It's A...(drumroll please)

GIRL!!!!!


Ava Faye Brewer is due March 4, 2010! We chose her name because Ava means "like a bird" or "to fly" and her daddy is a commercial pilot. Faye is my middle name, my mothers middle name, and about 4 distant aunts and great aunts middle name.

She was so active during the ultrasound (in fact, ALL the time!) that we really couldn't get a great profile shot. But she is perfect and healthy and growing right on schedule!

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes!!!

The Polls are Open!!!

Me at 18 weeks...I have grown a lot since then. I need to take a new picture, I know... :)

Vote now on if we are having a BOY or a GIRL!!! We will find out on Tuesday, October 20th, and will share our news via blogger and Facebook just as soon as our families hear the results!

(By the way, in case you are wondering...I still think girl, Cole still thinks boy...)

Are we having a boy or girl?

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I've been a bad blogger girl...

I know. It's been a while. But life has been a bit crazy. Isn't it always!

So just some updates...

Baby B is getting bigger and bigger, as is my baby belly! People actually can tell now. No more of those looks like "is she pregnant or just tubby?" Which I am so happy about.

My poor pup Wesley got bitten by a snake on Friday night. Let me first just say that he is fine. Or getting there at least. We didn't know at first what was wrong. We got home from a dinner out with the family, let him out to potty, and then after a couple of minutes heard the worst screams and yelps I have ever heard from a dog. He was at the door screaming and we let him in. He would not put any weight on his left leg and wouldn't let us touch it. So we rushed him to the ER Vet, and he told us that he had been bitten by a large snake, and would have to stay overnight so that they could give him IV antibiotics, steroids, and histamines, along with a heaping dose of pain medicine. Poor boy was in so much pain that they had to sedate him. So we picked him up the next day, and took him to our regular vet for a followup. He confirmed that he would be fine, and told us to keep him on the oral antibiotics and the oral pain meds. Come to find out, he had been bitten not once, but twice by a very large snake, most likely a copperhead. OUCH!!! But he is doing great and even tried to chase a cat today while outside on a potty break!
He is such a brave boy, and we are so proud of him!!!

I would like to welcome a new reader, my best friend Whitney!!! Yea!!!

We will soon find out the gender of our baby. I still think it's a girl. Cole still says boy. There is a good dinner riding on it! ;) Let me know your predictions!!! We are taking a tally. So far, most people are siding with me. I felt the baby move today. Actually, I'd been feeling it for about a week, but I wasn't sure until today that what I was feeling was the baby. The feeling woke me up last night, and then today she (or he) was super active!!! That is when I decided that it was, indeed, the baby!

I promise to try to be more diligent about posts...and look for nursery pics in the coming months!!! ;)

Lately....

So it's been a while since I last posted anything. No good reason, really. Just been a little under the weather and out of touch. Oh, and Cole was home after 5 weeks away. That kept me busy! :)

Things have changed a bit in Rachel-land, and I wanted to update my faithful 10 followers. I quit my job. I hate saying that. I resigned my position. That sounds so much better! As many of you know, I was a preschool teacher. And I loved it. But we had already had an outbreak of Swine Flu on campus, and as you may know that is very bad for pregnant women. And I am CMV negative, so that was an added concern. For those of you who don't know, CMV is a virus that most people are exposed to and have developed antibodies to by the time they reach adulthood. 85-95% of adults have had it. But I haven't. Which is actually a really good thing because, since I am also O negative blood type, that means that the blood I donate can be used for cancer patients and newborn babies. But it also means that if I were to get it while pregnant, it could cause a wide and scary range of complications. My boss was very nice about it, and this past Wednesday was my last day. So now I am, not unemployed, but a housewife and future stay-at-home mommy.

Now that is not to say I want to sit around all day and eat bonbons. Actually, I am desperate to find something to do. The problem is that I am limited to what I can do. Working with children is out, since that is why I left in the first place. And retail is out too, because I have a nerve issue, and if I stand for more than 30 minutes, my back and left leg are in excruciating pain. So finding a part time job that requires no standing, and is pretty much temporary since I want to stay home with the baby and is a "low risk" for infection has proven pretty difficult. But I am working on it. I used to be in marketing, so I might try to find something back in that arena...who knows....

I also have an idea for a home business up my sleeve. It was something I was going to start after the baby arrived, but since this has happened, I figure now is the perfect time to just take a deep breath and go for it. Cole is a little more reluctant than I am. He doesn't understand the potential. Let's just say this is more a "girl" thing... :) More to come on that in a few weeks!

We are really enjoying our kitchen! It's so nice to have it back. I still have a few more boxes to unpack, but most everything is in and works great!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend...and GO HOGS!!!! ;)

The Big Reveal!

You have waited a long time, so without further ado, I give you...OUR NEW KITCHEN!!!!

Okay, first, I thought I would remind everyone of what our kitchen looked like before our big project...

This is looking into the kitchen from the dining room.

Here is the view coming in from the living room.

And here is the view coming in from the garage.



These pictures are a bit out of order...sorry...

This is the hole where our new built in wine rack (that is still being built) will go into.

This was my gift to my husband for being so patient and letting me do pretty much whatever I wanted to our house. :) It is a flip down flat screen TV that is also a Radio, CD player, and DVD player.

Here is the view looking into the kitchen from the dining room.

Here is the new sink area. I love my faucet!!!

Our pullouts in the new pantry cabinets...speaking of...

Here are the new pantry cabinets on either side of the refrigerator. They are great!!!

Here is the kitchen as you walk into the room from the garage. It hardly looks like the same house!!! It is just lovely now! I am so happy! It's been a long road, but I am glad we did it!!! We still have to put in the hardware, but other than that, and some more flooring in the bathrooms, we are done!!! Yea!!!!

It's been 10 Days...

So I thought I might bring an update to the table. My house is DONE! Okay, almost DONE!!! We still have to do the floors in the bathrooms, and lots of trim work. The wine rack in the kitchen is still being built, and I have some painting to do, but other than those minor things, it is DONE!!! I am so happy, you have NO IDEA! (Well, if you have lived without a kitchen for 3 months or more, than (then?) you do.

I will post picture later, but for now I have a much more important something to tell all of you...well, ask all of you. It is a prayer request for a sweet family that I went to high school with. Jason and Katie, and Jason's sister Shannon all went to Arkansas Baptist, which is where I also attended high school. Jason and Katie were high school sweethearts who got married, and they have a beautiful son, Zach. Now I am not close with their family, and if it wasn't for Facebook and Blogs, I would never have known this was going on. But Katie and Jason were expecting their first daughter, Baby Reese, in a few weeks. But two days ago she had to have an emergency C-Section. When Reese was born, she wasn't breathing, and was put in NICU with no brain activity, according to Shannon. Last night, they took her off of the machines and she went to be with the Lord. I know that this is a heartbreaking experience for anyone to go through, and being pregnant myself, I can't imagine what it is like to have this little miricle inside of you for 9 months and then not get to watch her grow up. It is heartwentching. I just ask that you pray for Katie, Jason, Shannon and the rest of their families. They need all of the prayers and comfort they can get. The good news is that Katie and Jason both love the Lord as evident by their strength and encouraging and uplifting words, even at such a heartbreaking time. If you follow Kelly's Korner, then you have been reading some about them. Please pray....


See you soon...and I promise I will post pictures of the house! It's clean right now because I hosted Bunko last night, so I need to take pictures now before it gets messy again!!!

Rachel

Just a plain ole' update...

Hi blogger buds! Hope all is going well in your world on this beautiful Monday! Just wanted to say hi. Not much really to talk about...

Oh, except I changed my mind on my baby furniture. Now I am really not one to change my mind. Not at all. Once I get an idea in my head, I stick to it like contact cement! But.... I went to a store that carried the brand of baby furniture that we were going to order, and while they didn't carry that particular set (they said it was special for military), I did get a chance to look at other furniture from this company. And it was okay. But not as well made as I would have liked. Especially since we were going to be paying over $1000.00 for it!!! But they had this beautiful set there, and for about the same price, it is solid hardwood, dovetailed drawers, just really well made, beautiful furniture. So this is my new decision. And I like being able to touch it before buying it.




Also, I am hosting Bunko next week at my house. Which is almost done. But I am worried how it's going to get finished, painted, cleaned, and decorated by next Thursday! Ahhh!!! Deep breathes! Please pray for my sanity...speaking of, I found my car tags! Praise the Lord!!!

And today is my birthday. Sigh...another year older. Bummer. Oh well...happens to everyone I suppose!!!

Have a great day!!!

Sunday Blessings- Babies and Children

Sunday Blessings- Babies and Children Edition!

Sorry it has taken me so long to let you all know how the doctors appointment went on Thursday. All went great! The baby has a strong heartbeat, and is the perfect size and proportion for this stage of development. The due date is March 4! My next appointment is on August 20th. This is a major praise! I was so worried because for the last few weeks (as crazy as this sounds) I haven't felt pregnant. Just really bad!!! But seeing that little head and heartbeat made it all so real to me! And it brought home that all of the nausea and tiredness and moodiness is so worth it, because in the end, I will get to hold that sweet little gift from God in my arms!!!

Also a praise this morning, my nephews are getting baptized!!! I can't wait to see that. I have three, but it is the two youngest this morning. They are so sweet and I know that this is a special time for them, and I am grateful that I get to be there to watch.

I would ask prayers for one thing, and it may sound really silly, but it's stressing me out...my car tags expire this month. And I got the new ones in the mail. But in all the chaos of our home reno, I have misplaced them. Yikes! So please pray that I can relax my mind and locate them without tearing my house upside down! I'm really stressed over this! At least I have 5 more days to look!

Praise be to God!

I'm Still Here...Sort Of...

I know I haven't been so faithful recently, my dear blog. Sorry about that. We are in the final stretch of our kitchen remodel (hope to be cooking this weekend). And I am getting ready for a yard sale with my sister and mom. AND I am extremely tired. But excuses, excuses, right?!?!

I have my first prenatal appointment tomorrow, and I am so nervous! Part of it is excitement. Part of it is scared because I don't know what will happen, and I want to know that the baby is healthy. And part of it is that every time I go to "that" doctor, I am paranoid that they are going to discover some horrible illness and tell me I have one week to live. I know...I am insane. Tell me something I didn't already know!!! LOL!

Please say a prayer for me...that my nerves would be calmed, and that everything goes well with the baby.

Thank you, and I will tell you how it goes tomorrow!!!

Rachel

New Dining Room Table

Well...I did it. I bought a new dining room table and chairs. And for my thrift store friends...please don't think less of me. I bought it new. *gasp!* BUT...it was discontinued! That has to count for something! My dining room is very french country. At least I want it to be. I love French Country design, and have only recently decided to take the leap into putting it in my home. I started with the dining room because I thought the plates we have go nicely with the scheme. Here they are...I personally think the photo I took is much better than the one I pulled from Bed Bath and Beyond. Maybe it is my wall color. Which is Ben Moore Aegean Teal. Love it! Below the chair rail is my Ben Moore Bradstreet Beige.




This is the dining room before. Well, sort of. It was before our remodel, but also before my window treatments. They are a light cream color. FYI. My original plan was to paint my table and get new chairs. But after pricing the chairs (GOODNESS they are expensive!) and finding out I was pregnant (I had planned on spray painting the table), I decided that a new set was better. The reason behind the new set was two fold. Reason #1: Our new floors are very light bamboo...like almost the color of our table light! Not so good!


And this is Reason #2 for wanting a new table. I found this sideboard at an estate sale for $200!!! It is a broyhill and was sold in stores for upwards of $500! What a steal! I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. It is great for added storage to our dining room.

Here is another shot of our before dining room. Again, sans window treatments.
This was the table that I found online that I was going to get. There is a place close by that could have ordered it for me. I really liked it, but it is a bit plain and lacked the character I think I was really looking for in a new set.

And drum roll please.......


This is the table and chairs I ended up with. It is about 5" larger than my old one, and it has a leaf that can be added for large dinners. The drawer under will be great for extra storage, and I can just imagine my children playing hide-n-seek on that little shelf! Ha!!! It is hard to tell from the photos, but the top has a scalloped edge that is so unique! And it is distressed with cherry wood underneath that really makes it tie into my sideboard well.
Here is another photo of the table. This one has the extensions on it to make it more of a pub table height. We won't use that because we got the shorter chairs and that height isn't toddler friendly. And we are going to have one of those in a few years!


Okay, I realize this is not the best photo of the chairs, but it was all I could find. They are very whimsical! I just love them. I actually purchased 6. 2 are just like this one. The other 4 are captain's chairs that have arms. Very comfy!!!

I will do my best to post pics once I get the room back together. Come to think of it, I am going to have a LOT of pictures to post once this reno is done...if we ever get there!!!!!

Have a lovely day!!!

Rachel

Sunday Blessings (er, well, Monday Blessings)- Perspectives

Well, I'm a day late. But I have good reason, promise! More on that later...

This week has been a hard one for me. I haven't felt well all week. In addition to the constant exhaustion that I am growing accustomed to, I am now being hit with "morning" sickness...all day. It isn't so bad, just very annoying. It is like being car sick- all the time. With waves of true, blue (or green) "where is the bathroom." So Sunday we didn't go to church because A. I was so tired, B. I felt really bad, and C. Cole had drill. So he went to work, and I slept in. Then about 11, my parents came over and we got the kitchen countertops and the bar backsplash tiled! Yea! Of course, when I say "we" I mean "they." I had to rest numerous times. But I didn't take a nap! That is a positive thing. I think. Of course by 8 pm I could barely hold my eyes open. Oh well...

So between all of the craziness in my life this week, it was hard to see the blessings. Last night I was praying that God would allow me to be thankful for all He has given me. And that is when I thought about the reason for my tiredness, and sickness, and all of the other crazy pregnancy symptoms that I have been "blessed" with...there is a precious, precious baby growing inside of me. A joy that I am so thankful for, that I have prayed for, and that I know that many women do not have the pleasure of experiencing. So I am going to do my best to not complain about feeling badly, because he or she is worth every moment of suffering that I have to endure.

Cole left for Ft. Rucker this morning. Sigh. He will be gone for several weeks, and I am not looking forward to going it alone (well, sort of. I have the dogs and my family...) during that time. But I am hoping that there is a noticeable change in my belly when he gets home. How cool would that be for him! He has been so cute, always rushing around making sure I am okay and comfortable. He is just giddy! I didn't expect that from Mr. Cool Pilot Man. Ha!!!

I did something crazy this weekend too. I went to Babies R Us, and while I was there, I was looking at bedding with my mom. I noticed that the baby boy bedding I like (Pro Flyer) was almost all gone. So I asked the lady, and she said it had been discontinued. UGG!!! No!!!! So I asked the return policy. 90 days. Well, I might know the gender in 90 days. So I bought it, thinking I can just return it if it's a girl. Crazy, huh?!?! Oh well. We knew we wanted it. We had it picked out before we were pregnant. I couldn't get a hold of Cole, so I just went for it! He didn't seem to mind!

I promise I will post pics of it soon, as well as kitchen progress, and my yard sale finds from the weekend soon. Maybe even today. But for right now, this little mama and baby need some lunch!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Show Us Where You Live- Foyers and Entryways

Well, here we are again...another exciting edition of Show Us Where You Live over at Kelly's Korner. I am a little later than I like to be, but oh well! Hope you enjoy the tour...Welcome to the Brewers!!!

This is our entry way as you walk up the sidewalk to the house. I haven't decided if I like it or if it is cluttered. Thoughts?

The great front door "wreath" that I got at Scribbleitonline.com for only $10!!! Can you believe that!!! If you get married, this is going to be a wedding gift from us from now on!!! ;)

Our beautiful Gerber Daisies that are so happy! They are a variety (I don't remember the name) that have pointed petals instead of rounded ones. So cute!!

My latest Tuesday Morning find. It was only $15! I couldn't pass it up!!! The rug is Home Depot or Lowes...can't remember which!

The star used to be above my fireplace, but I wanted something out here, so I got a little hanging basket that has a Texas star on it and some fake foliage, and presto! there it is.

Now on the the interior of our home...the foyer. This foyer opens up to the living room. Here is the before picture of the foyer. Very plain...except for the nice brass tiny light fixture!!!

It was hard to take a good picture of the whole foyer, so I hope you get the idea. We painted above the chair rail red (I don't know the exact color, and preggo is too lazy to walk to the garage to look, but if you have to know, just ask!) and below the chair rail is our Bradstreet Beige from Ben Moore. We used Bradstreet or Brookline Beige (one shade deeper) in our whole house. Great neutrals!

This is my Cross Wall. I have seen this done in other's homes, and loved the idea. I finally got the time to do it. Thankfully, HobLob was having a 50% off sale on ironworks and ceramics, so I literally spent half of what I could have! Hubs liked that. I had two already...I think the whole project cost me about $45 or so.

Notice our beautiful bamboo floors that we put down recently! I love them. We laid them in every room except the bedrooms (which we kept carpet) and the laundry (which we kept tile). The light fixture is part of the collection that our dining room chandeler and the light above our bar came from. My dad (who is 6'6'') hits his head on it all the time. Everyone else loves it!

Here is a picture with the light off, so you can see the fixture a little better.

Hope you enjoyed the Brewer's home!!! Come back and visit any time!!!!

Rachel

And Baby Makes Three (Sunday Blessings Edition!)

We have an awesome praise and big news to share... That's right, my blogger peeps, Cole and I are expecting a baby!!! We figure the due date is sometime in late February or early March, but we won't know for sure when I go to the doctor on July 23rd. We are very excited, nervous, scared...all of the feelings that you expect to have when being pregnant for the first time. This is something that we have been praying about and hoping for, but now that it has happened, I am still in shock! I just didn't expect it to happen this fast! We have only been trying for about 2 months...well, let me back up and start at the beginning...

Cole and I knew we wanted children. And we knew that we wanted to be married for at least a year before we started trying. We had planned on waiting until we had celebrated our 2nd anniversary, but we got word back in the spring that he might be going to Kosovo next year. We knew we didn't want to wait three years. So we decided to move our plans up a bit, and go ahead and try. I talked to my doctor, started taking prenatals, gave up caffeine, and started getting back in shape. I told my mom (and a few other people...I'm not so good at keeping secrets!). I was told by several people that it would take a while, probably 3-6 months. So I went off birth control in late May. I had one normal cycle the last week of May (I hadn't had a cycle since going on the pill...sorry, a bit of an overshare I know!), and then this month I was late. Well I had been keeping a period tracker calendar on my handy-dandy iphone, and I knew that I was supposed to start. So about two or three days before I was scheduled to start, I just didn't feel right. So I took a test. Negative. The box said that there was an 85-90% accuracy rate at that point, so I figured it was right. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And by Friday June 26th, still nothing. Cole was home and I told him that if I hadn't started by the next day, that I would take another test. Well Saturday morning rolled around, and 5 am, I got up to use the bathroom. I thought why not?! So I pulled out another one of "the most sophisticated pieces of technology you will ever pee on" (we like the digital read out...no questions!) and did my business. I was washing my hands and about to head back to bed, when I figured I would check it, although I had convinced myself that it was negative. I looked...and it said "Pregnant." Just like that. There it was. The first words out of my mouth were "Oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH. CCCOOOOOLLLLLEEEE!!!!!" I was at the bathroom door at this point, and the hubs shot straight up in bed. He whipped around and said "what's wrong?" "I'm pregnant!" was my simple but life changing reply. Needless to say we didn't go back to bed after that. We hugged, kissed, read our books, talked. Just...what do you do?!?! Well being Saturday, I couldn't call my doctor, so I had to wait. Monday came and I called my normal GYN who doesn't deliver. I had an appointment to check some abnormal cells on the 20th (I have these sometimes, but my doctor never seems concerned, and the internet says they are extremely common) so I called and canceled that appointment. Then I called my OB, Dr. Wiedower. Her daughter was in my class last year, and I just love her so much! I go in during my 8th week, July 23rd at 1:15. I can't wait, although my sister has warned me that you get poked and prodded and stuck a bunch the first appointment. And she warned me that I might be having morning sickness by then too. Great.

So far, I haven't missed any symptoms! I am extremely, and I'm talking DOG, tired. All the time. I don't sleep well at night. Heartburn, excess saliva, metallic taste in my mouth, mild cramps. I never really thought that being pregnant would feel like this. Not sure what I expected. But I am sure that my "pregnancy glow" is just a term made up to make us feel better about the bags under our eyes and crazy hair that we were too tired to fix, and the bloating that makes none of our clothes fit right anymore. Nice.

So I know I am only 6 1/2 weeks into it at this point, and there is still a significant risk for a miscarriage. So why am I announcing it to the world? Well, a couple of reasons. #1: I am excited and I don't keep those secrets well. #2: I have faith that this baby, if he or she is meant to be born, will be. and #3: you are all my friends, even if just online. and I wanted to share it with you!

I will keep you posted and update on this. But, for now, some pictures of what I think will be our nursery furniture...



Hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July! This soldier's wife did!!!

Happy 4th of July!

My husband's favorite toy..the UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter. This is what he flies for the US Army.

Happy 4th of July!!!! This is one of my favorite holidays, for MANY reasons. But here are a few...

1. It's summer! I LOVE SUMMER! I know...it's hot, sticky, the sun blazes. But I would rather that than the dead cold of winter!

2. It's fun! Hello!?!? Fireworks! Snocones! Cookouts! All of my favorite two part words right there in one holiday!

and..
3. It's patriotic. As the wife of a US Soldier, daughter-in-law of a US Marine, granddaughter of a US Soldier, and granddaughter of a US Marine, it makes me proud that this day, we take a moment to celebrate our freedom and the men and women who fight and sometimes die for that freedom. I think sometimes we, as American's, take for granted the freedoms and liberties afforded to us, and the cost of those freedoms and liberties. My husband has served in Bosnia and Iraq. My father-in-law served in Desert Storm and Bosnia. My grandfathers both served in WWII. They, and the millions like them who, throughout this nation's history, have fought to preserve the ideals that this country was founded upon, are the ones that I choose to remember this weekend.

So as you go out and have your barbecues and fireworks and parties, please remember to take a moment and ask God to bless our troops and their families, because it is they who risk it all to give you that freedom.

And if you are as lucky as I am, to know or even be married or related to a man or woman serving in our military, don't forget to tell them how much you love them. And don't waste one moment that you have with them.

Happy 4th of July, and God Bless America!!!
Rachel

Sunday Blessings

It's Sunday, and time for me to share more Sunday blessings and praises!

Cole is home for two weeks! That is a major praise! I miss him so much when he is gone, and it is so nice when he is home!

We went to dinner and watched a movie with our friends S and E, and their new baby last night. She slept in my arms through the whole movie...it was great! Cole fed her- that is so sweet to watch! We showered her with gifts that I have been collecting, which was so much fun! I just love her so much!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday, and praise be to God!

Rachel

FREE PAINT! FREE PAINT! FREE PAINT!!!

So I woke up this morning, and turned on good ole' DIY Network, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? An ad for free paint, from Glidden!!! Just go to Glidden.com to request your free quart of paint in your choice of colors. Now I must warn you, I am apparently not the only person who saw this magnificent, recession friendly ad, because I am having a tough time getting the page to load. But the offer is good today through July 2nd. Hey, it's FREE! Worth the trouble!

I plan on ordering a quart of willow leaf to paint my accent wall above the fireplace. What will you paint with your FREE PAINT?!?!

***Eggshell Finish Only***
Rachel

MAJOR PRAISE!!!! AMEN!!!

Tonight, I am thanking God for answered prayer! Many, many prayers in fact! You might recall that a few days ago I posted about our good friends, "S and E" and their new baby girl. Well today at 5:00, the adoption became FINAL! That's it! She is officially "their" daughter, although she has been theirs all along to us. We are so thankful that God has blessed them with this precious gift. She is a miracle, and we are so happy for them. So is Babies R Us and Target...I think they are going to survive the recession just fine with all of the cute baby things I have been buying from them lately!!! :)

I had a good friend in high school who was adopted, and on her wall hung a saying that her mom had given her. It touched my heart, and I wanted to share it with you because I think it is the best way to describe adoption...

"Most children grow in their mommy's tummy. But you, my dear, are so very special because you grew in mommy's heart."

How sweet is that!!! I tear up every time I think about it. This precious little baby is so blessed to have parents like S and E. They are loving, compassionate, dedicated, and caring. I know that they will be great parents, and that the baby will grow up to be a wonderful woman who serves and loves the Lord, and is a good person. Congratulations, S and E! And thank all of my wonderful blogger friends (all 10 of you) who prayed for this sweet family.

Have a good night!
R

Natural Birth...Are You Nuts?!!? :)

So as some of you know, the hubs and I are trying to start a family. We just started trying about 2 months or so ago, so no progress yet. But I have really been getting in "baby gear." Between the birth of our god daughter, my husband's cousin having a baby, my cousin's wife having a baby, and another one of my husband's cousins expecting, there has been baby mania in our lives! So I was watching a baby story on TLC this morning (although I can't watch the birth part...call me weak, but I just don't want to see that!!!) and this couple had done a "normal" (aka with drugs) birth with their first child, but she had some complications with the meds, so for her second, they decided on a natural birth. And OH MY WORD!!! She was freaking out!!! Now I have never wanted to have a natural birth. I don't do pain so well, and risk to the baby is pretty minimal from what my doctors tell me and from what I have read, so why not!!? And after seeing that...my mind is made up for sure!!!

Anybody had a natural childbirth and think differently? Let me know...I like to pre-plan, even if things don't go the way I anticipate. And that is usually how it happens. I think it's God's way of telling me that I can make all of the plans I want, but His plan is the only one that matters!!!

R

Show Us Where You Live- Master Bedroom

Well, it's FRIDAY again! And that means another fun party over at Kelly's Korner! Today is Show Us Where You Live- Master Bed Rooms. I have to say, our Master is probably my favorite room in our home. I feel so calm and relaxed when I go in there...it is like my own personal oasis! I hope you enjoy the tour as much as I enjoy the room.



First, a peek into what it looked like BEFORE...all white (flat, I might add...) walls, and the "staging" was nice too! The one part I did like, the drapes, didn't convey with the house. Oh well, I found some that are nicer that look just about the same.




I am nost sure why these came out so small. Oh well. Here is our room now...this is as you walk in the door-
Looking at the bed. Again, not sure why so small...or yellow?
Our anniversary gift to each other last year. A new TV. The little table was a STEAL at a local furniture outlet for only $35.00! It is real wood and has a slate top! Not damaged or anything. Just discontinued! Painting the white cord cover the same color as the wall is on my to-do list. I just haven't gotten there yet!

This is a cloth map that my husband brought home after serving in Iraq. I had it mounted in a frame and surprised him with it.

This is my side of the bed. I love my lamps!
This is the hubs side. Our night stands are not usually this clean and tidy. Mine usually has sonic cups (at least 2) on it, and his is usually covered with change and papers. Because he is a man and can't figure out all of the hand storage items I get for him. *SIGH*
This is our dresser. I love it, but it doesn't have as much storage as you would think. Or as we need. Or maybe I just have too many clothes! At any rate, when we bought our furniture, we were still in the apartment we lived in when we first got married, so now that we have a house and a nice big bedroom, we are going to get the chest of drawers that matches. It is what I asked for for my birthday (which is in August, by the way...). :)
This is the hubs side of the dresser. It is usually a hot mess. He was out of town when this was taken, so it wasn't so bad. His puzzle ring and "spare" flight watch are there, along with the paperwork basket and change holder I have for him that he can't figure out how to use. No one ever told me that men were so messy. I just thought it was my dad. And pilots are worse I think because they have so much STUFF!!! Sorry...I have spent all week dealing with his pilot stuff everywhere as we get ready to move back into our kitchen in a few weeks.
This is my side. My change bowl and jewelry box that my grandpa gave me the last Christmas he was alive. Don't you just love the candlesticks?!?! They were a wedding gift that we didn't register for, but they are probably one of my favorites! I just think they are beautiful. They are lead crystal and SO awesome when the light hits them!
And finally I thought I would show you the occupants of our bed when we are not in it...our pups Wesley and Hugo. Hugo is the black/tan Brussells Griffion, and Wesley is the white Westie mix. Don't be fooled...they occupy our bed when we ARE in it too!!! PS- Hugo helps with the blog. He sits in my lap as I type and sometimes even trys his hand at the keyboard. Although paws are not good for the small keys!!!
Hope you enjoyed our tour!!! Please feel free to comment and follow! I love meeting new people and making new friends!!!

Rachel