Erin Condren Planner SALE!!! HURRY!!

So as ya'll saw, I was eying the Life Planner by Erin Condren.... but I was worried about the price of it at $50.

WELL... here is the GREAT news!! Plum District is offering a deal where you can get $50 dollars worth of Erin Condren goodies for only $25 dollars... (thank you to The Blue-Eyed Bride for the heads up)
oh but wait! There is MORE... there is also a coupon code that Elizabeth from A Wedding Story posted for $5 off that- just enter "inwithnew"! Making the deal $20 dollars for $50 dollars worth of goodies!! 
So for just $20 dollars you can have one of the Life Planners! um... YES, PLEASE!

Here are just a few things that I am obsessing over... besides the Life Planner (duh!) that I WILL be purchasing-- hopefully custom with one of our maternity pics ?? maybe?!!

cute gift tags for any occasion

address labels (perfect since we just moved and my old stamp is no good :( )

growth chart- Would be so cute for Raleigh Grace!

and there are so so many other cute things, I could go on forever! They have cute notecards, ipad covers, and much more! you NEED to go check out her site! and if I were going to be teaching this next year, you bet I would buy one of her awesome Teacher Planners... maybe another year :)


So hurry over to Plum District before this deal  is GONE! You can find it here!!

(ps I just created a Plum District account today, its totally free and only took me 2 seconds... its much like Groupon if you are familiar with that)

i was gonna...but then...ugh!

well I was going to do my 29 week post today (a day or 2 late) but I am really exhausted so I think I will wait and do it when I have more energy... I'm in a state of BLAH right now and maybe its just because I'm tired... lets hope anyways!
this is totally NOT depressing because life can be so much worse but i am a little sad that I found my first few stretch marks on my belly tonight! I thought I had a scratch on my tummy and after looking closer I noticed there were 4 on the left of my belly button down low. then I just had to look again and find a couple of more on the right side.  I didn't think i was exempt from these bad boys but I really don't feel like my belly is 1/2 as large as it is going to be (according to what everyone tells me) so now I am a little freaked out that my tummy is going to look like a huge maze by the time this is all said and "done".  Oh the things we do for our little angels :) Love you Raleigh Grace and I will endure as many as these horrid things needed as to make your home the most cozy and nurturing place it can be :) 
Okay, done with my rant. {ill spare you pics of this hah}

oh! yesterday, I spent an hour or two attempting to make some hair bows for Raleigh Grace-- let me just tell you- it wasn't as easy as I had expected... but I did end up with one or two "cute" ones... I really have a long ways to go though! ha {my cousin was helping me and at one point said, I think I'll just end up buying some bows... she might have the right idea! ha} I dont have any pics right now but will take some and post soon.


tomorrow, off to get my hair done. i always get nervous when I am getting anything done to my hair and this time is no different.  I'm just getting the highlights touched up, i hope i dont end up with orange hair... eek! I also am trying to finalize some "outfits" for my maternity shoot later this week.  i am terrible at picking out cute things and TOTALLY miss having roommates to pick out my outfits for me :(  I need to get some cute shoes and accessories tomorrow but I dont have the money to buy some for 100 different outfits... do you see my dilemma? ha! 
{See, I told you I'm tired and just ranting away...}

good part of the day/night: hanging out with my friend heather, lunch with my stepmom at Oasis... mmm!, dinner- pizza with my stepmom and uncle glen who was in town, then bachelorette (which obama had to interrupt with his speech about the debt crisis... seriously, he should have done that speech earlier not in the middle of my show!ha)


I'll be back in a better mood shortly ;) promise!! gnite ya'll! 

PS-- I'm totally a JP fan :) 

Planners, Agendas, Oh My!

****update: check here****

As many of you know, a few months ago I blogged about needing a new planner for the upcoming "year".... you can read about it here.  


Well as I have searched high and low I have found many that I "like" and that I'm sure "would do" but I have found 2 that I really just love.  


Now, here they are for you to review.  


1) www.ErinCondran.com 
this lady knows how to make a planner cute and functional! In fact, I read about her "Life Planners" last year on a blog but by the time I got to her website they were sold out... so needless to say, here I am a year later, and I have been longing for the new 2011-2012 life planner to come out.  Well, I got the email today confirming they are online NOW!  
instead of posing 98982345 amazing pictures, watch this fun video of how awesome these babies are!

price: 50 dollars plus approx 10 dollars shipping...
coupon: 10 dollars off for first time buyers (ME!) using code Welcome10
total price: approx $50


2) the Mom Agenda
this thing also looks amazing but sad thing is, I haven't been eying it for the past year so I'm not as much in love with it ... yet.  But it is rather amazing.  It is about the same size as the Life Planner and has a lot of the same features with a different look (maybe even a little more sophisticated?) ... granted it has space for up to 4 kids and well, lets be honest, I am still cookin my first one ;) ha  
Check it out too and give it a fair chance... here are a few of the different ones they offer... all of them come in different colors. 

MomAgenda Crocodile Desktop

MomAgenda Desktop

Home Office Edition

price: $46, $43, & $32.95 (respectively)
coupon: Save $10 off $75+ dollar purchase (code: MOM10OFF75) (thru 7.31)
or save 10% off $65+ purchase (code: MOM10OFF65) (thru 7.31)
but lets be honest... I'm only ordering one of these babies so I probably won't be able to use the coupon :(
shipping/tax: approx $10
Total price:  $42-$56 


Now... how many of you think I'm nuts for wanting to spend this much on a planner? Its okay... I think I am a little nuts too but I have to admit, I LOVE them! ha




A great blog friend, Mallorie showed me these super cute ones that she just loves from Wal-Mart and they are WAY more reasonably priced ($17!!) but they are sold out! ugh! :( 

If you had to pick one of the first two, which one would you get? What about if they were both free? (don't tell me you would get both, just pick one and stop trying to be difficult ;) hehe) ...


So, the ball is in your court... let me know how you really feel.... ready, GO! :) 

28 Weeks, 7 Months!!

How far along? 

28 weeks! 7 months!! yay!!

only 2.5 months to go... yes, its a conspiracy- pregnancy is really 9 1/2 months! 

(July 11- July 17)

Size of baby: Baby is the size of chinese cabbage!

Here is what we have been up to this week:

Weight Gain: I think around 7lbs but at the doc's visit they didn't tell me my pre-preg weight and now I honestly don't remember with all the weight loss/gain. but 7 is my guess.

Maternity Clothes :did some more shopping today and plan to do more! I just planned my maternity photos so if you know of any super-cute maternity clothes for photo shoots please let me know- I have no idea ha!

Sleep:just one potty break between 3-5am... and I'm usually good :)

Best Moment of this week: I had a great week, got to visit K up in the mountains and did some driving on the Blue Ridge parkway- it was wonderful, and had dinner at a yummy bbq place mmm! 

Blue Ridge Parkway view... ahhh

K's dad, my stepmom and my bro!

K is quite the photographer... this was not posted but I do love this pic :)

Also this past weekend had a great visit with K although he was very sickly :( Spent our FIRST night ALONE and together in almost 2 months... and it was spent at our NEW condo... it made my life seem "right" for a moment! 

We enjoyed a delish breakfast sunday at the Original Pancake house and then went to Camp Meeting. 

here are some fun pics from breakfast at the Original Pancake house:

I'm a mean wife and took a pic with his mouthful.

so I was a nice wife and let him take a pic of me with a mouthful. ha :)


and some pics from Camp Meeting :) (sorry if you are getting tired of the purple shirt its comfie and it fits! hard to say that with lots of my clothes these days haha!)

 

my awesome auntie and I  (see I'm not the only one who likes purple so much ha!)

 

my much better (looking) half :)  <3 this man!!
 
Movement: my favorite thing she does is flips. they make me laugh every time because  its a BIG move! I still haven't noticed any hiccups... yet. I'm anxious because mom said I had them all the time when she was pregnant with me :)
 
Food cravings:  sweets, sweets, sweets. trouble. ha! 

What I miss: energy. still hubby- a lot!

 
Symptoms: I have noticed that bending down is getting much more difficult... like I grunt almost every time I have to bend down and pick something up ha.  I will often debate in my head if something is "worth" picking it up or just leaving it there.  Also, getting out of bed (sitting up) and getting up from a chair, couch, etc takes great effort. My energy disapates much quicker these days... walking from the car to the grocery store or up a flight of stairs leaves me winded.  Also, this week I have noticed the dreaded backache has arrived.  I dreeeead this getting worse over the next couple of months. I'm beginning to realize how much I am going to grow and that things aren't always going to be "this easy..."

--I also found out this week that my blood count was low (which scared me at first because I had no idea what that meant...) but they prescribed me an iron supplement and will check my blood again next week at my next apt.  I got no news from the glucose screening so that means I am NOT gestational diabetic! Praise Jesus! :)  

Gender: LOVE my little Raleigh Grace!!

What I'm looking forward to: MATERNITY PICCCCCS!!!! eeee!! so thrilled I can't even tell you!!! :) not because of the pics but because WHO is taking them!! I will post later as right now its  semi-hush, hush!

 Baby bump: 

so sad, Karl has his camera that has the only pictures I have :( boo!

I will post it soon though, I promise! I know its the best part of the weekly updates ha :)

i hate the shadows on this one but I love that you can see all of the "tents" in the background :)

7 months! wahoo! :)

(from Babycenter.com...)

How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing:
You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.
At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.)
Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

My heart is broken for James!

i can not even seem to find words...

...as many of you have been praying for little James, his fight has ended and he was beat the tumor.  Praise God, he isn't suffering anymore but my heart breaks for his friends and family members that he left behind.  Please keep the prayers coming!!!

http://jamescamdensikes.blogsp​ot.com/

the perfect book

In my effort to finalize more things before little Raleigh Grace gets here I am trying to decide on a baby book...

I am totally not into the cheezy themed books...winnie the pooh, monkey's, etc.  I found these super cute personalized books on Etsy that I just love but really 60 dollars!?  eeek.  Is that too much? I mean honestly, I don't even know what my baby book looks like or if it is even finished... will it really matter down the road? I want to document every. little. thing. but I know realistically that that probably won't happen once I have my darlin girl to ooh and ahhh at all day long :) !! Here is the book: (you can personalize the colors... I'm thinking baby pink and grey? or would the grey clash with the linen?)

So, here is where I ask you for your help. I know that yall have such wonderful taste I am wondering what you used for your children... where did you find your baby book? do you love it?

Also, since I have 2 months (omg really!? only 2!?!) to go (from Saturday...) I am anxious to get my hands on some good books.... like baby books.  not A-baby-book... but you know, books about your little one- or about pregnancy or the like...
what are the MUST have GOOD INFORMATIVE books.  I enjoy funny books too but I am looking for more books that provide some good insight. 

Here are a few I have heard are great...
-Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
-Happiest Baby on the Block
-The Wonder Weeks
-Belly Laughs
-The Pregnancy Bible
-Dr. Sears

which ones are MUST haves... I look forward to hearing from you all!! :) :)

the dreaded test...

So, today was my DREADED glucose test!
I was also sad that it was going to be my first doc apt without my hubby. 


So, I arrive at the office and they give me my "drink"... I have heard that there are different flavors of this drink and that you could choose... well my office just hands me a red drink.  Tropical Punch- EW! I hate all things tropical punch... but really it wasn't that bad.  It tasted a LOT like tropical kook-aid with an extra pound of sugar in it.  It was cool but not cold and that was the worst part of it all.  I chugged that yuck and then an hour later had my blood drawn.  Should get the results tomorrow so I am praying that I don't have gestational diabetes!(thank you sugar water for the most horrible indigestion all day long today! ugh)


THEN...


I get a phone call from my hubby asking what I'm doing... (mind you he is at work 2 hours away... right!? WRONG...)
Apparently he decided to drive down to meet me for my Dr. apt that was at 2:15 today (yes, I had 2 different appointments today, don't ask. ha)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was soooooo excited I really couldn't contain myself. :) :) :) It was the BEST surprise!!


We had a nice lunch at firehouse subs, and then got a great report from the doc (who's --his--  name happens to be Raleigh-- awkard! ha) 
"your belly is measuring perfect!" yaaay!! I have been nervous about not gaining enough weight but I am doing great he says! wheph! He was so happy that my pregnancy has been so "normal" and great... lets hope it stays this way!!
We got to hear Raleigh Grace's heart beat also :) which was 156bpm-- again, perfect! yes!! It took the nurse a bit of effort to find it long enough to count-- after my sugar drink our baby girl was all over the place moving around-- K told her that we have a non-compliant baby and I assured the nurse she got it from her daddy ;) ... she is a mess already and I love her so so much!!


After our doc apt, we headed back to the condo where hubby so kindly set up our bed (its not completely finished... but the frame is there :) ) and then he had to head out.  I was SO thrilled to have some time with him today, our time this summer is so special because the hours are few.  He is such a blessing in my life!!

now I have a get-away place to crash ;)

picked up bedroom! yay!

I finally did a little work on "unpacking" the condo myself.  I got most of the kitchen things unpacked and on the shelves... and I also cleaned our room/ organized it some and put things in their place.  As my grandma told me this past weekend, "a place for everything and everything in its place!" ... this is my motto this year!


it might not look like much but I am making some progress...


here is the LACK of prgoress... I felt like since I never took full-on BEFORE pics, I would start now... seriously, you could not walk in the condo at first.  there is still a long way to go but so much has been done!  check it out :)

hall

kitchen mess... EW

other side of hall (no, we are not obsessed with Mike's- K got all the boxes from work- he worked for a beer distributor in TX)

living room

SOME of the unpacked boxes.. this is not all of them i promise :)

I finished out the night with a great meal at Logan's Roadhouse with my stepmom.  Great times!!


WONDERFUL DAY!!  :)


____________________


Update on last night-- we (my stepmom and I) headed up to the mountains again to see the bro, the hubs, and the fil! :) We went to a small town in VA, Galax and ate at a delicious BBQ resturant (sorry for the lack of photos)... we saw santa and mrs. clause there!
Then we spent the evening driving the Blue Ridge parkway... we DID take pics there which I will have to post later bc they are on K's camera (which he has with him)... We had a wonderful night!! :)

URGENT prayer request!!

Please, please, pray for baby James.

His parents have a very tough decision to make TONIGHT.  I can not imagine anything that they are feeling or going through and it just breaks my heart to read of the news.  

you can find their blog here: http://jamescamdensikes.blogspot.com/

From one Baylor Bear to another, I love ya'll and am praying diligently for you!!

27 weeks!

short and sweet because I'm tired and don't want to put off this post because its already late and its likely if I dont do it now it won't get posted till 28 weeks haha...
(before I forget I found this awesome birth plan check list on the bump.com find it here)

How far along? 27Weeks! 

(one more week until 7 months!)

(July 4- July 10)

Size of baby: Baby is the size of cauliflower... um okay?

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended.

Here is what we have been up to this week:

Weight Gain: dunno... looking forward to dr. apt on Wednesday.

Maternity Clothes : finally purchased a few shirts at Target... LOVE them but still in desperate need for some shorts/capris... I just have a hard time spending 40dollars on some things I only see myself wearing for 2 months... not worth it so I wear the same shorts everyday. almost. ha

Sleep:eh.. its pretty good when the cat doesn't walk on me and wake me up. I miss being at my house and him sleeping in "his room" at night. I sure slept a ton better at my grandma's house where there was no cat and I was in a queen size bed with a feather bed. 

ah.may.zing!.

Best Moment of this week: enjoying the 4th at OIB, and being at the hospital when my sweet cousin was born (read more here), spending time with my family in the mountains :)

Movement: some days more than others but yes, always, and it is a constant reminder of how real this is, and how soon it will be when she is here!

oh, and she is filling up the space in there... i often feel her super low but also up under my ribs too! (haven't felt her kick my ribs but she is also way high at times too!)
 
Food cravings:  water! I am so thirsty... never mind that its so HOT here and HUMID. I'll eat pretty much anything. sweets are still my go to! Got some brownie mix at the grocery tonight and my grandma made me a DELISH pound cake a couple of days ago... OMG wow! :) MMM

What I miss: my hubs, and my kids from school. and my home.  
Symptoms: nothing in addition to what I posted last week. Its hard to bed over and that is not fun! oh and reaching foward for something when sitting-- I can't do it without grunting. that tummy is SO in the way! ha

Gender: LOVE my little Raleigh Grace!!

What I'm looking forward to: my doc apt on Wednesday... after all the mess I went through with the offices, I think my MIL finally got all the kinks worked out (thank you so so much!)!!! She is a NICU nurse and knows the gyno's so she had a word with them and with some talking they got it all worked out for me. such a blessing!

 Baby bump: 

at my grandparents cute log cabin! its so beautiful there!

(from Babycenter.com...)

How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

How your life's changing:
The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

can't wait, baby!

Here is a dump of my iphone photos to reveal what I have been up to lately...


Little background... Wednesday morning I got a text saying my cousin had gone into labor with her first child... Wednesday afternoon I headed to the mountains where they live to be there! 


Wednesday night we had a baby! Baby Drew! He is the most precious little baby and I could just hold and stare at him all day long.  If I love that little one THAT much, I can not imagine how it will be with my own little girl! :) 


I am so ready, yet NOT prepared at all haha! Raleigh Grace, keep cookin girlie! :) 
I so enjoyed the time with my family (as always!) we really had a great visit and I can not wait to be able to go back soon for another visit! I also enjoyed helping grandma "Nonna" getting my cousin's house clean before they brought the baby home... made me wanna kick my butt into gear "nesting" in MY home!! There are soooo sooooo many boxes to be unpacked... ugh. not looking forward to that! In fact, I'm about to the point where I want to go and throw out everything haha well... everything that I dont NEED... which is basically everything that is there right now ha! anyways.... we shall see.


Now, for the fun part... pictures!!

baby Drew Parker 7lbs 7oz, 20 1/2 inches long. one hour old!

just a few hours after birth

my yummy dinner @ Panera! so delish!

baby Drew's grandma (my aunt) "Nonna's" dinner-- doesn't that salad look so yummy!?

gosh, just in AWE!

I'm so ready for Raleigh Grace :) (with my grandma, Drew's great-grandma!)

look at how itty bitty!

precious little toes

the beautiful flower my grandma picked for me to put in my bathroom :) :) :)

of course I have 9hundred and 99 more photos from the weekend but these are just a few! AHHHH makes me long for me to meet the little girl in my tummy! :)

The Name Game... Name Reveal!!! :)

 today... I am LOVING....


okay okay, so I  knooow that it has been a long time coming but I have promised all  you wonderful friends that I would share "her" name with you...

K & I had talked about names before we were even pregnant.   There were of course several names that I liked and had written down in a notebook for future reference and so we tossed several of them back and forth a few times.   Almost immediately, I had decided on a middle name that I looooved- and so did he... and then we tossed around several  first names as well that we again liked.  When we got to this one particular name we both loved it and it stuck.  So anytime we would talk about a future daughter, we would call her by name... (even though she didn't exist at the time)! So to say this name has been picked out for quite a while is a little of an understatement :).  I do love names that people chose based on their meanings but really, at first, we just went with something that we loved, something that sounded pretty, feminine and of course took us back to our southern roots... and it has great meaning too!). 

So here it is... the moment that you have all been waiting for... her name is:

So that is our little angel... Raleigh Grace ... wah-lah! :) 

(she will go by a double name :) )

(pronounced rah-lee- like the capitol of NC, and no, that is not why we named her that ha!)

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8

What a Giveaway!!

Oh. my. goodness.!!! 

Let me first just tell you that you do not want to miss an awesome giveaway from a FABULOUS girl, Sarah, over at "We're Just Like You Only Prettier"... this is one of the BEST I have seen... 

check out what she is GIVING away!!!!

Head on over to her blog for your chance to enter!! :) Love it Sarah!!