Overambitious and Lazy

A few more pictures I found on my phone...

2011-03-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

Most of these are older, but I'm playing catch up.

What? You want an update?

2011-03-07T16:54:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not dead. No, nothing horrible has happended and I don't want to talk about it. I've just been busy and the last thing I want to do is spend more time on the computer. Especially playing with pictures.... I have soo many of them and I hate going through them and organizing them. Maybe I'll continue to blog... maybe not.... I got a sweet email from Kimberly asking for more info about B so she could be his favorite second cousin once removed.

Without further ado:
Life as a mom is fantastic. My baby is adorable and we have so much fun with him.

A little about B: Turns out he is the world's biggest flirt. He flirts with anybody he can and he uses his whole body. Starts with a huge smile, then the shoulders scruch, then he makes a little fists, and sometimes he raises his eyebrows if to say 'hey good looking...'. It is hillarious. He is starting to scoot some when he's sitting in something which means we now have to actually strap him down in his swing. Still no rolling over or sitting up on his own. He also hates tummy time - hopefully that turns around soon.

Nicknames: Peanut (from his Aunt LuLu), squirty man, monkey, Chubs, Mr. B

Menu: All bottles still. He eats about 6-7 bottles a day with 4-5 oz per feeding. He is only on formula... I tried and turns out I'm not enough for him. But he did get breastmilk until he was 3 months old.

Sleeping: For the most part, he sleeps from 8:30pm to 5:30 am... except while he's been sick. He also takes at least one 2 hour nap and then lots of catnaps. His schedule is to eat, play, sleep, and then repeat.

Sickness: He got a cold at the end of January and has been coughing ever since. Poor little guy. Last week we got a fever and sounded extremely wheezy, so we put him on some steriods to dry out the mucus, an inhaler, and some cold medicine. Quite a bit for a 4 month old. He still sounds a little wheezy sometimes and still coughs some... but it seems a little better. He was also kind enough to bring home a stomach bug from daycare. That was no fun. He got it one Saturday, Kyle and I got it the following Sunday night, and then my dad got it a few days later. It was rough.

Biggest adjustment for me: Waking up early. I love sleeping in...I love sleeping in general. The lack of sleep sometimes makes me crazy. Luckily I have parents here that watch him overnight on the a weekend night, if needed.
But here you go, pictures of sweet Bradley who is now 4 months old. His 4 month pictures are a work in progress....

Jersey fist pump

4 generations

Facial Presentation Births

2010-11-23T20:35:00.000-06:00

I did some research on how often babies have "facial presentation" births and it is extremely rare. As in.... it happens 0.2% - 0.4% of all births. They are supposed to be some of the most painful births/contractions (which I fully agree not sure how it's supposed to feel). To add to it, Bradley had his first bowel movement in the womb probably due to the stress of the labor which only happens about 5% - 10% of all births.

Here is a view of how he was positioned in the uterus (first image)

Some facial presentations can be born naturally and some require a c-section. If born naturally, babies will have very bruised and swollen faces. I believe with the combination of the facial presenation and the meconium (bowel movement), a c-section was an obvious choice.

At the time, I didn't ask any of the questions or care what they were doing just as long as the pain went away and Bradley was born healthy. But now I know.

Only good news of having a c-section? I can schedule our next child's birthday... no more waiting around.

2 weeks down

2010-11-20T16:45:00.000-06:00

I can't believe two weeks have already gone by! It has definitely been busy and a crash course in motherhood. I have loved almost every minute of it (minus my meltdown day).

Things you should know about Bradley:

- He absolutely loves moving his arms and hands. When we swaddle him, we leave his arms out.

- He has amazing neck strength already. He can move his head around without any problems (especially when looking for food).

- When he is hungry, nothing satisfies him except food

- He loves his paci. I was letting him use me as a pacifier for awhile, but decided it was best if I got a little break from him

- He can now go around 3-4 hours at night before waking up and demanding food.

- He loves his swing

- He loves being held our taking naps on one of us.

I'm now a cry baby

2010-11-19T11:45:00.000-06:00

I can count the times I've cried over the past 5 years. I've never been an emotional person and usually only cry if I'm extremely stressed or sad. I didn't cry at my wedding - I did however cry at my best friends. I didn't even cry when Bradley was born.... it was after that that my crying really started.

So... let me round up the things that have been making me cry:

1. The sight of Kyle and Bradley together. It is so amazing that we made this perfect little person that is a mini-me of Kyle. When I think about how blessed I am, I cry.

2. When the pediatrician came in the day we were supposed to be discharged from the hospital to tell us that Bradley had a fever that concerned her and that it would be at least another 48 hours before we could go home. He ran a 101.4 fever Friday night so she wanted to run several test to rule out any bacteria-type infections (meningitis, etc). The tests included drawing blood, catheter to get urine, and a spinal tap. As soon as I heard spinal tap, I broke down. That sounds way too serious and he is way too tiny to be poked and prodded. They did cultures on the samples (took 48 hours to create), and started him on antibiotics via an IV in his arm. He had is poor arm taped up for two days to hold the IV. In the end, all the test came back negative meaning he probably just had a little viral infection. So please excuse us if we make you wash your hands before your hold him.... I don't want to go through that again.

3. Cluster feeding. When Bradley was between 6-8 days old, he cluster fed like crazy. What is cluster feeding you ask? Nursing (about non-stop) from 5pm to 10pm. That means that I was stuck on the couch with him attached...not so comfortable and it wore me out. Luckily, he got over that and we had good start pretty normal weekend and start of this week.

4. Non-stop holding. I love holding my new bundle of joy..... but I was to the point of holding him 24-7. As soon as I put him down he would start crying. What did he want to do after crying? Nurse. It was a vicious cycle that caused me to let him sleep on my chest every time he fell asleep. This also frustrated Kyle because he really didn't get to hold him for a couple days.

5. Call from the pediatrician telling us that one of Bradley's State Screening tests came back abnormal. The state of Arkansas runs many tests on newborns that looks for genetic problems and metabolic abnormalities. The GA-1 test came back abnormal for him - not saying that he for sure has Glutaric Acidemia, type 1 - just saying that they needed to pull more blood and urine to run the full test. We were called at 1:30 and told we had to be at the hospital by 2:30 to run the test. Poor B was poked and prodded for over an hour and then we met with the pediatrician to discuss next steps. I felt helpless because he was screaming his head off for over 2 hours while were out. We are still waiting on the results from the test.....

6. My mental/physical breakdown on Tuesday night. Not sure what happened, but all of sudden, Bradley wanted to nurse non-stop starting Tuesday evening. We nursed from 5:30 - 9pm then took a nap on the couch until 11:30. Nursed from 12 - 3:30am, passed out for an hour, nursed again, passed out for 30 minutes, nursed again..... I was exhausted. He was crying his head off and all I wanted to do was sleep for a few hours. Mix feeling helpless, hormones, being physically drained and cue the tears. I cried all night. When my mom called in the morning to say hi and I was crying, she came over with bottles, formula, and pacifiers ready to alleviate some of my duties so I could sleep a little. Looks like I was under a little more stress than I thought and the milk I'm producing wasn't enough for B. After a couple ounces of formula he was out for over 2 hours while I got to sleep some too. Thank you mom. Now that I can supplement him a little with the formula, he actually go to sleep in his crib and stay asleep for several hours. Thank God and hallelujah. Last night we all got 4 hour intervals of sleep and B slept in his crib. So nice.

Hopefully now that I've gotten some good sleep without B sleeping on me, my crying days will be mostly behind me.

Welcome Bradley James

2010-11-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

Bradley James
Born November 4, 2010 at 2:52 am
7lbs 1oz, 20in long

Here he is (and yes I realize he is a mini-me of Kyle)

The Birth Story:

I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to expect anything with the birth. I wasn't going to have any plans in my head, wasn't going to be upset if it didn't go as planned, and was going to go with the flow of what happens....because really, it is all beyond my control. I definitely did not expect the scenario we had....

On Wednesday (11/3/2010), it was a normal day for me. I had been having some contractions on and off for a couple days. Sometimes they'd be as close as 6 minutes apart, but they were never constant and they always stopped at some point. On Wednesday, I was still having contractions and Bradley was being quieter than usual....as in I couldn't remember any good kicks. Very unusual.

When Kyle got home, he was definitely worried that I wasn't feeling the little guy much. 2 glass of orange juice later, we jumped in the car to drive around some. I always feel him kick in the car... not sure if the the vibrations or the angle of the seat, but he always kicks... but no kicks. So while driving around, we drove to Willow Creek Women's hospital just to hear his heart beat. I thought it would be an in and out thing... but they took it as an ER - get fully undressed - get fully hooked up thing. Kyle was as white as a sheet until we heard a steady heartbeat.

After being hooked up a for a few mintues, I noticed that the needle thing on the machine reading contractions was going up and down about every 2 1/2 minutes.... and then they got stronger.... and stronger.... After being checked by the doc - I wasn't dialiated at all.... so no active labor in progress even though my contractions were getting good and coming regularly. After about two hours of sitting around and not progressing, they had us walk around the hospital for an hour to push things along. After that...still no progress. So, they sent me and my extremely strong contractions home to sleep...ya right.

After about 10 mintues of being home my water broke. GO TIME! So, Kyle ran around like a chicken with his head cut off and finished off our bags for the hospital. I hobbled to the car and basically screamed with every contraction. Ouch. You know how sometimes it sounds like the women is mooing with the contractions? I get why...

Once we got back to the hospital, they checked us again and it turns out that Bradley was "sunny side up". He was face first in the birth canal - not ideal for a natural birth. Without any question, the doc said we needed to get in the OR for a c-section. At this point I just wanted drugs and Bradley out; I didn't care at all that it was via c-section. They warned us that his face might be bruised and swollen from all the pressure (scary).

About an hour later, Bradley James was born without any bruises or swelling and was beautiful. C-section went as planned and Bradley was healthy.

We did have a bump in the road at the hospital that I'll save for another day. Main thing is - it ended up being not such a big deal (although I completely broke down) and Bradley is healthy and mostly happy (especially when nursing).

Happy Grandparents

Happy Uncles

I'll attempt to post more often to keep in contact with everyone while I'm stuck at home....attempt. It's taken me a full week to get my pictures on the computer and I can only do it b/c I have Bradley in my Moby wrap and he is passed out at the moment. Which reminds me that I should be napping too.

Due date, no baby, and memory lane...

2010-11-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's finally here. November 2. Bradley's big day.... but it looks he's too comfy and wants to make us wait. Taking his dear sweet time....already like his daddy?

I decided to get some pictures of Kyle and I ready so we can see who Bradley looks like. Of course, I know he'll have his daddy's nose (like all Kimpel's), but I wonder if I'll see any of me in his face. I'd be just fine with a little Kyle... he was adorable - almost as cute as I was. :)

Here I am:

Yes, that's me - I had pitch black hair when I was born. I've already warned Kyle not to get mad at me if his son has black hair at first....it still may be his son.

Me and my mom

The only nude photo I've posed for - and it really wasn't my choice.

My hair definitely lightend up

Did I ever mention I'm kinda famous? I won Little Miss Walnut Ridge. I know... kinda a big deal.

I love this picture - I've been putting people under my spell for years...

And here is Kyle...

I think his dad still has these sunglasses....

You can see the Kimpel nose.... I have a feeling Bradley will definitely have it.

Did I ever mention that Kyle had curly hair (and I guess still does... but never grows it out). This is one of my favorite baby pictures of him

He's always had an interest in cars I suppose...

And since I had to go down memory lane to get some of these pictures.... just look at what else I found.

These pants are awesome. I guess this is us putting on a show? The girl next to me is my best friend Christie who now lives in Canada and just recently got engaged!!! Yay! Love you Christie!

The 80's affected us all.... regardless of age. Why did anyone think this hair was pretty?

Here is a picture of me and Christie - much later in life. I think I was 17 in this picture? Was that the last time we saw each other....wow.

First homecoming picture - 10th grade

Cheer picture from 10th grade - we've all changed so much from this one. Sign of the times? Look at the sock length.

Cheer camp our senior year (maybe?) This was my gang of girls

Prom Senior year - Yes I sported a two piece and yes, there is an entire story behind it. Not my first choice. I don't think I ate that entire week of prom.

And I leave you with one of our first pictures together over 7 years ago

Hopefully the next pictures on here will be of Bradley!

Boss Hog Aprons

2010-10-21T16:45:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to make my dad and brother aprons for tailgating for awhile now. So I finally bought some fabric and supplies yesterday and went to town.

Look!

I used the "Boss Hog" layout like we did on the onesie the other day. The apron was very easy to make.

I copied one of Kyle's aprons (classy - right?). I got out my handy dandy marker, traced his, and then cut two at one time.

Again, copying this apron, I hemmed the top, sides, and bottom of the apron. I used black bias tape for the ties, under the arms, and neckline.

I think cut out some 8x8 squares for the pockets. I ironed in the edges and put bias tape on the top. The pockets are not perfectly square, but I think I'm the only one who noticed.

I then checked to make sure the pockets looked good on a model (cute model, huh?)

I then fed the dogs (even cuter!)

After I designed my template on the Silhouette software and cut it out on my freezer paper, I ironed my freezer paper on the apron.

I won't know what to do when I can actually get close to things.... look how far back I am from the iron.

Last up - paint! I did two quick coats and let it dry overnight.

These aprons were going to be Christmas gifts, but I think they need them for the game this weekend.

Next up - Pig Sooie Pricess apron for tailgating.

Freezer Paper Stencils

2010-10-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

With my Silhouette, I have discovered a whole new world....cue Aladdin sountrack. Freezer paper stencils are cheap and easy and with the Silhouette, my options are endless.

I mentioned my handwork a couple posts back, but wanted to elaborate and boast some more.

Here are the onesies I made:

This was as easy as setting up my Silhouette software to display what I wanted, cutting freezer paper, ironing it on a onesie, and dabbing some fabric paint on it.

Cortney came over the other day and we made some onesies for her. Please excuse her fuzzy photos

First up- Boss Hog

Second - Pig Sooie Princess

I think the second one needs a couple rhinestones on the crown.

Now I just need more ideas and more people to need some personalized onesies? Takers?

Hello My Darling iPhone 4

2010-10-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

If you are in NW Arkansas and need someone to fix your iPhone (for whatever reason), I highly recommend Paul from iPhixShop. You can check out his site here. His email is iPhixShop@gmail.com

Bye bye scotch tape...

Hello properly working iphone that I can read again. I forgot how beautiful the screen is.

FREEDOM!!!

2010-10-19T08:41:00.001-05:00

After hearing hundreds of people yell this, it is finally our turn!

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any Dave Ramsey fans out there? If you've ever listened to one of his shows, you know that once you are debt free you can call in and yell FREEDOM with a Braveheart Mel Gibson sound clip. We've wanted to do this for years, and we finally can.

We've paid off:

- my credit cards Kyle lovingly married in to.... I had a problem. Not really bad, I just couldn't keep my credit card balance to zero.... it was usually around $1000....

- My Nissan Murano

- Kyle's Toyota Tacoma

- And we just finished off my student loans!

Now, while this is all exciting,we still aren't completely done. All that's left is house debt, but with this nasty housing market, we have some catching up to do. I do not want to be up-side-down on my house and I want to have the comfort of knowing if we needed to, we could sell it at market value and be fine.

Currently market value is about $20/square foot less than what we bought it for 3 years ago. Ouch.

So... on to the next hurdle.

And feeling about 38 weeks pregnant....

2010-10-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

38 weeks.

(the smile is fake)

so very ready

I am really feeling the pregnancy now. My feet are super swollen (along with my ankles - which I lovingly refer to as trunks), I am tired, and getting around is a hassle.

I'm ready to get my body back and ready to finally hold Bradley.

so very ready....

On another note, I am in love with my Silhouette. I have discovered the art of Freezer Paper Stenciling. Look at my handy work

I know... you are amazed. These took no time and I love them. Who needs monogram machines? This is super cheap and easy. Now I just need more onesies or shirts or something and I need some more ideas.

Last week, we had one more shower at Kyle's work. It was fantastic and we got some great things.... the cake was hilarious. Seems like the decorator at Walmart got confused:

Kylie and Tezzi? Terri? Jenni? Either way, it was yummy.

I also had my bday dinner with my family Sunday night. I got some great things like:

- Bubble bath

- Cash to get some items for my Silhouette

- Comfy pillow for bath tab

- Cash for a few new books

- Sailor Jerry

- Merlot

So... the Sailor Jerry was a nice thought but kinda mean. I want some now! One day... it will be mine.... and I will be on the floor after one sip.

My sweet mommy:

My mom made me cherry dump cake - probably one of my favorite desserts.

I also got Bradley's take home outfit! Mom got this for us a few weeks ago. It's a matching onesie, hat, and receiving blanket. Very cute.

Hopefully next time I blog I'll have some sweet baby pictures to show you. Here's for wishful thinking.

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-10-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

So... .since I can't go shopping and buy myself clothes or shoes (b/c my feet are horribly swollen), I've been treating myself to a few other items...

We bought a new camera!

We got the Nikon P100. So far I really think I like it! It is easy to use, but still has some of those great features like a full size DSLR. The zoom is amazing on this baby. We decided to go with this one so we could still get some amazing shots, but be able to put this in my big purse and carry it with us wherever we go. I don't know enough about photography to warrant buying a DSLR and I'm not sure I want to invest in all the lens and accessories I may need with it.

And did I mention this camera takes full HD video? Oh yeah...

Of course, the only pictures I've taken so far are of the dogs:

I also bought myself an early birthday gift. A Silhouette!!! It's all mine! No sugar daddy required!

I got this bad boy yesterday. Too bad I wasn't smart enough to go ahead and purchase some supplies like heat tranfer paper or vinyl. So, can't really do too many projects on Day 1. I did ask for gift certificates to Silhouette for my bday, so hopefully I'll be doing some projects soon.

I had a Scentsy catalog show over the past couple weeks and got tons!

I got:

- Ivory decorative burner (for our bedroom)

- plain cream burner (for Bradley's room)

- two white plug in burners (for either guest bath, our bath, or guest room)

- 12 scents!

- 2 room sprays

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Wow. All that for about $45 out of my pocket. Not so shabby.

As far as my actual birthday? No big plans. I've got sewing class tonight and Kyle and I will do dinner tomorrow night. Maybe Osegueras? We'll also do a family dinner Sunday night at my parents. I didn't really ask for much..... something else on my mind, maybe?

Offically Babyfied

2010-10-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

I had my final shower last weekend and I must say - we are offically babyfied.

Here are some pictures from the shower that Jamia hosted. It was a fantastic shower and I got to see some people I haven't seen in awhile.

Jamia's adorable son Judd was very helpful

So after 4 showers (wow! we are blessed!), we have received it all!

We have a car seat and an extra base. Kyle and I had fun putting in the car and playing with it to ensure we knew how to put little Bradley in it. We finally decided to go with the Snugride 35. The deciding factor? It has side impact protection and the Snugride 22 didn't. It's massive, but safe.

We got our stroller! We also got an adapter for the carseat too. This thing is easy to fold up, pretty light, and looks like it will be great. I guess I'll re-post my reviews when I actually get to use it.

I got tons of clothes, bath supplies, diapers.... you name it, I got it.

I did swing by Baby Gap today and decided that Bradley needs this. Too bad their jeans are like $35 - for these tiny little jeans. I've bought jeans for $35.

I've also mostly finished my to do list for the nursery. All that's left is:

- Add buttons to the curtains I made

- Wash clothes

- Pack a hospital bag

- Get camera/camcorder

- Have a baby

And wow... that's it. Everything else is ready! We have our last childbirth classes on Monday. It's the class where we actually learn what to do with a baby (feeding, diapering, etc). We were hoping we'd make it to this class because we don't know how to do any of that.... yet.

I also have my 36 week checkup on Tuesday. After Tuesday, my doc said anytime after that is safe. So Bradley can safely come after Tuesday! And I am ready.

Football Frenzy

2010-10-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've neglected to talk about our new 'high class' tailgating. We are no longer those amateur tailgaters with flimsy installation required tents, no tvs, and pre-made sandwiches.... we are full-fledged Razorback tailgaters.

Come... have a look at our new site in the Gardens

From the back - notice the grill master aka Daddy

Side View - Yes, we have two popup tents. One was simply not enough.

Some of our peeps

Our site in reference to the band (which was pretty good last game). We are the tailgate on the far left.

Our view

Boys discussing the games on tv

Me and mom

The soon to be parents - not sure if you noticed the belly.... it looks like it could take someone out!

The food:

We have a great tailgate the past couple of games and we are excited about our new location in the gardens! What's even better is we have 2 other parking passes in lot 56, so we don't have to pile in one car to get there or walk too far to get to the gardens.

I think it will be a great spot for Bradley to come tailgate with us! And then we can pack up and go home and let someone else use our tickets. The whole diaper bag, crying baby, and crazy busy football stadium don't seem to mix for me.

Catch up time

2010-09-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

All I can say is life has been busy. Here's the recap:

Childbirth Classes:

Kyle and I started classes two weeks ago and they have been going great. I had some friends say that the classes weren't really worth it and they didn't gain much, but we have learned lots! Maybe its because we know nothing of having a baby or what to do with one.

Breastfeeding Classes:

I took my one and only breastfeeding class this week. Again, lots of great information. Did you know that it is recommened that you BF for at least one year?!? I had no idea. I was going to be proud if it did it longer than 12 weeks. I suppose I'll be re-thinking that now.

Scentsy Party

I am having a Scentsy catalog show. My mother and law got me a Scentsy for Christmas last year and I LOVE it. I needed some new scents and couldn't find anyone willing to host a real party, so I'm doing a catalog show. If you're interested in ordering - you can order from my consultant Katie Everett. Here is her link: https://katieeverett.scentsy.us/. Just make sure you put it on party. :) I'll close it sometime next week.

I know I at least one one more warmer and some plug in ones.

My fav scents so far:

White Tea and Cactus - clean, fresh scent

Thunderstorm - spa scent

Echo - manly scent (reminds me of fall)

Rustic Lodge - currently burning at my house

Lilac and Violets - perfect for the bedroom

Baby Showers

I have been so fortunate to have another two baby showers! And we have received tons of amazing gifts. Bradley is already spoiled.

Here are some pics from my work shower at Mimi's Cafe:

Petifores from Shelby Lynns

The gifts

The girls

Opening adorable little jeans

Cute skull and crossbones sleeper from Baby Gap

Diaper cake from Kim and Kerri

I also had another baby shower the next night. I was for some close friends and family and there was a great turnout! My aunt and cousins from Springfield came. My aunt and uncle from Russellville came. My in-laws came from Little Rock. Unfortunetly, I forgot my camera and my mom has all the pictures. It will probably be months before I get them from her. We were truly SHOWERED and we now have lots!

Some big items we received over the weekend:

- Car Seat with additional base

- Pack in Play

- Walker

- Bouncer

- Boppies, bumbos, bottles, blankets, bibs, books

- Clothes and more clothes

- Radio Flyer wagon

- High chair

- activity gym

You name it... we got it. Really the only thing we still need is:

- Stroller with car seat adapter

- More diapers

- Crib protector

and.... wow - I think those are the only must have's left!

Shattered Iphone

To move to a more sensitve subject..... I dropped iphone and it ain't pretty.

I have scotch tape holding the glass on, but surprisingly it is fully functional! A friend's fiance has replaced some screens, so he said he'd have his luck at replacing his first iphone 4 screen. Please baby Jesus let this work.

Pregnancy

I am 34 weeks pregnant and definitely feeling that way. There are exactly 5weeks and 4 days till my due date, not like I'm counting....

I tired again (not the comma-like tired like the first trimester). I am huge. I am starting to swell.... blah.

Where did my feet go? Look at my little toes poking out of my huge swollen foot. The bad thing is - this isn't a bad day as far as swelling goes.

I can still wear my rings and I don't think my face is that swollen... could be though.

I also am not sleeping great. I have to prop three pillows up to keep my mostly upright when I got to sleep b/c there isn't room for the baby, my organs and my food. I used to say it would be crazy if he came early b/c I know I wouldn't be mentally prepared. Not so much anymore...let's get this show on the road!

What? You can cook?

2010-09-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

I apogize for my absence over the past week or so. It's not like I haven't had anything on, I've just been pretty busy at work and too ~~busy~~ tired to post when I get home.

When my husband and I first met, I was amazed because he could cook. Looking back now, it was nothing extravagant, but he could cook. This means alot coming from the girl that had to call home the first time she made tea because she didn't know what steep meant. Over time, I started cooking more and more and it really wasn't until I got into Pampered Chef that I really became a good cook and enjoyed cooking. So, our roles reversed in the kitchen and somehow I became in charge of dinner (for the most part).

So...after a very long weekend, I told Kyle he was in charge of dinner or we were having cereal... I was amazed when this is what I got:

I mean look at this!

It was spicy shrimp and cheesy grits. Yum. I think it was the first time we've used these martini glasses all year.

Weekend Recap

Friday:

Since I'm feeling more and more like I'm 7months preggo, I definitely have a cap of energy that can be exerted in one day. So, Friday night after a long week, Kyle and I decided chilling at home sounds fantastic. We were both in bed by 10pm.

Saturday:

Kyle did some charity work that morning involving paint and ladders (so I was obviously out), so Mom came over and we did some shopping. We hit the Rogers mall, Gordmas, Kirklands, and Target. That was PLENTY of energy exerted for me, so I was toast the rest of the day. Kyle went out and got some ingredients for cheese dip and nachos so we'd have bonafide game-watching food and then we watched the Arkanasas vs. Louisana Monroe game on tv.

Kyle was out before the 4th quater - yes....that was about 8:45pm. We are party animals.

Sunday:

Kyle got free passes to the LPGA, so we went for a few hours. After that I had to go to Office Depot to do some PChef stuff. So after about 3 hours walking around in the heat (w/o a chair) and then standing at the Office Depot print counter for an hour and a half, I was really toast....again. And then I got spoiled by my amazing husband. I got a great dinner served to me and then he cleaned the kitchen.

And now he's sick as a dog and I'm back in charge of cooking and cleaning.....

At least I'm not selling my husband

2010-09-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

So what do you do when you realize you want to buy something wonderful and magical (like a Silhouette or a new camera), but you're on the Dave Ramsey plan? Well, you've already sold your soul to Dave, so you have to just start selling things around your house to buy new things.

This is what I do... I sell things (at the highest possible price) and buy new things. I love doing this; therefore I love Craigslist.

Case in point:

Last year when redecorating the guest bedrooms, I needed a way to get rid of what we currently had in each room and buy all new items. I sold everything I possible could on Craigslist at the highest possible price. It's not my fault if someone out there is willing to pay more than I did for an item.... they were willing, I was willing. I call it smart selling. Others give me a hard time for this.

I sold:
- Our massive desk that came with the house for a pretty penny

- A dresser that my mom bought me when I was in 7th grade for the same price we paid for it then.

- Twin bed (my parents gave us)
- Fake leather chair w/ ottoman I got for free from some old roommate
- Old computer that was trashed, but would probably work fine if reformatted (i did tell the buyer this)
- Artwork
- Games

and really anything I could.

Craigslist is great for things like this. I also love that you aren't required to sell to any specific person and that there aren't any rules to it. So, if I post an item and get lots of responses.... I simply repost at a much higher price. What? Don't judge!

So, since I want a Silhouette and a new camera... I'm selling again.

I'm selling:
- $850 - Macbook Pro 2.4 GHz, Intel Core 2 Due, 2GB memory
I think I've got a buyer for this. I'm basically downgrading our computer. We don't need everything our amazing Mac has to offer... we just need to be able to search the internet. So, I found a $320 laptop that will meet the small needs we have.
Profit: ~$500

- $675 Kirby Sentria Vacuum with Carpet Shampooer
This really is a fantastic vacuum and comes with every attachment you could ever need to remove every speck of dust and dirt out of your home. It is the only reason we were able to wait 3 years to replace our nasty carpet. But now that we hardly have any carpet, it is overkill. I'd like to find a $50 vacuum to handle the 2 rooms we have left to vacuum in our house.
Profit ~$600

Now, if I can really do both of those, I'll be able to get a video recorder, awesome camera, and my silhouette. Anyone interested in either?

Bradley's First Baby Shower

2010-08-30T21:18:00.000-05:00

Sunday I had my first baby shower! It was a fantastic shower and I am so thankful for it all! My hostesses all work with Kyle. They were smart too - we had our girls baby shower and the boys had a separate cookout and then played golf. Very smart.

The girls were super sweet and had a fondue themed party.

Menu:

Cheese Fondue with:

- Broccoli

- Carrots

- Bread

- Asparagus

Chocolate Fondue with:

- Rice Crispy Treats

- Marshmallows

- Strawberries

- Pineapple

- Spinach dip with bread and chips

- Brownies

- Oreo Balls (so very yummy)

- Sugar Cookies

And then to top it all off, there was a beautiful Strawberry Creme Cake from Shelby Lynns.

In Kyle's work group, there are 4 pregnant women. Here we are in order of due date:

Amy (18 weeks), Rachel (29 weeks), Me (31 weeks), Avie (37 weeks)

And of course - the side view:

I got some fantastic gifts. I got my Angel Care baby monitor. I am so excited about this one... maybe I sleep a little bit more sound knowing that Bradley is breathing and sleeping just fine.

I also got:

- a safety/hygiene kit

- baby tub

- monogramed burp clothes

- a cute outfit (shirt, pants, booties, and cap) from Baby Gap

- soft newborn onesies, a hat, and socks from Baby Gap

- teethers, toys

- receiving blankets and a plush blanket

- cabinet locks

I still haven't put any of it away because I was exhausted last night after the shower. I also need to start deciding where everything will go in his room! I can't believe he is starting to get things.... it makes everything even more real.... crazy.

Also - I'd love for everyone to pray for Brayden James. He was born at 28 weeks 1 day by Heather from Live, Love, Laugh.

I've been reading Heather's blog for awhile and it's been fun to hear everything she is doing with her pregnancy - I couldn't believe that she had her son so soon. He is in the 75th percentile for weight and size for a 28 week baby and the Neu team give him a 90%+ survival rate with little complications.

Dear sugar daddy,

2010-08-26T22:08:00.000-05:00

I know what you can get me next. I am in desperate need of a Silhouette.

You ask, what is a Silhouette? It is a cutting machine sent from the heavens. It is similar to that oh so poopular Cricut machine

But the Silhouette hooks up to your computer - therefore, no need for buying all those cartridges.

What can you do with it (besides put a big smile on my face?)

- make scrapbook pages (not that I ever do)

- Cards

- Custom apparel (with heat transfer paper)

- Vinyl decor

- Etched glass

- temporary tattoos

- paper crafts

Now, that is the list from their site, but think of all that covers!

You can make cute onsies - like this one:

(taken from Homemade by Jill - who turned me on to this fabolous contraption)

or these:

(taken from Homemade by Jill)

You can make party supplies

(taken from Homemade by Jill)

Vinyl to decorate the house:

Signs:

Team Shirts

Etched glass

Adorable bags

I mean... look at all of this stuff!

Now I just need a sugar daddy. Takers?

To those Registry Stalker Haters

2010-08-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

So my "special" friend Cortney has told me that I am not allowed to stalk my own baby registry.

I actually made her a button a lot like that one today at work. She's special because sometimes she speaks before thinking or just forgets that thinking step all together. When I do something like that, my in-laws just say "you're so pretty"....

Where was I? Oh, registry stalking.....

Is it really so bad that that I check my baby registry frequently? Yes, I see that some people are starting to buy some items on there, but me knowing that an item has been bought doesn't diminish the surprise when I open it! I mean, I've registered for the items, of course I expect that I'll get some of them!

To prove that personal registry stalking is beneficial, I've provided reasons for checking registry:

Number of 'In-Store' items - There should always be a few items available in the store. Don't you hate it when you go to a store, print out the registry, only to realize that everything on the registry that is available in the store has been bought? What then? Yes, you just buy something, but you might not have gone to that store if you had known that you weren't purchasing something off the registry.
Double registered items - I double registered for many items at different stores, so when an item is purchased at one store, I mark it purchased at the next store to prevent duplicates in the beginning.
Items at every price level - Another pet-peeve is when you print out a registry and all that is left to buy are items over $100 - sorry.... not everyone gets high-priced gifts.
Assortment of items - Yes, as a gift-purchaser, I am purchasing items that you have picked out, but I still love choosing what I get to buy the person; therefore, it's important to have different types of items available for people to shop for.

There... all valid reasons. People scoff at me for checking my registry, but really, I'm doing them a favor. And I promise, I truly will be surprised by every gift I receive! I am so thankful that so many people have expressed interest in hosting or coming to a baby shower. I am blessed to have so many people excited about Bradley James' arrival.

And on the note of baby showers.... I have my first one this Sunday! I'm pumped to start receiving some baby items and putting them in his room!

And since we're talking about babies... I'll do an update because I haven't done one in about 6 weeks:

How far along? 30 weeks!

Food cravings: I did finally pull the pregnancy card last week and have Kyle get me something special while he was out. I had a small, early dinner that didn't hit the spot, so I had him pick up powered donuts and chocolate milk. Yummm......

Symptoms: Hello heartburn.....we hadn't met until recently and I'm not a fan. I'm also extremely tired again - like as tired as I was my first trimester and I didn't think that was possible.

What I'm looking forward to: My first shower this weekend and starting classes mid-September. I'm ready to get this show on the road!

Movement update: Bradley is definitely all over the place. Sometimes I just sit back and try to figure out what he's doing because he is everywhere - rolling, kicking, turning.... You can now see his movement from the outside when he really gets going. I'm sure Kyle likes to think he is practicing his golf swing.

PS - sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll try to make up for it in the next post. :)

Obsessive Hobbies

2010-08-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

As with all new hobbies, I become truly obsessive in the beginning. It hasn't been any different with sewing. I'm always looking for new projects and eager to get home and get started on one. I know it's bad when I'm at Hobby Lobby getting supplies more than once a week.

Since it was hot this weekend, I stayed in and got some more sewing done. And finally - I did some for me and Bradley. This week's theme? Razorbacks.

I made an adorable Razorback taggie

It is my best taggie I've made so far.

I made some little long-sleeved onsies with a Razorback logo on the front and back

And then I made 9 Razorback burp clothes from diapers.

And then I started to make my first chenille blanket. Jamia sent me this link last week and I was a little too eager to try it out. We're supposed to meet this Friday to make one together, but as with all things, I'm too impatient and wanted to get going on it Sunday.

Here is what I'm attempting to make (on a much smaller scale) - picture from Aesthetic Nest

I was afraid to invest too much time/energy in a big one before I know how it turns out, so I'm just doing a 20x20 blanket. So far it looks great! I'll post pictures when it's finished.

Good thing about this hobby is that it's not too expensive and it actually comes with finished products. Much more productive than my biking hobby. It ended up being very expensive and the only thing I got from it was a broken toe and a fractured elbow.

Travel changing pad instructions

2010-08-20T11:38:00.003-05:00

While I'm still on my sewing kick (some people have been saying I have a problem), I've been brave enough to try a few new things. I looked around online for a pattern for a travel diaper pad that holds a couple diapers and some wipes. The patterns were either crazy difficult and included terms that I didn't understand or seemed a little too basic. So I made my own.

Feast your eyes, ladies and gentlemen, on Jenni's one of a kind travel changing pad.

I know... you're amazed. :)

** I should probably note that my final product seemed to be a little short - like for baby dolls. I'm definitely new on the whole baby thing and not really sure what size a changing pad should be, so you might want to make your's longer if you wish.**

What you'll need:

1/2 yard of outer cotten fabric

1/2 yard of soft fabric for inside (terry cloth, chenille, minky, etc)

hair rubber band

button

double fold bias tape

I started with a 23x13 rectangle and rounded the top edges of it. To round the edges, I marked the middle and then gave myself some marks to line a round plate up with. I marked 2 inches in from the middle, and then 2 inches from the top. Here is my attempt at showing you what I did:

You can just do this directly on the fabric - this was scrap paper I used to show you what I did considering I had already sewn the entire thing together by this point.

You'll need to cut out the rounded edge rectangle in the outer fabric and inner fabric. You'll also need to cut another rectangle that is about 23" x 9" to be used for the pocket.

Sewing instructions:

1) Save yourself the hassle, and get the pocket ready to go first. I did this after I had already sewn the outer and inner fabric together and that didn't make a lot of sense. You'll need to iron down one edge of the pocket rectangle (1/4 inch) and then top stitch that side. If finishing the diaper pad with double fold bias tape, add the bias tape to the top of the pocket over the side you just top-stitched.

2) Pin the pocket to the right side of the inner fabric and then pin the outer fabric to the inner fabric right sides together.

3) Sew around diaper pad leaving a gap to turn it inside out.

4) Cut the corners, any additional fabric, and then some around the rounded corner so it lays flat when turned inside out.

5) Turn inside-out. The pocket will be against the soft inner fabric.

6) I added bias tape around the entire edge which I think makes a nice finished look. It was not fun to do and is by no means perfect. That stuff is hard to get equally against all edges and to stay there while sewing. My advice? Pin, pin, pin. I also learned to stay closer to the end of the bias tape and not towards the outer folded edge.

7) Sew on a hair rubber band on the inside of the pad in the middle of the top.

8) Sew on a button on the outside of the bag. I just folded it up to see about where it needed to go. No precise measuring here...

And whala - one travel diaper pad!

I think the 23" length may be a little small... mine is for a baby doll I suppose, but if it were too much longer, it wouldn't be all that handy as a 'travel' diaper pad. Once I see a real-life newborn baby, maybe I'll come back and let you know what size is appropriate.

Until my next sewing project.....

A few more items checked off...

2010-08-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

After a nice weekend, in Little Rock to see some family, I was eager to get back home and get going on my to do list. I'm not sure if it is the pregnancy or just me wanting to have things done, but I want everything done now! I want our baby's room done, the house prepared and cleaned, and all of his items ready to go. It would probably be nice if I was ready to go as well (lots of things to learn still....).

This week I made my very first pillow. Turns out they are extremely easy and I will never again buy basic decorative pillows. I also made a 'B' pillow that I'm very proud of.

It only took about an entire spool of thread to do the embroidery stitch around it.

I also made a cover for the mobile with some scrap fabric

And I bought a wooden golf cart

My friend Jamia has her very first sewing class this week. Cortney and I will be assitants and we are eagar to see how successful her class is. She has 8 people signed up (that was our cap) for this Thursday and 6 people signed up for another basic class next week!

Let me know if you want to join us next Thursday for sewing 101. It's $20 for the class and includes snacks, drinks, fabric, notes, and an excellent teacher!

Let me know!

Fine Apple! You Win

2010-08-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

I posted two months ago about one of life's big decisions. You know, one of those forks in the road in life where the decision you make really changes the path your life takes.

Yes, I'm sure you remember - because it truly was a big decision. Which iphone to get - black or white?

Well, I suppose Apple has made the decision for me. Since the white iphone isn't available until 'later this year' (ps - thanks for being so specific Steve Jobs), I went ahead and ordered a black one. I mean, I can't possibly go on using my iphone 3GS when there are people around me in the 'cool' club.

I did order the black one during the pre-order time, but decided that I could afford to wait a little longer to get the white one. Unfortunately, I can't wait any longer. If the white one comes out soon, I'll just make Kyle order it and we'll switch. He hasn't agreed to this - but I can try some type of pregnancy excuse.

So, tomorrow after 4:30 pm (according to Fedex), I will officially be in the 'cool' club.

Please have your arms open and ready for me.

This also means that I am on the hunt for a case for my new beloved. Which do I choose? The otterbox commuter series isn't available yet; otherwise, it would be my first choice.

Anyone have any recommendations? I'll definitely order the free one I get with the phone, but fellow 'cool' club members are still waiting for theirs that they ordered weeks ago - so I'll at least need something to get me by for a while.

Nursery Update

2010-08-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

Finally! Bradley James' room is starting to take shape. Kyle and I were busy knocking out my forever long to do list over the weekend and finally I feel like I can focus on other things now.

I completed his bedding and finished the monograms frames for above the crib. I think they turned out great!

We got the chair in and it is so amazingly comfortable. I've been sitting in there and rocking when I get a chance. I know we'll spend many nights falling asleep in that chair.

I painted the changing table and hung the baskets and golf club above it.

There are a few small projects I need to complete like:

- Have a baby

- Make some pillows

- Add the buttons to the curtains

- Learn what to do with a baby

- Get a few more golfing decor items

But at least the big items in the nursery are complete!

And to brag a little more about my sewing skills... I made a super cute onesie for Bradley

The Story of the Wheel

2010-08-09T13:50:00.001-05:00

My cube-mate (we'll call her Suzie Q to protect the innocent) is as sweet as can be and is a great person to share a small space with. She is from Hazen, AR (the sticks) and definitely has a southern accent. Anyways, she has been so nice to me throughout the pregnancy. She didn’t complain at all when I told her to please throw away her lunch plates/dishes in the break room so they smell wouldn’t linger at our desks. She’s always interested in how I’m doing and keeps up with what fruit or vegetable I am that week (On my What to Expect When Expecting Iphone App it tells me what size the baby is in terms of a fruit or veggie). She even bought me a baby book to help me prepare for when Bradley James comes.

So last week, she brought in an article from some magazine about the hidden costs of preparing for a baby. Costs like saving for college tuition, daycare, and some legal expenses. Here’s how the conversation went after I read the article

Suzie Q: Was there anything in there you hadn’t thought of?

Me: Not really – we’ve thought about all of the items, but need to get acting on a few of them

Suzie Q: Have you and Kyle made a wheel?

Me: Huh?

Suzie Q: A Wheel

Me: Do Kyle and I have what?

Suzie Q: Have you prepared a wheel?

Me: I really have no idea what you are talking about….

Suzie Q: You know.. a wheel - .like a living testament.

Me: Ahh… you are saying will! Hah!

It was pretty funny and I couldn’t really give her a hard time about it because I’ve made the mistake before of making fun of her southern accent. She does not think it’s funny – at all. But that conversation was so funny to me!

My mad sewing skills

2010-08-05T14:08:00.001-05:00

And too bad I'm not having a girl. It's way too much fun to make little dresses.

I went to Etsy and found some adorable patterns by Sew Sweet Patterns for some dresses. Last night I made a size 12-18 mo dress in red and black poka dot. It really didn't take too long to put together adn looks so cute. The hardest part for me was figuring out how to sew button holes and sew on buttons using my new machine. Once I went through the operation manual, it was pretty easy to do.

The dress is reversible!

The dress was so easy to make, that today at lunch I went ahead and made another dress!

This one is size 2T and is in two fun green fabrics.

My friend Cortney from Keeping up with the Carlson's is doing a giveaway for a dress like this on her blog - so check it out if you'd like to win a dress! We can work together on the fabric and the size if you win. The dress is available in 6-9mo, 12-18mo, 2T, and 3T.

Want to know how I got my mad sewing skills? My good friend Jamia! You want some mad skills? She is now offering classes for all types of sewers. The first class is August 19 and is for beginners. We'll learn how to turn on your machine, thread it, and what that pedal thingy is for. We'll even make a simple item like a burp cloth.

Let me know if you are interested!

I've googled - How to get more followers....

2010-08-04T15:25:00.001-05:00

Yes, I blog for fun and enjoy posting my projects... but I'd also like followers! How cool am I that I only have 16 followers after months of blogger?

So... I've been thinking of what I can do to get more followers. I've even googled how to get more followers....

Here are some ideas:

- Get a personality

- Be funny

- Instead of being a silent stalker, leave comments on people's blogs and pray that they come visit mine

- Guest blog and give away free items or my soul

- Be a consistent blogger... I know I go through spurts

Things you can do:

If you are reading this and aren't already a follower, please follow me! Show me your love and hopefully I too can be cool. Let me know what you want me to talk about? More baby? Less baby? More do it yourself projects? More decorating?

I made curtains!

2010-08-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

I finally feel like a real sewer! After several lessosn with an amazing teacher (Jamia), I can actually sew now - and I have proof!

The curtains are lined and have cute tabs at the top that I will add big brown buttons to (when I finally remember to go buy them).

Not so shabby, huh?

I do have to give some credit to my new sewing machine. It is amazing and I am in love. I used to have this one:

It was a basic Singer machine that got the job done... . but it made it very difficult. Putting in the bobbin to pull it up was a pain, the pedal was unpredictable, and it was just a little too basic. So... when the bobbin threader-thingy stopped working properly, I took it back to Walmart and exchanged it for this beauty:

It is the Brother SQ9000 and it is amazing. Everything about it is so simple and my favorite part is the adjustable speed. Or maybe my favorite part is the easy bobbin loading, or the way the needle always stops in the same position.... or maybe there are too many things to love.

So.. if you need a new machine or your first machine - I highly recommend it!

Yes, you too can make a diaper cake!

2010-08-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

You've seen them done and envy the person crafty enough to put it together, but really.... diaper cakes are so easy!

I helped host a baby shower for one of my husband's co-workers, and I decided it was time for me to learn how to make a diaper cake. They look great on the table, are a practical gifts (really.... who doesn't need diapers with a newborn), and are just fun. And for fun, I decided this Saturday afternoon before the shower on Sunday.

So... Saturday afternoon I ran around to get my supplies. You'll need:

- Around 80ish diapers. I got Size 1 Pampers Swaddlers.

- Bag of rubberbands

- Pretty ribbon for the layers

- Cardboard cake holder (need 12" - my 14" is too big)

- A 8 oz baby bottle for the middle of the cake

- Cake topper (could be a flower, could be a tissue ball, could be a toy....)

- Things to decorate the cake

Kyle and I spent about 20 minutes rolling up the diapers. It took seriously about 10 minutes to put the rest of the cake together. Very easy!

Directions:

1) Roll all the diapers - Start at the top of the diaper with the decorative (mine were Sesame Street) facing up. Roll a nice tight roll towards the bum of the diaper and secure with a rubber band around the middle. No need to do an amazing job with straightening the rubber band. The ribbon around the layers hides your flaws.

2) Start the first tier with the baby bottle. Put a rubber band around the bottle and add diapers in a circle around it. Continue this until you have a nice sized first tier. I did three rings around the bottle.

3) Create second tier - Just like the first one...

4) Create third tier - I think you've got it now....

5) Decorate!

I also made some tissue balls for decoration. These are pretty easy to do also and there are tons of how-to-videos out there.

Since this was as co-ed shower. We had to get creative on ways to get the boys involved. First off - we had some beer.... I believe that was the only way we got them there. We played 'Chug the Bottlle' (with beer). We passed around two bottles until the music stopped and whoever had the bottle had to race to finish the bottle. It was pretty funny. We did make the mistake to put half a beer in each and used slow flow bottles.... it took forever.

We also passed around baby food and everyone had to guess what it was. Pretty fun game and luckily I got out of testing any.

And the cake was amazing. Chocolate with Cookies and Cream filling from Shelby Lynn's. Yumm.... If you live in NW Ark and need a great cake - go there. Rick's is good of course, but you won't have to pay a fortune for a cake at Shelby Lynn's and the owner is amazing. Jennifer Matsubara (owner) has even won some Food Network Cake challenges!

**Used pictures from Creative Baby Shower Ideas to show you step by step because I'm an idiot and forgot to take pictures. Final cake pictures are mine!

Nursery Progress and To Do's

2010-07-29T10:10:00.001-05:00

All of the decision have been made on the nursery, and now I am in the process of getting it all done!

The walls are painted:

I've decided to paint the changing table olive green and I'll hang a couple baskets on the wall (to match baskets in changing table) and a child's size golf club (that will be painted a dark brown)

All fabric has been purchased. I have the green for the drapes, the lining, the diamond brown & green print that will be a blanket and a pillow, and the cream for the bed skirt (all shown below).

I got a super soft wool rug (to match the rocking sheep) and a side table to go next to the glider that has been ordered. The glider will go in this corner between the window and the closet and angled the same as the rug.

I have the frames and letters for the monogram artwork above the crib. You'll have to use your imagination some to picture this. The green will go behind the B and the J and the diamond behind the K. The frames will all be painted a dark brown and the letters will be painted a soft ivory to match the bedding. There won't be any glass on the frames.

Now- I have to get busy on this huge list of To Do's:

- Sew curtains

- Sew bed skirt

- Sew blanket to hang over crib

- Sew pillow for in crib (decoration only)

- Sew pillows for glider

- Paint changing table olive green to match curtains

- Paint frames brown

- Paint letters ivory

- Paint lamp (had around house) glossy ivory and recover lamp shade to green or brown

- Paint child's golf club brown to hang above changing table

- Hang baskets above changing table

- Mod Podge letter (B) on the side table to something fun

- Figure out what to do on wall behind glider

Looks like I need to get busy! I've got 14 weeks to get all of that done. Plenty of time, but I want it all done now. Blame the nesting.

Rugs are the bane of my existence

2010-07-28T10:36:00.000-05:00

As you remember, we put in our beautiful hardwood floors down in February..... it is now almost August and I still am trying to get the right rugs in the rooms. I completely gave up for several months and simply apologized that I haven't found rugs yet when people were in town. I know that when Bradley comes, I'll want rugs on my floors. And I know I won't have to worry about finding them once he is here.

So, finally, I take a risk and pick up a rug at Target. And I love it! I started by putting it in my living room. It looked pretty good... but the room was still missing something.... So - I moved the rug to the den and it's a perfect match.

The den is finally finished - and looks finished. I also updated the items on the piano. I did buy the black vase and green balls, but everything else I had.

Before (sorry for the blur) and After:

So, back to the living room. My mom and I went out Saturday and found another rug at Target that I am in love with.

It has all the right colors of my house but it is a little bit of a different style. We also picked up some nice brown sheer curtains to replace the green ones I had up. I'm ordering them, so I only have one in the picture, you'll have to use your imagination to see the other one.

Before (with green rug that got moved to den) and After:

The brown curtains allow so much more light to come through the window and really showcase the copper wall instead of competing with it. I also removed all the color pillows and just put brown ones on there. It looks much better! However..... the floral rug doesn't really go with the art deco painting.

Here are a few more angles:

What do you think?

I'm thinking that I get rid of the painting behind the couch and either paint my own canvas or find something that goes better with the rug. I like the concept of the painting (no true image, just colors), but I want to tone it down some and add more ivory and less dark colors. Kyle thinks I'm crazy - he loves that picture. Turns out the reason rugs have been so hard is because nothing is going to look good with that picture.

I also updated the decor on the fireplace. I moved some candles around and bought a bright red vase.

Before:

After:

Much better, but not 100%.... What's missing?

If you have any opinions please share them! I stare at my house way to much and need some new insight. I promise not to be offended by anything - I need help!

Pregnancy Obsessions

2010-07-26T10:53:00.000-05:00

I remember before I was pregnant, I would laugh at those soon-to-be mommies when then would agonize over the littliest things. Does it really matter that the bouncer matches the high chair? Is it necessary to test out 100 models of strollers? Does your car seat have to be the trendiest/best out there when they are all about the same? Does it really matter what type of diaper bag you have as long as it holds diapers? Turns out, yes.....to all the above.

Ever since Kyle and I went to register for our little boy, I have been completely obessed with making sure we get all the 'right' products for us. I don't want to waste my money on things we don't need and I don't want to end up with something I'm not comfortable with. Because if I do, I'll turn around and buy something I am comfortable.

So... I'll walk you down all my thoughts/decisions on what we have been looking at.

Car Seats

This is my biggest delima. I was sold on getting a Graco Snugride 35 until I tried to pick one up. Those things are heavy! Now add a 20+ pound baby and is it really worth it to have one that lets them get to 35lbs if I can't carry them in it? So, I got on consumer reports and it looks like the Chicco Keyfit 30 has the highest ratings. But, the costs of the bases are high and we plan on buying 3! One for me, one for Kyle, and my mom insists on having her own.

Chicco Keyfit 30- 9lbs without base (and kid). Fits up to 30lbs.

Pros:

-These are also the easiest to install in your car

-Higest rated in consumer reports

-Extremely nice looking (no cheap parts)

Cons:

- Doesn't fit on grocery carts (doesn't have that slit in the back like many)

- The bases are $80!!!

Graco Snugride 35

Pros:

- Affordable bases (can find in resales shops)

- Decent ratings (but not the best)

- Fits on everything

Cons:

- Heaviest out there and I hear they are pretty big (so fitting in my mom's small car could presesnt a problem)

- Plastic looks cheap

Strollers:

I was pretty sure I was only going to register for a snap and go frame (for the infant carrier) and then an umbrella-ish stroller that had a few more bells and whistles but wasn't huge.

Snap and Go Frame:

Easy to use when little Bradley is still asleep in the carseat, but we need to get out. I can easily move him from the carseat to this and go. Now...how often does that happen? When will I really use a stroller while he is an infant? I'll need one when I go to the mall... but where else?

Cosco Avila

For my other stroller I was going to get this.

It reclines, has a small basket underneath, easy to fold up, and is light. On the other hand, it doesn't fold up to be very small or compact. The tray sticks out even folded down. This is definitely not top of the line and I've read several reviews about how the front wheel stick on it (and I even noticed this in the store some).

Baby Jogger City Mini

If I'm going to go out, I should go all out. This is much more expensive than the little Cosco stroller above, but it has some amazing features.

This thing is super easy to stear, folds up to a nice compact space, has large canopy that will cover Bradley, and will last until he's at least 3 or so. When you look at the reviews online, there is nothing but rave reviews. So, do I go all out?

Here is how easy it is to fold up:

Ya- that's it.

Diaper Bags:

I understand, the best thing to do, is get a diaper bag that both Kyle and I would feel comfortable carrying around. It will just be easier that way.

OiOi Messenger:

I think this is will definitely work for both of us. It comes with some great pockets inside (with an easy, wipe-clean fabric), a diaper mat, and has closes with a magnet instead of velco. I have issues with velcro - I hate the sound it makes.

Skip Hop Studio Tote

But then I found this... and I love it. It looks like a fashonable purse yet has all the great features you need in a diaper bag.

I know... I should just get the one that works for both of us.

And now I realize, you are on baby overload and I will stop. I've done a little re-decorating around the house, so I'll switch back to normal Jenni soon and post decorating pictures.

Oh, this baby bump?

2010-07-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

I know I've put it off for weeks... but I finally have some bump pictures. Maybe it was my new hair cut that helped me finally take a picture of myself... not sure.

Here is my view to my toes. Wait... what toes?

Everyone happy now?

And yes, I realize I'm slacking on my blogging. Once again, work is crazy busy which means my blog suffers. I'm sure my boss prefers it this way.

I've finally starting making decisions on the nursery. The walls are painted (mostly) and I've started buying furniture.

So here was the crib agains the green walls with some fabric samples. I was going to do this ivory and brown swirly/leafy fabric for the bed skirt with a tree painted on the wall behind the tree.

Close-up of fabrics.

Example of tree

But..... that wasn't really working for me for some reason. So - I've changed my mind again (shocking, I know). The bedding will just be brown and ivory. I changed the sheets to brown and like it much better. I'll trim the bedskirt in an olive green (same as what's going on the curtains) and the ties on the bumper will be changed to olive green. Here is me trying to show you the effect.

I now will be be putting some big frames behind the crib with a letter of Bradley's monogram in each one. The K in the middle will be the largest. I'm not putting glass in the fames, so the letters will be 3D. I'm also putting some fabric in the frames as the background. I'm putting the green/brown diamond fabric behind the K and green behind the 'B' and the 'J'. Hard to imagine - but I've bought some frames and I'll try to show you what I mean....

Other than working on the nursery, I've been busy sewing lately! I've made another group of burp cloths, a taggy blanket, and a matching bib! I'm going to make a matching dress and call it done. I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques with Jamia so I can make some boy things soon!

Baby Update

2010-07-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've seen lots of people do updates on their pregnancy weekly... .since I haven't done one yet, I guess I could do one.

How far along: 24 weeks! Less than 4 months to go...wow.

Sleep: I've actually been sleeping pretty good lately. I was having trouble before, but I've resolved a lot of those issues. Conflict/Resolution of each:

1) Trips to the bathroom -->I try not to have much to drink in the evening

2) Getting too hot next to my heater of a husband --> I now use a seperate, thinner blanket than my husband and sleep with an additional fan on me.

3) Trying to sleep on my side --> Dr said not to worry about trying to sleep on my side, but just to worry about getting some good sleep. Loved that advice.

Best Moment of the Week: I finally can feel Bradley kicking from the outside! When I lie on my back, I can feel little kicks and Kyle was soo happy to finally feel him too.

Food Craving: Nothing that's really unusual for me. I've been eating a lot of Frosted Mini Wheats, but I would do that before I was pregnant.

Symptoms: Really, the only thing I notice is some back pain when I sit a certain way and the constant hunger. I also can't each as much at one sitting (probably a good thing). We went to Grub's Friday night and I can usually put down a few beers, some chips, a whole burger, and all the fries just fine.... I could only eat half my burger and a couple fries.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting the nursery painted, ordering my fabric for the crib and curtains, and getting Bradley's room together. I also really, really want to get our closets cleaned out so we can start putting Bradley's things in his very own closet (not one he has to share with filing cabinent, golf clubs, old pictures, and the vacuum).

Researched item of the week: Since I know nothing about baby items, I have to research everything I plan on buying. This week, I checked out what type of baby monitor I should get. I know that there are video ones out there - but I think I'd just stare at the monitor all night and never get any sleep myself. So, I was going to register for just a basic monitor until I heard about the Angelcare monitor.

You put a pad under the crib mattress and it will signal an alarm if there is absolutely no movement for 20 seconds. I've seem many people add reviews saying that this device saved their babies life! I don't know it it's a MUST have, but it might make me sleep a little sounder. Worth an extra $20-30... I think so.

And yes, I'm aware I still need a profile picture. I promise this week.

Shows of the Summer

2010-07-08T15:02:00.000-05:00

I've done a 'my favorite shows' post before - but it's summer and the list changes according the the season. When there aren't as many shows on, I'm not as picky about my show quality. I'm just looking for something to watch before I go to bed.

Design Star:

I've always been a fan of this show, but I am really a fan right now because a friend that graduated with me is on the show! How cool is that? Dan Faires was pretty good friend in high school and he is just one of those genuinely nice people. He is doing really good so far too! Please make sure you go to hgtv.com and vote for him daily for Fan Favorite. He already has 47% of the votes!

Lie to Me

This is our favorite show on right now! I love the suspense and drama of the show and it's fun to watch them try to figure out 'who done it' by reading facial expressions. If you're not watching this, you really should.

Pretty Little Liars

I tried not to watch this show, because really, how many ABC Family shows can a 20-something person watch? But, after Cortney got me started on it, I was doomed. It really is a great show.

So You Think You Can Dance

This is a must watch as soon as it comes on. I love this show! I can still name contestants from past seasons and give you a recap of all my favorite dances and choreographers. This season my favorites are Alex (I hope he's better for tonight's performance!), Lauren, Kent. Jose is pretty good...

Secret Life of an American Teenager
Yes, I realize I'm not 14 and shouldn't be watching this, but the plot line is so addictive! Will Adrian have the baby? Are Ashley and Ricky going to start dating even though he is her nephew's father? Will Amy stay in NYC?

Make it or Break It

This show is much better than Secret Life, but still an ABC Family show. I love it! Lauren is so dang manipulative!

Top Chef

This is always fun to watch. Not only do you get the drama of chefs living in one house, but you get to watch some crazy cooking.

House Hunters

This is my favorite show to watch when there isn't anything else on. I love trying to guess what home the couple will buy. The International version is also fun. Yes please, I'd like a $1.4 million in St. Lucia.

Cake Boss

Another fun show to watch when nothing is on. Crazy family and crazy cakes.

And that's all I can think of at the moment.... I know...that is plenty.

Big Booms and Baby Names

2010-07-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

I made it through the storm and had a great weekend with family!

Also - Kyle and I are 99% sure of a name... and I'm already going to put it down on "paper" to claim it. I swear - everyone is having a boy.

Bradley James Kimpel

Bradley - As soon as we threw this name out there, I could not let it go. I love it more every time I hear it. Another great thing about it - it's not even on the top 100 list. Yay! And he will go by Bradley. Not Brad (unless he changes his mind when he's an adult).

James - This just sounds good with it. Turns out there are lot of James on my side of the family. My mom's grandfather was James and so was his dad.

**This does not mean that I can't change my mind at a later date.... If you know me, you know there are good chances of me changing my mind.**

Back to the weekend.....

Friday night, Kyle's sister and her husband arrived and we had a nice dinner and then played spades for awhile. I wore myself out cleaning Friday afternoon, so I didn't have tons of energy and luckily no else did either.

Saturday - we got up and went to the Farmers Market in Fayetteville. They have so much there! I got a beautiful large bouquet of zinnias and gladiolas for only $12. After that we ran a few small errands and met up with Kyle's parents that were also staying with us for the weekend. And we did a huge shrimp boil that night. Yummy...

Sunday night we went to my parents for their annual 4th of July celebration. And we were so happy that John and Emily (some of our best friends) could come. We don't get to see them enough.

Lauren and Brian

Me and Lala - me looking very pregnant....

Me and hubs - aren't we festive?

Brian, Lauren, and Kyle's mom Nancy

I couldn't get her to stop talking in the first one - here she is smiling

My mom's sky - as she likes to call it. It's her little slice of heaven.

I have also made up my mind on the nursery decor (I think) and will share what I've got soon.

A Day of Silence for Cohen

2010-07-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

To learn Cohen's story - go here.

Preparing for the storm

2010-06-30T16:43:00.000-05:00

Not a bad storm... but a storm none-the-less. 4th of July weekend is coming up and it is a big deal in our family.

Why is 4th of July a big deal? Because my family operated a firework tent for 7 years. After every year of saying out in the grueling heat, stocking, re-stocking, putting away, opening the flaps, covering the mud, and dealing with brat kids trying to steal, we promised ourselves that we would never do the tent again. But when it became that time to decide if we should do it again, we would seem to forget all the bad stuff and only remember the money in our pocket at the end of the summer.

It really was some good money for about 2 1/2 weeks of work, but it was exhausting. It is a 24 hour job. Someone always had to be at the tent and those days stuck in a tent in the heat weren't fun at all. I do have to say, I did love how busy it got the week of the 4th and helping people spend hundreds of dollars on things that blow up.

So, obviously, my entire family is made up of pyromanics now. We all are firework connoisseurs and look forward to this night all year. FYI - if you're not sure what to buy, but want something big and beautiful, go with the artillery shells - the ones that are at least $20. Best bang for your buck. And the brand Asian Cat is the best.

So, why is this weekend a storm?

Kyle's family is coming in town. And it is a much welcome storm because we haven't had his parents and his sister and her husband all together here in awhile. Fortuntely for me, I love my in-laws. Regardless, that means I need to clean the house, get the guest rooms ready, get some food, prepare activities, etc, etc... And the thought of all that sounds exhausting to me.

In my bird's nest

2010-06-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

Literally... we have a bird's nest at our front door. We planned to knock it down and then next thing we know, there are eggs in it. We're not cruel enough to knock it down with eggs. So now we have these adorable baby birds that we've been watching grow every day.

The only problem with cute, adorable baby birds at your front door, is what they leave on the ground...Oh yeah - look at all that crap. It's our way to welcome people to our house.

So - to move to the figuratively - our bird's nest is making room for it's new little addition. We moved all the furniture out of the green bedroom to make room for the nursery. The furniture is in there, we just haven't gotten it all decorated - so this is not a finished project.

Also - our parents got us some adorable baby boy outfits and a huge ballon as soon as we found out the gender.

Kyle's favorite is the green one that says "Daddy's Cady in training."

And because my parents have a pool, my mom couldn't help herself when she got us the little swim trunks. They are 9mos so they should fit by next summer.

Ultrasound Video

2010-06-17T13:13:00.000-05:00

I have finally figured out how to load video. Here ya go.

It's a BOY!

2010-06-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

Kyle and I just got back from my 20 week checkup and ultrasound and I have a healthy baby boy growing in me! The ultrasound definitely helped it all sink in!

As soon as I can figure out how to get a video loaded on here, I'll post the entire ultrasound, but until then, here are a few pictures.

Profile picture of head only (top of head at right)

Here he is with his back to the top of the screen and his head to the right. You can see his entire spine!

Here is a foot (toes towards left of screen)

This is just his bottom half. His stomach is to the right of the screen and he has his legs stretched out to the left.

Here is an arm - fingers to the right of the screen (just below a piece of his head).

Here is his bottom. He has his legs spread and that object hanging down is, of course, his winky (as the ultrasound lady called it). You can't really make out his legs here... just his bottom and jewels.

And that's mostly it! The video is so much easier to see...

I'm so very excited! And Kyle is so happy to get a little golf buddy. It was definitely a big day for him - this really made it all 'real' for him today. He is such an amazing husband!

One of life's forks in the road

2010-06-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

I love it when you realize that the decision you are attempting to make is one of life's forks in the road. If you go down one path, your life could be completely different than it could if you chose the other path.

I believe that is like the decision I am currently trying to make.

Do I get a white iPhone 4? Or do I get a black iPhone 4? I know! Such a huge decision!

The white one is something new. Never before, has there been an iPhone with white on the front and back! Does this make it cool and the thing to buy? Or does it look kind of funny and too different?

Will the black one just looke like all the other phones out there? Or is the slim black phone sleek with the aluminum sides?

Since my sweet husband is eligible for an upgrade on his phone, I am stealing it and giving him my 3Gs. It will be like we both get an upgrade (only I get the cooler one). The only reason he has agreed to this is because I use the heck out of my phone. I'm constantly using it and I love it. His is hardly used. He has a work phone and that's the one that is constantly glued to his ear. He'll be happy just to have a faster phone with better GPS.

Thursday, a few girls from work took a trip to the Dickson Street Used Bookstore. I'm not talking about the one that sells college textbooks and school supplies galore - I'm talking about the one that has mounds and mounds and shelves and shelves and stacks and stacks of books. They are everywhere. Every book your heart could desire. And they are all used and reasonably priced.

This is just one small section of the store. It is a huge maze that continues forever and I wish (as always) I would have taken more pictures).

Whenever I completely run out of books (around every 8 months or so), I take a trip down there to stock up on some hardback books that I'd like to add to my collection and some paperback books that I can pass around to friends and family.

(This is just the popular author's paperback section)

I might have gotten a few too many - but it was fun. And I love having books on my shelves that I haven't read yet. Come to think of it.... it's about time for another bookshelf. Mine are almost to capacity - especially since I'm removing the one that is currently in the green bedroom. Crap.

Walmart Shareholders Concerts

2010-06-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late getting to this, but better late than never. Last week, Kyle and I went to the Wal-mart Shareholder's concerts. These are free and open to the public and I'm always surprised to see some empty seats.

The first night was Zach Brown Band and then Tim McGraw. I love Zach Brown band and I used to love Timmy. Some of his new songs are a little annoying...

(please excuse the blurry pictures - we definitely weren't front row)

Timmy - I have to admit he looked pretty good in his tight jeans....

The next night was REO Speedwagon and the Barenaked Ladies. I definitely remember some of REO Speedwagon's music -but they aren't one of my favorites. You could tell there were some fans in the crowd. Now, I do love Barenaked Ladies. They are hillarious and their concerts are always fun.

(getting a little old)

Barenaked Ladies

I loved the point in the concernt when the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) were saying how great REO Speedwagon was. They brought up their song - "I heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another that you been messin' around...." So, the BNL was counting out how many people were involved in this 'gossip' and said that he knew who was starting the rumors. It had to be Kevin Bacon!

He's whole reasoning was pretty funny - he kept saying - "There is no one else it could be! It has to be Kevin." Maybe it was one of those 'had to be be there' moments.

As always - no pics of me attending these events. I need to do a better job at this and start perfecting my toe pop. :)

We have furniture!

2010-06-10T07:13:00.002-05:00

I posted several weeks ago about some crib/dresser options we were considering. Kyle and I were ready to buy (like had the paperwork ready and all), but I was hesitant because I just don't spend a lot of money on furniture. While I love my house to look good, and I think I do a decent job at it, I DONT' like to spend a fortune on the pieces of furniture I buy. Everything in our house we have gotten on sale or at a discount for some reason.

Like the amazing "L" sectional we have in our living room - Clearance. It was in the back of Furniture Row and they desperately wanted to move it.

Like all the pieces in the Den. Couch - huge sale ($200ish Furniture Row), ottoman ($200 discontinued piece on the floor at Hanks), end table ($40 at Oops), framed artwork ($25 at Oops), side chairs (60% off from Target at end of season), and everything else was something that we had. Not so shabby for an entire room.

(don't mind the barstools on the ground - this our barrier to keep the dogs in the kitchen)

Like all of the headboards in our house - Kyle made them all for less than $50 each.

Like our living room TV and the new kitchen TV- Kyle (my sweet lucky dog) won them in golf tournaments.

I mean - I really, really don't like to spend money on things. So again - I felt bad spending so much money on one room. The baby was going to have the nicest furniture in the house. So - I started looking around for cheaper/used pieces. And whala. I found a crib at a resale shop down the street from our house. It was actually new.

(I promise I will take better pictures later)

I got the cutest rocking Sheep (like a rocking horse) at the same resales shop. It was also new and I had to have it! I don't care if the baby ever uses it - it will look so cute in the room.

I found a dresser/cabinet thing at Surplus City in Springdale. Love this place. It was tons of stuff (not always that great) marked at good prices. It's junky looking, but the furniture is brand new. I think the small drawers and the cabinet with shelves will be very handy. It's 5.5' tall.

I got a changing table from the Lucky Horseshoe in Tontitown. Now this is a real junk store -but you can find some good things. It's also where I got my patio table earlier this spring. The changing table is white now, but I think I'll paint it a fun color to match the room.

(sorry - no pic's of this)

The only thing leff to get is a glider/rocking chair for the room. I think I'll actually spend the money to get the one I want. It's not crazy expensive and I'll get to customize the fabric to match our theme for the room. I'll also be getting an ottoman for it. I think we'll need a super comfy chair (like one you could pass out in if needed) in the beginning and it will be great later for story time. I think we'll order it in a beige fabric with swirls on it.

(the brown chair)

So - wow. The nursery is mostly bought for. Now I just need to find out the gender and we can start decorating!!

19 weeks down!

2010-06-09T09:06:00.002-05:00

I have made it through 19 weeks of pregnancy and really - not so bad so far! Maybe I'll finally post a profile shot so those who don't see me everyday can see how big I'm getting.

The first trimester definitely could have been much worse. The only issues I had were slight nausea and fatigue. I found out that if I eat protein at least every 3 hours I didn't feel that carsick feeling. I only had one bad night of sickness and it was after a DQ Blizzard - I guess the baby doesn't want ice cream. And really - the fatigue could be annoying (mostly to my husband) because as soon as I got home, I was on the couch or taking a nap, but it passed.

In the second trimester, I definitely have much more energy; however, I'm not doing as good on working out as I'd like to. Maybe I can get back to that this week (although I've been saying that for a couple weeks).

And next week is my halfway point for the pregnancy! I can't believe how fast it's gone and that in 20 more weeks we'll have a baby! Craziness.... I am getting really, really excited! This means that next week we have our first ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. We are definitely finding out because I'm a planner. I must know.

If it is a boy - this will be the first thing I'll buy him!

(from BabySakes)

Is that not the cutest thing? Golf shoes and all! Of course, there are 1000 cute things I can buy a little girl.

Is it possible to already be nesting?

(image from MudSpice)

Last night I went a little crazy around the house. I walked around making a mental note of all the things that need to be done as soon as possible. I also went through all my dresser drawers and re-folded everything and put away the items I can't currently wear because of my growing stomach.

A few projects that need to be completed:

1) Update the shelves in the pantry so that they can be more organized. We currently have about 8 ft of shelves that are about 7ft tall and there are only 4-5 shelves total. I need a few more so I can organize smaller items instead of stacking everything.

2) Build shelves in the laundry room. There is an awkward corner that does us no good and could truly benefit from floor to ceiling shelves. I'll finally have a place to put all my PChef platters and vases.

3) Build shelves in the guest bedroom. One of the reasons we bought our house was the large closets and amazing storage and I can't believe that we are using all the spaces and need more storage areas! This closet has some basic shelves, but could definitely be redone so that we get better storage areas.

4) Combine nursery closet and guest bedroom closet. Right now - Kyle's storage closet (golf stuff and remote control cars) is the nursery closet and mine is the guest bedroom closet (PChef stuff and bridesmaid dresses - yes, I'm serious). We'll have to get this all combined so that the baby can have a closet.

I'm sure the list will get longer - but those are my organizing basics so far.

Europe Trip Continued

2010-06-08T17:35:00.002-05:00

I know this took a little longer than expected to get out there... but here is the rest of the photos from the trip to Europe we took last year.

As I mentioned in the previous post we had a busy week:

- Day 1: Cambridge

Day 2: South Holland then Amterstam at night

Day 3: Amsterdam

Day 4: London

That leaves me with Day 5. After an extremely long day in London, we got home late and tried to decide what to do the next day. We could either a) go back to London and spend some more time or b) go around England to a few other sites. Since we saw so much in London in one day, we decided to rent a car and drive around England. So we went to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath.

First off, we had to go get a car. Because we were in England - this meant driving on the wrong side of the road - an experience in itself. We had to keep saying 'Wide Right, Short Left' to remember which lane to get in.

Windsor Castle

First Stop was Winsor Castle. One of my favorite stops of the trip. From Wikipedia:

Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation.

The castle's floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).

Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family's private homes.

Round Tower

The Upper Ward, The Quadrangle (as this courtyard is known)

Changing of the Guards

St. George's Chapel

Stonehenge:

After the morning at Windor Castle, we grabbed some lunch and drove 1.5 hours to Stonehenge. From Wikipedia:

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

Here is Brad listening to his walking tour device. They had these at many of the places we went and were extremely useful so you would understand what you were looking at.

(don't mind my crazy hair - my Chi was fried on Day 1 of this trip and I didn't know what to do with it)

Us back on the ro-ad.

Bath

Another 30 minutes of driving and we ended up in Bath. From Wikipedia:

Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in the south west of England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol.

The city was first established as a spa resort with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans in AD 43 although verbal tradition suggests that Bath was known before then.[3] They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs, which are the only ones naturally occurring in the United Kingdom.[4]. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973.[5] Much later, it became popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

The Roman Baths

The Sacred Spring Overflow - Here surplus water from the spring pours into a Roman drain and flows into the river

Bath Abby Church

Around the city

The Circus

From Wikipedia: The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

Divided into three segments of equal length, the Circus is a circular space surrounded by large townhouses. Each of the curved segments faces one of the three entrances, ensuring that whichever way a visitor enters there is a classical facade straight ahead.

The Circus, originally called King's Circus, was designed by the architect John Wood the Elder, although he never lived to see his plans put into effect as he died less than three months after the first stone was laid. It was left to his son, John Wood the Younger to complete the scheme to his father's design. The initial leases for the south west segment were granted in 1755-67, those for the south east segment in 1762-6, and those for the north segment in 1764–6.

Fun Fact - Nicolas Cage bought one of these town houses (or at least he did)

Paris

After driving back to Bedford for the evening. Kyle and I caught an extremely early flight the next morning to spend a couple days in Paris by ourselves. We were a little overwhelmed by the city and neither one of us knew any French which made it fun.

Catching the train from Bedford to Luton. Yes, that is 3:57 am.

After checking into the hotel and wondering around for a bit. We decided to go to Notre Dame Cathedral first. From Wikipedia:

Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair), of the Archbishop of Paris, currently André Vingt-Trois. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. It was restored and saved from destruction by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture. Construction started in 1160 but did not finish until the 1240s.

From the top of Notre Dame. We had to walk up 387 steps (in a circular staircase) to get to the top.

(give me some credit - it was windy - what was I supposed to do with my hair?)

Since we had no idea where to go - we hoped on a bus and did a tour around the city.

(ok - so my hair was a problem the entire trip)

Arc de Triomphe

We stopped at the Eiffle Tower to go up and check it out.

This made me excited

From the top

Cleopatra's Needle

Panthéon

On the bus

Opera

The Louvre

Kyle so happy he found a Razorback at the Louvre

The Mona Lisa

The line to the Mona Lisa

One of the many long halls with countless pricess paintings

And after an hour of getting completely lost and blisters forming on my feet - we found the best thing we could - the exit!

So, after eating and drinking - we went back to the Eiffel tower for some night shots

maybe a little too much wine....

So - back to the hotel

I was exhausted.

I kinda combined that into one day - and we saw lots more -but I think you get the idea. After our few days in Paris, we flew back to Bedford to get the rest of our stuff then we flew back home the following morning. It was a jam-packed trip and tons of fun.

Remembering our Europe Vacation

2010-05-27T16:43:00.001-05:00

Hard to think it's already been one year since our fantastic Europe vacation! We went to visit one of our good friends Brad while he was working outside of London. It was a crazy whirlwind trip that was anything but a 'vacation'.

We arrived in London at 7 am after an all night flight. As expected, we weren't fully rested and were pretty tired. But, we met Brad at the airport, got on a train, and headed to his flat in Bedford. After unpacking some, we grabbed some much needed coffee in town and then went to Cambridge University for the day!

Us outside the bus stop

Kyle and Brad on the bus (right before we both passed out from exhaustion)

Cambridge

Inside Kings Church

What is a trip to Cambridge without punting down the River Cam? Somehow, none of us fell in.

There also happened to be a beer festival going on - so of course we had to partake. So many beers to choose from and so little time.

We got back to Brad's flat at a decent hour and got to bed because we had an extremely early train and flight to catch to Amsterdam. When we arrived we rented a car and drove around Holland. I was so jet-lagged and tired that I missed a lot of the driving around, but we stopped at several places.

Can't remember where this was, but there were hundreds of these little shacks up and down the beach.

Lunch - they had some interesting choices on the menu and we were pansies and got sandwiches

Where we ate:

Church in the town of Gouda (as in the cheese)

After driving around some, we ended up back in Amsterdam for the night.... one word - Craziness

Look at all the bikes at the train station!

And more bikes

The Red Light District (the only picture I could get - for some reason no one wanted pictures taken)

Down a random street. Coffee shops don't mean the same thing there that they mean here

The city at night

After a night of this:

We woke up early the next day to see some sights. First up was the Anne Frank house. It is the building at the far left and that is the line to get in.

We also went to the Van Gogh museum (which was awesome)

That night we flew back to London and stayed in Bedford. The next day it was another early train into London.

First stop was the Tower of London which included a great guided tour

Of course we had to get a picture in front of the Tower Bridge - no this one is not the London Bridge.

Trafalgar Square

Aren't we just so happy?

Cool circular building on way to Buckingham Palace (it probably has a name)

Buckingham Palace

My favorite subway stop - each one had a different theme

We also went and saw the Lion King in the afternoon. We were so glad to get some air conditioning and to sit down for awhile. My feet were killing me after 3 days of walking!

Parliment

Big Ben

The London Eye

In the London Eye

What the little pod things look like close up:

And that was everything in London. We took a train back to Bedford late that night and made plans for the next day....

And the next day will have to happen in another post....

A Mostly Finished Yard

2010-05-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

After all our work this weekend, our yard is as finished as it is going to be for this year.

Here is the backyard (minus the tree Kyle accidently cut down)

Yes, we notice the grass is different in the 'new grass section'. We're working on seeding the rest of the yard also.

We also decided to paint the front door this week. It looks much better and we're not completely done with it yet. Sorry - couldn't close the door because the paint was still wet.

Here is the best before picture I could come up with. There was also a brass kickplate at the bottom that we've left off (because there doesn't seem to be a big problem with people kicking down our door).

Here are the front beds with the dark brown mulch

At the funny farm...

2010-05-24T17:00:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful weekend!! We had some beautiful weather in NW Arkansas all weekend!

Friday night Kyle and I decided to take advantage of the nice night so we grilled some turkey burgers and made some sweet potato fries.... yummy! If you're not sure how to do sweet potato fries - here is my super easy recipe:

- Cut sweet potatoes in thin fries (the thicker they are, the longer they have to cook)

- Put on PChef Stone (ok, ok - that will be my only PChef plug today)

- Spray with Olive Oil. Not too much, they'll get a little greasy on their own.

- Cook at 375 for around 20-30 minutes.

- Add some salt after they are done.

And whala. Sweet potatoes are good on their own and don't need to much other 'stuff'. We've tried to season them different ways and cook them different ways - but really, that is the easiest way to do it and it is healthy and wonderful. Well... was healthy until I dipped each fry in a sweet dip consisting of butter, honey, and brown sugar. So good.

So, after a relaxing night at home, Saturday morning we got busy on our front yard. We trimmed the bushes, put down some nice brown mulch, and cut down a few trees that had popped up over the past could years. I told Kyle which ones to cut - but I also told him I liked the one in our backyard that was just next to our patio area. It made it look more private and was a nice block to the huge play set that our neighbors put up right next to the fence line so their girls can go up to their 'fort' and stare at us in our backyard. So awesome. But anyways.... he cut down all the trees..... including the one I loved that blocked the crazy neighbors. Uncool. So, in another two years, maybe that one will grow back.

Saturday afternoon we met some family at Jose's on the Patio in Springdale for my second cousin's high school graduation.

We got some yummy Rick's cake that was so moist.

Since it was hot and we were full when we left Jose's around 6pm, we went home and sat on the couch for most of the night.

Sunday, after church I spent the entire afternoon at my parent's house - usually referred to as 'Camp Johnson', but newly renamed to the 'Funny Farm'. Not only were there 5 large dogs swimming to their hearts content, there was also a large turtle and a skunk.

Here are the dogs having a blast:

Yes, I realize that dogs taking over the swimming pool isn't completely normal, but they love it.

And yes, we get to swim sometimes too (when the water is warmer). We institute 'Adult Swim' time and put the pups in the shed.

Here is the turtle that made camp under my car. It was pretty big for a turtle roaming the neighborhood. We were worried it was hot, so we sprayed it down and gave it some spinach. No idea if it enjoyed either.

My parents have also been telling me that a skunk has dug under their sidewalk by their front door.

I thought they were exaggerating about the damage, but no... this skunk went crazy! All that gravel usually isn't there... And yes, that is a skunk trap. If you are an animal lover, don't ask what my dad plans to do with it when he catches it.

Hope your weekend was as great as mine! Also - I'm 17 weeks along this week! I'll update about that tomorrow.

My Crib Conundrum

2010-05-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

Good news - I had my 16 week appointment today and everything is good so far! I still haven't gotten an ultrasound which makes me extremely jealous of all my friends that aren't as far along as me that have had numerous ultrasounds already. I'm sure I could demand one and see my baby moving in me - but I don't see the benefit and it will make that 20 week appointment even more special when it finally comes!

Kyle and I also decided to not take the MSAFP test that screens for downs syndrome and neural tube defects. My thinking on this is that I don't want to spend my pregnancy worried over something that I cannot control. Also, there are cases that you receive false positives and that would really be stressful! The hospital we will be giving birth at is fully equiped to handle anything that may happen - therefore, in my mind, it is not necessary to know if anything is wrong now...

For the past coulple weeks, I've been going to some baby stores to look at all the different crib options.

First off - WOW! Baby Kimpel will have nicer furniture than his/her parents.

Second off - My goodness there are so many options!

I do know that I want a dark wood crib, a dresser (or combo) that is longer, and a bookshelf. The bookshelf does not have to be a part of the set and will more than likely come from Target. I am also not as concerned with what it converts to. By the time our baby is in a normal size bed, we just might have another baby on the way. And really - who knows if I'll want to keep the bed. Who is to say I don't go buy a racecar bed or something later?

Also, something to note - the bed will be going in a alcove space in the front bedroom of our house. Because of that - I do not think that it is necessary for the crib to make a statement - it just needs to be nice. I want to put something interesting on the wall behind the crib, so I don't need the crib taking up all my real-estate.

So, without further ado - here is my list:

1.) Baby's Dream Ocean Dropgate - This is the only drop gate I have on my list. At first I didn't really see the reason for the drop gate, but the more I think about, the more I see how wonderful it could be. When the baby is young, it can stay down most of the time and I'll have easy access to Baby Kimpel. And as he/she gets older and wants out of the crib, it would be nice to put it up and have a little extra height to prevent them from getting out.

Some cons to this set is that I'm not in love with the dresser. While it is perfectly fine - it's not exactly what I had in mind. The hardware on the drop gate is a shiny silver and obviously stands out; this makes it a little distracting from the overall look of the crib. But - if the drop gate is a good thing - function over looks for sure. Also, as you can see from the last picture, the toddler rails do not cover half the bottom of the bed like most do. I do believe this set can be setup as a twin later.

For you mom's out there - Is that necessary or is the picture above perfectly fine for a toddler? Do you recommend a drop-gate crib?

2) Baby's Dream Ocean Twin - This one is very much like the previous crib, just minus the dropgate. I do like the solid wood sides and that the crib is level on both sides. Something about it is very nice.

Converts to twin:

The pros about the first two sets is there is a pro at the Baby's Room and I'll get a 10% discount on the set.

3) Bonavita Metro Crib - This has the contempory look like most of the furniture in our house.

The dresser I like

I like the lines of this set and the crib converts to a full size bed that could be used later (maybe).

4) Munrie Urban Crib - Kyle and I like this set from the beginning. It has the lines we like and seems like a great piece of furniture.

The con to this set is that it is the most expensive. It's about $200 more than the Metro set above and I'm not sure that it is that different...

I need to get Kyle back to the store and make a decision. I'd love to have the furniture early enough so I can take my time to decorate around it and sew the bedding.