Stay out of Harms Way

5 Month Newsletter

2012-02-02T12:41:00.003-06:00

Dear Lylah,

I can not fathom how you are 5 months old. How? You are so big. It's crazy how much you have changed and developed over one month! Not crawling yet, but definitely scooting and "army crawling".

One of my favorite of your new tricks this month is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. Whooohoo! I am still dreamfeeding you after you go to bed, but I will drop that in a few weeks. At the earliest you wake up at 5:30, and at the latest 7:30. The longest you have ever been between feedings is 10 hours. I am so proud of you, and even when you wake up a little earlier than planned, I am so thankful for 7 hours of sleep. You have also started talking to yourself when you wake up in the morning, which is super cute. When I come in to get you, I lean over your crib, and you give me the biggest smile. Even if you were crying! I love that smile in the morning.

Your cheeks have definitely rounded out. People comment on how adorably chunky you are all the time. You have adorable, kissable cheeks and precious chunky baby thighs. SO cute!

You love your new exersaucer from Gramps and Gigi. You especially love the lion, and spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get him off of the exersaucer. You are putting everything in your mouth. No teeth yet, but I have a feeling we are getting close.

You are so proud of yourself when you roll over front to back. You did it by yourself for the first time this month. I then tried to catch it on video and after several attempts, succeeded. Now I can't keep you on your back! You love rolling. Even in bed, which your Daddy thinks is hilarious. When we put you to bed at night, it's like a game. You will not sleep on your tummy. As soon as you roll over in bed, your head pops up and it's play time. You know if you roll over I will come in and flip you. Daddy just laughs and laughs. I've flipped you over as many as 4 times before you finally conk out. I think you are just testing me. Sometimes I swear you are looking right at the monitor before you do it. As if you are saying "watch this, Mom. You think you are free to watch TV and spend time with Dad, but just wait."

We think you are getting ticklish! On your ribs and tummy especially. And when Daddy kisses your cheeks because of his beard. It is so wonderful to hear your sweet laugh. It just makes our hearts melt. Once you get laughing, you can't seem to stop! Then you promptly get the hiccups.

Here's a little video of some giggling and talking...

You have also started sitting at the table in your high chair from Coach and Mimi. You look so big, and we can't believe we have a baby sitting at the table! You haven't started solids yet, but we plan to do so this weekend. You are ready. When we eat you mimic our chewing, and reach for our food.

Loving your new high chair

Helping Daddy Study

You are so much fun! You are definitely a talker. Just like your Mommy. We love you!

Love,

Mom

Newsletter: 4 months

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

Dear Lylah,

Better post this before you turn 5 months! :)

You really are a very happy baby. You are getting more and more talkative, and are starting to squeal with joy. It's super cute! You still love your toy piano, and you love your pink giraffe and Jeffrey the Giraffe. You love to lay on your play mat, and you are getting really good at grabbing the toys that hang. You don't mind laying on your mat by yourself, and you don't mind entertaining yourself.

We got a baby carrier for Christmas and you love it. I love it too, because I can shop, clean house and do whatever without putting you down.

You have started eyeing our food. The doctor said to give you your first taste of solids (rice cereal and breastmilk) some time before 6 months. She said we would know you are ready when you start reaching for our food and opening your mouth towards our food. I am super nervous to give you solids just because of the diaper situation....and the fact that it means you are getting older!

You met Santa for the first time and didn't seem to mind him. We went to a party that our Financial Advisor gave for his clients, and had a great time. There was so much candy, which I loved!

You celebrated your first Christmas! You had no clue what was going on, but it was really fun to see you in your PJs with presents around you. Your grandparents gave you lots of goodies!

Life is going by so fast! You are such a joy. We love you!

Love,

Mom

Lylah & Santa are BFFs

2011-12-14T10:02:00.001-06:00

I love that double chin so much!

My Favorite Things

2011-12-12T15:37:00.000-06:00

Yup, just like Oprah. I interrupt these posts about Lylah, to bring you my current favorite things. Well, they are about Lylah because I use them with her.

1. ItzBeen

A friend recommended this, and I love it! You can put in what time you started feeding, and it helps you keep track. You can also track how long baby has been sleeping and how long since the last diaper change. I use the feeding one the most. When we first got home from the hospital we used the star button for my pain medication. Great invention!

2. My Breast Friend

I first saw this on TV. Bethany Frankel was using it on Bethany Getting Married. (love!) I googled it, and thought it looked interesting. At our Breastfeeding class at the Hospital, the lactation specialist recommended it. She said that many women had told her it made the difference for them being successful with nursing. And I have to say, I love it. It stays on your waist if you need to stand up while nursing (holding baby of course). It has a little pocket on the side to hold your ItzBeen, and snacks. I usually have some candy stashed there. I love it. If you are planning to breastfeed, you need it and it is worth the price.

more info

3. My Babywise Book

Yes, I'm one of those. I love Babywise. Ryan got the book when I was pregnant and made me read it. It's awesome! It has helped Lylah be able to sleep 7 hours a night, which is beyond amazing. You can read more about Babywise here: www.babywisemom.com

4. Little Einstein Piano toy

A church friend gave us this toy at a shower and it is Lylah's favorite. She has even started pressing the keys! So cute. I need to video it. Absolutely love this toy, love the music and Lylah loves the flashing lights and colors.

5. Woombie

Uh, this is not Lylah, btw.

Lylah sleeps in a woombie allllll the time. We started out swaddling her, but she always broke out, no matter what we did. Remember this? My friend Susan had used this with her daughter, so I went and bought one at the Nappy Shoppe. Then I bought another. It's great because she can move her arms around because it is stretchy, but she can't wake herself up with her arms. And saying "woombie" is just plain fun.

So there you go. No one asked, but these are my current favorite baby things.

Newsletter: 3 months

2011-12-09T14:30:00.001-06:00

Dear Lylah,

I cannot believe you are three months old. This month flew by! It felt like I had just taken your 2 month pictures. You are just getting more and more fun as the days go by. Daddy said the other day how crazy it is that you just wake up and can do something new.

I absolutely love taking pictures of you. You generally tolerate about 15-20 minutes of pictures (including outfit changes) before you are DONE. You are such a smiley girl. I can usually make you smile just by leaning right up to your face and saying "Hi". It melts my heart and makes me want to just cry, laugh and burst with joy. (That sounded more dramatic than intended.)

You've started laughing a lot more. You laughed a little in your 2nd month, but now you are more giggly. You love to laugh at Daddy! He "boops" your nose and you just smile and laugh. Super cute. You make the biggest smiles and stick your tongue out.

You are doing really well with your nighttime sleeping. You will sleep for 6-7 hours, eat and then sleep for 4 hours and that is the best. You went through your 3 month growth spurt last week and really threw me for a loop. You woke up every 3-4 hours and I was not sure how to function during the day. But you are back to your 6-7 hour stretches. As far as napping though....not the greatest. I'd hate to say you are not a good napper because you are getting better....but you have trouble sleeping for longer than an hour. I have been reading and trying to stretch your naps as best I can. Yesterday one of your naps was two hours and I was so happy! Right now you are at 4 naps a day and 6-7 feedings a day.

You are very interested in your hands and feet. I think it is so adorable. You stare at them, move them, and look at them like...how did these get here?

You've had lots of visitors this past month. You got to spend some time with Coach, Mimi, Aunt K and Aunt Denise....

You had a visit from Mama (Your Great-Grandmother), Great Aunt Janice and Cousin Mary....

You LOVED meeting your Uncle Adam...

More fun with Coach and Mimi......

And Gramps and Gigi finally got here from Australia!

You had your first Thanksgiving...

And you are ready for Christmas!

We love you Baby Girl!

Love,

Mom

Thanksgiving...dun dun DUN

2011-11-30T13:06:00.000-06:00

Haha, don't let the title fool you. Thanksgiving was fantastic! Ryan and I had so much fun cooking the turkey together. We didn't even argue. I am so thankful for my little family of three, and that I made an edible turkey! :)

Here is the bird, stuffed with garlic, onion, lemon and a bunch of spices.

Here is the mixture we soaked the cheesecloth in...

Ryan stirring the mixture....

Lylah was so excited. Can you tell? (She loves her woombie!)

Soaking the cheesecloth...

Putting the cheesecloth over the bird...

Putting it in the oven....

TA-DA!!!!!

Carving the bird!

Ahhh, success. It was so yummy! My family came to eat with us and they enjoyed it. It was a great day. Happy Thanksgiving!!

My first Thanksgiving....

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

So tomorrow I shall make my FIRST Thanksgiving turkey.

I know, Lylah. Crazy, right?

I found a recipe on The Chew. It's a cooking show on CBS that I used to make fun of, because I think that's a lame name. Anyway, in passing I saw they were doing turkey recipes, so I DVRed it, and lo and behold...there was an easy recipe using cheesecloth. It seems easy enough. You make a mixture of butter, chicken broth and a bunch of spices I had never bought before and then soak cheesecloth in the mixture. Then just cover the turkey in the cheesecloth while you roast it. So we'll see. Luckily my sides are all super easy and I am just doing brownies for dessert. I was going to make a pecan pie, but then I decided I don't care that much. I think my company will prefer the brownies :)

IT'S TOMORROW!!!

It will be interesting to time Lylah's feedings with the oven schedule and my small freak-outs.

Should be an interesting day....

Capturing Lylah in her Natural Environment

2011-11-18T09:16:00.002-06:00

So last week I read this article on I Heart Faces, which is one of my favorite photography websites. Great site! Anyway, if you read the article, the blogger talks about capturing a baby in a special, natural way. (I love the dog pictures! Haha!) As I read this, it totally inspired me. So last Friday I took some pictures of my baby girl (not an unusual occurrence) but I really tried to not pose her and capture details. There are so many expressions and things she does during the day that I want to capture. I want to look back at these pictures and remember how small her toes were, or how puffy her cloth diaper was, or how wide her eyes looked. I enlisted Ryan to help me, so he could play with her while I snapped pictures.

Lylah's First Halloween

2011-11-07T09:38:00.001-06:00

I wasn't planning on doing much for Halloween. I have never been a huge fan of the holiday, because I usually wind up eating way too much candy. Plus, we could never top this costume. But I wanted to dress Lylah up as something....I just didn't know what. Then my Mom gave us a little bear hoodie that my sisters and I wore as babies, so I thought we would use that.

Cute, right? :)

Then, I made a trip to Gymboree. I had a giftcard, and needed to buy tiny little black shoes for our Family Pictures. On my way out the door, I saw the clearance rack and decided to take a peek. What I found was this awesomeness...

I love that little lobster! And for my fellow FRIENDS obsessed friends...."She's our lobster!"
See this video for reference.... totally worth it...

We went over to the Browns house and went down the street to a few houses. Lylah was a trooper...anytime Ryan is holding her, she is happy as a ~~clam~~ lobster. (See what I did there?)

This was right before she conked out. It was so fun to have someone to take around at Halloween, even if she had no idea what was going on. It's only going to get more fun! Crazy to think how big she will be at the next Halloween.

We love this lobster!

2 month Newsletter

2011-11-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Lylah,

We've definitely had a fun month! You are getting more and more interactive, and we will do anything to see you smile. You make the absolute cutest noises. You went to the doctor last week and you just "coo"ed and "gee"ed at the Doctor. I never knew I could be so proud of someone! We also had to get your two month shots, which was absolutely NO fun. I hate hearing you cry, and especially when you cry hard. AND, I forgot your pacifier! So I was mad at the nurse for making you cry and mad at myself for forgettin the paci! Ha. But you calmed down after they were over and slept the whole way home.

We got some family pictures taken and you were an angel! You didn't fuss once. After we took the pictures we even got to eat out at Babe's (YUM!) and you just slept. You are such a good baby! I can take you anywhere. You had your first meltdown at Target, and it was amazing how much faster the service is when you are holding a fussing baby. You really weren't that bad, but everyone around you was nervous. A lady offered to push my cart, and the cashier loaded my purchases in my cart for me. It was pretty nice. Thanks for that. :)

This morning I took you to a Stroller Strides class where we exercised. Well, I did. It was my first hard workout since having you. But, I was very thankful...you would fuss right as I was getting tired and I'd give you your paci, and it was a welcome break. Once or twice I just pretended you were fussy. Don't tell the instructor.

You are a pretty good napper and a great eater. At night you have been doing pretty well. You will give us a 6 or a 7 hour stretch, which is awesome. But after that you will only give me 2.5 to 3 hours, which is okay because then it's time to get up. I think you are going to be an early riser. I like mornings and all, but not so much when I am not getting a lot of sleep. :) Daddy helps with you at night so much. He will give you a bottle if I need him to, and if I ask he'll put you back to sleep for me after I feed you. He's the best.

You were a lobster for Halloween and you were so cute!

Your favorite things to do are stare at the hanging items on your playmat, sing with us (We'll we sing, you stare and smile), skype with Gramps and Gigi in Australia, go for stroller walks, and be held (especially when Daddy holds you and pats you). We love to sing "You are my Sunshine", "The Hokey Pokey" and "Super Bass". Yup, Nicki Minaj.

This month I started teaching piano again. Daddy comes home early to be with you. I miss you, but it's not for too long. I have been taking pictures again for a month or so now, so I've had good practice. It's not fun to be away from you, but I know it is healthy. Plus you love spending time with your Daddy.

You are just an absolute joy! I hold you after feeding you and just repeat over and over again how much I love you. Cause I do. I can't get enough of you. I love spending the day with you. When you nap, I miss you. I am so blessed that God gave you to us. We love you so much.

Love,
Mom

2 Months

2011-11-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

"Wait a minute... how often are we doing this?"

"Every month?!?"*

*Oh you KNOW she gets her picture taken way more than once a month. Te he he.

Newsletter to come....

I can't get enough of this little baby girl

2011-10-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

I have a one month old. What the what?

2011-10-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Little Lylah is one month old. Actually she's 5 weeks, but I didnt finish this post until today. She keeps me pretty busy! :)
We are in shock that she has been in our lives for this long, but then again we can't remember what it was like before. She is such a joy!

Dear Lylah,

I can't believe it has been a month! You are absolutely the most perfect, precious thing to ever happen to me. I can't imagine my life without you in it. My heart is so full of love for you that I am afraid it might burst. I stare at you, and I just want to hold you forever. I want you to always be my little girl.

I wanted to write you a letter each month, shamelessly stolen from my friend Katie's blog, so that one day I can just give you a blog address, just in case that baby book never gets put together. :)

You have definitely grown! When I put you in your pack 'n play, where you slept for your first couple of weeks home, you look huge! You seem so big, but everyone says you are so small. You are on the small size in terms of babies, but what you lack in pounds you make up for with weight gain. You impressed the doctor and lactation specialist with your impressive 10 ounces per week gain. At your 4 week appointment you were 8lbs 5 oz. I am sure you are bigger by now. And as you should be because you love to eat. You get that from me and from your Grandpa Coach. You would eat all day if I let you!

You are very alert during your awake times and I love watching you explore the world with your big beautiful blue eyes. You stare at everything. And if you fuss after a minute, if I move you a little, you seem to settle as to say "Ahh..I needed something new to look at." We are working on your tummy time. The first time we did it at about 2 weeks, you rolled over! Then Daddy got out the video camera and you rolled over again! And you have done it a few times since. We think you don't like to be on your tummy so you fix it! But it's been a few weeks since you have done it.

You are so wonderful, even when you are crying. I hate it when you cry, hate it so much that sometimes I cry, too. But even when you are fussing and crying I can't believe you are mine. I think sometimes I am waiting for your real parents to come pick you up. But you are mine, and that's so crazy.

We love you, peanut. You have made us a family.

Mom

I'm still here.

2011-09-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

The Harms house is just truckin' along. Just feed, change, play, rock to sleep, lather rinse repeat.

And stare....

...at this beauty.

(I realize this sounds so conceited, but it's my blog and I will brag about my baby if I want to.)

Houdini Baby

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our baby girl is a little Houdini. She can work her way out of any swaddle. We have gotten better at swaddling her since this happened, but I have to document this. She went to bed in a gown and a swaddle blanket. Three hours later, this is how I found her....

My heart has never been so full...

2011-09-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

...I literally think it might burst at any minute.

Because of this little face...

And moments like this...

(She does not sleep in our bed..)

First stroller ride...

We love her so much! Not that we haven't had some rough nights, but we are so happy we can't stop smiling! God is so good.

Meet my sweet Lylah

2011-09-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

Typing out her birth story is a hard thing to do. It's pretty personal, but I want to document it. Hope it's not too TMI for you. Sorry if it is...

Here goes nothin'.

We were scheduled for an induction on Wednesday morning, August 31. I thought sure I wouldn't be able to sleep the night before but miraculously, I did. Maybe I was just ready to go. We got there at 6am, just a little before actually. Which was a good thing, cause they were so busy if we had been late we might have gotten bumped. We got settled in our room and met a nurse named Allison (great name!). She said she'd get us going and someone else would be in. Apparently there was an emergency C-section down the hall and some craziness, so she kept telling us how lucky we were that we were early and we got the last room on the hallway where it's quiet. After a little while, we met Shannon, our nurse. Shannon was a gift from the Lord. I cried when her shift ended. She was funny, kind and just so sweet. She reminded me of some of my favorite people rolled into one.
   My Doctor came about 8 to break my water, and she asked me if I wanted my epidural now or if I wanted to wait. I told her I would wait. I hadn't experienced contractions, and after waiting for them at home and being paranoid, I wanted to at least know what one felt like. I told this to Ryan after she left. We both agreed later this was pretty stupid. They hurt. A lot. And I should have just told her I'd have it then, because it took the drug guy forever to get there. When he did, I rejoiced. And he gave me the edidural and I was in heaven. Ryan laughs now cause he said I told him "You have to try one of these" and asked him to ask the doctor to "give him one, too." Then I felt good. I completely relaxed and was ready to get going. I started progressing really fast. I had already had some significant progress, so before I knew it, it was time to push. This part was not in the least bit fun. Everyone kept saying "good! good!" and I felt like they were all lying. After about an hour and a half, lo and behold, here came Lylah. I can't even describe the moment when I saw her first. I can't begin to tell you my emotions and how happy/elated/relieved/overjoyed I was. They layed her on me, and all I remember is laughing and crying at the same time and saying "Hi baby...." over and over. Ryan and I kept repeating "She's so perfect" and smiling the biggest smiles.
   They took her over to clean her up, and I told Ryan to grab our camera. He started taking pictures and after a minute I made him give it to me. The nurses were cracking up at me as I snapped pictures from the bed. Ryan got her footprints stamped on his shirt (so sweet) and she got cleaned up and then she was in my arms. I felt all of those emotions all over again. I couldn't believe she was here and that she came and that she was even more amazing than I had ever imagined. So much hair, too. We both did skin-to-skin and I fed her.
   Family arrived to meet her. Everyone got to hold her. I was so happy seeing my family and seeing their faces when they saw her.
   They told us we'd be staying in that room tonight because they were full. I didn't care. I had a baby. Put me anywhere with her and Ryan and I would be good to go. But then a room opened up and we went there to get settled.
   The next couple of days are a blur. A blur of feeding, barely sleeping, crying, visiting, staring at Lylah, singing to Lylah, taking pictures of Lylah. I can't describe my love for her. It is so deep, so rich and so real. Ryan and I are so in love with her. We look at her and look at each other and it's like we know what we are thinking. We are thinking we can't believe God gave her to us. Blessed us with her sweet life. I love this little girl more than I ever thought I could.
   Now, not that this is easy. There are days I am so tired and fatigued I don't think I will make it. But I can make it. I have the most amazing husband....I couldn't do it without him. We have had great family visitors that have helped us. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.

I am so deeply thankful for my baby girl. Thank you, Lord, for the most perfect gift I have ever received.

She's here! And she's the best thing EVER.

2011-09-06T16:29:00.001-05:00

So, if you are not a fan of large amounts of baby pictures, you should probably not visit my blog much anymore. Cause I am sure from here on out it will be pictures of Lylah, crafts for Lylah, pictures of Lylah and just to mix it up...videos of Lylah.

Lylah graced us with her presence on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30pm. I think this is funny, cause as a teacher this time is a great time of day. Haha! She came quickly, and she is the most beautiful baby. She is so cute I just want to stare at her forever. Ryan and I stared at her in the hospital, we stared at her in the car (Well Ryan drove, I stared), we stared at her in our room, and we will probably stare at her until she's 13 and tells us to "stop embarrassing her." And even then, I am sure we won't stop staring at her.

We are home, happy and completely sleep deprived. But she is very worth it. Some time I will sit down and type more about her birth story, but not today. I am trying to squeeze in a blog post before Lylah needs to eat, I pass out, or both. I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining. It's the best time of my life, and I am not even kidding.

I have taken some pictures, but trust me, there are more to come. The first set is from her birth, and the last three are from this morning. Gotta love that morning light.

Lylah's Birth....

Above: Ryan's favorite...

My favorite (like blow it up to poster size and put it everywhere in my house favorite)

A few new ones from today....

Any day now

2011-08-27T11:21:00.000-05:00

I am not due until next Sunday, the 4th, but our doctor says it's any day now. I have progressed a lot, and I will spare you the details. Let's just say everything is where it is supposed to be and all we are waiting on is for me to go into labor. It's so exciting and weird to think that she will be here soon. We are so excited! Soaking up our last days as a family of 2....waiting for our sweet little girl to make her appearance. We can't wait!

Everything is pretty much tied up...I am done teaching piano/voice until end of October, all of my photo shoots are done and edited....We have everything we need....except Baby Lylah! Ryan put together this for her which I felt compelled to document. :) Good ole pack 'n play...

Tomorrow I am 39 weeks, so this picture is not the most up to date...but you get the idea. Here I am at 38 weeks!

Still feeling good!

So now we wait. Ryan is doing yard work, and I think I will watch Harry Potter and pinterest for a while. And just wait :)

Nursery Reveal

2011-08-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

HOORAY! I finally finished the nursery. It's really been done for a few weeks now, but I was finishing up my bowholder project. The other project I mentioned fell through. But regardless, the nursery is finished and all we need now is a baby!

It has been SO much fun putting together this nursery for Baby Lylah. I love green, and Ryan and I both really like tans and browns. We wanted it to be classic, but fun. We wanted it to be girly, but not ridiculously girly. I wanted her bedding to be bright and fun, and I love how it turned out. Take a look at my labor of love and let me know what you think :)

Main wall, to the right.

Curtains are from Target (my friend Susan encouraged me to get them and she was right, I do love them), the paper lanterns are from World Market, and the rug (so soft!) is from JCPenney.

To the left...

Glider is from Babies R Us, Hutch/dresser (and all of the furniture) is from Buy Buy Baby, comforter made by Angela, cute owl pillow and lamp are from Target, and various craft projects are by me. :) Except for the amazing plate on top...that's by my friend Laura. She rocks!

Very proud of my cord cover (took me 2 minutes) that I stole from pinterest.

North wall..the door is to the right in this picture.

Bowholder is by me, L art is from Hobby Lobby, as is the plague above the doors, and the outfits were shower gifts from Susan and Lindsay. (Her coming home outfit was up there, but it's packed now.) And yes, the brown one from Susan says "My Mom Doesn't Want your Advice". Haha!

Wonderful bedding made by Angela Morton! The crib skirt was also beautifully made by my Mother in law, Paula and Ryan's Memaw! They all did a great job. It's exactly what I wanted.

The hutch was my big project....It got a little full, but I couldn't seem to get rid of anything!

Closer look at a few projects:

Wreath on her door! The chalkboard will be where we'll put her stats. This will go with us to the hospital.

(Poor quality, sorry. This is with my phone)

There it is...feel free to "Pin it". :)

Easiest craft project ever

2011-08-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

Stolen from Pinterest. :)

Materials:

Frame (Hobby Lobby is almost always 50% off, or you can get $3 at Walmart)

piece of scrapbook paper

dry erase marker

All you do is put the scrapbook paper behind the glass. That's pretty much it. And then you write messages, to-do lists, etc.

36 weeks and still crafting like a crazy woman

2011-08-11T11:23:00.002-05:00

Well, here I am. 36 weeks, and needing a little bit more make-up. And better lighting. But oh well. :)

I am almost full term and I really cannot believe it. This has flown by. And I have to say, I am one of those crazy women who loves being pregnant. I just love it. I love watching her grow week to week, and I love how ridiculously mushy and lovey it has made Ryan and me. I love that guy. I absolutely cannot wait to see him be a Dad. It makes me tear up typing about it.

So, moving on, last night we went to a childbirth class and watching one of the "videos". You know...the video. It actually didn't freak me out like I thought it would, but the instructor said there is one more that we haven't seen. We'll see that either Friday or next Thursday. Esshk. I hope I can handle it. But I got the feeling from the gasps and groans around the room, that I was not the only one who is a little worried about watching it. Phew. I am one of the farthest along in the class, though. Guess I shoulda taken it sooner. Whoops....

Still crafting like a crazy woman. I made this last week:

And on Saturday my friend Kristyn is coming over and we're going to tackle this....

Source: twojunkchix.blogspot.com via Allison on Pinterest

And there are still a few other projects I would like to complete before she comes. I want to make this for her room (as a bow holder)...

Source: lemonademakinmama.com via Allison on Pinterest

Speaking of her room, it is 99% done. There is one more project (besides the bow holder) that I want to do before I reveal. Sorry. I know, you're devastated.

Hope you are enjoying the weather. He he he.

Mantle Makeover

2011-08-04T12:28:00.002-05:00

So my mantle has needed help for a few years now. In our apartment, I had floating shelves and I decorated it more than it is below. But for some reason when we got to our house, I just kinda threw stuff up there, did one decal, and I was done. So here it is before:

Yeah, pretty sparse.

But then I discovered Pinterest. If you haven't got on pinterest, get on there, and prepare to be addicted. And to find awesome ideas. I have found so many awesome things.

Here are my makeover steps:

1. H from Pinterest.

Here's the inspiration:

Source: kaisercraft.com.au via Allison on Pinterest

I found a black frame at a garage sale for 75 cents. Then I added scrapbook paper instead of fabric, and traced the red H out of cardstock. I got a big bag of buttons from Hobby Lobby for $6, and I had red spray paint on hand to make enough red to fill the H. I also had an H to trace onto the cardstock. So in total, this project cost me about $9.

The finished product:

2. Then, I wanted to make decorative balls.

Here's the inspiration:

Source:

But don't be fooled by this tutorial! This was not easy. And it took forever. I got silver tacks so I wouldn't have to spray paint, and it just took so long.... The tacks were $2.50 for 200 (which didn't even cover one mid-sized ball) and I got three. I thought this was a little expensive, and I had trouble finding tacks! The styrofoam balls in three sizes were $3-4 a bag of 6 or so.

After I did a few silver ones, I decided to do yarn balls instead. (And I already had yarn) That was so much easier. I used cream, red, and a really dark brown. I also had a few natural looking potpourri balls that I added.

I arranged them all in three glass jars. Papa jar, mama jar and baby jar. Fitting right? :)

The jars I had, except for the biggest one, which I got at Hobby Lobby 40% off so for $11. So total this project cost me about $30.

Here's the finished product:

3. I made a little "h" by taking another garage sale frame ($1) and scrapbook paper (22 cents) and making a little "h" on it with a magic marker.

Everything else I had or just rearranged.

Once more with the before:

And now....

Take a look at my new mantle:

Edmond Baby Shower

2011-08-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

Weekend before last, some of my college friends threw me a wonderful baby shower. They are so sweet! It was PERFECT. My hostesses thought of so many wonderful things to make the day special. We had such a great shower and a great weekend in Edmond. Here are some pictures.....

My Hostesses: Janie, Allissa, (Me), Kacee and Rachel

Beautiful table!

My sisters, Mom and Memaw

Me and the great grandmothers (possibly the worst picture of me ever taken)

Receiving Humpty for Lylah, a family tradition on the Harms side

The cute drink table

Me and my good friend Allissa. She's awesome!!!

Me and My Mom at the Shower

Rachel and Me

Me and My Mom before Church

This was supposed to be a "funny one". Is it funny? Ummm......You decide.

Possibly my most random post....ever.

2011-07-26T09:19:00.000-05:00

1. Nursery Progress:

The nursery is done. Except for one tiny project that I will do later (in a few weeks when the items I need arrive). I will leave you in suspense as to what that project is. But the Nursery is 95% done, but I'm just feeling to lazy to take the pictures of it any post it. Sorry. I will soon, promise.

2. I love the pool

Speaking of lazy, this is my saving grace lately...

If you don't mind kids jumping over your head and screaming, our neighborhood pool is awesome. And I am definitely at the point where I don't even care, I have to swim. It feels so good and is great exercise. Easier on the joints and so refreshing and wonderful. If I can keep my belly covered so I don't scar little children, then I'm good. Te he he.

3. Pinterest
I am in love with Pinterest. If you are not on it, you should be. It's basically social bookmarking. It's amazing and I have so many new craft ideas and home ideas because of it!

4. Last road trip before baby..
Last weekend was our shower in Edmond. My college girlfriends threw it for me, and because most of our family is in Oklahoma, it was perfect. We saw so many people we love and some we hadn't seen in a long time. The shower was wonderful and I will post pictures soon. My good friend Allissa did such a great job putting everything together. So many little touches and details that I loved! Thanks girls!

5. The Bachelorette
Lastly, I have to comment on the Bachelorette getting interrupted (Spoiler alert) right when Constantine was leaving. I was okay with it cause I was watching live and could DVR the next show to get the whole thing, but I bet there are some mad people today who didn't get the whole thing. My favorite part was Twitter posts about Obama interrupting. Here are a few:

"@darabrooke: It was really weird when Ashley went on that fantasy date with President Obama #bachelorette"

"Boehner is sooo not getting a rose #bachelorette #ohwait"

"I know! Obama needs to buy his own stupid channel for lame people to watch and let us watch the Bachelorette!"

"Is Obama trying to be the next Bachelor? Cause that would be the worst season ever."

"If Obama doesn't bring back my #Bachelorette, the debt will be the LEAST Of his crises."

"In a shocking twist @chrisbharrison about to tell Obama and Boehner if they would like to forgo their separate rooms....#Bachelorette"

Dallas Baby Shower!

2011-07-21T12:54:00.002-05:00

Week before last, we had our first Baby shower! I can't even tell you how wonderful it was. My hostesses were just marvelous! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our church and Dallas friends. Here are some pictures!

Above: My Mother-in-Law Paula, Me, My Mom and Sister Kelsey

Me and Laura...we're due a week or so apart!

The beautiful table!

Guests!

My hostesses and me. They did such an awesome job!

Opening gifts!

The gorgeous quilt Suzie made! She is so great.

Our Dining Room table after! We feel so blessed. Thank you to everyone! :)

32 weeks, for the love

2011-07-12T07:34:00.001-05:00

I am 32 weeks pregnant. And I am in shock that my belly keeps getting bigger. Well, I'm aware that when you are pregnant, your belly grows. It's just growing OUT at this point which makes me giggle.

Here's me at 32 weeks, about to go to church at 7:30 in the morning to see our friend lead worship. So the light is crazy on our front porch, but hey, it's a belly picture, not a photo shoot. (I have to tell myself this to keep myself from freaking out while editing this picture.)

That's two weeks in a row on belly pictures. Crazy! Why am I posting so many? I am not sure. I don't like them of myself, but I figured I will look at my blog later in life and wonder where they are if I don't. And it's more fun to take pictures like this than in the 2nd trimester. A big belly is fun....unless you are trying to clean out a closet.

Next up...

Art work I made for the nursery.......

So the story is I found these prints on etsy that I loved, but I wanted paintings, not prints....and plus the lady who made them lives in Paris. I thought it might take a while to get them. So I decided to try making them. I thought SURE I couldn't do it, but I surprised myself. I can't wait to put them in the nursery! Which, if you are wondering, is almost done!

In other baby news (cause what else would I post about?) I had my first baby shower this weekend and I was overwhelmed with how wonderful my friends are. It was a great shower and I will post pictures soon. I feel so blessed to have amazing friends who hosted an adorable shower and friends who brought us gifts. Seriously some of the cutest gifts I have ever seen. I love my girls!

4th of July

2011-07-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

We had such a great weekend. My in laws came up on Friday, and we had a fun night as the Harms unit. We even got a visit from my Brother-in-law! It was great to all be together. On Saturday we left for Perry, to see Ryan's Dad's side of the family in Perry, OK. We got to see Ryan's grandma and cousins! It was very fun, and that night we went to stay with Ryan's other Grandma in Ponca City. Then, we went to see Ryan's best friend in Stillwater. They had just moved there from Alaska! We are so excited they are close again, and they have the cutest little 8 month old, Charles. He is so adorable and right about now I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of the cuteness.

Then, we went to my parent's NEW house! They had just moved out of the house we lived in for 17 years! It was quite the move, but they are doing a great job of putting everything back together and settling into their new home. I love it! We even squeezed in a quick visit with our good friends from college, the Hejls.

So we saw a LOT of people! It was very fun. And I just keep getting bigger....
(Not my favorite picture....I look ragged and for some reason there is a stick in between my legs, but oh well..)

And check out what we got...

Ryan's Great Grandfather made it long ago! Isn't it sweet? And it will go perfectly in our playroom.

Next Saturday is my first baby shower. Eek...I guess we're really having a baby!

Hope you had a great 4th! We did. :)

Our Playroom

2011-06-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

So I had an idea. And the idea blew up. If you know our house, we have moved our movie room out to the game room, and the old movie room became the new guest room. The old guest room is the nursery. Confused yet? We are.

The movie room is done. Hallelujah! But I had to go and have an idea. I just wanted a little play area for the baby in the movie room. Because her nursery is upstairs, I wanted to have the option to take her down the hall to play, or swing. My initial idea was a shelving unit and a rug. That's it. But somehow, this turned into a shelving unit, rug, rocking chair, accent wall, play area, chalkboard wall, toy chest.....It has gotten a little out of control. Especially since I gave myself a $300 budget. (Which makes me giggle, because I blew that so easily) So I have sense lumped together my nursery budget and playroom budget to give me more wiggle room.

I was very hesitant to show pictures, because it might look weird if it's not done. Also, I am petrified of bright colors, so the orange (!) accent wall freaked me out.

But I've decided to share. Ya'll won't judge, right? My friends like it. Or at least they say they do. I'm sure if they didn't they wouldn't tell me.

Here it is right after painting.

And here it is today...

(It's NOT done..)

The black bookshelf will not be there, and there will be more stuff. Esk, it's so orange. But, I think I am coming around. :)

What do you think?

Going to try to blog about something else besides the Nursery, baby, etc.

2011-06-28T11:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Fathers-to-be Day to my awesome husband! This is a late post, but hey, I'm pregnant. Oh, you didn't know that? Yeah, I don't talk about it enough. Sorry. I'll try to post more about being pregnant. (Sarcasm.)

For Father's Day, I wanted to do something really sweet for Ryan. Let me tell you something about Ryan. He needs NOTHING. He doesn't need clothes, shoes, movies, cologne, ANYTHING. If you ask him what he wants, he doesn't know. If he needs something, he purchases it. (He gets this from his Dad.) If he wants something, it is way too big of a purchase for me. Like a receiver, or a TV. Yeah, like I'm gonna get him that without him. I ain't nobody's fool.

So I do know he likes food. And recently, I have introduced him to massages. I have an amazing massage lady who I LOVE and have seen for over a year. She is fantastic. Her name is Megan and she is at Salon and Spa at Eaton Court in Allen, TX. If you need a massage, she is awesome.

So Sunday morning, I snuck out of bed early. This is really hard to do, because Ryan is an especially light sleeper, and even more so that I've been pregnant. But somehow I made it out to the kitchen and managed to cook this without waking him. I thought for SURE I had woken him up, but when I went to bring him breakfast, he was dead to the world.

YUM!

It was so yummy. (Of course I made some for myself) I gave him a gift certificate for massage and we headed off to church.

I am so lucky to have this awesome man! He is going to be such an amazing father. I love hearing him talk about Lylah, and how he can't wait to play with her. Just take a look at this....

Yup, that's my awesome Husband reading to the baby. I love him.

Happy Fathers Day also to my Dad. He is such a great Dad! I love him so dearly. He always makes me laugh and is just a fun guy. If you know my Dad, you probably know that I am a lot like him. I just love him...He is the best. I miss living close to him and will get to see him in a few weeks.

And Happy Father's Day to my awesome Father-in-law! He is such a great guy, and I'd have to say the BEST Father-in-law a girl could ask for. He is so kind, easy-going, and very easy to get along with. He is such a great man!

My little girl is SO lucky to have these three men in her life. I can't wait to see them interact with her! :)

Happy Father's Day!! (A little late...)

I just keep getting larger and more crafty

2011-06-21T17:15:00.027-05:00

It's true. As my belly grows, the trips to Hobby Lobby grow. Here I am at 28 weeks. I am actually 29 weeks, but my 29 week picture is not so cute. (Not that this is PRECIOUS, but you know what I mean)

Hobby Lobby had a 40% off one item week just in time. You can print coupons and go once a day for 40% off one item. Or take a friend or your husband and use two. It's awesome. Here's today's project:

I learned how to do the flowers from The Lettered Cottage's magazine.

Here's the link: How to make the flowers (it's on page 21)

The nursery is coming along. We have furniture now! We ordered our glider, and we are on our way to being finished. I want to do a little more before I post pictures. So, that will keep you in suspense. Ha.

I've been asked what I do all day (nicely) and the answer is teach piano, take pictures, edit pictures (and edit some more), hang with friends, work out (and get frustrated when I can't be hardcore) clean out closets, watch the Real Housewives, swim (ahhhh) and craft, obviously. So there you go.

If you haven't checked out my Photography business, it would make me incredibly happy if you did!

My website/blog, My Facebook page. (Click "like" on my Facebook page and make my day!)

Crafty Post that was promised long ago

2011-06-09T10:39:00.002-05:00

Long ago, back in December, I promised a crafty post. I am so sorry I am just now doing that.

Now, I am not incredibly crafty. I have friends who are MUCH craftier. But, when I try, I am crafty. When I hosted Natasha's baby shower at my house back in December, that started me on my crafty streak. The quality of this picture is awful, and I apologize, because I still had my old iPhone.

Here it is...I wrapped it in yarn. My friend Susan (who is way craftier than I) made the flowers, which are hair clips for baby! And I added the "Welcome" and painted it.

I caught the bug and wanted to make one for Ryan's Memaw, cause she is very crafty, and I thought she would like it. She also loves Christmas, so I wanted to make her a Christmas wreath. See below....

(again, not the best picture...)

More recently, my friend Tiffany had a little boy named Jonah. He is so cute! Here is a banner I made for his "Welcome Home Party".
(Can't you see the difference? This is with the iPhone 4)

Here is his wreath, but it had a record in the middle. Don't know why I don't have a picture of the final product. I opted to paint the styrofoam this time, and I ended up liking it a lot! Plus it was easier.

And my most recent project....I am so in love with. My little friend Addi is turning 1! Her mom wanted a wreath and gave me a fabric swatch to match colors. I was going to paint it solid colors, but then I had the idea to paint the fabric pattern (as best I could) onto the number 1. When I was in high school and college, I painted some. But it had been a long time since I had done it, so I was very nervous. And I am perfectionist, so I was ready to run to Hobby Lobby to buy a whole new #1 if needed. But miraculously, it turned out!

So there you go. (I always say that to myself in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding voice at the end of my blog posts...) Do you like the craftiness? Are you a fan of crafts?

The New Car Story

2011-06-07T15:51:00.001-05:00

Ryan and I had been researching cars for a while. We had researched everything you could possibly research, and if you know my Husband, you totally believe me. After lots of research, we decided to test drive two cars. The Ford Edge and the Honda Pilot. We wanted an SUV with low mileage, a reasonable price tag (we wanted to pay cash, per the Dave Ramsey plan), the right color, pretty interior and a nice mom-mobile.

So we set out on Memorial Day to test drive two hand-selected SUVS. Low mileage, the right color, etc. (Except I secretly didn't like the color of the Pilot we were going to see, but wanted to drive it anyway.)

We drove the Edge in McKinney and loved it. Only problem was I didn't want to buy the first car I saw. I wanted to see if I liked the Pilot better. So we left to drive to Lewisville. (Plus I wanted a third row...)

When we got there, the car had been sold that we wanted to see. Ryan was not happy, because he had called to specifically check if it was there. But then, I laid my eyes on this beauty:

....and the rest is history. (Which worked out because they sold the Ford Edge about 10 mintues after we left!)

It's a 2007 Honda Pilot, with leather interior, voice navigation, heated seats, a 3rd row, and low mileage (and a warranty).

Ryan test driving it.

So we bought it. A few hours later, it was ours! Forgive my appearance below...it had been a long day!

But first, I had to say goodbye to the Lexus, because we traded it in. I'm not gonna lie, I cried. That car had been so good to me. I loved that car..she was just getting quirky and was 11 years old.

Saying goodbye.....

One last look...

And into the "new" car!

Right after we bought it!

And I love it. It took some time to get used to..I kept wondering whose white SUV was in our garage. I still get excited when I need to run an errand and I climb into it. I am so happy! Okay, I'm done bragging about my new car. :)

"Did your baby fall out yet?"

2011-06-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Just had to share some of my students' latest gems. They are so funny and I will miss them so much. I am staying home next year and possibly for a few years after, so I will miss quotes like these. But I am sure Lylah will give me some good quotes and stories as well. Enjoy...

"Did your baby fall out yet?" --1st grader, and yes, he was totally serious

"When people are pregnant, aren't they really mean? My mom was."

"When you're pregnant, aren't you supposed to fart a lot?"

"You're having a baby? You should name it Justin Bieber."

"Are you gonna take a baby?" (Spanish speaking 1st grader)

"Where were you yesterday? Did you have your baby?" (I get this one A LOT!!)

26 weeks

2011-06-01T19:14:00.000-05:00

I've hit my pregnancy stride. I am now obviously pregnant. But not so pregnant that I am waddling around and incredibly uncomfortable. I'm getting there, but so far week 26 has been my friend.

For some reason I always use my little digital camera and never my good camera, and I get really frustrated trying to edit the picture to make me look better. I really wish I could take my own pictures with my good camera. But alas, what you see is what you get. Enjoy! If I balloon up super huge, this might be the last one you ever see.....:)

Anniversary (Very Late!)

2011-06-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

Ryan and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on May 12. My Grandmother passed away the next day, we painted our nursery the next weekend, and bought a car last weekend (more on that in another post). So, I am late with my anniversary post!

I love my Ryan so much, and I am so excited we are having a baby in a few months. He will be such an awesome father. He already is! He has read to Lylah, talks to her all the time...he is the best. I can't wait to see him love on our little girl. He loves children and babies, just like me. It's one of the first things I noticed about him. Here is proof...

Ryan with Jonah, our friends the Fleming's baby boy

Playing with sweet Addi (several months ago!) our friends the Brown's baby.

With newborn Addi last June. Can't believe it's been almost a year!

(And wearing the same shirt as when he met Jonah. Must be his "baby-meeting shirt"!)

I can't wait to add pictures (many, I'm sure) of Ryan holding Lylah!

We had a great anniversary, with a trip to Joe's Crab Shack, which is my favorite!! He gave me a massage certificate (the man knows me well) and a sweet necklace with an L on it. He did well, and we had a great time! I love that man. Can't believe it's been four years! Time flies....

Nursery Progress

2011-05-25T15:51:00.002-05:00

My amazing Mother-in-law came this last weekend to paint our nursery. She is a crazy good painter and has done it professionally. Lucky me! To see my inspirations, click here. You will notice that the pictures from my inspirations and what she painted are exactly what I described.

So here's before....our guest room minus the furniture.

And here is after.....

Drumroll please....

Be prepared to be amazed....

(This wall is where the crib will be.)

It is even better than I imagined! I keep going up to the room to check to see if I dreamed it. I am so happy! It's exactly what I wanted, and I can't wait for our furniture to arrive, so it can start looking like a nursery. And I especially can't wait to put Lylah in there, play with her and watch her grow. What a blessing!

Jimi Ruth Bowen Kelly Smith

2011-05-24T16:30:00.001-05:00

Yeah, that's a lot of names. You don't meet someone with that many names everyday. But that's who she was....one of a kind. My Grandmother passed away on Friday, May 13th. She had battled illness and Alzheimer's disease for years, so in many ways, this was a sweet release from her pain. But that doesn't make the loss any easier.

She was such a unique lady. Widowed at 36, she was strong and brave. You didn't mess with Jimi. And you didn't want to be on her bad side. But while she was tough and firm, she was also hilariously funny, sweet and very generous. I'd like to think I'm like her in a lot of ways. I want to be more like her. Not afraid to say what I think, but at the same time very genuine and loving.

I think of her when I smell coffee, and Clinique lipstick. She was always dressed to the nines, and she loved gold jewelry. I hear her in my head when I teach my students, because she was an awesome teacher. She loved to teach, called her kids her "Little Toots" and taught them how to speak correctly. I think of her when I smell bacon, as she always made us bacon at her house. And I think about her when I am crafty, as I know I got that from her.

We buried her in Mangum, OK on Wednesday, after a service in Edmond. I sang "Amazing Grace" at the funeral, and I was worried my voice would crack. But as I sat next to Ryan, he asked me if I was going to be able to sing without crying. I told him if she were here, she would tell me to "Get it together, it's just a song." And I really believe that. She would have loved it, and it wasn't even that good.

I will miss her terribly. I will miss who she was before Alzheimer's set in. I will miss her laugh and her catch phrases. "Ta de ta de ta de." That was a common one. I will miss hearing her call Denise "BD" which stands for Baby Doll. I will miss hearing her stories about my Dad, and how she'd embarrass him in front of his friends. I will miss her big smile and her generous spirit. She never came to see us without a gift. I will miss playing Spinner with her and I will miss watching her win without even trying. I will miss the abundance of Christmas ornaments we received from her, most of them Texas themed, much to my Dad's chagrin. I will miss everything.

Here she is on our Wedding day. Beautiful, as always! And in yellow, her favorite color.

Nursery Inspirations

2011-05-22T15:50:00.000-05:00

Two blog posts in two days? Don't fall over cause you can't believe it. I can't really either. Just wanted to share some Nursery inspirations....

I loved the walls in the Reading Room on The Lettered Cottage. If you have never checked out www.theletteredcottage.net, prepare to become addicted. They are so talented!
I had originally planned for one green stripe around the whole room, at about waist level. But I kept finding more inspiring pictures....and I fell in love with the tan stripes:

I love this, but NOT pink. :)

So I considered this, but decided I would rather do an accent wall, so that we could always change it out, or easily change it from a nursery to a little girl's room.

So here's what we're going for (pending tan color choices, and with thicker stripes)

I found some wall decor that inspired me as well...
(Again, not pink, but LOVE this)
This is NOT painted on the wall. Can you believe it? It's gorgeous! I don't think I'd do the tissue poms (not that small or that many any way) but I love the name plate.

Love that this a chalkboard, and I love "You are my Sunshine" because my Mom always sang it to us. :)

Cute mobile and I love scriptures in a baby's room...

The neutral-ish walls would be great with our fabric:

So there you go...We'll see how it turns out! My awesome mother-in-law is on her way to help Ryan paint it tomorrow! Yay!

Eating for Two

2011-05-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

Apparently, eating for two is a myth, but tell that to a pregnant lady. I dare you. NO, don't. It'd be a bad idea. Cause you would get glared at, or maybe worse. Apparently you are only supposed to eat an extra 300 calories, and as someone who has spent a large portion of her adult life counting calories, I can tell you that is NOT much. It's like a bag of chips and yogurt.

But I get asked a lot if I have had any weird cravings. The answer is, no, not really. In the beginning, I was just starving. I would see something on a commercial that looked yummy, and I had to have it. We ate out a lot, and that was not good for our Dave Ramsey envelope system. I felt bad about it, because I have friends who were super healthy during pregnancy. But, it got better. After 9-10 weeks, I moved into a stage where I was hungry and wanted something specific. I went through craving "stages". I had to have toast (like a LOT of toast) for several days. Then it was Schlotzkys sandwiches, pickles (I know, so cliche), strawberries, Fun Dip (don't judge) and then I am sure Ryan will never let me the cupcake faze. This was during the big ice storm and I sent him to Kroger in the snow with all of the crazies to buy me vanilla cupcakes. What a good man.

But now, I feel more in control of my eating. I am eating so much better. I have been eating lots of granola, yogurt, raisins and fruit. I seriously felt out of control the first trimester with my eating. I remember crying to Ryan telling him I was so hungry, and I had to have McDonald's fries. It was not a great time health-wise. But now I feel more in control. Oh but trust me, there's still a stash of Fun Dip hidden in the pantry. But I'm not telling where.

A Baby Name, A Belly and A Big Nursery Purchase

2011-05-15T22:05:00.002-05:00

I had a lot of trouble coming up with my third "B" for my alliteration title. Hopefully you appreciate my effort.

We have named our little girl Lylah Denise. She is named after my husband's late Grandpa Lyle, and my sister Denise, who is named after my Dad, Dennis. Also my middle name is Denae (After Dennis) so we've got lots of namesakes for our ittle girl.

Here I am at 23 weeks....this was last week, now I am 24 weeks. But this picture is cuter. This dress is awesome and I recommend it to any pregnant girl...it was only $10 at Forever 21. And it's not even maternity. So comfortable. I have two and I want another one. Yeah, you need a cardigan for church, blah blah, but it's still great.

We ordered our Nursery furniture! And we are going to paint in a few weeks. Here is the Nursery collection we ordered. We ordered the crib, combo unit and hutch. So just ignore the armoire to the left and tall dresser on the far right. There is no way we could fit all of that....plus we are putting a twin bed in there.

Here are fabrics for the bedding that we're having made :)

(The green doesn't quite match, so it might be a different color, but you get the idea...)

It's girly but not extremely girly. I knew I wanted polka dots, but I couldn't find anything pre-made that I liked. But then I found out my friend Angela of "Ruthies Red Apple" (Search for her on Facebook!) can make it for me and I am so pumped. My awesome Mother-In-Law is making the crib skirt. I may try my hand at a few pillows, but I'm no seamstress. We'll see how that works out!

It is so fun to plan out her room and think about her playing, sleeping and living there. We can't wait to meet her!

Things are moving along! Shower dates are set, furniture ordered...her room is completely bare and ready for paint! It's going by so fast!!

Babymoon

2011-05-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

Ryan and I had a marvelous time in Hot Springs, AR at Bartee Meadow Bed & Breakfast. It makes me miss it just talking about it! Everything about this place was just delightful. Here are a few reasons I loved it:

1. An adorable, cozy cabin with a beautiful view.

2. This guy was there with me. Here he is outside the cabin, which was so cutely decorated for Easter.

3. Little touches, like our names EVERYWHERE, welcoming us, wishing us goodnight, etc.

5. A hot tub on our back porch!

6. A delicious steak dinner with my favorite guy.

7. A picnic! After which I owned Ryan in a game of Horse.

7. Sparkling cider and cookies on our last night, which we consumed wearing our fluffy white robes that were provided. We lived in those!

It was so wonderful and relaxing. No dogs, no cooking, no noise, and only a little rain. (But even the rain was romantic!) I love my man!

(Ignore my white arm. Please. For my sake.)

Belly Pictures are NOT my favorite

2011-04-14T16:30:00.001-05:00

I finally gave in and posted a belly picture on Facebook. I kinda regret it. I don't want the crazies to think this will be a weekly thing. Or even a monthly thing. I am just not a belly pictures person. Now, you may love them, and I LOVE seeing them of other people. Don't be insulted if you like to post them, because I can guarantee I like seeing them. I just don't like them for me. Ugh.

I love hearing I'm cute, and really that helps. Not that this is a fishing-for-compliments blog. But now that I am pregnant, I am a lot nicer to pregnant woman and more careful about what I say.

Here are some things that are NOT okay. . .
(Not many of these things have been said to me, but more to my pregnant friends, but some to me..)

"Hi there!"
"Hey big mama"

no.

"Hey!"
"You're huge!"

I mean, come on.

"Are you sure you are not having twins?"

No. I'm not, thanks.

"You are getting so big!"
(I know I have said this before! And I wasn't trying to be rude. I have replaced this with "You are so cute!")

Comes up, touches the belly (ugh, please ask) and says: "When are we due?" I had a friend who would reply, "WE are not due anytime!" (I don't suggest this.)

There are so many more. Feel free to add your own in the comments!
Just goes to show...as a friend said: "People just don't know what to say to a pregnant woman."

I am not trying to just complain in this blog. I love being pregnant. I realize that my body is the place my little girl is growing. I know this. I just wish there were some world wide classes that pregnant women could give to the rest of the world on how to talk to us. Treat us like we are normal, which we are. And tell us how cute we are. Or even say "Oh my gosh, you are only 20 weeks? You are tiny!". Yeahhh....that'd be great. :-)

Here I am....

In other baby news, she *almost* has a name!

I know I'm one in 13 million

2011-04-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

But I loved the Grey's Anatomy Musical episode.

Yes, I know you hated it. You thought it was awkward. But I loved it.

I loved the songs, I loved the singing! I appreciate it when anyone tries something new (Ask my students, who hear "You tried something new! Hooray!" almost weekly), and I was so proud of these actors for giving it a go. Most of them really sounded great, with the help of some studio tricks, I'm sure, but I enjoyed it.

I have downloaded the songs, and I listen to them. A lot. Yesterday I missed my exit because I was engrossed in "Chasing Cars." And I told Ryan to get ready, cause it will be with me at the hospital when we have this kid.

I liked this, too. This is a blog written by the creator about the creation of the epsiode. I thought it was interesting.
Show Creator's Blog
I'd also like to add that Ryan has the same baby syndrome as Patrick Dempsey. He's a baby mesmerizer as well. He's that good looking! :)

One more thing, can you enter my giveaway? So I can stop worrying about it? Go here for details and please participate. I know you are tired of hearing about it. I know I am!

Enjoy this! My second fav of the night...

My first giveaway!

2011-04-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

Go to my photography blog http://allisonharmsphotography.blogspot.com/ to find out how to enter! It's a good one..... And very easy!

Check it out!

2011-03-31T17:28:00.002-05:00

I always wanted to. . . . .

2011-03-20T19:39:00.006-05:00

...Have a cute blog!

Okay, not that this was an easy feat. Because, I'm not a patient enough person to learn something new...sometimes. It depends. But today was the day. And this took me a while. I am not going to be like the people at iKea that told Ryan and me that it would only take us an hour to assemble our dresser. Liars. You can read about that here.

So I give you..... Blog Makeover 2011.

Step 1: Background, the easiest step
Find the background you want at www.shabbyblogs.com or
www.thecutestblogontheblock.com or
ourblogtemplates.com or
hotbliggityblog.com
or some other cute site.
There will be a code. This is called an HTML code. Go to your Dashboard on blogger, click Design, and under the Page Elements tab, click Add a Gadget in the box. Go to Add HTML. Copy the code and there you go!

Step 2: Get a header, duh (Some people call them banners)
So this is always so cute on other people's blogs, but I never thought I could do it. Till I saw a video at:
http://shabbyblogs.com/
Go there and pick out a header, download it and watch this video. http://shabbyblogs.com/?page_id=9&id=314
Presto chang-o! I am sure their are other headers you can find and do the video steps. There are some more here: http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/free/free-backgrounds.html?section=3
Now that was the easy part. Step 1 and 2 are a piece of cake compared to Step 3. If Step 1 and Step 2 were a challenge, I suggest you take a small break, or wait a day. If it makes you crazy, I am sorry. Really.

Step 3: Cute fonts
While looking at www.shabbyblogs.com I saw a free fonts site and I was skeptical. But what I discovered was a whole new world. I have always loved cute fonts, but never knew quite how to do it.
First, go to this site: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/
Get you some adorable fonts and pick a favorite. I suggest writing it down, cause you need to spell it right later. Then, go here and follow the instructions. Make sure you follow them WORD FOR WORD, or you might wind up tearing your hair out.
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/tutorials/how-to-use-a-cute-font-for-your-blogger-post-titles.html
I messed up something and had to go back through the steps a few times to get it right. But I think it was worth it! So cute, right?

But if Step 3 scares you, it shouldn't, cause it wasn't THAT bad. Now, I can't really help you if you are stuck. I am not THAT good. It did make me feel like I was cast in The Social Network....writing code, etc. Ha! How do people do this for a living! But if you just do Steps 1 and 2, you still have a make-over! :)

Enjoy!!

Warning: Don't Read if you are hungry!

2011-03-19T10:25:00.001-05:00

Okay, don't read this if you are hungry. Cause you will want to eat. I mean really eat. Like oops-I-went-to-the-grocery-store-hungry eat. (Big mistake if you are pregnant. Yesterday I came home with two Slim Jims.)

Lately everything I eat is awesome. Most of these are what I made, but trust me, it's not limited to my cooking.

This roast was awesome...I ate so much Ryan was staring at me and I thought I was gonna be sick. So good.

While my awesome Mother in Law was here, she made this fruit salad. This was the best thing I have ever had.

Chicken Parm. Best thing I ever had.

Slushy from the Oasis place on Bethany and Greenville in Allen. Strawberry Pineapple. Best thing I have ever eaten.

To reward you for sticking with this post, here is an awesome recipe. I got this from a PTA mom at school. After the snow days, they had a soup/chili day. It came on just the right day. I needed it. And this soup is so good and so easy. I made it last week and it lasted Ryan and I for 3 1/2 meals. Seriously. SOOOO yummy! Try it and tell me how it is!

Taco Soup

2 lbs ground beef

1 small onion, chopped*

2 cans 14.5oz stewed tomatoes**

1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

1 15oz can Kidney beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 1/2 cups water

1 can mexicorn (I used corn)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 pkg. Taco seasoning

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Brown beef with onions*, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add taco seasoning, dressing mix, mexicorn, stewed tomatoes**, Rotel tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, water in a large pot (very large). Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips if desired. Enjoy!

*I always use onion powder in place of onions. This is my trick and I can never tell the difference.

**Ryan hated the big tomatoes, so next time I will use diced or petite diced.

In an unrelated note....They really should have these everywhere:

Something I'm just passionate about

2011-03-10T17:02:00.004-06:00

I love to cook. I don't know why I didn't discover this earlier in life, but I know it now. I absolutely love it. I love trying new recipes. We even have an unofficial rating system in our house.

Inedible (It's been years....but it happened once or twice)
Good not great
Great, I'd eat it again
Exceptional, I'd eat it tomorrow and the next day and the next

So I strive for the last one. I really try. Because as we say "If its always exceptional, it's never exceptional."

Well so this love has developed into another love as our friends became parents. The new love: Taking People Meals. I love it. Love doing it. It makes me so happy.

So our friends are having babies, and I love bringing them food. I love bringing my pregnant friends food. I love people coming over to eat food. It's become a bit of an obsession. I even have a refill deal. (Bring me the tin back and I'll refill it.)

I don't want this to sound like I have this all figured out. Because one day I may come back later (after our little girl comes) and change this, but I have a few things I think a meal needs if you bring it to a family. And a helpful video (don't worry I didn't make the video, I saw it on the Today show).

1. Main dish. It's best to bring it in something they can throw away or keep. If I bring someone flowers, I love to bring it in a vase (it can be from the dollar store) that they can keep. If someone brings me food in a pyrex (that they want back), the first thing I'm gonna think is...Holy crap, pyrexes are HARD TO CLEAN! :)
I also think it's good to bring a 8x8 dish. Especially if they are receiving a ton of food. But ask..maybe they love leftovers. Some people will eat anything leftover. (I am not one of them. But my husband is.)

I love to take Baked Ziti because it's one of my favorites and I think one of my best. I always try to abide by the "Guest Room Rule" I read somewhere: "Do for them what you would want as a guest!"
If you want the recipe, ask...it's awesome and easy!

2. Small side. I think salad is easiest, and in a container they can throw away. Vegetables...when in doubt, ask! Maybe they love peas.

3. Small (or large dessert). Someone told me once that they loved it if someone would bring them one slice of cake. They were trying to lose baby weight, and the last thing they wanted was a massive chocolate cake. Well, they wanted it, but they didn't want the calories. Again, I like to put it in a ziplock or throw-away container. But, I have had people say "Where are the rest of these brownies?"...so take it with a grain of salt. :)

4. Paper plates, knives, napkins. Makes it easier!

5. Small token. This is totally optional, but I love doing this. Something they can keep. At least send a little card of congratulations! I like to give a little onsie. They are so cheap and you can find some really cute ones at Target.

Now, again, I don't have this all figured out. Please don't think I do. But I think it's a good start. I would love ideas!

Now the promised video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We got bored...

2011-03-08T12:23:00.001-06:00

This is a long overdue post, but when it snowed like crazy, we got bored. Ryan and I both stayed home from work, and shenanigans ensued. See below.

We dressed up our dogs.

Resourcefully cooked.

Pancakes. Training for when we have kids. (My Dad always make us initial pancakes)

I wanted to do a puzzle. Ryan did not.

Read funny things at WhenParentsText.com

The dogs got a little stir-crazy, too....

Gotta go....Sadie is trying to drag Lewis around the house.

Sadie is in L-O-V-E

2011-03-06T12:07:00.001-06:00

Sadie has been searching for a male companion her whole life. Most of her dog buddies that are male seem to live farther away. She hangs out with girls mostly. She has been wanting a boyfriend forever. Now, don't worry, she is fixed. But she wants a male friend. Remember this?

Well, she has found a new love. His name is Lewis. Ryan bought him for me for Valentines. I love Lewis. He is super cute.

So when we brought Lewis home, we put him in a chair and wanted to see what the dogs would do. They were intrigued. Parker was a little scared. But Sadie, oh. She loved him instantly. And never wanted to leave his side.

Meet Lewis.

At first it was cute. Really cute. We put him in our room and only let Sadie see him every now and then. We keep our door closed, and she usually runs to it to see if it is open.

It was a cute little quirk. Then it got weird. I was out taking pictures and I got this text:

Hahahhahahaha. I am probably the only one who thinks this is hysterical. Here are some pictures of Sadie and Lewis.

Giving Lewis some lovin'.

Guarding Lewis from Parker.

Hey! Stay away from Lewis!

I will guard you forever, Lewis.

What's in a name?

2011-03-02T15:06:00.000-06:00

Okay, we know we're having a girl. 95% sure. That's pretty close to 100%. But now we are trying to name her. This is super difficult. It's way more difficult than I thought it would be! But really, think....you have to call them that the rest of their lives. Forever I will be calling this name up the stairs. Calling this name out the front door when it's time for dinner or to come inside for the night. How do I pick?

We have a short list. I think we know the name, but I am skeptical. What if she doesn't look like a _____? I have read lots of baby sites and baby books looking for names. But how do I pick?

Help. Any suggestions?

And Sadie and Parker are our dogs. So they're out. (Should have thought that through....)

It's a....

2011-02-24T16:19:00.001-06:00

GIRL! :)

Here are some pictures from our little reveal party we had with our small group. It was so fun!

The pink team. Notice Addi is in the picture because she even picked the pink plate.

Little blue team. This is funny cause on Facebook most people guessed boy!

Everyone!

About to cut...

Cutting...

Still cutting....

My favorite picture of the night. It's a girl!

So happy!

We are so thrilled! It's 95% chance its a girl, so it's still possible it's a boy....but I don't think so. :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T08:29:00.001-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Coming in September.....

2011-02-10T19:27:00.003-06:00

Snow Day and Snow Day Projects.

2011-02-06T15:19:00.001-06:00

So we were iced/snowed in for FOUR days here! The dogs were very confused. But spoiled. They did not complain.

Arrrggggh. I'm stretching. Give me more bones and throw this toy for me, will ya?

Our backyard on Friday, when it snowed. We had just had ice, and the dogs could not walk on it. But the snow, they loved. They kept eating it.

Is this ice cream?

They had a blast. We were warm and toasty inside. Probably waiting on them to come in so we could watch Netflix.

I tackled another organization project. I learned how to complete tasks quickly from my mother. Remember this? I did this is an hour. But this project below only took half and hour. While I was watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion. Such a multi-tasker. (Is Camille nuts or what?)

Before....

After. Ahhhh.

Give me a space and I will organize it. It's my super power.

Mandy Stansberry Contest Entry

2011-01-10T10:31:00.001-06:00

And at the last minute.....

I had a rough time chosing a favorite from this year...because this year I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and try my hand at photography. I am so glad I did! I have so many favorites from this year. I cannot chose just one!

I did, though. Ha! Had you going, right? This is from our trip to Europe, that I will never forget with my awesome husband...I love him so.

The night this was taken, I fell asleep in the Hotel room in Rome whilest my husband watched the World Cup at a bar. He came back to the room and knocked on the door. No answer. Knocked again. Louder. No answer. Finally! I answered. And Ryan was not happy. Anyway, we got on the subway to take this picture...I'm so glad I woke up!

I Heart Faces

2011-01-03T23:04:00.003-06:00

My entry for the I Heart Faces Photo challenge....Best Face of 2010!

I love this picture!!]

Go here to see my real photo blog!

Go here to see my real photo blog!

How can you not laugh?

2010-12-14T20:34:00.002-06:00

Born and raised in Tulsa, OK!

Things have been a wee bit crazy around here

2010-12-13T22:06:00.001-06:00

Can I get a day of sleep to recover from the craziness? Please? No?

I adore my friend Natasha. You can see more pictures of her on my photo blog here.

The Table...

Cupcake toppers!

The wreath I made for Natasha to take to the hospital and put on her baby door. :)

Super proud of my mantle.

Opening gifts

Hostessess...promise to detail how to make tissue puffs soon

There's a baby in there!

Is she not adorable?

Alright, back to posts about crafts. I promise to detail my crafts used for the shower VERY soon!

The calm before the storm.

2010-12-10T10:50:00.001-06:00

So we're getting our carpets cleaned. Before the shower I blogged about. I am so excited! Yay! Clean carpets. Babies. All the things I love! If there was a GAP at the shower, my life would be complete.

Here are a few pictures prior to the cleaning: (And no we weren't robbed. And those pictures on Facebook were Ryan's doing, not mine.)

Our Kitchen stuffed.

Our bedroom stuffed. We had to switch sides, and luckily, no one needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

WANT. TO. POST.

2010-12-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

I have been unusually crafty these past few months, thanks to Natasha. I have been preparing to host her shower at my house and I want to post pictures SO bad it hurts a little. It will have to wait!

But I did make this..

How to have a great holiday baking experience.

2010-12-02T09:17:00.000-06:00

Here we go....

Pre-baking.

Step 1: Set up your baking station. Equip yourself with snacks, recipes and make sure your Husband (and children) and pets are occupied.

Step 2: Start out with something easy, to build your confidence. These are so easy and can be ready in minutes. A little droopy, but delicious. Eat immediately. Hurry, before Husband sees.

Step 3: Try something harder. Call necessary relatives and in laws for advice. Don't bother anyone local, cause they will want to eat it.

This is yummy Southern Pecan pie. Add Cool whip and enjoy a couple of times a day.

Step 4: Take a picture of yourself with the pie. Success.

Plan for next time! :)

Might as well, I've posted it everywhere else..

2010-11-15T19:19:00.001-06:00

Spots are filling up fast! Contact me for more details!

Ch-ch-check it out....

2010-11-14T17:01:00.003-06:00

I've thrown caution to the wind and started a photography business. Eek!

Check it out here:
www.allisonharmsphotography.blogspot.com

and on Facebook!

I would love to take pictures of your family! :)

Back to the Future?

2010-11-08T19:11:00.001-06:00

I grew up watching Back to the Future, so I am loving the Today show appearances, the SNL parodies, etc., because of the 45th anniversary. I have to share these two clips from SNL. They are hilarious and some of the impressions are spot on. Enjoy!

Warning: a little bad language in the first one. If I was computer savvy enough to bleep it out, I would.

Oh yeah, I have a blog.

2010-10-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am awful at keeping up with this thing. I would throw in the towel, what would my two, maybe three (when someone comes here by accident) readers do without me? There are better blogs out there than mine. Morgandi's is awesome. Katie updates her blog very regularly. But me? I forget I have one. But I bet you that I read yours. All the time. I'm faithful like that.

Well, what's new? I got a job. About two months ago. (I warned you I'm not good at this.) I teach music at two elementary schools in Richardson. So far I have been called Mrs. Harn, Mrs. Ham, Mrs. Harmony, Mrs. Harmes, Mrs. Harns, Mrs. Haowabaeb (mumbling) and Hey You.

Here are a few little gems I have heard so far:

"Mrs. Harm, It looks like you painted your hair."

"Mrs. Harn, I gots to use it. Now."

(To another student)
"You're turning 10 today? You're almost a teenager. But teenagers make really bad decisions. Don't set someone's trash on fire." .....What?

"Bye Mrs. Harmony. Your name sounds like someone who is really good at harmony."

More to come, I'm sure. These kids give me lots of material.

In other news, we renovated our kitchen. Here is before: (It's blurry, I'm sorry. I promise if you have me take pictures of your children or family, they will be better than this.)

Before

After

I'm in love with our kitchen. I want to live in there. I seriously considered sleeping in there.

That's all for now. See you in a few ~~weeks~~ months.

Please Help a Family in Need

2010-10-03T18:49:00.001-05:00

Some friends of mine in Oklahoma recently adopted the cutest little girl from Ethiopia. She is precious! She is almost one year old, and for her Birthday, they are asking that her family and friends help another family adopt a child from Ethiopia. Every little bit helps!

Here is the letter::
(Oh and I visited the Linck's blog www.ourmissinglinck.blogspot.com and cried a little bit. So be prepared.)

Friends and family,

Our little Sophia is growing up so quickly! She will be one on October 12. We are celebrating in a BIG way and we want YOU to be a part of it!!!

We believe God calls Christians to care for orphans. Adoption is one way He uses us to care for His children. I LOVE reading adoption stories and especially love seeing how God provides the funding for adoptions. He provided for our adoption of Sophia in so many amazing ways. We never could have paid for her adoption on our own. So many of our family and friends gave their hard earned money to help bring her home and we are so thankful. You have no idea!

We know that it wasn’t too long ago that many of you helped with our adoption, but we are asking for you to give a little of your money to help bring another Ethiopian baby home to his or her forever family.

You see, we have some friends who are adopting from Ethiopia and we want to help them out. They are in the fundraising stage and are hoping to turn their application in on October 25, their 2nd wedding anniversary. They want to have all of the money for the fees raised ($18,000) before they submit the application. God has already provided in HUGE ways for them and it has been a blessing to watch.

So, back to Sophia’s birthday CELEBRATION!!!!! We are asking all of our friends, family, blogland buddies, total strangers, etc. to donate to the Linck’s adoption fund in Sophia’s name. If you know Sophia and she has brought joy to your life, would you please consider giving $5 or more, so Baby Linck can come home? If you don’t know her, but know how precious children are, would you donate money, as well?

For every $5 you donate, we will enter your name into a drawing for a prize. We will have a drawing when $100 has been donated and then again at $200, $300, etc. The more you donate the bigger your chance is to win.

The first prize is a brand new copy of “The Hole in Our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns.

Would you like an additional chance to win? If you donate money AND do a blog or facebook post about this, then your name will be entered an additional time. Make sure you comment on my blog and let me know you posted about it.

To donate, please go here:http://journeyfromethiopia.chipin.com/lincks-adoption-fund. You are also welcome to write a check or pay with cash, if you will be seeing one of us in the near future.

“‘Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40)

For more information on John and Jennifer Linck, please visit their blog http://ourmissinglinck.blogspot.com/.

Thank you so much for reading this long message and for your consideration in helping John and Jennifer bring home their "Missing Linck". I am so excited to see how God will use Sophia's life to help bring an orphan home to their forever family!

Thanks,
Katie

Please donate!

and Boomer Sooner!!!

We will miss you, Grandpa.

2010-09-28T08:11:00.000-05:00

Early last Thursday morning, Ryan's Grandpa, Lyle Harms, passed away. He was such a wonderful man, and a great example to his children and grandchildren. We will miss him so much.

Grandpa was a great fishing buddy.

Grandpa, I will miss you so much. Who else will eat dessert right away with me? You were such a great man, and a great example for the kind of person I want to be. If I am half the Christian, leader, and person you were, I will be incredible. Thank you for being you. We will all miss you, but we know we will see you again. Enjoy your reward in Heaven. You have earned it.

Photography Workshop

2010-09-19T17:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went to an awesome photography workshop with Taylor Jackson, my friend who is a fantastic photographer. And BONUS, my mother-in-law came with me! It was so much fun. We got to learn camera basics, photoshop, posing, lighting, and have two photo shoots for practice. It was so great! I would never have the chance to take pictures of these beautiful models otherwise! Both sessions were in beautiful downtown McKinney, the first a couple session, and the second a vintage model session.

They are such a beautiful couple!

(Please ignore the car in the back...that was part of the class and I failed. And its kinda dark.)

Second shoot.....

It was such a fun day! Thanks, Taylor!! Visit Taylor's website here.

Movie Reviews

2010-09-12T13:54:00.000-05:00

So, we've seem a lot of movies lately. Rented them, seen them in theaters, watched them at friend's houses, etc. So, I shall review them for you. You are welcome.

Here is my rating system:
Just do it--Want to see it again, really enjoyed it, you should see it.
Maybe Later--Good enough to rent later.
If You're Really Bored--Eh, but not awful.
Don't do it-- don't see it. It is not worth your time.

1. The Switch
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman
Let's start off on a high note. I was going to begin with The American, but that might depress me, and then I'll never finish this. Then what will you do?
Well, first of all, I will see any Jennifer Aniston movie. Friends is still my absolute favorite, and I will watch any movie she is in. Even if it's awful (Ahem, I'm looking at you The Break-Up). The little boy that plays Aniston's son is adorable. I love that this is not a paint-by-the-numbers romantic comedy, and it is sweet and refreshing, like a glass of strawberry lemonade**.
Rating: Just do it.

**Pause to go get lemonade.

2. Date Night
Stars: Tina Fey, Steve Carrell
Now, this was out a while ago, and we saw it in theaters. We rented it recently with friends, and it was a lot better than I remembered it being. It's about a couple that goes on a fancy date night to get them out of their boring marriage rut. (Thankfully, I cannot relate.) They take someone's reservation to get in, and everything spirals out of control. This was very funny, and you should rent it. It's out. Promise.
Rating: Just do it

3. The American
Stars: George Clooney, A Hooker
Okay, gross. I don't even want to talk about it. I was so excited to spend two hours with George Clooney. Bless us, it was only an hour and half, cause I could not have taken it anymore. This was the slowest moving movie I have EVER seen. There is a very racy sex scene, and the woman behind me in the theater said "Hmmph" every 6 seconds. Unrelated statements. People were walking out left and right. Do not put yourself through this. It's so bad. So bad.
Rating: Don't do it

4. The Back-Up Plan
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin
This is on ~~video~~ DVD too. (I get made fun of around here for saying video.) I thought this would be similar to The Switch, but it was pretty different. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. JLo gets inseminated before she meets this guy, and so everything is just out of order. My favorite part was the cameo of Ceasar the Dog Whisperer. Be the pack leader.
Rating: Maybe Later

5. Dinner for Schmucks
Stars: Steve Carrell, Phoebe's Husband, Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords
We saw this in theaters, and it was funny. I mean it wasn't like rolling in the aisles, double rainbow funny, but it was decent. Zack Galifaniasysks (from The Hangover) is in it, but not very funny in it. I really saw it for him, and he disappointed me. Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords is in the movie, and if you have never watched Flight of the Conchords, google it NOW. See you in a few hours.
Rating: Maybe Later

6. The Other Guys
Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg
Uh, it was okay. Dinner for Schmucks was better. I was really hoping for Will Ferrell to redeem himself after several disasters, but he really didn't for me. Sure, I laughed, but it was no Anchorman. Or even Ricky Bobby. Ferrell and Wahlberg play two mismatched detectives who try to fight crime. Yawn.
Rating: If You're Really Bored

7. Killers
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher
We rented this last night, and I was a little disappointed. Heigl meets Ashton in Nice, France, and they fall in love. She marries him, not knowing he is actually a hit man. He thinks he is "out of the game", but he's not. First of all, let me point out that I did not really find Ashton all that attractive until this movie. He moved up the ranks with me. But, this movie was not good. Sorry, Ashton. You look nice with your shirt off.
Rating: Maybe Later

Okay, that's all for now. Yes, there are lots I haven't seen....Eat, Pray, Love....Inception (my husband loved)....More later!

I can't believe I didn't know about this...

2010-08-30T10:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, the following YouTube videos are HILARIOUS.

First, watch this....

Then, watch this. Enjoy.

You are welcome.

Thanks, Allissa!!

Happy Birthday, Memaw!!

2010-08-30T10:03:00.000-05:00

Ryan's Memaw turned 80 yesterday! We had a party for her on Saturday, and got to spend time with lots of family. It was great to see everyone! Happy Birthday, Memaw!

On the way home from Ponca City, I snapped this of the sunset...

So pretty!!

It was such a great weekend. I got to see some people that I haven't seen in years! It was so great to see everyone.

Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Cakes and Mice (Not Together, Obviously)

2010-08-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

I tried to make a cake....and I failed.

We cleaned out our garage, and we caught a mouse.

We let him go in a field....he was just so little, I wanted him to meet a wise cracking owl. (Friends...anyone?)

So one failure, one accomplishment. On the positive side, our friends and my husband said the cake was good. Just ugly.

Hello, ARod.

2010-08-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

I know you couldn't hear me over the massive boo's in the crowd, but trust me, I was cheering. Very loudly. You are beautiful.

Mission Accomplished

2010-08-12T15:23:00.002-05:00

Last week I watched an old episode of Oprah about a hoarder. It was two episodes showing how they cleaned out this woman's home that was basically unlivable. Mounds of clothes everywhere. Her problem was that she would buy anything on sale, from stuffed animals to umbrellas...you name it. You couldn't even see the TV if you sat on the couch in the living room. It was completely ridiculous and might have given me nightmares. So today, I set out to clean out our closet under the stairs.

Here is before:

This physically hurts me. Disgusting.

This is after.......

Wait for it.......

Are you kidding me? I could live in here! Granted, you can see how high the boxes are stacked at the very back, but man, it is ridiculous how much stuff was in there that we don't need, want or use.

Phew. I feel better.

Sea World, I love you.

2010-08-09T20:54:00.001-05:00

We took a trip with some good friends this past weekend to San Antonio. Despite one awful pull-out couch, scorching triple-digit heat, and seeing too many people that needed to put more clothes on....we had a great time!

The girls

Waiting for a show to start....

The whole gang at Salt Lick, this awesome barbeque place in Round Rock. It was so good!!

Baby sea lions!! So adorable.

We had so much fun with our friends. It was nice to get away for a weekend and enjoy great Mexican food, friends and of course, Shamu!

Favorite Awkward Summer Pictures

2010-08-02T10:07:00.002-05:00

In London, on the way to Wicked. Oh, how I wish I was doing that now....

On the boat. Ignore my fat hand. Such a contrast from my last post. I have hand issues.

Me and Allissa ON A BOAT.

So that was nice and grand, but I thought it would be more fun to post some awkward summer pictures.

Needless to say, I wasn't ready. This is in Cinque Terre.

Again, not ready. This is in Paris.

For some reason, I thought I only needed to take a picture of the back half of the lion? This is in Trafalgar Square in London.

This is not really awkward, but just plain weird. In Cinque Terre.

You should share your summer awkward pictures....it's fun.

I've Learned My Lesson....

2010-07-30T08:49:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I went to my first book signing/reading with one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner. Before you giggle, let me tell you that it is pronounced "wy-ner". I got there 40 minutes early and it was almost full. I really enjoyed hearing her talk about her book, writing, and funny stories about meeting celebrities, and her gay mom. She made me laugh several times. Because I bought my book at another store (forgive me for actually wanting to read it before I met the author....grrr), I had to wait for over an hour to meet her.

When I finally got up to the front of the line, I told her that I really loved the book. I also told her that her "Little Earthquakes" was my favorite book. She was nice and went on to the next person. I looked down at my signing as I left and it said "Allison, Enjoy! Jennifer Weiner" Enjoy? ENJOY? I just told you I read the book! Why would you write ENJOY?

Then I reached my second disappointment of the evening. I saw the picture I took. Okay, take a look, and then I will tell you why it is so awful.

My Husband stared and laughed at it for a good ten minutes. I have the longest fingers ever and I have awkwardly placed them right over her name. I have learned my lesson. Ryan made me hold a few books to practice, just in case I ever go to a book signing again.

I guess on the plus side, my arms look good.

At any rate, it was fun, I liked meeting her, in case she ever reads this.....which I doubt she will.

Destruction by Sadie and Parker

2010-07-29T08:55:00.002-05:00

And by Sadie and Parker, I mean just Parker.

This used to be a tent that we used for grilling and giving the dogs shade. No more.

I came out of the shower yesterday, and this is what I found. So many questions. How did she get that rug to roll up that many times? Why did she drag her food bowl out? Was breakfast not filling? Why did we never take the IKEA sticker off?

Sadie and Parker didn't do this, I only have myself to blame..

I was the most mad about my claw clip getting drenched.

I wanted to wear it, dang it.

I guess I should post on this thing...

2010-07-09T15:00:00.001-05:00

Europe in pictures....

London

Rome

Paris

London

Cinque Terre

Rome

Venice

Our Three Year Anniversary

2010-05-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

This past Wednesday, Ryan and I celebrated three years of marriage! We can't believe it has been three years and how quickly the time has flown. I am so blessed to have this man! He is a wonderful husband and will be a great father one day!

One word: Hilarious

2010-05-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

Bluebonnets 2010

2010-04-25T19:50:00.007-05:00

After bribing them with treats and a trip to the dog park, this is what we got....

Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

I'm still here...

2010-04-18T21:29:00.004-05:00

I promise, I am alive. I still consider myself a "blogger" and I realize that I have not posted in over a month. Please forgive me.

Updates in my life....(the best way I know how: a list)

1. Kelsey, my dear sister, has returned from Africa! She was there for 9 months and I missed her a lot. So glad she is home!

2. Still addicted to "Words with Friends". My name is AllisonDenae if you want to play me. I am always up for a game.

3. House updates abound! New light fixtures, fans, etc.

4. Still a Vienna and Jake "hater". I do not root for him on DWTS. I am an Evan Lysachex fan.

That's all I have for now. My apologies for the lack of updating!!

2010-03-09T17:54:00.002-06:00

I have been trying to catch this for weeks. Whenever Parker takes Sadie's bone, it makes Sadie man. But because she can't get her to give it up, she has to resort to drastic measures. She sits on her.

Photography Friday

2010-03-06T16:14:00.002-06:00

My picture for Mandy's Photo Contest.

Another one...for fun!

Huge Snow 2010

2010-03-06T15:15:00.002-06:00

Some fun pictures from the snow in February.....

What is this stuff?

Are you aware it is snowing out here?

Only 39 days till Glee comes back. But who's counting?

Making over my blog and my coffee habits.

2010-02-28T20:55:00.003-06:00

What do you think?

Tomorrow I will begin the transition from 1/2 caff coffee to decaf coffee. I am trying to cut back on caffeine. Mostly because I need to lose a few pounds, but mainly because I hate that I need it. I want the option of having coffee or not having coffee...and not worrying about a head ache after. Ya know? Clelyn and Kali are partly to blame for this coffee problem. I didn't know what coffee was until I roomed with them.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

You HAVE to watch this...

2010-02-27T17:52:00.001-06:00

This is so funny. Maybe even too funny for me to watch more than twice. I didn't think I could recover.

Rhyming

2010-02-20T10:02:00.002-06:00

Me: "Okay, I will tell you a word, and you tell me one that rhymes with it."

Student: "Okay. "

Me: "Snow."

Student: "Flick."

So I'm a teacher again.

2010-02-15T18:55:00.004-06:00

So, I thought it was time. Time to get out this laptop and face the fact that it does not connect me to the church anymore. But, suprisingly, it is not that painful.

Previously, on Allison's life..

Allison left her job to return to teaching kids in Allen ISD. She is a long-term sub in Kindergarten for 6 weeks, and then 1st grade until the end of the year.

Kindergarteners are funny. I mean really funny. They say really funny things.

"Mrs. Harms? I can't go to recess. I have an appointment."

-----

(tears streaming down the child's face)

"Mrs. Harms, I didn't do all my morning jobs!"

-----

"Mrs. Harms?"

"Yes?"

"You're pretty."

------

"Mrs. Harms!!?!?!?!?"

"Yes?!?!?!?"

"I need to go bad. BAD."

----

"Okay, it's time for a class meeting."

"We can't have meetings! We are too young!"

----

More to come.....

Enjoy.

Another Marriage Moment

2010-02-13T11:26:00.001-06:00

Playing catchphrase (which I completely recommend as a couple)

Allison: "Okay, every night when I make dinner I...."

Ryan: "Complain!"

Let's Move on, Shall We?

2010-01-28T10:32:00.008-06:00

In honor of moving on from the drama, here are some funny videos of my dogs. My good friend and fellow Bachelor watcher Natasha posted a cute video of her dog. You should watch it. It is so funny. So I wanted to get it on the fun. They are all under 30 seconds, so plug in your headphones and watch for a minute. It's worth it...promise.

This one is Sadie before Parker was even around. She is playing with a ball that has a motor in it. Pretty cute.

This one is our dogs playing in the snow at the Hejl's house. They had been in their crates for 24 hours....thanks to the Ice Storm 2009-Edmond-gets-targeted-with-14-inches-of-snow.

This one is recently...we got the Gentle Leader leash. Parker did not like it. This one is pretty funny!