by Bethe

I’m currently…

Inspired by the Tiny Twig’s regular feature, here’s what I’m currently…

watchingLincoln. And it’s terribly boring. Does that make me not very smart? I listen to NPR, I read the newspaper. But this movie is just too slow for me.

reading

I’ve got two books going – I’m reading The Informant (you may have seen the Matt Damon movie version) on my new iPad and listening to the Steve Jobs biography as an audio book (it’s 25 hours long!). I’m on a big non-fiction kick right now.

enjoying

SIX whole nausea-free days in a row. And eating like someone who hasn’t had a good meal in six months. Because, well, I hadn’t really been able to have a good meal for the past six months. I’m now making up for lost time. You know, things like cupcakes at 10:30 a.m. (hey… they’re shaped like muffins), or eating two lunches. And pickles… lot’s of pickles.

planning

My schedule. I’ve got 14 weekends left until this baby comes (approximately) and a lot needs to be done between now and then. Important things, like childbirth classes, and baby showers, and decorating a nursery, and getting a pedicure (since I’m already having trouble reaching my toes), and starting on that baby quilt. And having neighbors over for a cookout, and friends over for a potluck, and finding time for a few dates with Mr. Right before we have to start springing for a babysitter.

excited about

Finally deciding on Baby Wrenn’s name. It has provided me with such relief to finally have a name for that little girl who keeps kicking my tummy. It makes her that much more real. Come quick, Wrenn Olivia! (well, not too quick… keep cooking girl)

pinning

Nursery ideas!

worried

My glucose test in the morning. I have been dreading this almost as much as childbirth itself. Please pray for me – an empty stomach does not help my nausea.

playing

My new iPad. I feel so organized and high-tech. I’ve gone to all-digital to-do lists – we’ll see if it turns me into a new, totally organized person. Fingers crossed. Now if I could just find an app that folded my laundry.

looking forward to

A pedicure on Saturday. Oh boy, do these swollen hobbit feet of mine need it! Mr. Right gave me a very generous spa gift certificate for Valentine’s Day and I’ll be using the first part of it this weekend. I can’t wait.

————————————————–

What about you? I’d love to hear what you’re “currently”… leave a link in the comments to your post.

by Bethe

Easter weekend… & baby girl has a name!

  • Ate my weight the baby’s weight in peach cobbler and chocolate cupcakes and chocolate pie.
  • Caught up with loved ones on both sides of the family.
  • Visited a dear friend in her brand-new house.
  • Wore sundresses and flip-flops and LOVED it.
  • Held hands with my man as we sang worship songs at church.
  • Chased some bad guys in my car. Err, I mean called 911 to report a suspicious vehicle, then hunted them down when they moved one street over and called again. (I watch Law & Order – I know how these things work.)
  • Attended a birthday for a friend. Everybody there had little kids running around. It was like a glimpse into our future, and I kind of dug it.
  • Took naps.
  • Registered for baby gear while lying in bed. God bless the Internet.
  • Baked and cooked and pretended to be domestic again.
  • Watched my little toes swell up like Vienna sausages. (isn’t it too soon for that?!?)
  • Found an old box of treasures from my childhood. Was highly entertained by third grade journal entries and my “Men of Mansfield High” calendar. I’m embarrassed – or proud – of how many of those boys I dated.
  • Oh, and we named our baby girl.
Story behind the name to come later.
by Bethe

Sorry blogs, I’m just not that into you

My husband and I were discussing the death of Google Reader and what my next move will be. I told him I’d migrated everything to BlogLovin’, but I’m struggling with changing to a new format after so many years.

And that’s when Mr. Right asked me why it’s a big deal. He reads six blogs.

Me? I read 159.

I guess that’s kind of a lot. Many are written by friends who only occasionally update, others are work related, others help me when it comes time to brainstorm my next big event. There’s quilting blogs, Christian blogs, decorating blogs, fashion blogs, and then the random ones that I love just because they’re lovely. I don’t actually READ all of them. At least, not every day.

But 159? That’s the definition of excess.

How many blogs do you read?

And so this week I forced myself to break up with more than 1/3 of my beloved blogs. You know the ones that I tend to skip, or skim, or the ones written by authors who tend to make me feel inadequate. Because honestly, am I ever going to weave my own rug? Um, no.

So now I’m down to 102, and of those, only about half post with any regularity. I feel like I just cleaned out my closet (something else I should do, since those non-maternity clothes no longer fit – but let’s be honest, I don’t have the energy to do that).

It was like spring cleaning for my brain. Now if I could just muster the resolve to do the same thing to my car, which among other clutter has a giant adult-size tooth costume filling the whole back seat. At this point, I’m embarassed to go through drive-throughs. It doesn’t stop this pregnant, hungry girl, but I’m still embarassed.

by Bethe

Christmas is coming early, and some bump pictures

This year it feels like Christmas is coming early. Well, not Christmas, actually – but our due date. At my 22-week doctor appointment a few days ago, my doctor informed me that it was in fact my 24-week appointment. I’ve been skipped a grade. Or two weeks, thanks to a few ultrasounds that showed baby is much further along than they previously thought (and which better follows my original math for the due date). My new due date is July 12.

I was so happy I almost hugged her.

Two weeks closer to holding baby girl. Two weeks closer to not being pregnant. And two fewer weeks of BEING PREGNANT IN TEXAS IN JULY. Praise Jesus, this mama won’t be seeing August 1 with a baby in her belly.

And, for your entertainment, here’s some more belly pictures. I found out this week that my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball (is that TMI?), which explains why my belly is now the size of a soccer ball.

21 Weeks

23 Weeks

I’m so happy for maxi dress season – this one is a “regular” non-maternity one from my closet, that still fits… for now. 24 Weeks.

A front view of my new favorite dress, a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law. 24 Weeks.

A side view of that same dress, worn to a western-themed work party Friday night. I almost didn’t go, because I was feeling nauseous, but plugged through and ended up winning an award for “Board Member of the Year” for The Cowtown Marathon. What a wonderful surprise and honor from one of my favorite organizations. 24 Weeks.

What my colleagues didn’t see was me getting so winded and nauseous walking back to my car with Mr. Right that I had to stop twice, bend over with my hands on my knees, and try my darndest to “get it together” and keep going.  Good thing baby girl that you’re worth it.

by Bethe

The nursery, and how I’ve turned into my mother

I’ve become my mother, y’all. Not that it’s a bad thing – in fact, I think it’s a good thing for our bank account. You see, both of us hate to shop. I’ve been this way for awhile now, but while preparing for Baby Right, the fact has been magnified.

I. Hate. To. Shop.

I don’t browse. I hate to research. I’m like a smash-and-grab robber who kicks the door in, grabs the first thing within reach, and drives off like a bat out of Hades. Only in my case, I walk into a store, point to the first thing I see, and get it. The same works for websites. Evidence:

We bought Baby Girl this gorgeous crib (thanks to some leftover gift cards from our wedding) from Pottery Barn Kids. It’s the very first one that pops up when you search “crib” on the site. It also happened to be on sale AND offered free shipping (aka – another $100 discount).

This glider? It wasn’t the first one I sat in at Buy Buy Baby. But it was right next to the first one I sat in. And since that one didn’t offer the fabric I wanted, we opted for this one. Ours will have similar fabric but it’s much, much lighter gray.

Mr. Right knows this about me, so I took him with me to help pick out our diaper bag (since he’ll be carrying it too) and a stroller. We have mutually agreed that he will research the stroller for us (he loves to read reviews) because we both know that if it’s up to me, I’ll pick out the first one I see. And probably the cheapest. I hate spending money.

There are a few exceptions with my one-and-done shopping style. I love discovering fun new decorations on blogs, and I love looking at catalogues. And, occasionally, I fall in love with something totally frivolous, like these ruffle curtains that I can’t take my eyes off of. I haven’t committed to buying them… yet… but I am imagining these will add a touch of femininity to our more neutral nursery.

As for the rest of our nursery – we also have a beautiful dresser that our in-laws handed down to us, that we’ll use for a changing table. We haven’t decided yet if we’ll leave it as is (a gorgeous, stained dark brown) or paint it. Our goal is to put the nursery together in April. Stay tuned for pictures.

In the meantime, I’m glad I’ve become my mother. It’s perfect for our Dave Ramsey family budget. It saves me a lot of time. And both of us married men who LOVE to shop and who make sure we branch out and hit a mall occasionally. Don’t pity us… come join us.

by Bethe

A little shop update and a SALE!

Spring is here, and with it comes the need to refresh, get rid of winter and replace with light and airy springy things. This weekend we’ll be planting our second annual vegetable garden (yea!), updating our flower beds with pretty spring flowers (yea!), and opening all of our windows to let the fresh air in.

I haven’t mentioned my little shop in awhile, mostly because that pesky morning sickness zapped any energy I had to go to the post office, fulfill orders, create new products, wash my hair, do anything besides lay on my couch and stare at the television. You get the idea.  But now that spring is here and ushering in a new season and I’m having some good days mixed in with the difficult ones, I’m ready to start promoting my little shop again.

Here are some springy pictures that will be decorating my home over the next few months… click on the picture to see the listing in the shop.

And this pillow, which just screams spring. After all, toile = spring… it’s a known fact. If someone doesn’t snap it up soon, it’s going to find a new home on my couch. Pronto.

To sweeten the pot a little, I’m offering 25% off of all orders through the end of March – just use the code SPRING2013 when you check out.

Also – I’ve had a few questions about new quilt listings. Unfortunately I’m still too under-the-weather to commit to any new quilts at the moment (except for a quilt for Baby Right, but that’s a given). If I happen to get that crazy nesting bug that everybody tells me will hit later on (and if this nausea moves on to greener pastures), then I may change my mind, but I won’t be offering any custom quilts – I’ll just make whatever inspires me and list it as-is.

I do, however, plan to make some new pillows and possibly even an apron or two. So never fear, there will be new items hitting the shop regularly between now and baby girl’s arrival in July. In the meantime, help yourself to something new!

by Bethe

Give-away winner & an anniversary trip

Hey there blog friends! First things first, let’s give some free stuff away! What a way to start off a week!

Jenny was a Theta with me way back when (how has it been 10 years since I graduated from college?) so it was fun to see her name pop up as our winner. Jenny – send your address to me (bethe@texaslovely.com) and we’ll get you your free Hallie necklace.

If you didn’t win, you can still head over to Curated by Kelly and do some shopping. She’s donating 50% of her sales this week to charity – what better excuse to shop for some new spring goodies?

On to other news…

Last weekend Mr. Right and I headed out West for a belated anniversary getaway/babymoon. If you’ll remember, I was much too sick to celebrate our real anniversary back in January (I went to bed, alone, before 8:00, so nauseous I could barely function – not exactly what I’ve always fantasized marriage would look like). We have made it our tradition to buy each other a weekend away instead of traditional Christmas/anniversary presents, and last weekend we finally got to do just that.

It was ah-mazing. Thanks to your prayers – and a comfy king-size bed- I slept like a baby, was almost completely nausea-free, and got to enjoy a romantic weekend at a little cabin in the woods with my Mr. Right. And when I say cabin, I should be clear – it was a luxury cabin.

I’m ready to move there.

A proper recap to come, complete with pictures from our new fancy 50mm camera lens that Mr. Right got me as a surprise. That stinker is so full of surprises when it comes to romantic anniversary weekends. My goodness, how I love that man.

by Bethe

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Real ugly.

 
People have started rubbing my belly. And I love it! I’m usually a hands-off, don’t touch me, side-hug kind of person. But for some reason, having complete strangers ask to run my belly makes me downright happy. So go ahead… ask.
I have forgotten how to sleep. After four nights in one week where I either (a) woke up at 2:30 and never went back to sleep or (b) woke up at 2:30, was awake for three hours, and finally went back to sleep for a very short while, I may or may not have had a small nervous breakdown and called my OB begging for some sort of medicine to help me to sleep. She prescribed Ambien, and I took my first pill last night. I will never take it again. Not only did it take me two hours AFTER the Ambien to go to sleep (which was a miserable, drug-induced state), but I was hung over all day today. Like, I might as well have just stayed up all night, because I’m that tired, plus I feel slightly drugged. Or a lot drugged.
I may or may not have had an ugly cry yesterday. Actually, two ugly cries yesterday. Once in the morning after I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and never went back to sleep. At 5:00 a.m., tired and frustrated, I finally got out of bed and decided to go to work early. And then I had a crazy bad nose bleed (which I never ever have). Once the bleeding stopped, I hopped in the shower where I proceeded to have an epic ugly cry. And then I had another one last night, two hours after I popped an Ambien, after I had been up for 22 hours straight.
Pregnancy is long, y’all. I first got sick on November 13 (the day I thought I had food poisoning), which means that I have felt nauseous every single day for 119 days. And I’m only half-way done. Mix that with some hormones and sprinkle in some exhaustion, and you have a recipe for an epic ugly cry.
But I refuse to end on a bad note. Today is a new day. I have a baby in my belly who has started doing flips  – and it may be one of the biggest thrills of my life. I prayed for a very long time for this precious little girl, and she is worth the sacrifice of ugly cries and nose bleeds and the minor humiliation that happens every time I sneeze (to my friends who have been pregnant, you know exactly what I am talking about). I have a husband who brought me an Arby’s Roast Beef & Cheddar sandwich with curly fries when I texted him my crazy food craving, even though I have told him over and over how much meat makes me want to gag. I have fun new house projects to plan for (nursery! spring vegetable garden!) And people like to rub my belly…

It’s going to be okay. I’m going to make it another 19 weeks. And in the meantime, please say a prayer that I will get some good, restful sleep. And soon.


by Bethe

Statement Necklaces & a Give-away

Maternity clothes are expensive, and I hate investing in new clothes for just a few months of wear, so I’ve been trying to wear basic staples (think solid shells with colorful cardigans) and dress up my wardrobe with accessories that will fit no matter how much my weight fluctuates.

And because of that pesky morning sickness, I’m doing 99% of my shopping these days online. So when I found out my friend Kelly had started a new online accessory business, it was a match made in heaven. Even better, as someone who has a heart for adoption, I love supporting a friend who just adopted two adorable little boys.

I immediately bought two new necklaces – the Hallie necklace…

And this one that is already discontinued (sorry, you snooze you lose).

I got so many compliments from wearing them that I went ahead and picked out one more. After all, every good Texas gal needs an amazing turquoise necklace. It’s in the handbook.

I’m not sure what is more fun – having a stylish new accessory to go with my growing belly, or being able to tell people who comment on my necklace, “Oh this? It was just $22.” There’s nothing better than a good bargain.

Well, I have good news for you, my blog friends. Kelly has offered to give away a free Hallie necklace to one of you! There’s two ways to enter.

  1. Leave a comment, telling me which necklace from Curated by Kelly is your favorite.
  2. Become a fan of Curated by Kelly on Facebook, then leave me a comment telling me you did.

I’ll hold a drawing Sunday evening and announce the winner on Monday. Good luck!

by Bethe

Now to the important stuff: the nursery

This week I bought the very first item for Baby Right. I’ve been so good about not splurging on little girl items because (1) we’ve already been blessed with some great hand-me-downs, (2) I’m still not feeling well enough to want to go shopping most days, and (3) baby stores intimidate me.

Which is why God invented internet shopping. And blogs. Thanks to the combination of the two, I made my very first purchase for my little girl… crib sheets from Target (click on the picture to be taken to the original source).

Aren’t they cute? I’ve been looking for something really neutral, and these were just calling my name. And they were on sale. And I didn’t have to leave my house to buy them. It was love at first sight.

For those of you wondering about our nursery theme… we don’t really have one. We want it to be calm, relaxing, neutral. We want something that can easily grow with baby girl and give us a lot of freedom to change out accessories. Ironically enough, we don’t want it to scream “girly-girl” (even though I’m a pretty girly-girl myself). These are our inspiration photos (again, click on the picture for the link to the original post – the first photo is from a blog I love to follow).

We’re using grays and whites with pops of bright accent colors – probably orange and turquoise. We’ve been given an old dresser from my in-laws for a changing table that we’re going to paint and then use colorful knobs from Anthropologie (or a cheaper knock-off). And of course I plan to design a custom print for the nursery, along with baby girl’s very first quilt.

Time to get to work! Only 19 weeks to go before she arrives!