GTKM - answers to your most burning questions!

And I'm sure you were SO anxious to see all my responses from the CSN GTKM Giveaway, right? LOL. Hope everyone has had a nice weekend, mine was pretty good - again, no plans, which for me = excellent! I got lots done on my pre-Baby J to do list & we are really close to finishing the nursery!! The stupid window hardware I ordered being back ordered until early October is throwing me off, but as soon as that gets here, we'll really finish it up & then I'll be able to show all of you the *BIG* reveal...can't wait! I love my little girl's room so far & I know it's gonna be perfect for her!

So now onto the questions! I am not going to answer any that don't apply right now - like one reader wondered about Baby J's sleeping patterns - and since she's still in mah belleh, I can't really answer that right now. But, I can say, she's most active in there at night, so if that's any indication of how she'll be when she gets here, then we are in for some trouble (especially since we normally get up for work at around 5am - eeek). But, anywho - here are my responses to all the questions that I can answer right now:


1. What is your favorite item in your kitchen?

Hmm, good question. I'm a simple gal, so I'll go with my microwave & toaster - that's two, I know!  I like 'em because they make grabbing a quick, hot something for breakfast before running out the door in the morning MUCH easier! My long time readers may recall, but we got a new microwave like umm last summer or so. One that actually matches the rest of the the appliances & actually works, so I love that! One day I'll learn how to really bake (minus boxed cake mixes ::wink::) & perhaps I'll invest in a KitchenAid Stand Mixer - I hear they are amazing - then I'm sure that'll be my fav!

2. Where did you get the wooden hangers you used in your baby hangers DIY project?

Michaels - love that store! But, I'm sure you can get them from any craft store. I do wish we had a Hobby Lobby 'round these parts though because from what I have seen on other's blogs, they have lots of great stuff that I don't think Michaels carries. boo! I just checked out their site & found out that they have a location about 45 min. away from me, near my uncle's house! Maybe next time I visit him, I'll stop by & check out all the crafty goodness. :)

PS - I finally put these up in her closet now & they look SUPER cute - I'll be sharing a pic of the closet so far (pre-baby shower & I'm sure more clothes/diapers/towels/etc.) sometime this week!


3. Where do you get your inspiration?

I read SOOOOO many blogs of talented ladies with great ideas & I usually get my inspiration from other's projects - some of my fav crafty/D&R blogs are Craftaholics Anonymous, The DIY Show Off, Somewhat Simple, Attempting Creative, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Young House Love - just to name a few, there are many many more I follow & LOVE.I'd also recommend checking out any blogs/sites linked on blogs you find &  like b/c I find lots more great sites like that. I also love Martha Stewart & Pottery Barn (PBK for Baby J stuff) & get lots of inspiration from both of those sites as well. Hope this helps!! If you want more specific information or ever have a question that I don't answer here on the blog, just shoot me an email at worldofdennifer{at}gmail{dot}com & I'll get back to you with a response ASAP. :)

4. Will you keep the baby in the nursery from the beginning or will you keep her in your room with you for awhile?

Good question - we plan to keep her in the room with us for the first couple (or so) of months in a Pack & Play, then try to move her into her nursery/crib. Because I'm a worry wart, we'll be buying the Angelcare Movement Monitor to use when she's in her crib. We registered for one of those TV monitors b/c the hubbs really wanted it, lol. So, the Angelcare monitor we get will be the movement sensor only - to be used along with the normal TV/sound monitor.I know some people say these aren't necessary, but for my piece of mind, I'd rather just spend the $70 and have it. :)


5. What breed is your dog?

He's a rescue dog, so we aren't EXACTLY sure of his breed, but we think he's a German Sheppard & some sort of Hound mix. He's such a sweet dog, so whatever he's mixed with, it worked out great for us! And thanks for the comment on how cute he is - we (or at least I & I'm pretty sure the hubbs too) think so too!

Thanks for all the great questions! I hope to do another one of these GTKM posts/giveaways soon, so fun! Now I have to run because Baby J is kicking me to eat (& the hubby keeps calling me to come get my food - he cooked tonight b/c I spent hours cleaning today), lol.  'Till next time!

5QF + weekly recap - 6.4.10

Hey everyone! Yet another week has come to an end, yay! I get happy when Friday rolls around b/c I advance another week in my pregnancy on Saturdays, so tomorrow I'll be 18 weeks. And speaking of - I never posted my 17 week update. Not too much to report - baby is the size of an onion & wiggling around lots & lots in there! I can feel flutters every once in a while & I can't wait to start feeling her move from the outside & especially can't wait until her papa can feel her move around! We have another Dr's appointment + our anatomy scan/ultrasound in 2 weeks & I can't wait to see her again! We will also go register afterwords at BRU & I have started a second very small registry on Target.com already. Anywho, so as not to rob you of the very very in demand bump pics, here are my photos from 17 weeks:

Clothed Belly

Bare Belly

I just like to have it all documented  on the blog since I plan to print out all of my posts about the baby & make a cute little book one day. :)

This week was pretty uneventful. I finished my first baby project, which I'll be sharing here soon..it's so cute! And I'm planning on taking a trip to the local thrift shop shop to drop off some stuff we are donating & possibly buying some old frames for another project for Baby J's nursery. That's my main D&R focus right now besides our cleaning/getting the house ready for the babe. I also have a few things I'd like to do in my office area int he basement, but one includes a desk re-finish that I can't do right now because I'm pregnant - still waiting on the hubbs to get started on that one. In other news, my poor pup is kida sick - if you wanna call it that - he has something wrong with his left ear, I think some sort of infection. So I'll be taking him to the vet later today & also getting his shots updated while we are there. Besides that, this weekend will likely be pretty chill, for once we don't have many plans, which is a good thing!

So, on to 5QF! If you want to participate, head on over to My Little Life & link up (and let me know if you do, I'd love to read my reader's answers)!

1. If you could go back to college would you change your major? Or, if you were to go to college right now...what major would you choose? 

Umm, I went to both undergrad & grad school & I liked my majors. I am pretty happy with what I do, so I'm not sure I'd change it.  I would like to take some party planning courses though because I'd really liek to get into wedding/party planning one day.

2. What do you love most about your home?

Hmmm, that's a tough one since I REALLY want a new house, lol. But I guess I love the location - it's so convenient to major highways/parkways, stores & malls.

3. What types of books do you like to read (if you like to read at all)?

I like murder mysteries best or true-life crime stories. I was an Administration of Justice major & Sociology minor in college, so I like to read about crime & what motivates the criminal mind. Weird? My mom is the same way, haha.

4. What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten?

Hmmm, OMG one time my mother's @$$hole husband (can you tell I'm not too fond of him?) tricked me into eating duck.  IDK why it bothered me so much, I know some people really like duck, but all I could think about was the poor little duckies that I used to feed when I was a little girl. :(

5. If you HAD to be a character on a TV show, whom would you be?

This is a talk show, not a fictional show, but I LOVE Rachel ray. Her show looks like it would be so much fun & she loves what she does!

That's all I got for this Friday - nothing much going on here. I'll be back next week with some spring/summer cleaning updates & my very first baby girl DIY project recap & tutorial! 'Till next time...have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesdays - my two guys :)

Sorry - a couple of words: starting to participate in the very bloggy-popular feature "Wordless Wednesdays" & I am going to try & post a new pic every week, in addition to my everyday posts. Hope you enjoy!

  

  

 Dizz likes to smush himself against the hubby when he's in his floor space (which is basically anywhere my hubby sits, hehehe).

Being lazy on the stairs.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! LOTS of pics!

Woot! My favorite holiday of the year is in less than 3 weeks & lay an eye on what we had today:

Snow, snow, snow & lots of it! Woo hoo...Dizz loves snow, lol. He even likes to dig his nose in it & try to bite the snow & catch it in his mouth. He's my fat baby! :o)

We ended up getting more than 5 inches (good thing I went grocery shopping yesterday)! Unfortunately, it made the cancellation of my dinner plans with my BFF, who recently gave birth, sorta out of the question, although I know Stella (my SUV) coulda made it! The hubbs wasn't having it & my friend wasn't really feeling it either. :o(  But the good news is, I got sooo much Christmas decorating & present wrapping done, yay! Here are a few photos of all my hard work from today - this all goes to show that being snowed in is sometimes a GOOD thing!

Front exterior - there are candle lights in each of the windows in the front of the house, but I couldn't get them all in this pic & I was freezin' my booty off!

My DIY wreath...I very happy with the way it came out! And the pine cones are cinnamon scented, so they make right outside the front door smell amazing!

We had to rearrange our furniture to fit the tree - I had reservations @ 1st, but now I'm lovin' the new set up! Oh & I'll be changing out the orange pillows & curtains soon - got the okay from the hubbs yesterday!

Our TREE!! Yipee...we bought a new one this year (it's artificial, but a nice one versus our old cheapo Walmart one from the previous few years)

And all lit up (sorry for the blurriness...I still need to figure out my camera)! We went with a red, green & silver color scheme with clear lights & a white tree skirt with silver detail. I LOVE the way it turned out.

 

 

My coffee table centerpiece lanterns (along with close ups), also inspired by this PB beaut! The center one I filled with pine cones & faux pine tree trimmings & the other two are filled with Pier One red & silver jingle bells.

Entryway table decor! Hubby even thought of the idea with clear lights being draped on the frames, which gave the table that little something extra - I love that man! :o)

Was that enough pics for you?! I told you we (meaning me) got a lot done today. I won't show you the dining room & kitchen just yet, they are not quite done.  Mainly because I ordered this lovely linen hemstitch table runner embroidered with our last initial from Simply Done Gifts on NOVEMBER 14th & it's STILL.NOT.HERE!!! And, I'm sorry, I have to put them out there b/c I am beyond flustered annoyed with them. I sent several messages, which were finally answered this past Wednesday, giving me some BS excuse about having problems with the embroidery & promising that they would be shipping out my table runner that night & that I would receive shipping information later that day. Well, I never did & I was trying to be patient with them, so I didn't email the lady again that day. Well, after finishing up my DR table centerpiece today, it really angered me that my table wasn't completely done b/c of this hang up with my order. So today I sent another email...it was not very nice. I basically told them that I would never order from them again & I would tell everyone I know not to order from the either & that I was very dissatisfied with their company. I told them that this was unprofessional & if I did not receive word that my order was shipped via FedEx overnight delivery at no charge to me by Moday, then I would order my table runner from a more reputable company. I also told them that I would like a full, or at a minimum, a partial refund of my money. I was professional in my message & used a polite tone, but I got the idea across that I was not happy & far from impressed! Whew. So, in getting to my point...I will post these two rooms when my DR table is complete with my table runner. So here is my PSA - never order from this company - they are horrible with order processing & customer service. Who LIES to their customers?!  Ugh.

Sorry for the rant, but REALLYpeople?! Stay tuned for a post soon about my DIY gift tags on hubby's gifts & our Master Bath reveal - it's finally done!!! Just needs a quick cleaning for the big reveal. Hopefully, I will be able to post it tomorrow!  

Linking Up to the DIY Show Off Holiday Highlights blog party!

Oh my...Thanksgiving is in less than 2 weeks!

How did this happen? Seems like it was summertime only yesterday. Eeeek! Don't get me wrong - I lurve the holidays, it's the most wonderful time of year after all! I am even beginning my holiday decorating planning...but then ::light bulb:: first comes Thanksgiving & we are having my husband's family over this year. OmgOMGomgggggggg. I have to cook all.that.food. I'm actually a grown up, lol. Not that I have never hosted parties at my house - actually, the house of Dennifer is quite the party spot, but having all my ILs over is a completely different story. I love them, they are cool, but it's still stressful anytime family is over the house & half of them are scared of dogs, which makes my life that much more difficult. I mean really - who could be scared of this cutie?


He's harmless - wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, maybe a fly, but he'd just be trying to play. He is literally the sweetest dog in the whole wide world, or maybe I'm just a wee bit biased?! Anyways, I feel bad for him when they come over b/c some of them tend to freak out over any little move he makes - harmless as it is. I don't blame them - they just aren't used to animals as pets & being in the house & being treated like children...it's just how it was where they are from. One time I even went upstairs with him & refused to come down if they were going to be weird about the dog. I know - I took it it a little over board that day, haha. Here's how I feel about animals when you have guests over - I don't mind gating him when a lot of people are at the house & moving about or eating, but once the crowd starts dwindling down or if you are staying at the house overnight - I'm sorry, but I'm not locking him up the entire time someone is staying at my house! However, we have moved past their fear of dogs & they even like him a little now, so my current biggest concern is: the food & finishing our Master Bath project!!!

Okay, so I'm not sure how much assistance our guests (possibly including a few of my family members) will be chipping in to help with the meal, but here are a few things on my list:

Turkey (w/cranberry sauce) of course - but the big decision here is fried or roasted?! I hear fried is amazing & I have never had it, but you have to fry it outside & it's cold & I am not experienced frying something that large & would rather not burn down my house this year, sooo yeah. If we did fried, it would be purchased from somewhere & heated in my oven. I need to figure out how much that would cost & then I guess we will decide.



Next, side dishes - I am thinking of the following (warning - yummy food pics below):

a nice green bean casserole

homemade mac & cheese (yum!)

homemade stuffing

mashed potatoes + gravy

candied yams

potato salad

hot dinner rolls

And...for dessert, my Hubby's aunt is making her delish famous banana pudding

& if I'm up for it, I may throw in a pumpkin pie.

Just thinking about all that food makes me sleepy! Now I need to go beg my MIL, mom & possibly step mom to help me cook, lol. Am I missing any Thanksgiving staple food here? Do you have any good recipes for any of these dishes? I am most scared of the stuffing & turkey. :o/

Oh & the MBath project is going well. Last night I finished painting the cabinets, woot! Those were a PITA especially since Dizzle's hair is flying all around the house, so it kept getting onto the drying cabinets. We also ran into a bit of a problem trying to find the molding/casing for the mirror framing project, but now that I realize just how close Thanksgiving is, we just need to make a decision & go with it. I need this house in order when everyone gets here in 2 weeks (plus I'm hosting a candle party next weekend).

Here are the things we still need to do to finish up the bathroom:

• Buy the mirror framing materials, prime/paint it & put it up
• Sand, prime (where needed) & paint the trim around the bathroom
• Sand, prime & paint the vanity frame
• Install the new faucets
• Caulk tile areas in shower that need touch ups
  
• Steam & put up the new shower curtain
• Clean out under cabinets, put down contact paper & organize stuff into baskets
  
• Clean entire bathroom

Looking at that list makes me feel like we have more to do than we even realized...and so little time to do it. Eeek! Time to get working this weekend. After today, lol. :oP

When BAD dogs strike...

This is what happens:

:o(

I definitely spent over an hour & a half @ Michaels & Walmart picking out the perfect tools, bases, embellishments, paint, etc. to re-create these 2 wonderful fall decor projects from two of my very talented Nestie friends:

1. Faux Mercury Pumpkins from Roeshel @ The DIY Show Off:

2. Fall Foliage Door Wreath from fellow Nestie friend xoxoll:

Unfortunately for Dizz the hubbs came home first & saw what he had done & this is what I came home to:

Hahahaha, poor dog. But in this case I think his banishment was warranted! So you know where I'll be today - at Michaels replacing the items he destroyed. Hopefully I'll make these look as good as the two talented ladies who were my inspiration for these projects! I can't wait to finish them & put them out - I heart the Fall! It's my favorite season. Oh, I also finished my DIY wall art for my MB...if I can pull my husband away from his 'effing PS 3 (NCAA Football 2010 - he's playing as I type this!) long enough to hang up the new drapes I bought for our bedroom & my DIY wall art, then I will be posting those pics & a tutorial for the art. Until then...Happy Fall Everyone!!

This is what I deal with every morning...

Two lazy men! LOL. DH is on the bed sleeping & my dog Dizzle is on the floor with his head under the bed sleeping. Meanwhile I am doing my hair in the MBR @ 5am this morning! I had to take a shot of it! I just love these guys!

*Please excuse half our mattress showing from under the fitted sheet & our messy room.*

Weekend Re-cap

I would say that this past weekend (6/5 - 6/7/09) was pmb (pretty much basically) a success...I got A LOT done & I'm proud of myself. I'm off every other Friday and this past week was my day off, so I slept in sooo late! One of my good friends treated me to a belated bday dinner that night & gave me the CUTEST little makeup bag ever!

On Saturday my friend had a kick off for her Mary Kay business, so I went to it to show support & bought a little something...the rest of Saturday consisted of shopping, shopping & more shopping!! Here are a few things I scored:

*Hot Fiya new New Balances for only $30 from DSW (I used one of those rewards coupons!):



*New doggie bed for my furbaby - Dizzle (he's so spoiled!):

...And I bought some scrapbooking stuff (for my wedding scrapbook - yes, I am JUST getting around to it!), some other items for my next DIY project (see next post) from Michael's, got lotsa pics developed @ Ritz - even finally got new passport pics to send in!

Sunday I took my fat dog to go and visit my BFF's new puppy, Kiwi...arent they the cutest?!

**Kiwi**

And then I got most of the wedding scrapbook done!

Overall, I'd say I was pretty productive...now this week, I will attempt to finish my DIY DR pendant project (see next post)....wish me luck!