New Furniture & New Plans

Things are moving very SLOW around here including me! I run out of energy before the day has even begun.  And waiting patiently to the day when we can the find out what this little peanut is sure is taking WAY too long! UGH!!

The remodel of the house is ALSO going very slow, BUT... I am excited to say I made a BIG step in the process. I have been saving my pennies (and I mean literally)!  I've had a wod of cash hidden under my mattress, for the last year, and have added to it whenever I could.  Just waiting for the day when I was ready to use it for something GREAT! Well, that day finally came and I spent my savings at one of my FAVORITE stores, the Black Goose in Salt Lake.

Here is what I ended up getting for the front room.

~2 wing back chairs in the DARLING yellow quatrefoil fabric in this picture

AND

~A sofa that looks just like the picture as well, but it's a solid cream color

I can't wait for the furniture to come so I can FINALLY decide what color I am going to paint my house for REAL . . . this time:) My family jokes with me that my walls are going to start peeling off because of all the layers of different colored paint!  

I can't wait for the "fun part" of decorating to begin and that is... rugs, lamps, drapes and accent furniture.

This has been a LONG process, but I am HAPPY to say that things are FINALLY starting to come together :)

The trim is done in the front room, the furniture is on its way, the laundry room is done and is AMAZINGLY functional. I wonder if I will ever REALLY be able to LIVE without a project always looming over my head. Hummm?  Probably not as I am SURE I will always be in the middle of SOME hair-brained project I have come up with. Oh the CURSE of a creative mind!!!

I hope you all have a VERY happy week!

This week I am preparing for a SURPRISE trip to Disneyland for the kids. We have been keeping it a secret for the last 3 months and me and my hubby are about to BURST at the seams!

Watch out MICKEY here we come!!!

Exciting Family News

YES!!! It’s FINALLY happened and the news is out.... 

We are EXPECTING a BABY!!!

After a year of trying with months full of fertility drugs and two failed IUI's...the 3rd IUI worked! (3rd times a charm I guess)

We are beyond excited!

NOW you all know why I have been MIA for the past 3 months.

I have been SUPER sick with bouts of nausea; I can’t keep anything down, no matter what I eat.  With NO ENERGY...like seriously NONE...I have found myself sleeping most of the days, while I watch my house fall apart little by little! UGH...on top of all that I had bronchitis and went through 2 rounds of antibodies. As you can imagine it’s been a hard 3 months.  My only salvation is the time Brett can help me with the house and watching the kids while also working.  
Brett has been a big help through it all.

My symptoms did let up a bit around week 9 but came back with a vengeance around week 10 1/2. 

You can imagine WHY my blog has suffered! 

I'M NO SUPER Woman ...well then again, I am making a baby from scratch so maybe I Am (wink, wink)

I’m 12 weeks along working on 13.  

Because of how long it took to even become pregnant, when I first found out, I was in a bit of denial. It didn't feel “REAL” at that point. But the longer I've been pregnant the more secure I feel.

We go in for an Ultrasound in 5 weeks I am crossing my fingers that we can take a peek at the gender. Eek!!!

Here are some FUN facts I will keep you all updated on throughout my pregnancy! And as soon as I find out the gender, I'll post about my nursery ideas that have been spinning in my head :)

How far along? 12 weeks!

Total weight gain: 5 pounds

Maternity clothes? None to show yet, but my jeans are getting a bit tight in the behind area. So I think I’ll be making a shopping trip to buy a size up. Most of my shirts still fit except for the really small ones that are tight across the chest!

Stretch marks? none to report! Though I haven't gotten any with my last 3 babies. I think the whole stretch mark thing is genetic? My mom had 6 babies without one. BUT just in case (knock on wood) I am using Palmer's Cocoa Butter! 

Sleep: I have been going to bed around 9 every night, if I could ... I would go to bed at 8. This is HUGE for me as I am a BIG TIME night owl and my average bed time was midnight. I am grateful that I am sleeping through the night and not getting up to pee. But when 5 AM comes around watch out! :)

Best moment this week: First off...I am starting to feel better! YAY! Brett also found a masters program he’s considering starting that works PERFECTLY with his work schedule and our family!! 

Miss anything? I heard that you should avoid different cheeses when you’re prego. So I have laid off of feta, but I crave it every day, WEIRD! 

ALSO...before the baby I would go and get an occasional spray tan to help with the winter blues. I haven't gone since Dec. and I feel like a chubby SNOW BALL!!!

Movement: No, I'm not far enough to know for SURE! But I SWEAR I felt something the other day???

Food cravings: sandwiches, limeade, cottage cheese, French bread, ALL FRUIT and ANYTHING SWEET! Donuts, cookies, cake etc. I also have a thing for hard candy these days like Sprees and Sweet Tarts.

Anything making you queasy or sick: MEAT!!! and sometimes just the very thought of food! I am hoping this consistent lump in my throat goes away soon.

Gender: NOT YET...Its DRIVING ME CRAZY! Though I have taken ALL of the wives tale tests. I will have to post about the results of each one! :)

Labor signs: No.

Symptoms: Hormonal acne -- face is breaking out around cheeks & jaw especially. My chest has grown a FULL cup size and they HURT!!! Some lower back pain mostly at night. 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody this week! And for the past 12 weeksJ

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender and feeling like myself again! 

Under The Stairs Playroom Update

Do you remember this space???

Yep . . . it’s been about a year now that I’ve been ignoring this sad space. I had so many other things happening around this CRAZY house that it ended up on the bottom of the list! 

I FINALLY got the motivation to GET IT DONE!!! 

And I am sooo Happy I did; my kids LOVE the fun new playroom.

Here is the NEW Playroom/Closet :)

Love this view from the outside looking in..

My most FAVORITE element in the room has to be the bead board ceiling! I LOVE how it turned out, and once again Brett did a GREAT job! In all honesty, I was surprised that I found yet another room to add trim too. Will this obsession ever end?? hehe

I've been on the hunt for a perfect rug to finish off the room. And I think I might have found it at IKEA. 
Now, If I could just find the time to make the LONG drive to Utah...Ugh! 

Along the way I picked up a few Large Sabrina Baskets from 
Pottery Barn Kids a month or so ago when they were 15% off and Free shipping. SCORE :)

I was a bit worried when I first saw the basket size, but soon after was pleasantly surprised by how much stuff they really do hold! 

I found the tree decal on Etsy! I was able to design the color of the tree and also the pattern of each leaf. 
I really LOVE how it turned out.

The blue paint color I ended up using is called 
"Heaven on Earth" from Benjamin Moore.

I first saw the color painted in the Salt Lake Pottery Barn Kids store and fell in LOVE!!!

There are a few more things I want to add to the space before I feel like it's 100% complete. Like, adding a few more baskets, the rug and also labeling each basket.Hopefully labels will come in handy when the kids are in charge of clean up! HAPPY DAY :) 

I also would LOVE to find a Big Trunk to replace my green tote bags in the back of the closet, for all the MANY dress-ups we have! 

I'll be keeping my eye out for that!