I got an AWARD?!

Holy macaroni & cheese! First & foremost, I totally feel undeserving of this award because I've neglected this blog except for maybe once a month...however, perhaps this will inspire me to write more;o)

So, Sara from NinjaPanza nominated me for an award. She has little Oliver, 7 months, who just has the cutest laugh ever. I dare you to watch her post "Gigglefest" and not grin from ear to ear! It can't be done...it's so stinkin cute!

Here be the award:

The rules? List 10 interesting, random facts about ME! & then nominate other blogs!

So, please keep all hands and feet inside the ride at all times...and try to refrain from jumping out at any particularly boring moment:oP

1. I have never lived on my own. Parental household -> dorm room -> apt w/ brother -> living with boyfriend...who became hubby. Sometimes I wish I had, at one point, lived completely alone so that everything would be MINE and decorated/organized the way I wanted it.

2. I would stay in school forever. At times it's stressful, but I love staying busy and having something to focus on. ESPECIALLY research papers. Sick, isn't it?

3. My favorite dessert is tiramisu. ::drooling now::

4. I know how to latchhook. And I enjoy doing it! But I have NO CLUE what to do with the projects when I'm done with them, so I refrain from doing them.

5. The last advice my grandmother gave me: "Just keep laughing." Words.I.Live.By

6. My first dog's name was Snoopy. And no, he was NOT named after the cartoon character.

7. I have a strong desire to write a book, but have yet to figure out what it's going to be on. I just have this overwhelming feeling that one day I will be presented a great question to research and I can't wait to find out what it will be.

8. I don't like cabinet doors open...even the littlest bit. Call it a tick or OCD or whatever. But if a cabinet door is open, I MUST shut it.

9. I'll sweep and then get lazy and leave the pile in the corner because I couldn't find the dustpan fast enough and I don't feel like dragging out the vacuum. My husband always tells me to get rid of my new "pet" (lots of dog hair) or he just picks it up. Hey...if the dustpan was where it was supposed to be, we wouldn't have this problem to begin with!

10. When I shower I go in this order: wash hair & rinse, wash body - left arm, belly, right arm, left leg, right leg, back, shave & rinse, condition hair, wash face, rinse conditioner out. Random...I know...but now I bet you're thinking about how YOU wash and you do it differently, don't you?

So, now to nominate other blogs....

~~Becky at Caleb Hudson...my best friend, a terrific mom, & an all around beautiful woman who inspires me to be a better person. I.LOVE.HER

~~Jen at It's A Domer Baby...I was sent a link to her blog when I was researching natural birth (she did a homebirth) and I was inspired by her birth story and now I love reading up on how she's raising little Joseph

~~Nate's Mama at Living like a bunch of dirty hippies...my local internet pal (who I still have YET to meet!) who pointed me towards the birth center I went to and answered all my never-ending questions about natural birth & such

~~Ruth at The Jones Brouhaha...a "knottie" from way-back-when who recently had a gorgeous little baby boy...OMG I just want to snuggle him and give him kisses (note to self...remember to put his gift in the freakin mail already!)

~~Becki at Our Sweet Pea...my girlfriend from back home who is currently pregnant. She is fun and crazy and if pregnancy doesn't kill her (j/k!) I think she'll make a damn good mommy!

Autumn's Room

Autumn's room is coming along VERY nicely! It's a very small room with a lot of furniture, but I think we've done an excellent job so far keeping it open in order to move around and be accessible. These are pictures taken with my laptop camera, so some didn't come out as well as I had hoped. Still to come...pictures of the dresser, wardrobe, & changing table.


Ta-da! Her name! YAY! The letters were a shower gift from my boss & good friend. They were white when we got them & then after a trip to Michael's they've been handpainted with a lot of thought behind their design.


This is her crib bedding. Actually, the set comes with black & white crib sheets, but we decided to accent the bedding with red sheets instead.

Her window treatments. The valance matches the crib set. The black rod came from Kmart. The black curtains from Walmart. And the sconces we've had around the house for years and were originally off-white. Shawn painted them red w/ black accents (sorry there isn't better detail to show).

Light switch cover & outlet covers. 100% my husband's idea. I'm glad we're creative together - it's made decorating her room so much fun!

Her closet door knobs. Painted red w/ NJ Devils (NHL in case you didn't know) logo stockers attached. Whose genius idea could that have been?!

That is a picture of Martin Brodeur above my child's crib. Please note: it is BELOW the Cross because we cannot be committing sacrilege in this house:o) Yes, I agreed to this. Because sometimes you have to pick & choose your battles and, honestly, it's kind of cute how Shawn is putting his own thought into all of this.

The sitting area! The hamper & the bin (which will be used for books & toys) match the crib set also. The rocking chair & ottoman were from Craigslist and obviously do NOT match. The upholstery on both is blue with red flowers...hence the red throw over the chair. But this is the MOST COMFY rocking chair ever & I had to get it!

Wall art! This is hardly all of it - I'm still waiting on a few pieces. On the ride side is the wall beside the closet. The picture frames were a set that - again - match the crib bedding. The puzzle mirrors I adore! I think mirrors are great for little kids to look into and make observations and the puzzle theme is just really cute! We might get two more to add to the wall!

On the left is the entrance to her room. The NJ Devils flag was added by, guess who? He wanted to hang it somewhere more prominent in the room and I absolutely refused! This was a compromise - when the door is open it's actually behind the door, so you only see the edges.

buzz buzz.....

goes the busy bee!

~Thank you notes complete & to be mailed out tomorrow
~Bills paid & to be mailed out tomorrow
~Crib bedding is all washed & crib is 100% ready
~Bassinet bedding is all washed & 100% ready
~New shower liner bought
~Made a return to BRU & bought some very important registry items regarding breastfeeding
~Packed a diaper bag for each of our cars (THAT was exciting!)
~Designed Autumn's name letters
~Picked up/ordered the last of the cloth diapering necessities
~Ordered some wall art for the nursery

TO-DO

~buy craft paint & paint letters
~pack "birthing center/labor" bag
~clean bathroom
~more laundry (adult & baby)
~another BRU visit
~make freezer food
~find decoartive curtain rod & order red scarf for window treatment in nursery

When a man ain't around...

Things can still be accomplished. Are they installed correctly? No. Will they ever tumble out and bonk Autumn on the head? Unlikely. Do they look nicer than a closet full of crap? YES! Therefore, it's awesomeness all around!!!

As of last week they weren't even completely painted. One still only has one coat, but I'm lazy, I can't tell the difference, and it's good enough to make me smile - so we'll call it "done." I need a nail gun to install the handles and I don't know where hubby's is, so it'll have to wait til he gets home. I know there will probably be some criticism because it isn't perfect, but it's the first time this closet has had doors since we moved in - 3 years ago! So...I don't care what anyone says. I'm happy!!!!!

Creativity in the works...

So whenever I get around to not being lazy, I'm going to try to do thins sort of project for my bff's son

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e07602&categoryid

Of course, his name isn't Sara and I don't think his color is quite pink;o)

I also want to do some stuff for our home, but for some reason I'm more motivated to do things for other people's homes before my own. I'm all for saving money while decorating and I'm actually pretty crafty when I put my mind to it, so why not? Doing crafts actually relieves a lot of tension (for me anyway). So, I think soon I'll get started on this project and maybe a few others. It's never too early to start thinking about nursery decor!