Garden Tour

Today, my mom and I attended the annual garden tour. Unfortunately, it rained off and on so I didn't have my camera on all the good gardens. These three images were all from the last house when the sun started peaking. 

I think this stone wall is interesting b/c they stacked the horizontal short edge of the stone with the wider side. 

What a great idea for a bird bath stand. Plus you don't have all the mosquitos bathing in the water!

Potty Training

Potty training is kicking into full gear now. It would be fantastic to be diaper free before the baby comes, plus he needs to be trained by August when he enters the 3-year-old classroom. We're going the bribing route with M&Ms and so far we're learning to have even more patience :)

Learning By Reading

In the next couple of months, our lives are really going to change (for the better, of course). So I'm on a mission to prepare our little man. I found a few books at the library that will hopefully help with the transitions. I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping for the best :)

Website Wednesday - Draw the Dog

I found this website awhile back but kept forgetting to blog about it. Click HERE to be amazed by cartoons of Jim George. You need to visit the site to see the cool effects of drawing them. The neat part is you can submit your own dog photos and they'll turn it into a cartoon!

Lamp Trim

Remember my bargain lamps? Well, I decided they were too white for me. I've added a gray ribbon to the edge. I used just a dot of glue in the back so I can remove it if I get sick of it. Now I'm thinking of painting the base again. 

Two Minute Mysteries

Ryan's sister gave us this book for Christmas (the one before Harrison was born). Almost every night up until the birth, Ryan would read to us (baby belly Harrison, Lucy and me). We started reading it again in November and we're almost through all the mysteries. It's kinda funny because Lucy comes running into the room whenever she hears Ryan read it.

3-Year-Old Portraits

Mr. Serious is still getting warmed up to the camera. I realized this year, I always take his yearly pictures on a college campus. It's a great spot, especially on Sundays when there's not many students around. 

And we're finally starting to see a little smile. Still unsure but he's getting there.

This one is my favorite photo. He climbed up and I ran in the other direction to get the full body shot.

Now, we know what he was after. What kid can resist playing in the water?!

I try to always get a profile shot too. Those chubby checks won't last much longer and I'm really going to miss them.

You know you're having fun when the tongue comes out :)

Harrison is showing Dada how it's done and don't be afraid of the freezing water.

He's giving the baby a big strawberry-chocolate hug. 

Oh No Nap

I've started a tradition of taking Harrison's yearly portraits on Easter weekend. Normally the weather is decent and he's dressed pretty nice. As we pulled into the campus, I turned to see this sight. There is NO way I was going to wake a sleeping child. We'll just trying it again later :)

The Fence

We love our neighbor's fence. I can't help but notice fences all the time now. We're huge fans of the ones that look identical on each side. Do I foresee a future project???

Highly Effective People

This week, I attended a workshop based on the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The last habit is "Sharpen the Saw" which involved preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some examples:

PHYSICAL: Beneficial eating, exercising, and resting

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL: Making social and meaningful connections with others

MENTAL: Learning, reading, writing, and teaching

SPIRITUAL: Sending time in nature, expanding spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service

Go ahead and sharpen your own saw!

Website Wednesday - Spool No. 72

Today's site is for all the lover's of Anthropologie. Click HERE to shop Spool No. 72. The online company was started by a mother and two daughter team who designs, creates, sources and salvages their exclusive line of products. Enjoy!

Organized Pickin'

As I was driving, I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Mr. H picking his nose. 

Me: Are you picking your nose? (I don't know why I asked, we both know the answer)

H: No Mama, I'm just organizing.

Me: Ah, making room for some more.

I think he inherited the organizational skills from me, although I don't recall showing him how to organize his boogers. 

Doctor News

I had a doctor's appointment last Friday and the nurse gave me wonderful news today . . . I don't have gestational diabetes this time! I'm actually pretty surprised but definitely relived. Also, she said next visit we can go ahead and schedule the c-section. We've been looking at the calendar trying to figure out the perfect day to officially met our new bundle of joy. 

Shed Clean Up

Our power was finally restored around 8 pm last night and what a relief that was! The next day, we were able to assess the damage. Here are two of the holes in the shed. 

Bob, Ryan and Harrison cranked up the chain saw and removed the big limb from the shed. Unfortunately, the other half of the limb is still hanging on to the trunk. We've called our tree guys but they're extremely busy these days.

My two hard workin' guys! Check out H, I think it's funny when kids wear sunglasses :)

Harrison's 3rd Birthday Party!

It's party day and it's just like a real construction site with no electricity! We thought about having it outside but it was too cold. Instead we opened all the blinds and curtains, then lit a few candles around the house for extra lighting. Here's the invitation I designed for the party. I took graphic elements from the Dimple Prints template I purchased and added the foreman's photo.

I ordered yellow construction hats for all the kids then set up this table for them to decorate the hats with street signs. I found stickers and a map for take-home party favors.

No party would be complete without balloons. From age 1 until now, balloons have always been a big hit. Maybe I should have a balloon theme party next time?

The dessert table was filled with cupcakes, brownies and gummy worms. We intended on making the desserts but it's pretty difficult without power :)

Here's a shot of the cups, plates, utensils and napkins. It was pretty easy finding items to decorate with. I used one of Harrison's toolboxes for the napkin holder.

This is the food station loaded with sandwich meats, cheese, chips and veggies. Check out the chalkboard wall. I finished painting my bargain frames cream and hung them up a couple of days ago. H thinks he needs to put something in the frames.

Gotta have lots of water on a construction site.

Man, kids really grow up fast these days. At the end of the party, I noticed my three-year-old grew a mustache! 

Storm Damage

We woke up at 2 am this morning from the loud thump and the sirens going off. Ryan managed to carry Harrison into the bathroom for shelter without him waking. After an hour, we were able to call the electric company to report our outage. The next morning we saw the damage. If you look closely, you'll see the telephone/internet wire and electrical line wrapped around the tree branch. I'm pretty sure we'll have a couple of holes in the roof. We were told to stay away from it since it's a live wire.

As for the party tomorrow, it's hard to explain this to a 3-year-old. He suggested buying batteries and changing the light bulbs. Around 7 pm tonight, I realized we weren't getting power so I purchased the cupcakes and brownies for tomorrow's party. As for the party, we'll make it happen.

On a different subject, I had a doctor's appointment today and everything is looking good. I had my glucose testing but I won't find out the results until Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. AND my doctor said next visit we can schedule the c-section so we've been looking at the calendar. So exciting!

The Birthday Boy!

My baby is 3 today and we can hardly believe it. We just love him to pieces and cherish each and every day with him.

His teacher made him this hat today at school. He was wearing it when I picked him up :)

This is the first year he fully understands that birthdays equal cake and presents! He's inherited the big sweet tooth from Ryan. I'll take his 3-year-old portraits on Easter weekend.

Website Wednesday - Dimple Prints

My friend Shannon introduced me to this site. Click HERE to check it out. As a graphic designer, I normally would come up with the graphics for Harrison's birthday party but this year my time and energy are limited. I was able to purchase the Construction Theme package and my SIL printed everything for me. The only thing I had to do was cut out and assemble. Here's SO many cute ideas, I'll definitely use it again.

Party Prep

We're gearing up for the construction theme party this weekend. Today some of our good friends sent Harrison his own safety vest, hard hat and tools. I have plenty of projects to keep him busy.

28 weeks - Gender Guess

I'm about 28 weeks here and the belly is popping out more and more each day. The baby probably weighs over 2 pounds and almost 15 inches long! The baby is adding new skills such as blinking, coughing, sucking, hiccuping and practice breaths. The sleep now includes the REM phase which mean he/she could be dreaming already!

Since we're not finding out the gender until the birth, many people have asked me what I think it will be. My guess is another playful boy. The symptoms haven't been the same as with Harrison, this is more of a motherly instinct. Harrison on the other hand is really pulling for Team Pink. I asked him, what if it's a baby brother and he responded "I don't think that would be a good idea." Little stinker, I'm sure he'll love the baby as soon as he mets him or her.

So what do you think? Boy or girl? We'll find out who's right in July!

Shed - Day Two

The assistant is back to take charge. Things really start moving slow now :)

Someone had a long day of hard work. He looks SO long in this picture!

Ta Da! Isn't this fabulous! I'm so excited and proud of my hubby's handyman skills. Hmm, I think I'll keep him :)

Cutting of the Doors

Ya know how everything takes SO much longer than planned. After hunting down the right equipment, Ryan was finally able to make the first cut. This was Friday night.

The next day, he's up and at it fairly early. Starting to make progress!

Both doors are now removed and ready for the next step.

He attached the hinges and is now ready to prime the trim. It's been a long day.

Swamp Land

I've been wanting to photograph this area for awhile. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't what I envisioned and I wasn't in the right spot. This shot will have to do for now.

Before and After Chair

Here's my "before" shot of a chair I found at an Estate Sale for 15 bucks. I love the carvings and design.

My assistant helped me clean it up and remove the bottom cushion.

We sanded the rough spots and gave it a fresh coat of black paint.

I found this fabric which was over 2 yards for $5.99. I have plenty left over so I'll save it for a future project. I'd like to find a small green rectangle pillow for the back. Overall, I'm pleased with the outcome.