She's almost here!!

Welp, it's officially at the waiting game point. I'm scheduled to be induced on Monday (7/22) at 7am. Three more days. I can't believe it! I actually just had a little scare about 30 minutes when I went to the bathroom (TMI!!!) and wiped and saw my mucus plug. I kinda freaked because I had been losing a little here and there over the past few weeks but this time, it was A LOT. So, I did what every pregnant woman nowadays does and ran right to google to ask what to do. Directed me to babycenter and yahoo! questions which both said to call my OBGYN and ask about it just to make sure, so I did. My dr said that yes it is my mucus plug and to keep my eye on if contractions get going and they are 3-5 minutes apart, then to get to the hospital. I'm not having any contractions right now, just feel little L moving around in there. I really just hope I can wait till Monday. Paul already made the work schedule for next week and has the week off, starting Monday. So, hopefully she'll stay put for Daddy's sake. Fingers crossed.

In other news, Paul & I decided that with this pregnancy (I don't remember if I mentioned this before) we'd prefer if no one came to the hospital except for my parents, Gracie & his Mom. The only people I'll have in the room with me during labor is my mom & Paul. I wanted it to be a much calmer laid back experience this time. Last time, with Gracie, it was a circus! Everyone I know who could fit in the room was there and it was very overwhelming. I didn't even expect that many people to STAY in the room but by that point I didn't really care either.

So, with that said, we know we still have lots of family and friends who will actually want to meet Baby L once shes born, so we decided we're going to have a Welcome Home Baby Party, about two weeks after L is home. We are expecting around 20 or so people, which is a lot nicer to have in our home at one time, then a continued train of people coming and going at the hospital or a few days after she's born when we get home. Doing it all at once will be much easier for everyone. But mostly for L and I.

Of course, the little interior designer inside of me is screaming to get out and decorate something and with this party, I'll be able to get my fix. Here are a few ideas I snagged from Pinterest for the party.


Pinned from here.
-- I obviously won't be doing EVERYTHING in the image above, but I'm definitely sticking with the Yellow/Pink color theme and also love the streamers & banner. I'm going to also try and do something similar to the bunting on top of the cake, but with cupcakes instead. I have lots of ideas!


Pinned from here.
-- I'm going to do the paper dot garland and poms above the food table too. I'm making all of it myself tho.

I'm just going to do simple food for the party. Finger foods like fruit, veggies, chips & dips, cupcakes, etc. Paul wants to get chicken strips from PDQ and my mom is making potato & macaroni salads. But it's really just going to be a easy little lunch get together to introduce L to everyone. I'm looking forward to it!

I can't believe my next post will be a birth announcement! Time has flown!

My little graduate

Gracie graduated Pre-K yesterday, her last official day is tomorrow. She had such a great ceremony and performed songs with her classmates. It was such a great night! She had me laughing through my tears. I'm such a proud mama. I can't believe this school year is already over and in just a few months she'll be off to big kid school and in Kindergarten. To top that off, we'll have a new baby girl next month! This pregnancy is almost over and I can't believe it. I feel like just yesterday Gracie was starting Pre-K and not long after I found out I was pregnant. Time is flying.



I kept looking around Pinterest for something crafty to make for Gracie's teachers and found a few really cute things but wound up making this & this for Gracie's teachers. Check out the links for tutorials. I did mine a little different but with basically the same idea. The tutorial says to use hot glue for the crayon project but I used double sided tape and a rubber band to hold the crayons on the jar. Just use whatever works best for you, those changes worked best for me.



Tomorrow she's having a pizza party and is so sad to leave her teachers and friends she's made this year. But I told her she'll make lots more friends next school year and we'll visit her teachers during the summer when Baby L comes. Enjoy your little ones while you can, they grow up waaay too fast!

Fall Fashion

I'd have to say that out of all the seasons fashions, Fall or Autumn is my favorite. Unfortunately, Florida doesn't really experience fall, the way we used to in Jersey (waaahhh!) but when the cool weather hits, no matter it being in the mid-70's, I grab my favorite scarves and rock them with pride! My husband tends to give me the stink eye, "You shouldn't be wearing scarves in Florida, babe" But hell, what does he know? He lives in Miami Dolphins t-shirts. So hush, fool.

Anyway, with that being said I thought I'd share some of my favorite Fall fashion pins from Pinterest! Feel free to follow me. :)

Unfortunately, neither one of the first two images links lead them anywhere, just the image itself, so I can't tell you where you'd buy any of the items in these images but I'm sure just window shopping in your local mall, Target, Kohls, etc, you'll find something similar.






- 81 HOURS Cardigan

- Khaki crochet pumps – Khaki crochet flat ballet pumps. 100% TEXTILE.

- Marc Jacobs Bruna quilted leather tote – Quilted leather tote by Marc Jacobs featuring zip fastening along the top, double leather handle, branded clasp fastening at the front, leather strap embellishment around the top with buckle fastening and designer stamped plaque across the front.

- G by GUESS Braided Friendship Bracelet, GREEN – Take your friends by the hand with this sweet and tender friendship bracelet. Braided design with crystal embellishments. Rhinestone and beaded detailing. A fresh mix of bright green and soft brown hues.

- Stephan & Co. Dahlia Stud Earrings – Half-Yearly Sale-save on select products for women & kids! Densely petaled dahlias fashion whimsical stud earrings.



$18 - kohls.
Derek Heart New York Dolman

$39 - styleserver.de (but really, any white Tank would do the trick)
Tusnelda Bloch / T-Shirts

$108 - farfetch.com (any skinny jeans will do)
ROY ROGERS 'Leo' stretch

$325 - mytheresa.com (imitation Uggs are super easy to find almost anywhere!)
UGG Australia Classic Short

$125 - barneys.com (instead of spending an arm & a leg on a scarf, visit Target. ha.)
Rag & Bone Tomkin Scarf

And last but not least my all time favorite fall fashion pin is...



Sadly, you can't order this item in the US, at least not a place I could find. It's also sold out online. I want this cardigan so badly! I love it so much! I hope to one day find something similar available in the US, if you find it before me, pleeeaassee link me.

Isn't fall fashion the best? I could wear any one of these, with a Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand, sitting outside enjoying the cool weather. Ahhh, fall! :)

Elephants are love.

If there is one thing the people closest to me know about me, it's that I have a deep love for Elephants. I've loved them since I was little, my amazing grandmother also loved Elephants and when she died I got her beloved little black Elephant that lived on one of her shelves for years and years. Every time I would visit her, I'd pick it up (and man is it HEAVY!) and wrap it in a blanket like it was a baby doll and play with it. This is what he looks like.



And he lives on top on my TV in my bedroom on a shelf. He rarely gets seen by anyone because of his location but I'd rather that being that I don't ever want him to get broken. This elephant holds a special place in my heart because it's the only thing I have left of my grandmother, who I will always cherish.



I recently added a new Elephant to my home decor. I got this one from Home Goods. I love Home Goods simply because they are always selling Elephants. Really. I dare you to go to Home Goods this weekend and see all the beautiful Elephants they have. Pure love. This elephant lives on my dining table, for all to see!



I mean really, how could anyone not love Elephants? They are simply the sweetest creatures on this planet. So big, so sweet, so much love. A couple photos I took at the zoo while on a safari tour, with Gracie & Paul, while Jordan was in school a couple weeks ago...



Come ooooon, how stinkin' cute are Elephants?!





Ugh, love them. Last night I was just randomly searching around Pinterest for some good stuff. When I stumbled across this...



I muuuust have this ring. I think I squealed for about 3 minutes and then shoved my laptop in Paul's face telling him I neeeeded to have this ring. He also thought it was cute & told me he'd get it for me. So, I'm probably going to get it as an Anniversary gift, I'm guessing. I mean it's only $10 bucks! How can you beat that? I'll wear it everyday! Please feel free to check out this shop. They make all kinds of adorable jewelry. I'm so in love!

They also sell Elephant earrings. I just might go crazy over this cuteness overload.



So, what's your favorite zoo animal?

Anyway, that's a little about my love for Elephants. Hope everyone has a great weekend & if you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

Easter decor

Last week I mentioned in the living room/dining room redo post that I'd share my Easter decor on the kitchen side of my house, since you could see the bits and pieces of it from the living room images. I've actually had my Easter decor up since the end of February. I know, I'm crazy but I just love all of the colors for Easter. I'm not at all religious, I only celebrate Easter for the fun side of it, the bunnies, eggs, etc. I didn't even celebrate it last year because I honestly didn't feel like it. But since my home is finally to my standards, I'm all about decorating for as many Holidays as I can, at this point. lol.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of my Easter decor.

I still need to paint my table & bench to match my Ikea chairs. Ehh, I'll get there one of these days. I actually just painted the bead board last night! And then took these pictures. lol.


Table up close.


Table & sill above.


I got all of these print outs on Pinterest. You can find them under Holiday Decor. And yes, the last one is longer than the rest, I ordered these in the wrong size and had to cut them down, except I couldn't cut that bunny off, it's too cute, so he peaks over the top of the frame. ;) I've been meaning to move him to the center frame but yeah, hasn't happened. lol


And a wide shot of the kitchen Easter decor side. Still need to add more art to this wall. Mind you my kitchen is still under construction. ;)


Have you started decorating for Easter? What's your favorite Easter activity?

I painted the top part of my kitchen cabinets this weekend as well. I'll hopefully have a Kitchen finished post in a couple weeks. I'll post current kitchen picture progress pictures later this week. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Maybe Baby... another month gone

Well, another month has come & gone & we still aren't pregnant. I got my monthly 'frenemy' yesterday, so with today being day 2 and my worst day, I'm plopped on the couch watching cartoons with Gracie, working on my blog. One positive thing about getting my period is that for the first time in years I actually got it on time back to back months. I normally skip two months in between cycles. So, maybe this is a good thing! Regardless, we're staying positive about all of this & we're not giving up! When the time is right, we'll be blessed with a new little one.

Speaking of a new baby, I've obviously had baby fever and have taken to Pinterest to look for nursery ideas for when it does finally happen. So, I thought what the hell, I'll share a few of my ideas on my blog as well. We actually have a little room right off our bedroom, that is supposed to be a bathroom/laundry room, but is currently only being used as a laundry/storage area since we gutted the bathroom part out of it a year ago. So, we've decided if I get pregnant before next year, we're going to transform it into a nursery/laundry room. I'm already flowing with ideas on how to make the laundry side hidden and the nursery side a beautiful little room for a baby. Oh, my brain never stops, I swear!

Here are a few rooms I really liked on Pinterest:

I already know I want to paint the walls grey. I'd like to use green with yellows or teals. Something very neutral.




I'm obsessed with Elephants, have been forever! I'd love to add those to the room too.



I've been completely obsessed with this green crib from Ikea, for years! I'll probably end up getting this.



& I really love this bumper.



So I'm definitely going to do something with grey and green, mostly because the room is connected to my bedroom & my bedroom is grey & green. I want it to all be connected. :) I'll probably add two other accent colors. I'm just unsure which two. Thankfully, I have a while before it matters. ha! ;)

What colors would you paint a nursery? Feel free to share!

PS. New layout!

pinsday!

First off, Happy February! :)

I've decided that every Wednesday I'm going share some of my most favorite Pin's from everyone's new addiction, Pinterest! Every week I'll pick a different theme, this weeks theme is Living Rooms. Since, I'll be redesigning my living room from the top down, in the next couple weeks. So yes, this Mama is a tad excited! So to hold me over until my big redo, here are some amazing Living Room's.

This living room is actually where I got my original inspiration to transform my nonfunctional living room into a multifunctional room by adding a dining area. It's by the geniuses over at Young House Love, one of my all time favorite blogs!


I just love all this blue so much! I'm also going to have an accent wall that's blue, where my flat screen will be hanging as well as other decor.


Oh how I love blue & gray mixed together. Another hint of what I'm going for in my new living room. My sofa will be grey with blue & yellow accent pillows. Oh gosh, I can't wait. This living room is just perfection!


Another living room mixed with dining room area. Ugh, I love it! The blues, the greys, the everything. Love!


You can find all of these pin's & more great living room's on my Pinterest! Feel free to follow me, if we share some of the same interests, I'll follow back. :)