Getting ready for Easter!

Easter weekend is of course extra, extra fun this year.  For one thing, we got to go visit the Easter Bunny...

Sam was thrilled, obviously!  And yeah, I ended up getting Sam the little gingham Gap romper.  The Old Navy sandals too, but he kicked those off while trying to figure out the Easter Bunny!

And this week I also got a cute dress to wear from Old Navy.  Great dress sale going on this week!  I think it goes through Easter Sunday, so take a peek if you're on the hunt for a cute and affordable Easter dress.  Tons of styles!  Some as low as $15.  This one was $25...

And I finally put the kibosh on adding more goodies to Sam's Easter basket bucket.  It's way too easy to get carried away.  And it's ridiculous because he won't even thank me for it!!!  Here are most of the items...

His Nana got him the Peter Rabbit doll - it is so sweet!  I also snagged a clearance Peter Rabbit bib and burpee set from Pottery Barn Kids (sold out - can't find a good pic) that I got personalized with Sam's name.  Even his spit-up will be stylin'!  Ugh, and as I was looking for the link to the bib set, I saw that the Peter Rabbit bucket I bought at full price is now on clearance.  Drives me insane!!!  I didn't want to risk it selling out - I've missed out on several seasonal PB things before because I waited.  But they got me this time. Drats... oh well, it's still stinkin' cute!

We plan to do the early service at church that Sunday.  The 11am is nuts anyway, but on Easter - especially nuts.  No thanks!  Then we'll have an Easter lunch at my parents' house... about 12 or so people altogether.  I'm attempting cake pops for the first time ever.  This will be interesting... I'll take pics!  Just remember, I'm not a baker.  Should be fun!  And on another note, did I tell y'all we put Sam in the nursery (Waumba Land) at church last week for the first time?  He did great!

Here is one of the sweet volunteers loving on him...

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  Gosh, only 3 more weekends before I return to work from maternity leave.  I hate thinking about leaving my little man, but at the same time - I can't say I'm dreading going back to work.  So that is good... I'm going back at the best time possible - it will be our slow season.  And I AM looking forward to getting back into a routine.  Plus we really love Sam's daycare/school - I think he will have fun there! 

We have already established a nighttime routine for Sam, as far as having a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine (the 4 B's: Bath / Book / Boob / Bedtime Prayers)... so that has helped me prepare for the inevitable early mornings yet to come!  And the best news... as of a few nights ago, he started sleeping through the night!  It's only been four nights total now, but we're hoping this is our new normal.  He has slept between 7 and 8 hours each night.  So let's pray this continues!  I totally don't mind getting up for that 2 or 3am feeding... but a full night's sleep is awfully good.  Sure is!

Enjoy this weekend and Spring Break if that applies to you... I'm working on getting my baby item favorites post up shortly.  It's a long one, so it takes me several sittings (read: Sam's naps) to get it all finished.  :-)

Maternity Favorites

One of my best friends was asking me about where to look for maternity clothes recently.  And I've been meaning to do a post on my favorites anyway, so that pushed me to get my "must have" list together.  Best to document it now while elastic waistbands are still fresh in my mind.  Seriously, I don't remember how I used to dress before pregnancy.  I stare at my closet of now too-big maternity clothes and not-quite-big-enough regular clothes and don't know where to turn.  I'm in that awful limbo stage where I've still got that pesky last 10 pounds to lose.  (Though I'm pretty sure at least 5 of those pounds are in my boobs.)  So all my normal pants don't quite fit.  But I finally had to ban myself from continuing to wear maternity jeans.  They look so darn frumpy on me now.  Oh and I must add that I never have really appreciated Spanx until recently.  I have quite a collection of Spanx from being a wear tester, but I never really used them.  Until now.  Guess I'm going to have to work out at some point.  Hmmm...

Anyway!  So I was telling my friend that the bulk of my maternity wardrobe came from Old Navy and Gap.  If you've followed me at all over the years, you know that I've had an unnatural obsession with maternity clothes long before ever getting pregnant. I bought a lot of things on clearance over the years, in anticipation of getting pregnant.  And then that didn't happen when we thought it would.  So a lot of those items went to ebay when we needed cash.  Though I kept a select few favorites.  I became very familiar with what all was out there in maternity world. I had my eye on collections like Isabella Oliver and drooled over designer maternity jeans.  But... of course, by the time we finally got pregnant I was all *budget conscious* and frugal.  The idea of spending $150 on jeans now makes my stomach turn.  Some day, sure... but that's just not where our heads are at right now.  So all that to say, I ended up with a stylish, yet very affordable and practical maternity wardrobe.

No matter what your budget is, my advice is to always play up good basics.  Sure, you'll want to find a cute dress or two for showers and parties, and maybe some cute trendy tops for the office... but in general, stick to great basics and build your look from there.  My wardrobe staple was a solid maternity tank or tee.  I could wear regular (non-maternity) cardis that I already had over these for work.  And anything basic like this can be dressed up with jewelry and other accessories you already have on hand.  So yeah, I wore OUT some tanks over those 9 months.  Keep it simple - that's my basic philosophy.  But as far as specific pieces that were personal favorites...

My #1 (surprisingly) favorite maternity item was the Maxi Skirt from Old Navy...

Old Navy Maternity Maxi Skirt

I'm serious when I tell you that I've never put anything more comfortable on.  And that includes pajama pants.  I bought it in both colors available at the time and wore the heck out of them.  Great look with tanks and flip flops for summer.  And so, so easy.  Plus you can totally wear this skirt not pregnant.  There is nothing obviously maternity about it.  The waist band rolls down so it will fit you, belly or not.  I actually just loaned out my two skirts to a sweet friend.  And then later I was like, dammit... I totally could've worn those this summer! Why did I do that?  And I seriously might buy the skirt again so I'll have one this season.  That's how much I love it.  (And Amy, don't you dare try to give those back to me if you're reading this!  I want you to enjoy them.  I just think it's funny!)

Tanks, of course.  I had a whole array of tanks, but these from Old Navy are the BEST. 

Old Navy Maternity Jersey-Stretch Tank

And stupid cheap.  Get every color!!!!!!!!  The length is prime as well.  You really need that extra length when the belly takes over.  A lot of my other maternity tanks were worthless once I got really big, but these kept me covered and looking good all the way through.  And I still totally wear these.  As long as they're not the ones with ruching on the side seam, you cannot tell they are maternity tanks when wearing them.  So that makes them an even better buy.  I have several of the other tanks from ON, but this particular one is by far superior.

Other must-have's from Old Navy are their leggings and yoga pants. 

Old Navy Roll-Panel Yoga Pants

Old Navy Maternity Jersey Leggings

I'm a big fan of their yoga pants to begin with, so it was a no-brainer for me to get the maternity version.  And truthfully, you can really wear the "regular" ones while pregnant (and I did), but I love the fold-down waistline on the maternity version.  Plus, they wash nicely and hang so well that they really can pass for dress pants at work if your office is on the more casual side.  I totally wore these two or three times a week to work with cute flats and a cardi!  The leggings also are a must.  I had several pairs of maternity leggings and the ON ones were most comfy.  Great under a tunic or shorter dress.  I'm totally wearing some right now.  Another item that can go beyond maternity. 

I also had a couple pairs of jeans from Old Navy.  They're super affordable and look good, but you'll definitely notice the fabric being on the cheaper side.  Especially when your next stop is Gap Maternity and you try their jeans on!  Swoon!  I liked my ON jeans.  I LOVED my Gap jeans...

Gap 1969 Demi Panel Long & Lean Jeans

Note the waistline on these (see link above)... I only liked the "demi" type waist.  I couldn't stand any of the full panel types.  I never liked having anything tight over my belly - just my personal preference. 

Also found at Gap... the BEST. WORK. PANTS. EVER.

Gap Demi Panel Perfect Boot Pants

Just as the name suggests, these pants are perfect.  Love the fit, love the waistline, and LOVE that they come in lengths (as do their maternity jeans).  Who else does that?  No one as far as I've seen.  Maternity slacks I've found at other places are awful.  Like horribly huge full panel waistlines, cheap material, and unflattering cuts ...bleh.  Hated those.  Chalk up the extra bucks and get these.  I just got a basic black pair, but they come in other colors and prints. 

So those are the few basics I would buy again and again.  I of course had some dresses and various tops from a mix of places.  I mostly stuck with Old Navy for basics (their tees are also great), but they also have a lot of fun trendy tops and great shorts and pants for casual wear, too.  I wasn't impressed with their selection of dresses for fall/winter pregos, but they do a better job with spring/summer.  I found Gap to be the better bet for dresses for fall/winter.  Both of my nicer shower dresses came from Gap.

The biggest thing to remember about these two stores is that your best bet is to buy online.  Old Navy especially has the bulk of their maternity collection online - many styles, most actually, are not sold in stores.  Very few ON stores carry a maternity selection anyway, but even those that do are very, very limited.  Some Baby Gap stores sell Gap Maternity.  In Atlanta, your best bets are the ON stores at the Mall of Georgia or The Forum (Norcross) - The Forum being the better of those two.  For Gap, the Lenox and Northpoint stores have the best selection that I've found.  But again, I did most of my shopping online.  Not only for more selection, but for better prices.  When I was jean shopping, I tried a bunch of stuff on at the Gap store, but then went home and ordered everything I found online.  The retail stores do not honor the online prices or discounts, so check both!  If you don't already get Gap and ON emails, sign up.  Because literally, they send out discount codes for 25% or 30% off like every other day.  Never pay retail!  And, another bonus - all Gap stores (Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc.) have their sites linked so you can pick items from any of their stores with one single transaction.  Just remember that discount codes usually apply to items from one single store (though you can stack them at checkout).

Other places I snagged some good stuff...  Kohl's (items are often 50% off), Target (found a piece or two, but ON is a better value and more stylish if you ask me), and various other sites I found random off-season clearance pieces, including:

Figure 8 Maternity

Belly Dance Maternity (sells entire collection of NOM)

Due Maternity (has stores in Atlanta)

A Pea in the Pod (Destination Maternity - includes Motherhood, Mimi)

H&M also has a maternity line, but I never looked.  Wanted to, just never got around to it, so I can't really speak for that collection.  But I'm sure it's trendy and affordable!  Worth a look.  A lot of people swear by Motherhood Maternity.  I went in there a couple of times but never found anything worth getting excited about... but that doesn't mean you won't.  So check that one out, too.  They also have outlet stores where you'll find items for all of the Destination Maternity stores (A Pea in the Pod, etc.).  And of course there are the trendy maternity boutiques around town selling designer jeans and $200 tunics.  Yeah, I skipped those. 

So my wardrobe was pretty simple.  And I must add that I also had wonderful friends who loaned me some great pieces, too!  Definitely spread the love and share with friends.  I also snagged several dresses and tops from a clothing swap a while back, so that's a good way to do it too.  And don't forget thrift stores!  Splurge on a few items for showers and parties, but there's no reason to spend ridiculous amounts on a maternity wardrobe.  It's easy to look fabulous on a small budget.

God willing, we'll be blessed to be able to do this all again someday (and no, I don't know when just yet!).  So what are YOUR maternity must-have's?  Please share!

Nursery Goings On

It feels like I've put the nursery on the back-burner over the last month or so... just kinda had to for the most part because work has been so nuts.  September and October have our last big filing deadlines of the year, so it's like a mini busy season for a few weeks.  Meaning, I don't have much time for anything else!

But yesterday was the last big deadline, and I can breathe again!  AND I can concentrate on more fun things, like getting Sam's room ready for him.  Because tomorrow marks three months till his big day!  Goodness... time is really flying.  I thought nine months would be an exorbitant amount of time to get ready for a baby.  Hmmm... not so much.  I feel time slipping away as I find more and more things to add to my to-do list!

But alas, we are making progress!  We finally got going on the bathroom paint this weekend.  We got this gorgeous robin egg blue from - where else? - Home Depot.  Hard to get the true color captured in pics, but it's really similar to this Restoration Hardware color...

We're going to do white bead-board along the bottom (up to chair railing height) - so that's why we didn't bother painting all the way down to the bottom trim.  I did most of this room - my energy is still there for now!  But the hub had to help me with the hard-to-reach spots behind the tub.

This afternoon I finished up with a second coat, and it is looking fabulous!  I just LOVE the color.  And I am not normally big into blue.  But this is truly a gorgeous color.  I think Sam will be pleased!

And I know I probably will regret this... I realize that.  But I'm planning to do a mix of white and taupe linens in the bathroom.  I'm looking for just a simple white shower curtain with a monogram.  May just grab a cheap white one at Kohl's and have a friend monogram it... or I may go with this Pottery Barn one that's actually pretty affordable (only $34 including the monogram)...

I've used several PB shower curtains in the past and they've all been great quality.  So how long do you think we'll go before that thing's covered it projectile baby vomit?!  Hopefully at least a couple of weeks.  I'll, uh... make sure I can wash it easily - whatever we end up with.  We also obviously need a mirror.  Because we (by choice) did a pedestal sink in this bathroom, we don't have a lot of storage in there.  So I'm wanting to do some kind of medicine cabinet mirror, like this one (also from Pottery Barn)...

So the bathroom is definitely starting to come together!  It's one of my favorite parts of the nursery... I adore baby and kids' bathrooms.

Also in the works, a few miles away, are the built-in shelves!!!  The hub's buddy is building them for us at his house and then he'll come install them once they're completed.  I haven't seen them in person yet, but the pics have me SO excited!  This is absolutely the focal point of the entire nursery and a concept I've had in my head for the last six years.  So amazing to finally see it come together... in real life!

The shelves will be painted white and there will also be trim across the top connecting the whole thing so it's one big piece.  Our one window takes up that entire open space in the middle.  Eeeks!  Can't wait to see those installed!

On tap for this weekend is getting started on the paint in the main room.  We haven't done the first thing about paint in there!  I was initially thinking we'd hire someone to do some fancy-pants design that I didn't have the patience for.  Not a mural, but just something cool - some kind of print or design.  But then I got inspired when we were in Home Depot last weekend getting the blue bathroom paint.  I noticed Martha Stewart's metallic paint collection and picked up a little sample bottle of this...

I've mentioned it before - I love me some metallic paint.  We have it in three rooms downstairs.  But they're very bold and heavy.  Martha has this very sweet, soft pearl-like gold paint that I knew would be PERFECT to accent the nursery with.  I was already thinking of incorporating some gold in there somehow, and this was my answer.

So fast forward through several rounds of what-about-this that went through my head, and that brings us to the final painting decision... We're going to do wide stripes on the main walls in two soft shades of taupe.  The ceiling will be painted with the soft metallic gold.  And in between the stripes on the walls will be a line of small coin-sized dots of the same gold.  Let me tell you, it is gorgeous in my head.  We'll see if reality plays along!

Lastly, I'm starting to pull together some accessories like wall decor. Gosh, there are so many little odds and ends I keep thinking of!  But I'm just trying to take it a step at a time.  So this week our two  main pieces for the walls came in.  I didn't know what I wanted to do on the walls for the longest time.  I try very hard not to do what everyone else is doing... I had a longer list of things I would NOT be doing than I did of any real ideas.  But finally I came up with a plan.  Above the crib, I'm using a frameless oval mirror that bestest gave us for our wedding (ahem 9 years ago).  It's from Pottery Barn (yes, I obviously have a thing for Pottery Barn accessories) and hangs by a ribbon.  Never been used.  Always figured we'd use it in a nursery someday, somehow.  My initial thought was to have the mirror engraved if we had a girl.  No dice there.  So recently I thought of getting some wooden letters to attach to the mirror since Sam's name is nice and short.  Which brings us to this...

That's the top of the crib in the mirror's reflection - in case my pic is confusing.  The letters (from PB Kids) came in white, but I'm 97% sure I'm going to spray paint them antique gold.  A bit darker than the gold metallic paint I was just gushing about.  Then we'll hang the mirror by a large blue grosgrain ribbon.  I wanted the letters gold because (1) there's already so much dang white in the room between the furniture and the shelves, and (2) I want them to coordinate with these kick-ass giant safety pins I ordered from Ballard!

Seriously, how friggin' cool are these?  They're meant to gussy up a laundry room but I saw them in the catalog a couple of months ago and thought they'd be awesome over the changing table.  They were very affordable - only $35 for the set.  And they're all metal, they actually fasten and unfasten, and all three have different antique finishes.  Very cool.

So yeah... lots going on in the nursery!  It's really starting to come together, though I feel like there is so much more to do!  I come up with new ideas everyday.  And of course, Gertie is always there by my side to supervise...

Hope to be back soon with more nursery updates as things progress!

Nursery Bargains: Rocker & Ottoman

The hunt is over! This sweet rocker is on its way to Sam's nursery...






The fabric we ordered is actually a tad lighter than this and compliments our paisley print beautifully. And it's just a good neutral taupe color, so it will last through our whole army of embryos awaiting us. (Kidding, Mom... I promise we'll stop at 10 or 12.)

We actually noticed this very rocker first at my sweet friend Pammy's house. She is expecting and is 4 weeks ahead of me. She ordered her rocker from Babies 'R Us and I LOVED the look and feel of it. I made sure we added it to our list last week when we went on our rocker hunt all across town. After looking at all kinds of rockers in similar styles to this one, both the hub and I felt the BRU rocker was our best bet. I did like several of the Best brand rockers we saw at The Baby's Room, but for the price (as in several hundred dollars more) they just really weren't much better (that we could tell) from the Newco brand rocker at BRU. Plus, I consulted my Bible Baby Bargains book and the Newco brand chairs in general got very good ratings. I made sure we steered clear of any brands that had crappy ratings.

So how good of a bargain was it? Well I was personally stinkin' excited considering my first rocker musings were in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, where we'd have to fork up nearly $1200 for a similar rocker after their ridiculous shipping surcharges (on top of the already high prices). I knew we could find something for less. And the good thing about ordering from a place like BRU? Coupons. The rocker and ottoman together were right at $580 retail. Reasonable in my book - about middle of the road for all the rockers we looked at last week. Plus $500-600 was the target price range in my head. I didn't want to skimp on a rocker - it's such an important piece - but I didn't want to go apeshit either. The customer service gal at BRU was actually super nice. I wasn't expecting much because I've read that customer service in these big box stores is a joke, but we had a great experience (at least thus far - we don't exactly have the furniture just yet).

Our BRU actually didn't have the exact rocker we were after, so I texted Pammy to get the item number and customer service helped us track it down and get the right set ordered. And without even asking, they did what I was hoping they'd do - split the rocker and ottoman order up so we could slap on two 20% off coupons. So we got 20% off the whole shebang, making the set only $464. Record-breaking bargain? Doubtful. But for the quality and style of the rocker, I am loving that price. And the kicker is the hub's momma is paying for the rocker as her sweet gift to Baby Sam! But don't you know I don't want anyone paying retail! Of course we got asked like three times if we wanted to save an extra 10% by opening up a store credit card. My husband's response to the cashier? "Dave Ramsey would whoop our ass." Word. You can have your 10%.

Oh and this beauty's gonna be here in only one to two weeks! I tell ya, I cannot wait to have this thing set up in our nursery so I can sit there and rock and stare and daydream. Right now there's nowhere to sit in that room... except the toilet. So it's starting to come together! Now that we've got our swatches (finally), we can pick out paint colors for the bathroom. And the nursery itself too... I'm still contemplating what I want to do on the main walls. I'm thinking a harlequin diamond print in taupe/neutral shades similar to this look (found on Silverspoon Murals)...




I wouldn't want to do something that fancy pants and not be able to recycle it for say, a girl. It looks hella complicated though and I can guarantee you I don't have the patience to do this crap...




So I've already concluded we will probably have to hire a pro to do the nursery walls if we do decide to go in that direction. And it would be the whole damn wall - not just above bead board or some chair molding. Yeah there's no way I'm doing that. I would absolutely lose my mind. We are sloppy painters in my household. We get the job done, but the process ain't pretty. So we can handle "simple" paint projects like the orange closet and the bathroom, but the main nursery walls? Yeah, let's get some help on that.

Oh and I'm thinking maybe a muted, pale metallic gold color for the ceiling. Ralph Lauren has these really pretty metallic finish paints at Home Depot - we've used them in a few rooms on the ceiling and the walls. I love them. It may sound scary, but I promise it's not. It's just a little drama in a can.

Other nursery developments? Our blinds came in, so those poor nekkid windows will finally be clothed! The sun comes in that room SO badly in the mornings, so we've got all our furniture draped in blankets right now to prevent any damage. It'll be nice to get those windows covered so we can finally start putting the room together. On the to-do list for this month is getting the bathroom painted and bead board installed. I'm uber excited about doing the bathroom too... I LOVE baby and kids' bathrooms. And the hub and his talented wood-working buddy are probably going to start the built-in shelves sometime this month. I can't WAIT to see those come together! That's truly the focal point of the room, so until those are up it feels pretty bare in there. But yeah, I guess as far as what I can really do this month, it's going to be concentrating on the bathroom and also ordering the crib bedding and accessories. Oooh how fun! Every step is so fun.

Well again, y'all enjoy this holiday weekend! It's a busy time at work with deadlines on the horizon, so I'll probably work a little from home Monday morning, but in my jammies no doubt!

Maternity Goodies

In case you've forgotten, I have a *mild* obsession with maternity wear - have for years. So to be able to actually wear maternity clothes now is a total thrill. For the most part. As my belly is really starting to pop, I'm learning what kinds of clothes I like and don't like. And there are so many designers and brands out there that I love to drool over (Isabella Oliver for one), but it turns out I have more of an Old Navy budget. Which is totally fine - for the price, I think their line is pretty stellar - especially the basics. Some of their stores have a maternity section, but all the ones I've visited pretty much suck. The selection is VERY limited, but I will sometimes find a decent piece on clearance. But to really get a feel for what they've got, you have to go online. Most of their maternity collection is online only - which is kind of annoying, but whatever.

Luckily, my maternity wear obsession led me to collect quite a number of pieces over the years for "future use." So once I finally got here, I found myself with a ridiculous amount of maternity tops - especially tanks and tees. All bought on clearance, of course! But really, it worked out great in the end because I find myself nearly suited for my entire pregnancy - at least on my top half. Bottoms are more of an issue. Those are kind of hard to nail down until you're actually there. So now that I'm getting bigger, I've been hunting down some good options for my bottom half. And so far, this skirt has by far been my favorite maternity purchase to date...





This is the maternity maxi skirt from Old Navy, which I got on sale (duh). It seriously feels like jammies. It has a simple fold over waist that you can wear over the belly or under. And you can totally wear this later post-pregnancy. I got both colors since I knew this would be a staple for fall! My whole game plan for fall (especially at the office) is maternity tanks and tees with cardis. And like I said, the tanks and tees are more than covered.

I want to wait till I'm a little bigger, but my next big hunt will be for a pair of great jeans. And possibly some fun outfits for showers, but other than that, I really don't need much at all. So what were your favorite maternity pieces? Where was your go-to place to shop?

Oh and we finally took my 18 week belly shot - I'll get that posted later today or tomorrow!

The Crib

...is officially on its way! Pretty sure our little booger is doing a fist pump in my belly.

14 Week Belly

I feel like this same pooch has just been hovering for weeks. It looks like it's poking out a *little* more than four weeks ago, but it's really not all that different...




It's comin' though! But the best news? I think I've turned a corner and am feeling pretty good now! On Monday, I vomited for the first time. Felt crappy the rest of that day. But on Tuesday, the nausea just sort of was... gone. And I haven't really had much at all sense. I do still get mad hunger pains at time - especially from late night till early morning, and if I don't munch on something right away, I can feel a bit queasy. But it's not nearly as bad as the general nausea I was experiencing over the past couple of months, so hallelujah!

I've still been tired at times, but my energy seems generally better. At least my drive and motivation is - I've gotten more done in the last few days than I have in the last 8 weeks. For example, a couple of weeks ago I'm not sure I could've handled that hour-long trip to pick up the changing table. And hello, I haven't taken one nap all weekend! I did veg for a bit yesterday afternoon after a trip to the outlets that wore me and the hub both out, but I never actually fell asleep. So hopefully this means I'll be feeling pretty good during the 2nd trimester! I sure hope so - it's a lot easier to enjoy all this when you're not feeling like total ass.

Oh and speaking of the outlets, the main reason I wanted to go yesterday was to see what the Pottery Barn Outlet had. We've gotten some major deals there over the years on random furniture and rugs, so I was curious what they had in the way of baby and kid stuff. Our PB Outlet dedicates nearly half the store to PB Kids stuff. I was hoping to maybe find a crib or rocker selection, but no luck. Not a single crib or rocker/glider in sight. But they did have some other furnishings, tons of bedding and bath linens, and other accessories. So I will note that in my mental Rolodex for future.

We also intended to get to IKEA this weekend but that never transpired. I honestly hate going there, so I avoid it until absolutely necessary. But we're interested in redoing the shelving in the nursery closet, so this warrants a visit. Here's a pic of the closet now (actually right NOW there is nothing in the closet because I've cleaned all the junk out, but you get the idea)...




We had originally requested double shelving in this closet (knowing it'd be a nursery someday), but obviously the builders didn't do it. Whatever. But aside from needing more hanging space, the current shelving in there doesn't work great. The hanging rod is so close to the door frame, that every time you open and shut the closet door, it rams into the clothes hanging there. So even if we end up sticking with the current shelving and just adding some more, I think we'll remove the door altogether and hang some fabric instead. But really, I just want to find some better shelving options to maximize the space more. It's a small space, but so much of it is not being used the way it sits currently. I'd like to have some drawers and cubbies and that kind of thing for all the itty bitty sweets baby needs in his/her closet! Nothing fancy... which is why we're calling on IKEA. I'm going for functional over cute here. So hopefully we'll get over there next weekend and be able to price some things out and see what's doable.

Oh, but other than shelving changes/additions, we're painting the interior of the closet a sweet sherbet orange. I wanted something bright and gender neutral, and hello... I love orange. We've already got the paint, so don't try to talk me out of it. That's our first big nursery project, so I should have some pics pretty soon as we'll be tackling this one in the next couple of weeks... stay tuned!

Nursery Bargains: Changing Table

Less than 48 hours ago I was looking at changing tables online and gawking at the prices. I had found a suitable crib in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that was on clearance for $399 (regularly $599). And we wouldn't necessarily have to have "the" matching changing table for it, but of course I was perusing the ones they had anyway. Ugh, the cheapest one I could find was like $599. I know that's not outrageous, but I was just not thrilled about spending that much. Besides our dining room set, I'm not sure there's a piece of furniture in our house worth that much! Our couches are Exhibit A for the fact that our dogs rule the place, and our master bed is literally a mattress on wheels without a headboard. So yeah, nothing too fancy in our digs right now while we're still in debt-busting mode.

And while I'm very, very picky on the styling of this nursery, I'm not going to be too picky when it comes to the crib. It's not going to be the main focal point in the room and I just want something simple. So the clean lines and more importantly, the price, of this one will work great! This is the Kendall crib from Pottery Barn Kids, in white...




So on a whim yesterday while at work, I hopped on craigslist to see what was available in the way of changing tables. Again, not too picky here but just wanted something with similar styling that would coordinate with the crib we're eying. And right away, BAM! I found two local listings for a Pottery Barn changing table in the exact same collection! It's the Kendall changing table, in white, pictured here...


PB Kids actually doesn't sell it anymore - they have a new Kendall changing table they're selling now. But I like this one better! (Even in the current crib pic above, you can see the edge of this old table in the corner.) And I certainly like the price better! One chick had it listed for $275 along with the baskets she had purchased. I didn't really care about the baskets - I rather get my own, but whatever. But then I found another listing for the exact same piece (sans baskets) for $150! So long-story-short, we drove a good hour last night (I was using "local" loosely - metro Atlanta is rather large) to pick up this beauty! The previous owners were super nice and threw in the changing pad and we also bought a barely used crib mattress from them for $15! Um, Pottery Barn has their cheapest crib mattress listed for $129. Score! I know you can get them cheaper, but still.

I am so excited!!! First big baby purchase! And I'm in love with it - the changing table is in great condition and even more beautiful in person. There's nothing much more satisfying than a killer deal. Stay tuned for more nursery developments! I mean my whole reason for wanting a baby is to design a nursery and have my own live dress-up doll. Kidding. Sort of.

And yes, I am up at 4:00am typing this while eating a pop tart. Baby was hungry and my bedside saltines weren't cutting it...

The Weekend

...is almost over, but that's OK because we have our first ultrasound in the morning! I've been totally relaxed and calm about all this since last Tuesday. Which is really refreshing given that I was a bit of a basket case last weekend. But yeah, we have our first ultrasound tomorrow at 8am and we'll see my doctor to discuss the results. I'm sure I'll be a little anxious going into it, but right now I'm just excited. I can't believe we've made it this far! It's been a loooooong two weeks leading up to this point.

We're now in the 7th week (6w2d today)...

Your embryo makes great strides in size this week, growing to between 0.44 inches and 0.52 inches from crown to rump by the end of the week, or about the size of a small raspberry. Leg buds are starting to look like short fins, and hands and feet have a digital plate where fingers and toes will develop. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed, as are the eyes and nostrils, intestines and appendix. By now the brain and spinal cord are growing from the neural tube [webmd.com].


Looks like a little alien doesn't it? Growing like a weed. I will get news up here on the ultrasound as soon as I can! Big prayers that everything is developing as it should be and where it should be. And we should be able to tell if there's one or two little peas in there! Again, I'll be seriously surprised if there's more than one, but you never know.

So I actually wore a pair of maternity shorts today. There's no chance in hell of me getting into any of my other shorts right now, so I broke down and got a pair at Old Navy this weekend with a nice elastic waistband since it's so dang hot. They're really cute and comfortable on my pooch...




Another random purchase we made this weekend? Shift your attention from babies to dogs for a minute here. Have y'all heard of these Thundershirts?



A friend introduced them to us last night and we were so intrigued. They're really affordable, so we didn't think twice about giving these a try on our dogs. Our two have lots of um... "behaviors" that these thundershirts claim to help correct. We'll see. I'll definitely let y'all know how they work out. We ordered them today off of Amazon. You have to watch the video on the main website though - it's hilarious. You'd think they gave the dog a tranquilizer.

This weekend in general was pretty low key, though we managed to squeeze a lot in. My sweet friend, Lucky, and her hubby had a going-away bash. She's an army wife now and they are leaving Atlanta for the west coast on their first of many moves/adventures. I'm SO sad to see her go, but we're all thrilled for them too. It's an exciting move! I also met some girlfriends today to see Bridesmaids for a second time. Hilarious, again. And the hub recently got a bug to do some painting in the house, so we made a trip to Home Depot this afternoon and got all kinds of paint supplies. He made good progress today and I did a good job of napping and occasionally pointing while he worked.

Really just staying awake this weekend was a major accomplishment. The fatigue during these early weeks is no joke. Which reminds me, I need to go to bed...

Oh and P.S. - I got promoted to manager this past week at work! Ordinarily I would've made a big to-do out of that when it happened but it kinda took me by surprise the day it was announced and honestly, my mind's just been elsewhere lately! Though, I am very thrilled about the promotion and my mom will be happy that I finally mentioned it on here! ;-)

Now, for real - bed.

Costco Favorites

If you don't know of my torrid love affair with Costco, you haven't been around long enough. I could spend hours in the place ooohing and aahhhing. And it turns out they have some great products to keep me going strong on my Moo Goo diet. I know some of you are also gluten-free and/or dairy-free, so I just wanted to share some of my favorites!



I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my acupuncturist recommended I get this cereal. And I am in love! I eat it every morning with almond milk. It's very filling and packs a good protein punch with the seeds (Dr. Liu is ALL about the seeds).



Individual tubs of hummus are available at Costco and they make a great snack with these gluten-free crackers. Kinda pricy, but they last a while for me. I can sometimes get a bag at the grocery with a coupon for a better deal, but most often the big box ends up being cheaper. They've got a nutty taste to them due to the seeds. Again with the seeds!



I mentioned almond milk. We've ditched the cow milk and use almond for drinking, cooking... and everything we used to use cow milk for. I've tried a few brands and this one is my favorite. I don't like it super sweet and the Silk brand Original flavor suits me best. I did a fist pump when I started seeing it at Costco. It's normally $3.50ish at the grocery, but Costco sells a pack of three for like $7 or $8. Even with grocery store coupons, the Costco price is tough to beat.



The very BEST deal I've found is on this organic gluten-free chicken broth. I've seen these sold at every grocery at an average of $4 for a 32oz box. Costco has a pack of SIX for less than $10. Um, that's a $14 savings. We do a lot of crockpot meals, so I actually go through a good bit of chicken broth. A lot of things at Costco are not cheaper than the groceries, but occasionally you'll find a real gem like this and you want to tell everyone!!!



We do a LOT of tacos and Mexican fare in our family. So finding a good taco seasoning mix to have on hand was essential. Honestly, my favorite is the Taco Bell brand - I just love the particular taste of it. But sadly, gluten. In fact most taco mixes, chili mixes and the like that are pre-packaged have gluten-full flour in them. So I was excited to find this ginormous container of taco seasoning at Costco that is gluten-free. McCormick uses corn meal instead of flour as a thickener. I've also got a good recipe for make-your-own mix, but as much as we do Mexican, I've got to have a quick option at the ready!


Other "regulars" in my Costco cart are ground turkey (much cheaper than I've found in any grocery), nuts and nut mixes/snacks (definitely cheaper to get nuts here vs. the grocery), tortilla chips, and Costco brand salsa. We generally get our meats at Costco except for chicken. I always get my chicken cheaper at the grocery when on sale. I won't pay more than $1.99/lb for chicken breasts. I also get my eggs and cheeses (for the hub) at Costco. I get produce there sparingly... I always get a big bag of onions - very good price. Everything else just depends on the price and how it looks. And well, how fast we can consume it. Do we really need 15 lemons?

Other than a few things, I really do not buy a lot of high dollar gluten-free products. I know Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have a ton of that kind of stuff, and even my Kroger and Publix have decent GF sections but I don't bother with most of it. Really I just cook a lot of the same stuff I used to with minor alterations to make it all GF and DF. We use GF pasta but I get the cheap stuff at Walmart ($2 for spaghetti). I eat corn tortillas instead of flour. If I make meataloaf, I use oats instead of bread crumbs. We do a lot of brown rice. I've learned to use mayo a lot of make things creamy. But am I going to buy a $6 box of gluten-free cookies? Um, no. I just won't eat cookies. (Except when I say SCREW IT! and eat them anyway.)

I am always discovering new fun things at Costco, so if any of you know of some goodies that I might like - please share!!! Mmm... I'm already salivating over my next Costco trip. I got the new coupon book in the mail, so we'll be hittin' it up later this week!

Back to it.

No real news to report on the IVF front other than the fact that a nurse called earlier today with a transfer time of 4:30pm tomorrow. I knew they would go ahead and schedule a day 3 transfer even if they thought our little embryos would make it to day 5. She said they'll most likely call in the morning (tomorrow) to reschedule for day 5. Seems like they're pretty sure it's going to be a day 5 deal, but I'm sending up some extra prayers just in case. Grow, little guys, grow!

I still took it fairly easy today. It was an online church kinda day, but I did get out this afternoon to do a quick grocery run and also some quick Christmas shopping. I had a couple of really good coupons that I couldn't let go to waste! I've just about knocked out my entire shopping list! Of course, our list isn't very big. Neither the hub or I have huge extended families, and outside of that, we don't buy too many other gifts. Plus we still don't buy gifts for each other - not till we're out of debt! But I'm definitely very methodical about the whole gift-buying process. I've got my master spreadsheet with my budget for everyone... I take out the cash and I go! I've got a few things left to grab, so I'd say I'm about 80-85% done.

Alright, off to bed for me. I've got a long day ahead. I really wish I could just not work until we get past the transfer... wouldn't that be nice?! Duty calls, though. I am so thankful that my retrieval fell on a Friday and allowed me to rest up over the weekend. So nice! Feeling much, much better today. Still a little discomfort at times when trying to sit straight up, but even that is mostly gone. Pretty sure I can handle the desk chair tomorrow!

Current mood: Hopeful

e.l.f. - A Love Affair

I know, I haven't gabbed about a product or gushed over some new accessory in ages. It's funny how much my blog has changed focus over the last three years, but so goes my life! I write about what's going on, and there's really not much of any shopping going on here... so yeah. I usually send my J. Crew catalogs straight to the recycle bin. BUT one thing you can't deny me is my makeup. I still gotta look good, right?!

I found out about e.l.f. several years ago when they first came on the scene. The whole "everything is $1" intrigued me... could this be for real? Uh yeah, it was. Of course now they've totally expanded their line and have different collections with higher price points. But even the highest ones are ridiculously cheap when you compare them to drugstore makeup brand prices, much less swanky high-end cosmetic lines. At only $1 an item, I grabbed a ton of products on my first order years ago - I mean, what's to lose? If it sucks, you only wasted a dollar, right? Well, fast forward to now... and nearly every single item in my makeup drawer is stamped with "e.l.f."

I've always been big into makeup - it's just fun. And I've tried all kinds of brands and labels when it comes to cosmetics. I was a pretty tried and true Estee Lauder fan in high school and beyond, with a little Bobbi Brown mixed in... and maybe a dash of MAC, Sephora, and other trendy brands here and there. With the exception of my liquid base and/or concealer (which has always been Almay), I was an exclusive department store brand makeup girl. I was a sucker for the free-gift-with-purchase. Even though I'd maybe use like *one* item out of that bag - ha! But like I said, when I caught word of this online cosmetic company where everything was $1 - I had to give it a try.

Little by little, my department store cosmetic items were being replaced by e.l.f. products. The last to go? My automatic eye pencil from Estee Lauder. It was quite the revelation, if you remember. Now the only items I use daily that are not e.l.f. are my Almay wand concealer and whatever mascara I'm using. Mascara is the only product they haven't quite mastered yet. I'll be happy to switch when they do, but for now I stick with Maybelline - either the old faithful pink and green bottle or the new Stiletto one.

If you're not familiar with e.l.f., there's a few things you should know. First, there is always ALWAYS a promotion going on. Never ever check out without entering some kind of coupon code. By always, I mean there is at least one promotion/coupon code available every single day. And often more than one, so you have to choose which one is the best deal for you. The best way to stay in the know is to become an email subscriber. The promotions are advertised via email, twitter, etc and most often are NOT made known on the website. I usually order from e.l.f about once every 3 months, spending about $30 (including shipping). And that's for A LOT of stuff. I wait for the bigger promotions to come out and then I jump on and order everything I need and more. As I'm about to show you, most of the products I use come from their all natural mineral line. Unless I'm just desparate and out of product, I will only purchase new items when they're at least 50% off. They will usually run promos by specific collections... like one week all Studio items are 50% off, then a couple of weeks later all Mineral items are BOGO 50% off, etc. But like I said, I try to hold out for the bigger ones... like 60% off the entire site (that's the last one I took advantage of) or 75% off all Minerals. Point is - there is always a promotion, so never ever pay full price.

Second, the company now has four main "collections" of products...

• The main e.l.f. line, which is your basic everything-is-$1 stuff. I still snag some of these items whenever I'm purchasing. And you can actually find some of these at Target. I've seen a small selection at Kroger also. But whatever you've seen in stores is a teeny, teeny sampling of what's online. These products are great stocking stuffers and I've seen brides use them a lot to fill goody bags for bridesmaids. Great fun! And an excellent way to experiment with fun new colors on the cheap.
• The Studio collection, which they dub as their "professional" line. I've used a couple of these products, namely the eyeliner and shadow stick which led me to dump my faithful Estee Lauder liner after 16+ years. Price point on this line is generally $3 (but again, wait till they go on sale).
• The Minerals collection, my personal favorite! I've tried just about every product in this collection and have fallen in love with most all of it. I'll reveal my top personal picks below. The collection is all natural and 100% mineral based. Price point for most items is $3-5. (Don't make me mention the sales again.)
• The Bath & Body collection, which is basically your bath gels, lotions, etc. Items are generally $4 each. No real steal of a deal here except for the body butter. Compare it to The Body Shop's Body Butter for $14 and up.... yeah, I'll go with the $4 tub from e.l.f., thanks. As for the hand soap? I'll pass. I refuse to pay more than $1 for a bottle of hand soap.

Third, shipping costs are a flat $6.95 (for U.S), no matter your order. There are often free or reduced shipping coupon codes too, so keep an eye out. And because it's an online-only retailer, there are no sales tax charges (except for NY, probably - where the distribution center is located). They also often throw out freebies with your purchase, like a complimentary magazine subscription. And it's a true freebie - not a thing where you will be billed after 3 weeks if you don't cancel. I was just reading my freebie US Weekly this morning, actually! Do be aware that they do not accept returns or exchanges unless items arrived damaged. I've never had anything arrive damaged, nor have I ever wanted to return anything. Folks, stuff is like $1. Again, if you don't like something, do a shoulder shrug and move on. It's a friggin' dollar. As for my personal favorites, here are the top 5 items I'm currently crushing on...

1. Mineral Eyeshadow, $3 each. OMG, so fun. Such a great rainbow of colors to choose from, and they go on beautifully. I love the texture and they're easy to apply as lightly or as heavily as you want. Most colors have a subtle shimmer to them, but a few (labeled matte) do not. These are the only thing I use for eyeshadow anymore. Love, love, love them.

2. Mineral Lip Gloss, $3 each. It took me a while, but I found my perfect lip gloss. I've tried every other lip gloss e.l.f. has to offer - this one is the best by far. My favorite shades are Trendsetter, Pageant Princess, and Sorority Girl.

3. Mineral Concealer, $5 each. Yes, it's called "concealer" but I actually use it as my foundation. I've tried the Mineral Foundation as well, but none of the shades seemed to work just right for me and my skin tone. But the "light" shade of the concealer does... and I can't tell the difference between the concealer or foundation really. So I use my Almay wand concealer to help cover up any blemishes or discoloration on my face, and then I apply the Mineral concealer lightly on top (which is basically a very fine loose powder). I don't use liquid foundation anymore after having discovered this stuff. If you've been wanting to try a mineral foundation, e.l.f. is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.

4. Mineral Eye Liner, $3 each. Yep, as soon as this product debuted I gave it a try and immediately fell in love. It tops the Studio collection liner that I mentioned, but I still use both since they offer different shades in each. LOVE this product a million times over. I have every color but most often wear Ash or Midnight.

5. Mineral Blemish Kit, $8 each. I know, quite the *splurge* on this site! But you won't go through this product nearly as quickly as a foundation or regular concealer. (And hello, again, these are list prices - not what I actually pay.) I don't use this everyday. It's basically a very, very fine powder that helps cover up blemishes or red spots. It only comes in one shade, and may not work if you have very dark skin - I don't know. But for me, it's awesome. Sometimes my wand concealer won't completely conceal a particularly stubborn zit or blemish. Mineral Blemish Kit to the rescue! It also comes with a special brush for application.

So those are my faves. What are some of yours? If you don't have any, you need to get some. Hop on their site and find some goodies. The great thing is, they have tons of reviews on their products. So it's easy to get a feel for what people like and don't like. Enjoy!