24 more days . . .

till Christmas!

mama-to-be Monday - shopping for the babe

It goes against my grain to do a post without a photo but it just doesn't look like a photo is going to happen today.

So . . .

here is where I'd like advice from you guys.

Someone (aka, a grandma) has expressed some interest in doing some Christmas shopping for the sweet baby. We haven't registered yet and were kind of planning to wait until January to do the big ole whopping registry trip, figuring out all of those foreign contraptions like strollers, car seats, carriers, etc. Plus, we're sort of timing it to go with some friends of ours who are also expecting for a fun trip with the guys wielding those crazy scanner guns and us girls doing the oohing and ahhing . . .

I do think it would be nice though to start collecting some ideas of stuff I'd like the baby to have, especially if a grandma wants an idea, right?

This is all new to me. I read somewhere that registering for your wedding is like a trip to a well-loved and very familiar theme park, all those home items that you've been looking at for years and that registering for your first child is somewhat more confusing . . . daunting, etc. although certainly not devoid of it's own fun and enjoyment.

Anyway, here's where you come in. What are some of your favorite places to shop for babies, your own or other people's? What are some cute/fun/unique baby things you've seen lately? What's your favorite baby gift to give? Do you have a favorite etsy shop or two that sells stuff for little ones? What are some websites I should browse?

Thanks, you guys!

Kelly

color

Poppy

This post is for my Poppy.

That's what we call my grandpa.

I thought this tea towel was absolutely adorable and it reminded me of him.

Well, not the adorable tea towel part but you know what I mean. :)

Hi Poppy! Love you! Kelly

countdown to cupcakes

very soon I will be in the land of these . . .

YUM!

What holiday foods are you counting down to?

Kelly

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10

mama-to-be Monday - a few random things

um . . . they were only 35 cents

chocolate cravings (in all forms even marshmallow and tootsie rolls)

have been very strong lately

this is what I wore for Halloween :)

I wore it to school one day and then shopping on Halloween day with my friend, Renae, where it earned me a discount at Old Navy because it counted as a costume! Score!!

my students are suggesting names :)

Jackup took me a minute until I said it out loud . . . oh! Jacob!!! :)

speaking of names . . . I have been collecting stories lately of how people came up with their kids' names . . . frankly, having taught thousands of students at this point, I'm having trouble thinking past all of those names and finding ones we really like . . .

So, I'm curious, how did you come up with your kids' names?

What are some names you really like?

Thanks! Happy Monday! Kelly

Pikes Peak

We've been in Colorado!

It was a great trip full of family time, good talks, eating lots of good home-cooked meals as well as raiding a well stocked freezer and pantry (the pregnant mama has to eat!), playing with my nephew, maternity clothes shopping, discovering a great new antique mall, hiking, etc., etc.

because I just like it . . .

bagel slicer?

Random Question:

do you own a bagel slicer?

do you like it?

is it worth the space it takes to store?

thanks. :) kelly

deer

Travel Tuesdays - New York City

green benches for sitting and snapping photos

fun, huh?

These were taken back in 2006. My friends Jenni, Jenny and I went to NYC for a fun girls trip. One of them took the photos but I'm not sure which. :)

Do any of you know what this place is called in NYC where these green benches are?

Maybe Columbus Circle. I have forgotten.

What is your favorite place to go in NYC?

Kelly

Mama-to-be Monday - Jeff Reed edition

First of all, if you don't know who Jeff Reed is, don't worry.

And no, it is not the boy name we've decided on (not that we've decided on a boy name) in case you were guessing that.

Yesterday I was shopping with my friend Renae and found this baby Steelers shirt and had to take a picture to show Adrian.

So here's the Jeff Reed tie in. Jeff Reed is the kicker for the Steelers and I was wanting to write this Mama-to-be Monday post asking those of you who've gone before me the question, what does it feel like when you first felt your baby move.

But, what post is complete without a photo, so . . . I made the tie in of Steelers and kicker and baby moving . . . get it?

So, back to my question. I'm not sure I've felt the baby move yet although twice I've suspected I might be feeling the baby. I have heard it described as "butterfly wings" and then just the other day by a friend as "popcorn".

I would love to hear your descriptions/stories and comments.

Thanks! Kelly

p.s. Yesterday at Old Navy they had all of their Halloween shirts, onesies, etc. marked down to $2 a piece! Most were originally $5 but one little baby sleeper that was originally marked $12.50 was only $2 too! You might want to stock up for next year . . .

Happy Turkey Month!

Happy November!

Happy Turkey month!

Happy Thankfulness month!

AND . . .

Happy, happy birthday to my wonderful friend and faithful blog reader and commenter, Mindy!

Mindy and I at my wedding, October '08.

photo by Rachel Debell Photography

Mindy, her sister, Kori and I grew up together, going to church together, youth group trips, slumber parties, graduations, etc. and then went to the same college. Such wonderful times!

I hope you have a super birthday, Mindy! Kelly

the craft fair

was a lot of fun!

and really tiring but overall a lot of fun!

Here I am at the beginning of the setting up process first thing Saturday morning.

My mom and Adrian helped me SO much!!!

I absolutely couldn't have done it without them.

Here are some pictures of my booth set-up.

Cool lightbulb sculptures similar to those at Anthropologie and Jayson Home & Garden

for a smaller price!

The Christmas section

a cute kitty cat apron that had a lot of interest throughout the day and did sell in the last hour or so

even though I'm not a cat person I think it's really adorable!

display

the view looking out

the view looking in and my pretty mama awaiting customers

my friend Jacquie (who was my booth neighbor selling hair bows), me and my mom

two of my sweet friends shopping, Sarah and Jenni

So many of my friends came out to say hi and shop around and just encourage me in my venture. Thank you all!

So, some thoughts regarding entrepreneurship:

I was happy with the whole thing overall.

I made some money! Yea!

I would have liked to have sold more stuff so I didn't have to pack it back up and bring it home. :)

People do not like to have to get too close to the "sellers" when they're shopping.

It was fun when people bought things.

It was fun sitting and talking and meeting new people.

It was neat to be on the other side of such an experience.

One of my favorite parts was setting up. I like to make things look pretty.

I don't know where all this will lead in the future but it is fun and valuable to have had a wonderful experience, to have learned things and to feel like I have options.

Mama-to-be Monday - belly shot week 16

craft fair

Becky mentioned in the comments of the last post that I need to promote myself.

I am sooo not good at that.

For one thing, how can I promote myself when I staunchly refuse to go to Southern Living, jewelry, candle, tupperware, etc., etc., etc. parties? It's just not my thing.

Anyway, if you're local and want more info on the craft fair, e-mail me from my blog. The address is in the sidebar. If you're planning to come, I can send you a "golden ticket". (Isn't that fun? Just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, that will get you in free!)

I am a busy, busy bee this week crafting, pricing, planning, etc.

Sorry the posting's been so light.

Hope you are all having a great week!

Kelly

mama-to-be Monday - something new

While I will not be giving birth to this sweet babe for approximately another six months or so, Lord willing, I am birthing something new very soon.

In two Saturdays, on October 24th, I will be venturing into the land of entrepreneurship.

The process actually has already started as I've been buying and working on my booth of vintage and upcycled items for many months. October 24th is the debut.

I will get to share my treasures with shoppers and I'm really excited.

I will be participating in a craft fair and will have a booth for all of my wares.

Holiday, home decor, candles, accessories, kitchen items, tableware, etc.

So, I'm curious, are any of you entrepreneurs?

I hope you've had a good Monday!

Kelly

Saturday morning

As much as I love special anniversary trips and other traveling and everything else that you can do on a Saturday, I really do love Saturday mornings for staying at home.

After quite a long hiatus, we decided this was the morning

for Swedish pancakes to make a comeback!

concentration is required for a masterful flip

success!

With a wonderful breakfast fueling me, I dug into a project.

Is it too early for nesting? :)

I am tackling the laundry room today and cleaning/organizing it from top to bottom. Just wiping down the fronts of my washer and dryer made things seem so right with the world. :)

While working I was reminded of one of my favorite thrifted purchases that has stood the test of time.

A year or so ago, we spent . . .

two dollars and nineteen cents to become the proud owners of some sort of metal mesh office supply type thing. Maybe it was a magazine holder, not sure. Anyway, it is perfect for the shelf in our laundry room and holds all of our cookie sheets, cutting boards, pizza pans, muffin tins, etc. at the ready.

Do you have a thrifted find that is worth every penny you paid for it and then some?

I'd love to hear about it. I hope you're having a delightful Saturday!

Kelly

first chilly day!

yea for getting off work early, yea for fall, yea for a definite chill in the air, yea for unexpectedly getting to see two of my friends at lunch, yea for Fridays, yea for three day weekends, yea for big 'ole marshmallows in yummy hot chocolate

Thank You, God for all of the blessings You put in our lives and for eyes to be able to see them. amen.

Last night we had a date to the pumpkin patch. :)

I hope your weekend is starting off wonderfully!

What is something you're happy about today?

Kelly

Travel Tuesdays - San Diego anniversary

One year of A + K and we spent the weekend celebrating in San Diego!

There was a fire station open house on the island of Coronado. We got to see lots of equipment, watch them put out a fire for a demonstration, got hot dogs and bottled water for a donation to the girl scouts and even got free massages! It was great!

Our hotel, the Omni was fantastic!!! Go priceline!!!

The staff there was super nice and even moved us to a nicer room partway through our stay. The first night we were able to see fireworks right at eye level out our window because the hotel is connected via skybridge to Petco Park home of the Padres. The next two nights we had views of the pool and the bay beyond. It was beautiful.

starting to see a little bit of baby bump

We had a great time walking along the Embarcadaro

seeing the WWII aircraft carrier, the USS Midway

neat nautical graphics

the riggings of an old ship

boats in the harbor with downtown behind

Plus, we ate really, really well (we like to call it food tourism).

If you're ever in San Diego, may we recommend:

Filippi's - we walk up to a line out the door that continued a good 30 feet into the restaurant. We were assured by locals around us in line that it was worth the wait. We didn't have to wait too, too long and along the way we were able to peruse the shelves of imported Italian groceries. Our server was one of the best we've had in a long time and the basket of garlic bread, antipasto salad and the spaghetti topped with a giant meatball hit the spot! The sauce was very fresh tasting and yummy.

the Farmers' Market in Little Italy - this was our first destination on Saturday morning and we were not one bit disappointed. My favorite sample was the Basiltops pesto. The people were friendly and the weather was great.

While we were at the Farmers Market, we stumbled upon a book talk and food tasting sponsored by the restaurant Tender Greens. They just kept bringing food over for us to try, from the best salad I'd had in quite awhile to a plum cake with delicately flavored, fresh whipped cream! And, get this, it was all free! Woohoo!

Pappalecco - fantastic gelato, great atmosphere, fun Italian speaker to talk to, a hit!

Mootime - that perfect vacation cone, both of us agreed it was a premier waffle cone and I choose the triple chocolate (dark, white and milk) paired with the birthday cake ice cream with marshmallow creme as my mix in. It was delish!!! For real . . . sugar overload! Oh and did I mention that the birthday cake ice cream had sprinkles in it too? And, get this people, they did not charge one cent extra for the waffle cone or the mix-in and you can get two different flavors in the small scoop size! Happy, happy!

Heavenly Cupcakes - As you probably know by now if you've been reading long, we are cupcake connoisseurs of sorts. Well, I have to admit, when we walked in, it looked like a Sprinkles clone and I'm not too much

a fan of theirs and I also like places that have originality. But . . . the mint chocolate cupcake was VERY

good! Good job afterall, heavenly cupcakes and a reminder to me not to judge a book by it's cover.

Zanzibar Cafe - I really liked this place. It may have been my favorite place we went just for the whole experience. It was a wonderful night, cool breezes, open windows, candles on the tables, good, fresh, interesting food and a great hostess and waitress who we got to chat with since we were practically the only ones in the restaurant.

Cafe 222 - their website is almost as fun as our dining experience. It was exactly what I was hoping for our last morning in San Diego. Fun, funky, fresh . . . lime green walls, quirky, pastel teacup and tiny spoon chandeliers, a broken egg painted on the floor, etc. The Eggs Italia were truly scrumptious (and I saw that she has the recipe on her website - yum!), the orange juice was very good as was the pumpkin waffle. Bravo, Cafe 222.

And last but certainly not least,

Extraordinary Desserts. It was um, yum, yum, yum, yum! Thanks for the recommendation, Edmund! If you follow the link, I had the pavlova - fluffy meringue shell with passion fruit cream and fruit in the photo. Adrian had this cake.

and, any guesses what this is?

their signature kiwi lemonade! delicious!

We also thoroughly enjoyed being so close to the airport and seeing all kinds of planes land right over us, visiting Balboa Park, the weather, the weather, the weather and watching the Steelers beat the Chargers. :) (Not in person, they were playing in Pittsburgh, not San Diego.)

All in all, it was a wonderful anniversary trip!

A + K

together for one year and forever after!

wedding Friday - it's time!!!

photo: Kelly

Do you remember this post?

I had set it to automatically post at the time of our wedding.

After all of the planning, dreaming, waiting and getting ready, it was time!

I loved showing up at the Cotton Mill and seeing how everything had turned out. Everything was ready to go, I felt great and I was so excited that it was finally time to marry Adrian.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

I really like the crosses on the door in the background of this picture.

They were already there and went great with our decor.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

a shot of my bouquet

From what I can remember, my hands were calm. I was just ready and happy and sure.

photo: Jenni

For some reason, the bottom of this photo is gray, but I love the way the sunlight is streaming in on the podium where we will stand together before God and all of our family and friends and publicly state our commitment to each other for the rest of our lives.

It was beyond my imagination to get to stand on such a beautiful bed of rose petals as we said our vows but it turned out to be quite doable to get bags of rose petals from our florist and was one of the easiest ways to cover the makeshift stage that was provided.

What I didn't know until the day of and what you can't see in the photo is that the stage was quite high actually and it would have been quite a step up from the floor. My brother and my friend Mindy, and maybe some others, I'm not sure, found some smaller steps to put in front of it and draped them with crocheted doilies that had been made by my great-grandmother. It was so special to me to have her present at the wedding in that way. What a blessing!

photo: Betty

Everything is ready and it is almost time for the ceremony to begin!!

photo: Betty

Seating

and finally . . .

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

the ceremony

What a blessing it was to be surrounded by our family and friends for such an important occasion. The whole room just radiated with joy.

photo: Rachel Debell Photography

Kelly

wedding Wed, uh, Thursday - almost one year!

this photo by me, all others by Rachel Debell Photography

wedding Wednesday - family

Here are just a few of the family shots from our wedding.

Of course there are more but I'm not sure who all would care if I posted their

photo on my blog but I thought the ones below were safe. :)

my mom, sister-in-law, Mandy and myself

my beautiful mama

my wonderful mother-in-law and my husband-to-be

my brother Jeremy, escorting my mom down the aisle

all photos in this post: Rachel Debell Photography

Sweetie and Poppy, my grandparents

my parents and I

It was such a joy to celebrate our wedding with those we love most.

If you're reading this and you made the effort to come to our wedding

(or even tried because a few people just couldn't make it in the end),

thank you again! It meant a whole lot to us!

Travel Tuesdays - San Diego

Have you ever been to San Diego?

What do you like to do there?

Kelly

I'd love to know the answer to these questions and also the ones here.

Thanks.

mama-to-be Monday - closets

a caring and thoughtful co-worker put some of these sweet little

vintage-look baby hangars in my mailbox at school today

oh my!

such fun

they're so tiny!

so, here are a couple of questions for you mamas out there (and others who would like to chime in)

I am an "all one kind of hangar" girl. White plastic tube hangars happen to be my hangar of choice. I have a friend who had all red at one point. Neat.

I like the uniform look.

When we married, my closet expanded to two types of hangars, white plastic tube hangars and wooden hangars. I'm good with that. Each lives in it's own section. It's nice, organized, stream-lined, uniform . . .

so, I'm wondering, should I go out and get a supply of these same hangars to match because they're adorable or are there practical implications that I might not be considering?

'Cause I'll say this, I'm not sure if I've ever hung up a little baby outfit.

So, question #1, what's important to you in a hangar for baby's clothes?

(I know I can't be the only one with opinions about hangars, right? Let me hear 'em.)

Okay, second question kind of goes along with this theme.

Baby's closet . . .

what do you keep in the nursery closet besides clothes?

because, remember this post . . .

Glad I took advantage of that because everything is about to change in a wonderful way!

So, back to closets . . .

Well, here is the closet in the craft room nursery!

(okay, so you have to scroll down several pics to get to the closet but it's almost my bedtime and I'm trying to post while it's still Monday!)

I have wondered what in the world I would do with all of that stuff.

Then, Friday night, while hanging out with some great girls and talking through all the dilemmas of life, including but certainly not limited to nurseries, I had an aha!

What about an armoire?!

Shouldn't be too hard to find on craigslist or at a garage sale these days with people who had one for their tv wanting to get rid of it as they go to flat screen and such . . . and I could paint it

baby clothes should fit nicely inside, afterall they're not very long :)

is this a good idea?

then I could keep the craft closet as is.

now, to be honest, i don't want to hear "what am i going to do when the baby's napping and that is the only time I have to do something crafty and all of my craft stuff is in the same room as the baby?" we'll cross that bridge when we get to it or maybe i'll become super organized and neatly lay out all of the supplies i will need for the project *before* i lay the baby down - ha! :)

Best bet is I'll be grabbing a nap too, right?

okay, one final thing in this now forever post . . .

a prayer request . . .

I'm going to just lay it out there and be honest . . .

I am thrilled to be pregnant but i am struggling with the whole body image thing.

I did not expect this, not one bit.

I didn't think that my identity was wrapped up in what I look like, well, the temptation to compare and find myself falling short has hit, big time and I'm disappointed in myself and I want to stop. stop comparing, stop feeling like I don't look good. I want to start believing God's truth about me. I want to know, deep down, without the nagging doubts that not only is my sweet baby being wonderfully made, but I am wonderfully made! Today, yesterday, at 9 months pregnant, post-partem, when I'm forty, when I get wrinkles and on and on and on.

Psalm 127:3 (New American Standard Bible)

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward."

Proverbs 16:31 (New International Version)

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained by a righteous life."

Thanks for "listening" and letting me be real and honest

and ask a bunch of crazy questions. :)

I hope you're having a good Monday.

Kelly

peaceful fall decor

a photo from my old apartment

The wreath is hanging on an old doorknob. I found the wooden bannister things at a community garage sale set up on a tennis court for $1 for the pair! I felt like I got a great deal and have used them many times and in many ways since then. At the same garage sale I got a really cute purse for a dime! I asked her if she was sure and she said, "I'm moving to Europe. Everything must go!" Okay.

What is one of your best steals ever?

more fall decor

ready for fall?

Pulling out all of my reds, oranges and browns makes me feel more fallish.
This was my shelf display several years ago - old luggage, high school mum, letter jacket, dried leaves, pumpkins, pinecones, dishes, baskets, books, an interesting wooden architectural piece . . . we'll have to see what comes together this year. So fun to feather one's nest.

Do you decorate for fall? Do you have any pictures? I'd love to see them. Kelly

wedding Wednesday - my dress

I got started on the dress shopping pretty quickly. My first shopping trip was with my mom, Mandy and Sweetie.

I also tried on my mom's dress.

It was then that I started thinking about wearing her veil

which I ended up doing for the ceremony. I loved the way it looked and

wearing the same thing she had worn when she walked down the aisle.

photo by my mom

I found my dress at a little shop called the Bridal Boutique and really, really liked it

a whole lot! Another bonus was that it was comfortable. A lot of people asked if it was

vintage which was fun. I always thought I would wear a big white poofy gown but when

I tried those on and this one on, I just knew this was what I wanted more.

photo by Rachel Debell photography

close up of the lace work on the dress

photo by me

Sweetie (my grandma) made a beautiful hangar for me to keep my dress on that

had one of my great-grandmother's doilies on it. That was very special to me.

Here is my dress hanging in the bathroom that I got to get ready in at the bed and breakfast.

photo by Rachel Debell

So here is my question now . . .

where is your wedding dress?

How is it stored?

I do not want to spend the money to get it "preserved". I would like to store it someplace somewhat out of the way and yet where it will not be damaged. So, I would just like to know where you put yours and how you have it stored. Maybe writing this post and getting your feedback will finally inspire me, nearly a year later to find a home for it.

Presently it is hanging here:

right in the entry of our closet . . .

It has been in the entry closet, the craft closet, etc.

It needs a good home.

Kelly

great post

If you have not read modgirl's lastest post

you should

it's really good and gave me some stuff to think about

Hope you're having a great Tuesday! Kelly