Saturday, December 31, 2011

Faith's Place: Top 10 of 2011

It's hard to believe 2011 is almost over!!

Wow! It went fast! And what a great year it was....

My husband was deployed for half of it, but I made the best of his 14 month deployment by completing projects around the house.

Here is a list of my Top Ten Blog Posts from 2011!!!
(click on each "Number" to take you to the post)



Painted Curtains....I got alot of compliments on these curtains...and continue to enjoy them in my kitchen!


.Price Wall of Fame....Since my fridge is stainless steel I couldn't use it to put up my girls' artwork and projects...so I came up with this idea. it continues to work GREAT!!!


A TV appearance....so maybe this wasn't an actual project, but it was definitely an honor to be able to show off my hard work on our local morning show....I had a great time!!! You can watch the video of me on the show....and you can see exactly how nervous and at a loss for words I was! haha!


Tiled Fireplace....I took my ordinary fireplace and made it look high class!!! Still loving it every time I look at it!!!


Master Bedroom Reveal....I redid our master bedroom, and am still enjoying the change in color scheme!!!


Back Patio Reveal....I turned our ordinary eye sore of a patio into something to enjoy sitting and relaxing on....


My  $0.84 Chair....This is one of my favorite projects....To this day, I don't think I have found such a good deal at Goodwill....you won't believe how I transformed this chair in my very first recovering project!!!!!


My DIY Craft Desk...This is one of those "I made it without my husband" projects! Never in my life had I built anything...and I took on this DIY craft desk. It works GREAT in my craft room...and still pat myself on the back when I look at it! ;-)


Living Room Reveal... I saved this project as one of my very last this year since I slowly worked on different things in this room...but it all came together so nicely, and I am still enjoying it!!!!


and my 2011 wouldn't be complete without the arrival of my soldier! For 14 months, he was in Iraq on his second year long tour! he came home in July and life has been hunky-dory since then! I think I am still on Cloud 9...just enjoying having my family back together!

***To see a complete list of all 100 projects I completed, you can click HERE


Of course, I can't forget one more project that is still in the works....as a result of the hubby's arrival home in July...
We have this little guy on the way!!! After 2 daughters, we are thrilled to be adding a son to our family! This little man will complete our family, and we are all so excited!!!!! We eagerly and anxiously await his arrival the first week of April!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Baby Bump Update: 24 Weeks

24 Week Bump Update

 

*How far along?: 24 weeks 5 days when this photo was taken

*Total weight gain: My next "official" weigh in will be Jan. 9th....and I am scared to step on the scale next time!!! Yesterday morning, I had gained 15.5 pounds total....this is still lower than my other 2 pregnancies, so I am thankful! Unfortunately, my face and rear end have all 15 pounds!!!

*How big is baby?: About 13 inches long and over a pound in weight!

*Sleep?:Depends on the night....I've been sick with a head cold this week, so sleeping has been hard with trying to breathe and get comfortable. A few nights ago I was up until 3am wide awake...other nights I fall right asleep...

*Best moment this week?:Christmas was fun with our girls this past week! We had some wonderful family time!!

*Movement?: I have one little busy man in my belly...is this an indication of what he will be like when he's actually here?!? If so, I'm in for one active little boy!

*Food cravings?: No cravings...still love clementines...I think I eat 5-6 a day, just because I know I can eat those without feeling sick. This baby will probably be orange when he's born.

*Labor signs?: No, thank Goodness....but I do believe I have started having some Braxton Hicks over the last few days.

*Belly button in or out?: It's out, and has been out....BUT, I do have a hernia, so that makes it stick out sooner. Will have to look into getting it fixed once the baby is here.

*What I miss: I REALLY miss sleeping on my stomach. At this point, to turn from one side to another, is quite a task.  I'm a stomach sleeper, so this side sleeping stuff is for the birds!!!!

*What I’m looking forward to: Operation Nursery starts this weekend!!!! Cleaning out closets and attic space to make room for this little guy starts tomorrow....then next week when they kids go back to school I will start buying the fabric to make his bedding!!! So excited to get started on putting the room together! I've picked out colors schemes and have some ideas of what I want the nursery to look like....can't wait to give you a sneak peek once I get it started!


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Have you met.....

....our latest addition??????

No, I'm talking about the new baby growing in my belly.

 I'm talking about this little guy.



Meet "Grimsley" the English Bulldog.

We got this little guy back in October....and I'm just getting around to blogging about him.

 When my husband first told me he wanted an English Bulldog, I told him he was crazy. Why on earth would I want such an ugly dog?!?!?!?

But I have to tell you....he's so ugly he's cute....and I am so glad he's a part of our family now. My girls adore him, and he loves them too! Follows them everywhere they go!

He's a really good little dog....very laid back....he likes to go outside and sit in his chair....


 Housebreaking has been pretty easy and quick...


 He loves his doggy cousin....


 And LOVES attention and snuggling....

Grimsley has given us a lot of laughs just in the short time he's been with us...and I know he will give us many more!!  Such a fun little guy with a sweet personality!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Baby Bump Update: 23 Weeks


*How far along?: 23 weeks 3 days when this photo was taken

*Total weight gain:Somehow 2 extra pounds showed up on the scale this morning, and I am NOT happy about it...I'll gladly gain 5lbs a month from here on out..but not 2-3 lbs in one week! Pregnancy #2 was like this...once 22 weeks hit, the weight starting packing on. Oh.good.gravy.That puts my total weight gain at 14 pounds.

*How big is baby?:Over a pound...and the size of a mango....however, I think this baby is about as big as an infant elephant already. The kicks HURT!

*Sleep?: I've been doing pretty well in the sleep department...a little restless leg....only waking once to use the restroom, if at all. Can't complain...I know those sleepless nights are just around the corner!

*Best moment this week?:Getting back into the gym on a regular basis...it feels so good to work out, and I can tell it's boosting my mood. I am sure my husband would agree, I've been quite grouchy this pregnancy.

*Movement?:O.M.G....this baby feels like he has run out of room in there already....and I still have 15.5 weeks to go.  Punches, kicks and jabs all day long....even in the middle of the night!!!! 

*Food cravings?: No cravings...still love clementines...broccoli also tastes good to me...and last night at a Christmas party I had a spinach casserole that was to die for...making it to have here at home for sure!!!

*Labor signs?: No, thank Goodness. 

*Belly button in or out?: Ugh, it's out. Look at the picture... ;(

*What I miss:I really miss not being pregnant...I know that's selfish to say...but pregnancy just doesn't look good nor feel good on me. We went out to dinner the other night and I saw a table of people who were obviously talking about me and looking at me...maybe they were saying how good I looked...maybe they were making fun of me....I don't know.  I actually don't like the extra attention you get when you are pregnant.....I know, I sound like a kid.  Can't wait to have my body back!

*What I’m looking forward to:  Next week I will start looking into buying fabric to make the baby's bedding....I'll be making the bedding, covering the glider and getting his room all ready for his arrival....excited about that!!



Thursday, December 15, 2011

Baby Bump Update: 22 Weeks


  22 Week Bump Update
*How far along?: 22 weeks 4 days when this photo was taken

*Total weight gain: I had a doctor's appt this past Monday and I have gained a total of 11 lbs...which means I gained a whopping 6 pounds in a month!!!! Oh my! However, I am on the low end of weight gain (for now). Don't forget I gained 77 lbs with my first pregnancy, and 50lbs with my second....so I am really trying hard to keep it under 40 this go around!!

*How big is baby?: as big as a spaghetti squash....??? Not even sure what one of those look like. But I can tell you it's 12 in long and about a pound in weight!!!!

*Sleep?: I've had a few nights where I have been WIDE awake at 2am and up for a couple hours...but the last 3 nights have been great. I even slept through the night without a single potty break! YEAH!

*Best moment this week?: This past Saturday we had our gender reveal party to reveal the baby's sex.....We were able to tell the world we are having a little BOY!!!! (after 2 girls, a boy was our preference, however we would have been happy with a girl too!)

*Movement?:Little man in my belly is a mniature Karate Kid....the jabs can already be painful..he's a powerful little guy!

*Food cravings?: Still loving clementines....but still no overwhelming cravings...

*Labor signs?: No, thank Goodness. 

*Belly button in or out?: Ugh, it's out. Look at the picture... ;(

*What I miss: Can I say "running" again? Went to the gym today with a fellow pregnant running friend, who ran 4 miles at an 8:30 pace right beside me as I struggled to do 35 minutes on the eliptical....and she's 18 weeks along....just amazing!!!!    However, I am grateful I am still moving. I'll take 35 minutes of the eliptical over that stinkin' bed rest I was on earlier in my pregnancy!

*What I’m looking forward to: Now that we know this baby is a little BOY I am looking forward to getting his nursery started. Deciding on colors and patterns right now, but won't get started until after Christmas....

Monday, December 12, 2011

Our Gender Reveal Party...It's A....

This past weekend we hosted a small "Gender Reveal" Party at our house to reveal the sex of our third baby.  As most of you know, we have 2 girls (ages 8 and 5) and I wanted to do something special for them to reveal the sex of their new (and FINAL) sibling!!

The bummer is, the flash on my camera is not working so every photo I got is blurry because of the indoor shots. Booooo! 

 I tried to keep it simple as far as food and decorations. I went to Party City and picked up a few baby decorations, along with some pink and blue candies. I made sugar cookies in the shapes of onesies as well. The subs came from Wal-Mart. if you've never ordered a party sub from there, I highly suggest it.

I also asked everyone to dress in pink or blue....only 3 dressed in pink. I guess everyone was anxious for us to have a boy!




On the count of 3 they all bit down into their cupcake to see.....

And here is the reaction we got from our girls...my oldest has been saying all along she wanted a boy...my youngest (on the right) wanted a girl....
My sweet friend, Kym, cried with tears of joy for us. I just love my friends!
Here is my youngest finally realizing what was going on!! She's not quite sure what to expect....but she was happy even though she didn't get another sister like she wanted!




It's a BOY!!!! We are so excited to know we will complete our family with the addition of a SON! However....now I am thinking "Oh my goodness! What on earth am I going to do with a BOY?!?"  ;-)  After 2 girls, I am not sure how to prepare for a little man...but I'm so excited to find out!!!



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Bump Update: 21 Weeks



21 Week Bump Update!
*How far along?: 21 weeks 4 days when this photo was taken

*Total weight gain: I think I am at about 9-10 pounds. I go to the dr next week for an official weigh in. It's looking like I have gained about 5 lbs this month! UGH!!!!! (thank you, Thanksgiving dinner and leftovers)

*How big is baby?: The length of a carrot...about 10.5 inches. At my ultrasound last week this little cutie weighed a whopping 13 ounces!

*Sleep?:Sleeping good,but having a little issue with restless leg here and there...but only waking up once to use the restroom...I'll take it!!!

*Best moment this week?: Going in for my ultrasound last Monday!! Loved getting to see the baby in 4d!!!

*Movement?: Oh yes....this baby may only weigh 13 ounces, but it feels as though it's 5 lbs already! The kicks and movements are out of control!

*Food cravings?: Still no overwhelming cravings.....I bought some clementines this week, and those are tasting really good to me...thank God it's fruit, and not chocolate bars!

*Labor signs?: No, thank Goodness. 

*Belly button in or out?: Ugh, it's out. Look at the picture... ;(

*What I miss: Running...and just feeling normal. Always seem to be short of breath, and tire out easily. This 2nd trimester is supposed to be the FUN trimester....still waiting on that energy boost I had the last 2 pregnancies!

*What I’m looking forward to:  We have our Gender Reveal party this Saturday! Inviting close friends and family over to reveal the baby's sex! My husband and I actually already know...and we can't wait to tell our family. Our girls don't know yet either, so seeing their reaction should be priceless!!
Stay tuned for photos!