Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

30 by 30: final verdict

The finals on my 30 by 30 list.

Have 2nd baby.
2013 - Haha! God willing not anytime soon. I'd say closer to my 29th birthday.
2015 - Right on schedule, baby girl is due this September.
2016 – Haddie-Lynn made her debut September 9th.

Get current with scrapbooking. I'm working on 2010 right now {and by working I mean that's where I stopped right before I had Quinn...}.
2013 - Ummm haven't touched it. I keep trying to get the room cleared so we can paint and organize and I'll have my space again.
2015 - Allison and I were skyping on Thursday nights and then back in February did a marathon weekend. I believe I am now halfway through 2012.
2016 – Allison and I had another scrap weekend and I finished 2012.

Get 2nd holes pierced in my ears. I want to be able to wear the diamond studs the hubs gave me everyday.
2013 - Nope, still chicken.
2015 - Annndddd, still not doing it. Probably should just cross this one off the list.
2016 – Still nope.

Establish a workout routine.
2013 - Doing it! I'm working out 6 days a week following the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge.
2015 - Well I had joined Planet Fitness and was trying to go minimum 3 times per week. I was mildly successful until I got pregnant. Now I'm trying to find the energy to start again.
2016 – Try, try, try again. I have a new fitbit and am logging my food in my fitness pal.

No credit card debt.
2013 - Two of my three cards are clear!
2015 - There's a little something on all three cards…whomp whomp. 
2016 – One card is clear and working on the other two.

Visit five new places.
2013 - Nothing yet, but we are planning on going to Savannah for our anniversary.
2015 - We did end up going to Savannah and we just returned from Beaufort this past weekend.
2016 – Savannah and Beaufort ended up being it.

Read the Bible.
2013 - I'm still following She Reads Truth on and off.
2015 - Fell off the bandwagon completely. 
2016 – Started Bible journaling and really loving it.

Own a beach house or have an awesome rental.
2013 - We are trying a new rental on Isle of Palms this summer. Fingers crossed we'll want to use it again the next year.
2015 - We switched to Hilton Head last summer and we are renting the same condo this summer.
2016 – Going to HHI again this summer but trying a new condo.

Join Junior League.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Still nope and probably not likely with a baby on the way. 
2016 – Still a goal but more likely in another year or so.

Maintain a size 8 figure {almost there already!}.
2013 - Done! I actually fit into size 6 jeans and size 8 dress pants.
2015 - Before pregnancy I was teetering between an 8 and 10 soooo not the best. Hopefully I can do better after baby comes. 
2016 – Giving myself grace after having my second baby, but working towards eating healthy.

Sew ten projects for me.
2013 - Does pinning ten new projects count? No?
2015 - I'm fairly certain I accomplished this goal. I made a ton of appliqué shirts for myself, a tote bag, and some things for Quinn that I wanted to do. I'm about to sew new bedding and curtains for baby girl's nursery too. 
2016 – I did get to sew all of the nursery bedding/curtains plus a coming home outfit along with some monogramming and applique.

Create the perfect craft room {I feel like this will be an always ongoing project..}.
2013 - Now that I have my card catalog, I've got another piece of the puzzle!
2015 - It's done! Now it just has to be moved, ugh. Current craft room will become the nursery and current guest room will become a new combo room. We've ordered a sleeper sofa, which should be ready end of this month and then the rearranging will begin.
2016 – The craft room was successfully moved and organized and now it’s having some slight tweaks in preparation to be a shared office with the hubs.

Host a fancy dinner party using our wedding china.
2013 - Hmm, not exactly. Christmas Eve dinner we ate off our wedding china, but we also were in our pjs, ha!
2015 - Still not yet BUT we did tons of renovations on the dining room/kitchen area so it's ready for a party now.
2016 – No dinner party, maybe soon.

Read 30 books.
2013 - Yikes, haven't even started this.
2015 - Sigh, no, but I predict the kindle will get some major usage once I'm breastfeeding again. 
2016 – Still haven’t started, but going to work on it.

Find a church we love.
2013 - We started going to St. Paul's. TBD if it's the perfect fit.
2015 - St. Paul's has become a perfect fit and of course I find out today our pastor is being reassigned. Sigh. 
2016 – We love our church and we love our new pastor.

Visit my great-grandfather's grave at Arlington.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Still nope.
2016 – Nope again. 

Go out on the Sky Walk at the Grande Canyon.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Still nope. 
2016 – Nope again.

Start a college savings account for Quinn.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - No…hides shamefully. I did try but then I got mad at the bank and closed the account.  
2016 – Done, for both kids.

Have a family portrait taken every year {we already have a session scheduled for this year with my fav girl, Erica!}.
2013 - We had pictures taken in November, so I plan on having them done again this November.
2015 - We have kept this tradition alive! Erica took two family sessions last year plus our baby announcement pics and she'll be doing maternity pics this summer. (Then newborn pics…I'll be keeping her busy for sure.)
2016 – Still going strong with Erica.

Create five family traditions that we repeat yearly.
2013 - This past Christmas I started a tradition of the Christmas Eve box. Everyone received Christmas pjs and there was a movie and hot chocolate included for later.
2015 - the Christmas Eve box is still going strong. We also added Toodles the Elf on a Shelf into the mix. I can't think of any others though.
2016 – Christmas Eve box, Toodles and Sprinkles the Elves, and that’s about it.

Start a prayer journal.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Kinda bummed I forgot about this one. Must remedy.  
2016 – I started Bible journaling instead.

Start a vegetable garden.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Uhhh no. We might be getting closer though. We are putting in a pool this spring and hubs has suggested adding some garden boxes. 
2016 – Danny is working on the deck with garden boxes currently.

Visit Yellow Stone.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Nope. 
2016 – Still nope.

Establish a yearly party {4th of July maybe?}.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Does Quinn's birthday party count? 
2016 – Giving up on this one.

Bake a cake from scratch.
2013 - Ha! Box mixes forever.
2015 - Still rocking the box mixes and I might be ok with that. 
2016 – I’m just going to be a box mix girl.

Get my concealed weapons permit.
2013 - We have our class scheduled for this October.
2015 - Done! 
2016 – Check.

Catalog our Christmas ornaments.
2013 - Was going to do it this past Christmas, but didn't.
2015 - Still no and I might give myself a pass on this one.
2016 – Still passing on this one.

Learn how to can the vegetables from our garden.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Got lots of goodies that will help me with the process, but have yet to actually follow through. I'm thinking this one might go more hand in hand with when we actually have a garden. 
2016 – Feeling guilty that I have the stuff but haven’t buckled down to do it.

Learn how to crochet.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - No…and do I really need to add in another craft hobby to my arsenal??
2016 – Think I’m going to pass on this one.

Find my signature drink.
2013 - Nope.
2015 - Nope. 
2016 – And nope.

Final tallies:
Complete – 10
In process – 14
Decided to pass – 6

Monday, May 4, 2015

21 weeks


Nothing too exciting to report. The hubs and I did start shifting all of the furniture around between the guest room and the nursery. We are having to get a little creative on making everything fit, ha. We are very blessed to have nice family furniture passed on to us, but that means I can't easily get rid of anything either.

Still tired. Still peeing 2-3 times in the middle of the night.

Appetite is definitely coming back. I have days of feeling hungry all the time.

I can start to feel baby girl's kicks and jabs from the outside. I can watch my belly jump around. I want to see Quinn's reaction when he feels it for the first time.

Quinn randomly will tell me he wants to give baby sister a hug or a kiss. It's about the sweetest thing I've ever seen. I do worry about how he'll adjust, but then these moments just let me know it'll be fine.

Comparison shot: Look at how much higher baby girl is compared to Quinn! That just amazes me how differently they sit within my body.

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Monday, April 27, 2015

20 weeks


Baby girl had her full anatomy scan this week. I *might* have asked the ultrasound tech to double-triple make sure she is still a "she." We are good to go on buying everything pink and bows, haha!

The even better news though is that everything checks out just as it should. Such sweet relief. I'm very thankful for every report of "looking good." We had genetics testing done earlier on and no news is good news on that front as well.


So I was the crazy lady up at 3 in the morning buying baby girl Lilly for Target shifts. I was only able to get these two pretties into my cart and checked out before everything was sold out. I had planned on getting myself the matching versions but I wasn't fast enough.


Well of course that didn't stop me from obsessing over it. I found the See Ya Later shift on Instagram for not an insane mark up and bought it. I'm still on the hunt for Nosey Posey but that's proving to be a much harder find unfortunately.

The specific cravings are subsiding and my appetite is starting to come back. I am officially 3 pounds over my pre pregnancy weight but I'm sure that will start climbing soon.

I'm getting a bit of the nesting bug and looking forward to starting the nursery. Sadly we had a huge debacle with the sleeper sofa I ordered for the new combo guest/craft room. It wouldn't fit through the doorway to get it in the room, ugh! I ended up ordering a different model and now we wait another 6 weeks for it to be ready.

Comparison shot:




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Monday, April 20, 2015

19 weeks



Nearly halfway there. I remember with Quinn, I thought time was flying at this point. This time around though I don't feel the same. It already feels like I've been pregnant forever.

We don't have a name picked out and it's driving me a little crazy. I want to know what to call her, even though we'll be keeping it a secret like we did with Quinn's name. Also, no telling of the initials like last time. That just encourages guessing.

Remember Nguyen had a warehouse sale and I just couldn't help myself. Baby sister got some fun mail, four new bloomer sets. They are just so precious. It does make me sad that Quinn is growing out of all his smocked outfits though.





I wouldn't say I've had any specific cravings lately. I'll still eat a popsicle here or there, but I don't feel like I absolutely have to have one. My appetite in general is mediocre at best. When I do eat, it's very small portions or I feel so uncomfortable for hours afterward.

She is definitely a mover and a shaker. It has gone from flutters to full on kicks this week.

And the comparison shot...




30 by 30 list update

I created a little 30 by 30 list for myself and my last update was on my 27th birthday, so lets revisit!




  • Have 2nd baby.


  • 2013 - Haha! God willing not anytime soon. I'd say closer to my 29th birthday.

  • 2015 - Right on schedule, baby girl is due this September 

  • Get current with scrapbooking. I'm working on 2010 right now {and by working I mean that's where I stopped right before I had Quinn...}.


  • 2013 - Ummm haven't touched it. I keep trying to get the room cleared so we can paint and organize and I'll have my space again.

  • 2015 - Allison and I were skyping on Thursday nights and then back in February did a marathon weekend. I believe I am now halfway through 2012.  

  • Get 2nd holes pierced in my ears. I want to be able to wear the diamond studs the hubs gave me everyday.


  • 2013 - Nope, still chicken.

  • 2015 - Annndddd, still not doing it. Probably should just cross this one off the list.  

  • Establish a workout routine.


  • 2013 - Doing it! I'm working out 6 days a week following the Bikini Body Mommy Challenge.
  • 2015 - Well I had joined Planet Fitness and was trying to go minimum 3 times per week. I was mildly successful until I got pregnant. Now I'm trying to find the energy to start again.

  • No credit card debt.


  • 2013 - Two of my three cards are clear!

  • 2015 - There's a little something on all three cards…whomp whomp. 

  • Visit five new places.
  • 2013 - Nothing yet, but we are planning on going to Savannah for our anniversary.

  • 2015 - We did end up going to Savannah and we just returned from Beaufort this past weekend.  

  • Read the Bible.


  • 2013 - I'm still following She Reads Truth on and off.

  • 2015 - Fell off the bandwagon completely. 

  • Own a beach house or have an awesome rental.


  • 2013 - We are trying a new rental on Isle of Palms this summer. Fingers crossed we'll want to use it again the next year.

  • 2015 - We switched to Hilton Head last summer and we are renting the same condo this summer.  

  • Join Junior League.


  • 2013 - Nope.
  • 2015 - Still nope and probably not likely with a baby on the way. 

  • Maintain a size 8 figure {almost there already!}.


  • 2013 - Done! I actually fit into size 6 jeans and size 8 dress pants.

  • 2015 - Before pregnancy I was teetering between an 8 and 10 soooo not the best. Hopefully I can do better after baby comes. 

  • Sew ten projects for me.


  • 2013 - Does pinning ten new projects count? No?

  • 2015 - I'm fairly certain I accomplished this goal. I made a ton of appliqué shirts for myself, a tote bag, and some things for Quinn that I wanted to do. I'm about to sew new bedding and curtains for baby girl's nursery too. 

  • Create the perfect craft room {I feel like this will be an always ongoing project..}.


  • 2013 - Now that I have my card catalog, I've got another piece of the puzzle!

  • 2015 - It's done! Now it just has to be moved, ugh. Current craft room will become the nursery and current guest room will become a new combo room. We've ordered a sleeper sofa which should be ready end of this month and then the rearranging will begin.  

  • Host a fancy dinner party using our wedding china.


  • 2013 - Hmm, not exactly. Christmas Eve dinner we ate off our wedding china, but we also were in our pjs, ha!
  • 2015 - Still not yet BUT we did tons of renovations on the dining room/kitchen area so it's ready for a party now. 

  • Read 30 books.


  • 2013 - Yikes, haven't even started this.

  • 2015 - Sigh, no, but I predict the kindle will get some major usage once I'm breastfeeding again. 

  • Find a church we love.


  • 2013 - We started going to St. Paul's. TBD if it's the perfect fit.

  • 2015 - St. Paul's has become a perfect fit and of course I find out today our pastor is being reassigned. Sigh. 

  • Visit my great-grandfather's grave at Arlington.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Still nope. 

  • Go out on the Sky Walk at the Grande Canyon.


  • 2013 - Nope.
  • 2015 - Still nope. 

  • Start a college savings account for Quinn.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - No…hides shamefully. I did try but then I got mad at the bank and closed the account.  

  • Have a family portrait taken every year {we already have a session scheduled for this year with my fav girl, Erica!}.


  • 2013 - We had pictures taken in November, so I plan on having them done again this November.

  • 2015 - We have kept this tradition alive! Erica took two family sessions last year plus our baby announcement pics and she'll be doing maternity pics this summer. (Then newborn pics…I'll be keeping her busy for sure.)

  • Create five family traditions that we repeat yearly.


  • 2013 - This past Christmas I started a tradition of the Christmas Eve box. Everyone received Christmas pjs and there was a movie and hot chocolate included for later.
  • 2015 - the Christmas Eve box is still going strong. We also added Toodles the Elf on a Shelf into the mix. I can't think of any others though.  

  • Start a prayer journal.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Kinda bummed I forgot about this one. Must remedy.  

  • Start a vegetable garden.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Uhhh no. We might be getting closer though. We are putting in a pool this spring and hubs has suggested adding some garden boxes. 

  • Visit Yellow Stone.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Nope. 

  • Establish a yearly party {4th of July maybe?}.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Does Quinn's birthday party count? 

  • Bake a cake from scratch.


  • 2013 - Ha! See comment about box mix above.

  • 2015 - Still rocking the box mixes and I might be ok with that. 

  • Get my concealed weapons permit.


  • 2013 - We have our class scheduled for this October.

  • 2015 - Done! 

  • Catalog our Christmas ornaments.


  • 2013 - Was going to do it this past Christmas, but didn't.

  • 2015 - Still no and I might give myself a pass on this one.  

  • Learn how to can the vegetables from our garden.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Got lots of goodies that will help me with the process, but have yet to actually follow through. I'm thinking this one might go more hand in hand with when we actually have a garden. 

  • Learn how to crochet.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - No…and do I really need to add in another craft hobby to my arsenal??  

  • Find my signature drink.


  • 2013 - Nope.

  • 2015 - Nope. 
Final tallies:
  • Complete - 7
  • In process - 5
  • Uncomplete - 18 (ouch) 

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Monday, April 13, 2015

18 weeks


Still going strong on the popsicle front but I've added caesar salad to the craving mix. I guess there could be worse things to crave, but it's still all very odd to me.

I can feel more flutters now, which to be completely honest, I could do without. Yes I understand it's great that she's moving, but it's just very creepy and alien-like to me. You go majority of your life where the only time you feel something in your stomach is if you have an issue and then for 4 or 5 months it's now considered "magical." Pass.

Also the round ligament pain has begun. Ouch!

Back is starting to feel better.

Quinn is starting to connect my growing belly with baby sister. He will gently pat my tummy and recite how she's growing and one day will just POP! out, ha. He's also very excited to give baby sister his baby things like the crib, changing table, and cloth diapers.

Comparison shot of Quinn vs baby sister.




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Monday, April 6, 2015

17 weeks


This week we found out we are adding a sweet girl to the mix! Quinn has always been pretty adamant that mommy has a baby sister in her tummy and I guess he was right.

Still tired, still have to pee all the time. Two constants that I expect to stick around.

I threw my back out the beginning of last week and then ended the week with a stomach bug. Woof. Who knew to lose those 5 pounds I just had to become pregnant?

I'm still craving popsicles, but now more specifically pineapple popsicles. Have you ever tried the Outshine brand? Very yummy.

And here's the comparison shot. Baby girl seems much higher to me than Quinn.



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Monday, March 30, 2015

16 weeks

When I was pregnant with Quinn I took bathroom bump selfies. While I'm still very grateful that I took the pictures, I wish I had done it differently. Baby 2 is getting the chalk board treatment! (the hubs is not happy that he has to be involved and snap the picture, haha)


The second trimester finally brought along with it the slow down of the morning sickness. I thought I had morning sickness with Quinn, ha! This time around I actually had to be on Zophran 24/7 or literally suffer the consequences.

I'm still feeling tired all the time, but I think that's just called motherhood. The hubs travels a lot which leaves me on my own with a very bouncy pre-schooler. (Just look at those tired eyes…)

For most of the first trimester, I barely felt like eating at all. When I did want something it was normally mashed potatoes. So random. So good. This week I want popsicles.

The baby must be tap dancing on my bladder. I can't make it through the night without at least two or three bathroom visits.

As you can see the bump itself is going strong. I've been in leggings or yoga pants since about 8 weeks along. Your body truly does know how to make room the second time around. With Quinn, I thought maternity pants with the full belly panel were the bees knees. This time? HATE them. I want nothing to do with them.

And because we all love a good comparison…Quinn vs baby 2!




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Friday, March 27, 2015

surprise, surprise

Well it's finally out in the open! We are expecting our second bundle of joy this September! It's still pretty surreal to think about. Actually, I try not to think about it because when I do it's a mixed bag of "oh another sweet squishy baby!" and "crap, what have we done??"

Let's rewind a little bit. When the hubs and I decided to jump on the baby train again I knew I wanted to plan out a better reveal to him than what happened last time. (I took a test at 6 in the morning because I was too excited to wait any longer, excitedly told him he was going to be a daddy, he grunted and went back to sleep…ugh!)

I found a funny/cute card on Pinterest (because duh) and went ahead and printed it out beforehand. I had it stashed away in my craft room, ready. The morning I knew I could test, hubs was distracted with Quinn so he didn't know I was doing anything. Once the word "pregnant" flashed across the pee stick it was game on! (Still the longest two minutes of my life ever.)

I grabbed my card and the stick and handed it over.


I did attached the card to one of his favorite candies at least, gummy bears. This time there was more than a grunt. Hubs smiled real big and exclaimed, "awww you gave me something you peed on!" Always the romantic, that one.

For about the next 10 weeks, the pregnancy was our little secret. The hubs and I wanted to wait till I had seen the doctor, had a couple ultrasounds, and cleared past the first trimester before we revealed to the world. We did the same with Quinn and it's always easier said than done!

The first time we saw baby 2 was on February 5th, at 8 weeks 3 days. Sadly, the hubs was in Atlanta for work and couldn't be at the first ultrasound. I decided to ask the tech if we could FaceTime and thankfully she agreed! The hubs got to watch our little bean up on the screen thanks to technology.


The second time we saw baby 2 was on March 9th, at 13 weeks. We had decided to let Danny's boss know about the pregnancy so he could help manage the traveling schedule around our doctor's appointments, therefore hubs was in actual attendance this time around. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we saw baby 2 bouncing around and developing just as he/she should!

Now came the fun part of deciding how we would announce this baby to our families and our friends. I had been scouring Pinterest (again duh), but it all felt so "done." I really don't know how it hit, but it did. I decided to do a play on our last name. All I needed was a large scale or seesaw. Do you know that playground seesaws pretty much don't exist anymore? So what's a girl to do… Hubs to the rescue! He built one!


Of course Quinn thinks this seesaw is awesome, because it is! We called up our favorite photographer, Erica Billingsley, and she agreed to meet us at a park here in Spartanburg. She seriously is the best. It started with my maternity pictures when I was pregnant with Quinn and here she is capturing the beginnings of our second.





I made a card that we then printed out and handed to our parents and also mailed out to some friends and family who aren't on Facebook. We posted the pictures above on Facebook to announce to the rest!

Telling my family:
On Saturday, March 21st, we took a trip to Chapin because Quinn "had been begging to visit Memere and Papa" wink, wink. I also had told my brother we would be there and Quinn "would love to see his Uncle Casey." Both very true statements, but not the main reason for the visit. My mom had been cooking all morning for us and when we all sat down to eat out on the back porch, I had Quinn give Papa a belated birthday card to open.

He stared at the card for what seemed like forever haha. He finally said something along the lines of "oh that's so nice!" so I asked "well do you want to share the news?" Apparently it still hadn't clicked yet because he then replied "oh I get it!" and my mom instantly perked up and asked, "are you pregnant?!" Haha!

When we told them about Quinn, my mom got to open the gift of a baby bib and she screamed and cried so quickly my poor dad didn't have a clue what was going on. So I figured this time around, he would be the one to open up the reveal item, it just took a little longer for the puzzle pieces to come together haha.

Telling Danny's family:
On Sunday, March 22nd, we had tickets to take Quinn to see Mickey's Magic Show in Greenville. The show was at 4 o'clock so we planned on meeting Danny's parents and his sister's family downtown for dinner. Once everyone was seated and had ordered, we had Quinn give his mom the same card. She opened it and, again, seemed to stare at it forever. Kathy and Kevin instantly knew it was an announcement without even seeing the card so we all began to just giggle and look at each other seeing how long it would take to click. Kevin even whispered, "wait for it…." Finally Harriette's head popped up and she mouthed the words to me "are you pregnant?!" like it was still a secret. I laughed and said yes.

Now our secret is out in the open and I can stop trying to suck in my gut! Our next big milestone is the gender ultrasound on April 6th.

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