Movin' on Over

Well it looks like the Ju Ju gods were on our side. 

After waiting for a week and a half for word, it's official!  Jake got a new job and it's in Iowa. So we're moving West!

This is a huge thing for us, and my mind is racing over what to do.  We're currently looking for a place to rent, finding movers (cause this girl doesn't want to do that part!!!) and making lists of what to do and get taken care of.  It's causing me to have very restless nights, but I know in the long run this is what's best for our family.  Jake is from Iowa so we have family where we are moving.  I know one grandma who is beside herself with happiness.

The hardest part so far was telling my dad that we could be moving.  I must be a real adult now cause when I moved to Louisiana when I was 20 I wanted to get moving as fast as I possibly could.  Now I'm a worrying mess.  How times change.

I am so excited about our upcoming adventure (cause that's what it's going to be!) but for now I'm a wreck as well.  

So for now stay tuned for our Illinois to Iowa updates.

Friday's Favorite Pins

I'm linking up with I'm a Nola Girl today for a little Pintrest love blog hop.

Lately Jack has been taking what I like to call EPIC NAPS.  During this time I get to scour Pintrest and lately I've found some great things and ideas.

Yellow bed frame

We have a black metal bed from IKEA and it is a great frame, but bor-ring!  I saw this yellow bed and thought I could totally spray paint our bed and make it something wonderful.  How perfect would it be for a room with gray walls and touches of yellow all around.  

Colored Chunky Frames

I love a big wall or a hallway filled with framed photos.  I mean love it!!  I saw this idea of using multiple colors and it just caught my eye.  I like how it brightens up things and is a bit different from your run of the mill white or black frame wall.  I like color...can you tell?

Embroidered Initial Necklace

And even MORE color!  I saw these and thought it was such a darling idea.  The different styles of letters is just perfect.  I cant get enough of these!

Paint Chip Heart Garland

I saw this project and nearly ran out to the store to pick up paint chips.  It's so simple it's insane.  I love bunting/garland anything and this is just so cute.  It would be the perfect decoration for Valentine's Day.

That's just a few things I've Pinned lately.  What have you been pinning?

Stuck In This Moment

(cute baby picture just because)

We're waiting.  Waiting to find out some news that could change everything for us.  

I feel like every day all day I wait for the phone to ring, with Jake calling to say it's a go.  Then at night I sit and try to sleep but cant because I think about all the things we'll have to do, people to tell, what others might say, problems that could arise, everything.

But in the end, it'll be what's best for our family.  It's a great opportunity for us, and it'll be a big change, but I think we're all ready for a big change.  We could all use a breath of fresh air.

I'm probably the least patient person in the world.  So, until we hear anything, I'll be the girl putting all plans on hold until we know for sure.

{Disclaimer}

1. It's not bad news at all...it would be GREAT if it happens.

2. No I'm not pregnant.

3. I started believing in ju-ju when this opportunity came about, and I cant stay it out loud or else it'll jinx us...I just know it.

New Obsession...Baby Food

(a very messy 1st spaghetti dinner)

My boy is a very good eater.  Like crazy good.  He started off slow with the rice cereal, but probably cause it tasted like crap.  So once we started giving him new flavors to try he just went to town.  It started slow with how much he would eat, but once the doctor told us to feed him three meals a day, it was on.

We had been feeding him lots of different flavors of baby food from the jar, and he did great on them.  But as time went on, and he was doing great at feeding himself puffs I thought it was about time to start some finger foods.  First we did bananas cause that seemed easy.  Then I thought sweet potatoes would be good and that went well too.  Then I did some Googling and wrote down some suggestions.  The number one suggestion turned out to be avocado.  

I bought one avocado and from then on, my boy was hooked.  He can eat it every day for every meal.  He loves it.

Once he had been eating the bananas and avocados really well, all I could think about was what other foods would he like and why am I buying baby food in the jar.  

Last week Jake and I went to the store and bought all the fruits and veggies we could get our hands on.  And so my obsession started.  One day I'm making him acorn squash, then next its papaya.  I cant stop myself.  I love making food for my boy. 

I've used all the Tupperware we have to freeze some food, and I cant wait to get to Buy Buy Baby to pick up some more baby food storage containers.  

Who would have thought that the girl who hates cooking most in the world would be crazy excited to cook for her son!?!

So, now I'm hooked on finding recipes for what he can have next.  Any suggestion?

All I Want For Christmas....Day 3

Books by a Beekman Boy

All I Want For Christmas....Day 2

Venetian Style Wine Tumblers from Napa Style

All I Want For Christmas....Day 1

Kate Spade "Mrs." Necklace

Happy Holidays from My Boy!

So, for the first time in my life I am sending out photo Christmas cards!  I have been wanting to do this for  forever and now I have the cutest boy to put on our cards.  

I give you to you...our first holiday card!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...In Our House

We are just about done decorating our house for Christmas.  We still have the outside to do, which Jake is going to tackle this weekend (YAY).  Also, we are going out early Saturday morning and we are buying our REAL Christmas tree!  I'm so excited.  I haven't had a real tree since I was a kid because my sister was "highly" allergic to the tree...worst thing ever to a kid, let me tell you!  We stopped by the nursery last night to see how much the trees cost, and there were so many pretty trees I was in heaven.  I cannot wait to put one up in our house!  Hopefully, the cats don't go crazy over it and knock it down.  I can see it now...timber!!!  Yikes.  Anyhow, we're going to give it a try.

For now, here are some of our holiday decorations.

Merry Merry

Have I mentioned lately that I am in full on holiday mode?!  My house is almost finished being decorated,  just need to buy the real tree(!!!!) and decorate it.  Since Pintrest is my newest go-to place for holiday ideas, I thought I'd list some of my favorite things I've pinned lately.  Lots of ornament ideas and Christmas trees.  

What holiday ideas have you seen that you love?

sources: pinterest

Salt Dough Place Cards

Ever since I've gotten obsessed with Pinterest I've seen salt dough ideas all over the place.  Since it's super easy to make I thought I'd give it a try.  But what to make?  Then it came to me...Thanksgiving place cards.  

I started with this recipe:

1 c. salt

1 c. flour

1/2 c. water

Mix with your hands in a bowl until it is all combined.  Add more water if it's not forming well...add more flower if it's too sticky.  Flour your counter and a rolling pin, and roll it out until it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.  Then use cookie cutters or free hand to make shapes.  Bake for about 2 hours at 250 degrees.

Once they're all baked, let them cool and decorate.  Super easy...I did it while Jackson was taking a nap.

Out of the oven and cooling.  

Holiday colored ribbon to loop through the hole.

Starting to look pretty.

Paint pens made it easy to write everyone's name on their place card.

They turned out pretty cute.  I think my handwriting looks awful on them, but better luck next time I suppose.

Happy happy everyone!

Gobble Gobble

This year Thanksgiving is going to be at our house.  I'm super excited for a few reasons.

1. We get to be with our family

2. Jackson gets to be with lots of people he doesn't see that often on his first turkey day

3. I get to use lots of my dishes that are only used for special occasions

4. Making personalized seating tags

5. Food

6. People coming to OUR house instead of us having to make the long drive

Our Thanksgiving table in the works.

What's Goin' On

Things in my life have become so different.

I am consumed with a certain little boy who has stolen my heart completely.

We don't do much besides play all day on the floor together.

We do manage to squeeze in some time for Hawkeye football.

We celebrated Halloween too.

And now we're just hanging around a lot.

Oh and we're being driven crazy by some kitties..this one likes to cause trouble the most.

That's about all for now.  Just stopped by to say hi.  So HI!

31 on my 31st

So, today is my 31st birthday and I thought I'd give whoever is still out there reading this little blog a little info about me.  So, here goes...

1. I am 5 feet tall.  Yep that's it...short as can be.

2. I have a crazy love of dish towels.  I have towels for every holiday and today my boy got me some more Halloween ones to add to my stock!

3. I don't like people to read a magazine before me.  Weird I know but someone (cough cough Jake cough cough) always ruins something in the magazine before I've gotten a chance to read it myself.

4. My little boy and I have very blue blue blue eyes.  His little eyes are just dreamy to me!

5. Since high school my style consists of the following:  jeans, white t-shirt, cardigan, and slip on shoes.  You should see the amount of cardigans I have...it's sick.  (but I LOVE them!)

6. When watching TV and someone does something so stupid I cant take it, I hide my face.  It's like I'm embarrassed for them.  I can't deal.

7. I have 4 cats.  Punky Dott - she's very moody, Tate Drew - any Iowa Hawkeye fan might realize that's the name of the old quarter back, only backwards (nerds I know), Sugar Flower - yet another moody cat who goes by Flower not Sugar (weird I know), who hated me until I had a baby, now we're friends, and Griffin Fonzy - I didn't pick Fonzy...that's my hubbys weird love of the Fonz.

8. I have a crazy lip balm obsession.  Kiels Lip Balm #1 is my favorite.  I carry lip balm with me at all times and if I don't have any, I have been known to stop and pick some up, just in case.

9. I figure skated for 15 years.  I wasn't very good but it was a huge part of my life for a long long time.

10. I have been watching Days of our Lives since I was 5 years old.  My mom watched it and we had to be quiet when it was on as kids, and I just never stopped watching it.

11. If I could go back and redo my whole wedding I would...except marrying Jake.  He's the love of my life!  But I would pick a different dress, place, style, lots of things.

12. I love decorating stuff, but I cant get my house the way I want it.

13. I spend about 8 hours of my day sitting on the floor trying to entertain Jackson.

14. I got stitches in my right eye brow as a kid.

15. I met my hubby Jake on the first day of college.  We had three classes together and lived in the same dorm.  That was in 1998.  Wow I'm old!

16. I have lived in Illinois, Iowa, and Louisiana.

17. I collect pretty dishes.  

18. My favorite shape is the fleur de lis.  I have an outstanding agreement with Jake that anything I like with a fleur de lis on it, I can buy.

19. My favorite colors are pink and blue.

20. I love miniature animals.  

21. Keith Haring is my favorite artist.

22. My first car was a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme in grey...and totally pimped out.  People would pull up along side me when I was stopped at a light and ask me if I wanted to sell it.  I guess it was a "hot" car.

23. My dream house would be an old farmhouse with lots of land and a huge wrap around porch with a swing.

24. My favorite hobby use to be sleeping...now I can hardly sleep.

25. I LOVE the Iowa Hawkeyes and the New Orleans Saints (WHO DAT!).

26. I was married on the rainiest day in Chicago history...September 13, 2008.

27. I have one sister who lives in Georgia.

28. This March will mark the 20th anniversary of my mom's death.  I can't believe it's been so long.  Back then I didn't think I'd make it a day without her.

29. My middle name is Ann.

30. I finally feel like an adult..and it's not because I'm married or have a baby.  It's because I am finally NOT excited about my birthday.

31. I wish I was a better blogger...I just give my little boy all my time instead now, but I miss blogging every day so very much.

Well, there you have it.  At about #11 I wondered why I chose to post 31 things, cause I was getting stumped.

Napa Style

This past weekend we took a little trip to visit my sister's family in Georgia.  While there, I spotted some darling wine glasses in her cabinet.  Now, some of you may not know but I am a dish junkie!  I mean I get crazy excited over plates, glasses, bowls, etc.  But mostly wine glasses and champagne flutes..those buggers just make my heart thump a bit faster.

So, after questioning her about where she got these beauties, I had to go online and check them out for myself.  You can find them at Napa Style...and if I had some moo-laa to spend right now I'd be snapping these up faster than you can imagine.  They are super thin glass and have the prettiest little details on them.  Each one is a little different but just perfect!!  And husband, if you are reading this my birthday is 1 month and 3 days away....just sayin'!

They also come in champagne flutes and tumblers too.