Michelle's Bridal Shower

This weekend was a very  busy and exciting one! Yet another shower was thrown in our group of friends, this time for one of my BEST friends, Michelle. :)

On Saturday, the bridesmaids and I were zipping around town tying up some loose ends and running some final errands for the big day. We purchased streamers, favors, food, balloons and countless sweet treats. When Sunday rolled around, it was just a matter of setting up and watching it all fall into place. 

The "guest book" - a platter we purchased from a local paint-your-own pottery place in town. Now that everyone has signed it, we'll take it back and they'll fire it for us, sealing in all the well wishes for a lifetime! 

The beautiful dessert table. The cake was lovingly made by a friend of ours, didn't she do an amazing job?

The favors - decorate your own wine glass!

Once all the guests had their fill of food and favors, it was time to play a few bridal games. I think everyone had a pretty good time and I really hope the bride-to-be enjoyed her special day. :)

It's not a party unless the wine is flowing!

The gorgeous bride, Michelle, with her beautiful bridesmaids.

While I didn't capture many pictures of Michelle opening her gifts, she was so excited to get her coveted Dyson vacuum cleaner. I'm a huge Dyson fan and can't wait to hear what she thinks. If you hate vacuuming, get one. You'll vacuum for fun. Okay, I lie...no one vacuums for fun, but seriously, they're awesomesauce.

Of course, I can't end my post without an obligatory picture of my amazing group of friends. (Myself, Liz, Angela, Kristin, Michelle, my sister, Heather, baby Quorra and Lindsey.)

It absolutely breaks my heart that I won't be able to make it to Michelle's wedding next month. She's been planning her amazing Vegas nuptials for almost a year and as soon as she set the date, I found out I was pregnant and due the week immediately following her big day. 

Many tears have been shed over this but the doctor absolutely won't let me fly that close to d-day. I'm incredibly blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy (morning sickness aside!) and don't get me wrong, I'm so excited for the arrival of my son but there's a teeny tiny part of me that wishes baby boy had waited a month or two to make his appearance on that pregnancy test. There's no where else in the world I would rather be than sharing in the most important day of my best friends life. 

Agh, okay, before I soak my keyboard crying, I'm gonna go ahead and wrap this all up by saying - I love you Michelle and wish you and Steven a lifetime of happiness. He's a lucky guy and just know that I'll be with you in spirit as you walk down that aisle next month. You are going to be a beautiful bride and your wedding day will be spectacular. <3 

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Vlog Friday!

Oh looky, another vlog! This week for Vlog Friday, the girls and I are talking about the worst hairstyles we've ever had. While I've never had purple streaks or a mohawk, the bangs I had still scar me. Folks won't let me live them down. 

And now, for some photo proof. The infamous bangs I had back in high school that never moved:

And my most recent hair debacle (which you may have read about here) was when I chopped off about 6 inches. Granted, it was more the way it was cut (a friend did it for me...) that I hated rather than the length. But once someone (who knew what they were doing...) layered and styled it for me, it did grow on me.

Still not sure I'd ever go that short again though. What's your worst hairstyle? Join these fab ladies and tell us!!

DO YOU VLOG FRIDAYS? BECAUSE THESE AWESOME CHICKS DO:

Kate at Marshmellow Goodness

Steph at Forget Me {not}

Cole at Adventures  in Love and Happiness

Folly Life

Amy at Life's Journey with a Smile

JeeYoung at ConventionalBliss

The Perfect Chair

Last night I was scouring the internet looking for a chair for the nursery. While I didn't originally plan to have a chair in the nursery, the more that I thought about it, it would be nice to have a place in the nursery to rock the baby. In our living room, the couches aren't the most comfortable and my husbands recliner has seen better days.

So, the search began. I knew right away I didn't want a traditional glider. The look just isn't for me.

{Source: walmart.com}

and although husband is in desperate need of a new recliner, we could possibly get one for the living room but it would be way too big for the nursery:

{Source: la-z-boy.com}

That pretty much eliminates anything that our local stores carry so I started stalking my favorite inspiration site, Pinterest. (If you don't follow me already, I don't know why not.) By simply plugging in the search term "nursery," a plethora of beautifully decorated rooms popped up and several of them had the exact chair I was picturing in my mind!

{Source left. Source right.}

I didn't realize that the particular chair I was looking for was so popular. So, off I went clicking the pictures and trying to find where to buy this chair. 

Well, that's easier said than done. A lot of the pictures led to no where and others simply ended on decor blog posts with no sources to any of the furniture. I was starting to get discouraged, especially when I FINALLY came across a beautiful swivel rocker at Pottery Barn Kids.

{Source: Pottery Barn Kids}

I thought I'd found a clear winner... until I saw the price tag. This beauty comes in at a hefty $849.00. UGH. And that's the sale price! Call me cheap but I'm not about to spend that kind of cash on a chair that has a good coating of spit-up in it's future. 

So, I kept searching. I was on a mission to find a reasonably priced chair that 1) won't break my back and 2) won't break the bank Finally, I spotted a reasonably priced duplicate of the chair I envisioned on Ikea. The only problem is that it's a standard chair. No swiveling or rocking. 

{Source: Ikea.com}

But at $199, I could easily convert it into a swivel rocker like these folks did using a simple rocker base.

{Source: swivel-chair-parts.com}

It sounds easy enough to accomplish but I'm still undecided. Do I jump in and just get the cheap Ikea chair not knowing how comfy it may or may not be? Help me blogging pals! We don't have an Ikea near me. Do you have this chair? Do you own Ikea furniture? Is this the longest post you've ever read about a freaking chair?

Weekend Recap

Good Monday morning my loves! I hope you all had a well rested weekend and if you didn't, I hope you spent some time doing something fun.

Not too much went on around my house this weekend. Kevin and I ran some errands Saturday night and ended up at Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse for dinner with my sister which never disappoints. It's rare that I eat my entire plate of food but apparently, this baby had a hankering for some shrimp! It was delicious and I may or may not have asked for it for dinner again last night. ;)

Sunday morning, the hubs and I laid around lazy for most of the morning but around lunchtime, I got bit by the cleaning bug and organized the nursery (for the 300th time). Once I got done cleaning, it was dinner time so I whipped up some delicious pork chops just in time to watch the Patriots beat the Ravens by the hair on their chinny chin chin! It was such a good game and I'm glad to see my dad's team going to the superbowl, yet again.

When I wasn't stuffing my face or cleaning, I was pouring every spare second I had into tweaking my sister's new blog! Please join me in welcoming her to the blogging world, head over to My Uneventful Life and check out her very first post! Be sure to follow her and show her some love. She's the best big sister I have so I had to spread the news!

Have a wonderful week my friends!! 

Help create more birthdays.

I could start this blog post by telling you that there are 1,638,910 new cases of cancer this year alone or that 1 out of 4 people will be diagnosed sometime in their life. Regardless of how many statistics I throw at you or what I say, it doesn't change the fact that you or someone you know has been affected by cancer. That's almost a guarantee.

This year, my friends and I (so lovingly coined "The RHH or Real Housewives of Harrisonburg") have decided to form a team to walk at our local Relay for Life event where we will help raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society.

Each of us have been touched by cancer in one way or another and this is our way of giving back. Of telling our loved ones how much we care. Of telling the world that there should be more birthdays.

Why do I walk? I walk in memory of my amazing grandfather who passed away from cancer when I was in middle school...

I walk in memory of my sweet uncle who passed away just last year...

I walk in honor of my best friends and their parents. I even walk for friends I've never even met... 

Layla's photo, don't steal! 

Last Spring, I was amazed at the outpouring of support as our community of bloggers came together, formed Operation Layla, and raised over $7,000 for my friend Layla who needed surgery. That alone has showed me how much love you all are capable of giving. 

All of these people hold a special place my heart and I can only hope that you will donate to this amazing cause. Our team goal is to raise $1,500 and we can't do it alone. Click the link below to see the full list of who we walk for and our story.

{Click here to visit our page, join our team, donate $1, or just spread awareness.}

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36 Week Update

Between prepping for the baby and the new semester starting at the school I work at, it's been a hectic week around these parts. We finally got the crib bedding in and the changing table is FINALLY on its way! I can't wait to show you all the finished nursery. Granted, it's not as amazing as I would have liked it to be, mostly because we're not painting. I'd love to do chevrons on the wall or make a gorgeous mural but we're hopefully going to sell the house in the next year and it's just too much of a pain to have to paint twice.

That being said, I can finally say that I think I'm ready to have this baby. The little one will have clothes to wear, a place to sleep and I'm about as mentally prepared as I'm going to get. Is anyone really ever ready to have a baby? All the planning in the world doesn't mean I'll know how this life changing experience is going to effect us. We could have a perfect angel baby (like my sister!) or we could have a colicky, jaundice, screaming and squirming bundle of joy. Who knows?! We'll take him however he comes. :)

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still a healthy amount! 

How big is baby?  The size of a honeydew melon, about 18 inches long and approximately 5 1/4 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Always and forever. I might never take them off. 

Stretch Marks? Yes. 5,235 of them.

Best moment this week?  Birthing class! I'm really glad we went, especially for the hubs. He got to learn things and see things that I just can't explain. 

Oh, and when the cashier at Hardee's complimented me. I wanted to kiss her because the day before, I was told that I was "massive and my face was puffy" -- which personally, I think is rude to tell anyone. Especially a big, pregnant woman who is hormonal and feeling awful. But that's just me.   

Movement? So much movement. He's a little kangaroo jumping around in there. 

 

Food Cravings? Hmm, no real cravings. I tend to want hot meals rather than cold ones (salads etc.)

What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes, put socks on, put on tights, touch my toes, SEE my toes, get out of bed easily, roll over in bed easily, do anything easily. I could go on and on but you get my point. We're in the home stretch and I can tell baby boy is running out of room in there which makes getting around a bit harder for mommy.

What I am looking forward to:  His arrival!! I'm hoping it's uneventful and easy but that's wishful thinking. I'm praying for the best but prepared for the worst. You never know what could happen.    

Nausea/Vomiting?: Nope

Labor signs? Nope, I think I felt some Braxton Hicks a couple of times but nothing else. Since it's this late in the game, I'm starting to become paranoid when I pee -- "OMG, did my water just break?!" -- and every cramp scares me. I'm overreacting, I realize that. But one of these times... shit will be fo' real. 

Gender? Baby boy!

Belly Button in or out? So close to being out. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off. :( 

Sleep? Still sleeping just fine and I get tired super early now. I'm usually asleep on the couch by 9-9:30 and in bed by 10. I'm sleeping through the night without getting up to pee which is great but still tossing and turning with more hip/back pain these days. 

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy. Whether they're good or bad, it's a once in a lifetime experience. Every kick and every hiccup are precious and that little life won't be inside for much longer. He'll soon be doing all of that on the outside in the real world. He'll be a living, breathing person. 

One Project Done

Remember back in November when I complained about all the unfinished projects going on in my house? Well we finally got one finished! Cue trumpets and singing angels because it seems to take ages for my husband and I to complete a task in this house.

One of the main projects we really needed to tackle before the baby came was adding a closet-type unit in the nursery. To refresh your memory from my post back in November, I was aiming for something like this:

So a few weeks ago, we trekked out to Lowe's and after some much needed cleaning, we were finally ready to install the new shelving.

and since Kevin won't let me help, like, at ALL, I sat idly by and gave him installation instructions. After several hours of measuring, leveling, cutting and drilling, we were done. 

While I didn't take any progress pictures, I was so very glad to get rid of the way my "closet" used to look...

We now have an entire wall unit that will not only fit all of the babies clothes, but mine as well. 

Please ignore them mess of wires peaking out from underneath the cabinet. We still haven't figured out what we'll do to hide the modem and router for our internet. 

We purchased two dark blue fabric shower curtains instead of traditional curtains mainly because they were about half the price and I knew they would be the right size without having to measure. My house is pretty small so I knew a shower curtain would reach from ceiling to floor without a problem.

In order to hang the curtains, we secured a couple of small white screw hooks into the ceiling and placed the thinnest rod we could find on them. I think it worked out pretty well! I know we rigged the whole thing but it suits us and serves it's purpose. 

My side of the closet... which obviously needs some organization. And maybe a wardrobe update. 

What's a girl gotta do to get a What Not To Wear nomination???

And baby's side of the closet, look at all those teeny clothes!

Seriously, my kid (who isn't even here yet) has more clothes than I do. Look how teeny tiny they all are! I can't wait to dress the little guy up.

I'm glad I can finally check off something that's on our to-do list! Other than the closet unit, we do have the crib built and some shelving up but we're still waiting on the crib mattress and changing table to arrive. D-day will be here before we know it, we gotta get ready! 

Yet Another Baby Shower!

There's a slight chance I'm losing followers because all I've been posting lately are baby shower pictures. I can't help it that my family is fertile! ;)

This weekend, my sister, our friend Kristin and I drove to Pennsylvania to celebrate the upcoming birth of my other cousin, Kristin. We got in late Friday evening and, as usual, were put right to work. There were pretzels that needed to be covered with chocolate and sprinkles and pots of delicious food were simmering on the stove. By Saturday afternoon, we finished prepping and were finally able to celebrate!

The mom to be (middle) with her mom (right) and her aunt (left)

 Just an idea of how much food there was! My family really knows how to throw down.

The favors (above) were packets of hot cocoa mix and marshmallows that had a cute package of animal crackers tied to the side. It fit perfectly with the jungle theme!

The adorable cake that my aunts bakery made for the occasion!

(It reads: Hi Mommy, life's a jungle, can't wait to be in yours)

While we were eating, a few of the guests got creative and decorated bibs for the baby-to-be.

My cousin, Nicole, hard at work designing a bib for her nephew...the final result?

Not only were there bibs to decorate, but guests were given the option to leave a little note for the new parents or to the baby. After the shower, the pages were put into a scrapbook so my cousin and her little one could look back at all the advice folks gave.

It was another wonderful weekend spent with family and friends and the excitement isn't over just yet. My brother's girlfriend is expecting a baby boy in April and my BFF's Michelle and Angela are both getting married this year so there will be plenty more showers to be had! Stay tuned. :)