Happy weekend:

[photo]

Happy Friday, everyone! Got any fun plans? I might be volunteering to man a water stop during a race on Saturday morning. I say might because I still haven't decided if I want to stand outside in the cold early hours of the morning passing water out to runners. We'll see.

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately:

1. I have had the most fun picking out fabric for upcoming projects. I thought it would be hard to find "boy" fabric because I'm naturally drawn to stuff that is more feminine, but it has been surprisingly easy.
2. We have been working on some free/inexpensive artwork. I love getting crafty and working on it as a team has been really enjoyable. Can't wait to share all of our creations with you!
3. We have been killing it on the cooking front lately. I don't know how veggie pretzel dogs came to be so delicious but I can't seem to get enough of them.
4. We have officially started the "let's buy ourselves a house" process! We are looking at houses this weekend!
5. And we've finally settled on a name for this little boy. Feels so good to have made that decision.

Have a great weekend, friends!

Food, glorious food:

Let me just tell you right now, being pregnant and working is awesome. I get a premium parking spot, people offer to do things for me, and I get tons of food. The ladies I work with have been spoiling me with plates of delicious food from meetings that are going on in the building. It's amazing. I could get used to this.

Skincare:

If you know me, you know I have an obsession with the dermatologist. Well, since the whole baby thing, my relationship with my dermatologist has changed. Partly it's his lack of being able to prescribe me the right products (chemicals, boo!). Partly it's my desire to simplify my routine and use only quality, natural products. Regardless, these days my go-to products are much different:

Here's the breakdown:

Night:

1. Bioderma Crealine H20 micelle solution -- always and forever my favorite makeup remover. Sometimes I don't even wash my face after using it. It's that good.
2. Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Liquid Castile Soap -- um, have you tried this stuff? It is amazing. We literally use it for everything from cleaning the bathroom to showering. There are a lot of different versions but we use the baby mild because it's good for sensitive skin. I wash my face with it in the shower every night and I swear I break out less. We get the 32 oz. and it lasts forever.
3. Paula's Choice Resist Super Antioxidant Serum -- I love Paula's Choice products but have slowly stopped using them as I've found things that I feel work better for my skin and are cheaper. I keep coming back to this stuff, though. It feels so nice and I have yet to find anything I like better.
4. Say Yes to Grapefruit Dark Circle Correcting Eye Cream -- When I can remember to use this, I do. To be honest though, it isn't very often. I really like it, just not sure if it's doing any good with my sporadic use.
5. Pure Rosehip Seed Oil -- I use this as a moisturizer. Just a few drops pressed into the skin after cleansing make my face feel hydrated and clean.
6. Vegan prenatal multivitamin --  these aren't horrible to swallow, don't make me sick, and bonus: my hair and nails look awesome. I am convinced it's trying its hardest to improve my skin but the battle against hormonal acne seems pretty uphill these days.

Day:

1. Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Smoothing Scrub -- I love this scrub. The exfoliating beads are round so it does a good job of cleaning my skin while still being really gentle. I use it every morning.
2. Kiss My Face Face Factor moisturizer -- I've been searching for the perfect daily moisturizer with SPF for years. I have used and loved both Blue Lizard and Josie Maran in the past but the Blue Lizard isn't available in our area (I have to order it online) and the Josie Maran is being discontinued (or so I hear). So I tried this as an alternative and have really been enjoying it. It's good for my dry skin and I feel good knowing I'm protecting against sun damage and free radicals. Plus, I can pick it up locally.

Happy weekend:

[photo]

Happy Friday! What is is about short work weeks? They always seem so much longer. So I'm that much happier that Friday is finally here. Have any fun plans for the weekend? We are going to pick up some new swim goggles and hit up the pool. And this might be the first weekend in a long while that we aren't going out in search of a dresser (the search is over, more on that later). So, short of a swim or two, we will be having a relaxing weekend of hanging out, snacking, and knitting. Good thing too, because it is insanely cold out!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Stay warm and dry.

So long, chair:

So, remember last week when I posted about our new chair? Well, my big plans are officially out the window. It's just not going to work out. And while we're bummed, some things just don't quite happen like you plan. We're chalking it up to a learning experience.

I was off work on Monday, so I decided to tackle the chair project. Up first? Demolition. We had to completely strip the chair of all that worn and nasty upholstery. Our plan was to take it down to the frame, re-wrap it, and upholster it with a lovely dove gray velvet I had found. But when we took it apart, it became obvious pretty quickly that it was going to be more a problem than I had anticipated. So we stripped it, inspected it, re-evaluated, and ultimately made the decision to let it go. 

Here are all the factors that influenced our final decision:

1. The chair was a lot older than we had initially suspected, which isn't a deal breaker, but could present problems down the road.
2. One of the pieces of wood that made up the base of the chair was split, so that would have to be removed and completely replaced.
3. One of the arms was loose so it would have to be bolted/screwed in multiple places to make it secure.
4. It had been reupholstered so many times the wood frame (especially around the top) had so many holes from years of staples that we were afraid the new upholstery wouldn't hold. Seriously, it looked like it had a serious case of termites.
5. The channels in the barrel back were sewn by machine, hand-stuffed, and then hand-stitched which made it incredibly labor intensive (and potentially stress inducing).
6. When we added up the cost of materials (new legs, new cushion, upholstery, repairs, etc) the total project would run us upwards of $300 -- not bad for a chair that was free to begin with but not what we had anticipated. I figure if we're going to shell out that kind of money, I'd rather invest in furniture that's in better condition and could potentially be with our family for the long haul.

I wouldn't call it a fail, just an opportunity that didn't work out. The same thing happened with the ottoman we had envisioned pairing it with. So, yes, I'm bummed that all my ideas keep falling through but the positive in all this is that it's led us down other roads. We have been exploring our options and I think we've found something that will work even better for us. So, this whole process helped us to become better in tune with what we want. See? Learning experience.

We love:

We love all things Wes Anderson. He's probably my most favorite director. I love his movies (I am so excited for the Grand Budapest Hotel!)

I stumbled upon this video last week and cannot stop watching it. It's a montage of the best scenes from some of Anderson's greatest movies (plus one really great Shins song!).

So sit back on this Monday morning and enjoy over four minutes of strange, witty goodness -- Anderson at his best.

Happy weekend:

[photo]

Happy Friday, everyone! So glad it's finally the weekend. What are you doing with your days off? Got any fun plans? We are continuing our search for the perfect dresser. And hopefully, there will be a few trips to the lap pool somewhere along the way.

Here's what's been going on with us lately:

1. We've been gathering up ideas/materials to tackle the great chair reupholstering of 2014.
2. We've been spending the majority of our weekends checking out every antique store, thrift store, and flea market in the area to find the ideal dresser. The search is still ongoing. We should have a recap of our journey for you once we've met our match.
3. Andrew's been a little under the weather this week so we've spent a lot of evenings snacking in bed. And I've been loving every minute of it (not the whole sick part, just the snacking in bed).
4. The weather has been warm this week. I've taken advantage of it by going on long walks with Tillie and good friends.
5. I cannot get enough of (veggie) hot dogs lately, which is weird because all my life I've hated hot dogs.

Have a great weekend, friends! 

The story of our new chair:

The other day, Andrew and I were driving home when we spotted this beauty sitting out by the curb in front of someone's house:

The really great thing about this chair? It's our new chair for the future nursery. Intrigued? Appalled? Click through to find out more.

New reads:

This week, I'm reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. We are reading it at my book club at work and while it's been on my "to read" list for over a year, I'm only now getting around to reading it. That's just one more way I benefit from being in this group with some pretty awesome ladies -- not only do they introduce me to new genres, authors, and stories that I never would have found on my own, they make me actually sit down and read those "I've been meaning to" books on my list.

Here's what it's about:

"Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work 'draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.' Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media -- as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents -- the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter -- but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around."

Happy Weekend:

[photo]

Happy Friday, friends! What are you doing this weekend? We are on a mission to hunt down the perfect dresser so we plan on hitting up some thrift stores/antique stores/garage sales. And hopefully we can find some time to sneak in a swim or two.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Stay warm out there!

It's a...

That's right! Baby Sever is a boy! Everything looks perfect and we are over the moon excited. Now we just have to figure out a name for this little guy. Because, seriously, I have yet to find a boy name that I like, even a little.

We're celebrating today by snacking on some super cute blue frosted cookies provided by the lovely girls in my office. And I can finally start knitting/sewing up a storm, now that I know what colors to use!

We can't wait to get started!

A very big day:

[photo]

Happy Monday, folks. Today is the day we find out if we're having a boy or girl! So, look for that announcement happening soon.

It's guaranteed to be an exciting day for us. Hope your Monday is just as fun-filled!

Happy Weekend:

[photo]

Happy Friday, friends! What are you doing with your time off? Got any fun plans? I'm having dinner tonight with two of my oldest friends before one of them heads back to Delaware tomorrow. And due to the holidays (and general laziness), we've been slacking a little on the house cleaning. So, a big chunk of our weekend will be sacrificed to the cleaning gods, I'm afraid. But hopefully we will be able to squeeze in a swim and a nice, long family walk.

And here's a little of what our week has been like:

1. We spent New Year's Eve laughing and celebrating with friends. I didn't make it to midnight but we still had a blast.
2. I bought way too many shoes at Dillard's New Year's Day sale.
3. We joined a new gym -- and the pool is nice (Andrew got me an underwater MP3 player for Christmas and I am crazy excited to try it out!)
4. We scored a free arm chair for the nursery. I'll share pics soon!
5. We've been hitting up the garage/yard sale circuit to find the perfect (and cheap) dresser. Anyone have one they want taken off their hands?

Today is my nephew's birthday! Happy Birthday, T! I can't believe you are 12 years old already!

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone! XO.

Happy Birthday:

A very special girl celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday. We celebrated with plenty of yummy treats, quality snuggle time, and photos to mark the occasion, of course. We love that little pup.

Happy Birthday, Tillie! We love you!

Resolutions:

Let's take a look back at last year's resolutions, shall we? I think it was a pretty successful year.

How we did: Done! And then some. See more here.

How we did: We haven't made the move yet. But it is totally happening in 2014. As soon as we buy a house, it's on!

How we did: I think we did a decent job of stepping away from technology this year. It's a lifestyle really, so I think we'll get better as we go.

How we did: To tell you the truth, learning to make really good bread is a long process. I don't know why I thought we could tackle this in a single year and be done with it. It's an evolution. It takes a lot of making mistakes and learning from them. So, while we did better this year than the year before, we definitely have a long way to go. 

I've made some goals for 2014 as well. Read more after the jump!

2014:

Happy 2014, everyone! Hope your new year starts off right! We're celebrating today by staying home, cuddling with a pup (who is celebrating her birthday today, btw), and eating delicious food.