Just Say No

One of the many things that you worry about when you get preggers is the body image issue. Now, I'm not necessarily talking about the inevitable pounds that you must put on to accommodate a growing life inside of you (although that hasn't been the most fun thing ever hah). What I am talking about are those two fateful words that every woman cringes at: stretch marks. Hahahaha

My lovely and ever vigilant sister researched early on the best stretch mark remedies for pregnant ladies aka me. She came up with a winner and I've been using the butter ever since month three or so. Another one of my confidantes told me not to forget the growing cantaloupes on my chest since she did not apply stretch mark cream there and has the marks to prove that she had two kids ever since. Eeek. So, this is insider stuff ladies-the grisly junk that nobody tells you about. 

Keep it bookmarked for your future pregnancies okie dokie?

The winner of the "Best Stretch Mark Cream/Butter" following my sister's search was...drumroll please...Mama Mio's Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Butter! It's won some awards and is known for being an all natural, "no nasties" formula. I've already gone through two tubs and am working my way through my third. Today, my next batch arrived via Amazon (free shipping!) along with their Stretch Mark Oil which I had read good reviews about and am going to try under the body butter since I am now sporting a rather large baby bump :).

I know that stretch mark creams and oils aren't necessarily a baby "need" but I can't help it. A girl's got a little vanity to work out over here, don't judge me! I sure hope Jessica Simpson has been soaking up the body butter+oil like it is water :D Okay, that was mean, but I do hope for her sake! We'll see in nine months or so if all this was worth it. 

I'll keep ya posted ;)

Aim

Now Playing

Yesterday I watched our wedding video in its entirety (3.5 hours on two discs haha) and I bawled my eyes out. I know it sounds a little narcissistic to watch your own wedding video (In my defense, it was my first time!) but it was actually really really good for me to be able to just sit and see/hear everything that happened on that whirlwind day.

Our videographer, Dirk Gates from Studio West Video, was amazing. No, he wasn't fancy or crazy with his video skills, but he captured every. single. moment. No lie. I was so thankful to him to have all the important moments, speeches, prayers...even funny outtakes that he captured throughout the day. He even stayed for three hours past what he was paid for because he wanted to film more of the reception. BLESS HIS HEART-who does that nowadays?!?

Dirk slipped a mic into Blane's tuxedo lapel pocket before the ceremony and it really is comical to hear all of Blane's little comments throughout the day. During the ceremony you can hear him say things like, "There you go" to Grandpa after Grandpa finally came up with Blane's name in the introduction; "What do I do next?" after Grandpa sat down; and "Glad that's over" after the reading of our personal vows. You also hear him exclaim, "It was 20 bucks man!!!" to his friend Mark during the church reception while showing off his new wedding ring. LOL. My husband's natural lack-of-filter leaves the rest of us with some pretty funny moments. :D

One of my top 10 pieces of advice for future brides planning their big day would be to hire a videographer. You'll hear it a lot but it's so true-the day goes by so fast and you'll want something to look back on so that you can see all of your little funny moments and touching ones too that helped make that day so special. Photos won't cut it because you won't be able to see reactions on yours and others faces to things that happen during the day. I had the time of my life on my wedding day, but I really appreciated being able to watch the ceremony and all the speeches again...they hit me harder this time in a good way and now Blane and I will forever have them to look at time and time again.

Speaking of time, I've now watched the video in its entirety twice. Cheers to wedding narcissism ya'll! ;)

Mrs. S

A Lovely "Surprise"

I received some wonderful snail mail today! No bills or junk mail here...but a lovely pale blue envelope with my name on it :) 

How cute is the 2012 Love stamp with with the blue envelope?

 Inside was this...an invitation from my besties, J and Meliss, to a baby shower for the baby! How adorable are these invites? I love the mix of textures and the teeny clothespin holding it all together.

I am blessed to have these two throw this for me. Last year they were busy throwing a bridal shower for me and now this. I'm overwhelmed by their love, care and generosity...thanks for showing me the love over and over again ladies!

Looking forward to the festivities :)

Aim

The Doors.

Last week was a crazy frenzy of 7am wake up calls, our house imbibed with workers and my dear father-in-law, the smell of paint and a fine layer of sawdust, some massive cleaning and reorganizing and what do we have but...

...doors! We now have interior doors everyone, so you can feel free to use the bathroom to your heart's content without feeling like you're an exhibitionist ;)

They have since been painted to match our wonderfully white walls, but that's what they looked like in all their solid goodness glory last week. It took five days to hang and paint four doors (who knew doors were so labor-heavy?!?) but they are beautiful and we love them!

In other "what-went-on-last-week" news, Blane's dad, who served as general contractor (his title in general for anything house related), organized and cleaned our garage as well as our second bedroom aka the future nursery. While some may think I am crazy for letting my FIL lose in my house, I enjoyed his presence and was very thankful for all the hard work he put in to getting this place in order. Thanks Dad!

Last but not least, my new sconce. It's nice to see this beauty on our living room wall now in lieu of the open hole with wiring that was left there before the wedding. 

The house is coming together! Just in time too. 22 weeks and counting!

Aim

The Shops for Target

Have you heard about The Shops for Target? OMGSOEXCITING!!! (I know I sound like a teenage girl, but I work with them so.... :D) Anybody who knows me knows that I. Love. Target. I especially love how Target has taken up collaborating with major design houses in the last couple of years so that people like me who cannot afford an $800 Alice Temperley dress can afford her $40 Temperley for Target one. Insert my sigh of happiness here.

Target's next big thing is awesome. It's called "The Shops for Target" and they basically contacted a couple small business (think boutiques!) owners and asked them if they'd curate a small collection based on their boutique-y collection for their stores. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?! Watch this video on Youtube to see more. Or read this blog post. Or just google it. Somehow, some way, just check it out!

Hurry up May 6th!

Aim

Hooray for Talented Sisters!

I have a confession. I have a design-y brain (I know what I like and how I want it to look usually) but I don't have the technical prowess to back it up. My uber talented, self-taught sister updated the look of my blog last night and I love it. It's funny because she didn't really ask me what I wanted, but I've been going a wee bit overboard on loving chevron striped anything for our upcoming nursery and J just knew it would be fitting for my blog as well. Gotta love a sister who knows you that well!

I like fresh starts. It may seem menial, but the simple redesign of the blog motivates me to re-jump into posting on a more regular basis. Don't quote me on that last line...we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow ;). 

"His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!"

Welcome, Spring.

Aim

Good Friday

Taken from Hello, Friend.