2010 Fall Decor!

So this year I wanted to keep our fall decor relatively simple being that I am over 30 weeks pregnant & I'll be having this little one during the mid to later part of the fall. If you remember from my inspiration post, most of the things I wanted to do are pretty simple DIY-wise & low maintenance. I showed you my DIY wreath from last year, which is up again, but now I want to show off everything else I did to decorate for my favorite season of the year!

Here's our living room:

From front entry door:

From powder room:

 

For this room, I just switched out the throw pillows with the burnt orange ones I already owned & the brown button pillows were already there. Then, I added my new PB Essential Throw (which is quite comfy ;o) & a new shag area rug ($75 from Walmart..I LOVE this rug, it's so soft on my toes). I am lovin' how simple, but pretty it is! I forgot to take a photo of the wall with the entertainment center, but it's decorate with fall colored candles, which I'll switch out for Christmas colors in the winter.

And for the entryway table:

Please excuse the dog bowls, lol...this is the entry between the LR & DR/kitchen area since we don't have a formal front entryway.

Some close ups...

family name sign

...and my little pumpkins inspired by this PBK treat basket.

We already owned all of the candles & the faux fall leaves, I just arranged them around our family name sign. I got the large glass vase from HomeGoods & added some more of the faux leaves & my DIY ribbon pumpkins. They were so easy to make that I didn't even do a tutorial! Just grab some small faux pumpkins form your local craft store & some fall colored ribbon. Then, just hot glue the ribbon on to the pumpkins & wha-lah...pretty fall pumpkins! These are, by far, my favorite fall decor for this year - thanks to Pottery Barn for the inspiration!

And the final area I decorated, the dining room table, which was also kept very simple:

Close ups...

I got all the supplies for the centerpiece from Save On Crafts, which I discovered during my wedding planning...they have really cool, unique stuff & great prices. The little guys I used as filling for the vintage wood box are called dried puka pods - they are so cute, they look just like mini pumpkins, don't they?! So perfect.

And that's my fall decor! I wanted to do some mums out on the font porch & I still may, but I just haven't found a nice enough planter to put them in. We'll also carve a couple pumpkins closer to Halloween & that'll be it for this year. Simple & low maintenance - just how I wanted it. :)

Sorry this took so long to get up - I have been so busy lately - either that or tired, so I have been slacking on cleaning up my house & taking these pics. How are all of you doing on your fall decor this year? Did you do something simple like me or did you go all out?! Please share your links, I'd love to check it out. 'Till next time!

Baby J to do list update - 10.08.10

29. That's the number of days until Baby J's due date...you read that right, twenty nine! OMG, I can't believe how soon that is. I have totally been slacking on updating my Baby J to do list, but I have been continuing to tackle the items, so I figure better late than never, right?! I looked back through my posts & saw that the last time I updated this was on September 17th! Definitely time do another one...time is running short & we still have a lot left to do. Here are the latest updates:

House Related:

• Buy new area rug for living room. 
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door (not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost).
• Mop hardwoods in all areas.
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.
• Clean out basement utility storage closet. -- I wish I took before & afters...my husband seriously did an AMAZING job cleaning out this area. 
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating! -- post showing all of this year's fall decor sometime next week!
• Steam clean Dizz grease spots where he lays on the carpet - just like on the walls for the stairs, if he lays in one spot a lot, the grease from his coat makes that spot on the carpet dirty...eww!  
• ADDED: Buy & install new storm door. -- Because of the specific one we wanted, we had to get it special ordered, so we did that last weekend & are now waiting on it to come in!
  

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 26, 2010!
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants. -- I got a these nursing bras the other day from Motherhood Maternity:

 

I plan to use these along with sports bras I already have. I also picked up a couple pairs of lounge pants from Old Navy in one size larger than my pre-pregnancy size for comfort & will use those along with lounge pants I already own. I decided against nursing tops altogether & will just stick with the bras & comfy regular t-shirts &tank tops. I didn't want to buy a whole bunch of nursing wear when I'm not sure how long I'll nurse &/or not sure how long I'll wear the stuff even if I nurse for a long time.

• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use. 
• ADDED: Buy any items not received as gifts that we will need immediately. -- Babies 'R Us has a pretty great sale this weekend, so I'll likely tackle this one today or tomorrow. We don't need much, mainly just the monitor, maybe a couple blankets (I surprisingly didn't get many as gifts, but my mom did give me several hand me down blankets) & several burp cloths (again, didn't get many as gifts, but I plan to buy two packs of the Gerber Cloth Diaper inserts & use those...I hear they are awesome to use as burp cloths).
• Pack hospital bag. -- Yeah, ummm...I need to get on this one. Hoping to tackle it this weekend!
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.

  
Nursery Stuff -

• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( ).
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall. 
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.-- I did one round of washing already, plan to do the rest this weekend.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info. -- Read all the info - just need to make a final decision now.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments. 
  

M'wah Related:

• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts). 
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair straight when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date. 
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes. 
• ADDED: Write & send out all thank you notes. -- I got all of them done for the gifts from Baby J's first shower, now I need to write & send the ones for shower #2!

So that's my update, we have gotten a whole lot done & still have a decent amount of work to do! The good thing is most of the labor intensive & major stuff is out of the way. And, if you look closely at the nursery to do's, we are all D-O-N-E with the nursery, woooooot! I'm so excited to show it off - big reveal coming up on Tuesday (since Monday's a holiday)!!! Last day of work in the office - October 29 - only 21 days to go! And only 4 weeks left till Baby J's due date - please come on time little one, mommy & dad can't wait to meet you. Gotta run now so I can work on tackling some more of this list. I'll be back later this weekend or sometime next week with my 35-36 week pregnancy update, to show off my fall decor & of course, Tuesday's BIG reveal of the nursery! Hope everyone has a wonderful Columbus Day weekend!! 'Till next time!

Baby J to do list update - 09.17.10

The weeks just keep flying by! This week at work has been crazy as usual, but I'm getting close to the end of my workload for the fiscal year, then I will just concentrate on clearing up any loose ends before I go out on maternity leave! Clearly this update is a little late this week, but I have been working like an insane person & not getting home till nearly 7PM during the week, so my time to blog has been reduced. After next week, hopefully my life will be back to normal - or mostly normal. :)

Now on to my list...we actually got a lot done over the past week or so, and I'm happy to say I think it'll all  get done (at least all of the REALLY important stuff) before our little girl arrives! I think I'm definitely slowing down, so it's making it hard for me to get too much done. My fall decor is definitely coming along, but I'm waiting on a shipment from Save on Crafts (GREAT discount online craft shop!) to finish up my DR centerpiece - hopefully it'll turn out good! 

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. -- I think we decided not to do this, we don't think it's necessary this year, so this one will be gone next list update.
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room. -- We are now leaning towards having no area rug at all - wdyt? I'm kinda nervous to have nothing at all, but it is a pain because Dizzle's hair gets all over it & it can't be too light because he gets it dirty too with his body oil, lol. Sheesh - what a weirdo dog we have! 
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door (not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost).
• Mop hardwoods in all areas.
• Organize pantry.
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff.
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.
• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating!
• Steam clean Dizz grease spots where he lays on the carpet - just like on the walls for the stairs, if he lays in one spot a lot, the grease from his coat makes that spot on the carpet dirty...eww! 

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Do hospital tour - Re-scheduled for September 16, 2010!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here). -- Starting to think that I may not do this, so this will likely be off the list next week. I figure our freezer space is pretty limited as is & either the hubbs or I can take turns cooking meals & there's always take out!
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks). -- See note above; this one will likely be removed next week.

  
Nursery Stuff -

• Measure & put in drawer liners in dresser/changer combo. -- I just found some cute green striped contact paper liner from WalMart to use for the drawers. I have seen lots of people do the whole cutesy paper + Modge Podge, which I LOVE. But since her drawers are brand new, I didn't want to line them with something that involved the use of glue. Plus, this paper can just be easily pulled up & switched out if necessary. Here it is in her drawers:

• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall. -- I ordered most of them, I just need to select & order her first year frame!
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info. -- Read all the info - just need to make a final decision now.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage.

M'wah Related:

• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair straight when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

So that's it for this week! We are definitely making progress & most of the major stuff is done! Our baby shower #1 is tomorrow afternoon & I'm so excited! My main baby shower is in two weeks! I remember when they were both scheduled, I thought we had soooo long till they got here, now they are both just around the corner, woot! I heart cute baby stuff, so I'm excited to see what all of our friends & family give to Baby J! Gotta run now so I can start packing & I need to get my nails/eyebrows done too. I'll be back after this weekend with my 33 week pregnancy update, shower pics & update on the maternity tour we did last night! And I still owe you guys my fall decor inspirations - I should maybe get that up before I finish the fall decor, huh?! Hahaha. 'Till next time!

Baby J to do list update - 09.08.10

The weeks just keep flying by! I had a GREAT long weekend, we went to the VA Tech vs. Boise State season opener game on Monday & had a blast! Makes me wish I went to a big football school (we {George Mason University} are a basketball school), but since I'm from VA, I routed for VA Tech ::wink::. Unfortunately, they lost in the last minute of the game, boo. I definitely want to go to more college games soon - that was a blast.

Now on to my list...we got less done this week than in the past couple of weeks, but it's still coming along! I think I'm definitely slowing down, so it's making it hard for me to get too much done. I have been working on my fall decor a lot over the past week, but like I said in my last list update, I don't want to cross stuff off my list until it's completely finished - that way I'm not cheating. ;)

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. 
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room. -- We went to 3 different stores looking for a new rug this weekend, no luck. So I'm going to start scouring the internet this week.
• Clean out front closet. -- Last week I mentioned wanting to get a cheap basket to put my winter scarves & gloves in. Instead of buying one, I just re-purposed a basket I had hanging out in my {in transition} craft/desk area in the basement.
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door (not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost).
• Mop hardwoods in all areas.
• Organize pantry.
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.
• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating!
• Steam clean Dizz grease spots where he lays on the carpet - just like on the walls for the stairs, if he lays in one spot a lot, the grease from his coat makes that spot on the carpet dirty...eww! 
• ADDED: Install new toilet seat cover on powder room toilet. -- Our old one was damaged on the hinges for a while & then it came clear off during my birthday BBQ bash from all those people putting it up & down!

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Buy onesie from our alma mater - she MUST have one since her daddy & I went to the same school...it's where we met!
• Make appointment to meet with pediatrician & tour office.
• Do hospital tour - Re-scheduled for September 16, 2010!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital. -- got the paperwork from my Dr. & I have filled it out & will turn it in during the hospital tour on September 16th.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here).
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks).

  
Nursery Stuff -

• Measure & put in drawer liners in dresser/changer combo.
• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall.
• Buy TV for bookshelf - yes, we are putting a TV in the baby's room...it's more for us than the baby & we decided we wanted one in there for late night sessions with the babe. -- I think we decided to wait on buying the TV until Black Friday (to get a better deal), so next week I'll remove this item since it's not going to be done before the babe gets here.
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info. -- Read all the info - just need to make a final decision now.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage. -- The hubbs called his HR representative today to ask about this & is awaiting a response from her.

M'wah Related:

• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Order Thank You notes for shower gifts.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair straight when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

So we got five items fully completed & I have started on several others. Overall, I think we are still on track to get most, if not all, of the list completed! I will try to post this week's pregnancy update, the Project Nursery bedding selection & my fall decor plans this week, but my stupid work computer is infected or something, so our IT people took it & I need to get a  loaner until mine is all better. The problem with that is that it takes FOREVER to get a freaking loaner, which means I may have to go in this weekend & get some work done because I have done absolutely NOTHING due to my computer issues. Boooooo to computer viruses. They suck. On the plus side - the hubbs is going out of town on Saturday, so I don't really have anything to do anyways AND I get comp time that I can use during my maternity leave, woot! So hopefully I'll be back with all those updates soon! 'Till next time!

Baby J to do list update - 09.01.10

Wowza, the last week went by sooo quickly! I think I got a decent amount done on my list over the past week, but I still clearly have lots left to do, so it's time to get my booty into gear. A lot of stuff has been partially done, so in the spirit of not faking myself out, no item will get crossed off unless it is completely done. So here are this week's updates:

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. 
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room.
• Buy new throw blanket for couches. -- I had a 10% off PB coupon + the throw I had been lusting over was on sale, so I ordered it:

Photo Credit

The PB Essential throw - omg, doesn't it just look so cuddly & soft?! I can wait to curl up on the couch with my baby girl, my hubby & this throw. :) I got it in Dark Ivory & I think I'll pair it up nicely with the knock off brown buttoned PBK pillows & these pretty & rich orange pillows that I already own from Target!

• Clean out front closet. -- Got started on this, but I think I need to get a cheap basket or something to organize the stuff on the top shelf.
• Clean out & magazine & odds & ends baskets in LR.
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door {not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost}.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas.
• Organize pantry.
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.
• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating!
• Steam clean Dizz grease spots where he lays on the carpet - just like on the walls for the stairs, if he lays in one spot a lot, the grease from his coat makes that spot on the carpet dirty...eww!

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Buy onesie from our alma mater - she MUST have one since her daddy & I went to the same school...it's where we met!
• Make appointment to meet with & tour pediatrician's office - I think I know who her pedi will be (got referrals), we just need to make sure they take our insurance & go out to see the office/meet the Drs.
• Do hospital tour - scheduled for September 9, 2010, woot!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital. -- got the paperwork from my Dr. & I have filled it out & will turn it in during the hospital tour on September 9th.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here).
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks).

  
Nursery Stuff -

• Measure & put in liners in dresser/changer combo.
• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall.
• Buy TV for bookshelf - yes, we are putting a TV in the baby's room...it's more for us than the baby & we decided we wanted one in there for late night sessions with the babe.
• Super secret DIY lamp project - it's only a secret for a few days until I get the post on it together. ;op -- Post on this cutie coming up tomorrow!!
• Make pom poms to hang over crib.
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info. -- Got the info all printed, now we need to read it & make a final decision.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage.

M'wah Related:

• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Order Thank You notes for shower gifts.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair straight when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

So that's it for this week - I'm making some headway, but still have lots to get done. I am still on track with my goal of getting 3-5 items marked off the list each week. This weekend coming up is a long one, so I'm hoping to get a lot of the house stuff done. Clearly I need to work on the "me" list a little more too! What about all of you - are any of you working on some sort of running to do list? How'd you do over the past week? Tomorrow I will be doing another Project Nursery post on my lamp makeover - it came out pretty darn cute thanks to some help from my favorite tool - the hubbs ::wink::. 'Till next time!

Baby J to do list update - 08.26.10

I had originally planned on doing this update yesterday & every Wednesday after that until the baby arrives or until I finish this list off...whichever comes first (preferably finishing the list up)! But I was SO busy yesterday running around, that I did not get a chance to do it, so I'm posting it now! Know you will think I am insane, but I have added just a few things from last week, BUT I also got a bunch of stuff crossed off too! The plan is to show completed items with a strikethrough line over them as they are completed & then not show them on the following week's list, that way you easily can see everything I accomplished each week. So, here goes - this week's updates:

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. 
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room.
• Buy new throw blanket for couches.
• Clean out front closet.
• Clean out & magazine & odds & ends baskets in LR.
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door {not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost}.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas; I usually do only a few good moppings a year - I spot clean with our steam mop in between time.
• Scrub kitchen cabinets & pantry door.
• Organize pantry.
• Clean & organize Lazy Susan spice shelves. -- post on that FUN process coming soon!
  
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.
• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Freecycle/CL any stuff hanging out in the basement that we no longer need/use.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating - this is a whole 'nother post...coming soon!
• ADDED: Steam clean Dizz grease spots where he lays on the carpet - just like on the walls for the stairs, if he lays in one spot a lot, the grease from his coat makes that spot on the carpet dirty...eww!

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Send final updates to baby shower guest list to older sis.
• Select package for & schedule 3/4D ultrasound, then book appointment!
• Buy onesie from our alma mater - she MUST have one since her daddy & I went to the same school...it's where we met!
• Make appointment to meet with & tour pediatrician's office - I think I know who her pedi will be (got referrals), we just need to make sure they take our insurance & go out to see the office/meet the Drs.
• Do hospital tour - scheduled for September 9, 2010, woot!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 21 & 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here).
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks).

Nursery Stuff -

• Change out door hardware to brushed nickle (it's brass {bleh}, just like everything else in this house that we haven't already changed out yet).
• Find new closet door pulls & change them out OR spray paint the brass ones & see if they'll work.  -- we ended up spray painting them white for now & it looks fine; we will eventually switch them out for brushed nickle when we find good looking, affordable ones.
• Measure & put in liners in dresser/changer combo.
• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art.
• Have Ashley (my little sistah's BFF) do canvas art for over the closet door. -- here is what she came up with:

Isn't it adorable?! This owl canvas wall art from Target was her inspiration! I think she did a fabulous job...and she's only 17!!

• Buy remaining frames for photo wall - more on this lata.
• Buy TV for bookshelf - yes, we are putting a TV in the baby's room...it's more for us than the baby & we decided we wanted one in there for late night sessions with the babe.
• Super secret DIY lamp project - it's only a secret for a few days until I get the post on it together. ;op -- Got started on this, waiting on some material to finish it up!!
• Make pom poms to hang over crib.
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage.

M'wah Related:

• Get filling in tooth where brackets previously were (I got a cavity from when I had braces & the bracket was...boo). -- Went to the dentist yesterday & found out that I actually need a freakin' crown! This is now going to wait until after Baby J arrives. In the mean time, they put a build up material to maintain the existing tooth.
• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Order Thank You notes for shower gifts.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair straight when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

So those are my updates - I am on track with my original goal of getting 3-5 items done a week, woot! Wish me luck this weekend tackling some more of the list. Tonight/tomorrow I'll be posting my 29 week update in addition to 5QF!! 'Till next time!

I'm making a list & checking it twice...

But it has nothing to do with finding out who's naughty or nice, lol. Not funny?! Okay. But seriously, I have finally gotten the chance to sit down & write out a comprehensive pre-Baby J to do list. I'm nearly 29 weeks pregnant now, so perhaps I should have done this sooner...but I didn't b/c I have been crazy busy this summer. That's neither here nor there though - I'm handling it now & that's all that matters. I plan to update this every Wednesday with progress. My goal is to mark off a minimum of 3-5 items each week. Some of the stuff will need to wait until a bit later, but for the things that can be done now...then I'd really love to do them. I'm sure I'll be adding stuff to my list as the next few weeks go by & after we have the baby showers we'll of course have to go out & buy any important remaining items. The less I have to do later on in my pregnancy, the better!

So, for this list, I decided to break it up by house, baby/nursery related, financial & miscellaneous/personal to dos. Just FYI - you may have seen some of these things before in the spring/summer cleaning to do list I posted. Sadly, the summer is nearly over & all of those things have not yet been done! Some stuff is going to have to wait until after the baby gets here, but you will see a few things from that list too. Okay, enough intro, here goes!

House Related:

• Get gutters cleaned. 
• Clean under the deck area; get rid of any debris in that area.
• Buy new area rug for living room.
• Buy new throw blanket for couches.
• Clean out front closet.
• Clean out & magazine & odds & ends baskets in LR.
• Find (or make) & install valance over sliding glass door {not so sure this one will get done - depends on how much the valance I like will cost}.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas; I usually do only a few good moppings a year - I spot clean with our steam mop in between time.
• Scrub kitchen cabinets & pantry door.
• Organize pantry.
• Clean & organize Lazy Susan spice shelves.
• Make room in kitchen cabinets for baby stuff
• Clean base boards throughout house.
• Scrub walls where Dizz grease spots are --> LOL, yes my dog leaves grease marks in the areas where he always leans against the walls! What? Your dog doesn't?! Hahahaha. Who knows WTH is up with that..my dog is a weirdo - he gets bathed/groomed like every other month...promise!
• Buy & have the hubbs put together Billy bookcase from Ikea in basement office area.

I either want this one:

 

 Or this one:

I need to do some measuring down there to figure out which size would work best in the area.

• Clean out basement utility storage closet.
• Freecycle/CL any stuff hanging out in the basement that we no longer need/use.
• Buy iPod Clock/Radio for MB.
• Find & buy *small* entertainment system for MB TV (this is a DH added to do, lol).
• Do the fall decorating - this is a whole 'nother post...coming soon!

Baby J/Nursery Related: 

 
Baby J Stuff (in no particular order)- 

• Send final updates to baby shower guest list to older sis.
• Select package for & schedule 3/4D ultrasound, then book appointment!
• Buy onesie from our alma mater - she MUST have one since her daddy & I went to the same school...it's where we met!
• Make appointment to meet with & tour pediatrician's office - I think I know who her pedi will be (got referrals), we just need to make sure they take our insurance & go out to see the office/meet the Drs.
• Do hospital tour - scheduled for September 9, 2010, woot!
• Take childbirth class - scheduled for September 21 & 26, 2010!
• Pre-register with hospital.
• Gather several recipes for frozen meals (to eat after baby gets here).
• Buy a few nursing tanks, sports bras & lounge pants.
• Return any stuff we get duplicates of; freecycle/donate {hand-me-down} clothes we won't use.
• Pack hospital bag. 
• Install car seat in my SUV & get installation inspected.
• Cook freezer meals (between 35-37 weeks).

Nursery Stuff -

• Change out door hardware to brushed nickle (it's brass {bleh}, just like everything else in this house that we haven't already changed out yet).
• Find new closet door pulls & change them out OR spray paint the brass ones & see if they'll work.
• Measure & put in liners in dresser/changer combo.
• Hang curtains (on hold until we get the hardware in early Oct. :o( )
• Put up remaining leaves/berries on tree & "blow" them around windows (also on hold until curtains are put up).
• Hang framed "Beautiful" & "Miracle" [ReDeemed] Unique wall art, here is a pic of it - I LOVE it:

• Have Ashley (my little sistah's BFF) do canvas art for over the closet door.
• Buy remaining frames for photo wall - more on this lata.
• Buy TV for bookshelf - yes, we are putting a TV in the baby's room...it's more for us than the baby & we decided we wanted one in there for late night sessions with the babe.
• Super secret DIY lamp project - it's only a secret for a few days until I get the post on it together. ;op
• Make pom poms to hang over crib.
• Wash all clothes & blankets; put away in drawers.

Financial Related:

• Make 529 (college savings) plan choice & get/read enrollment info.
• Decide on cord blood banking - we are leaning towards donating the cord blood to a public bank.
• Look into life insurance coverage & discuss/make any necessary adjustments.
• Find out process for changing over health & dental insurance for the baby & I to the hubb's policy - we both work for the Federal Government & it was cheaper to have separate insurance until we had a little one, then switch to the family coverage.

M'wah Related:

• Get filling in tooth where brackets previously were (I got a cavity from when I had braces & the bracket was...boo).
• Change name with electric company, school loans & long-term savings bank account (no, I still haven't done the name changes on a few accounts).
• Get physical done at PCP.
• Finalize maternity leave plan, type it up & submit it to my supervisor & team leader; put leave requests in time tracking system.
• Order Thank You notes for shower gifts.
• Get hair cut & straightened before due date. LOL, for some reason I want my hair staright when the baby's born (it's more manageable that way than in its natural CURLY state), so if I have time, I'm gonna try & keep it straight for the few weeks leading up to my due date.
• Pick out design for birth announcements (so that I can order them soon after she arrives); make address labels for envelopes.

Whew. I *think* that's it. :o/ I have LOTS to do, right?! Better get on it...hopefully I can get it all done before Baby J makes her appearance!! Wish me luck! Up next...answers all of you asked during my GTKM CSN Stores Giveaway. 'Till next time!

Project Nursery - All put together!

I'm happy to report that Baby J's Nursery is coming along nicely! The hubbs has gotten all of the major furniture put together & we even got her mattress, so I thought I'd do an update everyone, showing you guys where we are now!

Before the room began it's transformation, it was our office/guest/misc. storage room, so needless to say it was pretty much {ahem} a hot mess not together or cohesive at all. It mainly consisted of my old full bed, my old computer desk from college, some storage drawers, an old bookshelf & a TV/Fios box. Here is a quick reminder of what the room looked before:

The room, although not the best looking in the house, was actually pretty cozy! Those blue shades on the windows were installed by the previous owners & they blocked out virtually any & all sunlight. It was amazing! If I was ever particularly exhausted, I could just go in the guest room, close those shades & pass out on the bed. It was nice! But now that our little girl is on the way, I have to find a way to do that in my own room, which can get pretty dark from the drapes we have, but still not quite as dark as the former guest room. So, when I was about 13 weeks pregnant, we started making plans for this room. I Freecycled almost all of the furniture, packed up everything we want to hang on to for the attic & everything we want to get rid of for donation. My wedding dress & a few other formal gowns (from friend's weddings, that I'll never wear again) were in the closet in this room & all of those items are being donated as well. I was thinking about selling my bridal gown to a consignment shop, but it cost over $200 to dry clean & press the dress & I doubt I'd even get that much for the gown from the consignment shop, so I opted to donate it instead & get the {small} tax write off.

Anywho, I digress...so here's what the room looks like today:

*~From the doorway~*

*~dresser/changer combo + glider wall~*

*~crib wall~*

*~bookshelf/closet wall & closeup of stuff on shelves (for now anyways)~*

Coming along nicely, don't cha think?! Clearly I have lots more to do in here & I plan to go wall by wall detailing my plans/thoughts for each wall, but I wanted to give everyone an idea of how the room looks now that we have all the furniture up & ready to go. We are taking all the boxes & what not we packed up from this & our room to Salvation Army this afternoon. And I'll be sooo happy when all of the boxes are outta here! We'll re-visit the nursery early next week to discuss wall 1 of 4 - glider/dresser wall - just wait till you see my plans for this wall! I can't wait till her room comes together completely, I hope she loves it {although I doubt she'll notice until she's older}!! I think it'll either be tied for or be my #1 favorite room in the house - it's so bright & airy in there already. :)

Wanna see our nursery progress from the beginning? Check out my master plan for the room & the first set of DIY goodies I made for our little one! 'Till next time!

Spring Cleaning - Part Deux

Finally right?! OMG, life has been so busy the last few weeks & I have been procrastinating on actually putting this list in writing. Don't ask me why, but I feel like if I blog it, I must DO IT, lol. But, I got a lot done at work today, so I'm taking my last 30'sih minutes at the office to put up this list...finally. This list will be for the main & upper levels of our townhouse (Parts II & III if you are following along form my first Spring Cleaning post). I'll do the basement list separately, but I need input from the hubbs on that b/c that's his "man cave" & I'm not to make plans for down there unless he approves them first, hahaha. That's so changing when Baby J gets here! After I get all the lists up, then I'll post updates on how we are doing on everything.

As I mentioned before, these have turned more into spring/summer/getting-ready-for-Baby-J lists, so everything won't be done before the spring is over (in just a bout a month...eeek!).  Anywho, here goes....

Main Level To Do's:

Living Room

Powder Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

We actually don't have too much to do on this level for the time being, or at least anything we anticipate having done before Baby J gets here. We are absolutely going to be either painting or replacing our cabinets (you can see how sun damaged some of the sides are in the above photos - boo to the sun for that one) & getting new counter tops in the kitchen at some point & we'd also like to add a back splash. I'm looking at a few options, but our main D&R priority right now is the baby's room. Eventually we will also replace our old @ss fridge & oven with new appliances that are a bit more energy efficient (read: not original to the house - like our fridge is & the oven is just crappy). I'm also trying to beg persuade my husband into some DIY crown molding, which I think will make our little joint kitchen/dining room look 10 million times better. Oh & I'd also like to replace ALL of the white, aluminum horizontal blind in the house with the shades we got for our bedroom, which are these fabricky {I realize that's not a word, lol}, light-blocking, honeycomb shades - I LOVE them!  So the list for this level will be short, but here goes:

• Replace all remaining brass/old light fixtures in all three areas - there are a total of 4 left, including the powder room light fixture.
• Get ceiling painted in all 3 rooms, but especially the living room.
• Buy new rug for living room.
• Mop hardwoods in all areas; I usually do only a few good moppings a year - I spot clean with our steam mop in between time.
• Replace powder room brass fixtures - everything in this house was brass when we bought it, so we are slowly, but surely switching out everything for brushed nickle fixtures.
• Find & install valance over sliding glass door.

Upper Level To Do's:

Master Bedroom

Master/Upstairs Bath

Guest Room...being turned into Nursery!!

This level has already gone thru many many changes this year between our Master Bedroom re-do & the Master Bathroom re-do & now the currently in progress Guest Room/Nursery re-do! Because of our newest edition, we have lots of things to do on this level:

• Remove all the furniture & other misc. stuff from the guest room, go thru it, get rid of what we don't need, recycle anything that can be recycled, sell/give away furniture, pack up our personal items that we are keeping for storage in the attic.
• Clean out guest room closet; buy additional storage drawers for extra storage (something like this).
• Paint, buy furniture for, replace all outlet covers, replace blinds & decorate nursery.
• Find fillers for master bedroom apothecary jars/vase.
• Purchase lightweight bedding for the master bed for use during the hotter months.
• Go thru clothes & pull out items to donate.
• Buy same type of storage drawers for extra clothing space in my closet.
• Decorate master bath over toilet storage nook.
• Go thru boxes in attic & get rid of anything we don't need any more.
• Get carpets steam cleaned.
• Replace any remaining brass light fixtures in hallway.

I think that's it. The list for the upper level doesn't look that big, but it's a lot of work. The first item, which is done (yaaay!), took us like two weeks to complete. But all the stuff (minus the stuff in the closet) is gone or put in a new location. :)

Stay tuned for the lower level of the house portion of this list & updates on how far we've come since starting spring/summer/getting ready for Baby J cleaning! Tomorrow is my 27th Birthday, woot! And we are having a big summer BBQ @ my casa {complete with my fav mocktails}, so I'm not sure I'll be participating in 5QF this week, but I'll post some pics from the BBQ on Saturday or Sunday. 'Till next time!