T O T A L L Y O B S E S S E D: initial charm necklace

I'm totally one of those women that would get their kid's name tattooed somewhere on their body, but unfortunately {or fortunately} Drew doesn't really dig tats and I have promised him no more.  So, the next closest thing is an initital necklace with a little A that I been in search of for about a month. 

Here are some of the contestants in the running:


I like that this esty necklace from madebysam has more than just the initial, but worry that it might be a tad too busy.  You can choose your stone though which I'm digging {I think I would go with the coin pearl}


That same seller also makes this one...I dunno.  It's still not there for me...


This one from moncadeau on etsy is so cute and dainty.  You can get both the heart and necklace in silver or do the heart in yellow gold as shown in this pic....hmmmm....


Oooooh, this one is cute and only $28!  It's from LuxeAdornments on etsy.

Luckily, jewelry is soooooooooooooooo low on my priority list, so I have a while to look and obsess over which initial necklace to settle on ;) 

Any suggestions?

-jd

O+P

We just got a sneak peak of a mini O+P shoot that my good friend and awesome photographer Rebecca did for us while Fallon was down for my baby shower!  Just wanted to share a few of my favorites from her blog.  I can't wait to see the rest!!!







I have my maternity shoot on April 10th; I'm anxious to see what Rebecca will have in store for that!

-jd

30 weeks

I will be entering m 31st week tomorrow and I thought before week 30 is up, I need to blog about what a wonderful week it has been.  I think this has by far been one of my favorite times in pregnancy.  The time changed so the bright sun stays out longer which is allowing me to take pretty good walks after work.  I used to walk at a fast past with my ipod blaring thinking of the million things I need to do once my butt hits the car seat.  Now, I walk with no music and enjoy the peace and silence of the trail at a much slower pace {but still as fast as I can comfortably walk, haha}.  I think I realized this week that slowing down can be good.  I've always had "issues" relaxing, but this week I think I did a pretty good job.  I am consciously savoring my nightly bathtime that has been a routine since I was a little girl {I take a bath every night...in bubbles....for a long time} juuuust in case I have to introduce showers into my routine once little miss A.Rae gets here.  The house is getting organized and that makes my nesting instincts simmer down a bit.  We had a garage sale today and only made $150, but I am now rid of most of the stuff that we haven't used in the past year.  Hopefully I can start organizing what remains. 

My belly is growing what seems to be daily and miss thang is getting stronger and stronger with her movements.  I am finally at a point where I'm not obsessing over every pound I gain and I am starting to appreciate the beauty of being pregnant and the miracle and insanity of having a human being that Drew and I created growing healthy inside of me.  I've always thought pregnant women were beautiful, but then when it happened to me I was kind of like "maybe not so much". lol.

Daydreaming about what life will be like on maternity leave pretty much consumes me.  I fantasize about playing with Annie, taking her on walks, getting to know the new member of our family and hopefully working hard on getting on a routine so my life is not total hell when I go back to the cubby. 

Well, I'm anxious to see how things will progress on the home stretch and I'll keep you all posted!

-jd

while I was OUT

I have totally been MIA for like the last two months.  I really apologize!  I have a TON of stuff to blog about.  I just spent the last half hour taking pictures of recent projects only to realize that my lap top is not compatible with my camera!  AWESOME!  So you will  have to see a few updates via  fancy i-phone pictures! 

While I was out, I was busy learning to sew.  And I LOVE it...with a capital L O V E!!!  However my first projects were all done on the down low as they were all for baby A. Rae.  I started with a blanket

this is my first row and the first thing I ever sewed!!  It turned out pretty darn cute, the finished project will have to be in another post.

Next I moved on to matching burp cloths. 

My machine really wanted to EAT the burp cloths but I was patient and was pleased witht the overall end result.  YES that is an A that I busted out freehand! HA! (loving my socks)

We (the dream daughter and I) were lucky enough to roll out and see Jacq and her baby bump.  We even made it to the shower.  It's so special to be able to share those 'moments' with your girlfriends. One of her good friends is a fab photographer and did some pics of the two of us for this here blog.  What a concept...pictures...of us...together...on OUR blog!  Can't wait to see them!!

So for now that's all I can share with you.  Hopefully soon I will have my desk top back and can share a few pictures and stories of the last two months!!! 

Oh and just so you know that I have been doing a few things around my own house.  Here is a picture of a really cute head band holder that I made for the dream daughter tonight! 

 Total cost $1!! That's right ONE DOLLAR...score!

-fd

garage doors

Planning projects to start in 2013....


I've been dreaming about a pergola over my garage for quite some time.  It was denied by the HOA in my hood {lesson learned: never live in a deed restricted community again}.  Also, since 1/3 of my house facade is a garage door, I need to make it cute!  I priced out snazzy carriage doors like these, but at over $1,000 it just ain't happnin'.  I did however think I could slap some carriage hardware on my existing builder standard metal garage door and possibly swing a knock off.


I would love to get that french or english garden look with the carriage doors, vines, and lush casual landscape, but with the concrete box that it is now {and oh, do I love that box}, we have a looooooooong way to go.  Our landscaping currently consists of two sad little oak trees that are barely taller than I am and a few plants that are the size of some of my shoes : /


heart.


Another thing I've been looking into is faux painting my garage door {and possibly front door} to look like wood...but I'm not sure that with the real wood shutters it would be the right solution...


I'm still thinking about a fun color for my front door, but haven't come to any conclusions on that either....


I might age it a little...

I guess that's it for now...bedtime {yawn}.  I'm taking the afternoon off tomorrow to work on the house!  yay!!!  Hopefully new pics soon :) 

-jd

Someday....

Do you ever daydream of what you could do with more hours in the day ?  I do...

Last night after spending all day cleaning, painting and organizing like a pregnant psycho, I realized a few things:

1. I'm 7 months pregnant and if I push myself past my limits, I will pay in back pain for days
2. My house 'to do list' is not only not going to get done by the time the baby comes, but may never get done {especially since I add to it daily}.  I need to start enjoying the journey and stop cramming in a lifetime of work into each weekend.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I like a good productive weekend, but not to where I'm flipping out if I don't get everything "checked off". 
3. Me and my honey need to enjoy these last few remaining Sunday's before our life could quite possibly become complete chaos for a while.  We {and by "we", I mean "I"} have been so consumed with what "has" to get done that we barely spend any time just enjoying each other anymore. 

I spent all day reflecting on this new found realization and starting thinking about my life.  What's really important?  What do I need to make time for?  If there were just more hours in the day...in a lifetime...what would you want to do?  I've started a 'bucket list' of sorts and it goes a little something like this:

1.  learn Spanish
2. find a charity, volunteer, and mean it
3. go on a honeymoon
4. paint more...just to paint for the art of it
5. spend a set amount of time each week on my spirituality
6. start practicing yoga
7. teach my baby girl how to be a better person than I am
8. stay positive
9.learn how to sew
10. open a little junk store of my very own

I know it's a little cheesy and I blame that on my pregnancy hormones.  I do have my emotional breakdowns, but more often, I am a complete sap  ;)  It's amazing how being pregnant makes you reflect not only on your life, but also the life you want to create for your new family. 

Well, gotta catch up on the bachelor and then take my bath!  hee hee

-jd

big blank wall ideas

So, I think I figured out what to do with the wall behind the TV (faux paneling) and the columns (MORE faux paneling), but that still leaves quite a few gigantic blank walls that I need to fill...cheaply :) 

Here are a few ideas I'm tossing around. 


You know I've been dreaming of a gallery wall for forever, but I never thought about creating shelves for flexibility.  Seeing how I move things around constantly, this might be more practical for my needs.  Hmmmmmm, maybe in the dining room similar to this on the wall perpendicular to the buffet.  I've toyed around with putting a fireplace mantel on that wall, but so far, no luck in finding {an affordable} one.


I would love to find something like this, but am only willing to shell out $50 or so for it...maybe I could put it on my paneled wall under the TV {which would be mounted on the wall}.  So many ideas, so little time...


Another idea I've had is to try a large black and white painting.  Somehow paintings like these go with any decor and add so much personality and life.


My last idea...stencil!  Cheap and fun! 

What have you guys done to fill up those walls?

-jd