What Will It Bee?

Posted in Baby G, Party Time by Kendra G.

I have some really great friends.
They threw me a surprise shower (or sprinkle, as some would say) to celebrate baby G2.
Not to mention, it was the cutest theme ever!

The shower started at 2pm so they had light appetizers.
Menu: spinach dip // cheese ball // the famous sausage balls //
pineapples & grape skewers (you know… like a bumble bee. cute right?) //
cucumber water // iced tea with honey sticks // lemonade
For dessert: mini cupcakes from Sweet.
Absolutely perfect.

Adorable chalkboard sign from Etsy.

Another photo to add to our collection of wedding & baby showers together.

A huge thank you to Michelle, Sally, Lindsey,
everyone who came to celebrate baby G2,
and to everyone who was in on the surprise!
We are so blessed!

27Aug2013

DIY ombre dresser

Posted in Projects Around the House by Kendra G.

I am finally here to post about some nursery progress.
Let’s talk furniture.
We didn’t buy the full matching set of furniture for Kenley’s nursery
and decided to piece different items together. That worked out well,
so we figured we do the same with this nursery.
Obviously, the crib and glider would be moved to the new room,
but we needed a dresser/changing table since Kenley would be keeping hers.

I had my eyes set on the Hemnes dresser at IKEA and even saw one in the As Is section
for $100 off. But, I left defeated since we had taken my car that day, and not the truck.
We were worried about how big it would look in the room and
I knew it was probably more than we wanted to spend on a dresser,
so we got to work searching Craigslist for something.
This is the beauty we found…

We paid $75 for this piece of crap-o-la, but it was on our side of town,
so there was minimal travel / pick up time to get there and I’m all about convenience.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to do ombre.
I found some inspiration on Pinterest, here and here, and of course,
on everyone’s favorite, Young House Love here and here.
I figured it shouldn’t be too hard, especially since we already had some paint lying around.

I’m not going to lie. Getting to the painting part was not an easy project.
God bless Greg’s heart. He worked so hard stripping and sanding this crappy dresser.
Not to mention, the multiple fights that revolved around this project.
But… once we got to the painting part, it was sure fun!

Spoiler alert: The color palette in the nursery is gray right now. Lots of shades of gray.
As is the dresser.

We painted the dresser itself white, then each row of drawers a different color.
We had already chosen the wall color for the nursery,
so we used the coordinating colors on that palette.
We purchased the small cans of the colors needed.
We tend to use Valspar from Lowe’s for all of our painting needs, but I’m sure you can get
the colors in whatever brand of paint you prefer.
Top: Comet Dust
Middle: Notre Dame
Bottom: Granite Dust

Second spoiler alert: the nursery theme is nautical.
Prior to painting, Greg filled in the holes for the handles with wood putty
so we could paint over them and start fresh. He made new holes once we got in our new pulls.
We used six inch boat cleats for the handles and starfish knobs.

The total cost of the project was $117
Dresser – $75
Paint – $25
Handles (4 @ $1.54 each) – $6.16
Knobs (4 @ $2.50 each) – $10

I am thrilled with the amount of money we spent on the project,
but the real cost came in the time & labor it took to get it done.
It’s going to be a long time before we decide to refinish another piece of furniture.

Even though there was a time that I wanted to abandon this project and leave the dresser at the curb,
I could not be more obsessed with it now. It’s the perfect piece for the nursery,
and Greg did such a great job on it. I am loving ombre right now and so glad we went with it!

More nursery progress to come!

25Aug2013

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

i originally thought that this weekend was going to be pretty boring
because we had nothing planned and was actually looking forward to it.
but, it turned out to be quite the opposite and i didn’t take nearly enough pictures to prove it.

i got home from work on friday and my lifelong bff and mom were at my house.
i could not believe it. we spent friday night catching up and chatting,
then headed out saturday morning for breakfast at keke’s (our favorite).

after a much-needed long nap, we headed down to our friend’s house to see what they were up to.
i gave my mom and lisa the hardest time about bringing their purses since were only going five houses down.
much to my (obvious) surprise, they had other plans for us.

my sweet friends threw me a surprise sprinkle to celebrate baby G2.
i literally could not have been more surprised. they pulled it together perfectly.
(more pictures and details to come)

it wouldn’t be a weekend with my mom if were didn’t do some shopping.
the girls headed out for an afternoon at the mall
before we had to say goodbye to mee-maw and lisa.

i’ve been savoring every last second of this unexpectedly awesome weekend
and eating as many cupcakes as i want.

***

needless to say, this weekend rocked.
how was your weekend?

21Aug2013

30 Weeks [Round Two]

Posted in Baby G by Kendra G.

30 weeks down, 10 to go! Again, I’m not sure how that is possible.

Here is some evidence of our squirmy baby.
I am surprised that the movement is on the left side in the video
because this baby loves to camp out on the right side constantly.
With the constant movement, it’s hard to tell what position baby G2 is in right now.

I am feeling pretty good, but I am starting to feel the third trimester.
I have been carrying Tums with me everywhere I go to help with the
random spurts of nauseous, upset stomach, and heartburn.
This did not happen until way later last time but my doc is not surprised
because he says it’s normal to feel everything earlier and more severe the second time around.
Great.

Braxton Hicks contractions have been in full force. I have them every day,
sometimes all throughout the day. At one point they actually woke me up while sleeping.
Not exciting.

Also, after I shared my little theory with you last time,
I went in for my 29 week checkup and I’m measuring right at 29 weeks.
Apparently, I had a little bit of a growth spurt before my 27 week appointment
that has evened itself out, so I am not hopeful of the miscalculation of my due date.
I’m also trying to get into the mindset that there is a chance that we
could have a November baby… Only time will tell though!

On to the fun news…
We have decided on names! This is a huge relief because we were struggling
to find a name for a baby girl for weeks and weeks.
We are so excited… I said I want to have a boy and a girl now because I love them both so much.
Not happening though. What will this little baby be?!

Nursery progress is still going very slow. We know what we need to do,
it’s just actually doing it that’s the problem.
I am intentionally leaving things unfinished with the hopes of adding
some gender specific items in the room, so I know it won’t be perfect
before baby G2 gets here, but it’ll be pretty close.

Our other house projects are coming along nicely,
which is giving me more peace of mind. Hopefully, I’ll be sharing them soon!
I still need to make a pretty big to-do list of everything we need
to accomplish over the next 10 weeks. We also have a little girl’s
birthday coming up too that we are getting excited about!

Until next time…

19Aug2013

22 Months!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Kenley got her first haircut this month!
It really was just a little bang trim, but we’re counting it.
I was sick of seeing her bangs in her eyes and as much as I tried to train them to swoop to the side,
without fail, every morning she would wake up with them in her eyes again.
She did a fabulous job and sat there quite content, which was surprising.
I think this will be a regular thing now. She’s such a big girl!

I know I’m supposed to keep her first cut locks of hair,
but I didn’t… so I took a picture of them!

Today is the first day of school for 2013-2014!
She is staying in the same class as she was in during summer camp.
She will be one of the oldest (if not the oldest) in her class,
but that is something that will be the norm due to her birthday being early fall.
We are excited that some of her friends are back after summer break
and we’re ready to get back into another routine before this baby comes!

Here are some fun things this month:

Kenley is getting very good at her colors, she even knows brown.
At Publix, she always asks for the orange balloon, so that may be the color of the month.
Leave it to her to ask for the color that’s the hardest to pronounce.

She is speaking in many short sentences, which is still mind blowing. Here are some common ones:
Where Kenley go?
Kenley drink a water
What doing?
What happen?
Ow, hurt.
Mommy, kiss a boo boo?
Kenley doing puzzle!

Kenley had strep throat a couple weeks ago, which was a bummer,
but she rebounded very quickly. She weighed right at 28 pounds at her appointment.

Her favorite game is “I get you!” which translates into “you get me”.
She will run around the house and want us to chase her.
She thinks it’s the most hilarious thing in the whole world.

Kenley Dee, you’re getting more and more fun each and every day!

18Aug2013

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

we headed down to grammy’s house this weekend after work on friday.
luckily, kenley is obsessed with endless alphabet so that kept her occupied for a good thirty minutes or so.
if you don’t have this app, get it! i got it a long time ago when they were running a free special,
but i’m telling you, it’s worth the money. i’m amazed how well she does it.

saturday was hot… but it was a good day for a boat ride.

she wanted to help drive the boat, but couldn’t reach the wheel, which is why she is pouting.

we had to stop for a dip since we were all melting. kenley was the only one actually having a melt down.

spending time with her auntie means she got her first little pedi!

we had to take advantage of 2-for-1 daiquiris,
but i will say that they aren’t as fun when they’re virgin.

it was so great spending time with auntie ‘lanna and uncle andy!
but we sure missed kenley’s cousins.

game night! mexican train for the win.

on our way home on sunday we stopped off at a farmer’s market.
we scored all of this for 25 bucks and supported the local community.
win-win if you ask me!

***

we had a great weekend spending time with family,
but we’re back to the real world tomorrow since it’s the first day of school for all of us!

how was your weekend?

16Aug2013

my love for photography

Posted in Photography by Kendra G.

this moment is why i love photography.
we were watching mickey mouse clubhouse, like we do often in our house,
and snuggling together on the futon in the playroom.
she had no idea how sweet she was being and probably just thought
my growing belly is becoming the perfect armrest.
she was even oblivious to how squirmy the baby was being at that moment.
but, she melted my heart.
i am often guilty about worrying about having my phone with me at all times,
but i’m sure glad i grabbed it before we headed upstairs.
the picture isn’t great quality and i even filtered it through instagram,
but i will cherish it and that moment.

happy weekend everyone!

11Aug2013

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

practicing sharing by having a yummy snack together.
organic carrot sticks & yogurt ranch. she loves dipping her food into sauce.

our coffee station got an upgrade. goodbye ugly containers,
hello pretty glass jars. thank you tj maxx!

kyler came for dinner on saturday! they had so much fun playing.

after having the fabric for about two months now,
i finally made kenley’s sheet for her big girl bed.
i thought i wanted to stay away from chevron stripes,
but this fabric couldn’t be any more perfect for her room.

sunday morning, we got up and headed straight to sea world
with hopes of avoiding the long lines for the newest penguin attraction.
kenley was excited for her first big ride!

the ride was fun, but the penguins were awesome!

we watched them swim around.

she was in awe of them. we all were actually.

as we were standing by the glass, this little guy walked right up to us.

so cute!

kenley thinking of a way to get him home with us.

after the penguins, we headed over to the dolphin show before we headed home.

we had some time this afternoon to finish up some lingering projects.
mad props to my husband for completing my pinterest projects.
he found the pallet and then turned it into a wine rack for our dining room.
this project cost us a grand total of $4, which was to buy the stain.
now we just need to fill it with some actual wine bottles.

***

we had a good weekend with no big obligations. it was glorious.
how was your weekend?

7Aug2013

28 Weeks [Round Two]

Posted in Baby G by Kendra G.

Hello third trimester!
Um, how are we here already?
My first trimester went at a snail’s pace, but where the heck did my beloved second trimester go?!
I cannot believe we are two thirds of our way through this pregnancy,
and only 12 weeks away from meeting our little nugget.

Yesterday, I had to partake in my second round of glucose testing.
This is not because I failed my first test, but because they couldn’t get a reading from my first blood draw.
Translation: they probably lost it. Awesome.
I am really hoping I pass since I have already tried both flavors of the drink and they are both equally terrible.

I have been feeling pretty good. Worn down at times, but nothing too serious at this point.
I haven’t made it back to prenatal yoga yet, but now that my class is over, I am planning to go next week.
Per the doctor’s orders, I haven’t done any physical activity for the last nine weeks, so I am feeling very out of shape.
This is not really how I expected this pregnancy to go since one of my goals was to keep up with my running.
At the very least, I think the yoga class will help my body prepare for labor, so I am thankful I can go back now.

I have had no problems in the food department. Everything still sounds good, most of the time.
Greg has been feeling it too. All he wants to do is eat, which is really all I want to do too,
so we make a good team. Except, he gets to work out so he doesn’t gain weight, and I’m gaining a whole lot!
The same thing happened the last time around!

I am definitely feeling some sort of way about this belly.
It’s no surprise that I have less “padding” around the midsection this time.
My pre-pregnancy weight was much lower than it was the first time
and even though the scale says I have gained a lot of weight, I don’t feel like I have.
At the same time, I feel like my actual uterus is huge! Yes, that sounds weird, I know,
but it feels like my uterus is taking up every square inch of my midsection.
I know I’m only going to get bigger, I’m just not sure where I am going to put it!
At my 27 week appointment, my fundal height was 29 inches (meaning two weeks ahead).
I have sworn all along that my due date is actually October 21 (by my last menstrual cycle),
but since then they have given us due dates of October 28, 29, 30, and 31, based on our four ultrasounds.
At our last ultrasound, baby G2 was measuring on track for a October 29 due date,
so I’m not sure how my uterus is two weeks ahead of that?
In my head, my due date is sooner and the baby is just a little smaller than Kenley was,
but I’m pretty sure that’s just wishful thinking.
Now that I just put that all out there, I’m sure I probably just jinxed myself
and I’ll go past my due date, into November…

On another note, I feel every single little movement this crazy baby makes.
I didn’t think I felt them so prominently this early last time. It’s obvious that there are
hands, feet, elbows, and knees all over the place in there and you can clearly see them from the outside.
My mom was able to see this little nugget moving around through my phone while we were on FaceTime.
It’s insane.
I’m also not sure when this baby is actually sleeping, which causes some concern for life after the womb.
He or she has 12 weeks (give or take) to get into some sort of sleep schedule!
I am definitely not complaining about all the movement. That is one thing I will miss when I’m not pregnant.

6Aug2013

Office / Craft Room Combo

Posted in House Tour by Kendra G.

When we were house hunting, our wish list included an office space,
whether that came in the form of an actual office (no closet) or a fifth bedroom (closet).
We were fortunate to have found our house which had an office/study
closed off by french doors (which I love!). We already had our IKEA
table we scored from the As-Is section when we redid our office last time around,
but judging by the size of the room, we knew we needed a few more pieces.

Over the course of the last six months and countless trips to IKEA,
we now have a designated office space and an area for sewing and crafting.
We have also quickly learned that color makes the world of difference in a house.
Since we started painting, we are constantly noticing now boring the unpainted rooms are.
This color is Minty Fresh by Valspar and I love it! It’s perfect for this space.

Since there is no closet, storage was an issue. We opted for the EXPEDIT
for a number of reasons. One, because I love them and this is now the third
one we have in our house. Two, because there are different configurations
for storage, which allows me to change it up down the road if I get bored with this one.
I found some inspiration on Pinterest here and here which also helped make the decision.

KNIPSA Basket

wall shelf, frame & print, circle cork boards, bar & hanging containers, ribbon storage
storage containers, picture frames

washi tape bunting inspiration & clothes pin inspiration

There are still a few more things I would like to do to this room, but they are not a huge priority right now:

– Instagram prints for more wall decor
– Curtains for the window
– Paint the trunk
– Hardwood floors

I have been meaning to share this space with you for a while now, but I not only have been neglecting
this room, but also the blog a bit. I am hoping to get some good use out of this room for several
different sewing projects before this baby comes and I have lots of blog posts that I’m looking forward to sharing!