While I've been sleeping...

Or resting I should say...I have found myself sitting with my feet propped up a little more then usual.  Normally my day starts around 5:30 in the morning but lately I can barely drag myself out of bed before 7.   I am also use to coming home and working around the house or on the photography biz but lately I have been feeling super lazy and uninspired to do anything besides lift the remote or type in a web address....what can I say?  I am feeling all of the benefits of being preggo.  So I thought I would share with you all what has been keeping me entertained while I sit on my throne {aka the comfy chair with a foot stool and tv tray right beside}

I found this sweet little blog- Tales of me and the husband- with the most amazing love story! This is a lady with such an honest writing voice and is un-apologetically  imperfect. I like bloggers who keep it real! It is so hard to find new blogs that I love so I was very happy with this little discovery.  I spent an entire afternoon creeping on her blog because it was so interesting {and what else did I have to do except feel crappy?} And we have all been guilty of blog creeping!


I also found this sweet little online magazine, The Violet - full of great pictures and ideas I am excited to re-read it and look forward to next months issue. 

Secrets of a Stylist on HGTV- Emily has the best eye and I love, love, LOVE absolutely everything that she touches.  She also won my heart because we see eye to eye on the new contestants of Design Star and she runs her own blog!  How cool is this girl?  I sometimes pretend we are best friends.  If you have OnDemand tv you can watch her entire first season on HGTV- I know I did in one afternoon...I told you I have been laaaaazy!

The movie Arther.  I dunno if it is the nanny or british accents that got to me.  Both hysterical and sweet it is a movie I could watch over and over again.  Excellent casting choices and nice fluffy stuff that makes you feel good.

The Stephanie Plum series.  I began reading these books almost 10 years ago when I moved to New York after my cousin recommended them.  About a lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter these books will make you laugh out loud.  I had to stop reading them in public places like the airport because I cannot hold my laughter in.  They drive my husband crazy because he wants to know what is so funny!  I believe there are 17 books in the series and if you like comedy and mysteries all wrapped up into one Jerseylicious journey then read One for the Money- if you don't fall in love with Stephanie and her friends- I'll pay you back for the book! {They are also making it into a movie starring Katherine Heigl - I am skeptical of her playing Stephanie but we will see if she can pull it off}

I also watched the movie Limitless.  I  was really looking forward to this movie.  I mean 2 hours of looking at Bradley Cooper?  Yes please!  But sadly I was extremely disappointed with this movie.  Not only with it's horribly abrupt ending but also the message that it sent out.  I thought it's message would be that it best to work for what you have in life -whether it be monetary or intellectual- not take a pill to acquire these things. But that is not the message that I got.  Has anyone else seen this movie?  Did you like it?

And last but not least my newest pregnancy book.  Of course I started with all the basics- What to Expect

when you Expecting, My pregnancy week by week but they just weren't doing it for me.  They were full of do's and don't and inflicting guilt of all the things I was going to do to hurt my baby and nothing to make me feel a little more at ease with the MAJOR changes going on in my body that were out of my control.  Then I found my book- Pregnancy Sucks When your miracle makes you miserable by Joanne Kimes.  It was life changing.  There are medications I can take to make myself feel better with out causing my baby to come out deformed.  Oh, and I can eat soft cheese with out being a selfish mother as long as the milk has been pasteurized.  Have you ever read the ingredients of blue cheese?  I do not recommend it - if you like it continue to eat it in ignorant bliss {but not while you are pregnancy cause it definitely not made with pasteurized milk unless it is made by Kraft}


What are some of your favorite things to do when you are couch bound or have a lack of motivation to do anything? Please share as I am running out of things to do!!!

A wing back chair for $30...

This is my new wing back chair-  I am in love and so are the kitties.  There is just something about the colors that makes me drool.  Am currently looking for the purfect pillows to go with it.  I am sure it will find me.

Morning sickness has gotten better- well at least it is staying to the morning now-instead of morning, noon, and night. We are going to Chicago this weekend which is a 2 1/2 hour trip so wish me luck cause thats a lot of time in the car!  Hopefully I'll keep my cookies the whole time and this whole nausea thing will be behind me {knock on wood}.

I really, really, REALLY hope we can make it to IKEA.  I only get to go once a year and I love it so much.  I wanna check out the sectionals and see what they have to offer.  Of course I will also fill our cart full of many little things that Ryan will find completely useless but I will plead that I cannot live without....this is what always happens at IKEA.  The problem is that IKEA is sooooo big that if you pass something up and then later realize you do want it- it's too late, you are too far gone to go allllll the way back and get it.  So I load up the cart with absolutely everything I think I will want and when we get to the end I sort it all out.  It's my process and it completely freaks Ryan out.

So next week I will be back with more pictures, goings on, baby stuff, and more photo shoots!  I hope my energy level continues to go up as my body adjusts to what is going on.  This little blog is in desperate need of some attention!

Where I come from...

Where I come from...

We have corn on all four sides...

People still wave hello...

Summertime if for ballparks and BBQs...

Friends have been friends since childhood {my husband has had the same best friend since the 4th grade}...

We eat at a bar called Billy Bob's {true story, my dad made me eat there before I left town, so I would remember where I came from!}...

Friendly neighborhood dogs stop by the school to say hey to the kids...

Getting stuck behind a tractor is to be expected...

We love chili and fish fry's...

You can leave your car running while your run into the grocery store {apparently if you do this in New York people freak out and think you are crazy!}...

Tractor pulls, drag racing, rodeos, county fairs, and small town festivals are weekend activities...

I come from a small town.

The wedges that changed my mind...

I was never really a wedge shoe kind of girl.  I mean don't get me wrong there are cute wedges out there but there are also some really ugo ones.  This makes me not trust the wedge.  I can never be convinced enough to wear them.  Until now.  Meet these lovely ladies....

These wedges had me saying "I do!".  They were so comfy and I got so many compliments on them.  I could wear them for hours running around like a crazy woman and my feet never hurt me!  It was like heels but with no pain.  It felt amazing and I will definitely be looking to add a few more to my summer wardrobe.

Laundry room inspiration and an easy project...

So I am totally in love with this laundry room done by Heather Bullard.  It is so simple and chic.  Oh, did I mention sunny?!  I do laundry in the deep, dark crevices of my basement.  Where the sun never shines and spooky noises scare me back upstairs...don't laugh at me the kitties get scared too {Ryan thinks we are all big chickens}.  It is also necessary to put on a pair of Uggs and a heavy winter coat to do laundry in the winter.

image via Heather Bullard

As far as efficient though I couldn't ask for more.  I have fashioned an old entertainment center into my own laundry mecca.  It has everything you would ever need to do laundry:

A good stain fighter

Extra fabric softener

Detergent on reserve

Hangers for hang dry only clothing

Laundry basket

Rags

Special detergent for dark colors only

Mesh bag for delicate items

Bleach {Clorox Clean Line -brightest whites ever!}

How do you organize your laundry area?  Or what are some of your best tricks for fighting stains, fading, or ruining dedicates?  You wanna know my stain fighting secret???  It this thing call Red Wine Stain Remover. 

This stuff will take out the worst stains you can imagine.  It is like magic in a little spray bottle.  Doesn't leave behind fading or spots.  It is one of the best cleaning products I have ever come across in a long, long time.  

But what I really wanted to share with you, now that I have gotten all off topic, is this great idea.  Did you notice the mirror in the laundry room I shared with you?!?  That mirror looked new when she bought it so she put it out on her porch for nine months to weather it!  I think I can handle that!  Next time I hit up Goodwill or Restore I'm gonna have mirrors on my list!

image via Heather Bullard

The curious case of the lilac bandit...

Sometimes I steal...but it's just flowers!  I can't help myself.  Usually I take them from roadsides or state parks and not yards {most of the time} but last Thursday it was so sunny and wonderful outside for the first time in weeks {or it felt that way at least} that I had to have some flowers.

I decided on the drive home from work that I was going to sneak over next door and take some.  Now this may seem very brave of me at 12:30 on a Thursday afternoon but no one lives next door!  It is a scary, run down old house that is being torn down this spring/summer.  So is it really stealing?  I'm not sure but I went over and got me some lilac branches and some other leafy greens.  Just call me the lilac bandit.

Lilacs make me think of spring and home.  Growing up we lived {in many houses but one was} in a restored Victorian house that had 5 or more lilac bushes in it's old garden {it also has peonies, roses, 2 apple trees, and an old sea- saw hidden back in a small grove of trees- doesn't it sound like the best vintage garden ever? it was to me}.  It was the best in the spring my mom would have a big vase of lilacs on the dining room table and the fragrance would just fill the whole house.  I guess I wanted to re-create that in my own home.  So here is my spin on lilacs.

I have some really fun stuff to share with you this week.  Two really fun projects {and one tutorial I am working on!}, some house updates, along with some wedding inspiration, and a new series to introduce {which I think your kind of gonna love...}. And of course Travel Tuesday tomorrow!  It's gonna be a busy week and I am so excited to get going!  Just a hint of what it to come- I bought some paint this weekend called retro green...soooo in love with it!

A birthday of sorts...

Seems like kind of a big number huh?  At least if does to me.  For the last two years I have been working away on this little blog and today I am writing my 150th post!  When I first started blogging I had just become engaged and I was just looking for a way to share all my DIY projects {like these cute nests} with friends and family.  Now blogging is a one of my favorite hobbies.  I honestly don't know what I would do with out it.

After living so many different places it can be hard for me at times to realize that I am here in Illinois to stay.  No more big cities and crazy adventures meeting new and inspiring people all the time.  I am not a typical girl around here and sometimes it can get a little lonely and I could get restless.  But blogging gives me a way to explore the world and meet new people everyday.  People who inspire me with their honest words, pictures, homes, and relationships.  It is a connection unlike any other community I have known.  And you know what?  I LOVE it!

I work every day on making 906 a better space to explore.  Thanks for tuning in!  I hope you enjoy this little corner of the world that means so much to me.  To celebrate this day and our wonderful friendship here are some links of what I am loving right now...

This new line of bridal gowns {I know I am married but I can't stop looking- plus I watch this line being built from the ground up on the designers blog- AMAZING!!!}If I hadn't already bought my dress when I found her blog I would have had her make my wedding dress.  They are so dreamy and romantic!

This Easter feast!  This foodie blogger makes my mouth water with her pictures.  Her touches with vintage utensils inspired me to start collecting my own.  I have already had some compliments on my budding collection.

I want to make one of these bowties!  Such a cute idea but this little tie also stole my heart.  First I need to actually have a little man to put them on but we will get there!  But I know some of you readers do!

I love to travel vicariously through this blogger!  She is a pro trip planner and has a ton more insight then I could ever hope to give you on being an ex-pat and traveling the world...

And finally here are two mama bloggers that I look up too and love their ideas and thoughts on raising a child.  Maybe if you can't tell I have babies on the brain!  Maybe it is because my maternity insurance went into effect as of the beginning of the month...no baby on board yet but you can never be too prepared.

Maybe these links will make your Thursday go by a little faster.  I am looking forward to my half day at work, getting some stuff done around the house, and maybe getting to a couple new projects {like the chandelier I just bought for the kitchen...}

Bubble tents...

Image via

I am not an outdoorsie kind of girl.  Don't get me wrong I would like to be an outdoorsie kind of girl but am extremely allergic to Poison Ivy.  Not much fun to go camping or hiking with the possibility that your entire body is going to be covered in red itchyness.

Image via

But these adorable see through tents have me wanting to try it one more time!  How romantic would it be to fall asleep looking at a spectacular view all around you?  These tents call for a cool destination.  I am thinking Hawaii or the Grand Canyon.  Not just any old place around Illinois.  Not cool enough for the risk of bumps.

Image via

Do you enjoy camping?  And if so what are some of the things that you do to lighten' the "roughing it" load?

olympic mittens

I want a pair of these!!! Even though I have no desire to watch the Olympics I still must have a pair of these too cute mittens! I guess I could get into sports if I got something cute to wear out of it. And for only $10.00 bucks a pop - that's any recession woman's dream!

The not so chic hoodie footie

Here is something I am sure every groom wants as far away from his honeymoon as possible!!! I got a good laugh at this today when a friend told me to look it up on google. I thought I would share the hoodie footie with you. Hope you all have a happy Friday tomorrow!