Stronger

A little while back Meliss gave me a CD with some of the more current worship songs so that I could play it in my car. (I'm terrible at music stuff and all my CDs in there were at least 8+ years old). So for the past couple weeks I've been listening to it on repeat, singing along with it at the top of my lungs when I'm by myself in the car. Haha

One of the songs is called "Stronger" (I think, haha. I'm also terrible at knowing song titles so bear with me here) and the chorus goes like this:

"You are stronger, You are stronger

Sin is broken, You have saved me.

It is written, Christ is risen

Jesus, You, are Lord of all."

Every time I sing these stanzas I'm hit with the truth that God has given me new life, that He has broken me free from the chains of sin and that He defeated death and sits at the right hand of God in heaven where I will join Him one day. Sometimes, in this crazy world and amidst all the busyness of life, I need to be reminded of this simple truth: Yes, I am worth it. And yes, this is what I am living for!

Thank you Jesus. Help me to live in your simple truth each day!

Hosana,

Aim

P.S. Thanks Meliss for the CD. It really has been a source of encouragement and worship for me this month. I needed that <3

Stripey Stripes

I'm obsessed with stripes. 

I've enlisted Quiddie to go on my current stripe mission with me tomorrow and I'm uber excited about it! We are going to pick up this:

Meet the Eikor throw from Ikea. It's lightweight, gorgeous and the best part? It's $19.99 people!!!

Holla!

Aim

Ring On

This was the state of affairs in our house last night...

My dear husband's favorite NBA player of all time finally won his first Championship ring. He was SO thrilled that he couldn't contain himself :). He stayed glued to the t.v. until way past our normal bedtime and I fell asleep to him watching commentary and game clips on his laptop. Makes me happy to see him so happy!

Blane's quote of the night, "This is the BEST year EVER! We got married, got to go to New Zealand, Lebron won his first ring AND we're having a kid!" :D

Maybe I need to find him some Miami Heat branded socks no? ;)

Aim

Big Night

We interrupt our regular scheduled blogging tonight for something major...

It's a big night in our household. 

Hoping for a "husband-happy" kind of result!

Aim

Tuning In

I told Blane the other week that the baby could hear us now and that night before we went to bed, he put his iPhone close to my stomach and it was playing something...

...Mozart! He mumbled something about not really believing that this stuff works but that we might as well give it a try since you never know. :D We've been told that listening to classical music increases your baby's brain function. This coming from my husband is an even greater feat if you know him and his normal musical selections (far, far from Mozart ;). I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the seriousness/randomness/semi-believer in him at that moment. You gotta give the guy an A for effort!

He is going to be a great dad <3

Aim

Status Report

Happy 30-Week Monday!

10 weeks and counting,

Aim

Dad's Day

 This is my Dad. Isn't he handsome?

He really loves his daughters (...as he tells us all the time ;)

 He has a deep, deep heart of faith...

And a quirky sense of humor...once you get to know him ;). He also really loves my Mom <3 Gotta love that!

Happy Father's Day to one of the greats, my Dad <3

I love you!

Aim

Some Southern Cali News

I'm not a Disney fanatic by any means, but today I was excited to see that Southern California's own California Adventure theme park has reopened in its re-vamped up state! :D

They've completely redone the entry area dubbed "Buena Vista Street" as well as added 12 acres for a new "Cars Land" that I've heard is amazing! I'm excited because I wasn't too impressed when I went after it first opened, although Blane and my favorite ride ever (Toy Story) is there. Can't wait to check it out for myself...maybe sometime after summer and the crowds go away hah.

P.S. Did you know that Starbucks is coming to all Disney resorts?!? Whoo-hoo! The first Starbucks opened at California Adventure today and the cups are oh-so-cute. Gotta get one!

Happy Weekend all!

Aim

Living Room Upgrade

Blane and I have had this rug in our living room ever since we moved into our house.

We loved the color and how it softened the room with its fluffy presence. Unfortunately, it was also the source of a never-ending stream of dust bunnies that somehow wafted off of it every. single. day. The rug fibers were long and matted and no amount of vacuuming could get that rug clean! It was aggravating to say the least. 

So with baby incoming in less than a couple months, we were on the prowl for a rug replacement. The qualifications were simple: no long, shaggy hairs; a darker color better to hide spills and baby stains; at least an 8x11' size and this all had to be found at a decent price.

From several design blogs that I peruse, I found an online rug source: Rugs USA. Their quality and customer service seemed to be good and I liked that they had customer reviews for a lot of their rugs. I signed up to receive their e-mails and over the course of a few weeks I looked and stalked out a few rugs that caught my eye. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I received an e-mail from Rugs USA announcing a big 80% off sale that weekend only. 

So we dove in and purchased this new guy. (Hi Mom :)

We love it. It fits our space (check), is made of wool so no straggly hairs (check), and it's a charcoal grey color (check). The best part was that it was listed for a whopping $1100 and we got it for under $250-Score!!! That's a bargain for a big 8'x11' rug for those of you unfamiliar with the world of home decor :).

The best part is that our new rug looks fabulous with pink peonies. Did I mention that requirement too? :D 

Happy Tuesday!

Aim

Back to Basics

I have a confession. I haven't really cooked dinner since about the time when we announced that we were pregnant. At first it was because food, honestly, was grossing me out and the thought of touching raw chicken was...barf worthy to say the least.

Then my MIL stepped in and they've been feeding us pretty much every week since. I've become a master at stretching what they give us (which is always more than ample) to three, maybe four days and this includes Blane's lunch at work and our dinner! I know, it's terrible.

So now we're closing in on our seventh month and I really have no excuse (food is good again :) not to cook. Last night I dusted off the apron and made my husband some good 'ole Chicken Katsu. While I was cooking, I realized that I was enjoying myself and my quest to become a good cook was renewed once again. 

It was most satisfying when Blane came home later and scarfed down the chicken. I love it when he likes something that I make! 

Score one for a domesticated wife! ;)

Aim

More Baby Book Love

Just some other books that we received from the shower...

 Such a classic! We actually received two of these, one from future Grandma S and the other from Beth. I love the message behind this story and hope that our baby will too :)

 Linda gifted us with this doggy book but the one she gave us is for tots, complete with a furry piece to touch as you read. Blane liked this one too haha!

 Sandra Boynton is one of Meliss' favorite children's authors so it came as no surprise that she brought a Boynton book for the baby. I'm hopeful that this book will teach our baby all about different body parts  as he reads.

 Soon-to-be Aunties Rianna and Em brought this classic that needs to explanation. :)

 Le brought this book which I absolutely love because it talks about how God made each person special in his or her own way. I hope our baby comes to know his great God at an early age <3

 When I first saw this book it didn't look familiar to me, but after looking at it again I realized that I had read this book before. Sharon and Laurs both gifted us with this book and I'm excited to have two copies to share with the baby. One for the car and one for home! It has an incredible message of truth and honesty in it that I hope will help instill a strong character in our son.

Dear Auntie Ruth brought these last two by the beloved Eric Carle. His images are so colorful and wonderful and our nursery library would not be complete without them.

Kiks brought this book and it happened to also be a "Little Golden Book." Remember those? I think my sister and I had quite a few of them in our library growing up. I think the one Kiks chose will be perfect to read to our son since it's not girly haha.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our library! You're welcome to come over to read to the baby once he gets here :)

Aim

Lunch

I've been having conversations recently with a few people about the importance of relying on God vs. relying on other people. I think sometimes God brings us to a place of solitude or strips away that which we know in order to refine us into being a better faith person for Him.

I'm a firm believer in practicing what you preach so last Friday I took some time to just be by myself and to spend some time alone and in conversation with God too. At first it was kinda strange because although I like to be by myself sometimes, Friday wasn't one of those days. I found myself missing Blane or my sister and the desire to reach for my phone and text was stronger than I thought it would be. 

In the end, I ended up walking around downtown Culver City and grabbing lunch from this place called, ironically, "Lunch." I got it to go and then sat in my car in the shade and ate. I found myself thinking about different things and praying for different people who popped into my head. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it was a good time for me to just "hang" with the homeboy Jesus. :)

My lunch from Lunch, haha. I had a Chicken Sandwich with Parmesan on baguette and a side of Turkey Chili. They also make their own lemonade and orange juice and their pastries looked good too!

Have you taken the time to hear God lately? I encourage you to go on a date with Jesus sometime. Hey-take Him out for lunch! ;)

"How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Psalm 119:17

Aim

Baby Book Love

One of the things J and Meliss had people do for the shower last weekend was bring a Children's book for our nursery in lieu of a card with their gift. I got the chance to really look at them this week and I absolutely loved going through each one. Many of them had written messages in them from their giver and I look forward to telling our baby about each special person as he grows up reading all of these stories.

 I couldn't find a picture of the incredible book Mifumi brought, but this is another book by the same author, Yuuichi Kimura. The one she brought us is called Itadakimasu Asobi and it's all about food and eating. It's in Japanese, has vivid pictures and is interactive. Blane loved it! Haha. I'm sure our baby will too <3

My college roommate Mads brought these two. I love the story of Corduroy because it shows that the teddy bear has feelings and my Mom and I have always believed in that :). Madeline because, well, it's her namesake! (minus a missing "e" :)

 Goodnight Moon was my favorite book of all time growing up and Dawn gifted it to the baby this time around. I wonder if he will like it as much as I did? We shall see!

Mrs. S gifted us with this classic. She bought the cardboard one that will be perfect for little hands. So thoughtful!

Nona brought this book because it's the only book she can remember her Dad reading to her as a child. <3 If our son is anything like his Dad, then just the fact that the word "dog" is in the title will be enough to spark his interest.

I love reading and I hope to instill this same love in our baby too. I'll share more of the other books we got in another post. Until then, happy reading to you all!

Aim

*All book images courtesy of Amazon.com

More Jubilee Deliciousness

God Save the Queen!

Aim

*Images courtesy of msnbc.com

Diamond Jubilee

I know I'm not British. So there is no reason really for my current obsession with all things surrounding Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. My sister and I share this obsession with all things royal family and all (stemming back to Kate and Will's wedding last April when my sister woke up at 3am to watch it live) and it comes up in our conversation from time to time.

Last week when she was here, we watched an enthralling documentary on the Queen on 20/20. We were both fascinated! And then Sunday night as I was ironing, another documentary on the Queen was on BBC and I watched that whole thing too. 

One of the things I love is the relationship between the Queen and her man, Prince Philip. He had to forfeit his ties to his birth country (Greece) in order to marry her. He also had to commit to a life in the shadow of a powerful woman. I think it takes a strong man to do that and even though I don't know him personally, I'd guess that he is her rock in many ways.

 Of course, I wish I was in Britain to join in on all the festivities (Parades! Flotillas down the river! The royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace!) but, alas, since I am not, I've been intrigued instead by Diamond Jubilee souvenirs that have popped up all over the web.

 I love tea towels! It seems so very British and I love the homemade look of it all. This one is available via etsy and I'm totally tempted.

Of course there are tons of other types of tea towels if that first one didn't suit your fancy...I love how they all look very typographical and almost vintage in a way. If you're in Britain and you're reading this, will you please send me something Jubilee-oriented? I'd be your best friend for life! Hahaha

Long live the Queen!

 Cheerio!

Aimee, Duchess of the Westside

Ready to Pop

Saturday was a super special day. My two besties, J and Meliss (with the help of Mom), threw me a baby shower! We had 26 women crammed into our little house that was decorated to the nines for the occasion. It was fun, touching, hilarious, generous and just a good time with the best women God's given me in my life.

A pretty homemade banner to set the tone for the day. Love the colors!

My sister has become quite the baker since she moved up north. Here are her "looks professional" made-from-scratch cookies that she made for the afternoon. So pretty <3

 Meliss made homemade cupcakes that were topped with these oh-so-chic "it's a boy!" handstamped scalloped circles. I love all the little details :)

The shower's theme was "Ready to pop!"and was reflected in these miniature Martinelli's that were placed at each table alongside little brown bags of popcorn. The prizes for the games were bigger Martinelli's and popcorn wrapped with beautiful navy ribbon with white polka dots. Tres chic ladies!

 The living room was also decorated with tons of letters that each spelled out a possible name that we had picked for the baby. The yellow letters (shown above) were first name guesses while the blue letters were for middle name guesses. At the end of the shower everyone's guess was read and then we revealed the chosen name! (Shout out to Gracie, Ri and Court for all the letter cutting! And to Dawn and M for putting the names together and hanging them all!)

The two hostesses with the mostest running the show. We played two games-one was pictionary/charades having to do with all things Blane/Aimee & Baby. It was hilarious to say the least. The other game was to answer questions based on how either Blane or I had previously answered. There were questions like "Which grandparent would spoil the baby the most" and "What physical characteristic from yourself do you want the baby to get?" It was funny to hear what Blane had said vs. what I had said and what everyone there guessed as well. Well done ladies!

 Then we ate and opened gifts. In lieu of bringing cards, J and M asked everyone to bring a book signed for the baby. I loved it and really enjoyed seeing which books everyone picked out. You can see the results of my Bell's Palsy in this pic above. I had been praying that I'd be able to smile by the shower, but that didn't quite happen. It IS getting better though and I am thankful for that!

Two homemade "cakes" that were part of the gift table. Mom S made the one on the left by sewing cloth diapers together. The "roses" are rolled up baby washcloths. She's so talented! The big "cake" on the right was made by Mads-you wouldn't know by looking at this that her engineer mind isn't known for its creativity! It's filled with enough diapers for two to three months!

 All the ladies crammed into my living/dining room. It was cozy but intimate and fun!

 Towards the end, J and Meliss had both Moms (and future Grandmas!) come up and share a few words. I am so blessed to have both of them along for the journey with Blane and I and I love them both very much.

We concluded with a group prayer and it was neat for me to have Kiku (she's on the left in the dark blue pants and blue patterned collared shirt) pray over me, Blane and the baby. Kiku is a prayer warrior and has literally been praying for me for my entire life. I love her dearly and am so thankful for her faith and prayers influence over me all these years. 

 Laur, Gracie and Kiks enjoying the festivities! :)

 My amazing Mom put together this blue-themed candy and dessert bar. I wish I had a better photo of how amazing the table looked, but this was all I could find :( She had branches coming out of a tall vase that were hung with little blue baby decals and things, and all of this blue candy, gum and other treats that she personally bagged for everyone's favor to take home at the end of the afternoon. It was incredible and all the women really loved it. Thanks Mom!

And to these lovelies~thank you for making this journey all the more sweeter with this incredible outpouring of love and support. Everything was beautiful! I know you put many hours and lots of thought into this shower and I loved every. single. minute. of it. You two rock and I love you both very much!

Not-quite-Ready-to-Pop! ;)

Aim