DIY Fall Wreath

Monday, August 25, 2014

Fall is right around the corner, and this girl is pretty stinkin’ excited about it! Pumpkins, the changing leaves, and an assortment of cozy scarves…what’s not to love?

I recently found this tutorial on Shanty-2-Chic, and fell in love! Of course, I had to make one for myself. It was honestly the one of the easiest DIY’s I have done. I already had a spare wreath lying around, so all I had to do was find some artificial fall berries. Dane and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby, where I found these for $1.49 each…PLUS, they were on sale for 40% off! Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself!

Originally, I was planning on cutting the short stems off and pushing them into the wreath. However, I thought it would require some hot glue, and I really didn’t know how that would end up looking. So, I tried inserting the long stem of the berries into the wreath, and that worked very well. The long stem held the berries securely to the wreath. I used nine bundles of the berries, and placed them evenly around the wreath.


I could not be happier with the way that it turned out. I cannot wait until fall is officially here so I can start decorating. This beauty is going to look great with pumpkins and purple mums! You think it is too early to start decorating now?

Click and Blossom

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

For the past 5 months (okay, maybe longer) I have been keeping a look out for cute little baby clothes. I haven’t bought much yet, but I am sure his wardrobe will grow rapidly!

The other day, I came across a site called Click and Blossom. They sell awesome stuff for photographers and their littles! I am sure that our baby boy will be sporting some of these great one-pieces…and his mommy will too!



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Luckily, our little guy doesn’t seem to be the least bit camera shy! Good thing…cause I think he is going to be in front of the camera a lot!  

20 Weeks

Monday, August 11, 2014

I cannot believe we are halfway through this pregnancy. It is going by so quickly, and I am not even close to prepared for little man's arrival. Now is the time to get everything done...my energy level has really gone up these last couple weeks.



We had our 20 week appointment and ultrasound last week, and everything is going smoothly. The baby is growing perfectly. Getting to see him and hear his little heartbeat is always so amazing. We just can't get over how amazing he is, and we just love all 14 oz. of him!



How Far Along: 20 weeks
Gender: boy
Sleep: I have been sleeping very well
Best Moment: getting to see our little sweetie and finally feeling some little flutters
Miss Anything: sleeping on my back
Movement: a few flutters here and there...I can't wait to feel him move around more
Cravings: random pickle cravings (cliché, I know) and sweet corn
Queasy or Sick: luckily I haven't felt bad in weeks
Looking Forward To: getting started on the nursery (I am going to share some nursery plans soon!)

The Great Smoky Mountains

Thursday, August 07, 2014

A couple of weeks ago we went on vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee! I am finally back to my normal routine...it only took a week or so! We had such a great time while we were away. The drive down was pretty uneventful (which is probably a good thing), and the time on the road seemed to pass quickly.



It was so nice to finally arrive to the mountains! I never get tired of Gatlinburg. However, the traffic is something I could certainly do without. We slowly made our way to The Dixie Stampede to get tickets for the show that night, and then we went to search for our cabin. I could stay in that cabin forever...it was amazing!



The Dixie Stampede was a lot of fun. I have been about four times...so yeah, it is something that I would recommend. Brooke left saying, "When I grow up, I want to be a Dixie Stampede performer!"

On Tuesday, we soaked up some sun at the Dollywood water park. The others really enjoyed all of the water slides, but I stuck to the lazy river and relaxed by the pool. Maybe I will be able to be part of all of the fun next time. After a long day at the water park, we went to grab some food at The Blue Moose. It is back off of the main road, but we were so glad that we found it. The service was fantastic and the food was great!

Wednesday morning the rest of the family arrived...and we were beyond thrilled to see them! Logan, Shawna, and Easton had made the trip through the night, so we let them catch up on some sleep while we relaxed around the cabin.



Once everyone was up and ready we made our way to the mountains! The views were breathtaking and the weather was perfect.


Thursday we split up. The boys went to the muscle car museum, and the girls (and Easton) went to Ripley's Aquarium. Easton loved it! He couldn't stop looking at all of the fish, and he really loved the penguins. We even got to touch jellyfish...it was pretty gross awesome!



After walking around Gatlinburg, we went to The Lumberjack Feud. This may have been one of my favorite things from the trip. It was very entertaining, and Brooke has officially decided that she wants to be a lumberjill...I know, she changes her mind quickly.

Friday was another day of hiking in the mountains. There were a couple trails that proved to be a little difficult for this pregnant lady, but I managed. Easton just hitched a ride on his daddy's back...lucky kid!



Saturday, the crew went to Dollywood. Dane and I decided to skip the roller coasters since this prego wasn't going to have much fun watching everyone get dizzy! We ended up taking Easton shopping in Gatlinburg for the day instead. It was a great day. We spent a couple of hours sitting at Sugarlands Distilling Company listening to some live music, while Easton slept like a baby. ;) Dane tasted some moonshine (while I changed a crazy diaper) and we spent the rest of the day checking out the little shops.



Sunday, the group went zip lining and we did some shopping. I bought a couple outfits for our little mister, and I can't wait until he is here to wear them. We spent majority of the afternoon at The Island in Pigeon Forge. It was a great way to end the vacation...until we got caught in a storm! We had no choice but to take shelter at Margaritaville until the tornado warning expired.



We had such a great time on vacation! We did so much fun stuff...well, I watched everyone else do most of it, but that's okay! If you are looking for a great place to go on vacation, I suggest Gatlinburg. You will not regret it!