How I Spent My Week

I definitely enjoyed my "time off" relaxing with Tom and the puppies. We didn't really do much of anything beyond a crazy day of house cleaning, work on the playroom and lots of puppy snuggling! Just how I like to spend my time :)  Among those lovely things I found out I have severe anemia, which is common in pregnancy, and am now taking a lovely iron supplement daily in addition to my prenatal vitamin. I had my 36 (almost 37..in two days) week doctor's appointment and little man is measuring almost 39 WEEKS! Holy COW! I may be giving birth to a linebacker here folks. We shall see. This was based off of my fundal height (top of the uterus) which they measure at each appointment. He's definitely jumped the scale I do believe and that probably explains why I feel like I do. Constant pressure, constant pain..and a heck of a lot of stretch marks :) On the plus side though, and this was a huge shocker to me as I've been eating like a frat boy, I finally LOOKED at the scale yesterday at the doctor's office. I've been closing my eyes each weigh in as I don't want to fixate on the number itsself, but she said it out loud yesterday so I had no choice but to know/look. I HAVEN'T GAINED A SINGLE POUND IN 4 WEEKS!!!! How cool/ strange is that?! I was thrilled! And then immediately wanted ice cream hahha :)

Anyways. I don't have much to say (our taxes STILL aren't done..oopsie) so I will leave you with some pictures from the past week ! Oh and btw..where did winter go? It's BEAUTIFUL here in central VA today!

THIS my friends is my favorite :) Up in the playroom (yes I realize my child won't USE the playroom on his own for years, but we still wanted a place to keep all the baby/kid toys and paraphernalia) Tom painted whiteboard paint and then framed out with some trim which he handpainted AND hand stenciled. He is so crafty sometimes I don't even know what to do with him. Those are crabs (EOD Insignia). He printed off a picture of a crab online, cut it out with his exacto knife, and painted them in ! Homemade stencil! He then hand drew the eyes, shell separation and added a red back to each crab. He is pretty awesome. Our son is a lucky little dude! And so am I :)

Tom adding a scoreboard he made from whiteboard paint and trim, for his dart board in the game room!

Loving on her wittle brother :)

YAY! One of our Christmas presents from my parents. They never used this pool table so dad drove it up to us here in VA from MO during the holiday! WE LOVE IT ! And Tom is GOOD.

36 and some change. Measuring 39 weeks. he's low..and he's large. And there's my stretch marks in all their glory.

Black hurrr, don't currrr. Finally back to my "normal" hair. Never let me go blonde again. Just not do-able with a baby.

Taking a bit of a break!

With baby time being JUST around the corner (induction date is literally 22 days away..and my "hunch" for when little man is going to come on his own is less than 10), I've decided to take a tinyyy break this week from the blog world. I've got to pack our hospital bags (STILL..hello procrastination), spend a little one on one with the pupps and Tom and file our dreaded taxes. Yuck.

BUT I will soon be back hopefully next week with some progress..cross your fingers..and good news from the doc! Little dude better stay put until the 1st because mama's got a hair appointment. You hear that in there peanut?

-S

Saxton's Nursery Reveal :)

It is FINALLY complete :) After many months, inspiration boards, hours spent on etsy..pinterest..and other websites for ideas and products..and longggggggg hours of actually executing it all..it is finally done :) 

I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do! It was so much fun and I can't wait to spend hours upon hours in there with our little man. For any questions on where we got what items, please feel free to ask! Some things were DIY, but most were purchased and with the help of all of my creative minded friends (thank you Nicole, Danielle, Amber and Laura for all your opinions and to my Momma for making the curtains) the styling is exactly what I had envisioned! 

Enjoy !

It's all ready for you little boy!!! Whenever you are....

Dear Me, Circa 2009

 Today I'm trying to do a little self-help sesh after a minor breakdown in front of the mirror last night. After taking my 35 week photo, I posted it on Facebook. There should be a warning on your Facebook app that says "Do not scroll through old photos of your pre-pregnant self. Self inflicted pain may follow!" 

Ay yi yi was it a rude awakening. 

Pregnancy isn't beautiful for everyone. I truly wish I could be one of the "lucky" ones who wakes up on d-day with zero stretch marks, and maybe 20 pounds gained but I am far from that. My stomach feels and looks like it's been attacked by a jungle creature with talons, my face is nearly unrecognizable to myself anymore due to the swelling and extra fluid/weight I'm carrying around, and my small waist is no longer able to be found. Wow. I sound pretty superficial and shallow, maybe I am or maybe I'm finally realizing just how good I once had it. I always thought of myself as the "chubby" girl in the room. I've got a love for food and eating, and bread has and always probably will be my vice. I don't love the gym, or working out..and would rather burn calories by running errands during the day or running around the mall shopping vs. running on a treadmill. I used to seriously think I was hideous, overweight and disgusting. I would never wear swimsuits and if I did I made sure it was to a place like the lake or a pool party where 99% of the people would be just drunk enough not to notice the cellulite on the backs of my legs. Sad isn't it? Wake up call old me..you were skinny. Yes. Skinny. May not have been 100 pounds or as skinny as your roommates BUT you were healthy, beautiful..and had an awesome body. 

So. That brings me to today. I woke up and after spending 5 minutes hoisting myself out of bed and looking in the mirror I decided I'd take some time to write myself a letter. I realize this letter will never make it back to the good ol' days (where the heck is time travel, its 2012?!) but the me of today needs to read it. Maybe this will serve as some motivation for post-baby or maybe it will serve me best at this moment to be able to look back and reflect on how things used to be..and be grateful, since I wasn't back then.

*I will preface this letter by saying I am trying my hardest to embrace the "beauty" of pregnancy. My baby boy is an amazing blessing, and this self image issue that I'm dealing with is only part of the process of getting him here. It is worth it but sometimes..you just need to cry it out a little. Pass no judgement. I am willing to bet each and every one of you reading this has dealt with body image issues at least once in your life. Maybe you should write yourself a letter as well :)*

 1/19/2012

Dear Me,                                                                                                                              

As I sit here now, on the brink of being 9 months pregnant with your first child (how weird is that to say?), I thought it'd be appropriate to write you a letter. I wish I could literally send this back through time so you can appreciate who you, and how you feel while you are reading this. Pregnancy does absolutely amazing and terrifying things to your body and I wish I could slap your mouth each time you spew a "I'm so fat" or any other comment related to how hideous you think your body is. Every single thing you find wrong with yourself.. all an illusion. I know this sounds insane, and it is, but please know that you are beautiful. You may not be a size zero, or be six foot like your supermodel sister..but you've got it SO good my dear. If you could see the stretch marks on your stomach NOW, the size of your butt, the number on the scale and most definitely the feeling of your thighs rubbing together..I promise you you'd feel like Heidi Klum. Image isn't everything, but being healthy in your body..and in your mind..is. This pregnancy has been a huge struggle for me deep down. Each day when I get up and see a new tiger stripe on my belly, boobs, thighs and virtually anywhere that skin is (yes..everywhere) I feel like the most hideous thing in the world. It is all MORE than worth it to be bringing a life and child into the world and into your soon to be family, but it is a daily struggle. Body image issues are something I thought I dealt with in the past, but in reality it was never bad at all. This letter may make zero sense to anyone who hasn't been here before, where I stand (sit) today, but it makes sense to me..and if I could send this back a few years to you I hope you'd understand as well. You look amazing.. you feel amazing..and the person we are today here in 2012 is SO anxious to get back to the 2009 Sarah (body wise anyways). Never take it for granted!

Love, 

Me

TAG, I'm it :) and You're NEXT! !

It's going around in bloggy town. Are you it?

I've been tagged by Hannah, make sure you check her out, she is one of my dear friends and her little Miss J is too cute for words!

So here are 'The Rules'...

1. You must post the rules. (and then break or create your own)

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post. ( I am choosing to NOT do this too!)

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven (or a couple)new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven (or a couple) a few other people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them! 

 

 

My Questions from Hannah :

1. If you could have any job in the world what would it be?  
    Oh my my. That's a tough one. As much as I LOVE my "job" as housewife and soon to be stay at home mommy, I'd love to work in the PR field or be a lobbyist. Ya know..use my degree I paid a pretty penny to NOT finish haha ;)
    
2. Why did you start your personal blog?
     My blog was started to fill in family and friends near and far of our travels, life and adventures as first time parents! I also LOVE to follow lifestyles and DIY/home interiors blogs and hope to eventually bring more of these elements into my own blog for you to enjoy!
3. What is your biggest goal in life?
    My biggest goal in life is simply to be happy. I know many many people in this world who live their lives just going through the motions and I do not want to live mine like that. There are terrible days, we all have them, but the amazing days really make those worth it. Like I always say, "life isn't always swingsets and rainbows".
    
4. What is your biggest pet peeve?
    I love being able to rat out my husband ;) My biggest pet peeves are : The x-box. This thing causes most of our "fights" if you can even qualify them as that. It's his get-a-way from "real life" sort of like blogging is mine, but I'd love for a day where I could sit on the couch and not listen to him killing 12 year old boys in a war game all day! Anddd one more, also husband related (haha), I hate when he puts dishes in the sink and then fills them up to soak. For an example,  he's a  huge ramen noodle  fan (gross right?) and when he's done eating..he'll put the bowl into the sink and fill it up with water. Good idea in theory, but when I go to put it in the dishwasher (FOR HIM cough cough) I have to dump out the cold icky noodly smelling water and it makes me want to hurl. The end.
    
5. If you could invent anything in the world what would it be? Why?
    OOOO GOOD question. I'd invent a massive looped- handle that you can attach (without damaging the ceiling) above your bed so VERY pregnant women like myself can grab hold and hoist themselves out for the 10-12 bathroom trips we make in the middle of the night. Seriously, I sometimes have to wake up Tom to help me roll over. It's pathetic yet comical.
    
6. What do you like the most about yourself?
    My ability to be totally frustrated with things one moment, and laugh them off (usually to the point of delirious crying/snorting/peeing my pants) the next. I take things so seriously which is both good and bad, but usually have the ability to shake it off quickly.
    
7. What is your biggest weakness?
    CHOCOLATE.
    
8. If you were given 1 million dollars today, what would you do with it?
   Oh the things I could do with a wad that large. I'd start off by paying off our bills (mortgage, the credit card that we have to keep "good credit" etc), then I'd take all of our family on a massive vacation to somewhere luxurious. Oh and I'd probably buy a bunch of beautiful designer products and then hire a personal chef. Yep. I'll take that mill' at any time now :)

OKAY! Now.. It's my turn to TAG :)

I'm tagging these lovely ladies (and Jake) :

1.) Meredith & Jake @ Reilly and Copper

2.) Nicole @ This Little Momma

3.) Tara @ BabySova Blog

4.) Heather @ Motherhood, Makeup and Mashed Potatoes

5.) Leila @ My Barbarian Table

6.) Erin @ The Pike Family Blog

 

 

My Questions for y'all... 

1. If tomorrow were your last day on this earth, what would you eat, say, do and enjoy one last time..and with who?

2. What's your favorite blog to read this very second? (And no you don't get bonus points for saying mine!)

3. What's on your DVR recording list for this evening? 

4. What are your resolutions/goals for 2012?

5. What's your stance on pancakes ;) ?

6. Do you enjoy where you're life is right now? If not, what would you change and why?

7. What are you asking for/ getting your significant other for Valentine's day? Do you have big plans? 

8. When do you think my sweet baby boy will make his grand entrance? Date and weight guesses anyone?

Pregnant Pitty Party. Guest list, Me.

Expires on my Due Date! Which really is closer to the 16th now.

Today is one of those days. I've got my induction date (roundabout anyways) from the doctors and now I literally sit here and dwell on the time. The nursery is complete. The house, a waste to deep clean now with a messy husband and two furry dogs. Shopping, out of the question. Decorating and organizing the house, also..primarily done. So now I just sit. This place is miserable as it is in the middle of NO where. The weather isn't nice enough to go outside and walk without being bundled like a snowman, and my only friend here who I hang out with is also feeling the pregnant misery. I feel like a whale and LORD HAVE MERCY if I go through my Facebook pictures from oh..9 months ago I'm liable to cry myself into next week. Pregnancy changes your body in ways NO one ever likes to tell you upfront. All those people who can get by with "the glow" are full of shit. Oh and the "glow" is really SWEAT from hauling my fat rear end up and down the stairs all day. Yes.. one flight. I'm a mess.

Don't mind me..just chillin on the beach.

SO long story short. I'm bored. Annoyed with time going by so slow and feel like I can't enjoy the rest of my "alone" time because of my stinky mood. I know I know, those of you reading this who have been there done that are thinking..you'll miss this. I'm sure I will. What I won't miss? Not being able to eat a full meal without wanting to die of suffocation immediately after, getting up a million times during my "sleep" (HA) to pee 10 times because my child is using my bladder as a punching bag, not being able to walk up the stairs or heaven forbid even get out of BED in the mornings because my bones (in a not so special place) feel as if they could crumble and POOF into a dustball at any time.. and definitely MOST definitely won't miss the false labor/practice labor/NOT REAL LABOR contractions that decide to hit me in the back and stomach on an hourly basis.

Thank you for letting me vent. 

NOW. Onto brighter things.

(excuse the bi-polar feel of this post, this is my world folks..ain't always swingsets and rainbows)

Wanted to share with y'all a fun little blog my wedding planner Meredith and her husband Jake have started called Reilly and Copper! Mer (or LA MER as I like to call her) lives in Franklin, TN, near Nashville, and is as I said an event planner! Jake owns his own landscaping company called Elements of Eden, and the two little cuties have two fur babies Reilly and Copper. 

Jake, Meredith and Reilly (Copper is a new installation to the Zeller Fam)

They started this blog, which focuses on both lifestyle, DIY, various projects around their home and yard and the chronicles of their adorable doggies here recently. I'd love for you to go check them out and see all the fun things they do together :) I have to hand it to Meredith..if Tom were home all day everyday with me I'd probably be in jail..and there would DEFINITELY be one less x-box in the world ;)

Today Mer&Jake have put up one of their "Spark Boards" which is an inspiration board they create before doing any home projects and re-decorating to "Spark" some creative flow :) Catchy huh? 

Today at R&C they're showing off their most recent Spark Board for their living room re-do. The transformation is ABSOLUTELY amazing from when Meredith first lived in their home alone..to what it is today! Totally chic, elegant and very well put together.

You can see it here!!!

Anyhoo, head over and check them out..let them know that I sent you and subscribe to their feed!!! AWESOME stuff ;)

Reilly and Copper

For All My Stay At Home Mommy Friends :)

How Much is a Homemaker Worth?

PinAddict: Going Pinning Crazy !!

Here's a few things I've pinned recently! 

Sureeeee it doesn't LOOK like a lot, but then again I can't spend 10 hours on the blog today posting the oodle's of gems I find on a daily hourly basis! 

Enjoy ;)

Via Lemon Squeezy

Free Printable for those TERRIBLE parkers! I know we've got tons of "I suck at parking" offenders up here in the 'Gin! Definitely printing these asap.

Via Makeup Geek

 

 

MOROCCAN OIL! I loveeee this stuff. This whole "pregnant funk" I've been in the past oh..9 months has my hair looking scary. Note to self : Must order SOON!

Via The Little Giggler

YES. I will do this. I'm shocked my own Momma didn't/hasn't used this on my sister and I at all. Mom? Dad AND Erica (and all of your "adopted" children) should see this..at least once a week :)

DVF Chevron dress Via Atlantic-Pacific

Hello Lovely. I can't wait to wear real/cute/adorable/tight/SIZE ANYTHING BUT WHALE clothing. 

Dear Baby, Please weigh 10 pounds and take all of your 35 other "lb" friends with you on your way out? 

Love, Mom.

Sunday Mornin' Rain is Fallin'

One of my favorite days of the week. Regardless of what the night or week prior had brought, I'm alive to tell about it and most importantly reflect  upon it.

Thank you Jesus  for giving me yet another day in paradise. 

Check out this video. Regardless of your beliefs, religious affiliation or relationship with Jesus Christ..the message and truth in his words and affirmation is amazing and inspiring.

I hope it touches you as it has touched me this morning. 

 

DIY Nursery: Truly a labor of LOVE

Since we moved into this house, I've been eyeing different ways to re-vamp the light fixtures in most of the rooms. We had the builder grade glass bowl fixtures or  "boob lights" as I like to call them. Well when we found out Saxton was in fact a boy, my chandelier dreams for the nursery quickly went down the drain. Apparently crystals and glitzy light fixtures are the farthest thing from masculine, according to Tom anyways! I beg to differ..but hey.. you pick your battles right?


So for the past two months I've been searching high and low for the perfect light element for the nursery. The windows face the brightest side of the house during the day, and I knew for nap time purposes anything with too much light would be a big no-no. So accompanied by the darkening no-sew curtains my lovely Mama made for us (she's a rockstar), I wracked my brain for ideas on how to create ambience and style paired with function as far as lighting goes.

This is what I came up with :)

Basically I took a standard drum shaped lamp shade off of a lamp we had in the upstairs bonus room (soon to be playroom..that's a WHOLE different project/headache) and had MacGuyver aka Tom figure out a way to attach it to the pre-existing fixture. We considered adding a ceiling medallion that I would paint to match the wall color, but decided that re-wiring the fixture was something we probably weren't skilled enough to do. I'd hate to have a fire in our house after all that flooding trouble we went through!

The fabric I chose for the the "chandelier" effect of the lamp shade was literally nothing more than two ivory target pillowcases and remnants of the curtain fabric that I cut and shredded into long strips. I then attached the strips, individually (this part was the longest of the process..nearly 5 hours of sitting on the floor..yikes) to the pieces of twine that I'd then hot glue to the lamp shade itself.

We then (yes, we..thanks babe) took the twine links and glued each one on to the lamp shade and then decided that we'd collect them all in the center, and pull them up from the inside to look more like a chandelier vs. cascading fabric "jellyfish" as Tom called it.

Here's some pictures of the before..during and after of this little project! Some people don't like it..but those people have no style ;) I'm very happy with how it turned out, and even more pleased that it only cost us $12 for the pillowcases and 5 hours of our time, oh ..and a massive back ache for momma today :) All very much worth it and it definitely has the feel that I was going for! Hope you enjoy!

**Sidenote** Please TRY and ignore the background as the rest of the nursery isn't finished yet! I am amazed my OCD is allowing me to put up photos with it not being perfect!

What I'm Loving on Etsy

As most women I know, yes..don't lie to yourself, I'm addicted to Etsy! It's the craft and handmade goods MOTHERSHIP via the internet. It's like a craft fair at your fingertips. Addicting, time consuming and amazing but who doesn't love something personalized and furthermore, well made? I know I do!

Since I browse..ahem..shop..Etsy on a near daily basis (they have an app now for the iPhone by the way..it's a must have) I've started to utilize that little bitty heart button a bit too much and my favorite's folder is getting LARGE and in charge. I thought I'd start sharing a few of my favorite items and shops on a weekly basis so you too can enjoy all of my fun finds! I should also preface by saying none of the shop owners I am posting about have paid me to do any sort of advertising for them ;) Enjoy!

 Trellis Collection Personalized Monogram iPhone 4 Case $39.99 by PencilShavingsStudio

LOVING these SO much. It's a plastic snap on case, not a sticker which I'm noticing is what a lot of them are on Etsy, so your precious phone will be both stylish and safe! I'm not sure which color combination I'd be choosing but I'm kind of in love with the orange background/blue trellis one :) And of course..monogramming is a must! Head over and check out her shop!

Custom Return Address Stamp $38.00 via PinkInkPaper

This my friends, is quite possibly my new favorite thing in my entire office ! This is our stamp..tried to blur our address as well as possible (we've got guns and a security system folks..and a bomb tech resides here..don't mess with us lol) but this little beauty adorns every piece of mail that leaves our home now! Excuse the ink splotches in between the lettering. I am terrible at the dab and stamp and never seem to manage a perfect press! I somehow also end up getting the ink ALL over my fingers, which then leads to beautiful blue ink thumbprint "art" all over everything I touch. Call me Queen Midas.. only with blue ink..and not gold !

Handlettered Typography Print $16.00 via theblackapple

Okayyyyy..HOW CUTE is this stinking thing? Seriously. I want it for every room. That may be a bit overkill..but hey..if you're the bee's knees everyone should know about it !!

Moroccan Stencil Zamira $37.95 via CuttingEdgeStencils

Last but not least..this wall stencil is absolutely stunning. I wish we were going to be living in this house forever because this beauty would look amazing in our entryway, or bedroom, or even the landing in the stairwell break. Along with this stencil and several others, CuttingEdgeStencils has pillows, laminate trays and other wall decals that you can find in their shop. All for a decent price too :) Now if you could only purchase patience... I'm sure these would be a Tom project! My OCD would never allow me to do these as it would not only take years..but gallons of coffee to complete! 

Until next time friends..