Maytag Bravo {a story about a new washer and dryer}...

A couple of weeks ago me and the hubs went to Menards {or SaveBigMonies like Ryan's Opa calls it}.  We needed new doormats and some light bulbs.  I also reminded Ryan that we needed to start looking at washers and dryers {since ours are 10+ years and aren't working as well as they use to and we got baby clothes to clean}.  Now you have to understand that me and Ryan have stict procedure codes that we {and by we I mean me} have to follow when making big purchases.  The rules are as follows...

01.  You must show due cause for the needed item and you must be very convincing {or whiny if thats what you have to resort to}.

02.  You must do loads of research and show all your findings to Ryan about cost and quality all while showing that it will be better in the long run with then new item {insert more whining if you think it will help}.

03.  You must plan your attack- errr I mean purchase in advance and not rush him.

or

01. Take him the Menards the day before the most awesome sale ends, causing him to have to decide right then and there that it's what he wants!

Voila! Our new Maytag Bravo washer and dryer set came last Thursday and I am SO excited.  Excited about appliances?  Heck yeah.  I do all the laundry in this house {cause I want to, not cause Ryan makes me} and I know how much this is needed.  It did help that I have been telling Ryan for months how poorly our old machines were doing and how hard I had to work to keep our laundry looking and smelling good.  

So far I am loving the new machines.  The washer is already making our clothes look cleaner and brighter {even without an agitator!}  and is so efficient with it's water and spin cycle that the dryer hardly has any work to do.  I am knocking out load after load and it is so much easier then my old process.  I will keep you updated with my review.

Mandy and Chris {The Engagement Session}...

I loved working with Mandy and Chris!  I mean come on check out those vintage outfits and backdrops- what is not to love?  Pure vintage loveliness all around and you can see how much Mandy and Chris love each other...I actually got a little misty eyed while doing a slide show to look at the pictures as a group.  Their love just shines as the star of the show!

I like to decorate with fruit, not eat it...

I love kitchen decor be it roosters, plump little chef men, or my very favorite right now- fruit!  Pears especially hold the key to my heart.  Ryan rolls his eyes a little with every ceramic purchase but I just can't say no...

What is your decorating obsession???

Vintage Children's Books...

I have been trying my very hardest not to buy any baby stuff until October 6th when we find out whether we will be having a girl or boy.  A couple of weekends ago at Restore I just couldn't help myself and I broke down and spend $2.45 on a stack of vintage children's books.

I love old books.  I think they have more quality stories and pictures that you don't find a lot of in newer books.  Is it just me who feels that way?  Some of my favorite memories with my mom and grandma are of them reading to me.  I had a love of books- I was the girl in 6th grade getting in trouble because I was hiding Anne of Green Gables in my math book during class.  I am hoping that little baby Sjuts will grow up with the same love.

To me a great book has to have a good story, flow, and amazing pictures to hold the attention of  young developing minds.  My favorites that I have collected so far are: 101 Dalmations {the chapter book, not the one written after the Disney movie but the one the Disney movie was written after} Madeline, and Sleeping Beauty.

Check out some of these illustrations...

Deep Thoughts and Belly Shots {week 16}...

I cannot take responsibility for the new title for my weekly preggo pics- my cousin thought of it and I took her idea and ran with it...thanks Angie!

Deep thoughts for week 16

After meals is pretty miserable...I know this would be better if I quit stuffing my face at lunch and dinner and ate smaller, more frequent meals through out the day but who really has time to sit down to 6 meals a day?  Not this dental assistant...

We brought our first real purchase to get ready for baby Sjuts- a new washer and dryer {insert happy dance here}  I am beyond pumped up for this purchase.  Not only do I feel like a real, live grown up but I really cannot wait to do laundry in my new washer {that is energy efficient- more on that in a later post!}...

Migraines really suck when you cannot take Ibruprofen and doctors really suck when they prescribe you something that could be harmful to your unborn baby with out warning you that it could be harmful for said migraine...

I cannot wait till this time next year when I have my own little person to take to the pumpkin patch and do all that fun fall stuff...My kid's halloween costumes are are going to be B.A {that's right with a  capital B, captital A}....

There are so many things that you cannot do when you are pregnant- i.e. take really hot baths, drink alcohol, eat blue cheese {sometimes I break this rule- go ahead and judge me}, and now that I am in week 16 I can no longer lay flat on my back because it cuts off oxygen to my baby...sometimes I forget and then feel guilty about it...

Baby mama's get what they want...all I have to do is tell Ryan that the baby doesn't like something or that the baby needs something and bam! done...See above with the washer and dryer...LOVE IT!  Mama needs an Iphone- right baby?

This week while watching a new episode of our favorite show {It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia} I laughed so hard that Ryan was concerned I was going to hurt the baby- impossible but so cute.  He was telling the baby he was sorry and that mommy needed to calm down.  He also doesn't like it when  do the Beyonce booty shake-  he thinks I am shaking the baby...

Travel Tuesdays {A Passport Series}...

I am gearing up for my last getaway before baby comes.  It makes me excited and a little sad that this will be my final adventure before I become responsible for another human being.  I think it is really setting in how much life is going to change- how there will be so much more to think about before I just jet away on a trip.  It complicates things but in the best way ever.

So in preparation for my trip I am sharing with you some of my favorite kind of clothes to travel in.  My airplane attire is usually chic and comfortable.  Layers are important because while it might be warm outside it could be cold on the plane or at your destination.  I never wear heels while traveling.  Flats are a girls best friend for running to catch flights {yes I have had to do that so I come prepared!}.  Another must have is a cute little carry on bag for all the essentials {magazines, lip balm, lotion, water, and gum for the take off and landing}.

 All Images via H&M

See?  You don't have to sacrifice style for comfort.  Cute boots, a slouchy sweater, and chic bag are a travelin' girls must haves. Just remember to show up to the right airport {fun fact:  United doesn't fly out of Midway in Chicago just O'hare which is a good 30-40 minutes away depending on which cabbie you get}.

We were both young when I first saw you {Love Story Part I}...

I know I am not the first blogger to write her love story but I think it is a great idea and one I have been toying with doing for a while.  So regardless of whether it is very original idea or not I am going to share our story because while the idea is not unique our story is and I want to remember it in years to come.  So here goes...

It's the first day of fourth grade.  The school smells of waxed floors and number 2 pencils.  All the desks in the classroom have a partner next to them and are neatly lined up in rows.  My teacher is new and talks endlessly of her fiance- whom she refers to as her "honey".  My desk is front and center and I am seated next to the new kid.

The new kid has red hair, is covered in freckles, and he never shuts up.  Doesn't he realize that I am the quiet girl and not interested in talking to him?  Especially when the teacher is talking???  He doesn't seem to even notice my responses.  He is kind of funny in a cocky kind of way.  He isn't like most new kids in a small town.  Later I would realize this is because he had been playing football with all the boys for years and was from the next small town over.  He probably knew more kids then I did and I had been there since kindergarten.

Over the next nine years our lives would only collide a few times.  He would be a basketball player to my cheerleader in junior high, a class together here and there in high school, but for the most part we were strangers who had happened to have little sisters the same ages {this is an important fact remember this for later}.

Ryan was the outgoing, funny, scores three touchdowns in one half of the football game kind of guy.  While I was marching band, chorus, president of the drama club girl.  The same small town but two very different worlds.  I couldn't wait to get out and Ryan never wanted to leave.  We graduated and went our separate ways.  I went on to live in New York and Germany and Ryan went to the University of Illinois to get a degree in Sports Recreation and Tourism.  

How many people can say they met their husband to be in the fourth grade?  I went all over the world looking for him and really he was there the whole time.  We just had to be prepared to met each other in the right time.  It  would be 5 years before our paths would cross again like that first day of fourth grade. Life- or dare I say fate- would bring us back together- we just didn't know it yet...

This room will be the baby's...

This is going to be baby Sjuts' room...minus the chair and the curtains. Here are some of the must haves:

Big comfy chenille rocker with foot stool

Crib

Wall art and a mobile or two

A dresser in a cool, funky color

Maybe some floating shelves

A new coat of paint for inside of closet {details matter!}

Here is the inspiration for the whole room.  It was made by my Great Grandma McElwee and hung in my own nursery.  

It is funky,vintage and I am not planning on a doing a room too gender specific even though we are finding out what it will be.  I am loving orange, yellow, and green right now.  I want to be able to use a lot of if for baby number two- so we don't waste a lot of money buying all new stuff.  Plus I have some vintage blocks just dying to come out of storage.  Can't wait to start!!!

PS do you not love, love, LOVE the new carpet???  The kitties sure do.  They have been running around like crazy cats since they have traction again.