No tearing down wallpaper. The trick is finding the perfect spot in my home to do it. I would actually love to try it out in our master bedroom, since it's a den of un-decoratedness, but that would involve convincing the mister, which is a little more work..
Check out more inspiration for this idea here, here and of course here.



Fun Striped Knit Baby Blanket

via Sharstin Miller Photography

This one is in the bag, my friends. I spied some fun yarn at JoAnne Fabrics a while back (that surprisingly wasn't too plastic/acrylic-y feeling.. yes, I'm a yarn snob) and scooped them up with a gift card my mom had sent. Thanks mom! I'm more than halfway done and am already envisioning all the photo shoots I'll be setting up for Tiny Dancer.



DIY Drum Pendant Light

via The Keylor Family

I am loving drum shades right now. Especially pendants. Not that that love translates into actually having any in my home. YET. These babies are pricey and I knew there had to be a way to make one yourself for a fraction of the cost. Her tools? Burlap and embroidery hoops. Doesn't get any cheaper than that! This is on my nursery to-do list.



DIY Ottoman


via Velvet & Linen, House Beautiful and Three Men and a Lady

This has looong been on my radar. With so many great ideas and ways of pulling this off, I've just been waiting for the right piece to makeover to tackle this. I've seen people build their own from scratch, repurpose an old square or round coffee table (like my friend Katie just did!), add padding to a bench, etc. This will also take more convincing of the hubs.. that we'll actually need something soft like this for when the baby is toddling around. You really can't beat blaming new projects or design purchases on the kid.

Baby Photo Montage

via One House Love

How fun is this?? They bought a bunch of different pieces of fun fabrics, pillowcases, sheets, whatever and take pics of their little one each week! Then they'll make a photobook for the grandparents after her first year! Possibly a lot of work, but who are we kidding, I'll be snapping lots of pics of Tiny Dancer anyway.
Mom? Dad? Grandparents?? Act surprised if you get one of these in a year and a half. Also, act nonchalant if you don't. Thanks.

I better get to work!!
What have you been inspired by lately? Is there anything on your project to-do list?

24 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 24 Weeks
Weight Gain: 8 lbs
How Big is Baby? Nearly a foot long and she's growing a ton right now! Baby Center Says! Ear of Corn
(what, you didn't watch Family Feud??)
Maternity Clothes? Still just the jeans. I scoured my closet and found 2 more pairs I can still fit in to! Woohoo!!
Stretch Marks? Nada
Sleep: I've actually been sleeping like a rock lately. Love it.
Best Moment of the Week: My daughter, appropriately nicknamed Tiny Dancer, decided to implement Dance Party Friday last week. I kid you not- this child put Beyonce and Shakira to shame with her ALL DAY ALL NIGHT disco jam. There were a few times when I had just about had enough and had to ask her to please go to her room for some quiet time. I knew I needed to relax and just try to enjoy it at about 10pm when I finally reached my limit and barked "you just wait until your Dad comes home!" and the dog jumped across the room. We'll see how this Friday goes..
Movement: See Dance Party Friday
Food Cravings: Not really
Gender: girlgirlgirl
What I Miss: Nothing at the moment! Loving it all. :)
What I'm looking forward to: Registering. Or at least, being done with registering! My friend Sarah promised to go with me this weekend, and I'm dreading it just a little.. it's a little overwhelming to me, but I'll be glad to have it done.
Symptoms: A belly that moves on its own. Hehe.
Emotions: Great.

A few more things..

1. Tiny Dancer also got to attend her very first concert this weekend. We went back home to see the Dave Matthews Band with some good friends. It was a great time (for some of us.. I won't name any names). My friend Cameron and I have been to about 3 or 4 DMB concerts together now, and it's always so much fun. I really wanted to go down on the floor to dance, but we still had fun dancing in our seats.

2. We had a doctor's appointment today. Our doctor wants us to go see a high risk doc after noticing that baby girl's kidneys look a little dilated. He did mention this at our last appointment, but I had honestly forgotten. He was not really concerned then and still isn't, but I guess since they're still a little dilated, he has to send us for a look. He said that he sees this about once per month and it always goes away. He reiterated that he's not worried.

While it wasn't the news we wanted to hear, I'm honestly not too concerned.. I know who is holding this precious baby in His hands. I do appreciate any prayers for our little one, though! I'll keep you posted.

A New 'Do

I know I chopped my Rapunzelish hair off a mere month ago, but loooook:

via Sincerely, Jules

I love, love, LOVE her long full bangs. I've done them before, but always end up annoyed and they're not quite as cute.. it would probably help if I took any time at all in the morning to actually work at fixing my hair.

But doesn't this just scream FALL?? I am sooo over this nasty hot summer.

Ready for bangs, layered clothes and cooler weather!


Mom, I will need some help!

Famous!

Newsflash, people!

I am totally FAMOUS!!

Being the 10 year devoted Bachelor/Bachelorette fan that I am, I, OF COURSE, love Lincee's hilarious blog I Hate Green Beans (see my sidebar) and her awesome episode recaps.

In case you didn't know, I also happen to sit in front of a computer all the livelong day, which may or may not lead to excessive blog and celeb gossip site reading. (Not on company time, of course.)

To my point!

Today, I sleuthed out the latest in ground-breaking Bachelor news: A double wedding for these crazy past contestants:


And being the loyal reader that I am, I promptly sent the link on to Lincee.

AND SHE RESPONDED!

And then she posted about it and included ME in her whistle-blower shout out!!!

Read her post in it's full glory here:

DDAHnna finally landed her man. And a fake twin!

:)

I feel I've done my civic duty today. I'll be signing autographs all night.

Nursery Sneak Peaks

Here are a few sneak peaks of some nursery updates I finished this past weekend..

Curtains have been sewn and are hung! Painting is almost completely done!

And here is a piece of art I made for Tiny Dancer. You might recognize the old fence planks I finally got around to using, ten years later.

I am in LOVE with my handywork on this sign (if I don't pat my own back, who will??), but I'm not sure I like how the pink turned out next to the curtains.. I was too lazy to go to the craft store for the right color, so I mixed some red and white I had on hand. So it may get a little updating down the line. We'll see.

The next big project is refinishing an old dresser we found on Craigslist. It's been sitting in here for a few months now, and I can't wait to breath some new life into it. It's just been so stinkin hot that I'm dreading the sanding I'll have to do outside..

I mean, is it just me, or is a solid month of 100+ degree temps with no rain unacceptable??

23 Week Bumpdate

Skipping the questionnaire this week.. seemed a little monotonous.

But this week's photo is a real gem:

You're welcome for (a) not wearing my bikini and (b) not dropping my towel.

Poolside Mama.

Thank goodness I bought a one-piece years ago when I was a nanny.. I was trying to be thoughtful and appropriate around the dad, who in the end was never even there when we swam, so the four or five times I've squished into it this summer is the most wear it's seen.

And is it just me or do I not even look like I'm preggo here? More like just chowed down on a cheeseburger. I pinky swear I look bigger in real life.

And Oh Happy Day- a solitary coworker asked me in an extremely roundabout/beat-around-the-bush kinda way if I was pregnant. YES! I SHOUTED.

I've decided to call our girl Tiny Dancer. Isn't that cute? She's always bopping around in there like she spends all her free time at a NKOTB concert. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.. her mama liked to get down back in her single days. How do you think I roped the Hubs in? Dance moves, baby.

*wink.wink*

Me Gusta

Baby just received her very first gift!!

And people, you will not believe what it is!!!.....

Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? I'm soooo excited!!!

A big thank you to super sweet Sarah from Life Sweet Life! She's a bloggy friend and sent us this after seeing my post about this darling onesie. And the best part- she made it herself!!

She also sent some adorable baby legs in heather grey with blue polka dots. LOVE THEM. I forgot to take a picture, but I definitely will when I can shove some chubby little baby girl legs into them for a photo shoot!

Sarah just had her first little guy a few months ago, and he's pretty adorable.

Maybe we can start to play matchmaker.. hehe. :)

Thanks Sarah!!

22 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 22 Weeks
Weight Gain: I'm going to say 5-6 pounds. I really don't know, seeing as some grinch stole the scale in our office break room.
How Big is Baby? A fruit departure.. Spaghetti Squash! 11 whole inches!
Maternity Clothes? Just my jeans, which are disappointing me today with a case of saggy britches. I just can't win.
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep: Pretty good
Best Moment of the Week: Making some plans with my mom for a shower! Fun!
Movement: Oh yeah.
Food Cravings: Eh.. Cinnamon Life Cereal has been a crowd pleaser lately.
Gender: girlgirlgirl
What I Miss: Calf muscles that don't get all tight and crampy on me after a few hours in heels.
What I'm looking forward to: The fall!!! Cooler temps! (Does that count since it has nothing to with being pregnant??)
Symptoms: Congestion, growing pains, hot flashes
Emotions: Mostly good

A small rant... Other than my immediate department here at work, only one person in my entire building (which is not small) knows that I'm pregnant. And that's because she saw me do a belly rub in the ladies room and asked. Other than that, not a single person has noticed or given me a sideways glance! I feel like I need to wear a big bullseye on my belly button or something. I suppose I should be happy that I'm still relatively small, but I'm nearly 6 months along here, people! I'm doing all this work (you know- growing a baby) and I need the immediate satisfaction of at least a sideways, sympathetic smile every now and then. I mean, how are you supposed to get any pregnancy perks if no one is even noticing??
Sheesh.

Okay, I'm done! :)

Dear Bob the Builder

Dear Builder Bob/Ronaldo/Kevin/Heffe/etc,

Thank you for building our house. I love it.

However, I have one little bone to pick with you.. (well, one for today, anyway).

I am sure you have a plethora of tools in that nifty little builder's toolbox of yours. Your mom probably adds to your collection every Christmas, birthday and President's Day. I am, however, wondering why you did not use your LEVEL to it's fullest advantage. It's a wonderful thing, the level.. It makes things like walls and floors and baseboards and moulding and trim, well, LEVEL. As in STRAIGHT.

Clearly it never crossed your mind that somewhere down the line, a hormonal pregnant gal might want to paint some sassy stripes on the walls of her baby girl's nursery. Clearly you have not yet had a wife in the throes of pregnant nesting.

Clearly.

Because if you had, Builder Bob/Ronaldo/Kevin/Heffe/etc, you would have made very sure that every wall, floor, baseboard, moulding and trim in every single room of this home, and especially any room that may at one point in time be used as a nursery, was LEVEL.

So in the future, dear Builder, I kindly request/advise/demand that you go a little OCD with the level. It can only help you and your future hopes of becoming a father and not having a roll of painters tape lobbed at your head.

Sincerely,

Knocked Up Strange & Lovely