Say Anything

New Obsession...Baby Food

2012-01-17T15:34:00.000-06:00

(a very messy 1st spaghetti dinner)

My boy is a very good eater. Like crazy good. He started off slow with the rice cereal, but probably cause it tasted like crap. So once we started giving him new flavors to try he just went to town. It started slow with how much he would eat, but once the doctor told us to feed him three meals a day, it was on.

We had been feeding him lots of different flavors of baby food from the jar, and he did great on them. But as time went on, and he was doing great at feeding himself puffs I thought it was about time to start some finger foods. First we did bananas cause that seemed easy. Then I thought sweet potatoes would be good and that went well too. Then I did some Googling and wrote down some suggestions. The number one suggestion turned out to be avocado.

I bought one avocado and from then on, my boy was hooked. He can eat it every day for every meal. He loves it.

Once he had been eating the bananas and avocados really well, all I could think about was what other foods would he like and why am I buying baby food in the jar.

Last week Jake and I went to the store and bought all the fruits and veggies we could get our hands on. And so my obsession started. One day I'm making him acorn squash, then next its papaya. I cant stop myself. I love making food for my boy.

I've used all the Tupperware we have to freeze some food, and I cant wait to get to Buy Buy Baby to pick up some more baby food storage containers.

Who would have thought that the girl who hates cooking most in the world would be crazy excited to cook for her son!?!

So, now I'm hooked on finding recipes for what he can have next. Any suggestion?

All I Want For Christmas....Day 3

2011-12-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

Books by a Beekman Boy

All I Want For Christmas....Day 2

2011-12-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

Venetian Style Wine Tumblers from Napa Style

All I Want For Christmas....Day 1

2011-12-12T16:37:00.000-06:00

Kate Spade "Mrs." Necklace

Happy Holidays from My Boy!

2011-12-04T18:35:00.001-06:00

So, for the first time in my life I am sending out photo Christmas cards! I have been wanting to do this for forever and now I have the cutest boy to put on our cards.

I give you to you...our first holiday card!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...In Our House

2011-12-01T13:35:00.001-06:00

We are just about done decorating our house for Christmas. We still have the outside to do, which Jake is going to tackle this weekend (YAY). Also, we are going out early Saturday morning and we are buying our REAL Christmas tree! I'm so excited. I haven't had a real tree since I was a kid because my sister was "highly" allergic to the tree...worst thing ever to a kid, let me tell you! We stopped by the nursery last night to see how much the trees cost, and there were so many pretty trees I was in heaven. I cannot wait to put one up in our house! Hopefully, the cats don't go crazy over it and knock it down. I can see it now...timber!!! Yikes. Anyhow, we're going to give it a try.

For now, here are some of our holiday decorations.

Merry Merry

2011-11-29T14:38:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned lately that I am in full on holiday mode?! My house is almost finished being decorated, just need to buy the real tree(!!!!) and decorate it. Since Pintrest is my newest go-to place for holiday ideas, I thought I'd list some of my favorite things I've pinned lately. Lots of ornament ideas and Christmas trees.

What holiday ideas have you seen that you love?

sources: pinterest

Salt Dough Place Cards

2011-11-17T12:55:00.000-06:00

Ever since I've gotten obsessed with Pinterest I've seen salt dough ideas all over the place. Since it's super easy to make I thought I'd give it a try. But what to make? Then it came to me...Thanksgiving place cards.

I started with this recipe:

1 c. salt

1 c. flour

1/2 c. water

Mix with your hands in a bowl until it is all combined. Add more water if it's not forming well...add more flower if it's too sticky. Flour your counter and a rolling pin, and roll it out until it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Then use cookie cutters or free hand to make shapes. Bake for about 2 hours at 250 degrees.

Once they're all baked, let them cool and decorate. Super easy...I did it while Jackson was taking a nap.

Out of the oven and cooling.

Holiday colored ribbon to loop through the hole.

Starting to look pretty.

Paint pens made it easy to write everyone's name on their place card.

They turned out pretty cute. I think my handwriting looks awful on them, but better luck next time I suppose.

Happy happy everyone!

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-16T13:58:00.001-06:00

This year Thanksgiving is going to be at our house. I'm super excited for a few reasons.

1. We get to be with our family

2. Jackson gets to be with lots of people he doesn't see that often on his first turkey day

3. I get to use lots of my dishes that are only used for special occasions

4. Making personalized seating tags

5. Food

6. People coming to OUR house instead of us having to make the long drive

Our Thanksgiving table in the works.

What's Goin' On

2011-11-07T15:45:00.000-06:00

Things in my life have become so different.

I am consumed with a certain little boy who has stolen my heart completely.

We don't do much besides play all day on the floor together.

We do manage to squeeze in some time for Hawkeye football.

We celebrated Halloween too.

And now we're just hanging around a lot.

Oh and we're being driven crazy by some kitties..this one likes to cause trouble the most.

That's about all for now. Just stopped by to say hi. So HI!

31 on my 31st

2011-09-22T11:47:00.001-05:00

So, today is my 31st birthday and I thought I'd give whoever is still out there reading this little blog a little info about me. So, here goes...

1. I am 5 feet tall. Yep that's it...short as can be.

2. I have a crazy love of dish towels. I have towels for every holiday and today my boy got me some more Halloween ones to add to my stock!

3. I don't like people to read a magazine before me. Weird I know but someone (cough cough Jake cough cough) always ruins something in the magazine before I've gotten a chance to read it myself.

4. My little boy and I have very blue blue blue eyes. His little eyes are just dreamy to me!

5. Since high school my style consists of the following: jeans, white t-shirt, cardigan, and slip on shoes. You should see the amount of cardigans I have...it's sick. (but I LOVE them!)

6. When watching TV and someone does something so stupid I cant take it, I hide my face. It's like I'm embarrassed for them. I can't deal.

7. I have 4 cats. Punky Dott - she's very moody, Tate Drew - any Iowa Hawkeye fan might realize that's the name of the old quarter back, only backwards (nerds I know), Sugar Flower - yet another moody cat who goes by Flower not Sugar (weird I know), who hated me until I had a baby, now we're friends, and Griffin Fonzy - I didn't pick Fonzy...that's my hubbys weird love of the Fonz.

8. I have a crazy lip balm obsession. Kiels Lip Balm #1 is my favorite. I carry lip balm with me at all times and if I don't have any, I have been known to stop and pick some up, just in case.

9. I figure skated for 15 years. I wasn't very good but it was a huge part of my life for a long long time.

10. I have been watching Days of our Lives since I was 5 years old. My mom watched it and we had to be quiet when it was on as kids, and I just never stopped watching it.

11. If I could go back and redo my whole wedding I would...except marrying Jake. He's the love of my life! But I would pick a different dress, place, style, lots of things.

12. I love decorating stuff, but I cant get my house the way I want it.

13. I spend about 8 hours of my day sitting on the floor trying to entertain Jackson.

14. I got stitches in my right eye brow as a kid.

15. I met my hubby Jake on the first day of college. We had three classes together and lived in the same dorm. That was in 1998. Wow I'm old!

16. I have lived in Illinois, Iowa, and Louisiana.

17. I collect pretty dishes.

18. My favorite shape is the fleur de lis. I have an outstanding agreement with Jake that anything I like with a fleur de lis on it, I can buy.

19. My favorite colors are pink and blue.

20. I love miniature animals.

21. Keith Haring is my favorite artist.

22. My first car was a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme in grey...and totally pimped out. People would pull up along side me when I was stopped at a light and ask me if I wanted to sell it. I guess it was a "hot" car.

23. My dream house would be an old farmhouse with lots of land and a huge wrap around porch with a swing.

24. My favorite hobby use to be sleeping...now I can hardly sleep.

25. I LOVE the Iowa Hawkeyes and the New Orleans Saints (WHO DAT!).

26. I was married on the rainiest day in Chicago history...September 13, 2008.

27. I have one sister who lives in Georgia.

28. This March will mark the 20th anniversary of my mom's death. I can't believe it's been so long. Back then I didn't think I'd make it a day without her.

29. My middle name is Ann.

30. I finally feel like an adult..and it's not because I'm married or have a baby. It's because I am finally NOT excited about my birthday.

31. I wish I was a better blogger...I just give my little boy all my time instead now, but I miss blogging every day so very much.

Well, there you have it. At about #11 I wondered why I chose to post 31 things, cause I was getting stumped.

Napa Style

2011-08-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we took a little trip to visit my sister's family in Georgia. While there, I spotted some darling wine glasses in her cabinet. Now, some of you may not know but I am a dish junkie! I mean I get crazy excited over plates, glasses, bowls, etc. But mostly wine glasses and champagne flutes..those buggers just make my heart thump a bit faster.

So, after questioning her about where she got these beauties, I had to go online and check them out for myself. You can find them at Napa Style...and if I had some moo-laa to spend right now I'd be snapping these up faster than you can imagine. They are super thin glass and have the prettiest little details on them. Each one is a little different but just perfect!! And husband, if you are reading this my birthday is 1 month and 3 days away....just sayin'!

They also come in champagne flutes and tumblers too.

Thursday Faves - Baby Entertainment

2011-08-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's back! Thursday Faves!

My little man is 3 1/2 months now, and needs entertainment! So, on the hunt I went for fun things that he might like. And I hit the jackpot on a few fun, and inexpensive toys for him. He spends most of his day playing like mad, and these have made things much more fun for him.

Fisher Price Little Superstar Classical Stacker

It lights up and plays music, and Jackson loves it. The bright colors and flashing lights make him beyond happy!

Fisher Price Go Baby Go! 1-2-3 Crawl Along Snail

Jackson loves seeing himself in the mirror so this snail has a big mirror on it's side, it's face lights up and it plays music any time the baby touches it. It also rolls for when he gets moving. This is probably his favorite toy of all.

The Sing-a-ma-jig!

The funniest toy out there. If you want your baby to laugh like mad...get one. You press it's belly over and over and it makes crazy sounds and sings a song. It's mouth moves as it sings too. It's really funny.

Those are just a few of the toys I've found that Jackson loves...what other toys are your favorites?

Iowa Bound

2011-06-29T10:02:00.002-05:00

This little guy has a big weekend ahead of him. He is going to Iowa for the FIRST time!!! Yes to many that probably doesn't sound so exciting but you see, it is! This is the first trip of probably a million for this boy, and I'm very excited to see how he does.

This will be his first long car ride (about 3 hours).

His first trip to Grandma & Grandpa's house!

This is the first time he'll be meeting some of his daddy's family.

It's the first time he'll be in the same state as the best University there is....GO HAWKS!

He is also scheduled to hit up a farmer's market and maybe see some of mom and dad's friends.

The only concern I have about our trip to Iowa is how the heck we are going to fit all his and our stuff in our little VW Golf! Yep we're still sporting the 2 door car, which I must say is not easy at all with a baby carrier that weighs a million pounds and a baby that now weighs 12 pounds! Yep you heard me right, 12 pounds! Whatever happened to my little 7 pound 4 ounce baby...he's growing up so fast!

ps...this Hawkeye baby says "cheer up Kenli!!!"

Life...

2011-06-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

Being a mom is by far the best thing in the whole world! I have never been happier and I couldn't love this little guy more. I thought I would give a little update on what my life has been like now that my "boob guy" has been here.

1. Finding time to get on the computer is hard. Jackson takes up most of my time and I am totally fine with that. Jackson is much more interesting than anything I come across on-line.

2. I can spend the whole day just staring at my boy and be completely happy. Everything he does is beyond cute and spending hours rocking in the chair together is my kind of heaven.

3. It is really fun to dress up Jackson. I use to change my doll's clothes over and over as a kid, and honestly it's just as fun now as it was when I was 5.

4. I have found that I don't need half as much sleep as I was getting before I had him. It's probably the most amazing thing to me, since I was a sleeping champ back in the day, but I do surprisingly well. Jackson sleeps so great. He wakes up to eat every 3-4 hours and then goes right back to sleep (most nights) so we've been very lucky that he's so good, so it hasn't been too hard on me.

5. We will definitely have another baby (down the road a bit). After all that we went through to get pregnant and during my pregnancy, he makes it all worth while. I love him to pieces and I actually cant wait to be able to have a sister or brother for Jackson to play with.

Being a mom has made me feel complete. He really is the best thing we've ever done.

Jackson James

2011-05-27T18:11:00.001-05:00

It's funny how life gets super busy once you have a baby! haha

Here he is (at 2 weeks old)...the (other) great love of my life!

Born April 22, 2011 at 9:30pm

7 pounds 4 ounces

20 inches of pure perfection!

Being a mommy is the best thing in the whole world. I couldn't be more in love or happier!

1 month old

This Weeks To-Do List

2011-04-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

Monday....wait

Tuesday....wait

Wednesday...wait

Thursday/Friday... HAVE A BABY!!!!

Oh yeah! Thursday evening we will be heading to the hospital to be induced and depending on how little man is feeling in there, he should be making his grand debut on Friday!

(this is just the plan...we'll see how it goes)

I'm horrible at waiting for things, I mean HORRIBLE (ask anyone) and this has been the longest thing I've ever waited for in my LIFE!

And it couldn't be more exciting, and worth every second.

Just Because

2011-04-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

Jake and I swung by Buy Buy Baby yesterday with the hopes of trying to spend the last gift card we had there. After walking the store and racking our brains trying to figure out what to get (since we have gotten everything my little head can possibly imagine us needing) we came up blank. That is UNTIL.......we saw this!

Oh that just happens to be the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Rescue Fire Truck!!!! Yeah, what unborn baby boy doesn't need this!?!?! So, after talking it over we decided what the heck, let's get it! So, put this on the list of "most useless toy you can ever purchase an unborn baby!" Yep, he wont be able to use it for at least a year, but when he is ready, it'll be nicely boxed up in our garage just waiting to be played with.

So, there you have it. Our "just because" purchase! And we LOVE IT!

Baby Carriers - Yes or No

2011-04-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Jake and I picked up an ErgoBaby carrier and after getting it home, we started to question our purchase.

We think it's a really nice carrier, but will we actually use it is more of the question for us.

So, for any of you out there that have an opinion on these types of baby carriers, do you love it, hate it, or actually use it?

Any thoughts on these are appreciated. We like to think we'd actually use it, but we're just not 100% sold for the money we paid for it.

Thanks in advance for your help and thoughts!!

Finally....the Nursery

2011-04-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

I know it's been forever since I said I would post pictures of the nursery, but we're finally finished! All the furniture is in, and after our baby shower, with all of the loot we got, we're stocked to the gills with stuff!

Sorry for some of my horrible photo taking, I realized very fast that I am not a "room photographer" by any means.

Starting in the corner...the very comfy glider that I may like more than the baby will.

It's quite "nap" inducing.

Our changing table, with Hawkeye garbage can (which needs to be emptied). Jake is planning on painting a Hawkeye on the wall above this table...so stay tuned for that update.

The huge Hawkeye banner than hung outside Kinnick Stadium.

The chalkboard wall, and some Hawkeye hooks, clock and pennants.

The wall the crib is on, with some of Jake's stadium prints, and Jackson's name that I made with craft letters and some Hawkeye scrapbook paper. It's hard to tell but his name is black with little yellow Hawkeyes all over them.

The crib, with a Hawkeye blanket that a cousin made for Jackson's baby shower.

The hanging helmet is actually a light. It's a replica game helmet, and has grown on me.

Looking up at the ceiling you'll find some Hawkeye flags. I was totally against this for a while, thinking it would look like a bar, but once they were up, I quickly changed my mind. They look really cute.

The shelves above the glider, with all of Jackson's Hawkeye treasures.

Here's a peek into his closet, this isn't even half of his clothes! He already has more stuff than Jake and I combined!

So, there you have it! I finally feel ready to bring this little boy home! Only three weeks left to go, and he'll be here.

Getting Ready for Baby

2011-03-29T12:21:00.000-05:00

Some of "us" in this house aren't so ready for the baby to come.

But they sure are enjoying the baby's new stuff!

I think I'm more nervous about how my cats will respond to a new baby in the house than I am about having a new baby in the house!

Yay!! I Found My Baby Shower Dress!!

2011-03-19T20:49:00.000-05:00

My pretty dress! And shockingly the length was perfect on me!!!

I'm only 5 feet tall, so finding things that aren't super long on me is a task. This was the first and only dress I tried on cause I was sold after one look! Happy dance time!!!

The neckline is so pretty with the simple detail. I'm in baby shower dress heaven! Now all I need is a little cardigan to pair with it, since it's not quite warm enough out to go without something.

Found at Motherhood Maternity

My Most Favorite Holiday of All

2011-03-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my most favorite holiday of all! I love wearing green for St. Patty's day, and drinking green beer (even though it doesn't taste as good as regular beer) and just celebrating everything Irish.

This year I will not be having a green beer, but I will be putting on my shamrock pajama pants to sit on the couch all day in honor of my favorite holiday.

My best St. Patty's days were spent with my friends in New Orleans, celebrating the day away at a block party in front of Parasol's. Basically, you bring your cooler full of beer and stand around with a few thousand people and drink, enjoy some music, and people watch. It's wonderful.

So, what is your favorite thing to do on St. Patrick's Day?

Monday Pretties

2011-03-14T11:25:00.000-05:00

1, 2, 3, 4

Baby Shower Dresses

2011-03-09T13:33:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for a dress for my upcoming baby shower and I am stuck on what to buy. I want something priced cheap...mostly because I am so close to the end of my pregnancy that I will probably wear it that one day only. The dresses below are what I've come across that are priced well, and that caught my eye. What do you think? Which is your favorite? Or have you seen any other cute {cheap} dresses anywhere out there?

via old navy

via motherhood maternity

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!

2011-03-08T11:25:00.000-06:00

Me-Next year we're going to Mardi Gras! I miss it so much!

Jake-With a one year old?!

Me-HECK YEAH...we're going to show him a good time from an early age!!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! I wish wish wish I was in New Orleans today to celebrate with all my friends, eat some King Cake, and if I wasn't pregnant a big ole' hurricane would be more than welcome for this girl!

Time to Catch Up

2011-03-03T11:25:00.000-06:00

Wow what a week! So, I have to back track and say thank you again to everyone who stopped by my blog for my SITS day! All the comments you left were SO kind and just made my day. It took me forever to read through every one of them and it was just the best day for me! So, thank you sooooo very much!

Now on to what has been going on this week since it's been a bit busier for me than my normal, sit on the couch type of week.

I had a class to teach me how to be a good girl while having gestational diabetes yesterday and it was a lot less painful than I thought. No really....I went into the class fearing for my life that pricking my finger four times a day was going to kill me, and I left with a new meter that has such a tiny needle that I can hardly feel myself getting pricked. Yay for me and the lovely painless meter some GENIUS invented. To that person I'd like to say thank you very much! I also had a full lesson on how to eat properly while having GD and it seems pretty manageable. Of course Jake came with me for all this, and I made sure he paid extra attention so that he can cook food for us that is GD approved. Have I mentioned that I love having a chef for a husband?!

Now on to the fun stuff!!! Baby stuff that is! We officially are the proud owners of the City Select stroller! WooHoo!

This bad boy is currently en route to our house thanks to my dad. My dad is that person who wants you to have Christmas, birthday, whatever type of presents that are really helpful and something you really want and need. So, we decided back in November that for Christmas he would buy us a stroller for the baby. And we finally got around to buying it (hooray for sales too!). So, this beauty should be here any day now and if you couldn't tell I'm very excited. I don't know what it is but for some reason having a stroller makes me feel like this whole baby thing is real. Haha what can I say I'm weird like that.

The other newest addition to our house are these really great receiving blankets.

My friend in New Orleans told me that these Aden + Anais muslin blankets are her favorite. So, while making a quick stop at Buy Buy Baby to look at infant car seats (more on that drama later) I saw them and had to buy a pack. Now, she was right, they are a bit more expensive than most blankets but with a coupon they weren't that bad. And when I opened up the pack and got to messing around with them (to show Jake how wonderful and multi purpose they were) I too was quite happy with them. They are huge really and the muslin feels great, and they are cute simple designs which I really like too. So, I was a very happy girl once again.

Baby boy is 32 weeks today and Jake and I are very happy and excited parents to be! The end of this pregnancy had been feeling like it was dragging on and on, but now that I see 32 weeks on my calendar I feel like the end is in sight! That and the Braxton Hicks contractions are getting INTENSE!!! It makes me feel like maybe he is wanting out sooner rather than later. I guess now we just wait and see what he plans on doing.

Happy Thursday to you all!

ps. if anyone has any suggestions on what type of breast pump to get, I'd much appreciate it!

Hello There!!

2011-02-27T20:36:00.000-06:00

It's my SITS day and I am super excited about it! I'm so happy to have you all here!

I so appreciate all of you stopping by and saying hi.

I hope you poke around a bit and stop by again soon as well.

Happy Monday and THANK YOU so very much for all the blog love!

xoxo

DrayaAnn

Wednesday

2011-02-23T11:40:00.000-06:00

Today I will ramble about random things. Enjoy!

* I failed my 3 hour glucose test and have "officially" been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Not the happiest moment of my life, but I'll just do what they say to keep my blood sugar okay and prick my finger 4 times a day. (ouch!)

* I talked to my friend in NOLA yesterday and she had me laughing so hard. She asked me what I had ready to bring the baby home, and everything she asked me about I said no to. I said I may not have anything to bathe him with, swaddle him in, dress him in or diaper him with, but I do have his name hung up on the wall of his room!!!

* I'm completely obsessed again with soap operas. Seriously, I even subscribed to Soap Opera Digest cause I NEED to know what is going to happen! I google spoilers for the shows I watch. I may have a serious problem here folks!

* Last night I was laying in bed watching some show about prison (another addiction of mine...darn you prison shows!!!) and the baby was moving around like crazy. Well he started pushing back at wherever I would press down on my belly. It was the coolest thing ever! It was like we were holding hands, although I think it might have been him pressing his butt up against my hands. Whatever it was I loved it!

* I have gotten to a point where I cannot bend very well. I tried to shave my legs in the shower the other day and thought I did a great job. Until I actually looked at my legs this morning while sitting in bed...not such a great job after all. Maybe I'll just have to give up on that task.

* The other night one of the kitties was freaking out at the sliding door to our deck. She was just fascinated by what was out there. So, I take a look to see what's so great and staring back at me is a very large raccoon! Just chilling on our deck, looking at me like I was disrupting his dinner. Turns out that he must really like bird seed cause that's the only thing out on the deck right now, but I know he's been back cause his footprints are all over the place! Did I mention our deck is on the second floor of the house, and there are no stairs to climb to get to the deck. This ole guy climbed up the post to get here. Impressive!

Well, that's all I have to ramble about for now. What are you rambling about today?

Checking In Again

2011-02-21T16:28:00.000-06:00

I was planning on giving Say Anything a little rest cause I've been having major bloggers block and getting ready for baby on my mind. This baby is 7 and 1/2 months along and he is trying his best to make me crazy. I have more aches and pains than I'd like to even acknowledge, and the "Toni Braxton Taylor Hicks" contractions (that's what my husband likes to call them..too funny) are not appreciated. I failed my second glucose test and had to have the 3-hour test done this Saturday. That experience was awful. If the glucose you drink isn't bad enough it made me SICK SICK SICK! I came close to passing out a few times from it, but in the end I only ended up with one bruise on my arm from one of the blood draws. The other three draws came from my hands, which did not feel all that great either. But I survived.

But, today I'm feeling not too shabby. I got a new book to read, "Water for Elephants" which is good so far, and the soaps are getting pretty good lately. So, I thought I'd stop by and say hi, and give you a little glimpse into how the babies room is shaping up so far. Thanks for sticking by when I said I was outta here! I'll try to be a good blogger again for a while.

xoxo

This is his chalk board painted wall...oh and if you look closely you can find out what our little man is going to be named!

The newest addition to the room. Shelves!! With a few of his Iowa goodies.

I'll be posting more soon...we've done so much this weekend but I have to take some pictures. I'm telling you now, his room looks like a Hawkeye threw up all over it. And it's so fun!

That's all for now....be back son with more!

Snow Update

2011-02-03T14:19:00.002-06:00

So, we got some snow. 24 inches or so of snow that is. How fun!

The amount of snow was pretty cool but with how much the wind was blowing like crazy it made some cool HUGE mounts that are well over 5 feet high in some parts out in front of our house. To say the least, I am quite sad I cannot be sledding down that big hill you see in the picture above. Oh how fun it would be!

The Storm

2011-02-01T11:15:00.000-06:00

I live in the burbs of Chicago and for my whole life we've dealt with snow storms. All the talk happening right now is about the blizzard we're suppose to be getting these next few days. I think it's funny that people start freaking out like this is something new to happen to the city. Do the preparations on how to handle the snow really change from year to year? Not really. Basically, just stay inside folks and enjoy the show, I mean snow. Easy for me to say since I'm on bed rest and I'm currently sitting on the couch with me feet up watching the snow start to come down. I think I may be the only one in Chicago (besides all the school kids who want snow days) who is excited for all the snow to come! It's fun to watch it all pile up, Jake might get to stay home from work and keep me company (hooray!) and it's pretty. All this coming from the girl who isn't leaving her house for a while. haha

Happy blizzard Chicago!

photo via google from the great Chicago snow storm of 1979

Winner Winner!!!

2011-01-24T14:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I got some wonderful news from the lovely Kerr over at Say Cheese! I was the lucky winner of her CSN Stores giveaway and let me tell you, I could not have been more excited. You see, sitting on the couch while on bed rest gives you LOTS of time to do nothing and look online. So, when I found out I was the winner I headed right over to CSN to find something to use my winnings on. Yep, this girl doesn't waste a minute.

So, here folks are the fun items I got for little baby boy!!!

We're planning an Iowa Hawkeye room for the little man, so this set of two wall hooks are going to be PERFECT on one of the walls! Seriously, I squealed a little when I saw how darn cute they were!

This dinosaur lights up and moves!!! All while sporting a lovely Hawkeye football helmet! I wanted this for a while now, but it was always twice the price on other sites than it was on CSN. So, I scooped it up right away and could not be happier!

So, this Monday has started off on a great note, and I just want to say THANK YOU a million times over to Kerr for making my normally boring Monday really great!

Pop Shop

2011-01-19T11:20:00.000-06:00

Keith Haring is my all time favorite artist. With the baby coming I really want to have some of his work in the baby's room, and so I took a little look at his store, the Pop Shop, and found some really cute things I would love to have.

The "baby" pull toy.

The "Radiant Baby" blanket

"Hearts in a Heart" Poster

A Little Helper

2011-01-11T12:14:00.001-06:00

I think I'm in L-O-V-E!

Yay & Nay

2011-01-10T12:08:00.000-06:00

So, I've been making a mental list of what yays and nays there have been while being pregnant. I thought I'd jot some down.

Yay

Feeling the baby move around is crazy cool! Especially the other day when the baby kicked so hard it made my belly pop out. Really cool!

Seeing the little guy in the ultrasound pictures. My fridge is currently plastered with pictures of him...soon they'll be real pictures of the little guy!

Putting his nursery together has been fun. I like seeing everything come together. I can't wait to actually see him in there.

Stretchy pants!!! It's like wearing pajamas all day (which currently I am doing a lot of since I'm on bed rest). It makes thinking about wearing non-elastic waste band pants again horrifying!

Becoming re-addicted to watching soap operas. I have a lot of time on my hands right now, and sometimes you just can't help but go back to watching them.

My skin has been A-MA-ZING!!! If this baby comes out and my skin goes to hell, I'm going to freak out! Having people tell you you're glowing is a pretty nice thing to hear.

Nay

Not being able to sleep on my belly. This one kills me! My whole life I've been a tummy sleeper and learning to sleep on my side or back has been really hard.

Caffeine. Oh how I would give anything for an extra large fountain Coke from McDonald's!

Not being able to sleep through the night is not so fun. I'm kind of over getting up every two hours to go tinkle.

I'm sure there are more, but for now this is about all I can come up with and Y&R is on.

What yays and nays did any of you have while you were pregnant?

Baby Gear...What do you love?

2011-01-05T12:34:00.000-06:00

I have been looking at lists of what baby gear people love and I have to admit, it is a wee bit overwhelming. So, I am asking all of you what baby gear do you love? What can't you live without? What gear would you stay away from? What is a necessity? What is a waste of money?

Thanks in advance for your help! Let's see what you all come up with!!!

Target Fun

2010-12-28T11:27:00.000-06:00

For Christmas my sister sent Jake and I a very generous gift card to Target. After having that card burning a hole in my wallet for two days (I don't last long with gift cards) we did what any parents-to-be would do; we hit up the baby section and went to town! We walked up and down the isles and said, "what about this", "what about that," and just tossed it in the cart and shopped away! It was a blast. And little man got a TON of stuff! The best part was probably that everything was on sale and the most expensive item we bought was $15 for a bottle drying rack. We thought about not buying anything for the little guy but we really couldn't help ourselves. Everything is just too darn cute and too good a deal to pass up.

My favorite items we found were $4 Oshkosh overalls and a $4 fleece lined zip up jacket with hood. They are so cute it made me want him to be here right now so I could dress him up and snuggle him. I think Jake's favorite was a t-shirt that had the Superman logo on it...it is pretty cute, under the logo is has abs and muscles, which is pretty funny on a little boy.

After all the loot you see above, we still haven't spent the whole amount of the gift card. So, I suppose another trip to Target is due, but maybe we'll wait until January to spend the rest.

I have a feeling that our little guy is going to be a very spoiled kid!

Hope everyone got some great gifts as well for the holidays!!!

A Baby Update

2010-12-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd give a little baby update since things have been moving along. Right now I am over half way there!

1. For Christmas my dad asked if he could buy us a stroller for the little guy. Of course we were thrilled and we're all going to go out one day soon and pick it out. My sister who is a mommy to 5 suggested we look at the City Mini strollers. She said it's the best stroller she's ever had and after 5 kids and multiple strollers I think she might just know her stuff. So, after doing some research of my own, the City Select is what we're going to be looking to buy.

The stroller has all kinds of attachments and has really great ratings so I'm really excited to go out and get it. This whole becoming a mommy is starting to feel a bit more real. We'll probably get the stroller in black to keep things neutral. You can see all this baby has to offer here.

2. Things have been kind of crazy with this whole baby. My blood pressure has been insane, high, low, low, high and so my doctors have been watching me pretty closely. I have had three tests on the protein levels in my wee, and on Monday at my appointment my doctor had me admitted for a 24 hour observation of my blood pressure. I've been having horrible issues with being crazy dizzy, lightheaded, and I even almost passed out a few times. Along with that, my arms and fingers have been going numb, so an MRI was ordered while at the hospital and thankfully everything came back clear and fine. Basically, they're just going to keep watching me and we'll see how things go. But, best of all, bebe is a-okay and kicking up a storm in there!

3. We have an odd angled wall in the babies room and we decided we're going to paint that odd little wall in chalkboard paint. The room was a really pretty gray color already and we decided to keep it as is. I think the chalkboard angle wall will look pretty darn cute.

4. The crib is up in the room as well, and it was pretty easy to put together. Jake did such a great job, with a little help from me. Now I like to peek in there and look at the crib (no mattress just yet) and see where our little guy is going to sleep. It makes me very excited.

So, that's about all for my little update for now. I'll be sure to come back with more photos of everything soon. Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!!

This Will Make Your Holiday Even Brighter!

2010-12-16T12:22:00.000-06:00

I decided to help you all have an even HAPPIER holiday this year by adding this A-MA-ZING appetizer to your holiday meal. Here it is folks! The cheese ball that can make everything better in the world! EVERYTHING I TELL YOU!!!

So, give it a try and you'll thank me later! It's my favorite!

2-8OZ CREAM CHEESE /SOFTENED

8 1/2 OZ CRUSHED PINEAPPLE /DRAINED

2C. CHOPPED PECANS

1/2C. GREEN PEPPER/ FINELY CHOPPED

2TBS ONION /FINELY CHOPPED

SHAKE OF SALT

MIX WELL WITH ONLY 1C NUTS

FIRM IN FRIG. ROLL INTO BALL AND ROLL IN TO REMAINING NUTS

Merry Merry everyone!!

So....

2010-12-14T13:21:00.000-06:00

Long story short, I will be out of a job (most likely) in about two weeks. I have been working with my current company to find a different job for a few days now and the recruiter said things were not looking great. Just what I wanted to hear! ha.

So, lately I have been looking for a new job. And it's probably the least fun thing I've ever done. I realized that after looking at 72 pages of jobs listed on a job website that I was qualified for maybe one...which I did apply for. But, while I was looking I thought about what jobs I think I would be hired for in an instant.

1. Cat mommy. My kitties all agreed today that I would be hired for that job right away.

2. Dish washer/kitchen cleaner. I can clean one heck of a kitchen!

3. Blog reader. I could make a fortune doing this!

4. Christmas decorator. Christmas threw up all over my house and I LOVE IT!

5. Soap Opera analyst. I can tell you anything about Y&R, Days and GH.

6. Holiday ornament maker

7. Professional movie watcher

8. Organizer...it makes me happy when everything is organized and labeled properly.

9. Baby baker. I think my little one is brewing a-okay in there so I'm adding it to my list.

So, this is where I run out of ideas. If anyone has any knowledge of jobs in the Chicago burbs, let me know! Or if you need a great cat sitter, I'm your gal!

Christmas Wish List

2010-12-10T17:38:00.000-06:00

Well, it took me forever but I finally came up with some things that I would like for Christmas.

Beauty and the Beast on DVD

Connect Four

A glass teapot

Fleur de lis amulet from Mignon Faget

Lastly, I just saw these and nearly fell off the couch! Short back story for y'all. Last year when we were in Canada, my bestest and I went on a mission for the 2009 Canada Olympic mittens. After about 6 stores and literally digging through boxes we found the last two pairs! Well, these bad boys below are the 2011 Canada mittens and they melt my heart! So, I have officially sent my bestest on a hunt for a pair of these for my fingers! Good luck bestest...and start hunting! We NEED these!!!!

That's about all I've got for my wish list. What's on your wish list to make your Christmas merry!?

Meatball FAIL

2010-12-09T11:19:00.000-06:00

It started off promising...or so I thought!

Once I added them to the sauce, they decided to no longer be meatballs but more of meat mush. We made the best of it anyhow and mixed it all up and into a meat sauce and had it with pasta. But this may be the last time I attempt to make meatballs. We're just not such good friends.

1 Year

2010-12-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

One year ago today I decided to start blogging again, and so began Say Anything. To honor this happy day I baked a cake.

(saddest cake ever!!!)

Actually, I baked the cake cause I wanted cake, but I also wanted to show you the DISASTER the cake turned into cause it's just too awful not to laugh at.

I just wanted to thank every one of you who stops by and reads my little part of the interwebs. Your comments and blog love make me so happy and appreciative!

So, tonight I will eat a piece of my crazy cake and say a little thank you for all of you!

CHEERS!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

2010-12-03T14:18:00.000-06:00

Well folks tonight is the night! (LA LAA LAA LAAAAAAA) Us lucky Chicago dwellers are gearing up for our first snow storm of the season! And oddly, I am SO excited!!! I love watching it snow, and I love playing in the snow, I just don't like driving in the snow, and since it's suppose to come over the weekend then that is all the reason to stay home, be warm, watch is snow, love it and EAT CAKE!

Okay, the eating cake part is only because I am craving cake so badly that it's sick!

My plans for this weekend include the following:

1. Cake eating

2. Clearing out some junk from the room that we can now call the nursery!!!

3. Watching football

4. Holding my breath during all of Dexter cause it just stresses me out, but I love it so much.

5. Watch it snow

6. Hang out under the covers

7. Make and then eat cheese ball.

Side note: this cheese ball is my mother in laws doing and it is frickin' amazing and I could seriously eat it every day of the year if possible.

That might be it for now. So, what are y'all doing this weekend?

Anyone want it to snow like I do?!

Happy Weekend and Happy Hanukkah to all those out there celebrating! Eat some matzo ball soup for me!

So Looks Like.....

2010-12-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

We are beyond excited to be having a little guy, and Jake already has plans to make him the biggest Hawkeye fan known to man! Thanks to everyone for voting below. I love that someone said we were having an Elf! Too funny!

Take Your Pick!

2010-11-30T11:21:00.001-06:00

So, tomorrow is our big day! We are finding out if we are having a boy or a girl! We are both so excited and hope our little bebe is going to show it's stuff!

I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else thinks we're having so cast your vote below, and I'll come back (hopefully) tomorrow to let everyone know.

To help you out a bit with your pick I thought I'd tell you a bit about how things have been going with me during my pregnancy so far.

1. I crave salty foods

2. My skin and hair look a-ma-zing! (seriously, I do nothing to my hair and it's like I'm ready for my close up...ha)

3. I cannot sleep to save my life. I am terribly uncomfortable whenever it's time to go to bed.

4. I have gained 4lbs. so far...I'm sure after tomorrow that will go up a bit, but really I dont think it will go up that much.

So, tell me what you think we'll be having!

What are we having?!online survey

For the Bride

2010-11-23T14:19:00.001-06:00

One of my very best friends is getting married next October and I've been looking for things I might like to give to her for her wedding day. I'm want to give her something special for her day, that's not your typical wedding gift. I want her to have something special to always remember her day by. Any of these could be strong possibilities.

via

I absolutely LOVE these dress hangers with the bride's soon-to-be married name.

via

This wedding puzzle "guest book" is just darling. I love that everyone signs a piece of the puzzle to make up the guest book.

via

A custom wedding map with the wedding day details listed on it is just too sweet!

via

For my own wedding I had handkerchiefs made for some special people in my life along with one for myself with our names and wedding date sewn into them. They turned out amazing and is something I value so much.

Oh the choices!

All I Want for Christmas

2010-11-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

Jake and I decided this year that we are actually going to get each other presents for Christmas. Usually we dont because we either pick something out for the house together or we just dont know what we want. Well, this year I'm having a very hard time coming up with even one thing for my wish list. Everything I think of comes back to the house or the baby. Jake asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him a crib...not exactly for me, you could say. So, today I started looking around the web searching for something that might trigger an idea or two and I've come up with nothing yet again. Right now all I can think about is how much I want a new couch.

In fantasy land this baby from Restoration Hardware with it's extra deep cushions, and soft brown leather would be sitting in my living room come Christmas Eve, but $5,000 for a couch isn't quite in our budget.

Instead this couch from IKEA for $600 is more likely to be mine one day.

But for now, I'm sticking that Restoration Hardware couch on my wish list. You never know, Santa might just go crazy one day and buy this beauty for me.

So, what's on your wish lists this holiday season?

Merry Merry

2010-11-15T12:20:00.000-06:00

For a few weeks now I have really had an ichin' for Christmas. So, yesterday I dragged Jake (actually he went quite willingly) to Wal-Mart, Target AND Menards to look for new holiday decorations. We were quite successful and stocked up on new lights and a few decorations. When we got home we started unpacking all 4 boxes of Christmas decorations that I already have and we started going to town! Currently, the boxes are still on the living room floor and we're only partially decorated but I am in early Christmas heaven!

The only thing I need now is to start watching holiday movies to really get into the swing of things. My favorite all time Christmas movie is Elf. Because I too believe that the four basic food groups should be candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup!

So, in an effort to stock up on all the best holiday movies around, I need some help. What are some of your favorite holiday movies?

Melt My Heart

2010-11-12T11:47:00.000-06:00

You know what I need!? A puppy! You know what I really DON'T need?! A puppy!

Anyone who knows me in the real world knows that I have four cats, yes four, and no I'm not a cat lady, I have a husband, so that rules that out! ha! Anyhow, I have this horrible/wonderful extreme love of animals and lately all I can think of is how wonderful a puppy would be right now. Oh except that it wouldn't be so wonderful because 1. I have a baby on the way, 2. I have FOUR cats, and 3. Making big decisions while pregnant is just not a smart thing to do. So, because I'm not about to get a puppy anytime soon, I'm going to leave you with photos of the puppies I would get if 1. I didn't have a baby on the way, 2. I didn't have four cats, and 3. I was in the right (non-prego) state of mind to make this kind of decision. Enjoy!

Oh goodness me, Boston Terriers are my FAVORITE!!!

Ahhhh....French Bulldogs too!

Shoes!

2010-11-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

My husband will probably think the following about this post:

1. How typical of her to pick pink

2. Wow, I might have to be seen out and about with her in these

3. She really needs more to do during the day

4. Two posts in one day...impressive Dray

My feet have gotten fat. Most of my shoes are super snug and nothing feels comfortable on them anymore. Side note: standing up for 3 hours at a time at all the Iowa football games doesn't help them any, but it's worth dealing with the fat feet. So, my solution to prego induced fat feet: Tom's Shoes!!!

Pretty, sparkly, glittery, pink Tom's!

How wonderful will my fat feet look in these comfy girls!

The Great Crib Debate

2010-11-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

The other night I dragged Jake to Wal-Mart to look at cribs with me. Yes, I'm only 16 weeks today, but I have this extreme desire to hunt down the perfect crib. I use to love Jenny Lind cribs, but something has shifted in my head and now I am on the hunt for the most simple crib you can find. I want no curved legs, no fancy cut outs, nothing super modern, just a plain ole crib. It's harder to find than you know. Everything plain is very modern, but I found one that I am liking a lot right now.

The thing about buying a crib is this...I'm 5 foot nothin' and most of these cribs we've checked out have rails that hit me at about mid-chest. I think while we're out buying a crib I'm going to have to buy a step stool too so I can lean over the crib to actually get to our baby. Ah the life of a short person! haha

Anyhow, what did you look for when you were buying a crib?

Bebe Stuff

2010-11-04T16:09:00.001-05:00

The little bebe in me has been taking over my brain....making me all kinds of nutty. First, bebe made me walk into the kitchen today and I had to stop cause I had NO IDEA AT ALL why I needed to be in the kitchen. So, back to the couch I went.

Then bebe is making me have no balance at all. I trip over my feet, I tip over just standing still...it's all very weird.

But most of all, bebe has found out about all the goodness Etsy holds and forces me to look for hours at all the cute things that it wants me to buy for it.

So, what does bebe love right now? Have a look.

hedgehog clock...yes please!

owl mobile...double yes!

campfire onsie.....oh my!

skull and cross bone blocks...hello!!

bebe clogs....ooh mommy likey!

elephants....always a must.

who dat diaper covers....say what!?!

mustaches...totally making a come back!

Sheesh....bebe really loves to shop already!

A Treat!

2010-11-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

Have any of you been over to Gussy lately to see her Holiday Gift Guide? Well, I was taking a look at what was listed for day 3 and something caught my eye!

These darling little slippers had my name all over them and so I had to snatch them up! I think I've been brewing this baby pretty well so far and this little treat will keep my swollen tootsies quite warm this winter.

Have any of you started your holiday shopping yet?

The Way to This Girl's Heart

2010-11-02T12:24:00.000-05:00

Take me to Ikea so I can buy the bookcase I've been waiting to get for my craft room.

And then woo me with dinner at Five Guys! What a husband, what a husband!!!

Happy {fill in the blank} Halloween!

2010-10-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

1. My Halloween plans this year will include going to Iowa to watch Iowa beat Michigan State, then on the actual day, I'll be hanging out in the car with Jake while he drives us back home.

2. My most memorable Halloween costume was in kindergarten my mom made me a pink Crayola crayon. She made it out of felt and my dad made the top of the crayon out of cardboard and painted it pink. I won best costume that year.

3. For Halloween this year I'm going to be not a thing. What a downer, right?!

4. I've always wanted to dress up as Wonderwoman! She was my FAVORITE as a kid, but the thought of wearing a little itty bitty leotard just doesn't sound so fun to me.

5. Halloween free association! haunted houses, candy apples, and loads of candy.

6. The worst thing about Halloween is the teenagers that trick or treat too late and think putting a sweatshirt on is a costume. No candy for you!

7. The best thing about Halloween is seeing all the kids dressed up and decorating your house like mad!

What are your Halloween plans?!?!

So Now What!?

2010-10-26T15:30:00.000-05:00

Since the cat is finally out of the bag, I can finally blog again without blowing our little secret. Since finding out that our little bambino is brewing in my belly, I have been thinking non-stop baby everything. And the biggest question that came to me was this:

How the HECK do you decide between all the baby stuff that is out there?

First up...strollers.

I'll admit this now, I am a self proclaimed stroller snob. Those awful big bulky travel system strollers make me cringe. The awful plaid fabrics they use, and the tan-ish color plastic they're made of just do me in (sorry in advance to anyone who likes those types of strollers, they're just not for me). So being the stroller snob that I am, I tend to lean towards the prettier/modern looking ones like those above. Problem is, they are super pricey, which makes my hubby not so happy. For me, the only problem is, which pricey one do we buy?!

So to any of you out there, how did you pick which stroller to buy?

All strollers above found at BuyBuyBaby.

Oh Baby!

2010-10-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

Surprise!

Our little Hawkeye will be here this Spring!

The Perfect Spot to Hang Out

2010-10-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Lovely, just lovely.

Spicy Carrot and Leak Soup

2010-10-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

Saute leaks and carrots until tender. Add Sriracha sauce and course salt to taste.

3 cups chicken stock

Simmer until veggies are soft.

Puree half in blender. Once pureed add back to remaining stock in pan and give it a stir.

Add parsley to garnish if you'd like.

It took me 35 minutes total to make this soup and it is GOOD!

Enjoy!

Food for Thought

2010-10-20T14:10:00.000-05:00

Felt food cracks me up! It makes me wish I was 5 again and had a whole bucket full of it to play with. These little babies are just too cute!

Toast

Cake

Toilet Paper (by far my fave...too funny!)

Smores

Sunny side up eggs

What felt food would you want?

Find these here.

Fall

2010-10-19T13:07:00.000-05:00

Mmmmmm Cake!

2010-10-12T14:23:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid my mom use to buy these special birthday cakes for us. They were a white sponge cake with white whipped cream frosting topped with fresh strawberries. We'd have one every year at our family birthday party and it was a really special family tradition. For years now I've been racking my brain trying to remember the name of the bakery that made these cakes and today for some odd reason I decided to Google like never before until I could find this darn cake.

Well, my efforts have paid off and taaadaaa I FOUND the bakery!

So, I give to you THE cake for you and I to both drool over.

If you're ever in Chicago and want yummy cake and pastries you need to go to Lutz Bakery.

You Know What Today Needs?

2010-10-12T13:52:00.000-05:00

Dresses! Pretty, flirty, fun, colorful dresses!

All dresses are found here.

Monday Brain Dump

2010-10-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

1. There are kids riding a scooter like thing up and down my street this morning. One kid drives and another on a skateboard holds onto a rope and gets pulled down the street by the kid on the scooter. It's beyond annoying, they are screaming as they go, and I keep thinking if that kid on the skateboard falls it's gonna be baaaaddd news.

2. I really want someone to come over and clean my house. It's not bad, but I don't want to clean baseboards, vents or windows. Call me lazy but I don't like to clean certain things cause it gets your hands all dirty and it makes me gag. I'm weird, I know.

3. My cat would rather try to eat a bug today rather than the can food I put out for her.

4. I really want Portillo's for lunch but 1) I have no car today, 2) there isn't a Portillo's close by my house. Darn!

5. I kicked Jake's butt in a game of Monopoly yesterday. In my 30 years of life, this was the first time EVER that I've won that game. Yes I am still happy about this today!

6. I've been having bloggers block lately (if you couldn't tell). I think I may have lost my blogging mojo. Today I thought about just shutting this ole girl down but instead I thought I'd brain dump this morning in hopes that it would spark something in me to keep going. We'll see how it goes.

So, that is all for now. Sorry if I bored you all, I'm feeling a bit boring lately.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Bring on the Pumpkins!

2010-10-08T13:34:00.000-05:00

Since Fall has arrived I haven't really been into it. UNTIL...I had a cup of hot apple cider and then everything slowly started creeping up on me. First, I put up two little Halloween signs. Then I started looking at pumpkin farms online, and now I'm about to tear into our storage closet and pull out all the Halloween decor I have!

So, I am officially ready for Fall and pumpkin farms, candy apples, and camels.

Camels?! Yes, the farm by my house has camels!!!

So...since I'm finally ready for it all HAPPY FALL!

Hi There

2010-10-01T12:19:00.001-05:00

Still sicky, but thought I'd pop in and show you what happens when you get a fancy new camera for your birthday and your only subjects have four legs!

Let the torture begin!!!!!

This is Griffy's "did you really just wake me up with a flash" look.

Tate was the most wonderful subject...he lays around and just deals with me!

Punky said she'd sit for one photo and that was it.

And finally, after chasing Tate around the house with my camera, he thought he finally got away...but he was very wrong!!!

And for my mother in law...Jake took this one of their dog, Irish.

Hope everyone has a good weekend! And go HAWKEYES!

Icky Sicky

2010-09-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

I picked up a nasty cold yesterday and now I'm laying on the couch wallowing in my sicky-ness. So, once this cold is gone I'll be back with something fun to talk about.

Heaven!

2010-09-24T09:51:00.000-05:00

For my birthday we went to dinner with some of my family to Ruth's Chris Steak House. It was soooooo good, best steak I've had in ages. I thought things couldn't get any better UNTIL they brought this out!

Their bread pudding is flippin' AMAZING! I even asked Jake if he'd take me back just for it (he said of course)! It's been on my mind every second of the day since I had it. So, if you are near a Ruth's Chris I say run, dont walk and gobble this sucker up, cause you wont be sad you did!

It's worth ever delicious calorie in it!

Celebrate We Will...

2010-09-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

The day has finally come! Today is my 30th birthday!

I'm really looking forward to what my 30's have to hold.

photo

Book Help

2010-09-20T13:08:00.001-05:00

I just fished The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb, and now I'm stuck. Stuck waiting until November when his next book comes out.

So, while I wait does anyone have any suggestions for a good book to hold me over?

Comfort Food

2010-09-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

When your team is blowing the game and you need to drown your sorrows, what do you do?

Make homemade potato skins, of course!!!

Iowa sucked but these sure didn't!

Stuff

2010-09-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

Every blue moon or so I like to torture myself and check out what Anthropology has in stock. Well today was that blue moon and so I have yet again done myself in and looked. Why oh why do I do this to myself?! I want it ALL! Wind chimes, rugs, butter dishes, mushroom stools, cute letters and picture frames, OH MY!

All from Anthro.

Letter Loves

2010-09-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Happy Happy!

2010-09-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary Jake!

My cup runneth over!

It's Friday, I'm in Love!

2010-09-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

1. Going to Iowa for the Iowa vs. Iowa State Game

Be afraid Cyclone fans...be VERY afraid!

I suck at trash talking, can you tell!

2. Starting to plan our Wedding ReDo photo session with Jenna Cole!

3. Happy Joe's Taco Pizza for dinner!

This pizza makes driving the three hours to Iowa soooo worth it!

4. Helping good people.

Stop by Summer's blog and read all about how you can help.

B is for Brown

5. My wonderful Mother in Law knowing just what I love! A subscription to Martha!

Thank you SO much for the {early} birthday present.

6. Jake!

We'll be celebrating our two year wedding anniversary on Monday. I'm so happy to have every minute with you Jake! My cup runneth over!

Happy Weekend everyone!!! Anyone have anything fun planned?!

Thursday Faves - Retro Magnets

2010-09-09T10:58:00.000-05:00

Wanna share your Thursday Faves? Email me at drayaann@gmail.com and we'll chat!

What's for Dinner

2010-09-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

Last night we had flank steak in pita with tomatoes off our crazy tomato plant, along with homemade potato chips. Those chips were SO good I'm gonna have some for lunch!

Weekend Recap

2010-09-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

Tate was sad we were leaving him for the weekend so he pouted on the couch before we left.

But he was happy when we got home to tell him that the Hawkeyes won!

There was a wee bit too much sun for this pale girl, and now my face is so sun burnt that it has taken to swelling up. I tried to take a photo of my face but it was horrible! My forehead is puffed up, and my eye was almost totally swollen shut when I woke up. I've never had this happen before (and yes I was wearing sunblock...it was just not helping I guess) and man it hurts more than you can know. Even my lips are swollen and look like they've been stung over and over by bees. Crazy!

While we were there we hit up an antique mall and scored some great deals!

This sweet yellow cart for my craft room. It's super cute and only cost $12!

A fleur de lis planter for $1!!!!

Jake found this drink dispenser for only $7! It's so cool.

All in all it was a great weekend. We got to hang with the family, watch some football, score some great deals, and I got to eat Hungry Hobo so you KNOW I was in heaven!

How was your weekend?!

Fleur de Lis Loves!

2010-09-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Mignon Faget is my favorite place to find fleur de lis'.

These are some items from their home line that I am in love with!

Pretties for Friday

2010-09-03T14:42:00.002-05:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I-O-W-A

2010-09-03T10:01:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the season opener for the Hawkeyes! We'll be there in our black and gold ready to let another season of football begin!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and GO HAWKS!

Thursday Faves - Cookie Jars

2010-09-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Jake and I have a small collection of cookie jars.

A Potbelly Stove

Pops the Tootsie Pop Owl

Dead Eye Dick, a slick shootin' sheriff

The Wise Owl

These other cookie jars would go great with our collection!

What do you collect?

Wanna show off your Thursday Faves? Email me at drayaann@gmail.com and we'll chat!

Lovin'

2010-08-31T11:38:00.001-05:00

Wax Seal Necklaces! So Pretty.

find them all here

Well HELLO There!!

2010-08-30T09:56:00.001-05:00

This is what I love about the Emmy's. Waking up to lovely pictures of Jon Hamm looking "oh so fine" in his tux. The girl's dresses are fun to look at too. For now, it's all Hamm!
But WAIT!!! Looky Looky!!!

The lovely ladies! My hubby LOVES Joan...I wonder why. Ha!

5 Years

2010-08-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

via

Like so many others this weekend, I too will be remembering what happened 5 years ago in New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast area. I spent four years living in NOLA and it amazed me that a place I had no roots to could feel like home so fast. I fell in love with NOLA the moment I first went there and it still holds such a special place in my heart. I had some amazing times there and some very sad times, but I will forever love the Crescent City.

Laissez le bon temp rouler!

Craft Room ReDo- The Buffet

2010-08-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

We have a "bonus room" off our kitchen, that we previously had old couches in that we never used. Jake suggested turning this room into my craft room a while back and so we decided to get working on things. First we dumped the old purple couches and TV that just sat and took up space and had a fresh start. Our next mission was to take an old buffet that was given to us by my aunt that was in pretty rough condition and give it a makeover.

So, this past weekend we got working on it and finally finished everything up tonight. The buffet was not worth stripping and trying to refinish, so we decided to paint it. At first I was going to just paint it white or gray. Jake said that since my craft room has a colorful motif, that I should go bold with it and just see how it turned out. It couldn't hurt. And boy was he right! While looking at colors of spray paint at the store I picked out Wildflower Blue. There was no turning back! And I am so happy he told me to go bold. Here is the before, middle, and after of the buffet. It totally works with everything in the room. The painting hanging above the buffet is one of my dad's pieces. And the funny thing was we in no way picked the paint color for the buffet out to match his painting. It just happened to work out!

More of my craft room transformation to come...stay tuned!

What Would You Eat...

2010-08-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

...if you were stranded on an island for the rest of your life and could only eat that one thing? I asked my aunt and hubby this one night while having dinner. I already knew my answer.

I LOVE them. Any way you want to prepare them I will eat them. I could eat them for every meal of every day and be totally happy. So, if I was on an island for the rest of my life, potatoes would be it for me. Of course my island would have a stove and a never ending supply of whatever I needed to make the potatoes in different ways. It's my hypothetical question, so I can make up the rules. So....what would be your one food you'd eat?

I WANT You!

2010-08-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

Yes you, you beautiful black Nikon D5000. I want you so badly that I spent two hours today looking at you online and reading all about you. I want you to come over to my house and never leave. I want you to be mine all mine! I blame my father for my love of nice expensive cameras. Hopefully, he doesn't flip out when he gets my email telling him that THIS is what I want for my birthday!

Lucky Girl Part Two

2010-08-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

This lucky girl got a lovely wake up call this morning from the FedEx man. On my doorstep was a box with my name on it. My lovely hubby bought me one more present (possibly I've learned to make up for buying himself a new Iowa football jersey, but that's undetermined at this point.) Anyhow.....this AMAZING set is mine all mine!

I like starting my week off with presents and fleur de lis.

You're the best Jake. Loves you!

Pink & Yellow

2010-08-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

Find them all here.

Sew-zy Homemaker

2010-08-19T16:49:00.000-05:00

This one sure looks cute! But can Hello Kitty really sew?!

I've got some kind of bug lately. It's the homemaker type of bug and it's bitten me quite hard. First, it started when I decided I was going to cook dinner! Then I actually ENJOYED cooking dinner and have cooked dinner on multiple nights (tonight is Greek chicken pitas with spinach and feta cheese and couscous on the side)! Next, this bug has made me want to sew. It's all I can think about. I see things and think to myself, "self you could totally make that." So, I decided that since my birthday is coming up and my husband keeps asking me what I want, I have narrowed down my list to one item for him. I want a sewing machine. Now I'm not a brand new sewing machine user, but it's been some time since I used one so I don't want anything fancy, but this is where my problem comes to head. What type of machine do I buy? So, lovely readers, does anyone have any suggestions on what sewing machine would be good for me to get? I will admit the Singer sewing machine that Martha Stewart endorses at Wal*Mart that gives you a free year subscription to Martha Stewart Living magazine is quite tempting, but I'll wait to read any suggestions you all might have first before I run out and buy it.

Thanks for any advise you can offer!

Fleur de Makeover

2010-08-18T21:31:00.001-05:00

ooh look at my pretty purple toes!

A while back I bought a fleur de lis to hang on my wall from Hobby Lobby that was brown and not my cup of tea. I had decided I was going to spray paint it and make it work with my craft room colors. Today was the day to take it to the garage and give it it's makeover. It went from brown and blah to white...

to PINK!

to on my wall!

My craft room is almost there, so once I have everything together I'll post the final photos. Until then I'll be sitting back and staring at my lovely hot pink fleur de lis!

Wire Baskets

2010-08-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

via

When I was a kid, we use to go to this park district pool. When you walked in they would give you a wire basket to use to check your belongings in while you hung out for the day. Well I've been seeing them all over the interwebs and I have to tell you, I loved them then, and I love them more now! I am planning on buying the square shelving system from IKEA that everyone and their brother has and I think that these baskets would fit nicely into the squares. Now all I have to do is keep from buying EVERY basket I find. Oh, the pains of not being a bazillionaire.

via

Lucky Girl

2010-08-18T12:24:00.001-05:00

I am a very lucky girl. I have the best husband you could ever ask for. One day at work he scouted out my favorites list on Etsy and got me a little something something just because. He's beyond sweet, and the best husband a girl could ask for.

These little beauties made my day!

My cup runneth over Jake!

What's Your Motto?

2010-08-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this Etsy shop and fell in love. But this one above screamed at me. It's perfect for right now. I also fell in love with the one below. If I ever needed a motto I would use one of these as it for sure. What's your motto?

For My Mother In Law

2010-08-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

Hubby's mom gave us this old bookcase that was hand made by her uncle. It was looking pretty darn shabby when we got it, but a little orange oil polish and some elbow grease by the hubby and the bookcase has a second life in my craft room. So here are some photos of the renewed bookcase hanging out in it's new home. Looking pretty cute I must say.

Are You Ready?

2010-08-15T18:51:00.000-05:00

I'm getting ready...for football season that is. We are Iowa Hawkeye season ticket holders and have been for 4 years now. It's my husband's second love in life.

We met at the University of Iowa and he's from Iowa so it's always fun to go back and watch good football and see the family. Not in that order of course, Brenda, my most wonderful mother in law who might possibly be reading this.

Funny side story, we use to drive in from Chicago on Friday night and when we'd get to Iowa first thing we'd do was stop at my most favorite sandwich shop ever (Hungry Hobo), pick up food and THEN go to my in laws house. My MIL use to joke that we loved Hungry Hobo more than them, so we promised to come to their house first instead of the Hobo. We kept that up until they opened a brand spankin new Hungry Hobo that is on the way to their house, so thing have changed, but man I love that place.

Now, back to the post I was thinking about. In order to be really ready for football season I have to have the proper gear. Here are some of my picked for this season. I'm still on the lookout for a wicked cool winter hat, preferably with a pompom on top, but that will come as the cold weather comes too.

Hopefully, I'm feeling better by the time this season starts or else hubby will be finding a game day partner in crime to fill my seat. But really no one can be as fun as I am on game day, right hubby?! What teams do you love?

It Was a Success

2010-08-14T12:07:00.003-05:00

Dinner that is.

Hubby is working today so I'm making him a late lunch/early dinner of chicken enchiladas.
Hopefully, it's as successful as last night's dinner.