Year in Photos

Very cool ap on Facebook I thought I would share here as well since I am not at home to be able to make a proper photo collage...


Hope everyone has a great and safe New Years Eve tonight!

Patchoulie and Pregnancy don't Mix!

Ok I have nothing against patchoulie and I even enjoy it in small doses on the right people.....we have a customer however that comes to our office once or twice a week and believe me he is not a right person and he def does not use appropriate doses! *GAG*.....it lingers in the hallways and elevators even which does not make this pregnant lady with a super bionic nose happy! BLECH

Anyway not too much else to report...Christmas was great my daughter LOVED her presents and we just had a nice relaxing holiday.

Tonight we also plan to just chill and eat some appetizers and enjoy one another.

Miss Lainey is making me feel HUGE and uncomfortable more and more each day! I am only 28 weeks (well 29 on Saturday) and doc said I was measuring at 31 weeks...I certainly feel it!

Hopefully will post some new belly pics this weekend if I manage to get rest of my to do list done!!!

Love for a Crafty Goddess

Elsie has the coolest stuff featured on her blog and her scrapping just blows my mind! LOVE her and she totally inspires me!!!
A Beautiful Mess

Now that Christmas is done.......

I have a new list of stuff that needs to get done! I would prefer for majority to be done before our friends arrive from England on January 8th!
*finish scrapbook for best friends shower that is on the 3rd!
*take down Christmas stuff
*unpack boxes of normal curio stuff knicknacks etc...
*get file cabinet
*go through over 2 boxes of stuff to put into file cabinet!
*throw a bunch more stuff away!

Then other things I would like to get done before Lainey arrives
*rest of nursery set up
*car seat bought and installed
*hospital bag packed
*purchases made (after baby shower) of stuff we truly will need upon Lainey's arrival
*wash all of Lainey's cloth diapers
*order a few more cloth dipes and snappis

So yeah January and February should go by quite swiftly with all the to do's in my life haha! No time for any winter blahs here and I am a-ok with that!

Peer Pressure

Ok I did it...I gave in...what is it about toy crazes that makes me a grown woman go ga-ga?! Gabby has only mention zhu zhus once so I had brushed them off and decided that nahhh I wasn't going to worry about getting her any...then they release a pink one and oh lordy I flipped and hopped on the zhuzhu mania train! So yup she now has these coming....



and then I just discovered that they have a new baby one coming out named Muffin (Gabby's nickname!)...sigh....so very weak and toy obsessed I am....

So excited for Christmas morning....

to see my Muffin's face when she sees this awaiting from Santa!


According to Amazon it should arrive Tuesday from the North Pole! So excited we got one!!!

1 Week Until Christmas!

Where has this year gone? Wowsa...Anyway things still on the list that need to get done between tonight and Christmas are:
*wrap presents
*Bring Gabby to mall to paint some pottery pieces
*Cookies and treats baked!
*Work on crafty gifts for friends baby shower that is a week after Christmas!
*Print out gift certificates I ordered online
*Grocery shopping to get ingredients for baking and for Christmas eve appetizers
*watch movies with the family and enjoy one another!

Checking my List

YAY feeling accomplished this week as we got Lainey's valances ordered and also her crib skirt that will both be made in this pattern to match her blanket I got for her crib...

We also ordered this wall graphic to go up but in hot pink :)

And we got a changing pad cover that will be this material

Sooo once these things arrive her nursery will be well on it's way to completion and awaiting our newest little princess!

Still on the wish/need list for the nursery will be my craft projects I mentioned before, a pink fluffy rug, and crib and bassinet sheets! So not really too much more to be honest! Not bad for having around 90 days or so left until arrival!

We of course have some other big purchase items we need to get such as car seat and baby carrier but those will of course be bought before she comes! We have decided to skip infant stroller and just get the one she can be in from approx 3 months up to 55lbs so we don't end up with multiple strollers! We figure the baby carrier will be used mostly those first few months along with the carseat carrier if we feel like lugging that around as opposed to "wearing" her haha.

So despite my growing discomfort day by day I am feeling a bit calmer about being ready for this new little person entering our lives :D

Crafty on my Mind!

Ok I swear there is nothing worse than when the crafting mood strikes and you are stuck in a situation where you can really do nothing about the mood; except of course dwell and ponder on it, and hope and pray it is still there when you CAN do something about it!

Right now I am at work...the sudden urge to do nursery craft projects is overwhelming me! I need canvas, I need paint, I need paper, I need mod podge, I need tissue paper, I need pipecleaners, I need time and energy to immerse myself into these fun projects I have saved to complete for Miss Lainey's nursery!!!

Good news is we have decided to go ahead and order the rest of the goodies we need to order for her room including the custom curtain valances and crib skirt that match her adorable owl blanket :) Also we will be ordering a vinyl piece of wall art of some form (still have a couple picked out so need to narrow down to what one will be the winner!).

Oh and yes Christmas cards are done and most will be sent today and the rest will be sent when I buy more stamps ;)

Some Seasonal Snapshots

Under 100 Days!

Ok my ticker says a few more but that is set to my due date and my c-section will be scheduled at least a week ahead of that...so yup we are officially under 100 days until Lainey's arrival! EEEEP! So exciting but also it is starting to set in that we need to prepare some more things...here is my current list of needs/wants before she arrives:

Carseat (babiesrus)
Beco baby carrier
Mattress (walmart)
Changing pad (walmart)
Changing pad cover (etsy)
Wall art (etsy)
Crib skirt
Crib sheets
Bassinet sheets
Bottles
Milk storage bags
Bathtub
Breastpump parts (I think I get all this free from WIC)
Sleepers
Curtains (mom or etsy)
Diaper storage cubes (target)
Cloth wipes
Breast pads
Lansinoh
Prefold diapers (Green Mountain Diapers)
Snappis (for non snap/Velcro diapers)
Owl lamp (pottery barn kids)
Owl shelf (etsy)

Seems like sooo much and I know a lot of those things are def not NEEDS as we don't NEED to have crib ready and we don't NEED to have wall art up but that is some of the fun things I look forward to haha :) I believe we are ordering crib mattress, changing pad, and carseat all this week so hopefully by next week will have a few things off this list!

There is supposedly a HUGE winter storm that is going to take effect starting tonight which may be interesting for rest of the week. Makes me happy majority of Christmas is taken care of so no need to stress this week about going out places.

Next post I may do tonight will be a picture post....until then stay warm folks

Christmas Fun

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Def eggnog for me YUM

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped but we also have told her majority are from us and only a couple special ones are from Santa

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white on tree and we have none on house as not that motivated for all that haha

4. Do you hang mistletoe? nope

5. When do you put your decorations up? weekend after Turkey Day

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? homemade cheesy potatoes, homemade cookies

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? just the awe of Christmas morning...also when my mom would put presents in my shoes leading up to Christmas from the elves!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I am not sure but I do remember always pretending he still was real

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? only if at others houses...we do wear new jammies though

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? ornaments collected through the years

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? depends on the day!

12. Can you ice skate? no!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? nope not really...lots of good ones

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? time with family and friends

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? no one fave but prob always frosted cookies

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? new jammies on Christmas eve I started with Gabby haha

17. What tops your tree? this year holly berrys

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? any that Gabby sings :)

20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I don't mind them just find them awkward to eat

21 Favorite Christmas Show? original Grinch cartoon and claymation Rudolph and of course National Lampoons Christmas vacation

22. Saddest Christmas Song? none come to mind

The Nursery has been Started!

Happiest brightest green ever for Miss Lainey :)

Hopefully will have furniture going in there next week or for sure next weekend...then it is on to wall art...yay!

6 Months

This past weekend after surviving Turkey Day which surprisingly went well (thank GOD). We got up the tree and I got the hubby to take a 6 month belly shot of me...he also was a good sport and posed too :)


And the tree which I added the holly berry sprigs to this year....I decided we need a new topper and couldn't find one at the couple places we looked so I just did a modern holly berry thing at the top haha...Bear calls it the reindeer tree....

Turkey Eve Day

Ahhh last day of work before Turkey day! I cannot believe Christmas will be coming so quickly now! Need to finish up shopping but hopefully won't be too daunting this year.

Hopefully will pick out the wall pain for Lainey's room this weekend which is exciting!

My sister sent me a preview of my shower invites and they are soooo stinking cute! Here is a mockup of them and the front will be printed as well with a little squirrel on them.

Christmas Shopping Underway

Ok finally feel as if we are getting some shopping accomplished and out of the way, like many we are cutting back this year. I have a present for my mom done and Gabby Muffin is almost done as well! So far we have the following for her:

Guess Who Electronic (I am excited to play this heehee)

Barbie Girl accessory set (clearance set for her barbie mp3 player)

Dance Dance Revolution for xbox 360 (no idea which one but we got it for 40 bucks and thought it would be fun for the family)

Some doll clothes I got at an art fair for her AG dolls

Bunkbed for AG doll (from walmart)

Set of 2 barbie kid mermaids (clearance again)

Polly pocket set (yup clearance)

a couple tee shirts, a dress, 3 pairs leggings, icarly undies

Think that is it for now. Do not actually plan to add too much more to the mix since she also receives gifts from family and the kid really REALLY does not need another toy! We do plan on adding one or two DS games and some math flashcards and prob some goodies from the dollar store for her stocking.

Now to finish up gifts for Dad, Grandparents, neice, and figure out what we are doing for Bear's family in England (thinking we will order from UK stores therefore skipping on postage for us!). Gabby's aunt's family as they are always keeping Gabby overnight so want to give them a family gift, and oh yeah I need to make teacher gifts!

So how are you all doing on your shopping? Any homemade gifts being made?

Loving me some Craigslist!

Going to pick up two treasures for Lainey today! First off we got this

Which we plan on painting an antique white to match her crib! I think it will look so pretty!!!
Then we got the good ole baby display stand aka a bumbo with the tray for 25 bucks!

and it is even the purple one which I wanted! Yippy!

Off to get my hair done this morning as it has been months!!! Going to feel great! Had a lush dinner with the hubby last night too to celebrate our first anniversary that was on Wednesday. Yum Yum!

A baby list

Because I believe nesting is totally kicking in with how much my mind is going this morning (or else it is the coffee I indulged in heh heh)...

Things we NEED to get

1.carseat

2.baby carrier (we are set on a beco but now need to choose a pattern!)

3.rest of newborn cloth diaper stash(will prob hit up after turkey Day sales to get more of these along with my usual random buys I have been doing ;) )

4.crib

5.dresser

6.nursery decor (ok it is not really a NEED but I WANT it haha)

Other than that I think we will pretty much be set to start with...other goodies can be bought as needed so once we have these 6 things sorted I will feel prepared....I think...

More nursery ideas

Ok I will post an updated belly shot this weekend I promise! I am so behind on putting new pics on the computer as don't even have Halloween ones up yet so will make sure to get that done and share this weekend.

But for now more nursery ideas!!!

This is the crib we have decided upon! We just love it! And it is one of those nifty ones that turns into the toddler bed and then a very pretty girly double bed for later on!




And I would LOVE to get this matching dresser but not too sure as may just stalk used shops and craigslist and paint our own to match for a fraction of the cost! But how pretty is this?






Then many thanks to Shannon who shared these fantastical customizable owl shelves that are even made right here in Michigan!!!!









Eeeeeeeeeeee so excited!!! Still need to pick wall color out but waiting for Lainey's blanket to arrive so we can match up....pretty sure we are going with a spring green though...similar to the wall color behind those owl shelves but a bit darker/deeper.

Nursery Obsessing Begins!

Ok ok so the house isn't even all unpacked yet but of course after finding out we are having a little girl I had to start planning her nursery!

SO far here is what I am thinking....

We have a Hamburger!!!!

Yup we are having a little girl! Gabby is beside herself as she soooo was wanting a sister so a sister we gave her :)

Introducing Miss Lainey Raine

Bummer of a Day Turned Fantastical!

I was so excited as I had an appointment with the OB that would actually perfrom the c-section today. Well that was a LAME dr appt LOL....ok so I go and the OB surgeon comes in (seems very nice but looks a little like Dr Kevorkian LMFAO)..measures me and takes baby's hr (150 today) and then says "Ok I will see you again mid February to book your u/s." UGHHHHHHHHHHH

So again a let down as thought he would schedule it today. Well then I cheekily ask "so you don't need an u/s for anything do ya?" He smiles and then says "well let me see if my tech can do one really quick for ya" So of course I am super stoked!Gareth and I got huge smiles on our faces.

Well bad luck strikes again as the tech was in with someone already :( DANG IT!!!! I so wanted to holler out "but I can wait!" LOL.... so we get out of there and I am immediatley hit and feel crushed and am trying so hard not to break out in sobs.... I had sunglasses on and was trying so hard to think of something else.....but then hubby put his hand on my knee and says "well it's ok hopefully we get the one in December" (the one our doc is going to attempt to get but wasn't even 100% sure if he could get insurance to pay for one or not then).

I then just cannot help it and tears rolled down my face. He was all "oh babe it is ok" and I just start crying like a baby saying "but this is no fun at all! I am uncomfortable almost all the time between back pain, butt pain, and now indigestion and then still heaving most mornings and still have almost 20 weeks to go!" I said without being able to shop for anything specific for this baby it has sucked the only fun out I could be getting since I have been so miserable this pregnancy! I then dropped it and said I would be ok just let down again is all.

Come home and I went and laid down to sneak a nap in before a girl scout meeting tonight.... Well hubby comes in and says "you gotta leave work early again tomorrow" I said "why?" then he said "Cause I just booked you in at Sneak a Peeks and we have to be there at 1:00, Happy Anniversary Baby!" AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

So I am super excited as we should hopefully very well dang know the sex of Gummi tomorrow afternoon EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

And another HUGE bonus for today...my Cricut Expression arrived! Now to get the craft cave all set up this weekend so I can start to play with it! Fun stuff!

Meal Planning Monday is Back!

At least I am hoping I can keep up with it this time LOL...I actually Have 2 weeks of dinners planned as just worked out easier for the shopping this past weekend :) So in no particular order here is what is on the agenda!

1. Eggs,Bacon,Pancakes
2.Taco casserole
3.Frozen mexican pizza
4.Breakfast skillet meal (hashbrowns,eggs,green peppers and onions) prob with toast
5.Buffalo chicken strips with salads and maybe fries
6.Cream of mushroom porkchops, mashed potatoes, salad
7. hotdogs and baked beans
8.ham steak, cheesy potatos, peas
9. potpies over rice
10.homemade fettucine alfredo with grilled chicken and salad and garlic bread(Had this last night and turned out fabulous if I do say so myself!)
11. leftovers
12.swedish meatballs/creamy meatballs over egg noodles, salad or veg
13. Japanese curry over rice
14. Taco Rice (basically taco meat and all the fixings over white rice instead of chips or on taco shells....fell in love with this in Japan it is so good even though sounds weird)

Art Fair Finds!

So excited about the goodies I got at the art fair today held at my old high school! Got about 4 or 5 necklaces, I think 5 pairs of earrings, some faux American Girl clothes for Gabby for Christmas, and two super cute knit fall/winter head bands for myself :)

Ahhh nothing better than some retail therapy! Also Bear let me order my Christmas gift last week.....a Cricut Expression machine from HSN that comes with 4 cartridges WOOTWOOT!!!

Now to get the craft cave in order! First order of business starting tonight is painting my cubbies!

Hormonal Bummer Time

Not a big update as I am in a funk to say the least today.
Good news: all moved and doing ok on unpacking and tidying
Good news: Baby tests all came back healthy and normal
Bad news: no idea if I will get another ultrasound therefore leaving Gummi a mystery which is making it really hard for me to feel connected to the baby at this time :(

As for wives tales go though the heart rate from today is still saying boy so we shall see.....

Busy Moving House

Will do an update post hopefully within next few days :)

Got the keys!

We are so thrilled to start moving stuff over starting tonight! Official move in date is Halloween morning but we hope to have bulk of stuff over there minus the furniture before then! Wish it was ours for keeps but it will at least do us good and be a place to call home for next 3 or so years :)

That is the muffin posing on the front stoop :)

Very cute Gro Baby Diapers Video

GroBaby Diapers

Gro Baby Diaper Soaker System

Gro Baby Bio-Soakers
Have you heard about the new Gro Baby Bio Soakers?
They are made by The Natural Baby Co. and are meant to be used with the Gro Baby shells that you already have.
The Bio Soaker Pads are:
Biodegradable & Compostable
Breathable & Hypo-Allergenic
Fragrance & Dye Free
Plastic Free
Chlorine Free

The soakers have a sticky spot on the back of them so they just stick inside your shell! These would be great for traveling on long trips or just for short trips to the store!

You can buy the Bio Soakers here. They are 19.99 for 50 soakers.If you haven't heard about the Gro Baby diapering system yet, they are a one size diaper that consist of an outer shell and then snap-in soakers. Very cool indeed for those that want to step into cloth diapering but are a bit scared or grossed out by the prospect ;)

Here is how they work!

Gro Baby is having a promotion on their Facebook site that if you blog about the new soakers, they will send you a Bio Soaker intro package...so if everything goes well, I will be getting one for free! Check out their facebook site and blog about this for yourself! Don't forget to also become their fan on facebook!

2009 Orchard Trip

We had an excellent time at the orchards this year! It was me and the muffins 2nd time going and Bear’s first! We got a bit cold from time to time but overall it was perfect weather to enjoy the apple picking, corn maze, pumpkin choosing, and of course getting yummy nummy treats from the shop there (chocolate fudge for them and pumpkin fudge for me! Apple and Pumpkin donuts too!).

It's a..............Baby

Yup Gummi was moving around way too much to even try to sneak a peek at the goods! Darn. The tech said it was too early still too (which I know is hogwash since I know ladies that have found out even before 17 weeks!). I just hope and pray we still get an ultrasound at 20 to 22 weeks now! The tech did seem to get some good images of heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, and femur though so who knows what the doc will say. I just know I am dying to know the sex! Oh well a surprise would be super fun it is just the HUGE name debate since we cannot decide on a boy name whatsoever and we have kind of given up at this point since we don't know if it is even worth worrying about if it's a girl LOL! So the wait is on.....And here is Gummi approx 17 weeks 4 days.



Best 3D shot the tech could manage of profile

Back of head and spine

Side profile of head with hand up by face

Scary predator type shot of face looking right at us

Side profile of the big ole' head and tummy :)

That is a hand with fingers sticking up to the right

Another half frontal shot of face

Foot on left

Gummi kept looking like s(he) was doing crunches bringing knees to face LOL! Here is a shot of that in motion.

All in all was a big relief to see Gummi moving around quite happily especially since I am not feeling much movement yet. The tech also assured me that Gummi was sitting quite high for the age. Was sitting right behind belly button if not a little higher up. Heart rate was at 135 today which dropped from 150 a couple weeks ago! Online heart rate predictors keep telling me boy so we shall see.............