Christmas Time Is Here...

This is a recent pic of Amelia that I love. My girl loves to wear hats. Sometimes it's her Daddy's ball cap or a straw hat w/a large flower, but thankfully on this day it was a sweet, girly hat. :)



I had an EARLY doctor's appointment this week and woke up to snow! It was just a dusting of snow, not enough to play in, but pretty to look at and enough for Amelia to make a tiny snowman to keep in the freezer. It's still in there...she goes to the freezer to visit him every day. (LOL)



We had a special movie night this week. After bath time we made hot cocoa, turned off the lights, and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. Amelia was glued. Her favorite character was Snoopy. I loved just watching her face the entire time.



Alex put up our tree several days ago but I just got around to putting the ornaments on this afternoon. I wanted to surprise Amelia when she woke from her nap. We came around the corner and she said, "OH WOW!!"



I took part in an ornament exchange hosted by several bloggers. I received the prettiest ornaments from my partner, Jenn! She sent me this "A" and snowflake ornament and a pretty frame ornament that I still need to put a pic in. Thank you so much, Jenn. I'll think of you every time I look at them.



I put a special ornament on the tree for Amelia. It's the one she can play with and touch as much as she wants. It has a button that she can push and it sings "Hark the Hearald Angels Sing." I'm hoping this will keep her from touching/breaking all of the other ornaments. We'll see. So far so good. :)



We accomplished a little decorating today. I'm not going all out like I usually do but have a few things I definitely want out. I love seeing my girl's names on their stockings. :)



Christmas is only 17 days away. Can you believe it!???

Love to all,

Master Bedroom Redo - In Progress

One of the good things about us being on a budget now is that we've set aside funds each month for me to finish decorating the rooms in our home that are incomplete. Which is pretty much every room. I like doing it slowly because it has caused me to really shop around, make a list of my wants, and then wait until we've saved enough for me to make the purchase. It also makes me think long and hard before making the purchase. I've even found things on sale because I've had to wait. There are pieces in my home that I love and will keep forever but for instance, I have zero curtains in any of the rooms. I have a problem with making a decision on things like that. It seems so permanent and curtains aren't cheap. I love to change things up on a regular basis (like with every season) so I don't want to spend a whole lot on things like that, but I want it to look nice.

God put something in us as women (most of us anyway) to want to decorate our "nest." I'm blessed to have a husband that will leave the decorating to me. He could care less what I do and wants our home to feel like me. I try to imagine what our home would feel like if Alex did the decorating and heaven help us - it would be all leather furniture, blank walls, and more than likely nothing would coordinate because he's color blind - bless his heart. He is the first to say, "I don't want anything to do with the decorating." When Alex and I were separated, one of the things he said when we got back together was that our home felt like me again. He missed that. He missed the personal touches that only I could give our home. If you're a husband and you don't understand your wife's need to decorate your home, move furniture, change paint colors, etc...just stop trying to understand it and realize that God made us this way! (LOL)

My "style" has changed drastically since I was a young, 19 year old newlywed. It has even changed a lot since we bought this home several years ago. I love color yet I love clean...lots of white. I've been working towards using more neutrals in our master bedroom for a while now. We have a sitting room on one side of our bedroom and our master bath on the other. I'm going to incorporate the neutral colors into the sitting room and then white and this color of blue in the bathroom.



So this is what I've done so far. The picture above the bed will be framed in a new/lighter frame soon and will go on another wall in the bedroom. I'm currently looking for something else to go above the bed. Any suggestions are welcome!



This is my side of the bed. I've started keeping fresh flowers in our room...it's lovely to wake up to these every morning. Last week I had pink tulips!



This is Alex's side of the bed. I'm going to re-frame these pictures as well. I don't like the dark frames. Maybe something silver...we'll have to see what Michael's or Hobby Lobby has on sale.



I found a lot at Target. I love some of the new designers they've started carrying and I don't feel like I've paid an arm and a leg if I want to switch it out later. I already had the polka dotted duvet and have a couple of others that I may try at the end of the bed. Alex says he likes the polka dots! :) Next purchase will be curtains. Just hope I can make a decision.



It's a work in progress. I'll post more pics as I add things.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. It's another weekend of beautiful weather here!!

Love to all,

A painting for Amelia's room...

I decided to take Amelia to her pediatrician's office today. She has been getting worse vs. better since going to the after hours clinic on Saturday. I asked the after hours clinic to run a strep test. I felt like that's what Amelia had because she had it once before and her symptoms were the same. The nurse struggled to get the swab to the back of Amelia's throat but said she got what she needed.

The test came back negative.

They told us she had an upper respiratory infection. My Mom had been here for a few days over Valentine's Day and was sweet enough to babysit Amelia. Amelia started feeling yucky on Valentine's night. Mom started feeling yucky after she got back home and finally went to the doctor yesterday. Guess what?

She has strep.

I knew immediately that Amelia had given it to her. My Mom has never had strep in her life. So I decided to be THAT MOM and take her to the doctor and ask for another strep test.

It came back positive.

My poor baby has been dealing with this sore throat/fever/runny nose/congestion/upset stomach/etc for a week now. I feel so bad for her. She refused all food this morning. I'm sure it just hurt too much to swallow. I'm just wondering where in the world do you catch strep?? Amelia goes to church nursery and no one there had it. She and I go out very little...we're home most of the time. She has been sick so much and I feel like I should be doing something to prevent it. I just don't know what to do. I wash my hands like a crazy person...it's one of my only OCD qualities. Should I be rubbing her down with hand sanitizer on an hourly basis? Kidding. I'm just ready for her to be well for longer than a month. Are your kiddos sick this much during the winter??

On a happy note - LOOK what I received a picture of today. I am so excited to hang this in Amelia's room. I've been following Kim's blog since before we started fertility treatments. I'm adding this picture of me and Kim in Atlanta because I think she's so darn cute. Look at me hunching over, trying to look normal up against her tiny-self.



I've always been a huge fan of her work and knew that when I had a baby - I needed a piece of her artwork. She stopped taking orders quite a while back because she had so many to fill. I've been watching the countdown (like a stalker) to see when she would get to me! When it came time to decide what I wanted - I totally left it up to Kim. Since I've stalked her website for years and haven't seen one thing that I haven't loved - I trusted her completely. She did not let me down! I sent her pictures to give her the feel of Amelia's room and also swatches of the bedding material. I've always wanted Amelia's room to be colorful and fun and this painting will go perfectly over the crib. I still have one wall in Amelia's room that has nothing on it. I know what I'm going to do - I just haven't done it yet. Like every other room in my home - it's a work in progress. Never really complete. So if you want to see a few pictures of what IS finished in Amelia's room and see the AWESOME painting that will go above the crib - go HERE!! And then place your own order with Kim!!

Oh, and nevermind the squished up bedding in Amelia's crib. It used to be all nice and neat and you could actually see the pretty bedskirt and then she grew and started standing on it and sleeping on it like a pillow. I'm hoping no one will even notice the bedding once I get the painting up there!

Love to all,

Amelia's 1st Birthday!

I'm finally posting pics from Amelia's party. I had over 200 pictures to go through, so it took a while to choose. All pictures were taken by Karin Fulgham. Thank you, Karin for all of the beautiful photos!

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

I found this Happy Birthday sign a long time ago...before I even knew what the color scheme for Amelia's party would be. I pulled it out of the closet a week before and was excited to see that it matched! My S-I-L, Jen made the sign for the front door. She started painting not too long ago and has stayed busy with orders ever since...she's so talented!



My S-I-L, Elaina made the birthday pennant! I loved it. She also made the ribbon "skirt" that we put around Amelia's highchair, which was darling. I was so grateful for her help! She made Amelia the most special birthday gift. It was a book filled with letters to Amelia from family. Something Amelia will treasure for years to come. I tried reading some of the letters at the party, but I started crying, so I waited until afterwards. Such a thoughtful gift.



The table decor was really simple. I used a variety of glass candy dishes, jars, and cloches in the center of each table. I filled them with yellow, white, and hot pink gumballs and then tied balloons to float above each table. One of the candy dishes that I used was Amelia's Great-Great Grandmother's. I prayed over it before I put it on the table...that it wouldn't get broken! (LOL)



I painted 12 frames for Amelia's monthly pictures and hung them with ribbon on the fence.




I wanted the food to be simple. We had regular chili and chicken chili to make frito chili pies. We made them like we used to do at our fall carnival - opened the bag of fritos, poured the chili right inside the bag and topped with cheese & sour cream. It was easy and we didn't need bowls! :) We also had mini pulled pork sandwiches.



We did veggie sticks served with ranch & Joy made pecan pie bars and homemade caramel corn. The caramel corn was SO GOOD!!



I wanted a pink and yellow drink to serve. I chose pink lemonade & apple cider punch. The apple cider punch was my favorite. I found the recipe HERE. I'm going to make some at Thanksgiving & Christmas...it's so yummy! I found these drink dispensers at Walmart. I just switched it around and used the bottoms of the dispensers as ice containers on top...it worked perfectly! I found the water bottle labels on etsy. She changed up the colors to match the party and added Amelia's name. She also made the round labels for the cotton candy favors!



I really loved these hot pink & white striped paper straws! You can find them in just about any color combo.



And then there was cake! This was Amelia's "smash cake."



She was a fan! You'll see in that last picture, she's raising her hands in praise over her cake. That's my girl.



I bought her a little dress from Carter's that had a birthday cupcake w/candle embroidered on it. It had a cute, tulle skirt. I didn't want her to get her party dress messy and didn't want her to wear a bib in the pictures, so it made perfect sense to have an outfit change for the birthday cake!



I loved the larger birthday cake that we served to guests. I wanted it to look homemade and to be very simple. Mickey's did a fabulous job and it tasted SO GOOD. They're my favorite bakery to use for special occasions. I found some glittered letters to spell ONE and I thought that was all it needed. We used the cake server set that was given to Amelia from Dr. Lew & Sue before she was even born. It has her initials engraved on it with a sweet message from them. We will use it at every birthday party & then she will use it on her wedding day...MANY, MANY, MANY years down the road! (LOL)



Here are the party favors. I love cotton candy. It's so light and fluffy, I don't know how it could be bad for you.



We had a bounce castle, face painting, balloon animals, and the large frame for pictures. My brother, Andrew made the frame for me. He called and asked what color to paint it and I told him the colors of the party. He just happened to have some bright yellow paint in his garage, which worked out perfectly! I found the frame at Hobby Lobby. I got it 60% off, since their was a chip on it!



Our family & friends had fun with it. :)



We had over 60 family & friends come to celebrate with us. We are so blessed!



The birthday girl with her Granny & Papa (my parents) and her Nana & Daddygrand (Alex's parents).



Amelia had her picture taken with just about everyone at the party. She was such a good sport. I just stuck a balloon animal in her face and she would perk right up! (LOL)



She had a little dance with her Daddy. They do this a lot in the kitchen. :)



She had lots of cousins to help open her gifts - she didn't really know what to do. She was more interested in the tissue paper. She received some fun toys and cute clothes! She thanked everyone by blowing kisses. :)



She had to get some pictures with her BFC (best-friend-cousin), Millie Beth!



I love this quilt she's sitting on. Alex's Grandmother gave it to her. It's very old, so I put another quilt under it, so not to mess it up. Mimi wasn't able to be there, so I wanted something out to remind us of her.



I think this is my favorite picture of her. I'm just curious what's going through that sweet head of hers. :)



1 year old. How can it be?

Love to all,

Randomness...

I'm happy to report that my baby is back to her happy, SLEEPING self. She's back to sleeping 10-11 hours at night and for that I am thankful. I still don't know what caused the high fever, but I'm glad it's gone.



She was sitting in the floor today and blurted out MOMMY! It was as clear as day. Alex and I looked at each other in disbelief and busted out laughing, which scared her to death and caused her to burst into tears! She'll probably be too terrified to ever say Mommy again. She'll refer to me as Jill from here on out. She has said Mama, but never Mommy. It just amazes me each and every time she says/does something new. I seriously love it.



I'm still working out with my trainer, twice a week. I'm also having to see a chiropractor three times a week. I have some major pelvis/spine issues. I waited too long to go, so now I'm paying for it. Once we get that fixed, it will make my workouts much easier!



We're planning a little getaway for our anniversary. We're looking forward to it. This will be the first time that we've both left Amelia. We've both left her to go on trips, but the other was at home with her. She'll be staying with her Aunt Joy while we're away, so I know she'll get lots of love and be entertained by her cousins. :)



I'm working on re-decorating our bedroom, sitting room, master bath. I'm searching for just the right pieces. We moved a piece from the living room into the sitting room and we really like it. Now for the perfect desk, bedding, and accessories. I went to some antique stores looking for a desk...no luck yet. I really want to do this on a budget, so I'm going to be patient and wait for something that I love and that's just the right price!



I ordered Amelia's pictures yesterday and I'm beyond excited to receive them. I can't wait to share them with you!

Have a blessed weekend.

Love to all,

Fall Decor...

Fall has officially arrived!! It actually feels like Autumn outside. I love it! I'm thinking I will make some hot apple cider tonight. YUMMY! I'm looking forward to when it's cool enough in the evenings to use the fireplace. Though it's going to have to get pretty darn cool for that to happen. Pregnancy makes a girl hot! My poor family and friends that come over. They sit wrapped up in blankets or know to bring a sweater when they visit. HA!

My Momma was kind enough to do my fall decorating. Alex commented on how great the house looks...so Momma, you did a great job! :) I've posted a collage of pics below (click on the pic to enlarge).

I changed up my mantle this year. I bought the wheat bundles at TJ Maxx, added a larger leaf garland that I already had, and then sprinkled a few of my glass pumpkins throughout the leaves. My dining room table is a little bare this year. Still can't decide if I want to add more to it or not. For now it's staying the way it is. I bought the GIVE THANKS pillows on clearance last year at PB. I just couldn't bring myself to pay full price. I had forgotten I had them, until Momma pulled them out of the closet! I found the caramel apples a couple of months ago. Don't they look real!? Everyone that comes into the kitchen has to pick one up to see. :) Of course, I have to have my WS hand soap & lotion. This year they have Spiced Chestnut for fall...it smells SO GOOD!



That's all for now! I will be back with a baby/nursery update soon. :)

Don't forget to enter my (1st of many) Favorite Holiday Things Giveaway! You can enter HERE. The deadline to enter is tonight at midnight.

Happy Fall Y'all!

33 weeks and counting...

I'm not even going to tell you what my husband was saying while taking this pic. He was totally making me laugh. I WILL tell you that I'm 33 weeks and counting the days until November! :)


Here's what little miss is up to this week!

This week A weighs a little over 4 pounds (like a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. I'm relieved to know that A no longer looks like an alien. (LOL)

Fall is officially here and I'm lovin' it! My parents were in town for a couple of days. They had to leave Saturday afternoon, but before they left my Mom put out my fall decor. I'm still experiencing some serious swollen feet/legs when I'm up for more than a few hours at a time. We had been out for a while and the feet were feeling it. She brought me back to the house to lay down while she decorated. Thank you, Momma!! I'm going to post pics of my fall decor soon. :)

My little niece, K turned 1 on Saturday! I remember that day like it was yesterday. On the day she was born, I was struggling to hang on to hope. The pic below is our first picture together...she was just hours old. I had just gone through a 2nd cycle and was on bed rest. I remember going to the hospital, holding her in my arms, and the tears started falling. I remember my family just giving me that moment with her. It was a happy day, but at the same time, very hard for me. I wanted so badly to be holding my own baby. Just a week later, I found out that I was not pregnant. It seems like my cycles always fell around the birth of a niece/nephew. I know now that God was in that. He was in every little detail and was doing a work in my heart with each failed cycle. I had no idea that in just a year, I would be weeks away from having my own baby girl. The waiting was hard. But I still wouldn't change a thing about our 3 year journey up to this point. His timing is perfect. He brought me to a place of finding joy in my infertility. A place of thankfulness. And then He blessed us with our miracle baby.


K shares a birthday with my Grandma Mc, so they had a joint party. It was a gorgeous day...perfect weather to be outside. By the time of the party, I had been up for a long time. My Uncle snapped the pic of me with my eyes closed...I could have totally fallen asleep there on my Daddy's shoulder. That was around the end of the party...I promise I didn't sleep through the entire thing!! :)



I hope you guys have a great week!

OH....I will be posting the 1st giveaway for my favorite Christmas things, this week! You won't want to miss it!

Love,

Thinking about the nursery...

As I have said many times before...the nursery is one of the most exciting things about this pregnancy. Of course, Little Miss herself is THE MOST EXCITING thing! Preparing for her arrival is such fun. I'm having a blast picking out fabrics for the bedding, shopping for the perfect accessories, etc. I thought I would share some colors that are going into her nursery. I love color. I want her room to be a place that she loves. I want to love it too, because I'm sure I'll be spending many sleepless nights in there. :)

So here are some of the colors that will be going into baby girl's nursery. Some are actual items, some are just inspiration.



I look forward to sharing more with you guys. So much more to come...stay tuned!

Love,

The Nursery...

I'm a list maker. I feel accomplishment in making a list and being able to check things off. :) I decided that we need to make a list of things to buy/do before the baby arrives. When I think of the fact that it's only 4 1/2 months until the babe is here, I start having a slight panic attack. There is so much to do!

My sis, Joy, came over today and we tackled the baby's room, which is currently a guest room. I have A LOT of seasonal decorations that I don't want in the attic or garage, that I've always kept in that closet. So we moved everything out of that closet and placed it in the other guest room closet.

So here's the nursery as of now. Never mind that stuff on the bed...it AND the bed will be gone very soon! I thought as we make changes to the room, I will post pics. Sound good?

As soon as we know who we're decorating for, we can decide on a new paint color!


This armoire is on the opposite wall of the bed...it will stay in the room.


We will use this dresser as the changing table. The mirror will have to go.


And here's the baby's closet. It's mostly filled with books. I have bought some things to decorate with over the years, but it's all for a girl's room, so if it's not a girl, we'll save them for later! :)


The nursery is one of the things that I'm most excited about. I've spent many hours on this bed, praying for God to bless us with a child to share this room with.

Thank you, Lord, for this precious baby.

Love,