Aren't these the cutest things?

Last weekend I had a baby shower with some neighborhood friends up in SLC and I was spoiled. We had great food, company and conversation. Can you believe these adorable baby cake pops that my mom made?

French Toast custard, John Wayne casserole, 2 types of syrup, fresh fruit and a dessert table that was darling and delicious.  Cake pops, almond glazed sugar cookies, jordan almond favors, mixed nuts, butter mints and macadamia nut hershey's kisses from Hawaii.

This cute diaper cake was a gift from one of my mom's very best friends and it ended up being the center piece for the buffet table.

I am very lucky to have such generous friends and family that "showered" me with baby paraphernalia.

Living Room

Long long ago, Bart finished the fireplace mantel and I posted on the floors and paint color but I can't remember if I ever showed pictures of the couch.  Bart and I wanted something that could seat alot of people (since we have no other place to sit), had a classic look and was wipeable or semi child friendly-mind you this is our first "big" furniture purchase of our 5 year marriage.   I searched high and low, in and out, up and down and finally decided that I couldn't afford the couch I wanted. BUT then one day while searching the good old internet I found it-the Alessia pearl leather sectional from Macy's. Who knew that Macy's had furniture that was a good cost and quality.?. I sure wish someone would have told me.  The couch was delivered a week before Christmas and Bart and I love it. Now some of you may be thinking pearl/white, leather, with a baby on the way...crazy.... but such is life.  As soon as we got the couch though, Bart decided that we needed a rug, so I again started my quest and guess what- I never found anything. So months have passed and Bart decided to take matters into his own hands.  I pulled up various rugs from all sorts of internet sites and Bart chose. He picked a chevron, handmade, 8x10, from Rugs USA. It arrived in 5 days and was half the price of some of the rugs I was interested in. Way to go honey.

So here you go, what do you think?

Fashion

Today I thought I would blog about pregnancy fashion. Now if I were a "real" blogger I would have cute outfits and cute photos of me sporting my great pregnancy attire BUT I don't plan on posting any disturbing (aka fat) photos of this 27 week chick.

Basically I wanted to tell my patients (who don't read this blog) and the girls at the office (most of whom don't read this blog) that I am sorry that I am a fashion faux pas.

I know that you are NOT supposed to wear white socks with dark dress pants and black shoes... by the way all I have are dark dress pants and black or brown danskos, but the 3rd trimester is here and so are the TED hose-also known as "support hose".

I have worn TED hose during my nursing career because they help with swelling and varicose veins and such. But TEDS are expensive thus I have not run out and bought a new pair in black and thus I will continue to be a pregnant fashion faux pas. I must tell you though, that they feel great and I haven't had a stitch of swelling and I can be on my feet through out the day.

The fence

Bart has had ants in his pants for the last 5 months. All he has wanted to do is work outside and dig in the ground. I don't understand his feelings at all, but I am grateful for the nice fence which he built in just a few short days. We always planned on building a fence but now that it's finished-can I tell you how nice it is? It is awesome to actually have some PRIVACY.

I went to relief society last night and when I was describing where I lived, the lady got really excited and piped up, "Oh, you're the ones building a fence". I took that as a compliment.

So, here is to Bart and his love of digging and building fences.
























By the end of the weekend I bet I will have 2 gates and a trellis to go with the new fence.


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I thought my husband was an engineer

Bart is an engineer-at least he tells me he works with dams and water and a construction crew
He has been at a job site all week

It certainly doesn't look like he's been working too hard :)
Just teasin' honey, glad you are home. XOXO

Basement Bathroom

This bathroom was disgusting! It was old, rusty, yucky and had plants trying to grow through the window...which was clear, unobscured glass, talk about a lovely view :)





 Did I also mention there was no insulation, water damage, a sewer pipe sticking out of the wall, a blue toilet and matching blue 4x4 tiles, no fan, one light and no storage? Plus the previous owners had tried to "spruce" this bathroom up by painting but they didn't sand, prime, tape or cut in the edges and they painted the ceiling lights and never wiped it off...they must have forgotten EVERYTHING.

 Bart and I spend lots of time and money trying to make this bathroom, functional, comfortable and pretty.  We insulated the walls-which meant drywalling and framing, moved the heating duct so it would actually work, and added a fan, replaced the old electrical (it was a fire hazard) and got new outlets for bathrooms/water splashes.

Then we added light(S) so you can see yourself in the mirror and in the shower. Got a new toilet, sink and granite vanity, new tub and all new plumbing and hardware to go with it. Bart then installed tile in the shower and new flooring. Then we sanded and primed and painted, put in new hardware for the towels and toilet paper and lastly Bart made a cabinet above the toilet for storage.

Finally the finished product.

We are very close to renting this basement apartment. Keep us in mind for anyone looking to rent two minutes from BYU in Provo.



House odds and ends

    Before we left for Hawaii Bart finished tiling/grouting the kitchen backspash and when we got home I sealed the grout. The last time I posted about the backsplash we were still trying to decide if we should stop the tile half way up the wall or go up to the ceiling.  We decided to take it to the ceiling and I am very pleased.

Beginning

Middle



 Almost done

    The other projects that I am in charge of are finding rugs for the living room, nursery and hallway.  I've been perusing overstock, rugs USA, rugs direct, home decorator, west elm and even Target Home Depot and RC Willey for months looking for runners for the entryway and hallway. I finally found the color and style that I love 3 weeks ago from West Elm. I ended up buying 2 runners because our hallway is 14 feet long, someday I will tape/sew them together but right now I am just happy that I got them because this rug is already "no longer available". So I am grateful that I jumped in a bought 2 and didn't talk myself out of it.

    I also bought 2 rugs from Overstock with their Presidents Day coupon for the nursery.  I only plan on keeping one rug but Bart has a favorite and I have a favorite, so no decisions have been made.  I want to chose the rug first for this baby boy nursery and then build from the floor up-it colors and textures, etc.

I'd love your opinion on the rugs.

This rug is 100% wool and it's very soft and thick. It's more masculine, was less expensive and is Bart's favorite.

This rug is more contemporary, doesn't have the multiple shades of blue (to pull from for decorating), is thinner and more expensive BUT I like it.



Is that your final answer?

Canessa final answer: BOY
Bart final answer: GIRL
The Doctor: GIRL
Chinese Gender Calender: GIRL

Guess who was right?  It's a boy and we hopefully get to meet him June 30th.
He also has a big nose, big biceps, and big feet....just like DADDY.

XOXO

Hawaii booklist

I read a bunch of books while vacationing. Nothing is better than lounging on a beach chair with a lovely view of the ocean...and the occasional whale, with a drink, the right amount of sun and shade and a great book.  Since I don't do goodreads I thought I would given you my book review here.

Okay For Now. By Gary D. Schmidt

This was my favorite book...and "I'm not lying" :).  I like the way the author writes, I like that the character is a 8th grade boy and the setting is back in the 1960's. Doug, the main character has a terrible father and mean older brothers but when if family relocates he is embraced (slowly) into the town/people which changes his life forever. This book made me feel really angry, grateful, happy and it even had me laughing out loud.  If you are going to read just one book-read this, don't be a "chump" :)


Matched. By Ally Condie

This book reminded me of The Hunger Game series, with a mix of The Giver and a little bit of Twilight. This is easy to read, the character is a17 year old female and of course there is a love triangle. This is the first book of the Trilogy, written by an author from SLC...maybe LDS?. This is another young adult fictional novel. If you are interested, put it on hold at the library and you can decide if you want to read it in 3 months when it's available.

Anne's House of Dreams. By L.M. Montgomery

This is the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gable series.  I must admit that I like the first 4 books better.  Maybe it's because Anne Shirley is grown up, or maybe it's because she and Gilbert are "old married" folks or maybe I just needed a change for a while but either way I do really like the series and if you haven't read them before I would a least give Anne of Green Gables a try.

The Entitlement Trap. By Richard and Linda Eyre

My grandparents gave Bart and I this book for Christmas. This book talks in depth about our society of "entitled" children and how we can raise children who don't feel entitled and have respect and ownership for their own life. If any of you parents out there are interested in a "self help"/parenting/finances book I would recommend that you get this.  The authors (a husband and wife team) have been writing and lecturing on family and children for 30+ years. I would offer you my copy to read as long as you don't steal it :) because Bart and I plan on reading it again.

I think I read another book or 2 but I can't remember them, so they must not have been memorable or I am just forgetful.  I would love to hear of any good books that you guys have read recently.  My next book will be The Wednesday Wars. By Gary Schmidt.

Sites of the island

Volcano National Park

Waipi'o Valley lookout

Waipi'o black sand beach

Green Sand beach

Akaka Falls

La Kea-the southern most point of the USA

"Turtle magnet"- I used to call Bart a chick magnet but now I call him a turtle magnet. Every time we went walking, snorkeling or swimming...even boogie boarding, the turtles found Bart.

Thurston Lava Tube

Tomorrow is our last day. We'll see what it brings :)