after MORE than 17 months...

...i'm proud to say that i finished eden's nursery today.

yes, you're reading that correctly...

i finished her nursery while she was at preschool.

hahah... 

so, i had several pictures to hang and her mirror(s) that i just couldn't decide how to arrange them... but today i did it and finally pulled the trigger.

i've been inspired by one of my best buds (shellie) who is about to have her baby and during a conversation we had recently, she was concerned because her nursery wouldn't be finished before we hosted her shower on sunday... my response? "oh, its quite alright...i'm still not done with edens" 

oh, and sorry for the not-so-great quality pictures... i wasn't going back downstairs just to get a better camera. the phone had to suffice.

here's her book case... with a gorgous shadow box/poem/painting a friend made for us

(i should've taken a close up of the picture...maybe later.)

 and my favorite wall... with the tree and the bench from her great-granny t!

alas... a random, yet organized assortment of circle mirrors...

and of course her crib with the letters i got from the alphabet boutique

and while i was changing her sheets...(which i guess i normally do in the dark or while i'm not paying attention to other things)... i notice THIS!!....

apparently the last time i looked at this "problem" it was right after her first two bottom teeth came in....

good greif... my termite daughter has nearly devoured her crib. poor girl... we gotta start feeding her more snacks. 

a FIND!

...before i delve into my nearly uncontainable excitement, i need to give you some background info...

i've been looking for a play tent for eden (we've been a few places that had one, and she seems to gravitate to them!)... but not just ANY play tent--y'all know me! ...couldn't be too girly... NO disney princesses... wanted it to be big enough for her to play in when she's much older... but something fun and "different"...

i put it on her christmas list and santa even told me he'd looked for the perfect one, too... wink.

well, i ended up finding one that i sorta liked, and i was willing to settle for... on amazon... but i'm serious--i've looked at probably 100 tents! (kohl's, toys-r-us, target, internet specialty shops, amazon)... i wanted to wait until i found the perfect one, even if it was a little more than what the rest of the were running...

today, we closed early because of the [not so] severe ice storm that left our area in shambles breadshelves empty. i had to run to target to pick up a few essentials... and at the request of kiekie! was told to take my time and shop around or do whatever. no rush.

i perused all the clearance sections (normal.) and found the playtents... allllllll disney princesses or boy stuff. yuck. nothing i hadn't seen before in my hunt for christmas. but at the end of the aisle, some tents on CLEARANCE... clearance? i've never even seen these to START WITH? (meaning, at full price.)

i saw one and was IN LOVE. impulse purchase! let me scoop it up and this can be for her birthday... and even if someone else wants to give it to her, i'll have it, they can pay me back.. you know the drill...

oh... and y'all remember her nursery theme right?

so, i got home and told mom i wanted to put it together to make sure i liked it, if not, i'd take it back... (at this point, i was still planning on putting it away and making it a birthday present)...

well, i couldn't have made this thing more perfect if it was custom built... everything i was looking for and a PERFECT match to her "garden of eden" theme

eden loved it... we ALL crawled in (me, eden, nershi, and kiekie!)... SO. MUCH. FUN!!

its a tree stump... check out the leaves up top!!

and it has a "sky light" with two window with roll-up shades...

i am so looking forward to her using her imagination

in years to come and enjoying the heck out of this thing!!

we originally said "no boys allowed"

...but nershi wanted to come in

and i'm SURE when daddy sees this thing, he's going to wanna play!!

...so much for a birthday gift... this thing is out for good

(we let down the leaves... they made it take up a lot more room...

you can see them "up" in the first picture)

oh! and in case you're wondering... it was a hair under 20 bucks. SCORE!

...i might sleep in there tonite.

the short rows for sure!

i guess its an old farmer's saying... but we're in the short rows...

not much left to do until baby gets here!

after a less than desirable night last night (upset stomach, no sleep, couldn't turn off my brain, heartburn, got too hot, tired of getting up and down to go pee, swelling, need i go on?), i woke this morning thankful for a few projects to keep me from napping today...

mom did most of the work... i filled in as the supervisor... with nershi as my trusty assitant.

here's the curtains! :) cute cute cute!
and alas, THE TREEEEEEE!! now, i didn't take any shots of the tree "in-progress"...it was much more difficult to stick than either of us expected... but, it REALLY paid off!!

i love it against the dark green wall... and next to the white bench... SOO CUTE! came together even better than i'd imagined!
...what's left? a shower... and baby! and maybe just a fewwww more minor... VERY minor details...

needless to say, it was a productive last day of "vay-cay before the bay-bay!"*

*my sweet lee still has a WEEK off!! but i'm so happy for him! :) he deserves it!

special delivery!

...noooo! not the baby!! well, not yet anyway

TODAY, granny brought me the most beautiful "park bench" that will sit just below the shady oak tree in eden's room... and i couldn't be happier with it!

and the best part? she made this!! lee's always said that when he met granny t. he figured out where i got my "crafty gene"

here it is! nicely contrasted by the darker green wall...

and the seat lifts up for a little bit of storage...

can you just picture the tree to the left of the bench in the corner... AHHH!! LOVE IT!

THAT in itself was more than enough to put a smile on my face today... but nevertheless...

THE BOOKSHELF! ...the poor thing has been riding around on the UPS truck since jan. 30th--its been off & on the truck and made the trek to just a few blocks away (commercial deliveries) THREE times... i just KNEW this thing would come in SPLINTERS!! haha...

my sweet husband had it upstairs for me in the nursery so i could put it together (my request--he DID offer to put it together)

HOW CUTE!
let's hear it for those BASKETS!!! thanks everyone...all the phone calls, telephone holds, "wild goose chasing"--well, it OBVIOUSLY paid off... perfect colors, perfect fit!!

...and my dear, dear pooch assumed that since there was some space between the camera and what i was taking a picture of, that there was room for him in the photo...

yes, honey, mommy will take your picture, too...
...is it me or does he look like a PUPPY in this picture??

now, off to get some rest & guzzle some MORE WATER for my 3D/4D ULTRASOUND TOMORROW! :-D

snowed in... day 2!

after cleaning the house from top to bottom yesterday, i decided to hang up eden's letters first thing this morning when i rolled out of bed this afternoon... i couldn't be happier!! :)

and the icing on the cake? lee says to me today "i LOVE this room...i can tell you put a lot of thought in to it... the baskets, the furtniture, the colors, EVERYTHING!"

...he's so sweet :)

and lots of you have been asking, i got eden's letters at the alphabet boutique. what i liked about her website as opposed to some other letters i'd seen is that she does each order made-to-order, and the lower cased letters she can make all the same size (in stead of the same font size)--for example, in eden's name, if she'd done them all the same font size, the d would've been ginormous... and i liked the idea of the letters being the same size, it gives a little more emphasis to the e's :) (so they look bigger, but they're still lowercase)

i've got a few more very small things to do on my checklist (the snowed-in one, and the nursery one)... but all of that can wait for us to go out and PLAY!!

here's lee "testing out the roads"

playing frisbee golf in the backyard!

family photo!

and a picture of the photographer!

and these last two are from yesterday... these two nuts went running while it was still snowing/sleeting/whatever it did yesterday...

it sure is a lot more fun to get your work done FIRST... then play!! :) its been such a nice relaxing day... lee and i are convinced nershi's ready for us to go back to work... he sure does sleep a lot during the day... but fortunately since we've both been home, he's stayed up and hung out with us--so come bedtime, he's ZONKED OUT!! :)

these last two days have been so much fun... i'm really not wanting to go back to work tomorrow :-\ BUT, its the start of a fun, busy week!! :-D

a basket case...

so, if you recall--i found the lined baskets i wanted last weekend... and i'm still so excited with how the colors match and the playful swirls--without it being TOO PRISSY...bleck.

but little did i know that last sunday, i'd end up getting this EXACT, fantastic bookshelf that started the whole idea in the first place! so, i was going to need to take some of the smaller "odd ball sizes" back and find 4 more of the large square baskets

the problem was the 6 large square baskets... you see, the ones that i bought were part of an "assorted collection" that was sent to each michael's store... so i couldn't just order more of those baskets... or get them online. because they came in a bundle... with different shapes, sizes, and colored liners...

and i later found out (from a rather lengthy conversation with a manager) that in this assorted package, there was exactly one of these...

and one of these...

uh oh.

i'd already been to 2 michael's... the first one i got the pair (the pink one of the pair was actually on a display i had to empty)... and the 2nd one didn't have ANY.

mom offered to check some other local stores, since david was out of town. hey, what a great excuse for a girl to SHOP!?! haha... but before she went to hither, thither and yon, i told her i'd call them to see what was available.

knightdale? went there myself... none left.

raleigh? wiped 'em out of the two they got.

cary? none left.

garner? none left.

brier creek? ...do you remember the old lady from the titanic that found the "heart of the ocean"?...i'm pretty sure that's who i was talkin' to--and since doing my "homework" on these baskets, there were only four colors. green. blue. pink. purple... well, according to this lady--let's call her gladys. the baskets they had with the swirl lining had a pinkish-purple lining. but it wasn't pink. and it wasn't purple.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? i'm 45 minutes away and gladys thinks their baskets are "one of a kind" and not a part of the assorted collection that each michael's got... idontthinkso.

..ugh, "thanks for checking, gladys...i really appreciate your time... buh-bye"

[as i hang the phone up, i leave a star beside the brier creek number thinking i could call back at another time if necessary, and hopefully speak to someone who wasn't born more than a century ago, who likely isn't colorblind]

wilmington? 1 pink and 1 green IN STOCK... hold 'em for 24 hours* and my mom will be in there before you close.

*the max amount of time they'll let you hold 'em

rocky mount? 1 pink and 1 green IN STOCK... hold 'em for the afternoon, my mother/father-in-law will be there before 5:00 today!

...you counting? THAT'S SIX!! I GOT IT!!!!

that night, the best in-laws ever came over for dinner... with baskets in tow! ...hmm... the only problem was that one of the baskets they pulled at the rocky mount michael's was the pink gingham... not swirl :(

...back down to five... there's a missing pink. not to panic. i had a few more michael's that i could call... and maybe even the one in rocky mount still had the swirl one...maybe.

called rocky mount uhhh-gain later that night... no swirl.

greenville? none left.

ugh... do i dare? to call brier creek again... surely gladys is in bed by now?!

well, after leaving me on hold for 15 minutes... she picked up and said they had ONE. PINK ONE. LEFT! omg!!!

so i called jasmine and had her swing by on her way to the baby shower meeting...

YAY!!

...however, since michael's will only hold stuff for 24 hours, i had to call back and let the nice lady know in wilmington that mom wouldn't be back within the "window of time" and she told me that i could call back again to put them back on hold... YES MA'AM! :)

meantime, the thought occured to me... what if one of the wilmington baskets was the wrong pattern, too?? i was OFFICIALLY out of michael's to call... ugh.

so, when i called back to the wilmington store, the manager confirmed that she could hold them one more day for me and they were, in fact, BOTH swirls... one pink. one green!

...and just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

mom called today when she got the two wilmington baskets... and she filled me in on the latest michael's coupons that the guy rang her up with... 60% off one item... in addition to another 40% off coupon promo running...

HOOOORAYYYY! ...i'm nearly exhausted just blogging about the basket saga--in fact, i think if i had to call one. more. michael's...i'd be a BASKET CASE! heh, yeh, i said it!... but never the less... they're all in hand*

*2 sets of hands... 4 in mine, 2 in mom's hands.

so, even though my bookshelf has a delayed delivery--due to weather, i'm glad to know that whenever it DOES show up, i've got the perfect baskets to go with it. even though it would've been nice to put it together while we're all snowed in :)

the nursery

so as we're nearing the end of our nursery decorating journey (WHAT?!!), i thought i'd give one more re-cap, before a few finishing touches arrive next week...

we're still playing with how to arrange the nursery... but so far, this way is my favorite. i LOVE the brown chair... its more than comfortable! :-D
and the letters (in the crib for now)... until we get her mattress :) ...the letters will eventually hang over her crib or changing table...whenever i decide where they'll go forreal! ha...then on the next wall to the left, is the dresser/changing table... with a few smaller baskets for diapers, etc...then the dark green wall... where we'll hang (er... stick?) the tree next week... and the park bench will arrive next week too (granny--i can't wait!!)

and i'm currently thinkin' the bookcase is gonna go on the wall between the door and the closet...

...but i may change my mind when it arrives... we'll see.

its been lots of fun finding my finds... and deals... and seeing it all come together... i wish you guys could see it in person (well, some of you will!)... next thing you know, our little squirt will be sleeping up there for HOURS ON END (right?!)

i've seen 'em all!

after a LOOONG search to find the right book case for eden's room, i've finally decided...

and it just so happens to be the verrrrry first one i looked at... the one that gave me the idea to begin with...

pottery barn kids... ahhh! :)

the only difference? its on sale now... YES!

not as big of a sale as some of the other pieces i've gotten... but neither have i looked for anything else this long either.... trust me, this part has taken the longest! ...i'm not sure why i've been so picky about this bookshelf... but i wanted a cute piece to go with the little park bench on the dark green wall... or near it... i'm still thinking of ways to rearrange her room...

but THIS is the LAST check off the list for her room... the rest will be little stuff that i come across and stumble upon... or little cutesy stuff that we pick up along the way! :-D

since i've gotten the right bookshelf now, i may be back on the hunt at some more michael's (there's like TWO left in this area...ugh!) to switch out some of my baskets... (sigh..) but we'll find 'em! :) (some of the ones i got are smaller...we'll see.)

i got letters in the mail...

no, not those kind of letters...

THESE!!

i LOVE how they turned out... can't wait to hang 'em up! :)

here's a perspective of the size and how they'll hang on the wall...

lined baskets

i finally found the lined baskets i've been looking for for e's room! i knew it was just a matter of time... waiting for all the spring & easter stuff to be put out!
i bought a few extras, in case i would need more for the shelves i was putting them on--but i was sure to keep the receipt!

these babies almost proved to be more difficult to find than i originally thought--after spotting them yesterday at a michael's that's not-so-close-to-home, i waited to buy them today after 4pm...because i got two sweeeeet coupons... i figured i'd get them at the michael's that's nearby.

...but they were picked over... so after the kids exchange, i went back to raleigh to the michael's that i knew had them--thankfully, i was able to get what i needed... ON SALE! :)

i shouldn't have any trouble sleeping tonite, after church, the kids exchange, visiting 2 michaels, stopping my rei to check out the stroller (verrrry slightly different than the one at babies-r-us)--saying hey to lee at work while i was in his neck of the woods... then coming home to do laundry, vacuum, and cook dinner! :)

the birth of an heirloom

a friend of our family recently (TOTALLY) surprised us with this GORGEOUS rocking horse...here's a view from another angle...
...its such a special one-of-a-kind piece! (well, almost--he told me he's made about 25 of them--but never sells them!) the first thing i thought of was that granny still has uncle larry/daddy's rocking horses--they're like family heirlooms... and now eden has her own that will be in the family for many years to come!

i wish the pictures did it even HALF justice... its just beautiful! and i'm so excited about it... i'm leaving it in the living room for now--so i can see it more! :)

a BIG "thank you" to the bissette family! :)

my day. the ups. the downs.

i always blog for my own journaling purposes... and most of the time, i blog for my readers... today is mostly for me & my own "digital scrapbooking"... but you're always welcome to read it... but this is one of those posts with some information you may or may not care about. so, you've been warned!

after all the excitement of yesterday (lots of visitors, workers, deliveries)... i woke up this morning to a sick puppy... who just wanted to be with his mommy... poor little guy looked pi. ti. ful.... see?

but, it worked out for the best--because i think he needed a nice quiet back-to-normal day, and that's exactly what he* got. heck, i even let him stay in our bedroom (a special treat) and opened up the windows so he could look out! he was still a little clingy tonite, but back to his good ole self!

*he, not me.

then, i had my latest doctor's appointment for the baby... the glucose test!

got to drink a disgustingly sweet drink and sit there for an hour... then they drew my blood... i don't know the results, but i'm hoping i pass--because i REALLY don't wanna take it again...

i've gained a whopping 10 pounds since my last visit... oh. my. goodness. the doctor didn't even flinch... since i was a little behind to begin with (lost weight when i was sick)... and as of my 22 week appointment, i had gained less than a pound... so, i've made up for lost time. ugh.

the doctor thought it was cute that she could hardly hear the heartbeat because miss priss was kicking and moving like cuh-ray-zee... she eventually settled down for a minute so the doc could hear a strong 150 bpm... i'm tellin' ya... this girl is CONSISTENT!!

oh, and i had her check to see what position she was in (only because she's been breach and i was curious to see where she was now)... and she's HEAD DOWN! yay!! and the doctor said that it would be pretty rare for her to flip back to breach this far along... thank you, Lord!

so after i felt like i'd spent all day just sitting around in the doctors office, reading babywise (still!)... they took a couple of vials of blood and i was on my way...

stopped by target to check on something for granny pat... and stumbled across a ridiculously cute, fuzzy, fun rug for e's room... on cleeeeeearance! boo yah!

once i left there, i was headed back to work, stopped for lunch... took a bite of a SOFT TACO and chipped my tooth*... and when did i realize this occurred? when i SWALLOWED IT. at 1:24pm

*this tooth was already chipped... it was a bonded piece attached to the tooth that "fell off" when i bit my soft taco.

called the dentist... who was leaving at 1:30 (remember this happened at 1:24)... she GRACIOUSLY offered to wait for me to come to her office... they were waiting for me in the waiting room (betcha didn't know a waiting room could do THAT!)... threw my purse in the chair and they hovered around like a nascar pit crew... and fixed it good as new. i gave her a BIIIIIIG hug around the neck and was on my way back to the store...

i consider it nothing short of a miracle that i was 6 minutes away from a MONDAY appointment... PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

...i'd like to pause in my "playback" of today to remind you that i'm in my 3rd trimester, and this sort of stress is TIRESOME... and likely NOT good for me... or the baby.... mmmmmk, resuming...

upon returning to the store... at about 3:00... i was able to do my work that normally needs to be done by 2:00 and get it out in time... and catch up on everything else i missed...

lee decided to skip a meeting he was supposed to go to because he loves me just. that. much. :)... AAAAAND he brought me a brand new pair of shoes! gah! he is THE BEST! (don't worry, we're still stickin' to those new years goals--he didn't pay a dime for those bad boys! woo hoo!)

my heels have been bothering me for a bit... lee says worn out shoes... i said pregnancy... i think we're both right... either way, problem solved!

i fixed a lasagna i had pre-prepared (thank you, Lord!) and we have just enjoyed RELAXING at home...

what. a. day.

bad? no... eventful? YES.

...however, it'd probably go down in the history books as a "bad day" had i not found that cute rug on clearance... and my sweet husband got me a sweet new pair of shoes for my aching heels. oh, and found out that eden is "head down"

so, i will bask in the glow of the sliver lining of the cloud that hung over my head today.