Pregnancy- 16 weeks

What's going on inside:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double its weight and add inches to its length. Right now, Baby is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Baby's legs are much more developed, its head is more erect than it has been, and its eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. Baby's ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though Baby's locks aren't recognizable yet. Baby's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, Baby's heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

It's crazy to think that Baby will double in the next few weeks! Thinking that the Baby Bump really starting to get on out there! Whew!
Not much to report this week, except I've had just about what everyone else in Columbia has- a horrible Sinus infection. It's lasted about a week, and I'm ready for it to be gone! We've also discovered that Baby King does not like Apple Juice. I thought that it sounded so good one morning & John brought me a glass of it- only for it to come right back up about 20 minutes later.... Bleh!

Pink Lotus Florist

For the past couple of years, on my birthday, I have sent both of my parents flower arrangements. I read or heard this somewhere many many years ago, & thought, "What a wonderful gesture!" I include a sweet card on the flowers that say something along the lines of:

"I wouldn't be celebrating another birthday without having you as such an amazing Mother/ Father. Thank you for all that you've done, not just this past year, but for the past 27 years in shaping me into the woman I am today! I love you!"

For anyone that doesn't know me, I'm pretty particular re: my flowers. I want arrangements to look like something I would like in my home. I want the recepiant to say, "Wow! That looks like something Neelley would send!" And hopefully, it's followed by something like, "How beautiful!" (tehehehe) ;)

Well, since Dad works in Columbia, it was pretty easy deciding on a florist. Columbia has lots of florist, but one that I am constantly impressed by is "The Carriage House". I just love them! I have seen lots of flower arrangements out there from other florist & Carriage House arrangements just stand out like Cinderella amongst her ugly step sisters.

Well, it was easy as pie with Carriage House. Called & told them:

1- All white arrangement (to me, flower arrangements with all the same color are just so gorgeous! For our wedding, I told our florist- All WHITE- & not a lot of greenery! Period!!)

2- Not a lot of greenery. (I'm not paying for weeds the fill in the space. I'd much rather have a small arrangement filled with flowers than a huge one filled with leaves! )

3- Put it in a low square glass vase. Coffee table arrangements are just beautiful! Plus, low arrangements are wonderful in the middle of a dining room table, because you can still see your guests across the table. You just can't go wrong with low arrangements.

4- Classic look. I'm not the trendsetter type. To me, you can't go wrong with classic. If you don't think that Ralph Lauren would like to have it in his house, I probably won't either.

Well, The Carriage House did NOT disappoint. We went over to Dad & Phyllis' house Saturday night to go out to dinner & there sat the flower arrangement on the coffee table (just where I pictured it would be! :) )- Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Just exactly what I ordered (however, John said that it would be hard not to get something exactly like that after the details I provided over the phone.... Whatever!!)- Plus it was HUGE! Filled with Lillies and beautiful white roses. And the best part about it, (it comes with living in a small town)- at the end of my ordering on the phone, I just said, "I'm driving down the road, can you just send me a bill?"
SURE! NO problem!! Gosh, I love it!

So, now on to Mom's arrangement- Since she works in Nashville, I needed to find a florist in Nashville. Called the local florist that John had used before close to our old Neighborhood, but John told me to hang up while it was ringing because he said that they were super expensive, and proceeded to tell me what some little arrangements that he had brought/sent to me while we were up there cost... Yeah, ok. No thank you.

So I get on my phone, see an advertisement for "Pink Lotus Florist"- Free local delivery. I thought, Wonderful! Got on their website, found a pretty bouquet I thought Mom would like. Ordered it & that was it!

Bouquet that I ordered for Mom:

Or was it? Since I failed to place the order before Noon, I knew that my flowers probably wouldn't be delivered until the next day. Oh well, at least she'd get flowers & they might be even prettier than the flowers in the picture. And I made special instructions for them to be delivered before 4 p.m.( telling them that she leaves then, but-really she leaves work at 5 or 5:30, and I wanted her to enjoy them while she finished up her day. )

Well, long story short- They got delivered the next day, around 4:30 or so. The delivery guy called & was SO rude & cussing up a storm with GD's, F bombs, & all words under the sun- because he was "lost". Not only did they charge me $12 delivery, but also charged my card later for a random mysterious $1.98 fee. ???

So needless to say, I wasn't a very happy camper at the end of the day re: their customer service. Then to top it off, my sister, Lauren, sends me a text that says, "Mom's flowers are pretty!" with the below picture attached:

WHAT THE HELL!!!???

When I tried to contact the company & complain, not only for the poor customer service, but the late delivery, over charge on my card, false advertising of 'Free Delivery', and horrible product delivery of what I actually ordered- All they said was, "Sorry, we compensated by putting in long stemmed roses instead of medium stemmed roses. " I don't think I said anything for about 20 seconds with my mouth on the floor! I followed with, "So, since you gave me an extra 4" of thorny stems on the end of each rose, you think that is equal to the garden lillies surrounding the roses in the picture on the internet- so you can put greenery in it's place??" No response. "Sorry Lady."

Come to find out there are MULTIPLE complaints re: Pink Lotus Florist. After doing some research on the internet, there are thousands of people out there that haven't even received their flowers yet (3 weeks after they placed the order!). Some have been charged 2 or 3 times for the same arrangement on their card, some ordered arrangements with 10 flowers in it & only received 1 flower in it filled with greenery. I was in shock! So, I contacted the Better Business Bureau on them- Hopefully someone might shut them down!

So there is my little rant. Pass it on to EVERYONE you know- Never ever ever use Pink Lotus Florist! And also, my lesson learned- Don't order anything over your iphone from a company that you haven't heard of without doing a little research first.

Recipe- Party Punch

I didn't get a chance to post my recipe yesterday- Well, I didn't get a chance to do much of anything yesterday. Woke up with a horribly sore throat, John got me some apple juice which didn't stay in my stomach long (It's official, Baby King hates Apple Juice. This is the 2nd time I've drank it while pregnant, & both times I've gotten sick. Uhh)- Felt a little better after getting sick then around 11ish, I started feeling horribly uncomfortable back pain. The kind that feels as if someone has just beaten my back with a baseball bat. Couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did, except walking around made it feel a little better, however, my head still feeling like it was a fishbowl, so no matter what I did- it was a rough day.
I avoid the Dr at all cost... I loathe going. I feel like sometimes just sitting in that waiting room can make you feel more sick than you really are (or even get you more sick with all the other people there!)- So, going against my mother's advice, I waited until this morning to go to the Doctor. Woke up feeling better, called his office, they advised me to come on in. He checked on everything & it was wonderful. He said that I probably just have a sinus infection & my horrible back pain is to be expected with a growing baby. My uterus is growing growing growing (in a normal, non-pregnant woman, her uterus is the size of a lemon. Mine, being almost 4 months pregnant, is the size of large cantelope or bigger.... WOW! As Baby is growing, my uterus is pushing things around inside to make room, as well as my belly growing outward.... So, that's what's been happening this week!

This week's recipe is from such a precious friend, here in Columbia, Liz. The two of us, along with a couple of other girls, hosted a baby shower for our friend, Courtney. Liz served this drink at the shower & I think I could have drank the entire pitcher- It was so good! I asked her for the recipe & she happily passed it on! She said her family calls it "Party Punch"- It's so easy & DELISH!!!


Liz's Party Punch

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemonade (powdered)
1/2 cup instant tea with lemon (powdered) (I usually use decaf)
1 cup white grape juice

Put all ingredients in a gallon jug. Fill with water. Shake to mix. Enjoy!

Pregnancy: 15 weeks

We are just 1 week shy of the 4 month mark! Hard to believe! I am feeling so much better and the 2nd trimester is such a different experience than the 1st. Much more energy, no weird cravings, etc, etc....
I have, however, discovered that I don't think Baby King enjoys much spicy things. I never have been much of a heat person when it comes to food, but lately, I have found myself feeling uncomfortable as I eat spicy foods. After church yesterday, John & I made a quick lunch stop at Zaxbys. Since they have quit carrying my "Zensation Salad" which was so good, I decided to just get a small chicken tender meal with buffalo sauce. As I was eating it, my stomach started to feel tight & give me that "rumbling goldfish in a bowl" kind of feeling. I was trying to explain it to John, but it was hard to describe. Almost that feeling when you are really really hungry & your stomach just feels empty & hurts- that's the feeling I get when I'm eating spicy foods. Weird, I know!

This week, Baby is measuring 4 inches (from the top of the head to the end of it's little booty). It's about the size of an apple. Baby's legs are longer than the arms now & all the joints & limbs are moving. Although Baby's eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. If you were to shine a flashlight at my belly, it would likely move away from the beam. If we were to have an Ultrasound this week, it could be possible to tell whether Baby is a boy or a girl.

We've got less than 3 weeks before we make the big Reveal of what we are having. We won't find out until a day or so before our party... so it's SUPER exciting! John & I were talking about how anxious we are to know what we are having, however, it's been such a blessing to not know right now. It definitely allows us to slow down & just enjoy the pregnancy without my planning, planning, planning.... In the past month, I have been invited to lots of children's clothing shows & parties, and that anxious feeling definitely comes at a higher rate during those emails & catalog showings, since I'm in a "holding period" to buy anything since we don't know which sex to buy for! John & I get asked very often of what we think we are going to have- and I can honestly say, "We have no idea!" There are some days that we feel as if we are having a boy, and other days we feel as if it's a girl. We LOVE hearing what other people predict! So fun!!

So our question to everyone, what do you think we are having???? We have added a poll to the left side of our blog. Please submit your answer, but make sure you only do it once for your own vote. But if you have more than one in your household & you both feel the same or different, feel free to cast their vote too!

Recipe- Asian Slaw

A couple of weeks ago, John & I went over to some of our dearest friends, Mark & Emily's house, for dinner. Emily's a great cook! She had made this Italian style Pot Roast for sandwiches which she served on kaiser type rolls with melted Mozzarella on top. SO YUMMY! She served this Asian slaw next to it, & I found myself, as well as just about everyone else, going back for seconds. It was perfect with the dinner she served. I was also thinking that it would be wonderful with BBQ, or burgers, or pretty much anything!!!!
It's very light tasting & is perfect the weather we've been having lately!

Emily's Asian Slaw

2 packages beef flavor Ramen noodles (save packets for dressing)
1 16 oz. package cole slaw lettuce
1 cup sliced almonds (toasted if you want to)
1 cup sunflower kernels
2 green onions (tops, green part only) sliced

Break up the ramen noodles and layer all of the above, in a large bowl, in order.

Dressing:
Mix well in a small bowl: (Make sure you mix it until the sugar is dissolved)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil (Canola or Olive Oil)
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 soup packets from Ramen noodles

Pour over mixture and cover. DO NOT MIX until the next morning.

Makes me want to put my fingers up to my lips, kiss them, say "DELISH!" then give Emily a big kiss on the cheek for introducing me to this recipe!

Pregnancy- 14 weeks

Late.... again.... with my blogpost.

These past 2 weeks have been absolutely crazy filled with cake orders, and lots of them for weddings! (Which I'm not complaining about at all!)- I have just about every weekend booked with a wedding cake(s) to do from now until Mid-July. Which is when I scheduled to not take any orders past that, since it will be getting close to my due date.... YAY!

This week we are at the 14 week mark. Well, actually, tomorrow, we will be at the 15 week mark, but I will do better next week & post that update on time....well, hopefully!

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck its thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, its facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. The kidneys are producing urine, which it releases into the amniotic fluid around the baby — a process baby will keep up until birth. Baby can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch it sucking its thumb.
Baby is now about the size of a large lemon this week!

I am definitely feeling more like my old self, once again. Everyone told me that it would happen once the 2nd trimester came, and boy were they right! It's amazing! Still getting tired every now & then, but mostly just powering on through with work & social stuff throughout the day!
My appetite is back & everything sounds good! I've especially been loving some soups & salads! Mmmmm. John & I went to Stoney River last night & I ordered a cup of their Lobster Bisque, & I thought I was seriously going to lick that bowl!! SO good!!!

We are definitely enjoying our time of 'not knowing' what we are having. We haven't bought anything for our baby yet, except an adorable pair of cream colored cashmere mittens for Baby to wear this winter. So precious!! We find out in 3 weeks what we are having & plan on having a Gender Revealing party with our family & very close friends. So we are excited!!

This week also brought a fun filled day yesterday, since it was my Birthday. John took the day off & we spent the entire day together, which is my favorite thing to do. I love spending time with him, but I especially love to be out & about with him all to myself, where I don't have to share him with anyone else. We started off the day with getting massages, then headed over to Franklin to get some yummy lunch at J. Alexanders. I just love their crabcakes! They are made with the lump crab meat & pretty much no fillers. They are some of the best crabcakes I have found around our area, without having to drive to the beach.... :)
Then we did a little shopping, went to go see "Just Go with It" with Adam Sandler & Jennifer Anniston (which by the way is HILARIOUS!!). We laughed the entire way through the movie! Then headed to Stoney River for dinner. Such a fun birthday, especially when celebrating it all day long! :) John asked me how old I was yesterday afternoon, (just to see if I would say the new number)- and it's funny how I had to sit there & think.... "Ok, I was born in '84, so that would make me.... Hmmmm- Ewww, 27!" It's amazing how, I feel like, once you hit 21, all birthdays from there are just downhill.... Of course, you instantly know it's your 22nd birthday, because all you can think about is the horrible hangover you had at this exact time last year... 25 hit kinda a sore spot, because you are officially, "mid- twenties". Now I'm edging on up there into my "late twenties" & that just makes me sit there with the "Elvis lip kinda going on with the look of 'whatcha gonna do- oh well! shrug"---- We were talking about how this was our last birthday celebration between the two of us before Baby comes! Crazy to think! John will turn 29 about 3 weeks after Baby is due...

But we are excited!!!!!!!

Pregnancy- 13 weeks

Well, hello there Baby Bump!!

This weekend, the baby bump has officially bumped on out there. I had people tell me, "Oh yes, you will just wake up one day & look down, & say, "Hey! What is this??" Well, it definitely happened! I was in the shower & looked down and was in shock! I think I stared at it for 5 whole minutes. I just couldn't believe it! It's kinda freaking me out.

John & I got ready to go on a morning walk yesterday, and I put on one of my old sorority t-shirts & there was no denying my bump. Of course, I have to kinda push my shirt down right above the bump & it there!

We had some of our great friends, Liz & Chaz and Courtney & Alex, over last night for the Superbowl. I told the girls, "Ummm, look at this??!" They were both stunned to see it since when we went to lunch on Tuesday, I didn't really have much to show. Liz has a sweet little girl, Marley, who is 7 1/2 months old, and Courtney is 8 months pregnant. So they both definitely knew what that was all about. It's fun to hear & compare stories!

So this week we are 13 weeks. So many websites contridict each other. Some say that this is the beginning on the 2nd trimester. Some say that at the end of this week will be the beginning... Oh well- All we know, is we are getting closer to Baby!

This is what the baby looks like inside:


Or if we were to have an ultrasound tomorrow at our monthly appointment, this is what Baby King might look like on the screen:

By this week, our baby has it's own set of fingerprints. Veins & organs are clearly visible through their still-thin skin. Baby is 3" long & weighs nearly an ounce. Uterus, which is usually the size of a woman's fist is now bigger than a grapefruit.... (which is why the bump, I'm assuming)

Symptoms:

-Only needing naps every once in awhile

-Emotional/ mood swings- Crying more easily, getting irritated quicker, then the next minute be completely ok with everything in the world....

-Food cravings/ adversions starting to taper off

We are filled with excitement. Especially to find out what we are having! We have big plans for the reveal of the gender. The countdown begins!!!

Pregnancy- 12 weeks & recipe

Well, by the time I post this, we are actually 12 1/2 weeks along.

These past 1 1/2 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of busyness. (Is that even a word?)

I can tell that my symptoms of the 1st trimester are starting to decrease (Thank the LORD!), but I have my days & waves of the symptoms still.

-Constant headaches

-Huge waves of sleepiness (think of your after lunch sleepies x's 10!)

-Stomach cramps- They say that this is my stomach & all the lady parts streaching as our baby is growing & needing more room, so I look at this as a good but sometimes painful side effect

On the flip side, positive things are:

-My appetite is coming back to normal. Soon after we found out I was pregnant, I just didn't have much of an appetite. And when I was hungry, I found that I was FULL after eating only 1/2 of what I used to be able to eat in 1 sitting. My appetite still isn't fully there, but it's getting better.

-I've gotten compliments on my "glow". Which I'll say, before pregnancy, I just thought it was bunch of crap when someone told a pregnant woman she was glowing. I thought, "Yeah, she is, but probably because she's hot & tired of carrying all of that around!" (Kinda like when someone tells you that it's good luck if it rains on your wedding day, {which it did ours}- My response to one of my bridesmaids that said that to me while we were getting our hair done was, "That's just a bullsh*t line they tell brides so they don't freak out on their wedding day"- Needless, to say, it got some laughs & got me some more champagne brought to me! Hmmmm, I likey!")

-I am still able to wear a couple of pairs of my regular jeans... Nevermind if sometimes in the middle of a car ride I have to unbutton them- the point is, they are still buttoning while I'm standing up, which I think it a plus!

-Bump- Yep! John definitely thinks this is a huge plus! I've got a little bump. John asks to look at it about 10 times a day, (which is cute but can be annoying & makes me want to give him a bump on the side of his head, when he asks to see it 20 minutes later as I'm in the middle of dinner (as if!!!) ) It's something that I'm actually wanting to see grow a little more quickly. I'm in that gross "I just look like I left an all you can eat buffet & yes, I filled up my plate 4 times". If someone didn't know that I was pregnant, I swear I think that they would think I've lost my mind, or just enjoy a couple too many keg parties on the weekends. Anywho, people tell me that it's so cute- but what are they really going to say to a hormonal woman who can't drink the painful comments she might receive away???- Oh well!

The books say that in the past 3 weeks, Baby King has more than doubled in size. And is about the size of a large fresh plum. Its digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements, so our baby will be able to eat), the bone marrow is making white blood cells (so the baby will be able to fight off germs passed around in playgroup), & the pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones (so our baby will one day be able to make babies of their own)- {{SO weird to already be thinking of a that! Oh goodness!}}

Since I didn't post anything last week for a recipe, I'm going to do something simple that I actually made for a side for dinner tonight- SO easy & we love them!!

Sweet Potato Fries

1 sweet potato/ person (I had smaller sweet potatoes, but if you get a Big Mama one, I'm sure one would suffice for 2 people ;) )

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Ziplock Bag

-Wash sweet potatoes & dry. (sometimes I just stick them in the oven for a couple of minutes.)- Cut potatoes into 1/4" strips. I find that it's easiest when just you just cut it in half long ways, then again longways, etc, etc...

Once I have my strips, I usually cut them in half to make them about the length of a finger.

Put in a ziplock bag. Drizzle olive oil in the bag (about 1 Tbsp or so / potato- use your own judgement. It will go further than you think)- Then I sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt & about 1/2 tsp of pepper. (Sometimes if you want it spice it up, sprinkle 1 or 2 shakes of Cayenne pepper (GENTLY because that packs some HEAT!)- )

Zip bag, & toss around to evenly coat fries.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread fries out evenly on cookie sheet in 1 layer.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Pregnancy- 11 weeks

Wow- I'm working on 3 posts in one day! Reason #792, to not go this long without blogging. TOO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON!

I'll start off by sharing a couple of funny pictures-
John & I knew that we wanted to tell our Nashville group of friends the good news at the exact same time. We asked each of our friends to meet us for a big group dinner, telling them that since our move, we've missed our big group get-togethers.
We all met for Mexican a couple of weeks ago.
There were about 20 of us (so we were missing about 6-7 from the group)....
We said that we wanted to get a group picture before the food came.
(Our group is used to group pics, so they didn't think anything of it.)

Our waiter was in on the plan, and on the count of 3, John yelled:
WE'RE HAVING A BABY!

Note: The above picture was everyone's reaction when John yelled it. Nothing, we got nothing.
I didn't think that everyone would think nothing of it, since John has been a little prankster before & told people at parties before that we were pregnant (all while I'm over there filling up my wine glass for the 8th time)- Then they come up & say, "Neelley, I don't think you need to be drinking if you are pregnant!"- Then there's been a loud,
"John King, quit telling everyone I'm pregnant, when I'm not!! For that, you are going to have to wait longer for your little dream to come true!!" John's just over there snickering, thinking it's the funniest thing in the world....

Well, fast forward to when it actually is true- No one believed him. (What a great story of, "Little Boy who cried Wolf!" So while our waiter was still taking pictures, I said to the group:

"We really are! We really are having a baby!" Now, that's the reaction that we were looking for! :)

It was so fun!

So, this week, we are 11 weeks pregnant. One more week left in the 1st trimester.
Hard to believe that the pregnancy is 1/3rd the way over!

During my pregnancy, I've had lots of the symptoms;
- Headaches (all day long, & in pregnancy, you need to try not to take any meds in the 1st trimester- BUMMER!)
- Tired!!! I could sleep 16 hours/ day if I could! My energy is g-o-n-e!
- Nausea (however, I've been lucky to never get actually sick)
- Cravings: juicy things- like OJ, Strawberry Lemonade, Pineapple (can't get enough!), Yogurt, grapes, Fruit Tea, some Italian Lemon Ice, mmmm. Or Salty things- Mexican, Chips & Dip, Pretzels.
-Food aversions: Anything dessert-like: chocolate cake, ice cream, cookies, candy, etc....
(which is very strange for me, since I have always had such a sweet tooth!)

My belly is just now starting to get a little bump. Sometimes it looks like I've just eaten a little too much, but it's starting to get a little more round. Clothes are starting to get a little snug (and depressing!)...

They say that this week our baby is the size of a Fig. (just a tad smaller than a lime).
Measuring at about 2 inches. His or her body is straigtening out & lengthening.
Hair follicles are forming. Individual fingers & toes have seperated recently from webbed hands & feet. Baby has distinct human characteristics by now. Ears are also forming on the side of the head. Nose, mouth & eyelids are now visable.

Happenings....

Now that we've got the Christmas post over with, lots of other happenings have been going on in our lives since we last blogged.....

We finally got packed up & moved out of our home in Nashville. Although we were thrilled to have sold our house, Moving Day was a very emotional day. John kept asking me if I was going to break down & lose it while the movers were there. Surprisingly, I didn't. Moving is serious work, even when you hire a company to do it for you... Cleaning the rooms after all the furniture is out & double checking to make sure everything is packed definitely keeps you occupied.

It wasn't until John & I drove back up later that afternoon to grab the last carfull of items that we wanted to keep with us & take to the cabin is when it hit us.

This was the first house that we moved into when we first got engaged. We have had many parties, friends staying the weekend with us, birthday celebrations, bridal showers, holidays, etc, etc in this house. Even though there were tons of times when, "I can't wait til we sell this house!!!" was yelled in frusteration with dealing with an older home, it was sad when that day actually came. We spent our first 3 years in this house...

My mom told me once when I was venting to her about the house, "Neelley, you & John's next house will be better. And I know that you get frusterated with an older home. There are some things that you learn that you want differently in your next house that your current house has taught you. But I promise you this, you will look back one day, & say, "Gosh, that was an awesome house. We used to think that this house was HUGE!" And you know why? Because it was y'alls first house together. Lots of other houses will come & go in your lives, but nothing will ever be able to be compared to y'alls first house, because it will always be the most special."

As we were going through the house one last time turning off the lights in each room one by one, the emotional breakdown came.... I replayed what my Mom had said about this house in my mind & thought, "This is such a great house!" In the car, John & I were talking & I told him I thought the reason why I was so overly emotional wasn't just us selling the house, it's the thought that, 'you can't ever go back'. It won't ever look the same as it did when we owned it. New buyers will come & change things, like we did when we moved in. And that's ok. That's change & it just happens. John grabbed my hand & said, "Yeah, but you have to think that we get to start a new chapter with our next house." And in that, it did make me feel better. Seeing it like John, this wasn't just an ending, but a beginning of something that we wanted---

a move to Columbia to start a family.

Which brings us to our next exciting happening.....

We are expecting a little baby!

Baby King is due to arrive at the end of the Summer....

August 13th to be exact.

I am in for one HOT and looooong summer!

We found out at the beginning of December that we had a baby on the way! I hadn't been feeling good at all. We were planning on going out with friends for dinner the next night, so I took a pregnancy test, just to see if I was in the clear to have a couple of glasses of wine or not... Came up negative. So I thought, No biggie! Just didn't want to be thinking later on down the line- "Oh crap! 'Baby got..... drunk!"

Still wasn't feeling good the next morning, so I thought, "I'll swing by my drs office to see what they say." Long story, short- Blood test came back positive for pregnancy! :)

Now, I'm a planner..... I knew that John & I were getting close to wanting to start a family, and I knew the exact way I wanted to tell him, when that day arrived.

Ever since John & I got engaged, I have heard the story of how his Mom had this wooden rocking horse custom made for John when he was a baby. She looooved this horse. She said John looooved this horse, and that she always wanted John's babies to have it one day. Well, the story gets sad, but to make it short,- the horse fell into the wrong hands at one point & got given away in a yard sale many many years ago.

So, being the planner that I am, I thought, "I'm going to make a happy ending to that story."-

I couldn't find that rocking horse, but I did the next best thing & had one shipped over from Sweden. It's just the most precious thing you've ever seen. And I've been hiding this rocking horse in the laundry room for the past couple of weeks. (Shows how much John is actually in the laundry room- HA---- I will say that it was in a box & hidden)

So, later on that night, when John got home, I told him that I had purchased something for the new house, pulled out this rocking horse & he said, "YOU'RE PREGNANT?!" - It was such a wonderful & exciting thing! John has been wanting a little baby since the day we got married.... So needless to say, HE WAS ESTATIC!!

So, we decided to keep quiet on the baby news (even to our parents!) until the 1st Doctors Appt which was scheduled the week of Christmas. Doctors appointment went wonderfully and he said everything looked perfect! We heard the little heartbeat & it just seemed so surreal.

On to Christmas- We told our families by each giving them a big box at the very end of all the presents & said, ' This is something that y'all have been wanting for your house.' Well, each set of parents all want/need something for their house, so they didn't think one thing about it.

I had gathered sweet baby items that I had seen & put them in a cute basket. Wrapped it up in muslin/ burlap material. Took out some stencils, stamped 'STORK & CO' on the material & tied it with a bow.

As soon as each of them pulled it out, they shot John & I a look of: 'Does this mean what we think it means?' John & I quickly said, "Oh no.... It's just the name of a company.... Keep opening!" It took just one flip of the fabric to reveal the baby items & jumps for joy, tears of happiness & lots of laughs were let out by all!

What the packaged looked like.

(I moved the tag to the inside of the basket, since I didn't want to give away the surprise before they unwrapped it)

I filled the basket with sweet items like:
Baby book, Hand knit baby booties, stuffed animal,

white baby pillow with a silver rattle, & 2 wooden pull toys

Tag that was inside:

I purchased these adorable push toys from Etsy!

We have video of each set of parents unwrapping their gift. However, it's on both of our phones & we can't seem to figure out how to upload them.... But once we do, we will definitely share them on here!

So, from here on out, I'm going to switch up our little blog just a bit.
Mondays will be our baby updates that week
Tuesdays will be recipes- Tasty Tuesdays (I'm copying my friend, Allison, on this)
Wed-Fri will be random things....

Thanks so much for all the love & support!!!

Christmas 2010

After a long one month break from the blogging world, we are back!

However, I don't think I'll ever take that big of a break away again from blogging. So much stuff happens in one month, (even a slow month) and I feel like it's taken me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to upload these pictures as well as get them on here!

But....

It was a much needed break & we got mostly everything moved & unpacked, or put in storage. Still working on some things & trying to find spots for everything.... I hate for things to look crammed in somewhere....

To start off, where we left off~

We had a wonderful Christmas at the cabin

I don't know what made me want to do a Pheasant themed tree last year, but I did. So I carried it over into this year as well. It went perfect with the cabin decor...

Some Christmas cookies for Ol' Saint Nick!

We start off our family Christmas on Christmas Eve with my Mom's side of the family.

We have been doing this for as long as I can remember. We all get together around 5ish on Christmas Eve for fun, food & presents!

Chandler, my cousin's little boy.... Isn't he just precious!!

We have always had a Lasagna dinner on Christmas Eve. Such a different dinner than you would think for Christmas, but so wonderful since it's the exact opposite of what we will be eating on the next day!

Now, time for presents! There are about 15 of us that gather on my Mom's family's side for Christmas. Just immediate extended family. However, it can be chaotic once presents start being opened, so I didn't get hardly any pictures!

A horrible, but one of the only, pictures we got of us together at Christmas 2010

My Aunt M'Lee loves her some Maxine!

On Christmas morning, we awoke to a snow dusted ground. There were ducks on the lake in front of the cabin, so John & Cooper went hunting...

Lunch on Christmas Day is spent with John's side of the family.

Lilly, our neice, loved her Cat in the Hat game!

Allie Grace is all about baby dolls & princess stuff!

The grandkids with Mimi & Papa King

John & his sister, Katie

Katie & her girls!

Later on, on Christmas afternoon, we stop back by my Mom's house to celebrate Christmas with my Bonus Brother, Kenny & his wife Karen. They have 2 adorable kids, Brooke & Logan!

Brooke~

My sister, Blair, got the best picture of Brooke though. (I wish I had a copy of it!). Mom got Brooke some Jeggings for Christmas (3 years old & already at the top of the fashion trend at Preschool)- Brooke loves to pose for pictures, so when Blair went to take a picture, Brooke said, "One, Two, Three- say Jeggings!!" It was HILARIOUS!

Logan is all about some trucks & trains!

Christmas Night we go to my Dad & Phyllis' house. We love this tradition!

Didn't get any pictures of us at Christmas, but I did get a picture of the tree.

I just love all white & silver trees....

The day after Christmas we celebrate & head down to my Nana's house (Dad's mom).

Such a fun time. She recently just got put into an Assisted Living Facility in Franklin, so it was nice to have Christmas at her old house, like always.

John & I with Nana. She'll be 90 this July!

Taking a Christmas Break

Tis the Season......

For everything to happen at once!

We feel so lucky & blessed to have gotten an offer on our house in Nashville! Inspection went great and we are set to close on the 30th....

So in the next two weeks, not only do we have Christmas (and we attend 4-5 different Christmases in 3 days), but we have to:

~Finish our Christmas shopping & wrapping presents

~ I have a 4 tiered wedding cake due this weekend

~ 100+ custom designed Christmas sugar cookies due this weekend

~2 scheduled big dinners (1 with family, and 1 with a group of friends)

~ Oh and just......

PACKING!!!!

We've barely made a dent in our house in the packing department! And I have a fault in packing.... I want to go through everything & throw away junk that's been hiding in the back of drawers, old clothes that we don't wear anymore, make a list of things we need to replace in our next house (like 'Oh, I have hated this old file cabinet for years, I'm going to junk it, and purchase new ones for our next house....) Gives us a chance to purge & start anew...
Call it my OCD-ness, but I love to move, because it gives me a chance to organize. However, not necessarily on the time crunch that we are already in, but as Tim Gunn says, "Make it work!!"

And the worst part about it is, it's not that everything is going to the same place. Some of it has to go to storage that we don't need until our next house, some of it goes to storage, but in an easy accesible place that I will need to get to in the next couple of months, then some of it goes to the cabin that we will need readily available... Uhhhhh! Craziness around here!!!

So, we are going to take a little Christmas break from blogging. We are planning on going away for New Years this year for a relaxing 3 nights in a great hotel with a comfy King Sized bed, wonderful restaurants nearby, ROOM SERVICE!, and most importantly a spa downstairs from our room!! I told John that I didn't want us to get out of our robes except to go to the spa or to dinner. We plan on being completely useless this New Years and have a super relaxing weekend after the big move!

See you in the new year! And I will post some pictures of the holidays when we return, but I will leave you with my all time favorite thing to make for Christmas morning! These are the best things that will hit your mouth all year. I only make them for special occasions because they are the ultimate indulgence!

Neelley's Christmas Cinnamon Rolls
(*Note- These take about 3-4 hours to make from start to finish, but with lots of resting time for the dough to rise)

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, Room Temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

_____
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

________
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
a couple of spashes of milk

-Dissolve yeast in warm milk in LARGE bowl. Mix in sugar, margarine, salt & eggs. Add flour gradually & mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly wiith flour. (I pour the dough out, wash the large bowl, dry well, then spray a non-stick spray (Baker's Joy or Pam) in the inside of the bowl. Make sure that the bowl is covered lightly, but well with the spray. Put the dough back in the sprayed bowl, cover with a hand towel & let rise in a warm place (close to the oven or microwave, etc, etc) for about 2 hours or so... Until it doubles in size.

Once you see that the dough has doubled in size, take a small bowl & combine the brown sugar & cinnamon. Have the 1/3 cup of melted butter close by too. Turn out the dough on a floured surface & roll out to a 16" x 21" rectangle. (Doesn't have to be exact, but try to get it as rectangle shape as you can with it being as big as you can get it close to this size.) Spread the melted butter on the dough & sprinkle evenly with sugar & cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough & cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Cover & let rise for about 30- 60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls until brown, about 12-15 minutes. While rolls are baking, mix last set of ingredients (cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt & milk) in small bowl. Spread frosting on warm rolls (not hot!) before serving!

*Note- these make HUGE rolls- probably rolls that you would 1/2 with someone.

Christmas Decor Ideas- Day 2

Back to Christmas decorating ideas....

I love decorating, especially for Christmas, and I love looking at all the Christmas decorations.

Mailboxes~

I love to see mailboxes decorated for Christmas! This is such a wonderful way to give people a hint that your house is decorated just as fabulous on the inside as your mailbox is. Plus, it's people's first impression of your decor for Christmas! They see this before they even see the wreath on your front door (exception: if you have 1,000,000 lights on your house, then I'm sure they will be blinded by those instead of your little mailbox)

My mom always did a very elaborate mailbox display at Christmas when I was little, mainly made with fresh magnolia tree leaves and berries. It was beautiful!
Below are some inspiration pictures of mailboxes for Christmas:

Have you done anything to your mailbox?

Such a simple mailbox. Lowe's sells swags of garland.

Simply purchase 2 of them, and tie them on either side of your post.

Add a ribbon at top of each side to cover your wiring to hold them up!

Bigger is better in my opinion. I love how all the fresh garland is incorporated.


This ribbon is all over Columbia!
Lots of people have them on their mailboxes, wreaths, trees, and everything else!
And I love it!

House update

Well, big news on the house~ We have accepted an offer from a couple that wants to purchase our house!! There were a lot of negotiations going back & forth, but we got it all worked out! Halleljah!!!!

The inspection is scheduled for next week, and if all goes well, then that is the last step for everything! The want to close on December 27th (!!!!!???) However, I'm an impatient person, so this is okay with me. We have started to pack up some little things here & there. The biggest thing is trying to figure out what can be put in storage until we move (or find) our next house, and then what has to come to us while we live at John's parent's cabin for the next couple of months.

So, I'm sure your next question is: 'So where are y'all going?' or 'What are y'alls plans?'

Well, we are heading on down to Columbia. John's business is down there and the hour drive (each way, every day) has really been tiring for him. Plus, all of our family is down there.... (or towards that way.) We are planning on staying at his parent's cabin on the farm for the next couple of months until we decide what to do.

Build or buy? Build or buy?

Both have the upsides and downsides, and we are debating each of them.

Purchasing a home can be such a headache. Trying to find that perfect house is hard!! I have an open mind where I can walk into a house and see what it could be. I can imagine a wall being knocked down to open rooms up, or hardwood floors there (instead of ugly carpet), fresh paint & landscaping, etc, etc... John is not that way. And he's thinking that we will find our perfect house, in our price range, out there that is completely ready to move in to, without having to do any work to it..... (I know it is out there too, however, it's yet to be built by us, yet! :) )

As you can see, I'm leaning towards building, and John just wants to purchase an existing home. We will see where this leads us!