8.29.2007

Hair Hotness

Ooey, gooey caramel. How I LOVE my new hair!! Seriously, how hot am I? A long overdo change, if you ask me (and others...trust me). I honestly am so happy with it, I can't even begin to tell you. Hooray for new hair! I highly recommend it.




Cody's parents are watching Cache tonight so that we can get to the Hospital early tomorrow morning. Cache just got picked up and it's really starting to hit me that we'll have two kids soon! Luckily we have everything ready, so we'll get to rest tonight. Better take advantage of a full night's sleep while I still can! Obviously, I won't be blogging from the Hospital. Howeva! I will post some info and pics when I get home. Wish me luck!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

So many things! First, I'm getting my hair done today.

I have mentioned before how I love to indulge and go to the salon to get my hair done. It's so relaxing! However, today is special - today I am changing my hair. Yes, I have decided to darken my locks to a caramel-y, honey color. I am SO excited! I love the Platinum thing, but I have been wanting a change for a while and what better way to go into Fall than with a new do?

Second, I love that I'm having a little boy tomorrow. AHH! A little crazy to think about, it just sounds so casual. "Yes, today I'll get my hair done, tomorrow I'll have a baby and by Saturday I should be able to make to my big movie premiere". I'm like a James Bond girl! I talked to my sister this morning and she put my nerves to rest. I really wish she was here with me! I can't tell you how excited I am to bring home another little boy.

I sewed some more burp cloths last night and I want to bust out some more onesies before the day is through. Turns out I LOVE sewing these little things! Thanks for all the tips on how and where to sell my onesies and things. I will keep you posted when I get that all set up!

Now I am off to finish cleaning up the house and making sure all is ready for our new little man. I'll try to post pictures of my new hair later on today! Woo-Hoo!

8.27.2007

The end is in sight!

So I went to the Dr. today and GREAT NEWS! I am schedule to be induced on Thursday around 6:00am. There is a chance I'll go into labor before then, but I do have a due date in sight! I am SO excited! And...a little freaked out. I am a bit more anxious and nervous this time around and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I know what's in store and that scares me a little. Cody's been at work since Saturday night and I've been spending every minute getting things ready. I have the bassinet all set up and the baby clothes all folded and ready. I even made a special little onesie for the little dude to wear home:

I even sewed a little flame on the back! So cute...

I've been cleaning the house like crazy and my hospital bag is all packed. I'm really scared that I'll go into labor when Cody is at work (that happened the first time!). Every night before I go to bed I make sure that everything is set in case I go into labor at 3:00am or something. I just feel nervous and restless...I hope it passes so I can get some good rest before the baby gets here!

My friend Heather is scheduled to be induced tonight! I am so excited for her. I made her some more burp cloths to match her nursery, so on Friday night Cody and I went out to dinner and then stopped by to drop them off. We ended up staying until the wee hours! It was nice to just sit and talk with Heather for a while...Cody was happy playing "Guitar Hero" with Heather's husband, Jim. They were hilarious! They were so into the game, it was awesome. Heather got some great pictures, I'll have to get them from her and post them sometime. You know, when she's not having a baby.

So now I'm off to sew some more onesies and burp cloths...I have turned into a sewing fiend - fiend I tell you! I'm all eager to start new projects and I've easily been to the fabric store more in the past two weeks than I have in my entire life. I'm hoping to get some onesies finished so I can sell them, so check back often! Of course, I may have to take some days off once the baby is born. You understand.

8.25.2007

Young Love

So, I'm participating in Soap Opera Sunday which was started by my fellow friend, Brillig. I have not posted any SOS stories until now and I'm not sure that I will be doing this every week, but since I am reminded of SO many stories when I read Kate and Brillig's posts (we've been friends for what...12 years?) I decided to give it a shot this week.

When I was 15 I met some boys named Tim and Jed. I met them at E.F.Y (a big Youth Conference held at BYU attended by thousands of teenagers that lasts one week) and we became fast friends. I was rooming with my cousin, Natalie and Jed and Tim were rooming together. I had met Jed earlier in the year at some school competition and thought he was cute, but never really talked to him. Fast-forward to the first night of E.F.Y. - a ginormous group of us were all walking back to the dorms after a dance and I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, don't I know you?" It was Jed. And he was cute. I recognized him and said, "Oh, yeah! We competed at such-and-such". I introduced Natalie, he introduced Tim and the four of us talked all the way back to the dorms. We realized that we all lived in Provo (except for Natalie, who lived about an hour away) and our High Schools were huge rivals - hilarious. Before going to sleep, Natalie and I had already made up our minds as to which boy we liked the best. No question there, I wanted Jed and she wanted Tim. The next day we met up to attend some classes together and I did my best to impress Jed with my wit and charm (considering some of the pictures that were taken during this time? That's really all I had going for me). Jed was so funny - I laughed at all his little remarks and looked at him longer than I should have. Natalie was smitten with Tim, as well. We always had fluttery stomachs when we met up with them and talked about them constantly. We also came up with a genius plan; Even though the girls and boys slept in different dorms, dorms come with telephones. I don't remember how it happened, but we were able to get the number to Tim and Jed's room. We'd say goodnight at 10:00 (or whenever the curfew was) and rush back to our room, get ready for bed and call the boys. To be honest? I have NO idea what we talked about. I guess I could consult my journal to get specific details, but I'm pretty sure that I'd be happier with most of this story remaining fuzzy. What is so genius about this plan, you ask? We (somehow) convinced the boys that our phones came equipped with a mute button. We told them that if they pushed the "*" key, we couldn't hear what they were saying. So they would push it and say something to us...we would pretend like we couldn't hear them...then they would push it again and we'd say all surprised, "Oooh, now I can hear you!"....so stupid. So every night we would talk and play around with the faux-mute button, hoping to hear some top-secret boy talk information or what have you. Eventually we reached the last night of the conference and there was a big banquet and dance to wrap up the evening. Natalie and I got all gussied and looked for Jed and Tim on the dance floor...getting more upset during each slow song where we didn't get dance with the boys. Finally Jed and Tim found us and Jed took my hand (I so remember that) and led me out to the floor to dance. We spent the rest of the evening together and walked closely back to the dorms. We knew we would have to go our separate ways the next morning, but we were sure that we would be seeing a lot of each other. After all, Jed and I had made it very clear to each other that we were interested. Holding hands now and then, sitting close...I don't really know how to explain it, but you know what I mean, right? Looking back now, I'm pretty sure I was reading into this little romance more than he was, but I was convinced that he was just as smitten with me as I was with him. After we got back to our room they called us like they did every night and we talked and flirted like crazy, but this time I heard some things (while on "mute") that made me nervous. Jed and I were talking and he said to hang on, he pushed the "*" key and I could hear some guys talking in the background...not really sure what they were saying, but Jed interrupted them and said, "She lives here, I'm going to be seeing this girl all through my High School years, it's not like she won't know". Um...know what? Naturally, when he came back I had to pretend that I hadn't heard a thing. Then he put me on mute again and said to his friends, "...Dude...I have to tell her".

***********

As is customary in SOS - here are some links to more Sunday soapiness!

Walking Kateastrophe
Brillig

8.23.2007

...Really?

I'd like to think that I'm sort of a sassy person. I love heels, cool bags, glammy tops, etc. Cody likes how I dress, but rarely will he look at something that I've picked out while shopping and say, "Wow, that is SO cute!". However, I would like to think that the man knows me and my fashion sense well enough to know when I'm joking about loving an item that's completely ridiculous. For example - last night while Cody was watching the news, I was looking online at some of my favorite teeny-bopper clothing sites (a guilty pleasure of mine, no judging). Sometimes I can find totally cute stuff and it's always inexpensive - how great is that? Whilst browsing in the shoe section of one of these said sites, I came upon these...

I promise, other than this boots this site is totally G-rated. Ok, except for maybe a t-shirt that says, "Your boyfriend thinks I'm hot". So I turn to Cody and say, "I'm totally going to get these". He looks over and sort of sticks his lips out and nods, like "Mm-Hmm, Mm-Hmm". To continue with my wittiness, I add, "You know, to wear to PTA Meetings and Christmas dinner with the family". Still no real reaction from the husband. Finally I say, "I'm kidding, by the way". His response? "Oh really?" Um....I reply, "Do you honestly think I would want to buy and wear those??" and he innocently says, "Well, when you tell me you want to buy something, I just assume you're serious." Oh dear. Although, I guess this means that I can finally buy that dominatrix ensemble I've been eying at the local sex shop.

Tonight I am going to the Theater where I was in a play last year. They are doing 'Steel Magnolias' this Fall and the Director called me a few months ago to offer me the part of Shelby, but I really wanted to play Annelle. "No problem, it's yours". Yay! I have been looking forward to this and I'm so excited...although now I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn it down. They know that I'll have a new baby and were willing to work around that, but I also know they were a bit nervous about hiring me so soon after having a baby. The show opens at the end of October and there would be a LOT of rehearsals until then. If I just had the newborn I might be able to do it, but with Cache and Cody working so much...I just don't think I'll be able to swing it. It wouldn't be fair to the other women in the show and I don't think it's best for me right now. I'm so bummed about it! I so, so wanted to be in this play. They are going to let me sit in during some of the auditions tonight, which will be fun. I'll just have to be ready for the show they do in the Spring!


Had another Dr. appt today. Looks like I'll be going in again on Monday to see where I am...still no induction date, but it will be sometime next week! Unless the little guy decides to show up on his own...

8.22.2007

What I'm Loving Wednesday

...What Not To Wear!

I adore this show. Stacy and Clinton could quite possibly be my most favorite people ever! They are so funny and clever, how could one not fall in love with them? Stacy is such a sassy little dish and Clinton is so dapper - they are fabulous. Their shows are always SO good and bonus! - This weekend they are having a special where they are visiting some people they have helped in the past to see how they're doing with the fashion rules and what have you. Oh yes, I'll be tuning in.




So, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm going to be bringing home a new baby next week and it's really, really starting to hit me. I'm super excited, but I have so much to do! It's just that whole "nesting" feeling, I guess. Tonight I'm hoping to get the Bassinet all cleaned out and ready for the little guy, not to mention washing all of the baby clothes and cleaning the house. It's like I want everything super clean and 'done' so I don't have to worry about it when I come home from the Hospital. Oh, the Hospital. I have done this before, but I'm getting a little nervous about labor and everything. Ahh, just so many things to think about. I should probably get back to my list of things to do to keep my mind clear!

8.20.2007

Ode to the weekend...

Whoa, where have I been? Lots went on this weekend - my sister was in town and we spent lots of time together. Oh, how I love her. Friday we went to Gardner Village (and some other places to look for Halloween treasures) and scored some lovely gems! We did lots of walking and lots of shopping. Here are some pictures of our day:

My Mom and Andrea walking to the car to unload some of their purchases

One of the bridges in the middle of the Village

We may or may not have gone a little overboard on the shopping...

One of my favorite finds of the day! Wood grain wrapping paper. Isn't it rad?

Another nifty find - patterned packing tape and garbage bags. Impractical? Maybe. But super great for my Halloween party! These actually reminded me of my friend, Ann. I think she would love them!


Needless to say, I was BEAT once we got home. Soooo ready for bed! Cody was home on Saturday and we got to spend the day together. What did we do? Well...I took him up to Gardner Village again! I know how it sounds, but I promise I'm not obsessed with the place. It was a last minute thing and we just up and decided to run up there really quick to look at this great fabric store I found (more on that later in the post). I'm hoping to make curtains for the boys rooms and I wanted his opinion on some prints that I liked.

We got some swatches and ended the day in the candy shoppe where Cache was in Heaven...

That night we got to go see the comedian Brian Regan with my family. If you have not yet heard of this comical genius, you MUST go check him out! Seriously, the funniest person ever - he makes me cry. I was laughing so hard I thought I would go into labor! Ok, not really. It was SO much fun, it was awesome that I got to go with the whole family.



Back to the fabric store I discovered at Gardner Village. I bought SO much fabric! All in hopes of making more onesies and burp cloths. I want to keep making them and hopefully I'll get better and better. This store had the cutest prints and colors - my Mom and sister and I spent over an hour in that store looking at all the cloth goodies.

But I have a question - I've thought about selling these, would you buy one? Or some? Or many? Little burp cloths or onesies? I feel weird asking...but I'm curious. I would probably just sell them through my Blog or something like that, nothing huge. Thoughts?

8.17.2007

Green with envy!

My friend Nicole just loaded some pictures on her website of her new home in Duluth, MN. K, her house? My dream house. I LOVE IT!! I don't think she realizes how close I am to packing my bags and moving in with her. It's so cool, I totally love the style of house that has lots of woodwork, exposed heaters, wood floors, great windows...just take a look, you'll see what I'm talking about.

How great is that yard?

Living Room....heaven

Dining Room - aren't the ceilings great?

Stairway - the stairs used to be covered in carpet. I think the wood looks fab!

Entryway

They did lots of work to this house to update it, it's incredible. I cannot say enough about this house (obviously), it's just such a beautiful home! Perhaps one day I will find a little gem like this.

8.16.2007

So so much...

Lots going on! Ok, well - for me anyway. Today I had a Dr. appt and things are looking great! The baby is very healthy and active. I have been worried that this baby will be big like Cache (Cache was 9 lbs., 5 oz. and 21") and my Dr. has been great with assuring me that he'll do what he can to make this delivery a little easier. Today he told me that at my appt. next week I should be able to pick a date to be induced!!! It's so crazy to think about. I mean, choosing the day you give birth? "Ahhh, lets see. Yes, Tuesday is...is no good, I have a hair appointment and a manicure that day, but Wednesday I think I could fit the birthing in between 2:00 and 3:00...". It's not like I'll give birth that much earlier than my due date and there is a chance that I'll go into labor before then (but since I was 6 days late with Cache, the chances of me going early aren't likely), so we'll just have to see! Overall, things look great and I feel fine. It's so weird to think that in two weeks I'll be the Mother of two boys...and we still don't know what to name him!!

I completely spaced my "What I'm Loving Wednesday" this week - oops! But I have found something that I love that is a little different than previous posts. What do I love this week? Dryer Belt Tension Pulley Wheels. Yes. I love them. Last week our dryer stopped working (I don't recommend this) and Cody found that the pulley wheel was totally shot. We tried to find a replacement part locally, but no one had it in stock so it had to be ordered. I was so eager to get this part in the mail, you have no idea. During the wait, I had to haul my laundry to my parents house and I hated that I wasn't able to toss a load in whenever I wanted. Oh, the things one can take for granted! FINALLY today the part arrived and I was so ecstatic, I found it blog-worthy. The gleam will wear off, but for right now? Laundry is my favorite past time. I think I'll do about 45 loads before I go to bed.

The nursery is painted! Oh dear -
*blink blink*

I know these pictures are intense. The blue in the photos looks so freaking bright. I promise it's not that crazy! It's blue, yes. It's bright, yes. But it doesn't singe the corneas like this picture might attest. Cody was able to get this done in two days - chair rail and all! I love how it turned out, I think it looks so great! It's crazy to finally see it done. We have yet to move in the crib and changing table. I also have to get some things on the walls and get everything finalized. Cody is starting on Cache's dump truck bed (I thought he was building a bulldozer bed...I was wrong) this weekend and I'm sure we'll get his room painted in the next little bit. It's all coming together and I love it!

Shopping, shopping. My mom and I went to lunch today followed by a very successful afternoon of shopping! We went to Evan's Gate House (this crafty little joint) that my friends Heather and Ann recommended (Girls!! I loved it!!). It was so cool - they had such great stuff! They had so much groovy Halloween stuff, I had to contain myself. If nothing else, it totally inspired me to make some decor this year...it was fabulous. We each left with lots of loot and tomorrow we are off to Gardner Village with my sister to do more damage. "Pray, what is this 'Gardner Village' you speak of?" Ahhh, it's a great little gathering of small shops that carry some of the coolest stuff for your home and for Holidays. Check our their site - www.gardnervillage.com. I am SO excited, I can't wait for tomorrow! Of course we'll be in comfy shoes and our hair will be pulled up - this is purely a business trip. Ahem.

8.15.2007

PG City Party

Last night we went to a City Party for PG City Employees. The weather wasn't so much cooperating - there were a few nervous moments under the pavillion! It was really windy and there was some serious thunder and lightening. It didn't rain very hard or very long, but it did produce some glorious rainbows. After we were done eating, we waited for a bit until the storm passed and then headed up to the Pool for some night swimming!

I've said before that Cache doesn't really love the water, but last night he totally surprised me! We were watching Cody and the other firefighters in the cannonball contest and Cache kept wanting to go jump in. Cody then took him into the shallow end and swam with him a little bit - he totally loved it! We'll have to go back, he didn't want to get out of the water. We were there pretty late, but it was so much fun - we got to see our friends Marc and Jessica and it was nice to hang out.

Cody and I have some random errands to run today, but I'd much rather be running errands with him than by myself! These few days off with him home have been great - I'll be sad when he goes back to work...forever. We need to go up to Ikea and perhaps Home Depot to get some things for the nursery. Cody is planning on building a bed for Cache that looks like a bulldozer. I have no doubts that he can do it, it's just that he has about 1,000 other projects going on and who knows when it will get finished....gotta love him.

My sister and her family come in town tomorrow for the weekend - yay! It's so funny, I think I've seen my sister about every 3 weeks this Summer. My Mom and I are going shopping for Halloween stuff tomorrow afternoon after my Dr. appt (I'll let you know how that goes) and then my sister will join us on Friday for some more spooky shopping! I'm so excited!! Did you know that my grocery store already has Halloween candy for sale? Fantastic.

8.13.2007

Yarr

I've had quite the busy weekend! Although, when I think about what I did the past two days that made me feel so exhausted, it doesn't seem like I should feel this tired. Friday was my baby shower and afterwards Kate and I decided to go see a movie...yes, we went to 'Hairspray' again. So shameful! Ahhh, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - it's such a blast to watch.

Saturday I was busy putting together some pirate kits - my parents take a trip to Lake Powell with their friends every year and they asked me to put together the invitations. On Saturday I probably ran about 37 errands before Cache's naptime and then spent the evening up at my parents house putting them together and getting them ready to be delivered. I didn't have much time, but I think they turned out pretty great!

Here is the official invitation. The picture didn't turn out great, but these invites were hilarious. A little touch of pirate jargon can get anybody ready to swab the decks.

These were just some pirate maps that my Mom and I personalized.

The loot! Here is what each pirate's chest looked like. It was full of gold coins and plastic rings, a bandanna, a compass, shells, sand dollars, necklaces, a velvet pouch that held the pirate map and the official invite was on the top. I burned the edges and sealed it with red wax.

Ready to be dropped off! I tied each pirate's chest with 'seaweed', glued on some moss and topped it with a pirate flag. Oh, not to mention everyone got their own bottle of imported Pirate Rum.



I'm really happy with the finished product, but it totally wore me out! Cody worked for 3 days straight and finally came home this morning. He has a rare few days off and I'm SO happy to have him home! We'll be busy with nursery and home project stuff, but as long as he's around I'm good. Tomorrow we are going to a Fire Department dinner and pool party where there is a bathing suit contest for the firefighters - Cody is determined to win it. Don't you worry, I'll be taking pictures...

8.12.2007

Baby Shower

Kate hosted the greatest baby shower for me on Friday night! She did so much work and it looked so awesome. There was lots of yummy food (trust me, I ate most of it) and her Mom's house was decorated so cute! Here are a few pictures of the evenings festivities:

What a spread!

My nursery colors are brown and blue, so Kate used both colors to decorate. My friend Crystal set up these chocolate fountains - aren't they great? I was a little skeptical of the blue one, but it looked so cute. Not to mention they were both D. Licious.

These were the favors for the guests. Inside were little fortune cookies that read, "Julia is fortunate to have a friend like you!" Ahhh, Kate - so clever!


Ann and Heather gave me such cute gifts! Here are some little booties with fire engines on them - I love it!

A sailor onesie with matching socks, could you die?? Oh, and I was given a crown that said, "Mother to be"


I also got the cutest little outfit from my friend Joni and some baby essentials from dear Brillig. Thank you so much, girls! It was a lovely evening and it was so nice to see everybody. Three weeks to go, can't wait for the little guy to get here!