A Christmas tree filled with Traditions

It's officially ok to talk Christmas! Not that it stopped me from doing it before...

Don't you just LOVE this time of year??? I know I do! I even got SO lucky to have married a

man who loves Christmas probably even more than I do! I mean, the man LIVES for this time

of year. No joke! So of course we HAD TO put up our Christmas tree after our Thanksgiving

diner . It didn't matter that there were open boxes everywhere, that everything was upside

down, or that our whole house was a complete chaos; that tree was going to get decorated!

Oh, did I mention this is a 12 foot tree we were attempting to decorate? NO? Well now you

know. So since we knew we were going ahead with all this madness, we thought we might as

well go all out and bring the big guns, aka hot coco, Christmas movies, and the warm fire for

the perfect ambience. We made a whole production out of it. But that's no surprise. We kinda

do that every year. And every year we absolutely love it. So a few hundred ornaments and six

hours later, we ended up with this (beast?) beauty.

This year we also came up with a new tradition. We're getting an ornament for each other and also pick one together for our little girl. We give those to one another the night we decorate our tree. I love it! I got Brandon this key, since we moved into our new home this year, and also a cowboy boot because we lived in TX this past year. Just a couple of things that symbolize and will help us remember what 2010 had in store for us.

This is my ornament from him. I absolutely L.O.V.E it, and it means so much to me already.

And finally, this is our Little Love's ornament from Hallmark. We can't wait until she joins all of us for all this Christmas fun and madness! Honestly, how can I miss someone that I have never even met so darn much???

So what Christmas traditions are near and dear to your heart?

So Thankful

I know I've been a bit MIA lately, but for good reason... We've finally moved into our house, and even though it's a BIG, HUGE, MESS, it's our home, and we couldn't be happier. That being said, I've been cleaning and organizing everything like my life depends on it for the last week. Well, my life kinda does depend on it... I'm a bit on a deadline here. I pretty much HAVE TO get this home together before our little girl shows up, or else it will be a mess until she turns two. No joke!

Anyhow... Can you believe it's Thanksgiving already??!??! LOVE IT! This year has been such a huge blessing for us, and I've got so many things to be thankful for. Here are just a few things I'm very thankful for right now:

• A sweet baby girl that is FULL TERM TODAY!!!! We can meet our Little, long awaited for, Love ANY DAY now!!!

(Sorry for the very poor picture quality. It was in bad lighting with my iphone)

• A new home to make lots of new memories in.
• Fresh painted walls, new carpet, and floors;

• A fireplace to sip hot drinks by while watching the snow fall.
• Yummy Holiday Foods!

• The Holiday Spirit that's in the air!
• Family and friends to enjoy holidays with.
• And a husband that works so hard to make sure that we have everything we need.

So, what are you mostly thankful for and how are you planing on spending your Thanksgiving?

I hope you lovelies have a very Happy Thanksgiving with

your family, friends, and special people in your lives. Enjoy lots of yummy food!

PS: I may take a little time off to get things together around here. I'll be back as soon as possible : - ) You'll be missed!

Yummy Christmas Gifts

Can you believe that Christmas is just a little over a month away??? Holy cow, where did this year go? Hey, you won't hear me complaining. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year! Did I mention that I LOVE IT? It makes my heart go pitter-patter every time I see any Christmas decorations, Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas trees, the Starbucks christmas cups, and now little precious, squishy babies ... You get the point. One of the hardest things that I encounter during this time of year however, is coming up with presents for everyone. The good think is that everyone loves FOOD! So here are some yummy gifts that you can share with your loved ones, or indulge in them all by your self in your special place, aka your craft room, your walk in closet, your bath tub... Whatever floats your boat... I'm not here to judge. Just sayin'

Tuscan Trattoria Wine Gift Set

You can find it here, or really, how easy would it be to just make it yourself?

Put some of your favorite pasta, EVOO, and wine together and voila!

You have yourself the perfect gift!

Starbucks Gift Basket

Does this need anymore explanation?

The coffee lovers in your life would love you for the rest of the year!

I know I would. Find it Here

Hickory Farm Gift Baskets

Every Christmas time, both Brandon and I can't wait to buy some goodies from Hickory Farms. They have such YUMMY things! All types of gourmet cheeses, sausages and mustards are guaranteed to please your palate this holiday season! Get yours here!

Personalized Candy Barrel

Isn't this so cute?!? You can personalize it however you want and fill it up with your favorite yummy things for your favorite people. Find it Here

Herb Rice Mix

How adorable is this bag?

So easy to put together and SO inexpensive! Find how here

I hope that those ideas made your holiday season at least a tiny bit easier.

Happy weekend,

Happy shopping,

and most of all

Happy eating!

36 week miracle... and a special pedicure

You only get a belly pic this week.

I've been working a lot on the house and look like a hot mess!

Maternity clothes: Lots of them!

Best moment this week: Going into our house and unpacking our Little Love’s things! It’s so exciting to look at her clothes and imagine how cute she’ll look wearing them! I can’t wait!!!

Foods: Love it all! I’m trying really hard to stay away from sweets since I’ve obviously put some extra unnecessary pounds on.

Movement: Yes, however they are more just kicks rather than flips or sudden movements. She also really enjoys to kick me in my, ahem, private parts, which really, it’s not something I enjoy very much.

Gender: All girl!

Labor signs: A few days ago I was having some serious contractions ya’ll! They weren’t painful, but they were about 5 minutes apart, and quite uncomfortable. I keep on thinking all the time now of when real labor is going to start and if I’m going to be in any “decent” position to go to the hospital. I was planning on going shopping on Black Friday with a friend, and keep on having this horrific image of my water breaking in the middle of Macy’s. That would be a show stopper! Haha.

Belly Button in or out: Still out

What I miss: Still missing some good sleep, even though the pillow that my SIL gave me does help quite a bit! Thanks sis! Also, I miss moving around without being in a ton of pain after 15 minutes. It will soon be over, and it will all be worth it!

Looking forward to: moving into our house!!! Also, I randomly got a terrible sore throat yesterday, and I'm anticipating a cold coming my way any second now; so I'm really looking forward for this to be GONE! And of course, my most anticipated "looking forward" moment: meeting our little girl!

Milestones: Just 28 days left or maybe less! That’s under a month yo!

I guess there is a bright side to not being able to touch your feet anymore:

Free pedicure from the hubby!!! He's such a trooper! Gotta love him!

Showers of love

Sunday we had our forth and final shower. Umm, that's baby shower in case any of you were confused at all. Haha. Even after receiving all those gifts it's hard to believe that we are actually going to be the parents of a sweet little girl in about four short weeks! Don't get me wrong, it feels REAL, but at the same time it's just so surreal, exciting, overwhelming, and so incredibly unbelievable, that I have a hard time wrapping my brain around this sweet, magical miracle that's about to take place. Either way, I would like to document all those sweet little moment that we got to celebrate with our family and friends; not just for me to look back on, but also for our little girl to see how loved she really is.

(Unfortunately the only pictures I have are taken with my iphone. I still have to get the rest from my SIL and one of our friends.)

One of my SILs made this cake. Isn't it gorgeous?

I almost felt bad when she cut into it...

but knowing it was chocolate and raspberry made the choice much easier.

We played a whole bunch of baby shower type games.

And yes, that's my sweet husband drinking milk out of a baby bottle...

He was such a good sport : - ) and we all had a good laugh watching all those grown men drinking out of those bottles! They all admitted it was really hard work.

Not the best pictures, but it's the "three" of us...

Two of my friends and my SIL.

Those girls worked so hard to make this day so special for us.

We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Thank you!

I don't have a picture with all the presents our Little Love received,

but this boppy body-pillow that I got from my SIL is one of my favorite gifts!

She knows that I haven't been able to sleep much and that I have to toss and turn all night long, so she bought this for me. I can't wait to try it and hopefully get a decent night of sleep!

We are so thankful and feel so blessed to have all those people

that love and care for us and our sweet Little Love (which by the way, I can't wait

to share her name with the rest of you guys once she's born!!!).

God has been truly wonderful in our lives, and we are forever grateful for that!

Happy Monday!

Our new home and some venting

I don't know if you've caught onto all my whining and complaining lately, but we are still not moved into our "new" home... and it's been 2 1/2 weeks already! Have I mentioned that I'm beyond frustrated about this? No? Well I AM! If it was almost any other time in my life, I might not care so much. But this time, oh, this time I care darn it! I really, REALLY care! I'm about to have my first child for the love of Gucci, and I have no place to put her, not to mention not ONE.SINGLE.ONESIE has been washed or even unpacked! And in case the universe hasn't noticed, I'm SO running out of time and wobbling ability as the seconds pass me by, so really, I need all the extra time in the world to get everything together before this little girl graces us with her presence. We were supposed to be moved in over a week ago, but different problems keep on coming up, and we're running short on patience...and time... and cash. Hopefully sometime at the end of next week we'll be able to start getting settled. That's if all the planets decide to line up just perfectly, and hell doesn't freeze over. Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of hope. I just won't hold my breath over it anymore.

Ok, I'm done! And yes I feel better. Once in a while I just need to vent a bit just to get it out. It's like some sort of therapy for overly stressed, about to go insane, more than 35 weeks pregnant women. It's true. Ask anyone! It's either this or smashing china (which I have never done, regardless of what some may think).

So for the happy part of the post...

Here is our home : - )

Our Little Love's freshly painted room.

It really is a lot more salmon color rather than this orange,

but the picture was taken with my iphone in bad light

And now what our house REALLY looks like.

Yeah, not quite the dream home you had in mind is it?

PS: Just to let you all know, I really am greatfull for everything I do have.

I also know that eventually things will come together, and a few months from now all this will

be a distant memory. I just have to keep reminding myself of all this, and not lose the rest of

my few remaining marbles along the way. God is awesome, and He will always find a way to

make it work. I do believe that with all my heart!

Have a wonderful weekend lovelies!

35 week miracle

No 35 week picture this week, but how about this one?

It's just a few days short I guess, but it will still do, right?

Thanks for all the love you ladies have left on our maternity pics.

I know we will cherish them forever.

Total weight gain: umm… kind of found out this week that I went over my 25lbs limit. I’ve officially gained 27lbs and still have 5 weeks left! Curses!

Maternity clothes: I still have a few non-maternity shirts that I can wear, but who am I kidding, the maternity ones are so much more comfy.

Best moment this week: hearing her heartbeat again! It’s been a while and I really missed hearing it.

Foods: I’ve been on this “sweets craving kick” lately. While my stomach sure loves it all, my hips sure do not appreciate the extra (FAT) fluff that’s been piling in on them.

Movement: She still moves a lot, but it’s more kicks than rolling around now. I believe baby girl is so running out of room!

Gender: Sweet little bundle of pink fluff and pearls.

Labor signs: Same old BH and pelvic pressure.

Belly Button in or out: Still out! And it looks and feels funny!

What I miss: How about a really good night of sleep! I’m starting to wonder if that will ever happen again, at least for the next year and a half. Also add to that frequent urination, not being able to breathe or move very well. This momma is miserable nowadays! I really don’t know how the lady from the Duggers has been pregnant pretty much for 20 years! I’m SO worn out already!

Weekly wisdom: Thank God for your blessings and your loved ones! I know I may complain a lot about being miserable, but I’m still so very happy to be this Little Love’s momma!

Looking forward to: Moving into our home! We keep on having different unexpected problems coming up, and it’s so stinking frustrating! Hello, I need to get in there and start putting things together before this child joins this party in just a few short weeks! I have not washed or put together ONE thing for her! I know! Scary, right?

Milestones: I have officially taken my engagement and wedding rings off. I’ve been trying so hard to keep them on, but I’m afraid that the lack of circulation may cause me to lose a finger, so I opted for the next best thing and took them off two days ago. Also, I’m starting to go in and see my midwife (the new one, whom I really, really like!) every week now! We’re almost done, and soon I get to meet my sweet little daughter! How can she melt my heart already?

Maternity shots

I knew that I wanted to have some maternity pictures done ever since I found out we were expecting our Little Love. I think it's so important to have something to look back on and remember those days and how blessed we truly are. I also knew that we wouldn't be able to afford professional photos done for both our maternity shots as well as the newborn pictures. So this past weekend we had one of our friends take some pictures of us, and I think they turned out great, especially since he is not a professional photographer and they have not been photoshoped or edited at all. Are you ready for picture overload? I really hope you are, 'cause I'm a sharer, and I am sharing a LOT of them today : - )

I hope your Monday is just beautiful!

Give Thanks with a Flare of Style

Thanksgiving is most definitely one of my most favorite holidays, out-won only by, but of course, Christmas. I love so many things about this holiday. I love the spirit it brings in the air, the fact that our families are able to get together and give thanks, that it gives me another excuse to decorate, and lets not forget the super yummy and delicious, eat-until-your-pants-don't-fit-no-more, FOOD! So while we have this big celebration, why not have fun and do it in style, no?

I love how country-elegant this setting is.

{Martha Stewart}

So simple, yet so warm and inviting. This setting brings that true fall and thanksgiving feel that would make your guests truly experience the meaning of this holiday in the room.

{BHG}

How is this for an absolutely amazing place setting?

This is a guarantee guest wow-er in my book! Love it!

And how can we forget about the little munchkins in our lives?

Is this not an adorable table setting for them? You can even put printed paper place mats and crayons to keep them entertained.

{Martha Stewart}

Now we've got to talk food! We just have to!

I'm excited to try this pumpkin roll recipe this year. It looks so easy and yummy!

And I don't know about you, but in my family, we've GOT to have mashed potatoes! Rosemary garlic, parm, mashed potatoes are my favorite thanksgiving dish! Yumm-double-O!

And why waste anything when you can send your guest with some yummy leftovers in those precious boxes? They are so cute and easy to make, and the little tag has printed on it "thankful for leftovers." Love!

{Southern Living}

I really hope you got inspired by those! Now start planning your Thanksgiving feast!

Also, I'm always curious to find out what are your favorite Thanksgiving foods and if you have any special traditions. Please oh please do share! I love hearing from you!

34 week miracle...

The weather has been so beautiful here this week!

And in the background you get a sneak peak of my red door... from our NEW HOME!

Maternity clothes: I still do both, however the maternity ones have definitely been taking over the closet

Best moment this week: We have finally closed on our house yesterday! We’ll probably move in next weekend after all the new hardwood and carpet is installed. I can not express how very anxious I am to move in!

Foods: Love them all! I’ve been craving cold watermelon lately and the other day we went to WM and bought some! Yummo!

Movement: I never get tired of feeling her kick and bounce around! Still makes my heart melt each and every single time I feel her little legs or hands kicking away.

Gender: Her daddy’s little diva!

Labor signs: Just the usual BH and pelvic pain.

Belly Button in or out: Out!

What I miss: Being able to walk for more than 10 minutes without feeling like I’m going into labor. Also, a full night of sleep.

How I feel: So glad that we have closed on the house, and that we’re going to move into our new home soon! Also, I was watching the Felicia and Alex episode from “16 and pregnant” (that show makes me SO mad put it’s so addicting too!) and I seriously wanted to put my fist trough the TV screen and punch that punk kid in the face for being such a DB! That being said, I was feeling so, so, SO blessed to have a strong support system and a husband who is by my side through it all. Those are all things that many of those girls don’t have, and I hope I never take that for granted.

Milestones: My little miss is already 5lbs and 17 ½ in long! I only have 3 weeks until I’m full term!!! Just 15% left of this pregnancy! I’m so stinking close to meeting my daughter that my heart might just burst with joy just by thinking about it!