Scrumtrulescent Mama

Jack: Nine Months

2012-01-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me recently about my blog that I used to blog my things I made on... and I replied "I still do I just havent made anything really since I made Jack". So, in ways the blog hasnt changed. :)

My little boy is 9 months old.

He is 17.5 lbs.
He sits up with no help (though he does like to fall on his head a lot)
He's had his first experiences with heat. Poor little guy decided it would be a great idea to hold his hand on the hot fireplace glass. He had 2 blisters on his fingers and cried for an hour. I felt so bad. He didnt learn from the situation either. He still loves the fireplace which doesnt come on when he's awake anymore.
Tooth #2 is here! Its not as sharp as the first one but his mouth has become quite powerful
He is WAY more happy now. Smiles a lot more and giggles.
He likes to be chased by daddy
He likes The Office theme song. Kid lights up when it comes on
Likes to play in the dog water. He hasnt even noticed the food yet.. I hope it never happens.
One of his favorite toys is the step ladder. He just likes to stand. For a while he had issues with the dismount of the stand(which was why he left his hand on the fire we think) but now he's got it down.
He loves Earths Best teething biscuits and they get ALL over his cute, adorable face.
He's upgraded to the kitchen sink instead of the bathroom one. The ones in our new house are just too tiny compared to the old ones.
He likes to bend down and eat the bubbles in the bath, and suck on the washcloth and splashing! I cant forget the splashing.
He loves drinking water from a glass. Which makes drinking quite hard.
He loves to eat anything we are eating and is sure to let us know
He doesnt like snow. At all
He is indifferent about park swings. Some days he's down, others not so much
He moved up to 6-9 size clothes. I am quite sad to see the 3-6 months go.
Still boobin it and still clothin it - the teeth and the poop arent that bad. Neil and I think his poop now is better than it was when he was exclusively breastfed.

Prepare for a photo overload!

and some of my favorite Iphone photos from over the last month

My first and Jack's first

Christmas morning!

Playing in bags at ikea

His face is priceless. Wish Id caught it with my dslr

Its seriously inpossible to get a photo of him grabbing his feet like this. Its probably the only one Ive managed to get.

Jack has a new friend and his name is Jaxson

Reverie Giveaway

2011-12-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hi all!

As most of you know I am a photographer. Right now theres an AWESOME giveaway going on over at Reverie. Go and enter it! It lasts until the 21st. How sweet is that? With new giveaways every day.

Reverie Mine

Jack is 8 months old

2011-12-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today. He just keeps growing. Not that you can tell he is still being swallowed up by 6 month olds everywhere. Oh well. He's cute even if he is small.

We arrived in WA a few days into Jacks 7th month and I just realized I havent blogged about anything. Jack is mobile.

He does a cute army crawl to get to places now. Its adorable.. unless he's trying to get to the Christmas tree.

He knows how to blow raspberries

Breastfeeding is still going swell.

He likes pretty much anything we put in his mouth.

Apples. Banana. Avocado. Peas. Green Beans. Yams. Water. Paper. Broccoli

Were going the BLW route and it seems to be pretty great. He can feed himself pretty well now and he's only 8 months old. Nice.. since im all lazy.

With that means the poop is changing. Great. Its not so bad. Daddy doesnt like it though.
He has his first tooth! We knew it was coming but it took a while to pop through. Nothing about breastfeeding has changed except it hurts a bit more when he chomps down.
He doesnt like toys all too much. But he LOVES cords, tags, keyboards, Christmas lights, paper and glass. Everything hes not supposed to have. He likes to suck on the bottom of glasses at restaurants and now its hard to sip at all cause he immediately goes after it. He wants everything which is ok. He's learning.
He has started to make this strange sound from his mouth. I think its his mouth learning how to talk because it sounds like it. But who knows. Im ok with him taking his time to grow up. Hes already too big.

Oh and he TOTALLY slept for 7 hours last night.. either that or he cried for a LONG time before I heard him.

Overall, Jack is amazing. I love him every day more and more. (how cheesy does that sound) Its true though.

and here are are a few of my favorite photos from the last few months.

Wordless Wednesday | mmmerica!

2011-10-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

We got to spend some time with the mighty F-15E Strike Eagle last week. It is sort of a bitter sweet month for us because soon Neil wont be flying every day and in the end he actually did like his job. I know he will miss it but I sure wont! I am so excited to move so I get to spend some more time with him. It surprises me at how many people ARE NOT having marital issues in the fighter community. It is hard work when your spouse is never home. Anyway, I was the official "jet photographer" a few weeks ago so we got to put the kiddos in the cockpit and take some fun shots most people will never get to. :)

the next day was 9/11/11

and a week later Neil had his last flight for at least three years.

PayPal PayDay!

2011-10-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another round of PayPal PayDay. This event will end at Midnight EST on 10/31

As always, there are NO mandatory entries.

Jack: Six Months Old!

2011-10-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that I am a mom to a six month old? How on earth did that happen? Wasnt it just yesterday I was 10 weeks pregnant. Oh wait.. that was a YEAR AGO! Golly. Jack really is such an incredible little guy. You always hear about moms being able to tell exactly what their babies want by their cry and its totally true. I mean.. there is only 5 things they might want so its pretty good odds.

Over the last month Jack has:

become a crazy flipper. We now have to REALLLY watch him on elevated surfaces. Because he'll just roll off the bed if we let him. He was just only turning over on his right side. And he would flip to his front if you put him on his back and flip to his back if you put him on his front.
he has become a tummy sleeper
he has become the master of the push up
he has taken a liking to his left hand. He flaps it like he's trying to fly all while the right hand is just hanging out. Its super cute unless youre trying to feed him then he flails that hand more than normal.
still boobin it!
we HAVE started him on a little solids. we started putting some cereal in his bottles when Ive got to leave and he's got the pumped milk with his daddy. Also within the last two weeks we have tried banana, apples and avocados. He wasnt 100% a fan of the banana, the avocado is growing on him and he L O V E S the apple. I think he likes the apple because he can actually grab it and hold it to his mouth. Mainly he just sucks all the juice out.. but he's content all the same. Next up MANGO!
Here's a little snippet of him eating his apple the other night!
If he could dine on my hair only; he would be a happy baby. Somehow he will find it, its ridiculous! He finds it instantly and even when I thought it was completely out of his way.
his drooling has increased a LOT. were going to try one of those amber necklaces and see how that helps out.
he has always been a happy baby but now he smiles alllll the time. I like it, especially when I am sad and his little smile just gets me all happy again.
sitting up.. isnt happening yet although the other night when we were skyping with daddy he sat up all by himself for a good thirty seconds.. until he fell into the printer. Dad thinks im abusing him while hes gone.. he has just become a little more active since he left thats all.
he ALMOST has his feet to his mouth. I think it will happen any day now.
he has outgrown his infant tub(i think he did that at 5 months, oh well) so he is now a sink superstar! He seems to like it alright. I dont think really anything bothers him all too much.

His next peditrician appointment is today in a few hours. I am kinda excited to see his new stats because he has grown a LOT since his last appointment.

Christmas Cards

2011-10-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have found an awesome Christmas cards site for our family photos this year! The site is called Minted and I love them. I found our perfect Christmas Card in a matter of minutes of looking. It is perfect for our family. Naturally, when I find something cool I want you to know about it too so. Boom. I present to you:

MINTED!

They have more than just Christmas cards if that isnt your thing. I thought it was neat that they had Halloween and Thanksgiving cards as well. Minted also has SUPER cute calendars(which Ill be making for my husband when he deploys.) I know youre thinking.. great another card site. But these folks are SO much better than tiny prints or shutterfly. They have amazing design! Anyway, go and see them cause they are awesome.

Jack: Four AND Five Months old!

2011-09-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Wow. The past few months have been CRAZY! We have been told where were moving. We have flown out to Washington. Found a house and were now in the process of buying it! Gosh! Jack is getting more cute every day. I love that little kiddo. I just realized I missed his 4 month update AND his 5 month update.. well, this is whats going on in the life of baby Jack:

He can roll over. More on his right side than his left.
His little arms and neck are strong enough for some good head raising on his tummy.
He still sounds like a dinosaur, a cute one though.
We have slipped him some rice cereal and put it in his bottles. Nothing has really changed except for his farts. They are TERRIBLE!
He smiles most all the time, not just in the mornings.
For the most part he goes to bed at 8:30
Hes still not sleeping through the night.
He still likes my boobies.
He's almost out of 3/6 month clothes and it makes me sad.

Mother in Law craftyness!

2011-08-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

My mother in law was lucky enough to spend a few months with us right after Jack was born.

Pinned up! {bridesmaids}

2011-08-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ok this may be cheating and since we have been so busy cleaning up and readying the house to see Ive had no time for craftiness this week. Soooooo here is this weeks pin of the week. When I saw the original photo I knew I loved it and I wanted to try it with my next wedding! I like the result. What do you think?

The original

Source: indriindriindrii.tumblr.com via Hilary on Pinterest

Mine

Wordless Wednesday | Two Month Favorites

2011-08-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

I havent uploaded a lot of photos of Jack to my blog. This is mainly due to them all being online on facebook. I am doing a 365 project with the little man and its going well ... some days better than others but good all the same. Here are a few of my favorites from last month. If youre interested in the whole set they can be found here: three six(ty) five!

Missing Momma

2011-08-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

It has been nine years since I last talked or saw or hugged my mom. I miss her a lot. I had just entered 10th grade and I was so young. My life has changed so much since then. Its taken me places I would have never imagined. North Carolina for one I never really imagined living. I also never anticipated living in Washington(or ever even wanting to for that matter.) Life without her is hard. Its hard at weddings when I see the brides with their moms and the grooms dancing with their moms. I see all the love they share and I know I'm not going to have that ever again. Sure, I know there are a lot of people that care and love me but its just not the same. Not the same at all. I sure do wish she was still here. I wish Jack could have met her. She would have loved him... I mean really though; who doesnt? It would just be nice to give her a call and talk to her about life. Because life is hard and its always changing. Most people have that in their lives because everyone for the most part has a mom...and its hard when you dont have it. I wish I could talk to her about Jack and ask her questions about my own childhood that I dont know the answer to. I wish I could tell her how much I see of her in Jack. He looks a LOT like my side of the family as much as he looks like Neils. Which is so weird how that is. Anyway, ill stop having a pity party now.

So, do me a favor and call your mom today and tell her how much you love her. Because I know she wants to hear it.

Pinned Up! {footprints}

2011-07-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, I have a new love that isnt a little boy named Jack. Its name is Pinterest. Its awesome. I love it. It has so much eye candy its ridiculous. Makes me excited to get into the new house already so I can start doing things to it! So I think I'm going to ACTUALLY start doing things from the site. Thats what its there for right? Ill start with one thing that has stuck out.

Source: sidebysideblog.blogspot.com via Marga on Pinterest

Since little Jack is still a baby I could totally do this! So about a month ago I bought the canvas. I got a HUGE canvas too. Like 24x30 or something. My plan is to have three babies and I think it would be neat to have them all on there. So I bought it with room to grow. I finally got around to painting it grey. Which I notice the original also painted it grey. I picked grey so it would match more things. Anyway, today was the day to try and I think it went pretty well. Here is our take:

ill only show you a little of the canvas.. cause it big. He got a little excited on the right foot.. and I wish we could redo it but whatevs. I guess it adds character. Oh and he D O E S have 5 toes on each foot though it doesnt look it.

See, here's my proof!

We tried his hands too

that there is his baby book. He wasnt having his hands outstretched. Oh well. His feet were lame too. It happens eh?

Funny I chose a blue that was the same color as his diaper for the day.

Anyway, Im excited to see it get better and better..and by better I mean more and more feet!

If you would like an invitation send me an email at mercer.hilary@gmail.com and let me know you need one!

Wordless Wednesday | What Chu' Talkin Bout MA?

2011-07-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

I love his face.

Jack: A Birth Story

2011-07-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, it HAS taken me three + months to tell you the story of Jack's birth. Its been interesting getting used to having a baby around. Then we were out of town a lot and I feel like I am just getting settled into life with a baby and a husband that works a lot.

A lot of you have been curious about Jack's birth and why I went a month early and what happened to him in the hospital that caused him to be in the nursery for the first 4 days of his life.

April 11

6:15 am

I woke up and the bed was super wet. My underwear were wet and it was weird. I asked Neil if there was any hanky panky I didnt remember about (yes probably tmi) and he said no. This was at 6am. I didnt think my water had broken because it didnt hurt anywhere. So I figured Id call my OB when their office opened.

9:00 am

I called my ob and the nurse said to put on a pad( which I had already done) and call back in the afternoon and tell her how many Ive changed. Which is a really strange thought and they probably should have just had me come in anyway to check

Day goes by and I run my errands and get things done. Showered. Oh and sleep. I slept a lot.

3:00 pm

I called back to tell the nurse I had changed at least 6 pads in the course of the day! And of course she told me to come in. I get there and sit on the table and water is just dripping from me. It was a little embarassing because when you pee. You can at least keep it in for a while but this was just a steady drip ALL DAY! Anyway, the doctor comes in and looks at me. Before he even does anything down there he says "well I can tell you now just by looking at you, your waters broken" Again, duh. So off to the hospital I go.

5:00 pm

I got all checked in and a few of my pregnant friends joined me since Neil was flying still. It was super nice to have them join me and hang out. Nice to not be alone. Thank you ladies. I really do appreciate it. We heard a lady giving birth and boy did it not sound pleasant. Poor mom. Nothing was happening except an IV (which I REALLLLLLLY didnt want that early.)

7:00pm

Neil is off of work, the ladies go back home. Still nothing.

8:30pm

The doctors put a tic tac sized pill in my vagina in order to make my uterus thinner. At that point I was only 1 cm and 25% effaced. Tiny contractions have started and I have to pee. A lot. I think I got up about 5 times. I'm sure my nurse at that point hated me. The contractions made my fetal monitors move so she kept on having to come back in to check on me and tell me not to move. Not moving was really hard. I know labor was supposed to be hard and all but I just didnt like the fact that I wasnt supposed to move. I really like the idea of a home birth and at that point I was thinking how nice it would have been,

9:00pm

Neil gets back into the room and the fun really starts.

Neil took that one when I was sleeping a bit..

12:ish am

Im along enough they dont have to give me anymore cytotec but they give me a cocktail of pain meds that for the most part knock me out.

2:30 am

Another dose of the pain meds but im still not advancing like I should be so they give me pitocin. Which I really didnt want. I didnt want to have a "false labor" I knew pitocin made things 100% worse. But whatevs, its over now. Then the contractions R E A L L Y started to hurt. Like bad. So bad it really made me want the epidural and I was REALLY going to try and not have it. But I couldnt stand the pain. Luckily the pain meds helped me sleep a bit and in between the contractions I could get some rest.

4:00am

They stopped the pitocin because I was around 3/4 cm along.. I forget.

7:55am

They hooked up another bag of fluid and I had to go another 30 minutes without the epidural. I only mention that because it seriously broke my heart. I couldnt imagine A N O T H E R thirty minutes going by with the pain. Poor Neil.

Somewhere in that time there was an emergency C section keeping the doctor away.

9am

FINALLY they gave me the epidural. My goodness it seemed to take forever to get it too. I was 6cm by the time they gave it to me. Almost too late because of that Csection. Thats when the butt pain started. I had heard that labor feels like a huge poop but you dont know what a huge poop feels like until you do it. The epidural definitely helped with the pain but it was still there. Very uncomfortable indeed.

10:00 am

I started pushing. Ten or so minutes into pushing my friend and awesome photographer Autumn walks in and I introduce her to my vagina. "HI AUTUMN! This is my vagina!" A few minutes later the doctor comes in to check on me and tells me I am ready to have this baby but he has to deliver another baby first and I had to hold it 30 minutes. THIRTY MINUTES. He's joking... I wish. So I continue pushing. And pushing. My butt it really starting to hurt at this point. At one time I was wondering which hole the kid was coming out of! Neil was a trooper and decided to take a gander at the below parts and he said he was glad he did. At some point the doctor AND the nurse left the room and it was just Neil, Autumn and I in the room. So Neil got down there and was cheering me on, something I definitely did NOT expect. It was weird. I knew exactly when I needed to push and when I didnt. I think the epidural guy did a great job. Not too much, not too little. Though, I still think if I hadnt been given pitocin I would have been able to do it all natural. Oh well, maybe next time.The doctor comes back in and tells me I am REALLY ready to have the baby but I needed to wait a few more minutes. At this point, the baby is crowning and already there. So the nurse tells me to "blow out candles" to keep him from coming out. The doctor comes back in and is gloving himself up and I am pushing like there is no tomorrow. I am trying so hard to get that baby out and no jokes. The doctor finishes putting on his second glove and Jack falls out of my vagina. Into the doctors arms of course but still... lucky timing on his part.

10:55 am

Jack Romeo

April 12

5.7lbs

21 inches

The nurses take the kiddo to the side and weigh him and get him cleaned up. During that time the doctor actually does some work and takes out the placenta. Ugh. That was hard too. He had some real issues with it and at one point mentioned forceps. It looked like a roast. Gross. I didnt tear that much but just a little and he sewed me back up. I could feel it and he gave me another shot of numbing ness in my nether regions and then I couldnt feel my feet again. Its an odd feeling not being able to feel your legs.

Jacks body temperature had dropped a lot because of all of the white stuff all over him.. I forget what its called. Well, its wet and slimey and doesnt keep babies warm. So the nursery took him and bathed him. Then, 2 ish hours later ( way too long if you ask me) he was brought to us and left. He was starting to cry a little so we decided to try and feed him again. Oh yeah, we fed him right after he was popped out and he did an awesome job on the boob. Go him! Well, during that time I noticed that he was a little blue. The nurses said that was normal and not to worry about it because he's just getting used to being out of a belly. Anyway, we feed him this second time and I notice that he's turning purple. I had already buzzed the nurses though. Neil said, "oh he's fine, they said it was normal" and then he looked at him and started freaking out! Because Jack WAS purple. He was still sucking (which was weird) but purple all the same. The nurse came in and patted him very hard on the back and took him to the nursery. There he stayed for the next 3 days. Gosh. How annoying. So, I started pumping since they were giving him fluid in the IV and wasnt that hungry because of it. He turned purple because sometimes babies dont know how to breath and eat at the same time especially when they are preemies. And my boobs were huge. So, my boobs tried to suffocate him in the end.

Overall I couldnt have asked for a better labor. There werent really any complications. I only pushed for 55 minutes. And I ended up with a cute little bundle of awesomeness..

I'd do it again.

All but that one photo that Neil took were taken by my good friend Autumn of Reminiscing Moments! You can see her post about it here. CLICK!

Jack: Three Months Old

2011-07-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

Jack is full of smiles.

He is fitting quite nicely into all of his cloth diapers
His favorite time of the day is between 8am-noon. He is super happy then. I like it. Makes it worth not being able to go back to sleep.
He is sleeping in his crib in his own room and he likes it. We do too.
We dont know how big he is but he sure has grown!
He loves just laying on a quilt in the middle of the room staring at the ceiling fan.
Still not using pacifiers much, he doesnt like them. But he does enjoy my boobs. He uses them as pacifiers.. which can be sort of annoying at times.
He can hold his head up when youre holding him and has been able to for a few weeks now. Such a strong little guy.
He doesnt like to be awake and in the backseat by himself in the car.. which is great when Neil is driving.. not so much when its just me and him.
He's already been on a plane and he's been to Florida three separate times! He was an awesome baby on the plane. All the folks at Southwest helped out a super ton!
Its official the blue eyes are gone. They are now greennnnnishhazel. Hoping they stay that way!

If you want to see his three month photos Autumn took the other day go here! They are awesome!

Grey Skies + Sunshine Quilt!

2011-06-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Its finished!!! Jack's baby quilt is quilted, bound and being put to good use!

The backing is 3 pillow cases by Alexander Girard I got from a thrift store in Birmingham last May. They retail for like $40 for 2 (RIDICULOUS!) and I got them for like 7 and I still have a ton left over.. since I bought all they had since I didnt have plans for it at the time. The binding is the back of the pillow cases and its like my favorite fabric ever. Just my style.

I used Made- By- Rae storytime square quilt pattern. I really liked it and i think it would be super easy with a charm pack. I still have some Nicey Jane charm packs I need to use..perhaps it will be a future project

Ive been wanting to do a yellow + grey quilt for a while. But... I didnt want to give it away. I got pregnant and voila! BAM! I could keep it and it was gender neutral so it would be for my girl or my boy.

Im just glad its done! Wootie Woot!

Jack: Two Months Old

2011-06-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy! My little boy is growing up so fast on his dad and I. Its nuts how big he is.. and to think women still pop babies out his size. I bow down to any of them that do and I am still thankful for my little 5 pounder. I sure do miss him being so tiny though.

Here are his stats from his 2 month appointment a few days ago:

Weight: 10 lbs. Solid.

Height: 21.5

and his head circumference is 37.

Which puts him in the 15% for weight 8% for height and 4 for head. Poor guy. Im glad he was early but I want to know that hes not so low. I know he isnt and its just because he was born a whole month early but still.. At this appointment he also got his shots and thank the lord Neil was able to take leave this week since the inlaws are in town and he was able to go with me. If theres one thing in life I dont like its needles and seeing them poke my little guy well I just didnt want to do that so Neil took that role. Surprisingly little Jack only squealed a tiny bit and then he was out. For like the rest of the day.

A few things Ive learned this past month:

It is possible for a newborn to stay awake from 9am til 11pm. CRAZY! He STILL woke up at 4:30am to get his grub on.
Breastfeeding is going awesome still. I am so very thankful he is a good feeder
Jack isnt someone you really want to take on a road trip. Hes fine once you get there but once nightfall settles in he isnt a happy camper.
Neil and Jack have a special "whooo" language. The other night they had a whole conversation "whoo'ing" at eachother. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever.
Jack is becoming WAY more responsive and awake. Its awesome.
I dont want his eyes to change colors. But.. they are. I miss the blue already.
He has a lot of family and non related family back from in Florida that love him. I already knew this but.. I think after having seen him with everyone its SUPER obvious.
Jack likes to see everything. He really liked when I hold his back to me so he can see all 180 degress.
His frowny face is still the cutest ever.
He likes dances. He has been to two so fat and hasnt been too cranky at all.
He DOES get really cranky around 4ish 5 and that time is no fun.

Deal Pulp has a fun deal today!

2011-05-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today Deal Pulp has something I think is super neat. They are magnetic blocks and I think my little Jackster is going to love them once he is old enough to play with them. I totally got one and I want the one of the colored blocks. Check them out at tegu.com. And for the deal click under the photo!

Deal Pulp!

Jack: One Month Old

2011-05-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Jack is a month old! Well, technically today he's one month and one day old but.. who's counting. Last weekend I got to celebrate my first mothers day as a mama. Its crazy still that one day little Jack is going to call me Mama. He's probably going to call me lots of other things in his life too but Ill only focus on the positive for now. ;) I decided to end my journey with little Jack. I think this series turned out pretty darned well. Its pretty neat to see the progression.

As my first month as a mom I learned...

The Iphone app Total Baby is the best invention ever.
Babies grow. Quickly too! I took him to get weighed today and he weighed in at an awesome 7lb 2 oz. WHOA baby! Slow down.
Growth Spurts arent fun when babies arent exactly on the boob full time.
They are much better without nipple shields
Breastfeeding without the nipple shield is much better then with it, man i hate that thing.
Jack has the cutest pout ever.
Im not a fan of disposables. Weve moved on to cloth (finally!)
Cloth is pretty good so far.
Jack likes baths.
His eyes are still slate blue and they are beautiful. Im hoping they wont change even though I know they will.
His hair is turning a bit more gingery every day.
Im sad he's not 5 lbs anymore. I want to keep him small.
His startle reflex is super cute.. and he gets startled by everything!
His pout is seriously THE CUTEST THING EVER
Ive learned how to eat with my left hand.
How to surf the net on my phone while pumping.
It drives me crazy when LJ spits up. Not because I have a mess to clean up but ... because he's wasting that precious milk I pumped out for him!

Jack: Week Three

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

This week has been an interesting one.

We had our first solo shopping trip- we ALMOST made it through the whole trip without him getting hungry.
I love target. Not for the awesomeness that IS target but that they have starbucks and starbucks has HOT water for these bottles.
He's like the cutest ever when you take the bottle out and he keeps sucking like its in there still.
When he's searching for my boob and flings his head left to right.. that comes in as a tie to him and the lack of bottle sucking
Still a big fan of this nipple shield but he can feed without it. He just continues to hate my right boobage.
GROWTH SPURT- kid is eating like he wont ever eat again! Which really caught us off guard.
Neil is a good dad but he can sleep through anything which isnt good when its HIS turn with the kiddo.
Preemie diapers hate us. Hopefully the cloth (once he fits into them) will be WAY better and leak less. Youd think being preemie and all there would be no leaking issues but no. BAH!
He smiles more than any 3 weeker I know.

Gourmet Gift Baskets Review & Giveaway!

2011-04-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

My goodness Easter flew by so quickly! I was lucky enough to get to review a Classic Easter Bunny Basket from Gourmet Gift Baskets in time for Easter. I got it in the mail super quick- it just happened that a few days later my water broke and didnt really have any time to enjoy it until now. It is so cute and pretty perfect. Its not too big and not too small. Plus the bunny that was inside is in the cute side as well.

Here's what was inside:

Super cute Easter bunny

Dots

Twizzlers

Gourmet Jelly Beans

Nerds

A chocolate rabbit (an Easter basket standard!)

M&Ms and

some blue Peeps.

My husband and I were pretty pleased with everything inside- though neither of us are fans of Peeps. I think were the only two people in the world who arent fans.. not even of the chocolate covered ones. My favorite was definitely the Dots. I love me some Dots!

Over all I was very pleased with the basket. It had just enough stuff inside and it wasnt all too too Easter'y. Which I think is good for most people since not everyone loves Easter candy specifically. Now that I know about them I think I will definitely be using them in the future. Gourmet Gift Baskets have a T O N of different baskets for everyone. I like that they have baskets that offer fruit and organic produce. They also have military baskets to send overseas to our awesome guys and gals over there. I will totally be using them in the future for all my far away gift needs. :)

To take a look at all of their basket offerings check out their website here:

Gourmet Gift Baskets

Mandatory Entry

Become a fan of Gourmet Gift Baskets on Facebook. Feel free to tell them I sent you!

Extra Entries:

Become a Follower via GFC (top right hand side)
Leave a comment about a product you would like to try from them
Follow Gourmet Gift Baskets on Twitter
Follow @trulescentMAMA on Twitter. 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)
"Like" Scrumtrulescent Mama on Facebook 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)
Tweet the following: " #Win an Easter Basket from @gmtgiftbaskets via @trulescentmama! http://bit.ly/kZ1vyG #giveaway

Please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private so that I can contact you if you win. Giveaway ends 5.10 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The opinions expressed in this post are my own and not influenced by the company.

Jack: Week Two

2011-04-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

What Ive learned this week:

I can do this!
Jack has T H E cutest cough ever. Like seriously.. its adorable.
I am THAT mom that opts for the photo of her son peeing on himself during a photo shoot rather than help him not get it in his mouth. Poor guy. Oh well. Its one of my favorites of him. Is that sad?
Cluster feeding is no fun.
The boobie shield is probably like the best thing ever. Its totally helping him latch which makes me a happy mama.
Dad is becoming an expert in the ways of swaddling.
I love the way dad looks at you.. and me for that matter.
I am still growing more in love with Neil as the days go on. Strange youre supposed to fall more in love with you baby as days go on. Im ok being in love with both of them. They are the absolute best things in the world and I seriously cannot imagine my life without either one of them.
I like Neil being at home, not at work.
Jack is the model Ive been waiting for. Ive done so much with him already and I cant wait for more. I sure hope he doesnt hate me.. or the camera when he's older.
His breastfeeding poops arent as bad as I anticipated they were going to be. Neil makes it to be a lot worse than it is though.
His little coos are the sweetest thing.

Also I finally got around to posting some more photos I have taken of him since he arrived. Go to my photography website to see them!

More photos of Jack!

Jack: Week One

2011-04-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

My goodness. I am a mother. Neil is a father. We are parents.

Jack decided to enter this lovely world a bit earlier than we thought. Eventually Ill blog about the amazing birth of Jack Romeo!

April 12, 2011

5 lbs 7 oz

20 in

100% Awesomeness

In one week I've learned:

that its true, you'll never know true love til you pop one out.
that some babies dont know how to breath AND breastfeed right after popping out.
breastfeeding is hard work, especially with tiny mouths.
Im 10,000 times more in love with Neil than I was before.
hospital food is not that good.
late nights arent that bad.
jaundice is no fun.
cutting off penis' is no fun.
feeling helpless is no fun.
stringy poop is really strange.
he props himself up in the cutest way.
Jack has awesome pee range. All over the sheets, over his head. Twice.
I dont want him to grow. I like him being 5 lbs.
youre never truly prepared for a new being coming into your life.
after 4 nights in a hospital I really love my bed.
I have the cutest son in the world.

Wordless Wednesday | Dreaming of the Summer

2011-03-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

TheraBreath Review & Giveaway

2011-03-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

About TheraBreath: TheraBreath is a revolutionary premium oral care system created by Doctor Harold Katz at the California Breath Clinics. The exclusive, original formula went on the market in 1994 and has been used by over 1,000,000 people world wide to solve the problems of bad breath and unpleasant mouth taste. In that time, our original formula has gone through dozens of refinements, making it the most complete and effective solution to the embarrassing personal problem of halitosis. Continuing his pioneering research, Dr Katz expanded on the original TheraBreath Toothpaste and Oral Rinse products to address other problem areas in personal care. TheraBreath now manufactures very popular products for teeth whitening, the clearing of tonsil stones, premium periodontal therapy products, specialty chewing gums, and even bad breath treatment systems for pets!Some of you may or may not know that I'm a teeth person. I like good clean, white teeth. Its the first thing I notice about people when I see them. Ive been using TheraBreath toothpaste and mouthwash for about a week now. I wanted to give it a chance.

My first thought is that I ABSOLUTELY love the packaging. I love the vintage'y/ retro fonts and the colors. If I were to see it in a store it would definitely catch my eye.

Upon using the toothpaste for the first time my mouth definitely didnt like the fact that in the end I didnt have the minty fresh feeling so it definitely took some getting used to. It was still fresh feeling though. I didnt miss the "minty" taste much but like I said, definitely takes some getting used to.

How To Use This Product
Place a bead of TheraBreath toothpaste on your toothbrush and brush thoroughly. Be sure to brush all over - the inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth, and back of your tongue.

I was able to try the TheraBreath mouthwash as well. The two paired well together and comparing TB's to most other washes it was a lot more mild which I like. It wasnt overwhelming like others. Its missing these ingredients: Alcohol, Saccharin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Benzalkonium Chloride. So im guessing thats why the lack in overbearing mintyness.

How To Use This Product
Use TheraBreath Oral Rinse 2-3 times per day.

Use 1-2 capfuls and gargle thoroughly. Try to let the oral rinse reach as far back in your throat as possible without gagging. Gargle for at least 30 seconds, or as long as you can.

With a new capful of rinse, swish rinse completely around your entire mouth for at least another 45 seconds.

My favorite of the three products are the TheraBreath mouth wetting fresh breath lozenges. They are minty and yummy. The official flavor is mandarin mint. These are Kosher and approved for Diabetics according to the box. They do the job and Im glad I can add these to my purse for those times I dont have anything else to make my breath fresh. Now that my husband is home from deployment I may need some fresh breath more often ;)

Stage 1 uses our pleasant citrus mint formula to quickly eliminate any unpleasant flavors or odors in your mouth. Stage 2 uses the power of Zinc, Oxygen, and Xylitol - our clinical strength active ingredients -to attack the germs that cause bad breath. Stage 3 introduces our proprietary salivary agent to eliminate dry mouth and stimulate your body to produce saliva, a powerful germ fighting agent.

How To Use This Product
Eat a lozenge whenever your mouth feels dry or you experience an unpleasant flavor. Three or four a day should keep your mouth fresh, moist, and free of bad breath.

TheraBreath products can be found at Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Harmon, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and at TheraBreath. Be sure to “Like” TheraBreath on Facebook and Follow TheraBreath on Twitter. TheraBreath is giving one lucky winner two full size products: TheraBreath Toothpaste and TheraBreath Oral Rinse.

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment with your email address. THATS IT!

Extra Entries:

Follow @trulescentMAMA on Twitter. 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)
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Please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private so that I can contact you if you win. Giveaway ends 4.8 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The opinions expressed in this post are my own and not influenced by the company.

I was on the news!

2011-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Neil is home! YAY! I had a friend come to the homecoming and take some shots and one of them made the news!

We are super cheesy but.. it was fun all the same

Go see the news piece!

I tried to embed it but it was too big.

Here is the photo that inspired it. :)

Go read her blog for more about the homecoming. :)

AWESOME discovery.

2011-03-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

So, Ive discovered something awesome and I seriously feel like I need to tell the world. Its about a website called EBATES.

Have you heard of it?

If you havent. Pretty much what it is, is a website that wants to give you money. FREE money. For things you are already buying. Since I signed up in January Ive got almost $40 back in my paypal account. $40 for doing absolutely nothing but clicking through their website buying things I would usually be buying online anyway. Im an avid online shopper so it really works out for me. My only sadness is that Amazon.com ISNT one of their sites and I know why but still.

It doesnt cost you anything to sign up. Its free AND they give you $5 just for signing up. Really its a win win. So, go up there and click that link and start clicking through on your purchases. Because it REALLY is as awesome as Im saying it is.

You should also be a member of swagbucks if youre not.

Springs a Comin'

2011-03-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

even if it doesnt feel like it outside.

When I posted about my last wreath I made I had someone want me to make her one and I'm not going to lie. It kinda made my day. She said she wanted a pastel'y -springy wreath and I had free rein over what it looked like other than that. Which instantly made me nervous. I knew I had been wanting on a wreath and to try variegated yarn and see what that looked like. I found the yarn quite quickly for it but it took me a while on how I wanted to do the actual decorating of it. I love making the roses so I went with those again. And this is what I came up with!

I hope you like it Roxy!

I found a pretty little birdy that matched.

almost Wordless Wednesday | 4 of these ladies are pregnant!

2011-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

These are from Neils last deployment and his homecoming. The paper managed to get a few good shots.

He's home. :)

Pregnancy Update: Thirty One weeks!

2011-03-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

My goodness has it been a busy few weeks. I am not 32 weeks along. I think Im officially into my 8th month of pregnancy. Its been an interesting month full of lots of excitement. The dear husband comes home from Afghanistan in less than 24 hours. Which... is quite an exciting thing. Its been a L O N G deployment. I know I have no room to complain about my measly 7 months when there are others out there gone for a lot longer but still- adding on those last 3 months was seriously killer.

Last week was quite a hard week because I discovered something terrible hiding on my belly. Thats right, stretch marks. Ugh, for a while there I thought I was going to get away without them. Though-not a week before I told Neil I felt my stomach was SERIOUSLY stretching and HEY! what do you know. It was expanding. grumble grumble. I bet it was ALL that food I ate in Vegas..

Feeling fine other than that. I did have a dream about my mucus plug the other day. It came out in my dream and.. in real life I peed the bed. SO GLAD NEIL WAS STILL DEPLOYED for that one. GREAT.

No real cravings I dont guess. I havent really wanted food recently though. Not the the extent that it was before but just nothing really sounds good. Not even cereal..! I know, BLASPHEMY! Ive been eating a lot of oatmeal. Did you know this was a common occurrence?

I had no idea. This was the first time it had ever happened to me and I posted something about it on facebook and there were like 20+ responses to how they hate when that happens. Is it sad I just scraped it all back and put it in the bowl and ate it?

Oh and I know Ive talked about how awesome my mother in law is on this blog but seriously, she is awesome. She has made me 3 maternity dresses and one maternity top recently. Here's a little preview of the top.

I know.. not the best but, I swear its cute. Ill have legit photos up of it soon I promise.

My weight was a little much at my last appointment but it was highly unusual due to me being in Vegas and eating differently'. I'm hoping it goes back to normal at this weeks appointment.

Darn Southwest and their temptations. 4 free drinks! Crazy. I wish Id had those going out to Vegas. I could have made some fellow passengers quite happy

All a Twitter Tuesdays!

2011-03-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Im co hosting a Twitter hop with @thechickenistareviews and @ontheverge6

This is the second week I couldnt get the linky to work correctly. BUT click on this button and it will take you to it! :)

Earth Mama Angel Baby review & giveaway!

2011-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Since Ive been pregnant I have seriously got into tea drinking. Maybe its one of my best friends rubbing off on me(she LOVES tea.) I hear there are a lot of teas us pregnant folks aren't supposed to have, which is no fun. Ive been watching whats inside all of my teas Ive picked up along the last few months. A while back I discovered Earth Mama Angel Baby. They have a ton of awesome products and they are all natural, green and super safe for you AND baby. Earth Mama Angel Baby ingredients are the purest available. They are made with the highest quality organic ingredients and herbs unless the herb or oil is not safely, sustainably available in certified organic form. All of Mama’s products are safe, vegan, and toxin-free. You’ll never find 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, phthalates, or any other toxic ingredients in any EMAB product. No lanolin, beeswax or nut oils either.

A few other products I hope to try over the next few months are:

I registered for this kit and my friend Giselle got it for me. Cant wait to try it out!

They sent me their Third Trimester Tea to try out.

I got this from their site about the tea

"Blended with 100% organic herbs, including Red Raspberry Leaf (an all-around great pregnancy herb), iron-rich Stinging Nettle, calming Chamomile and Rosehips (both full of vitamins and bioflavonoids), and calcium filled Oat Straw, Third Trimester Tea is a brilliant blend of Mother Nature's gifts to mamas-in-waiting."

I was glad to try it out especially since for the past few weeks I have had a bit of a cold. Colds are no fun when you're pregnant and usually I N E V E R get sick. So this made my sore throat feel tons better. For starters it smelled really good(well, from what I could tell through my stuffy nose.) It also had a coupon inside the cover. I love finding unexpected coupons in places. They have coupons on their website too if you want to give it a try.

I usually put lemon or honey in my teas but since I was reviewing it I figured Id let it go without for my first cup and since it DID smell good. It was a bit too bitter for my tastes. I still drank it. I added some honey in with my last cup and it definitely made it 100% better. But, like I said above I like my teas sweeter than most. I was meandering around their website, checking things out and they have recipes to use the teas in! Genius! One of them may have been good for the Cocktails and Mocktails Baby Shower I attended a few weeks ago.

I feel good that I dont really have to go searching through ingredients from them. I know what's inside is good for me and the baby. I like that. I love companies that care about the people. Another cool thing I found while looking through their site is a Free Birth Plan. I dont know about you, but im coming up with a lot of nothing in the way of saying how I feel about everything and my opinions. This is a great place to start.

BUY

Earth Mama Angel Baby

GIVEAWAY

Win -

Earth Mama Angel Baby is giving away one package of teas to one lucky winner. Winner can choose what sort of tea they want(that way its not limited to 3rd trimester folks.)

How to Win - Maximize your chances of winning. Leave a separate comment for each entry. Only valid after you complete the first mandatory entry:

Mandatory Entry

Tell me what other item you would enjoy from their site and be a public follower of this blog. (located in the top right hand corner)

Extra Entries:

Follow Earth Mama Angel Baby on Twitter.
Like Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook.
Follow @trulescentMAMA on Twitter. 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)
Tweet this (can be done daily): "Win an Earth Mama Angel Baby tea via @trulescentMAMA ends 3/19. http://bit.ly/esMpRB #giveaway #vegan #pregnant @EarthMamaHQ"
"Like" Scrumtrulescent Mama on Facebook 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)

Please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private so that I can contact you if you win. Giveaway ends 3.19 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The opinions expressed in this post are my own and not influenced by the company.

Grocery Savings!

2011-03-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

Recently I have got into couponing. Its a bit to take on all at one time but I feel like Ive done a good bit of easing into things. It can be a bit intense at time and quite time consuming. I discovered Southern Savers.com along with a ton of other frugal blogs like The Frugal Free Gal to help save money. This year a lot in my life is changing. A new baby. A move. Selling the house. Buying a house and all of this is causing me to lose a lot of business so I am basically back to a "stay at home mom" which is fine I just need to live a bit more frugally. Anyway, I think Ill start blogging about savings that im quite proud of. Sound like a plan?

This week I went to CVS, Target, Lowes Foods and Kroger.

I got:

2 Puffs packs of tissues

1 Tide laundry detergent

2 Dawn liquid soaps

1 8ct Bounty

3 Charmin toilet paper packs 9ct

Crest toothpaste

Crest mouthwash

Total Spent: 33.66

Total saved: 25.84

Reward $ received back: 13.29

So its like I picked all that up for $20. I know its not the BEST deal but it was the best I could get.

Next stop Kroger!

Kroger is a bit out of the way for me but I did some shopping out there a few weeks ago and had $3 to spend there. I took a look at the sales and nothing peaked my interest except STRAWBERRIES!! They were 1.99 a lb. Uhh Hello sign me up. I think I am more excited about this years strawberry season in NC than I am most things... except having this kiddo that is.

Total Spent: 1.06

Total saved: 7.60

THAT 88%. Ill take it.

The next two I have no photos of because im lazy and not THAT excited about them.

Lowes Foods

Simply Orange OJ and

Velveeta Mac & cheese

Total Spent: 3.47

Total Saved: 3.02

Target:

BAMBI on Blue Ray came out yesterday and I have a $10 off coupon.

Total spent: 14 something

Total Saved: 10

Hooray for saving money!

Wordless Wednesday | Spring is here!

2011-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

Update: Free Glasses!

2011-02-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I blogged about Coastal Contacts giving away free prescription glasses AND lenses to folks in NC.

Well, they're in!

How's that for a duck face?

They are still giving out free glasses and every day the state is different so be sure to check and see if your state is coming up soon!

My Woodland themed Baby Shower!

2011-02-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Finally we get to MY baby shower! It was last Saturday and super awesome. My good friends Bentley and Jessica totally out did themselves. The decorations were fun, the food was good and they kept it as eco friendly as they could. :)

PS this is a long post with a lot of photos.

The invite said,

"Were wild excited and happy to say

A special tiny critter is on his way!"

So cute!

Jambo trying to get his drink on

Yay for a cloth diaper wreath!

There were photos of Neil and I hanging all around the party, most peoples favorite photo was the one of Neil and I with the argyle sweaters on.

I love the cupcakes. They look like little nests!

Jessica made this awesome table runner!

Jessicas mom made this quilt for me so everyone could sign it and send Jack love messages! (PS: I know you read my blog, so thanks Jessicas mom !!)

I love these little girls. They are so friendly and lovey.

I love Mary Ellens face here..

Charlie was having a good time

Angie painted me 3 woodland murals for LJ's nursery! So awesome! I have such talented friends!

Stella really liked to shake Charlie, poor kiddo. It was pretty entertaining though

Diapers make awesome hats didnt you know?

After this she took the "stuffing" out and laid on it. She TOTALLY knew what it was. Super smart little girl

Isnt my dress the cutest? And its not maternity (Old Navy $5!)

One of my good friends came down from Virginia Beach to come to the party. Oh yeah.. by the way this is the most awkward photo EVER. I love it!

He also took most of the photos during the party so yay for him. Thanks Michael for coming AND for the photos!! So glad you could make it!

This is me with Jessica and Bentley, btw not one good photo of all 3 of us where they arent grabbing my boob. ;)

Flowers make me wish it were April!

2011-02-22T08:19:00.000-08:00

A while ago I had a session with my friend Maxine of Maxibelle Photography. We decided to do a trade kinda thing and I was going to make her some props for her newborn sessions. Ive been busy and she hadnt needed them until recently. She asked me to make a few for her session this weekend. I didnt have too too much time but I managed to crank out a few. I madea few for myself as well. I found this fabric on sale a few weeks ago and only bought enough for one flower. I like the color choices I made. They kinda worked out.

These 3 are my favorite. The stripey on is actually going to be the binding on one of Jacks quilts Im doing that I had a little extra of. They were originally pillow cases.

These last three are the ones I made for her. I cant wait to see what she comes up with.

Most AWESOME quilt ever

2011-02-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well, Id just like to say. I am blessed with a pretty awesome mother in law. Were pretty alike which makes me laugh since supposedly "you marry your mother" or father or whatever. I was always nervous Id end up married to a dead beat.. or Id be a single mom cause thats how my mom raised me and I never knew my dad.. so there wasnt much to base it on. Anyway, my mother in law is great. :) She also quilts and knits and crochets and all that fun crafty stuff. When she found out I was pregnant I think she sent this kiddo a present once a week! So this is the first blanket Ive received Im just behind on blogging it all. Anyway, this one was too AMAZING to not blog.

She asked me a while back what sort of fabrics I wanted in a quilt she was going to make. I already knew weather it was a boy or a girl I wanted a Dr Seuss quilt. I was ecstatic when the new Seuss line launched. Im a pretty big fan of the Dr. She mixed together fat quarters from the Celebrate Suess line and and Cat in the Hat line Kaufman made and it turned out AWESOME.

This is the best view of the whole quilt I could get by myself. Isnt is awesome and lovely and bright?

The back looks just as cool.

<3 Horton

Gotta have some of the Grinch in there.

She bound it with black and white polka dots which I really think set everything perfectly.

28.5 Weeks along

2011-02-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well.. so far the third trimester is just like the first two.

Im still feeling awesome. Theres a little back pain every now and then but nothing too too bad. Im not crying about it at least. I had my 28 week appointment yesterday and it was one of my favorites. I met with the 4th of the Doctors that MAY or MAY not deliver Jack. He was my absolute favorite. I felt like he was a real person and cared, not just there cause he has to be but cause he wants to.. if that makes sense. All the same, I told him he's hired and I really hope he's on call the night I go into labor.. or day- whichever. My blood pressure was normal.. not that I remember the numbers but normal all the same. Im now 160 lbs (EEEEEEEK) but it only puts me up +14 lbs total. Which seems to be right on track weight wise. I dont really feel big so its ok. Apparently Jack is head down already. Which makes me think of that "Head On" commercial from a few years ago. Except it makes me want to change it to say, "Head down. Apply directly to the birth canal!" :)

I leave for WPPI in Las Vegas on Sunday and I couldnt be more excited. I AM a bit nervous about all the walking and how my joints are going to handle it. Hopefully Ill be ok and there wont be any hurting.. or aching.. well hopefully not TOO much. Its going to be awesome and I cant wait to see some of the people I met last year and met a TON of new folks this year. I only wish we knew where we were moving so I could start networking with folks where Ill be living soonish. Oh well. Less than a week away now :) CANT WAIT!

Free Glasses!

2011-02-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

So, Im all about a good deal right?

Well right now Coastal Contacts is giving away FREE glasses to folks that live in North Carolina or South Carolina. Go to their Facebook page, like them on find their FREE GLASSES tab and get your code.

Its been about 4 years since Ive got a new pair of glasses and im a little tired of them.

I got these:

Hello cuteness! Im a bit nervous about the blue but the good thing is I have 30 days to exchange them.

I ended up getting a few extra coatings for glare and protection for around $11

plus 6ish in insurance(mandatory) and shipping was $9.95. So I paid around $26 for these glasses which isnt technically free. But its a lot better than paying full price right?

Also I clicked through on EBATES. They are giving 7% back right now. :) So be sure to click through cause every little bit counts.

almost, Wordless Wednesday | Family (minusTwo Men)

2011-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Daddy needs to get home from deployment already!

Cocktails & Mocktails | A Baby Shower

2011-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

One of my friends is due with her first baby. It's a girl! Last night was her baby shower and it was awesome. The hosts Emily and Amy did a fantastic job( and they are BOTH pregnant too!)

Im quite sad I couldnt have any of the cocktails last night.

That photo might look familiar...

This diaper cake will probably be my first AND last diaper cake. It is hard to make one of those with just two hands! Plus- there is no classy way to do a diaper cake.

I look like a total goof here but in the other one the lady of honor blinked! :)

From the side. There were 2 other pregnant ladies there earlier but they managed to escape before photos.

Emily and I. Were due on the same date and she's having a girl. So, Little Jack is set on girlfriends. Especially IF she looks like Emily. Uhhh hello gorgeous baby on the way!

Can you feel it growing?

2011-02-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

This whole pregnancy thing is going by quite quickly. Next week ill start my third trimester! CRAZY! Its gone by so quickly! EEK! So excited to get that little man in my arms and feed him some boob! hah ;) Today I was feeling in the mood to shoot something fun and the sunset was pretty. Ive found that my new camera is TERRIBLE at the whole tripod/timer thing so most of my shots were hardly in focus. This was one of the better ones and im still not happy with it. And yes, I did intensify that sunset. It wasnt THAT pretty. But Im guessing for my selfies in the future Ill use my old camera. Cause.. it likes me better than my new one.

Next week we'll go back to the normal silhouettes. Deal?

27.4 Weeks along.
Jack is still a boy.
He is getting his move on in my belly. Typically I feel him crazy amounts in the morning, he waits until its almost time to get up though. He knows not to wake me up YET. He'll be doing enough of that soon.
No strange cravings though im still enjoying my Fruity Pebbles and Dr Pepper. Poor kid is def going to like sugar.
How am I feeling? PERFECT! Every now and then at a photosession I get some aching on and my back hurts but I sleep/shower it off. Im glad it still goes away. Still doing that Lindy Hop when I feel like driving to Durham. Its getting harder and harder to drive out there. Its just soo incredibly far for me all by myself.
At my most recent ultrasound he was already 2 lbs! Which was 3 days ahead of schedule so he may come a bit early, or he'll be big.. either way, im scared.
At my last appt I had gained +8 lbs, so im not officially up +10 pounds. Not too bad for ALMOST being 7 months pregnant.
My every two week checkups start with my next appt and im not too too excited about going in THAT much.
Thinking about trying to labor without drugs. Im not sure im strong enough, but I AM thinking about it all the same. Im a HUGE wimp but at least I know that about myself.
While in Nashville we attended a dance and I was sitting on the ground for a few of the competitions they had. There had been music all night. Jack is used to loud, awesome Jazz from me going to dances so often. What he's not used to is clapping. I think he could feel the vibrations and every time there was a lot of clapping he was SUPER active and then the clapping would stop and so would he. Then it would start up again and so would be. It was weird and interesting. Hopefully he will get his rhythm and musicality from me and not his dad.

A few weekends ago I visited Nashville again. This time it was to celebrate my birthday. :) What better way to celebrate my birth than to get to see that alien growing inside me? Here are some of the best shots we got.

Its like he knew we were watching him.. I wonder what color his eyes will be

Apparently its quite rare to get a photo of a 4 Chamber heart in a baby this young. Aunt Leslie was super proud of this photo even though its not too too visible in the photo. Its exciting all the same.

He's got at least 5 toes, and apparently his daddies HUGE feet. Great.

And this is totally random a while back around when we got married there was a website going around where you put two faces together to see what youre kid will look like and .. obviously I saved what it came up with. It happens to be a boy so I figured Id post it and we'll see how right this website really was.

This little guy is cute isnt he? Jack has a lot to live up to.

Wordless Wednesday | Furbabies!

2011-02-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Learn Something New Tuesday! a bloghop

2011-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Today I am participating in a bloghop! This weeks theme is FOOD! Who the heck doesnt like food? Well.. unless they are at the beginning of their pregnancy. It does happen.

Anyway this blog hop is sponsored by Life with the Dietrichs and What would Jen Do! Thanks ladies.

1. Favorite food?
I know it probably sounds weird that my favorite food is seriously Chef Boy Rd's Ravioli. Its pretty much the best thing ever.I hope I never tired of it.

2. Favorite restaurant?
All of my favorite restaurants ARENT chains. And I happen to not live where they are anymore and it makes me sad. My favorite restaurant is a Mexican places in Pensacola, Fl called La Hacienda. They never get my order right(even though it NEVER changes) but its still the best ever. My second favorite is a place called Mcguires. I love those Irish Boxtys(fried mashed potato.)

But seriously, how can they mess up a chicken burrito covered in cheese sauce ALMOST every time?

3. Weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
Im a pretty picky person, so I dont typically eat 'weird' food. I am trying to be more adverturous but at the same time staying away from 'weird.'

4. Eaten anything for money, how much did you get paid?
Hmm , nope.

5. Weirdest place you have ever eaten?
Would in the bathroom count? I think thats kinda weird.

6. Favorite dessert?
Oh dessert. No favorites. Im terrible. I do really like chocolate covered strawberries AND cherries. Probably the best thing about Valentines day is getting those cheap cherries on sale afterwords.

Other Tuesday hops going on!

InvisiBUMP Review and Giveaway (ends 2/18)

2011-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

So the other day my husband asked me what my favorite "pregnancy purchases" had been and I instantly knew my favorite purchase.

The invisiBUMP!

Ive got a lot of hand-me-downs in the way of maternity clothes. Most of which dont exactly fit perfectly but im cheap and I dont want to buy more pants Ill only wear a few months. In comes the BUMP. I remember at the beginning of my pregnancy wanting to wear tight shirts to show off my belly but since my pants didnt fit I couldnt because I had a huge belt outline. I discovered the BUMP a few months ago and it has seriously been a life saver! Now I can wear my tight shirts to show off the belly AND my pants that are too big for me without feeling frumpy.

My favorite things about the InvisBUMP:

Its adjustable so it will fit most any belly bumps.
No bulge = a sexy bump

and my most favorite thing about it:

You dont have to take it off at the airport!

With my thinnest belt you can still see frumpy belt underneath

With the invisiBUMP! No lines. Just awesome smooth-ness.

I am so glad I made this purchase. You should too!

BUY

Invisibump website

Right now when you buy 2 belts you get a free Rock Candy belt for free! Its PINK!

GIVEAWAY

Win - Not one but TWO lucky winners will win an InvisiBUMP.

How to Win - Maximize your chances of winning. Leave a separate comment for each entry. Only valid after you complete the first mandatory entry:

Mandatory Entry

Like Invisibelt on FB

and

Extra Entries:

Follow Invisibelt on Twitter
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (top right hand corner) 3 entries
Follow @trulescentMAMA on Twitter. 2 entries(be sure to leave a separate comment for each)
Tweet this (can be done daily): "Win an InvisiBUMP via @trulescentMAMA ends 2/18. http://bit.ly/fbqUa2 #giveaway #baby #pregnant"
"Like" Scrumtrulescent Mama on Facebook 2 entries (be sure to leave a separate comment for each)

Please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private so that I can contact you if you win. Giveaway ends 2.18 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The opinions expressed in this post are my own and not influenced by the company.

its beginning to look a lot like..

2011-02-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

..Valentines Day around my house.

Now that my table is clear of everything bad I have my Valentines Day Placemats set out and my other random pinkness throughout the house. I find Valentines Day quite cheerful and exciting. It was one of my moms favorite holidays. We always celebrated it and she would always do something special for the day. :) I realizes a few weeks ago I only had wreaths for Thanksgiving and Christmas and surely I cant have a nude door ALL year. So I got to working on a Valentines Day wreath. I really like the way it turned out. It makes me excited for a spring one!

I already had the pink and purple yarn so thats why its purple and not red and pink. No sense in buying things if you already have them laying around.

I had been eying these birdies for a while now and I needed something to use them for. I think she looks perfect perched in my wreath. Maybe expecting a lover bird?

I love her long and flowy tail!

Wordless Wednesday | Its a New Day!

2011-02-02T13:51:00.001-08:00

Road Trip! Washington

2011-01-31T13:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, you got me, this wasnt a road trip. But we did go there. There was a death in the family and Neil ended up being able to take emergency leave and was able to come home for a few weeks to be with the family. It was awesome having him home again, but quite stressful all the same. We flew to Whidbey Island. Wa a few days before Christmas. Which, just so you know; trying to get cross country plane tickets a few days before Christmas on the cheap isnt an easy thing to do. Though im just glad we actually GOT tickets. While we were there we absolutely HAD to get out of the house. We went on a hike after we had been there. My MIL placed a Geocache along a popular hiking route at Ebeys Landing and we found it.

A few days Neil and I went our on our own for some fresh air. I wanted to go places I had never been on the island yet. First we stopped at the Deception Pass Bridge.

His beard has started to grow in Thank God! That deployment mustache is TERRIBLE!

It certainly was a lovely day out.

Then we headed over to.. a lake or something. I dont remember where we went, but it was pretty. It would be a fun place for a photosession!

Of course we had to get our jump on! Though the camera wasnt at the best angle for it.

I was right at 20 weeks here

And last but not least, probably my favorite shot from the whole week.

Blog Hop!

2011-01-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

So all the blogging world has been all a buzz about "Blissdom" and its this weekend in Nashville. I will also be in Nashville this weekend but im not attending. BUT! I am participating in my first blog hop! :)

Yippee!

So here's a little about me. :)

I am awesome. I am pregnant with my first kiddo. HE is a boy and due in May. Im a bit nervous but exciting all the same.

I am a photographer. See: www.hilarymercer.com :)
I like to sew. I like to lindy hop. I hate to cook which is good cause Im no good at it. My house is a mess and im working on getting it clean.

Im married to a pretty awesome guy. He's in the Air Force and he's deployed at the moment. But dont worry, hopefully he'll make it back for our babies birth. If he doesnt, ill be quite upset.

We live in North Carolina but we'll be moving at some point this summer. We have no idea where.

So currently, im doing a lot of waiting.
Waiting on an assignment. Waiting on my husband to come home from war. Waiting to pop out this baby.

By the way, my awesome friend Autumn of Reminiscing Moments Photography took this photo when we got together the other day. She's awesome.

Road Trip! Florida

2011-01-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

Uhhh, I am SUPER way behind on blogging personal stuff. I was in Florida in.. October. Wow. It seems like it was such a long time ago. I guess it was, around that time I was 10 weeks pregnant and I am now 25. TWENTY FIVE! Holy cow im going to have a baby soon! EEK! Anyway, here are some of my favorite personal images from the trip. Though- I will admit. When I wasnt shooting weddings I didnt really want to take photos so there arent THAT many awesome ones.

I took my first trip to Sea World. Thanks Sea World for letting Military in for free without their husbands. It was really nice and very relaxing for an amusement park. Alicia and I went on a non busy day and it was awesome. I didnt even have to wait super long for her to ride the roller coasters because.. Im definitely not a fan.

My favorite show was the dolphins. It was pretty interesting.

The Shamu show was a big let down for me. Mainly because there was a guy right in front of us taking photos with his camera phone THE W H O L E TIME. Ugh, oh well. Shamu isnt allowed in the water with the trainers anymore due to the accident earlier this year. So a lot of the typical tricks you can imagine the silly whale wasnt allowed to do. :(

A few days later Alicia and I traveled down to Fort Myers to see my friend Alex and while we were there we visited Sanibel. This wasnt my first time to Sanibel but I still loved it. Id really like to come back and take little Jack so he can see all the shells. Which I neglected to get a photo of. Alicia took most of the photos here and she got it along with the "Sanibel Stoop."

While we were on the island we got some geocaches. I think we got 6 that day actually. This was one of the spots. I was a bit nervous AND a bit relieved to have not seen any alligators.

Throughout all of our time knowing about this mystical island of Sanibel we had always heard about this awesome restaurant called the Bubble Room. Well, it totally lived up to our expectations. It was yummy and super strange.

Alicia has a thing for Mr Kent.

And we finished off the meal with a SUPER YUMMY piece of cake.

Apparently its their world famous and has won a lot of awards. It certainly deserved them.

Twenty Four weeks

2011-01-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

Well, its time for another belly shot. Its been a while. My goodness, taking a photo a week is hard work. How I ever completed my 365 in 08/09 Ill never know. I mean.. I know most of my photos were crap but I finished it! Recently there just isnt anything too too exciting to take photos of, plus ive been busy.

24.4 Weeks

How I feel: Not too different. I slept really bad the other night, I just couldnt get comfortable. I was quite frustrated as there seems there is no comfortable furniture in my house. I dont know what I was thinking before. But I do know im going to need a good comfy, chair to nurse LJ in. Cause the couch just aint gunna cut it I dont think. Other than that, its getting harder to get my shoes on. Im continuously out of breath, especially when talking on the phone. I tend to pace while on the phone so I suppose it can count as a workout.

At some point last week I felt a hand or something up at the top of my belly AND a kick at the bottom. Which means, there is ACTUALLY something inside me. Growing rapidly everyday. It was sorta neat because he's getting big and im excited about it. My goodness he moves a lot though. He either doesnt like hot chocolate or he loves it because if I ever want to make him squirm I drink it. Plus its so yummy right now since its cold out.

Cravings: Still nothing really. I still R E A L LY like fruity pebbles though. Dr Pepper is still up there though im drinking in moderation. Im trying to not drink soda more than once a week. So far I think Ive done pretty well- except for the first week of the new year.

Other changes: I was reading up on dry skin and I decided to give a go at dry brushing before my showers. The idea is that it helps get rid of all of the excess skin accumulating on the surface. Its also supposed to be a good stimulator and makes your skin less lazy so your cellulite will be less visible the more you use it. Im on day 2, so we'll see not that I really have cellulite. Well, not thats too too visible.

Ive also been cleaning and organizing the house. For those of you who I have let into the house you know Neil and I both are not the cleanest people in the world. Which makes living hard sometimes. Well not hard but more annoying since neither of us are OCD about anything. For almost 2 weeks Ive gone to bed with the dishes done AND Ive woken up and made my bed. Ive also been setting a timer for an hour a day and tackling something I thought was major before. Im on day 5 of this and its going super awesome so far. These HUGE messes have been able to be cleaned up in an hour. Here I was thinking it was going to take hours! So far, Ive tackled Neils hot spot in the kitchen(its not 100% done yet though), the pantry, I tackled most of the table tops in the house(side tables and living room table) and yesterday I defeated the dining room table. Mostly it was covered in photography stuff and I just wasnt sure where to put it. I found homes for everything and mopped and swept and it looks lovely now. Forgive the Iphone photo. Im quite sad I didnt take befores of anything. It would have made a bigger impact. Just know, there was a TON of crap on it before.

And yes, I know its not completely empty. I cant lift the rolls up by myself so they will stay there until someone nice comes over.

I feel a lot better about getting the house clean. Who knew it was so easy?! Just allotting a little time a day. Crazy, who knew!

Nicole's Dr. Suess themed baby shower!

2011-01-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

I have been looking to the first of our squadrons baby showers for quite some time. I also knew the hosts were going to pull out all the stops. We seriously have some talent when it comes to throwing parties. I wish I were as talented as them.

Everything was so fun and bright. Im a big fan of Dr. Suess myself so I loved all of the little details that were added. All of the food had cute Dr Suess inspired names.

HELLO CUTEST CUPCAKES EVER!

Happy Mama and one of the hostesses!

Cale is going to be a lucky boy! He'll be a very well read little one too.

How cute are these gloves for TICKLING!?

and as you walked out you got a book clip! Genius. Ive been wanting to read some in bed recently and since I dont have a lamp(dont judge) it makes it hard. So I was quite excited about it.

Kelly, Barbara, and Courtney you guys threw a great shower! It was lovely!

registries and other stuff

2011-01-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

I started registering for things pretty much as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I started small and would add things after I read review after review on multiple sites. Now, I sorta know more of what im looking for. Registering for me is different because I dont want a lot of crap and neither does Jack. He's going to have enough in his diaper ;) It is so hard to find cheaper things to add to my registry. Im already full up on things like clothes(thanks to the folks giving them - hand me downs FTW!) and blankets. My goodness, I have a ton of blankets already and I havent even had any shower yet. I can only imagine how many I will get then. Anyway, its also a bit different because were going to be cloth diapering. Back in 2005 I started doing research on cloth diapering. Why on earth I did that I have no clue! What 18/19 does that? Anyway, I kept up with the trends and what to do and what not to do. Now im pretty glad I did it because I think I would be a bit more stressed reading reviews on all of the options out there. Its a bit ridiculous the amount of even cloth diapers there are out there. Our plan will be to start out with prefolds in covers and then about a month in move up to All in Ones. Were going to go with Bum Genius as I read they are better at fitting more babies. Hopefully they will work out for us in the end. Im quite excited about it. Well.. now I am. Right now im not having to see poop and then wash it. Possibly wash it again and then hope its all out. :)

Anyway, I just wish stores like Target and BabiesRUs would sell more organic exciting things I actually wanted to register for. I was reading OohDeeDoh.com as normal and came across this post. I found it awesome. A lot of this stuff I hadnt even thought of adding to my own registry. I also liked a few of the suggestions like: a new track suit in a size up from the moms typical size (because moms dont typically shrink back and she needs something comfy, the idea of a gift certificate to a local newborn photographer ( being one, I think thats a great present and im quite surprised no one has asked for any of our local mommies) <-- that being said my plan was to gift a session to them but when I asked who wanted me, no one did. I didnt want to gift someone a gift they didnt want. :( I also liked the idea of gifting someone 3 months of cleaning service or grocery service. How awesome would it be to get a huge box of fresh fruit from a local farmers market!? That would be a pretty sweet present anyway. Which reminds me, I cant wait until Strawberry season this year. Ill even get to try out my new canning system my mother in law got me.

For our nursery were going with a loosely based woodland theme. Isnt everyone these days? Ive pretty much fallen in love with these though: the owl and the gnome. The gnome would most likely be my pick but im a cheapo and its not 69$ its 68 so its just not meant to be. These might be a good substitute though. If I were doing a flight/plane themed room I would jump on this! I havent decided how I want to display his name yet. Ill most likely make up some big fabric letters or maybe even pillows? That may be cute. For the big display in his room Im collecting random letters in random fonts and im going to decorate them in fun ways and display it above his crib. I need to get working on them now that I think of it. Perhaps that will be on my list in a few weeks. Im just excited to get where were going to get so I can paint and make it my own again. I feel like Ive never given this home a proper introduction. I feel like we didnt love it to its fullest.

Also, this is a random part in this post. But its something Ive been meaning to address or blog about rather. Giveaways. They are the bomb. Ive been entering them since I first found out about 'mommy blogs' and their usefulness. Im also quite good at winning. Really you just have to pick the right ones. So today I gathered up all that I could find/remember about that I had won.

So, whats all in this photo?
Kalorik blender
Super cute handmade bib
Handmade toddler tie
Grasshopper Cloth Diaper
4 board books
Simply Saline gift pack
Juno Baby DVD for toddlers
1 pair of baby legs

Other random stuff Ive won, a HUGE jar of pickles, a lot of gift cards to local restaurants, CSN giftcards, Amazon giftcards, a baby, a free photography session(with an awesome photographer), photography actions, a newborn diaper cover(for photoshoots) and im sure there are others

This probably isnt all of it but its what I could find off the top of my head. For the most part Ive only been entering baby giveaways in hopes that I may be able to safe on baby presents. But, most of what Ive won I want to keep for myself. :) Figures. Ive won other stuff on its way to me too like most recently I won a Britax booster seat. Now yes, Jack wont need it for a few years but its free and its BRITAX which is an awesome, safe brand. A lot of the winning I think comes in when you tweet about it a lot. Each tweet gives you more enteries to the giveaway. So when I find something I really want, I tweet about it anytime I can get credit for it. Currently Im working on 4 giveaways and I can tweet 4X a day. Thats a lot, so I made a new twitter account specifically for me to post about giveaways and so I can post about this blog.

Follow me here!

disappearing act

2011-01-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted this to her facebook and I figured I would share as I found it interesting. I wonder what was in the newspaper back in 1987 about what children that year wouldnt know about? I feel like I know about most things. I might have ever seen them but Ive at least heard of them.. or seen them in antique stores.

In other news. My belly button has seemed to lose itself recently. I know its there I just cant see it. Its like Santa or the Easter bunny. Ok, I know its not COMPLETELY gone yet but its pretty flat and I dont like it. That means im closer to an outie than I want.

oh and dont judge the hair around it.. apparently that happens when youre pregnant too.

twenty two - hooty hoo!

2011-01-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

So, on top of this being an adventurous year for me with the move and the baby I want to to continue to be creative. Or rather Ill rephrase, Im feeling a bit uninspired and lacking something. What im not sure of though. I feel like recently Ive just been living inside my house. Barely moving from my computer. Which.. is no fun. Its cold and I dont have that many sessions to get out and about with. A lot of my work now is working on albums and editing. So I want to start getting out more. Even if its just going around Pine Level and seeing whats up there. I need to get out. Im feeling a bit cramped. Ive started looking through photos over the past few years and what im finding is that now that im done with my 365 I BARELY ever take photos during the week. Or of things I see. Well, im pretty good with my iphone but I feel like im not documenting like I should.

Anyway, in other news.

Im at 22 weeks!

It doesnt seem like I look all that different with my clothes off. But I look crazy different with clothes ON. See that sweet photo by my new friend Bobby Bonsey? That was taken New Years Eve right at 21 weeks.

How im feeling? (im still very tired of this question BTW)

Well, quite sad actually. The house is lonely again without Neil here. Id kinda just got used to being alone and now im lonely again. I miss being able to just look over and say 'hey, what do you think of this?" How I function when he's gone im not sure.

Baby wise im feeling tons of movement! Everytime it happens I get a little freaked out. Its still hard to believe there is something living inside me. I imagine my belly to be a fish tank right now. Theres a tiny goldfish that just keeps on getting bigger bumping into the walls right now. It seems like its flying by quite quickly. In less then 5 months Ill have a baby. THATS SO SOON! oh my. So much is going to happen between then and now its nuts.

What im craving?

Well you may or may not know I gave up soda for 2 years as New Years resolutions. If I were to say I was craving anything it would have to be Dr. Pepper. I think I may have been craving it the entire time and now I can drink it again. Im really trying to take it easy because I do have the little one inside to think about. I also know im not eating as healthily as Id like. Its hard to eat healthy being just me. I do need to throw in some more veggies though. Im not 100% Ive even had one veggie this week minus a few pieces of lettuce which I dont count as it was iceberg. So yeah, craving dr Pepper and thats about it.

Any other changes?

Other than my larger belly most everything else is normal. Well, everything except my skin. Its C R A Z Y dry. My forehead flakes like snow. My arms and legs are dry too. Its quite odd. But im moisturizing as much as possible. I dont notice my hair getting any thicker due to a lack in hair loss. I also notice my hair coming out more than the usual. Perhaps Ill have an absolutely normal pregnancy and nothing will change except my belly. Id be ok with my feet not growing too.

I had a Drs. appointment yesterday and everything seemed fine. Im measuring normal. apparently Im 22 inches..( i think inches at least) from top to bottom and he says thats good cause it coincides with my week. Odd. Ive also not gained any weight since my last appt which he says is ok since Im measuring normal and im not starving myself. So Im still only +2 and still under 150 lbs for the time being.

You say goodbye, I say Hello!

2011-01-02T22:14:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I started out 2010 a little TOO adventurous. I ended up being a W H O L E lot busier than I had ever anticipated. Part of what some people do at the beginning of a new year is reflect on the year past. These are my resolutions from last year.

1) Not to drink soda pop again this year (last years old resolution) CHECK!
~~2) Cook at least 10 things a month~~ Does Mac & Cheese count?
~~3) Read at least 5 books, rereading the Twilight saga doesn't cut it~~. :( I think I read three..
~~4) Obviously the crafts, hopefully 365 in the end.~~ I definitely crafted when I had time.. though not merely enough
5) Shoot 15 weddings, I have 5 booked now I just need to find 10 more. Any takers? CHECK-ish. I ended up with 14 weddings under my belt this year. It was a fantastic year!
6) Shoot a model once a month. I'm no good when it comes to models, mainly because I don't know strobes the way I want to. Because of that it makes me think I'm less of a photographer. I know that sounds silly but I'm going to try. Ive already got January's lined up for when I'm in Orlando later on in the month. I started out well but when my weddings for more frequent I had to hold off a bit.
~~7) Ill also try to clean more but im not having that be a resolution~~ Yeah, not so much.. I did buy myself a DYSON for Christmas though..
~~8) get creative with my 52 weeks I started today. You should check it out in a few weeks. I have a few awesome ideas.~~ Again, I got super swamped. No time for excess things.. plus I was feeling quite uninspired for a while there.

Yeah.. so I did end up holding out on the whole soda thing. But I must admit.. I sincerely missed Dr. Pepper. He and I have been reacquainted and it has been a lovely relationship. I just dont want to spend too much time with him. Water and I need to maintain our relationship too. I was quite surprised to shoot 14 weddings. Its hard to wish to do something you have no control over. Though.. technically with second shooting I shot 15 weddings.

As for this year, my goals are quite different as there are a lot of changes coming up in my life soon.

1) Im only allowed to eat Fast Food once a week. Subway doesnt count.

2) I will try not to bite my nails. Ive been trying since I was old enough to realize biting my nails is gross. Now im just worried my nails will be SUPER ugly when/ if they ever DO grow out. Anyone have any tips or hints to help with this?

3) I will have a baby. I know this one is a given but I think its a pretty big thing. Its a good goal. I mean.. it would be weird if Little Jack just hung out in my belly for the rest of my life.

4) I will not buy any new clothes maternity or other wise until my pregnancy weight is back to where it needs to be. 135 lbs. I am allowed to buy accessories and baby clothes of course.

5) I would like to photograph 5 weddings this year. Why 5 you ask? 1: Im due in May(terrible timing with it being right smack dab in the middle of wedding season) 2: We are moving. We don't know where or when but we probably wont be here in good ole NC when the second wedding season sets in. 3: Because of those 2 reasons I only have one wedding booked right now. Thats 9 away from last year at this time. Ugh. Its very frustrating and there's nothing I can do about it.

6) I still want to get my craft on this year and I know I will with the baby on the way.. but I dont want to set any expectations. The same with cooking, reading and cleaning. :)

7) This year I WILL do a 52 weeks and 8) start a 365 of Little Jack. The 52 weeks because I want to document this sweet, huge belly Im getting. Once I have the baby it will turn into a 365 with one photo a week being a family photo. I also of course want to document Jack and his growth and the best way to do that is with a 365. Its going to be fun even if I dont post everything I take.

9) Take more photos for me. For no reason at all. Id like to document North Carolina while im still here. I need to go and do some exploration. I guess I just need to be outside more often.

10) I really need to get some things on the wall. Canvas', prints, random thrift store findings. Just something so our next house feels more homey.

A few weeks ago Neil came home for emergency leave and we hiked over to his hometown of Oak Harbor, Washington. To get out of the house we did a little hiking to the top of a hill and of course I had to have a few photos of the newly developed bump. Here I am at 20 weeks. Im even bigger now at 22!

Getting things done!

2010-12-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking. Well in some things. Ive been getting the things Ive wanted to do done and leaving the things Im not AS excited about for later. Well, im finally somewhat caught up on me Bee blocks. Now that they are done they were actually quite fun and I dont know why I was dreading them so much. I supposed its because its not for the new baby. Oh well, Im still working on one more block to finish but theres a lot of sewing involved in that one so.. its going to take some time. Here's what Ive been working on!

I didnt have quite enough to finish 2 squares but I got you started

A close'r up of the wiseman

I really like this idea. She sent us all am embroidered piece to work into the quilt.

Ive started making baby pants for little Jack!

They are reversible and are missing elastic but.. I haven't tackled it yet..It looks hard. These are both from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings.

This state fabric is one of my absolute favorites and Ive been waiting to find something perfect for it.

Ive started one of his baby quilts. Im only going to make two.. if I even have time for that second one. I love yellow and grey together!! Its so 70s and lovely. Perfect for a happy bouncing baby boy!

Obviously this is just some of the top but I don't think it will take me too long to quilt at all and im hoping to work on it this week!

Also since its my 'off time ' photography wise Im going to be picking up newborns sessions here and there. This little cutie was my first of many im sure. I made her headband which.. wasnt meant to look like rabbit ears but it did work out for my first 'headband' type thing. Next time Ill put the leaves a bit further behind the flower.

AND I got an ultrasound last week and here are a few updated shots for the baby book.

He is still a boy :)

He also looks less alien like now a days. These were taken at 18 weeks 4 days.

Embroidering up a storm!

2010-12-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

So, I really like embroidery. Its like crochet to me. I can do it anywhere and I dont have to think about it. Knitting you have to think about... and count. I can take my embroidery anywhere. I like that. Ive also been busy perfecting my stitches. Im far from close but Im getting the hang of it. I bought some plain white bibs to practice on along with some onesies! I love embroidered onesies! They are so cute! These bibs arent all for my baby.. the more boyish ones are for him, the rest will be gifts to people with little girls.

My favorite ones Ive done have been both birds. I just love them. I dont think the blue one is too girlish do you? Also I tried my hand at embroidering on a onesie which I heard through the grapevine takes some getting used to. I got my stabilizer to help out and it did but the cotton is so thin and I used such a think thread I broke the shirt fibers in a few spots. Im glad I started out with the owl first cause my other idea for the onesie is INTENSE and will take a lot. Ill go with a thinner thread and a thinner needle in hopes I dont mess it up.

Heres a close up of the owl design for the onesie. These are mostly all from Sublime Stitching

Oh.. whats that at the bottom of the owl you ask? Well.. im silly and didnt notice it and it went on with the pattern transfer. Hoping it comes out in the wash.. but if not, its going to my baby and I dont care!

Holy Shit Balls!

2010-12-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Im totally not going to turn into one of those people that just shows you youtube videos but a friend of mine posted this and its awesome. Neil and I got to see Michael Buble' back in 2007 and he was awesome. Neil and I were having a fight but the concert and MB was fantastic. What an awesome mom for going up there and doing that. Also super glad MB didnt just throw her off stage or whatever.

Yay! Go Sam!!

I have an appointment today! I get to see Jack! Well.. here's hoping he's still a Jack! I guess we'll see.

Ill be Barbie, you be Ken ok?

2010-12-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

Being pregnant is scary business. There is so much riding on me to have a healthy baby. And I will have to continue it for the rest of my life. Making sure my child(ren) is safe, healthy and awesome. A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend who has also lost her mom and she told me getting pregnant scares her, because she doesnt have anyone to talk about it to. I feel the same way, sometimes. Im more sad than scared. It makes me miss her just as much as Ive ever missed her ever. How am I supposed to know if Im doing it right? How am I supposed to compare my pregnancy to hers with me? My Mama raised me right. I would be completely different had I not had her as a mommy. How am I supposed to know if im doing it right? How do I know Im going to be the type of mom she was. I was a pretty fantastic kid, pretty perfect for a single mom. I didnt get into much.. that I remember and she could take me into a lot of non children friendly places. Im also nervous again because its a boy! What am I supposed to do with him? He'll be Ken, Ill be Barbie? Im sure once he's here it will all come naturally. Thats what motherhood is supposed to be like right? Ill learn to play cars and learn about Thomas the Train. Ill learn a lot more about sports that arent soccer. I remember my stepbrother when I was younger. He was all about some cars and Tonka trucks. I guess maybe thats why guys always wanted the nice cars in high school and us girls just wanted cute clothes? I mean.. a nice car would have been nice but you know..I just feel like Im going to have a lot to learn. He'll teach me though, im sure of it.

I know I have support from Neil and his parents and my friends and family but its just not going to be the same. Shes missing yet another major part of my life. One of the biggest. This is way bigger than highschool graduation! She would be so excited for me and for herself. For a grandbaby. A grandson. Men dont come easy in my family. We are a family of girls except for a few random ones thrown in, but the majority is girls. Anyway, it makes me sad. I miss my mom.

In other news. 18 weeks!! Hooray! Its going extremely quick. SUPER Quick! Still not really showing. I can tell my belly has got a little bigger but I don't think its 'bump' worthy. Ill try and post a photo this week.

A friend of mine posted this video to her facebook and I thought it was kinda interesting so I figured id share it with you :) I feel bad for all those sperm that just didn't make the cut. Poor guys. Wish I could put them in a fishtank so they didnt die... well... not really but you know.

Holiday Wreaths!

2010-12-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

So about a week before I had to leave to go to Tennessee I decided what I was going to make for my family for Christmas. So I had a week to make these wreaths. I did a lot of googling on things to make and which ones and these type seemed the easiest. And they weren't hard to make but boy were they tedious to make! Worth it though- my family seemed to love them!

This first one was different than all the others and I sorta liked the way it came out. I made this one with my cousin Amie in mind. She loved it!

Tis the season

2010-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

for giveaways! There are a ton for photographers right now! Id really like to win one of them! This one has a lot of neat non 'photog' stuff too.

Check out my most recent find over at: Laura Winslow Photos!

Here's another fun one to enter from Paint the Moon Actions

Ive got a penis growing in me!

2010-11-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hello from Nashville, TN and from week 16! If you haven't heard the news as of yet you may be living under a rock. Neil and I are going to be having a little boy join the family in May. CRAZY! A boy. I knew I was having a boy but its still weird to think about. As I imagined my life.. my whole life not just in the past few months. I never imagined having a boy. It just wasnt something Id ever thought about. In my dreams and thoughts about being a mom it was always a girl. I think I get a bad opinion of boys because of my ex- step brother. He was terrible and treated my mom like crap. Maybe it was the 'step mom' part of it but I think he was just a rotten child. Never made me want then.. plus now I cant pass along all my 'girl' toys ive saved up and they have to wait a few years. Oh well, all this writing makes it sound like im sad, and im not at all im quite happy to know what I am having and Im even more excited to get him here already. The quicker the baby comes the quicker Neil comes home too! Im in Nashville because one of my very best friends lives here and she happens to be an ultrasound technician. If not for her I would have had to have waited until I was around 20 weeks to find out the sex. So my Thanksgiving plans to Kentucky worked out awesomely. Leslie did my U/S the day I got into town because Neil could be on skype for longer. Baby boy was sure not wanting to show us his parts. It took about an hour of trying before wegave up a little and told Neil to call us again in an hour. In the meantime I ate sugar and moved around as much as possible so he would also move and stop showing us his spine. Its a lovely spine might I add. ;) Here are some of the best shots my friend got of the little guy.

he was giving us a cute yawn here

babies look extremely alien at this stage in life.

look at those lips! AND that nose!

we got a lot of this

heart rate was around 130 BPMs which makes him a boy according to some old wives tales.

and the money shot!

This shot was taken after Neil had called us back he was all about giving up the goods then.

Leslie took this quick video of the baby hiccuping! look at that heart!

so yay! Thank you aunt Leslie!

Signs by Andrea Giveaway!

2010-11-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

A while back I saw a sign in someones house and it had their last name and the year they were married. I instantly fell in love with it and I have been looking for something like it for some time now. Well I found it and they are having a giveaway. PLUS! Right now they are running a 2 for 1 special. So BAM! Theres a Christmas present out of the way right now!

So go and check them out!!

http://www.andreasteed.com/node/1069

fourteen and a dream

2010-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

I had my first baby dream and it was horrible. I dreamt that Neil was still gone and the baby came early. Before ALL my baby showers, before I was ready, before we had things. But there were no complications which was good. The baby was sized full term but was born in February and not May. I got the baby home and completely freaked out. No one was there to help, I didn't have much in the way of supplies, except my boobs. Pretty much what I already have is what I had. So, 4 diapers, some blankets, a crib, a dresser and some baby legs. That's not going to get you very far. I did however see the baby was taken out of the hospital with a blue diaper on. Which doesn't' help me out in my wanting a girl. I wont be too sad if our little one is a boy, I just be a little sad. Ive been a little depressed. Im worried about the baby. Nervous and excited for my appointment tomorrow. Hoping for good things. If all is well tomorrow in a few weeks we should know if Baby Embry is in fact a she or a he. My friend Leslie is going to be the one to spill the beans and i'm super excited about it. This morning I took another belly shot, Ive felt.. very much like not wanting to take photos of myself recently. I feel like if I would have take a photo a month ago I might be bigger than I am now, which still isn't that big but I have grown a little bit. No bump yet though. No cravings. No high belly or low belly. I dont want any food. It doesnt matter if its sweet or salty... well I think id be good with some potato chips and some powdered doughnuts but im trying to stay away from bad things so N O T H I N G sounds good. agh!

dude, look at how long my hair got in 7 weeks!! CRAZY

thirteen.

2010-11-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

Week 13 is here! Hooray! Im out of the danger zone! Yay! I go in for my next appointment next week and im nervous. I dont understand why they dont see you more when your pregnancy is new. Im not too much of a worry wort but I know there are some people that are. Ive had a relatively awesome pregnancy so far. I dont know, I guess all im saying is that they should see you more. Especially in the crucial months. For instance, my last appointment was at 10 weeks. My next is at 14. There is a lot of room for sadness in there and I dont want to go to my next appointment only to find out the baby isnt well. I dont think that will be the case I just think its annoying.

Also this is random but I dont feel connected to the baby at all. I did feel connected but in the past few weeks its been hard. Perhaps its cause I dont feel pregnant, I just know it. I hear thats somewhat normal. Im just excited to start showing so I know Im pregnant and I feel it!

November was supposed to start my crafting for baby time. Im not 100% sure that it will happen. Ive had no time for crafting, although I did kinda clean off my sewing table. So thats a help. Ive been watching all of the Mad Men Seasons(I start season 3 tonight) and while Ive been doing that Ive been embroidering some baby bibs for the new arrival. One of them isnt finished yet, its going to say "mom" like the tattoos. :) There are a lot of patterns I want to do but a lot of them are girly so im going to wait.

expanding the house by two feet

2010-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Over the next few months this blog is going to take a turn for the small and cute. That's right The Rocket Gnome and I are going to have a baby. I know its quite odd to think that somehow we created life. We have come so far since that March in 2006. My whole entire life is different than I thought it would be. Different in a good way but its just so weird how quickly and slowly life changes all at the same time. Today I am 12 weeks and I am so happy to have made it this far. I really did not want to have to deal with anything going wrong if he wasnt home. So, so far were A-OK! I am quite excited to begin this new chapter in our lives. Ive wanted a baby ever since I could remember. In highschool it was the only thing I ever aspired to be. Which was hard to tell people.. so I said something like teacher instead, because that makes sense to more people. Of course I had to wait to find the right guy, someone that would be a good dad and there for me. That was super important to me as my mom did it alone. I know what she went through to raise me by herself, and it didnt appear easy. So yay for supportive baby daddys! He seems excited about being a dad. About as excited as you can be not being able to see me in person and hes not going to be able to see me until Im a good 7 months in to this mess. We were trying for a little one. It was time we made the next step. Its a HUGE step too. There is so much to growing a new person. So much to learn about what to eat and what not to eat and what works and what doesnt and thats all before we even get to meet the little babytron! Then you have to worry about what to register for and what sort of diapers to buy and what creams and what isnt going to kill the baby. Its stressful. So far, im making it through with a good head on my shoulders and I already know most of what I want to register for.

I havent had any morning sickness so I bet if we werent trying I wouldnt have known for a while but instead we found out at 4 weeks! SO EARLY! Its so early to tell people too so it was quite hard keeping it in for so long. Last week we finally caved and told the internet. It was so good to be able to talk about it openly to everyone. Im just glad everyone knows now. I wanted to tell with a photo and it turns out the military only gives you ONE ULTRASOUND! Im not going to lie, I was a bit upset when I heard this. But I still went to my appointment anyway luckily and unluckily they couldnt find a heartbeat. Which is hard to depict at 10 weeks anyway its better at 12 so why they schedule you to come in at 10 is beyond me. Anyway, I was upset and nervous about it and the lady doctor scheduled me for one. Which im sure happens all the time. I was able to make it in the following day without any waiting. She did a transvaginal which I didnt expect and the second it was in there I was 2 tiny little feet moving all around. I think if it had been bigger all the kicking might have hurt but luckily its still small. It was crazy seeing it move so much. It moved the entire time, I guess it might have been the sugary breakfast I had. Yum Toaster Strudels! My next appointment is at 14 weeks and Im super excited for it although I have no idea whats going to happen then.. Here is our baby's second photo. Second photo you say, yes one of my best friends is an ultrasound tech and took some photos at 4 weeks which is pretty much a tiny blob but.. she took them all the same.

So Im excited to start sewing baby things, soon it will happen!

Shelby's baby blanket

2010-08-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

I actually made this quite a while ago and I wrapped it I forgot to take a photo of it. Seeing it again makes me want to crochet a little more than I have in the past.. year.

Shelby's sister really liked her sisters present :) I think she liked opening it more though

all in the timing!

2010-08-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Luckily Ive had a little time off. So I used my time to sew. I was kinda craving the need to create since I didn't have any photo sessions. I started on my first quilt ever for me. I know.. its weird. I'm usually a maker for other people and not myself. I think I mentioned it on the last post. I'm super excited about it. I finished getting all my fabric I need for it.

Im using Crazy Mom Quilts pattern

I finally finished a quilt top for my newest Nephew Jacob. I used Moda Bake Shop's pattern who.. after just now looking was also Amanda from Crazy Mom Quilts. ;)

Thanks to my awesome husband to snapping a photo for me. Its a really big quilt. I probably wont quilt it myself. :(

I was able to quilt a Valentines day table runner I started last spring.

and the backing

The other night Neil curled up with both doggies. It was so cute.

I wonder if they have seen an increase in sales cause.. Neil doesnt wear Old Spice.

im on a horse

Free Kitchenaid?

2010-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Wanna in a Kitchenaid!?!? I sure do. Its been in my "wish list" for several years now. :)

Click this link! Do it.. I promise its not spam. :)
Win win!

Charlie's Quilt | Finshed!

2010-08-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Man o Man. Where has the time gone? I feel like I am not living up to my craft goals here. I am catching up though. But the thing is I'm making a lot of quilts and those take a whole heck of a longer time then other crafts do. Since something sad is happening ~~next month~~ oh! this month I took some leave from work(sorta) and have been able to go on vacation with Neil and just stop stressing so much. Ive also been able to sew! Hoooooooray! I finished a baby quilt for my friend Bentley. She's due to have a baby girl at the beginning of September, although I think were hoping shes goes sooner than that so baby and daddy can meet. She requested no pink but I think she trusted me that I wasn't going to make something with "baby puke colors" as I like to refer to them. I'm not really a fan of light colors when it comes to anything except maybe the paint color.. and even then.. probably not.

I tried the zigzag pattern again using the tutorial at A Quilt is Nice. Its the same pattern from baby Christopher's quilt I just followed the directions this time. Except I messed up a little can you tell where? I think it works still.

It was a lot of fun and the fabric cutting went relatively quickly. I used some of my favorite fabrics and some of my more random stuff but I love the color combos and the fabrics and how they work together. I even used some of my Nicey Jane stash. I love me some Nicey Jane.

For all my binding instructions and help I have used Crazy Mom Quilts tutorial. Its pretty much the best I have found. So very helpful. I had the easiest time with the binding here. I think after.. 5 quilts I'm finally starting to get it. YAY!

I was also able to finish ~~and start~~ my blocks for May, June and July for the Fresh Comfort Bee. Just in time for August! I feel horrible for being so late on them. But they are done now.

This last block was my absolute favorite pattern I have done with the bee so far. I think I might make a quilt doing these squares too!

I also loved her fabric choices. These are for her daughter. What a lucky little girl she is!!

Last night after I was done with my bee blocks I started my very own Christmas quilt. Ill be using this pattern from Crazy Mom quilts(I like her, have you noticed?) Im using 12 Days of Christmas by Moda. Ill end up needing 4 more charm packs. Its going to be quite a pricey quilt but it IS for me so its worth it. :) I don't think Ill quilt it because I dont think my machine can handle it so that saves in timing. :)

Complete: Blingerbrewster Quilt

2010-07-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

While visiting Wilmington last week I finished another quilt too. Its the one my machine stopped on and is one of my favorites so far. I used a mix of fabrics including Amy Butler, Michael Miller and some freespirit fabrics. I pieced random fabrics for the binding and I kinda like the miss-matchyness of it! I love the way I quilted it! I think it worked with the white but im not sure it would work with everything.

The backing is a fabric I really loved at Joanns. Typically I dont like to mix designer fabrics with Joanns but they went with the "bird" theme and I liked it!

Complete: Bulser Quilt

2010-07-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

I finished the grey quilt I posted about last. I'm going to name it Bulser Quilt. Because the last name of the new baby getting it is Sulser and its a baby. :) And in my group of friends we like to do that for some reason. It works. How was Bercer sound? ehhh I'm not too fond of it. Anyway, here it is:

I ended up not particularly caring for this. Im not a fan of the way I quilted it but oh well, im experimenting.

Its also WAY too tiny for my liking

My favorite thing about it is the backing which is from an Amy Butler line... I think Midwest Modern. They main fabric line was the Deer Valley and the sashing color was a grey from Kona Cotton. Its my new favorite and I loved it as soon as I saw it.

I didn't follow a pattern per say but I used this photo as inspiration.

2 quilts and a birdy

2010-06-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Goodness. At the beginning of this year I did not anticipate being as busy as I have been. I am blessed to have found something I'm good at. I think the best part is that other people agree! Its a little crazy. Anyway, because of that my whole 365 crafts in a year most likely wont happen. Especially if I keep making all these quilts for other people! Now that my sewing machine is fixed and beautiful again Ive been working a bit here and there at some super cute quilts.

This first quilt is obviously not done yet. Just the top. Im trying to decide if I want to add a grey sash around the edges to make it a little bigger. Its a bit smaller than I would like but hey, its for a baby its supposed to be tiny. What do you think? I think I need to start working on piecing in more straight lines so in the end the quilt will look more put together. I'm getting better but I think in the end I just need to be a more precise cutter and im not.

Also, said baby doesn't know if shes a boy or a girl so that's why its gender neutral. I'm not a fan of yellows and greens and stuff but I figured this works.

This next one was the quilt my machine broke on. :( Well its finally quilted and I think I might bind it tonight so its not quite finished yet. Also, I know this is a terrible photo but I waited until late to take a photo of it.

Today I was outside. Wow! Right there I should stop. It sure is hot out there. I miss being in Pensacola. That way on the humid days you can go to the beach but here.. there isnt much to get away from the humidity. Anyway, I was taking out the trash (Oh! That makes more sense) and I saw the cutest little birdy on a weed. Yes that thing its sitting in is a weed growing in my flower garden that desperately needs to be weeded. Oh well. This little guy was awesome and oh so still. I shot all these with my 50mm, he let me get that close!

Bzzzzzzzzz the bee is still going

2010-05-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Terrible news. My sewing machine is broken. Of course it broke when I actually had time to sew too. Doesn't the sewing gods know that I have a nephew popping out in August! And friends are having babies all summer! BAH! Ive also been a terrible blogger and crafter lately. I have done a few things here and there but its mainly been for the quilting bee Im participating in. But even that has been rough to keep up with. Its crazy how busy I have been with my photography business. I am really blessed to be able to do something that I love. It is am amazing feeling that I can imagine some people never even get to experience. I already have an idea for my nephews quilt I just need to get a few more "manly" fabrics for it. I think Im going to go with a brown blue and green theme and keep it simple and just randomly piece it square like. Here is are a few of my most recent blocks for the bee that I have done.

This was my first time working with batiks and I kinda like them. Perhaps one day Ill do something for me with them.

Lets hope my sewing machine is an easy fix and fixed soon. :) Im itching to get crafty.

Baby Christopher's Quilt

2010-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Oh man has it been a while. That's not to say I haven't been crafting. I have been just barely here and there. Wedding/busy season is now in full swing but Ive managed to crank out a few things so far. February was my month in the quilting bee and Ive received all my blocks and i'm excited about putting them all together. Ive pieced one quilt top and I just need to quilt it now. Its a present so I can post it yet. But I have finished one quilt for my friend Ashley. She's having a baby boy in late May and I wanted to make her something. She's a crafty person too so I was a bit nervous especially trying this new pattern. It was ok. I wasn't really a fan of it but I think the quilt turned out alright. Maybe Ill try it again. Ive been collecting the Mendocino line and I love all the zigzag quilts i've seen from that so far. What do you think?

My favorite was the binding. I love it!

Obviously I took this in a hurry and needed some way of holding it up. It worked.

I used two fabric lines here but they are both by David Harry for Freespirit. One was Robots and the other was the jungle animals and transportation. As soon as I saw this fabric I thought of Phillip mainly and I figured Ashley would like it as well.

Isnt this fabric the cutest thing you've ever seen? Its from IKEA. I love that place!

Yay. Ill try and update more often.

Dress Pattern!

2010-01-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

Ive decided what Ill do with the Valentines day fabric and it sadly doesn't include my "vintage valentines" fabric. Im going to make it strippy! Everything has been cut and I think ill end up finishing the top tonight.

These are the fabric im going to use.

I went shopping at Joanns yesterday. Spent a little bit of money. But, I found fabric for a few friends to continue their Christmas presents. Guess who these fabrics are for?

One of my projects this year was going to make a dress for myself. So I broke down and bought a pattern. I think im going to try and make the blue one at the bottom. I love the collar and the bow in the front!

Ill do it all in one color though. I loved this fabric too much and I couldnt find anything that worked for me.

busy busy busy

2010-01-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

Ive been busy making Christmas presents.

What! Making Christmas presents. I know.. im a little early but hey! might as well be done more quick than hurrying the last few weeks. Im not done with any of them yet. I need to take a trip to Joanns for a few more finishing goodies. Since they are presents I cant take any photos yet.. :(

I did finally finish my 2 blocks for the quilting bee though. Im happy with one and not so much with the other.

Happy

Not so happy

I ran out of the blue to finish edging it in. I think perhaps if I could have finished it maybe I would like it more.

Next on the cutting board is this fun Valentines fabric!

Its going to be a table runner. My problem is.. I want to include this fabric in with it.

But I think its too red.. and not poppy in color. hmmmm. ideas?

These are my favorite 3 fabrics from the Valentines day line I have.

They remind me of my best friend Alex. This is something she would draw. :)

day 8-11: Soiree Quilt- Check

2010-01-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

I bet you thought I had given up didn't you? I didn't Ive been busy. Busy with other things and I haven't been able to sew or anything until late in the night and by then the photo taking is no good. Last weekend was pretty busy. I don't remember what I did but I was worn out and not feeling so well.

I did make some progress on some sewing things though. I binded a quilt ive been working on since before Neil left on deployment. Its only my second one. The pattern I used was from Moda bakeshop. Have you seen their tutorials. Some are pretty fantastic. This quilt seemed quite easy for a beginner. I used 2 of Moda's Soire charm packs and white Kona cotton solid on the sashing. I forget what lines I backed it in. I really like the back although I don't have any photos for you to see now. Later on when I have Neil helping me I will. I ended up using the same line as it is in the tutorial so just assume it looks a lot like the one shown until I can get a better photo.

The binding matched perfectly and its from Michael Miller's soire line. Odd that that are both from a "soire" line and look a lot alike. Anyway, like I said this was my second quilt ever and boy did that binding give me a rough time. I did it a completely different way last time and it looked like crap in my opinion. :/ So it took me one day to actually get it on right and I had to rip it up a few times to get it on straight. Ughhhhhh. Then last night I finished it by hand sewing the back of the binding on. Its a bit wonky in spots but I don't think it looks too bad. Plus, it was good practice. And hey, I'm done with it. I'm not sure who will be the recipient but two of my family members are preggers and neither one know what they are having so I guess if either one of them are having a girl then its for them. :)

I started working on Katie's blocks for the quilting bee while I was frustrated with my binding. I like the one I have started I just need to get it finished and then do another. Once they are through Ill put up some photos of them.

Sometime last week I was meandering around TJMAXX and I stumbled upon this little bit of awesomeness. I have just read a blog about how Sublime Stitches no longer carries it and the only way I get my greedy little nibs on a copy is to buy one from a store and who knows how many are left out there. Well I practically stole this for a whopping 3.99! Wahooooooo! It really made my day.

Yesterday I had a newborn session with the cutest little guy in the world. His mom also rocked my socks. She had a ton of ideas and we rocked them. Anyway to get to my point I came home to some awesome new fabrics!! I signed up for the monthly stash building club at fabfanatics.com and this months "theme" was Free Spirit. Next month is Amy Butler and March is Heather Bailey. I'm really hoping that the only fabrics I get from the Heather Bailey month is Nicey Jane. I'm so in love with that fabric. Hey, my birthday is coming up? If you're going to get me something Id love 2 yards of each print. Thank you :)

Oddly enough from this lot I already had three of the fabrics. :) But I did get two from nicey jane!

Day 6 & 7: Pillow- Check!

2010-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

Look at what I finished today!

Isn't is awesome!

Today I put some embroidery on the back panel

I like it.

Im very happy to be done and it is my first real thing I have finished so far. I am counting the embroidery as a project in itself so technically its my first and second finished product.

Ive had quite the busy week. Busy doing random stuff though.

I dont think I ever posted about my new years resolution(s)...
I figured it might be nice to make a list that way at the end of the year I can see how I did. Here goes.

1) Not to drink soda pop again this year (last years old resolution)
2) Cook at least 10 things a month
3) Read at least 5 books, rereading the Twilight saga doesn't cut it. :(
4) Obviously the crafts, hopefully 365 in the end.
5) Shoot 15 weddings, I have 5 booked now I just need to find 10 more. Any takers?
6) Shoot a model once a month. I'm no good when it comes to models, mainly because I don't know strobes the way I want to. Because of that it makes me think I'm less of a photographer. I know that sounds silly but I'm going to try. Ive already got January's lined up for when I'm in Orlando later on in the month.
7) Ill also try to clean more but im not having that be a resolution
8) get creative with my 52 weeks I started today. You should check it out in a few weeks. I have a few awesome ideas.

I think that's it. I know its a lot. But if you don't set goals how are you do push yourself? hah, I originally wrote that as "punch yourself." I know I probably wont do it all especially once Neil is deployed again(the cooking part) but Ill try!

Oh yeah, check out these sweet pjs I found at Target :)

Neil's call sign is Gnome so Ive been collecting "gnomey" things ever since.

Day 4 & 5: thrift shop yummies

2010-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to go to court because I got a ticket back in October. In NC when you get a speeding ticket you either pay the full amount, hire a lawyer or go to court yourself. Figures I would get a ticket 3 hours away from my house now. Ugh. So, I got up at 4:30am and made the trek on over to Beaufort, NC. Turns out all you really have to do it show up, stand in line for a few minutes and when you reach the lady she asks, "do you want this lowered?" I wonder if anyone ever says "No, I totally deserve this amount." She didnt lower it too much but I guess it paid for my gas out there and back. Since I was out there and I had all day to do nothing I decided to get a few geocaches. I went around to a few Neil and I had tried to find previously and still had no luck. I did end up finding 3 or 4 we hadnt tried though. I even saw my first OTHER geogacher out and about. Neither of us could find it. :( Do you geocache? Find us here. We are Team Awesome-o.

After that most of the thrift stores were opened and I know I havent posted here enough for you to understand how much I love them but I most certainly do. I went to a few and they were kinda ehh. I did happen to see a quilt shop right on main street and I got all excited and then of course they are closed since its a Monday. Why are all quilt shops closed on Mondays? Its crazy annoying. Anyway, I got a few super cute things. I was in the Christmas spirit...

I got a few other assorted Christmas items as well including at least 100 gift tags and cute ceramic mouses.

I also got this big bag of buttons for 50cents

And this milk glass bowl

I absolutely love me some milk glass. There is just something so beautiful about it. Its classic and gorgeous.

I found a few sweaters for myself and Neil and these super sweet vintage pillowcases

Im not sure why Im all about the 70s recently. Its kinda weird.

Anyway, it was a great day. It ended with me finally deciding to go with 9block squares and I was sewing away. I did the same today. Half the top of the runner is done but I had to put it down for today. And I dont want to bore you with photos of the same thing over and over so I opted out of a photo today.

Hopefully in the next few days Ill get to something more colorful!

Day 3: Gobble Gobble

2010-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

I know, its a little late in the season to be making things for thanksgiving but I do have the fabric and I did start it BEFORE thanksgiving. I started it and decided I wanted it to be a bit longer than it was going to be. The first bit I did 9 patch blocks like this:

but I thought maybe 3 patch blocks might looks neat too.

But now I dont know. I think I might still like the tiny patches all over but I dont know. What do you think?

A good friend of mine told me about E-Mealz a few months ago and I finally decided to try it out. I have a hard time cooking mainly because I never know what to cook. Emeals helps out. It gives you a recipe for everyday that you want one. They have lowfat options and different store options. I have tried a few recipes now and none of them are things I would "typically" cook and I have loved them. Last night I made a pizza with chicken and spinach and the sauce ended up being ranch and it was pretty good. I hate ranch and I think I would have preferred more to be added. Maybe my tastes are changing. Anyway, you should give it a try. Here's the link. If you decide to join click through from this site as I get a $$ reference. :)

Day 2: Stitch Sampler- COMPLETE!

2010-01-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is a terrible photo. And its not ironed.

I haven't even brought out my d90 since I have been back home. All these photos have been from my Iphone. I finished the sampler today. Some of the stitches were a bit harder than expected. There are a few I don't want to do ever again. I really enjoyed it though. Its going to be a pillow. I already know what I will sash it with and back it. Perhaps Ill finish it later on in the week. In a few moments Ill start my Thanksgiving table runner. Its a few months late but I have the fabric so why not. Right?!

Today Neil and I went grocery shopping since I hadn't been home for three weeks. We really needed the restock. I wanted to go to Lowes Foods but Neil didn't feel like driving to Clayton(45min) so we chose Walmart instead. I hate Walmart. Long lines, always packed, no sales unless you know the area store's sales. Its terrible. While we were there we decided to get our oil changed too. That was to take an hour and a half. :/ I try to use cloth bags whenever possible. For some reason the cashiers at walmart NEVER understand that I don't want to use plastic bags. Its probably the most annoying thing ever. They always ask, "you're sure?" like 10 times. And they never pack them full. Like 3 or 4 items each. Man. It drives me batty. Anyway, well today we actually got out of the store using NO plastic bags. It really was a miracle. Usually they will forget and put something in one.

Oh and our oil took nearly 2 freakin hours to change. another reason to hate Walmart.

Day 1 : Stitch Sampler

2010-01-02T02:38:00.000-08:00

First off, I guess an obligatory "Happy New Year" post is in order. I know I rang in the new year right!

My main traveling craft project will be embroidery. There is a lot you can do with and it is all super cute! For Christmas I received a few books including Embroidered Effects, Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of crafts, Handmade Home and a few others I forget the name of.

Since I'm new to the whole embroidery thing I started with that. One of the first projects is a sampler to try out all the stitches. So far so good. I'm doing the easier stitches first and now I'm getting to the harder bits. :)

Here's what is looked like before I nodded off yesterday when we got home from Lindy Focus.

Also, while we were in Asheville last week Neil and I visited a quilt shop, Asheville Cotton Co. It was rather large and had a TON of fabric. A lot of I hadn't ever seen before. Although, I was most excited about Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane fabric. It is probably one of my favorites ever. Its so soft and sweet and cute and I love it. Its the perfect amount of girly for me. I didn't buy any because I didn't need it although eventually this year I will be using a lot of it. I did however pick up a few fat quarters to add to my stash to send for the Fresh Comfort quilting bee I signed up for. My the Queen Bee for February.

There's some Amy Butler, Love in there along with a few Christmas prints. Im excited to get to cuttin!

Howdy there!

2009-12-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

I asked my husband to describe me in one word. His word almost immediately was "scrumtrulescent" and I thought, "What!?" He told me to look it up on urban dictionary. I did and this is what it said,

"adj: so great that any other word employed would be woefully insufficient, and would serve only to limit the sheer magnitude of the greatness intended as a descriptor. "

and

"A goodness that transcends all other levels of goodness."

I guess that's a good thing right? My husband is sweet. So, since I'm uncreative with my wording I decided "Scrumtrulescence" should be my blog title.

Starting January first I'm going to start doing a lot more crafting and I figured Id keep tabs on it on here. I'm going to attempt to work an hour on any type of craft each day of the year. Ive started learning how to embroider so I can do it on plane rides or on trips. I can crochet too but I'm not too good at it. Ive been taught but I never really learned how to follow a pattern so basically I can make scarves and small blankets.

Anyway, I'm super excited about it. I have a lot of things planned. I joined a quilting bee and that is going to help fill my days. My cousin is going to be having a baby along with another friend so I plan on making quilts and other random baby items. For thanksgiving we got a dining room table so now I can make table runners and place mats and fabric flowers.. the possibilities are endless. Also, all my presents for people will be handmade.. well if I can get them done in time.

So, you want to know a little about me? Well, my name is Hilary and I'm awesome. Currently I live in North Carolina in a tiny town called Pine Level. My husband is in the Air Force and he flies really fast jets. We got married in August of 08 in the crazy city of Las Vegas. Yes, Elvis did walk me down the aisle. It was a really fun time. He's from Washington State and I'm from Pensacola, Florida. Pretty opposite sides of the country eh? We have two doggies. A terrier named Jiffy and a beagle names Skippy. They are good dogs sometimes but we love them still. We met while learning how to swing dance. So I'm a lindy hopper. I like to eat but I'm too much of a fan of cooking. I used to like to bake but recently everything I've baked has turned out bleh. Perhaps I should try more. Im a photographer. I really, absolutely love weddings. My business is just starting up but I am so in love with it. I love my job and I am so thankful for my husband for letting me just go for it! OK, OK I'm tired of letting you read about me. Here are a few fun photos for your enjoyment. They are..of course photos of my husband and I. Ill add sewing goodies later.

This is my husband and I. Were using this photo on our Christmas cards. He looks so good!

This was taken during my 365 I did last year. I really slacked off in creativeness.

One of the first photos we have of us.

And our first kiss as a married couple!