Thanksgiving 2008 November 28, 2008

Eddie and I had a great Thanksgiving. Because it was just the two of us again this year, we had planned on just going out to dinner. At the last minute though, we decided that we were going to make the Thanksgiving feast at home, which included making turkey for the very first time! I was a little nervous, but I am proud to say that our turkey turned out great and so did the rest of our feast. We’ve been thoroughly enjoying our leftovers the last few evenings.

We have so much to be thankful for this year, but most of all we are thankful for the life that is growing inside of me. We can’t wait to meet baby Ainslie in March!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Happy 5th Birthday! November 28, 2008

Tana celebrated her 5th birthday on Thanksgiving day. She and Dexter had a great time opening her two presents! Afterward, we all went out in the yard and played with her new toys. Tana and Dexter also enjoyed some turkey scraps after Thanksgiving dinner – YUM!

Happy Birthday Tana Bear!!! We love you!

Couch Potatoes November 23, 2008

Tana has never been allowed on our leather couch and she knows this. Recently, however, she has decided that she will be allowed on the couch and she does not care what anyone else thinks. I got these pictures of her and Dexter snuggled up on the couch today. I guess I shouldn’t be encouraging her poor behavior by photographing it, but they looked so cute together that I couldn’t help it!

Joyful & Bright November 17, 2008

I love all of the new kits that Deb has up over at Say it With Letters. There are lots of yummy Christmas kits that I am dying to play with and she was sweet enough to send me one!! Click HERE to see all of the yummy stuff that she has up right now!

Step by Step Directions…

1. Paint the main part of the tree with Crackle Paint in Worn Lipstick. Paint the base of the tree with Crackle Paint in Broken China. Allow to dry (I used a heat gun to speed up the process).

2. Cover the pink paint with Mod Podge Sparkle. Before it dries, sprinkle on some German Glass Glitter in Pink (you can find this at Say it With Letters as well). Allow to dry (again, I used a heat gun to speed up drying time).

3. Cover the base of the tree with patterned paper. Adhere and cut off excess. Ink edges using Distress Ink in Broken China.

4. Add a thin border of Stickles in Gunmetal to the edges of the tree (pink part only). Allow to dry (I left mine overnight so that it could dry thoroughly).

5. Cut out two snowmen from patterned paper. Add tree diecuts and snowmen to the pink part of the tree as shown. Add “Joy” and “Bright” diecuts, using black label stickers to change the word “joy” into “joyful”. Use the same stickers to add “and” in between “Joyful” and “Bright” (the stickers I used are from Making Memories).

6. Add jewels to the tree diecuts. Add glittery star and red star button to the very top of the Christmas tree.

And before I sign off, I just want to wish a very happy birthday to my best friend, Christine! Tomorrow is her 27th birthday! Have a good one chica!

Autumn November 15, 2008

It’s my favorite time of year! Living back in Las Vegas, fall wasn’t really a season. That experience has made me especially thankful to live in a climate where the leaves change and fall to the ground. Today is a typical fall day and I love it! It is cloudy and the air is crisp. The wind is blowing and the leaves are flying everywhere. It’s fabulous!

If you love fall like I do, then you will love this new AUTUMN Acrylic Album from My Acrylic Album! Click HERE to check it out. I used several different alcohol inks from Ranger to color the cover page. It was my first time using alcohol inks and now I am hooked!

I used patterned papers and diecuts from Sassafrass Lass and embellishments from Petaloo, My Minds Eye, and Bazzill. The alcohol inks that I used on the front cover are from Ranger and of course the Autumn Acrylic Album is from the one and only My Acrylic Album.

Hope you’re having a great autumn weekend!!!

Bubbles in my Belly November 13, 2008

I’ve been feeling the baby move this week for the first time and the best way to describe the feeling is like there are large bubbles in my belly and they are popping. It doesn’t feel like butterflies or anything like that, more like popcorn popping in my tummy. Sometimes it even tickles a little. I love it! At first I thought that I just had gas, but it’s been happening every night since Saturday and the doctor said that it is probably her doing somersaults.

Speaking of the doctor, we had our 22 week appointment today and it wasn’t as uneventful as I had originally thought it would be. My blood pressure appears to be up again, blah! It was really high when I first got to the office, but right before we left they took it again and it was totally normal. Just in case though, I have to do a 24 hour urine catch on Sunday (where I have to collect ALL of my urine in a big jug for 24 hours) and then on Monday they’ll test it and I’ll have some bloodwork done. High blood pressure in pregnancy = BAD…

Other than that, all went well at our appointment. The heartbeat is nice and strong and my weight gain is still looking good. We go back again on November 25th and I’ll have to do the Glucose Tolerance Test to check for gestational diabetes. I am so not looking forward to drinking the syrup!

And we had good news! The doctor moved my due date up to March 16th and told us that he thinks I will go even earlier than that. Apparently she has been measuring almost a week larger for awhile now so we may get to meet our baby girl even earlier than expected!

Christmas Ornaments November 10, 2008

I really enjoyed my latest project with Say it With Letters! I love all things Christmas related so working on these wooden Christmas Ornaments was right up my alley! Click HERE to purchase the set.

I used patterned papers from Love, Elsie that had been sitting in my stash since last Christmas. I paired them with chipboard buttons (also from Love, Elsie), crackle paint, distress ink, lace, velvet ribbon, and pearls. The large ball ornament has embossed cardstock on it, which I sanded so that that the embossed images would really stand out.

To decorate the medium sized ornament, I cut the patterned papers into small squares and collaged them all over the ornament shape. I also sanded it for a shabby look.

Be sure to visit Say it With Letters this winter for TONS of fun Christmas and Winter shapes that you can alter. They make great holiday decorations as well as wonderful gifts for friends and family!

Fall Family Portraits November 8, 2008

Eddie and I set up the camera and tripod in the backyard this afternoon and took some fall family portraits. The goal was to get a good photo for our annual Christmas card and I think we succeeded because we definitely got a few cute ones!

I love these ones of the two of us with the dogs, especially the one on the right because Tana has the cutest smile ever in that one. Unfortunately she moved in the middle of the photo and it’s a little blurry!

We also took a couple of just the two of us…

This one was Ed’s idea because he is always obsessed with pretending to be a gangster. He calls this shot, “Suburban Gangstas” – I look pretty badass if I do say so myself, LOL!

And I am now 5 1/2 months pregnant and am getting bigger by the day. It’s hard to believe that baby Ainslie will be here in 4 short months. We can’t wait to meet her!

Be sure to check back on Monday because I am going to be posting my latest project from Say it With Letters. This month I got to work with some wooden Christmas ornaments and they turned out super fun! If I were to describe them I would say that they are shabby chic, but also very modern and funky.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Made with Love November 6, 2008

I’ve been busy sewing baby stuff for the past two weeks! So far I’ve finished a crib quilt, quilted throw pillow, crib bumper pads, a tailored bedskirt, a memo board, a toy bag, and a nurture nest pillow (aka boppy pillow cover). I still have a diaper stacker to make, as well as curtains for three windows so I imagine I will be busy for at least another week. I have been having a great time and things are really coming together perfectly!

Here’s some pictures of the things I’ve been working on…  Oh and please try to ignore the hideous wallpaper – it is going to be painted over soon!!

Crib Quilt & Quilted Throw Pillow…

Bumper Pads and Tailored Bedskirt…

Toy Bag…

Memo Board…

Nurture Nest Pillow (aka Boppy Pillow)…

I’ve got some design team projects to finish tomorrow, but hopefully next week I’ll be able to get to work on the curtains and then we can decide what color to paint the walls. We also have our 22 week OB appointment next Thursday, which we are looking forward to.

Hope you’re having a great week!

I voted! November 4, 2008

I had nightmares about the long lines for voting today, but of course the media hypes everything up like usual and there was nothing to worry about. We went to vote between the morning and lunch rushes and only waited in line for 20 minutes. Makes me glad that I didn’t waste 6 hours waiting in line for early voting.

I also ordered this little onesie for baby Ainslie – I just couldn’t resist! And have you seen that cute one that says: Don’t blame me, I can’t vote until 2027? I am praying that I don’t have to buy her that one.

Oh and one more cute thing to share – my friend Dani sent me a link to this little political button over at Etsy – Love it!