Five on Friday: Pinterest ADD

This is a random post - but a combination of LOTS of things that have been on my mind.  Really on my Pinterest board aka my "mind".  Seriously, I feel like I get my mind wrapped around one project that I feel like I have to do and then get on Pinterest and start pinning away and my mind keeps racing.

Then ten minutes later, I'm thinking about something else and another project and then I start pinning that.  I mean - it's crazy.  Pinning so many things, so different that there is no time left to actually DO the projects.  Funny how that works right.  The good and bad of Pinterest and information sharing, right?

So today for my five things - I'm talking about five of the boards I have been pinning the most stuff on and all the projects that have been running through my head.  I feel like I'm all OVER the place and cannot keep focused on one thing at all.  AH!

 

Join the link up too with Darci, April, Natasha and Christina.

{ONE}

First off - baby girl's nursery.  Duh.

With the cream, gray, coral and orange fabric already picked out and projects in the works (thank goodness my aunt offered to do the curtains for me!!), I'm loving ALL these things.  Of course, I'm thinking how can I DIY.  But I love it.

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{TWO}

So as I focus on her nursery, every time I go into Charlie's room I feel bad for the poor little guy and the lack of decor in his room.  I mean for as much time, effort and money we spent on doing his nursery the first time...we literally just picked up everything and moved it into his new room at our new house, minus the paint and curtains.

However, Pinterest got my mind going and then I felt bad I was only focusing on baby girl and started pinning things that could make Charlie's room a little more "pulled together" (as if he'll notice).  But it makes me feel better! Luckily my aunt is making curtains for his room too.  Yep, she's a keeper and amazing.

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{THREE}

Then my mind wanders to our playroom and the lack of awesome stuff in there. Like Pinterest makes me feel like I need stuff on the walls - signs that say "Read" and "Art" and places to hang his artwork.  UGH.  Why is this stuff so freaking cute?  Why are these people so creative?

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{FOUR}

And while I'm thinking about playrooms...then I think about the fact that the weather is turning and it's almost summer (AH) and how much Charlie loves being outside.  And how that means we need a better solution for our backyard "situation".  Which we are working on with my dad to dream up and price out, but man, there are some fun projects out there.

Especially the one with the slide and fence.  Yes friends, our yard is perfect for this (one thing it is).  If I have anything to do with this, this will be in our backyard asap.

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{FIVE}

Whew - are you exhausted from the randomness yet?  Well here's the last one.  With all this outdoor talk, I've been thinking about some delicious summer time eating and healthy cooking and grilling.  I mean who wouldn't be?  

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So there you have it - my random, sometimes middle of the night, sometimes middle of the day, Pinterest thoughts and ideas.  

Other random things I have been pinning: Couponing tips and ideas, Mom tips (and survival kits to be prepared), baby girl clothes, crockpot recipes and more.  My oh my.

I pretty much have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  And a lack of time time and money to do all these things.  But a girl can dream, right?!

Seriously, 4 years of married life?!?

It's crazy to me that 4 years ago today Jimmy and I said "I do".  We told each other before our family, friends and God that we'd become partners, stay best friends, become roommates for life, one day become parents and be there fit each other through the good times and the bad.  I mean...really those "I do" words imply a whole lot!

Um...this picture makes me feel old since now we BOTH have a kid that is older than our niece, Norah, was in this picture!!! AHH!!!

And here we are as Mr and Mrs Carter four years later and I can tell you one thing- I literally cannot imagine my life without him.  I can't and I absolutely do not want to; I love having him as my partner day in and day out.  I mean, any married person knows that it's not all fun and games...but the not-so-fun times (the fighting over stupid stuff, the budget talks, when your grandparent dies or parent gets sick) are a lot better with someone you love and care for right beside you.  

We are actually continuing to work on our marriage and ensure we both are putting the work and effort that it needs to continue to be wonderful.  Everyone with a kid (or multiple) knows that can make life and a marriage a little more stressful.  But also pretty freaking amazing (I mean seriously, looking at your kid thinking hey are 1/2 you an 1/2 your spouse is frightening and amazing all at the same time).  We are not perfect and could both be better partners in some way shape or form.  The great part is that we are both open and willing to figure out where we can improve and just how we can continue to make one another happy.  And that makes me happy!  Very happy!!

We are currently 2 weeks into a 6 week marriage alpha class at church and we are loving it- even the homework part!  It's every Friday night and is so great because we get to take Charlie to the nursery at church (eat some pizza they provide with him before) then go up and eat a candlelit dinner together just the two of us.  I mean seriously-  that's worth it's money in gold right there.  But spending 2 hours with Jimmy one on one each week (ALONE!) is often the highlight of the week.  We have been talking about when we first met, telling funny stories, talking about how to better communicate with each other and learning just how important it is to make sure no matter how hectic life can get (and will be with 2 kids) that its so important to carve out time for each other and our marriage.  It's such a good reminder for us and makes me just love him more that he's willing and committed to doing things like this together!

With that said, I have to highlight really quick some of the top moments from the past year:

- Buying our first car (aka minivan) together 

- Selling our first house that we put so much of ourselves into

- Buying our second house that is our dream!

- Seeing our little baby turn one and into a toddler 

- Finally finishing grad school after so much support from him!

- Subsequently also finding out we were expecting baby #2!!!

- And then soon to follow that I got a new job....

- Then most recently that Jimmy got a new job

Whew.  I'm tired from just writing about the "highlights" of our third year of marriage!! But you know what?! It was a great one.  A year that we will never forget and really thankful we'll never have to relive because to be quite honest- we are both tired!!  Tired and in love- so I guess that's all you can ask for!

I'm excited to kick off year number four of marriage with his crazy guy with him turning the big 3-0 next week and then welcoming our sweet baby girl just a few months later!!  

Happy anniversary, Jimmy!!!  While I might never be this skinny again (thank you non-stop pregnancy), I will let you kiss me like this any day of the week!!

Or this - as long as it's nice outside and all my best friends are in black dresses randomly throwing up flowers being excited for us.  I think we can get them to oblige, no?!

Master bedroom on a budget

Do you think it's weird that I have spent time decorating our master bedroom versus pouring my heart and soul into the nursery?  Yes, I think so too.  However - after being in our house since August and having really NO rooms "done", I started to feel the itch and started trying to piece together our master bedroom on a budget and working with the same paint color (while we actually don't mind painting - this room would be really hard because of the double vaulted ceiling thing and I was already making Jimmy paint the nursery).

And here it is.  I went with neutrals and a pop of color - yellow to be exact.  I actually feel like baby girl's room will be similar actually with just coral and orange substituted for yellow.  So maybe it was my sub conscious working?  But I have to say I'm very happy with the results and the budget that it all came out at.  And I'm going to go ahead and say that I'm guessing after baby girl arrives, this room won't be touched for several years - so I'm glad I like it.

First off, I already posted about the pictures and the inspiration from pinterest I found here.  The real start was the Threshold sheets from Target I got on sale (and have since seen on the show Parenthood) that I really like that are now discontinued (bummer!).  And I just went with the colors from there.  The middle pillow we actually got as a wedding present - so that's awesome!

I got the fabric for the curtain valances from target.com and it's a table cloth - yep, you read right, a table cloth I cut up.  Pretty awesome, as it comes with sides that are already sewn!

PS do you like my crooked bed side lamp?  It's taped on the bottom with black electrical tape #ghetto

So I really wanted some wall hangings on the wall by the windows and actually had some canvases that used to be over the bed in our old house that I painted way back in 2010:

I would say I for sure got a good ROI for these babies...4 years later, they are still hanging in our bedroom just now they are covered in yellow, white, gray and beige fabric.  And I pretty much love them.  PS - this is a target table cloth too, but apparently is sold out online.  Boo.  I know, I'm weird, but it's a cheap and easy way to find good fabric!!!

We like it so much, we are thinking of getting a matching shower curtain too that will keep the hot shower air in (since our shower is open).

Then we move onto my fun wood working project that I did.  And covered with the table cloth as well.  The little bench to go under my vanity.  I'm in love with it.  And so is Charlie.  Like he climbs on it and sits and takes everything out of my drawer and pretends to wash his face and put make up on and brush his hair.  Jimmy thinks it's weird - but I love it.  You know what, he loves me and wants to do what I do...and he's 20 months old!!  Plus he can already throw and loves basketball - so he's all boy.  

Here's a better shot of the bench.  It was super super easy and cheap for the wood.  I also took one of my drawers to Home Depot so they could match the paint color - which is perfect because I've already used it a few times since and will be using it for some nursery projects too!

Bench sans Charlie.

Oh lala.  You see that rug?  Oh yes, that beauty peaking out was courtesy of my mom.  Apparently she bought it like 4 years ago randomly in Topeka or Wichita when she was out shopping/traveling for work (ha!).  She really tried to get gray/yellow color scheme in her house, but couldn't quite make it work.  So she told me she was bringing it over and it would be perfect.  I laughed when she told me that a 5X7 rug could fit in our bathroom.  Mainly because our old master bathroom in our old house was smaller than 5X7 and it has a toilet, shower and sink.  Well, apparently I underestimated just how big our stinking bathroom is.  Because it fits perfectly.  And seriously makes the whole thing so much better because I don't have to walk on the cold floor in the morning and during late night bathroom trips!

I still haven't done anything inventive with the toilet and shower area.  But here it is!  I seriously fell in love with this bathroom.  It still feels like a spa every time I use it.  And I mean seriously, you use your bathroom a lot - so I love it!

And just to finish off the rest of the room - here is our TV area with the double windows (and double valance I made).  I still don't quite have the built ins "accessorized" but with a child that loves to get into things - not quite going to happen!

I did hang one personal frame that lived in our old room.  A sweet medley of the pictures when we ACTUALLY got engaged at Clinton Lake that Jimmy's friend captured (versus our engagement photos)!  I love this frame and was so happy to find a home for it over Jimmy's dresser.

Case in point as you see my little man climbing on the step stool playing with all the light switches, the alarm system and the thermostat.  However, it did keep him occupied for a while.  The down side?  He did fall off once.  He was not happy (and not hurt, thank goodness) and got right back up.  I have to say that he does have quite the will power.

So there you go.  I think all of these things probably were $100-$150, including the sheets, table cloths (for stool and curtains), I already had the frames, bought the knobs, got the rug for free and for the wood.  All in all - I'm pretty pleased and am hoping that baby girl's room will be around that much as well!  We are making great progress on that in terms of some cute stuff AND the budget!!!  Wahoo!

One room done - oh my, what feels like a million to go! 

Books and Boutiques - a great event!!!

I mentioned in my Five on Friday post that I had the day off to go support my sister at her work event, Books and Boutiques, to benefit the St. Luke's hospital foundation.  And while I had an idea of what everything that was involved in the day and had a sliver of an idea of all the work that went into it from talking to my sister these past months - but WOW.  I was seriously blown away!  

It was seriously amazing.  And while she says there were some snafus during the day, no one would have ever known.  I don't even have a clue what they were.  Seriously, it was so awesome!!!!

The day started at 10AM and there were all kinds of booths set up with stores from the KC area.  They were so awesome and full of amazing clothes, accessories (OMG the accessories - I wanted to spend like a million dollars on those) and even some home decor.  It was so fun to walk around and shop through all these neat area boutiques with awesome finds that were all in one place!  I had only heard of a few of them, so it was fun to learn about some more fun shopping places in KC!

A little before lunch, there was a flash mob fashion show too.  It was so neat because they just took streamers and split the crowd and started walking and showing off their stuff.  It was pretty awesome and the models were gorgeous!!  And see those pink boxes that the models are standing on??  Yep - my dad built those.  I think there were at least 7 of them.  That's what they did on a Friday afternoon at my house when I was in London!!  They were SO sturdy!  I loved them.  And guess what?  I even got to take one home and I'm going to cover it to make it into a fancy little ottoman for baby girl's nursery.  YEAH!  

Then it was time for lunch.  And when we walked into the ballroom I was seriously BLOWN away.  I cannot even tell you how fabulous the tables and the food set up looked.  I mean take a look.  It was better than any wedding I have ever been to - let alone that it's a charity lunch.  Sheesh!  She did amazing!!

And since Marlo Thomas was the main speaker, every one in attendance got a free copy of her new book "It ain't over till it's over".  (she did talk a lot about it and I do want to read it!  Sounds pretty good and very inspiring as a woman too!

Here's a view from the back!  The whole room was awesome!!!

This was a picture of the large centerpieces.  The flowers were break taking!  Better yet - we got to take them home, so now they are gracing the presence of my kitchen island.  And who doesn't love fresh and BEAUTIFUL flowers!?!

And a far away shot of Marlo Thomas talking.  She was a great and inspirational speaker.  And she is 76 years old.  OMG.  When she said she was over 70 I about died.  She looked much younger!

And here is a great shot of the Bruns family there supporting our girl!!  She did awesome and we were all very proud of her!  My dad and mom are seriously the best parents ever.  So so supportive.  My dad was there super early to deliver the boxes he made and help with anything my sister needed and my mom was there right after to help as well!  I mean - how amazing!  I just showed up!

AND - my mom also bought a whole table and invited lots and lots of her friends and family to support my sister!  It was so fun to hang out with all these ladies.

Left to right - back row: Vicki (Molly's mom!), Arlene, my mom, my sister, me
Left to right - front row: My aunt, Susan - so sweet of her to come in town for this!!, Lorrie (Katie's mom) and my grandmother.

My dad and my sister's boyfriend, Casey, also joined in the table for some fun!!



Seriously, it was a fabulous event and so fun to support my sister.  I think they raised a ton of money too, which all went to support the St. Luke's South Emergency Room, which is a nearby hospital.  They had some great videos of patients talking about their wonderful experiences there and what a great place for the money to go because you never know when you will need the ER!!

So proud of you, Lyndsay!!  What a great sister and all your hard work sure paid off!!

Twenty months old!

This is pretty much every night at our house: shirtless little boy because he loves to feed himself which gets quite messy.  I think it's pretty stinking cute - belly and all!

Height: saying still at 33.5" - we tried but failed to measure!
Weight: Still around the 26 lb mark (I think)

Clothing Size: 24 month and 2T

Shoe Size: after kicking shoes off - we moved to size 7

Number of Teeth: 16+ (this is actually really hard to tell!)

So this is a few days late - but the months just seem to fly by.  And all of a sudden you are 20 months old and it's April.  How does that happen?  It means 2 things - in just 4 short months, you will be 2 but also will be a big brother.  Needless to say, these next 4 months are going to fly by I have a feeling, so we are going to live up our time as a family of three until our sweet baby girl decides to join our fun!!

You are starting to talk a lot more and say a lot more words - so that's been really fun!  You repeat funny words and are understanding things so much better.  You are such a good listener (when you want to be) and are helpful doing little tasks like throwing stuff away, putting your diapers in your diaper pail, helping mom change the laundry and carting around the laundry basket.  It's so fun to see you learning and understand how things in the world work.  A couple of times when I pick you up from school, I ask you to pick up books or toys on the floor and you always oblige.  It's so sweet!

Luckily, you are back to loving bath time.  Mainly because dad is so fun and you just love bubbles.  So instead of saying "no" every time we ask you if you want to take a bath, we just say bubble bath and you get so excited about bubbles and almost run upstairs.  It's pretty cute!

You just LOVE being outside.  You don't quite understand this crazy Kansas weather when it's 70 degrees one day and then 32 the next.  So when we don't let you go outside because it's too cold - you throw quite the fit.  Thankfully, when you are distracted - you do seem to get over it.  But you do like to throw fits every once and a while.  Like on the floor kicking and screaming.  Or just whining for no reason.  Your dad and I aren't trying to be mean, but we do ignore you as long as you are fine.  And it's funny because eventually you stop.  It's still hard to hear you upset - but dude - you're fine!!!!!  Rationalizing with a toddler is not the easiest!!! 

Overall, it has just been so fun to see you grow and change and get cuter by the day.  You are so sweet and still love to snuggle.  I love that you love to sit on my lap and dance with your dad and kiss your dogs.  And I love that you lay on my belly for long periods of time, touch it with your hand and kiss it.  I'm still not sure you understand there is a baby in there - but I just know you are going to be a loving big brother!  Bring on month number 21 - it's going to be a busy and wonderful month!!!!!! Just like every month has been so far - it's pretty crazy how fast you've changed and how you have transformed into a little boy!

We love you!

Mom and Dad

Five on Friday!!

All I can say is that I'm so glad this week is over!  It was a crazy one!

 

Join the link up too with Darci, April, Natasha and Christina.

{ONE}

I'm so excited to have my first day of PTO at my new job today.  While I have a good reason to have the day off (see number 2), I do have a short to do list with some errands to run sans child + husband!  So I'm excited and would LOVE to sneak in a nap.  Oh a nap.  What is that?

Headed to Home Depot, the eye doctor, the vet.  Oh joy!

{TWO}

I'm off work today to attend an event that my sister has poured her heart and soul into.  I'm so excited to go and see all her hard work she put in and raise some money for St. Luke's South and their emergency room.  Books and Boutiques!!  So proud of my little sister and all the great work that she has done in the non-profit world and now for her hospital!!  She's so awesome!!

{THREE}

I'm also excited for some family time! My aunt, Susan, is in town from Denver for my sister's event for the weekend.  Last time she was in town we had just got the contract on our house and Charlie was only about 12 months old.  Wow how things have changed!  One thing I know?  I won't be reliving our mom's weekend days that we used to have in April - at least not this year...but maybe next when I can have a few drinks!

Mom's weekend 2007

{FOUR}

I ordered these cute ruler ticker marks and "Our Growing Family" sign for a DIY growth ruler.  I'm so excited!  I'm going to put it in our upstairs hallway and will mark it with Charlie's stats so far...then will add baby girl's when she's here.  I am so pumped!  She has such a fun etsy shop with good prices and she shipped it SO fast! Little Acorns by Ro - check it out!

Listing for these decals

{FIVE}

Finally - just one cute Charlie picture of the leftovers of his pony tail that he got at school.  We obviously have some work to do with these pony tails with our baby girl.  But at least he had a good attitude about it!

Happy, happy weekend.  I'm excited for some family time, some sleep and some FUN!

25 weeks!

Oh yes, this is a little late...

How Far Along?  25 weeks

Size of Baby: size of a zucchini!

Gender: Little baby GIRL 

Weight Gain: 18 lbs (I feel like I'm going at a pound a week - let's hope that slows down once it gets nicer weather and we can go on walks everyday after work!!)

Maternity Clothes: Believe it or not - I'm still squeezing into non-maternity shirts and trying to get as much wear out of them as possible until my stomach is just too big.  Maternity pants for sure.

Nursery: Oh man - not much progress.  However, Jimmy and I had an interesting conversation about all the bedding.  I went to a consignment sale this week and there was a really cute used nursery bedding set.  I was SO so tempted to just get that and call it a day.  I called Jimmy to see what he thought and he was so cute.  Even though I'll be doing all the sewing of the crib skirt, curtains and crib sheet...he said he felt like we needed to buy her something new.  He felt bad because everything she has is already a hand me down.  And you know what, he's right?  Baby girl needs something new, made just for her.  I think that was the fourth child in him speaking also, but it was pretty sweet.  Already taking care of his girl.

Movement: She's big enough to kick and move all over and now I can see her kicks on the outside while I'm sitting and looking at my stomach at work.  I have to say one of my favorite things about being pregnant is sitting in meetings at work and feeling/seeing her cook.  It feels like our little secret!

Symptoms: Remember that I said heartburn last week?  Oh man oh man.  Full force.  Especially at night.

Sleep:  Ok still - if I wake up in the middle of the night (aka Toby has started waking up and wanting to go outside), it's really hard to go back to sleep!

Cravings: Typical pregnant woman.  Pickles.  And guess what?  We have none.

What I Miss: Energy!  Felt super tired this past week.

Best Moment This Week: Being at home.  It was a great week being with my little family and feeling my girl moving all over.

Panic Moment This Week: Nothing much this week!

Looking Forward To:  Spending time with our families and the month of April!  Going to be a good month for the Carter family.

I also got a picture with my first girl - Milly!  She was dying to get in!