She's here... And she's perfect!

Fiona Katherine 

6 pounds 14 ounces

30 November 2012

Shortly after we announced her arrival, a friend asked me if the delivery room surprise was everything I hoped it would be. My response was that it was absolutely perfect! So many of my friends thought I was crazy for not finding out the gender, especially when I had an outrageous number of sonograms due to some early complications.

I had several reasons for not wanting to know. First, I have been blessed with both a daughter and a son, and I figured it really didn't matter what I was given next. There was no pressure or expectations for a particular gender. Second, I had absolutely zero time to use my crafty skills to make anything for the new arrival. Not to mention, we're in the end stages of building our dream home, and there is not yet a room to decorate. Third, I remembered an interview with Billy Crystal where he commented that the gender of a baby is one of the last great mysteries. In an age where information is available  at lightning speed with the press of a button, this is one thing that you can keep a surprise. Kind of like Christmas morning before you were the one buying all the presents.

Anyway, the look on my sweet doctor's face, and the excitement in her announcement that we had a girl was just the BEST! It was exactly what I had built myself up for. After months of debate, we still hadn't come to an agreement on names. But I have been dreaming of my sweet Fiona for quite sometime, and as soon as I heard she was a girl I was completely thrilled!!!

I really have too many happy emotions to contain in this one post, so I'm just going to stick to my main point... which is, this was the absolute best surprise EVER!

Man... I thought I was going to do better than this

Okay, so it's been a month. Eh! What can I say... Well, I can say that I breezed through my lesson plans tonight just so I could post. Maybe I should take a moment to do a month in review (if I can remember back that far! and isn't that the main purpose of this blog, so I can keep track of all that here?!)

So, September is gone, but it was fun. We:

* found out that I no longer have any serious complications with this pregnancy!
* sent Brodie on his first Kindergarten field trip (I didn't cry about the fact that I couldn't go, but I was super sad about it)
* made a house for Sam the worm out of leftover building supplies from our house (I'll post pics when the project returns home from school)
* climbed a rock wall while Trey and Kevin ran the mudrun (at my urging, with less than 24 hours notice... I'm pretty sure they still haven't forgiven me) Liv totally rocked it! Brodie, not so much, but he had fun.

* heard Liv perfect "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on her violin... then on the piano... then singing it in her sleep. She is so excited about making music. It makes me smile
* started fall ball for the Brodie man. I just love his little team, they are so cute out there!
* watched little man run out of the Warrior tee-pee before the Biloxi game. He had so much fun! Liv, the bookworm, read the entire time we were there (We won in overtime!)
* kept working on the house! I seriously can't wait to get in that place. A week of soggy shoes was enough to get me SUPER excited about parking in a garage before the next rainy season is here!!!! HVAC is roughed in, and so is most of the plumbing and wiring. It's time to price out some insulation and drywall installation! I really can't wait to put down the flooring! Especially if I get to go with the BEAUTIFUL wood flooring I have fallen in love with. I think the odds are in my favor... there is no glue involved in the installation!
* have been planning a witch hat soiree with a sweet friend!
* helped some new neighbors/old friends move in! Yep, they not only moved an hour closer, but they moved just 5 houses away! Fun!

I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of stuff. I've got to keep up better! Here's to 5 updates in October!

I definitely did not take as many weekly pics as I was supposed to. Maybe if we would just come home after church each week, but it's good to catch up with family I guess ;) I'm not convinced that the sonogram correctly predicted my due date. I really think I'm a few weeks ahead (okay, maybe I'm just ready to get this out of the way), but either way tomorrow marks the beginning of week 30!!!! Yikes! We still don't have a name! Getting closer on a girl's name, but nothing is standing out for a boy! I'm open for suggestions!

I couldn't help myself

i have picked up a few things for Liv's room... like this collection from Target. What? I know I don't have room to collect and store this stuff, but it was on sale and I was able to shove it right up there with all the other quilts and such in my WAY overcrowded closet. Plus, it's totally her style. I let her pick it out, there were a few other really cute options. I couldn't resist the bloom lamp, either. I found a yellow one at Target, and they were going fast... so I actually paid full price for it. Well, guess what is now on clearance, and there were three on the shelf yesterday... Oh well, I'm happy it's sitting on top of my refridgerator. Seriously, I have nowhere to store anything!

I can't get this image out of my head...

I have this pinned, but here is the link to the tutorial for creating your own fort. My problem is two fold... first, I live nowhere near an IKEA, and second, everytime I see this in my head I have added my own twist to the framework construction. Trey is not going to like the sound of that. I am pretty certain that he would rather drive me to Atlanta or Houston to pick up one of these babies, instead of spending hours with me in his dad's woodshop constructing the masterpiece I have in my head. I wonder if the sound of woodworking is soothing to a newborn? I mean, I have twelve weeks off, and I'm not scared of getting my hands dirty (but I am scared of cutting one off! perhaps I should cut back on the Star Wars viewing I mentioned the other day).


On to wall art... Again, I can't collect anything at this moment, but I'm definitely collecting ideas...like this cute idea found at A Happy Heart. This is a much cheaper alternative to vintage plates or mirrors, but I might just mix all of the above and throw in a few frames, posters, pics. We'll see where my scattered thoughts lead. For now, I think I'm going to start drawing up the blueprints for Liv's loft ;)

I want to be a Padawan

We have been a bit obsessed with Star Wars lately. We love the old and the new episodes. The kiddos have a heroes and villains book they read in the car, and they want to be Luke and Leia for Halloween this year. I spotted a Millenium Falcon at Target the other day, and I'm waiting for a solo trip so I can pick it up for Christmas.

With all the house building, I've been getting ideas together kids room decor. Since early this year, Brodie has had his heart set on a Captain America room. As much as he loves Star Wars, I was excited that maybe he would change his mind and let me do a retro Star Wars room.



I saw this one over at Laybabylay and I have been dreaming of it ever since. But he still insists on an Avengers room with a heavy focus on Captain America.

I'm so bummed! I am going to give him what he wants, but I just can't let go of my hopes for a Star Wars room! I think I'm going to use this color scheme in the music room/library. I wish I had somewhere to collect and store some of these accessories while we're building. I can't wait!

May the Force be with you!

27 weeks

Tomorrow is week 27 day 1! While I'm quickly progressing, the house building was at a total standstill this week due to the hurricane. Right after I took this pic I changed into some work clothes and started to clean up the yard. I started laughing after a few minutes of that because I realized just how slow I was moving. I felt like the tortoise, getting the job done but taking one step at a time. So so so glad I'm off work tomorrow as well. I need a little time to recover from this unplanned week off!

I love this tunic. I bought it at Forever 21 almost two years ago, and I love changing the look of it with fun accessories. I found the necklace at a cute local boutique, Ivy. And, yes, those are my trusty jeggings and belt from Target.

Happy Sunday!

In the style of Isaac...

Seriously, could a weekly update be stalled any longer?! I'm happy to report that Hurricane Isaac did no damage to our house, new or current house! But, man, is my yard a mess! I'll try to muster up the gumption to get out and take pics today. It's so soggy out there! Remember when Katrina sat on top of the Coast for twelve hours?... Yeah, well, thank goodness Isaac wasn't much of a hurricane because it only moved at 6mph, dragging itself over the Coast for over 24 hours! Needless to say, we had some major cabin fever, but we are so grateful for our friends who we stayed with. We love Katie!

Sorry, I'm still stalling. So, without further adieu. Here is the weekly pic for week 26! Wow, the weeks are flying by!

And check out the HardiePlank! It's already painted, so this is the color my house will be for at least the next 15 years. I'm so glad I'm happy with the way it's turning out. Our builders are doing a great job. They came out and finished the roof the day before the storm. So thankful for that, it saved the sheetrock that was delivered last week!

I'll return tomorrow with some more updates from my week off work!

So... Weekly installments?

I'm juggling a lot right now, but keeping all the balls in the air! Keeping Biology lessons in order, so my sub can figure it all out come January. Trying to keep my wits about me with a few of my little 9th graders in Intro to Bio. Getting jobs lined up for the house construction (yay for cabinets... that one is my responsibility!). Managing activities and homework and housework and grading. Definitely struggling with that last one!

Anyway, so for now, I am going to commit to a once-a-week update. Just a quick belly shot and house update. I take these pics after church on Sundays. Since these were taken, the siding has started to go up. Soon, I'll be taking pics inside for the updates! Fun!

(ignore the hair, rainy August days are not nice to me)

25 weeks! It's going by so fast!

Time Warp

So, last Sunday, I launched the blog, made some last minute preparations to return to school, and had no idea how quickly everything was going to start unfolding...

Thursday was my scheduled check up with an ultrasound, which confirmed two things. 1. I have placenta praevia, and I'm quite freaked out by that, and 2. I'm not 21 weeks pregnant, but rather, I'm 24 weeks, TODAY. Holy cow! So, I just had a mini time warp. I went from being at the half way point, with 20 weeks left of preparation, to the startling thought that possibly in just 12 weeks I'm going to be a new mama! Do you even realize how much I had to do in those 8 weeks?!

I'm definitely not going to be in this baby before maternity leave... but check out the doors and windows that were installed just a few days after that first post. I'm so excited about how it's coming together. Slowly but surely, it's going to be a comfy and relaxed home before I know it!

Happy Monday! I'm off to teach some Biology... Wahoo!

What is the Best Part of Going back to School...

The school supplies, of course! I love getting new pens and markers and crayons and, well, you get the picture. Kindergarten supply lists are even more fun with coffee filters (for snacks), plates (for crafts), and plenty of construction paper. I cannot wait to see the projects that come home!

By the way, I had no idea how much space the school supplies for two kids would take up in my living room! Maybe I won't shop so early next year! Ha! You know I can't stay away from those great sales at Office Depot.

(the book bags are already filled with supplies here)

SO, anyway, after getting everything situated I realized I needed to find some way to get all this stuff to school on the first day. This is where I should mention that Brodie's teacher was Liv's teacher a few years ago (and we love her!), and Liv's assistant teacher was her a.t. in Kindergarten and has since moved to 2nd grade (we are thrilled!!!). I decided to make some fun bags to get the supplies to school, and then to give the bags to the teachers as back to school happies. Who doesn't love a happy?

I found the chevron duck cloth at Hobby Lobby. My friend, Leslie, used the same duck cloth in this cute project. At the beginning of summer, I picked up some of this fabric knowing that I could use it in the baby's space (everything is grey, white, and yellow). Then, when I came up with the idea for the bags, I knew the canvas weight fabric would be just perfect! I used a paper grocery bag from the commisary as the pattern for the bag, then added a few inches all around for good measure. 

I was thrilled with the outcome. Trey didn't really have an opinion on them... until he had to carry them in on the first day! (I can't believe I didn't get a pic of him carrying them out to the car, he was so cute)

Thank you Mrs. R, Mrs. E, Miss J, and Mrs. B! We are looking forward to a great year!!!

Keeping Tradition...

My sweet friend, Cristin, got me started with the fun tradition of presenting each of my children with a fun new pillowcase the night before school begins each fall. Her projects have always inspired me to savor these sweet days. She is a frequent blogger, and I can't find the post with pillowcases :( You should go check out all the fun crafts and traditions she fills her home with! I have access to pretty much the cutest fabric, and this has been something I continue to look forward to each year. I was somewhat surprised to find that my littlest looked forward to it even more than me. You see, this is the year he entered Kindergarten. Shortly after pre-K graduation, I heard him telling someone that he is finally getting a school pillowcase! While the lady at the fabric shoppe had no clue what that meant, it made me so happy that I picked up this tradition two years ago!

I found this year's fabric at a new"ish" shoppe in Gautier, called Block Therapy. Such a fun place to shop. Bro man's fabric is from the Punctuation collection by Sandy Klopp for Moda Fabrics. It just screams "Kindergarten is the Best!" (Don't you agree?)

When I saw the iHeart collection by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Timeless Treasures, I knew exactly what it would be perfect for... my little girl who loves robots and gadgets and such! The coordinating fabrics were amazing, and Joan (the shoppe owner) had just scored a major deal on the newest trims from Riley Blake Fabrics! She let me dig through the box in the back room to find exactly what I needed... She's so great!

 

 

My mother is the master of all things sewing related. I trust her with all of my monogramming needs. The price is right and the work is impeccable! The kids seem very happy with the result... though the pillows are a bit too big. I swear I did not make the pillowcases too small. It's just that when I went to walmart, the standard pillows looked so tiny, and the queen sized pillows looked right. I'm wrong, a lot, I can admit it. They are huge! And if the kids can actually lay on them for a whole night without rolling off (they are quite log like) they might even compact over time!

20 Weeks

 So, it wasn't completely necessary, but I figured that I would go ahead and start fresh. I've been the absolute worst blogger ever, but I can get a second chance, right? Maybe it would have made for sense for me to start this venture at the beginning of the summer, rather than the end, but no one's judging my sensibility (I hope).

A little update for those of you who don't know the craziness I've found myself in these days... I'm going back to work this Wednesday (Yay! for Biology), We finally started construction on the "big" house (anything is bigger than the one bedroom pool house we've occupied for the last six years), Brodie is starting Kindergarten, Liv is a Second Grader, and we're starting all over again in December. The 20th, so the doctor says, hence the title of this post... 20 Weeks! Yep, already halfway there. I was never really good about taking pics of the baby bump before, so I'm going to sart with that goal. I thought it would be fun to document the growing belly right along with the construction of the "big" house. So, here we are on the front porch of the house. The overhang is new this week, and the door opening is just about right!