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4.18.2014

Crafty Weekend with Grammy

After spending a week in Arkansas with my mom, she and Louis drove baby and I back to Texas last Friday. Before we left, I packed a cooler full of our leftovers because I knew when we got to my house we would be too tired to figure out dinner. Sean was going out with some friends so we were on our own. Who says you can't eat chicken & dumplings 3 times in one week? Not I :) We didn't get home until around 7, so after unloading the car, showing her the nursery for the first time, and heating up leftovers, we were both quick to jump in bed for a good nights sleep (only I didn't get to sleep until SP got home later, boo!).

When Saturday morning came, we hit the ground running! First up was fuel! There is a new breakfast place around the corner from us that we've been wanting to try. Now, I must tell you, when I go eat breakfast somewhere, I have to order a little bit of salty and sweet. It's just the way it has to be. I am sure I have my father to thank for this! I ordered an omelet and 2 blueberry pancakes. I didn't think anything else was going to come with it, which was fine. No toast, potatoes..not ANYTHING! Just one omelet and 2 pancakes. Well, when our food came out, suddenly I wasn't just eating for 2, I felt like I was eating for 4!


It was so funny! I couldn't believe how much food I had in front of me. I was almost embarrassed, ha! But, I quickly moved the pancakes in the middle of the table and we all 3 ate on them. They were seriously amazing! In fact, I want more right now! They were, first of all, HUGE, but they had the perfect amount of crispy on them. Oh my gosh, I'm drooling! The rest of my breakfast I barely touched because it didn't compare to the pancakes. Next time we go back (tomorrow? :) ) I will just order ONE pancake and ONE scrambled egg.

After breakfast we ran to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner because we invited Jack and Sheryl over to eat shish-kabobs later that evening. I was so eager to get back home and in the nursery to unload all the gifts from the Shreveport shower from the previous weekend. Sean was sweet to unload them all when he got home last weekend, but that's as far as it went. Fine by me, part of the fun was unpacking them all to see what I got! That took a little while to figure out where I was going to put it all. Once we got everything put away, my mom pulled out my sewing machine and got busy with a few crafty things :)

First up was the basket for the changing table. We found the perfect size basket at Hobby Lobby when we were in Arkansas. There was just one problem. The liner inside was white with pink polka dots. Hmm, not gonna work for this baby of mine :) My mom was quick to realize she could just use that as a pattern and make a new liner that would match better. She had some leftover truck fabric from the baby blanket she made. It turned out SO CUTE! I just love the pop of color it adds to this corner of the room, don't you?


Next up was the hemming of the curtains! They have been driving me CRAZY, but I am not very good at hemming things very straight, so I was happy to have her help me. Although, I guess I ended up being there for moral support only, because she knocked it out by herself! Thanks, mom!

Here's the before...


And here's the after! So much better :)


The next project sort of came about last minute, but it's something we have both been thinking a lot about. We were unsure of how to execute it ourselves, or to just buy it. A mobile. Once my mom informed me of how little time this gem would be hanging over the crib for the sake of baby's safety, it became really difficult for me to think about spending $100+ on one. So with that in mind, we were set on making one. The truck fabric to the rescue again!


I cut out the trucks from the fabric, she sewed around them, I stuffed them, then she closed them up with the ribbon. It's simple and I love it. We added the little beads and the mobile arm cover last minute. The beads are cute and add interest, and the arm cover just has to be there because the arm itself is the most hideous color against that white crib! I figured out a way to spin it so that the ribbon will wind up and then spin around in circles for a minute. So $40 later, we had ourselves a mobile :)  I think it looks good when you look at the whole picture!

See that cute baby blanket she made hanging over the crib :) Love it!

We had so much fun putting these finishing touches on the nursery. It was nice to have another set of eyes to bounce ideas off of. Louis enjoyed himself, too...

Seriously? That's my pillow, dog! Ha! He cracks me up!

We had a nice dinner on Saturday with Sean's parents, even though we had to push them off an hour so we would be ready for them. Our projects consumed our day, but thankfully Sean got a nap in and then was able to help throw dinner together before they got here!

Sunday was here before we knew it, and it was time for my mom and Louis to head out. But, mother nature wasn't ready for them to leave just yet. It was a nasty rainy day from here all the way home for them. They decided to stay another night! Woo Hoo!

He is thrilled!

Sunday my mom and I went to Babies'R'Us and Buy Buy Baby. It was fun to walk around and see all the things I had registered for but had not seen in person. I can't remember what we did after that other than maybe eat a steak finger basket from DQ for lunch, ah! We just couldn't help ourselves. We worked hard all weekend and deserved it! We put some finishing touches on the room decor, did some relaxing, and then my mom made us a quick easy supper. Turkey burgers with mushrooms and swiss. So good! It wasn't too long after that we all went to bed. 

She and Louis were out early, 6am! I didn't see them off, but made sure I said "See ya' later!" the night before. Sean got up just before they headed out. She got home in time to drop Louis off at home and go to work for a few hours. 

I was so happy to have had them here an extra day. We got a lot of things done and I'm feeling good about the nursery. I think it is finally looking complete, thanks to Grammy's help :) 

4.17.2014

Spontaneous Trip

A few weeks before heading to Shreveport for my baby shower, my mom asked if I would want to ride back to Arkansas with her from Louisiana for the week! My initial reaction was YES! But, when I started to think about the logistics, I realized I'd be past the point where I could fly (safely) and when I talked to SP about it, he wasn't thrilled about the idea of my driving home by myself at this stage of the game (31 weeks pregnant). I told my mom (who also didn't want me driving alone right now) the only way I could come is if she was willing to drive me home the next weekend. Of course she was, and just like that, I had another trip, pre-baby, scheduled for the mountain!

Sunday morning in Shreveport, she went to breakfast with Adam and Christy, and Christy's dad and step-mom. Sean and I stayed behind and waited on her to get back. We had a nice visit with Uncle Jim and Suzanne that morning, then we all went our separate ways. Sean back to Texas, and my mom and I to Bentonville! It was a gloomy rainy day, but luckily the rain wasn't too heavy, just constant the entire way, yuck!

Before we got completely out of town, my mom wanted to run by her childhood home. It was really neat to pull into the neighborhood and hear all of her memories she told. I definitely have a few of them myself. I remembered the entrance into the neighborhood, and I remembered the house once I saw it. I was young when we would go to visit my grandmother, but I will never forget the peacock feathers in the dining room, the bright red lipstick in the green tube in her bathroom (which also had blue carpet I think), the swivel stool that sat by the phone, and the dark, smokey smelling living room.  Most of my mom's memories consisted of her telling me all the places she used to ride her bike around the neighborhood, and how much she loved zooming down her driveway on it! Precious memories :)


We made our way into Bentonville around 6:30 and headed straight to the Robinson's to pick up little Louis!!! I couldn't wait to get my hands on that pup, and that obviously goes without saying for my mom! We were happy to get settled in for the evening on the Escarpment. Since it was still cold and rainy, we ate leftover lentil soup she had in the freezer. So yummy! We called it an early night (as if that's not the usual when on "mountain time" {we all say the mountain sucks the energy out of us b/c we are so relaxed while there}).

My mom worked each morning until noon. I woke up in time to take her to work each day so that I could have the car if I needed it. I never went anywhere during those hours, but it was nice being able to pick her up at 12 and us being able to go do what we needed without her having to come home to get me first. Most mornings Louis and I just chilled. Just look at this cuteness!!


We napped, wrote thank you cards, napped some more...before I knew it, it was time to go grab my mom for some fun!

We were both completely worn out on Monday. Myself from the busy weekend and travel, and Louis from his busy weekend of playing with the Robinson's 2 golden doodles and grandkids! 

We went out to lunch every day (oops!). We ate at a little Mexican place on Monday, Thai on Tuesday, Table Mesa on Wednesday with Janie, Katie, Deb, and Becky, Thursday we ate BBQ, and Friday we picked up Fish n Chips from the new food truck in town, on our way out of town! We didn't go hungry, that's for sure! We did a little shopping, too. Look at this cute little outfit my mom bought for Baby...

Adorable!

We had a good time looking at all the baby stuff in a few small baby boutiques we found. I got a kick out of picking up different outfits and asking my mom if baby would look good in a certain color. Ha! As if we even know that yet!

Pretty flowers on the square
I sent a picture of this to SP asking if he wanted me to get it for Baby. He said, "No, he won't even know what it says!"
HA - silly daddy!

Each day after a good lunch and a little shopping, we'd head home and set Louis free from jail (aka the laundry room). He was always soooo excited to see his momma! The rest of the day was spent lounging around mostly. We ate chicken'n'dumplings for dinner a few times, we ate steak and potato one night, and on Thursday, we were treated to a nice dinner at Crabby's by the Reynold's. I got salmon that was very very good! 

Friday morning I took a nap, loaded up the car, and then Louis and I picked up my mom! We grabbed some fish'n'chips from the truck on the corner and hit the road. The food truck took foreverrrrrrr and unfortunately wasn't great. Sean heard we were going to a food truck and insisted (like, I'm not kidding) that I take a picture of the menu for him! He cracks me up!


After lunch, we each had one last cupcake left to devour from the shower. We might have each had one a day...but who's to say :)

BABY MADE ME DO IT!!!

We were off by 1, and made it to my house around 7ish. We were all three VERY ready to get out of the car!

Such a trooper, considering my presence in the car bumped him to the backseat! Sorry little Lou!

I had such a nice time in Bentonville with my mom and Louis. It was a nice week to spend together before my life gets crazy! Thanks mom for all the fun, and for the extra mileage on your car :) I don't know about you, but I think it was worth it :)

4.16.2014

My Shreveport Shower

The weekend of April 5th, Sean and I drove to Shreveport! My sweet friends Erin, Kelly, & Jenn were throwing me a baby shower! My mom also drove in from Bentonville, and Sean's parents drove in from Keller. 

We were in no huge rush getting out of town on Friday. Our goal was to hit the road around 2:00. Sean and I got busy loading our car, going in and out of the garage. We were almost finished and I was just about to make my last bathroom break before jumping in the car, and Sean was getting something out of the fridge. All of a sudden...he started to point behind me (my back was to the open door from the garage) and had a very stunned look on his face! No words were coming out of his mouth. I finally turned around realizing he was trying to tell me something, and there, standing behind me, IN OUR HOUSE, was a HUGE dog! Just panting and happy as could be! I about freaked out! I quickly got around on the other side of the counter where Sean was. Sean was trying to get the dog back outside, but the dog didn't want to! He decided to take a quick stroll through our living room, still happy. So happy and friendly, ha! Sean finally got him outside, but he wouldn't leave! Sean gave him some water, which he really needed. He kept trying to get in the car with us, and back in the house. It was crazy! I was shaking because it was so shocking to turn around and see such a big dog standing right behind you in your own house! We finally got away, and we hope the dog found his home, and if not, another nice owner to take care of him. He had no tag :(


So, a little delayed, but no biggie. Off we went!


We only had to stop 2 times! Go me!! When we got to Shreveport, I had plans to go to Superior with my girl friends for Jenn's birthday! Sean dropped me off at Kelly's parents and he went on to Adam's, then my uncle's house. He then went on to meet his parents for dinner at Monjuni's (yum!). 

I rode to Superior with Kelly, where we met Jenn, Erin, Malain, and Jenn's sister-in-law, Grace, for dinner! Since it was Jennifer's birthday, they made her stand in her chair while they sang to her! So funny!


This picture made us all laugh SO HARD...look at Grace's head! The lady behind her had a fur vest on, but it looks like Grace is wearing a rat tail in her hair, haha!!!

Grace, Malain, Jenn
Kelly, Erin, Me

After dinner I was dropped off at my Uncle Jim & Suzanne's house, where my mom had finally arrived! Sean & I, and my mom all stayed there over the weekend. Kelly and I got there just in time to have dessert with them. It was a really fun evening and I was happy to be around my closest family and friends :)

Saturday morning we woke up and got to FaceTime with Shawn and Yasha! Then we got ready to meet Sean's parents at Herby K's for an early lunch before the shower. Adam couldn't come because he had to work Saturday. I was sooo happy to get to squeeze this meal in. I can't go to Shreveport and not eat a Shrimp Buster!!! 


The shower was at 2:00 at The Corkran's house. We had such a great turnout, and the girls hit the details out of the park! Kelly, Jenn, and Erin did such a good job making it special. Baby is so lucky to have such good aunties in his life :) The house looked beautiful! 

Admiring the special blanket my mom made for Baby SLP :)
The hostesses gave me my diaper bag!! (and lots of books!)
My pretty momma :)
Hostesses & Me - Jenn, me, Erin, Kelly
Alpha Chi Sisters! - Malain, Jenn, Erin, Me, Allison Lauren

Baby and I felt very special that so many people came to show their love. It was a lovely afternoon and I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Thank you ladies, SO MUCH! I love you!

After the shower, we headed back over to my Uncle Jim's house, where he and Suzanne were busy preparing burgers for us. Sean had been out with his dad and Adam all afternoon. When they showed up, let's just say they had each thoroughly enjoyed their time away from the girls! They had been to the boats and then to the new Shreveport brewery. Christy and Sheryl came back over, too. We had a yummy meal and then called it a night.

It's always fun being back in my home town. I had a great weekend and am so glad I was able to have a shower back home.