But first... a nursery.

I've been wanting to share pictures of the nursery for quite some time, and now that I've started my master's courses for the summer I needed something to do that would help me procrastinate from working on school work. Bingo! Blog post! :)

So, here are some before and after shots panning around Eliana's room. I should make note... I ABSOLUTELY love how it turned out. :)

(click on pictures for larger image)

sidenote: the stuffed animal owls and blanket hanging on the side of the crib are just for show. When she goes to use her crib I will remove them. Safety first. :)

Later this week I'll post more details on the special projects like her closet made from a bookshelf, the letters of her name wrapped in twine, and the wall mural!!!

Stay tuned. :)

32 weeks update!

So here's where we're at! 32 weeks down, 8 to go...
Exciting things are happening!

How far: 32 weeks, 2 days  :)  (every day counts at this point)

Baby Stuff: Eliana weighs about 4lbs. this week and is the size of a large jicama! (Almost 17in.)

Newest Body Changes: Not a fan of the newest aches and pains... I've had 3 little Braxton Hicks contractions that didn't really phase me, but the biggest pain in the butt pelvis is the random cramps while I'm laying down. Sleeping hasn't been going great lately only because I have to heave my overly large body into a new position every hour or so to prevent sharp pains. Lately it's been even worse because I've had a flu-like sickness this week. I have to sleep with my upper body elevated to alleviate the wheezing that occurs. I have a smoker's cough that could rival a life-long addict! Seriously. If it didn't hurt so darn bad to cough I would be impressed by it.

Cravings: Still nothing intense... we did have a minor situation about three weeks ago when I craved a Wendy's Frosty. Jeff works right next to a Wendy's and I called him before his shift ended, suggesting he stop and get me a Frosty. Typically he would be super stoked that I suggest such an unhealthy food choice (since usually I'm the voice of reason). Well, this time he wasn't so supportive and I played it off all cool. "No big deal, hunny. It was just a thought. See you soon." And then it happened. My world started to disintegrate around me. I sunk into a deep depression. This was not your run-of-the-mill "hungry for a certain food" kind of feeling. It was a legitimate craving, which I had denied my body. Big mistake. I turned into Heid-zilla (hehe). Poor Jeff. After he got home and I explained to him the gravity of the situation he said, "Well I'll never make that mistake again." We were able to smile at each other by bedtime, but it was definitely intense in the Varner household that night.

Current freak out: None! I am so calm, it's kind of crazy. Jeff and I started baby classes last week. So far we've learned about the birthing process and breastfeeding. Next two weeks are Baby Boot Camp and hospital registration class. Yeehaw! I'm loving all the information. It makes me feel much more in control.

Exciting news:
     1- Eliana's head is down! No more breech baby! (Doc said once they go head down it's very rare that they would flip around again.)
     2- Nursery is coming along!!! Last weekend I built the crib and the changing table!!!!

This little bouncer seat was FREE from one of Jeff's regular customer's who wanted to bless us!! 

Changing table

Crib :)

Oh, and there's a free pack n' play stashed in the corner we got from a friend. This one will most likely stay at my parent's so that's one less thing we'll need to bring when we visit.

    

Hello 25 weeks, we're moving along so fast!

I'm sitting here feeling Eliana kick around as I type. What an incredible feeling....


How far:  25 weeks.

Baby stuff: Eliana is about 13.5in long this week. Her lungs are developing to prepare for her first breath of fresh air. Also, she's starting to be able to sense up and down! Aww, my little girl!!!!!!

Newest Body Changes: Belly is getting bigger- actually had a stranger officially know I was pregnant this week!!! (Not just assume I ate too much for dinner last night). Also had to start wearing Jeff's t-shirts to bed. My size smalls are officially out of the question. Oh, and hello heartburn. Yeah, never experienced this before in my life until this week. It's new and I'm not a fan. Tums are nice.

Craves: Auntie Anne's pretzels (we actually left the house at 8:30pm to hit up a mall that was 30 minutes away last week), Fried pickles w/ ranch, Peanut butter (seriously, check my Pinterest account)- oh, and as far as peanut butter is concerned I would be quite content just sitting around smelling it. I wonder if there are peanut butter scented candles... (ANSWER: There are. I just checked Amazon) :) Last minute Christmas idea!!!!

Gross: Plain chicken breast (seriously, gag me.), even THE THOUGHT of Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Eww. Just typing that made me cringe.

Current freakout: 15 weeks to go and the so-called nursery is still our closet/creativity room. There is a lot of painting, moving, switching, decorating, etc. to be done.

Note to self: should probably find some baby furniture and schedule maternity pictures!

Funny story: Every time I read over this post to proofread/made edits just reading the Frank's Red Hot Sauce part made me nauseated. Darn you hot sauce!




Also- I apologize, I don't have any new exciting pictures to update with... but if you'd like to see my cute little baby bump we should probably meet up and hang out! (Especially because I have the next 16 days off of work for Christmas break!!)

Pinch me.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm dreaming, my life is just so beautiful... God has blessed me beyond belief. This morning as I was making breakfast for the boys I gazed  into the living room. Avery was putting together a Mario Bros. puzzle he got at a yard sale yesterday for $0.10 (woo!) and Jeff was reading the Sunday paper in his jammies with Transformers playing in the background on the TV.

I couldn't help but just smile. Smile at the peace of knowing I'm right where God wants me to be.

As the sizzling bacon brought me back to reality, I turned to the stove still smiling, thinking to myself, "How can this be real?" I don't deserve it. That's the beauty of God. He turns wreckage into gold and I'm just so grateful to be where I am today.

A couple of minutes later Avery pulled me off to the side and we had a "secret" pow-wow behind the couch all crouched down, and he asked me when we should give his dad the Father's Day gift we made. I told him it was up to him and in his little whisper voice he said, "I think now's a good time." I love that he wanted my opinion on the matter. :)

So- we got to surprise Jeff with the poster we made yesterday. And, of course, there were tears. (Success.)

 

Avery and I brainstormed all of the things that Jeff loves to do, and how we contributes to our family. We went around and photographed everything and then hooked up the camera to our Panasonic instant printer (which prints onto 2"x3" sticker prints)- perfect for our project.

Pictures: mowing the lawn, chubbing the cats, pouring coffee, holding his dad's golf clubs, basketball, shaving, baseball, chugging hot sauce, gearing up for a Nerf war, family time, holding all of the Batman movies (Jeff's hero), reading his Bible, scooping crap out of the litter box, and lastly- dressed up in all of Jeff's Cowboys gear

It's pretty awesome. :)

What a beautiful life we have. Praise God!

My Magic Pot

Any one familiar with this little beauty???

If there was only one Pampered Chef item that I could live with for the rest of my life, it would be this one. This puppy is a crockpot on steroids. Cooks whole chickens in the microwave in 25 minutes. Yeah, you heard me.

My famous (famous, meaning my husband tells EVERYONE about it) meat loaf. 20 minutes. Microwave.

Molten lava cake. 10 minutes. Microwave.

You don't have one. You need it.

www.pamperedchef.biz/thevarners   Click it. You won't regret it.



That being said.... I made this

tonight.

After prepping... 5 minutes in the microwave. PERFECTION.

There's certain things in life that make me feel like a pro. wife. Cooking stellar meals is one of them. Especially when they're super simple and taste great.


Another thing is going to bed with a clean sink. Both of these things are happening tonight thanks to this meal.


Like a boss.

Introducing "Felix"

So excited about our new addition to the family!!

Jeff and I were waiting for our income tax refund check to help with the down payment on a new vehicle. I've been driving a '94 Honda Civic (named Trevor) since I was 17... and he has 265,000 miles on him right now... with driving about 100 miles a day total with my commute to work and back, I needed something more reliable.

After comparing vehicles for over a month, I settled on the Mazda 3 Hatchback. I was looking for a 4-door vehicle with the prospect of expanding our family at some point in the future. The Mazda 3 suits my style, and it's just super amazing in every way I can possibly think of.

Perks: heated seats, sun roof, Sirius radio (free for 90 days), in-car bluetooth, navigation system built-in, cute spoiler, low profile tires, dual heating/cooling controls for both passengers, gas efficiency screen, back seat folds down completely flat, keyless start...... and the list goes on. :D

I'm very pampered in my new car.

~A proud owner

The One With All the D-I-Y projects

So, with Christmas this year (read: Christmas over a month ago)- I decided to be super crafty and make gifts for the people I am closest to. Also, with a lack of money- it just seemed like the way to go. Win win.

Over the past four or so years I've become that person. The one who's goal is to make you cry when you open your gift. I've been quite successful over the years.

Here are this year's endeavors:

   -niece, Brooklyn: (age 2) a Dora the Explorer felt board
   -brother and sister-in-law: a shadowbox frame with a scrapbook page and a cute family photo I took
   -mom: her favorite bible verse embroidered into a rustic-looking fabric, then framed
   -dad: stylish pictures of his Harley (which he adores), framed for his man cave

The results:

Dora the Explorer Feltboard

 

So it all started with white and blue felt... and I hot glued it to an old canvas I had lying around.

 

A rolling snowscape.

 

 I made Dora with tan felt, then glued brown felt on for the hair. Her mouth and nose are written on with a fine-point sharpie. The eyes were white felt- then I used Crayola markers to make brown eyes with black pupils. Easy peezy.
I made 2 outfits-- her typical pink shirt, orange shorts, and yellow socks. And then I also made a cute purple snowsuit (with sparkly purple felt accents), and pink gloves, scarf, and boots!

 

Snowman (three individual circles)- I traced around a cup, a gladware container, and a bowl... oh- and I used sparkly white felt to offset it from the plain white snow background.

 

Here's all the pieces laid out on the table

 

And here's everything sticking to the feltboard as I hold it up.

**Gift was a huge success- I put all the pieces in ziploc baggies and wrapped the board separately. When Brook opened it she saw the pieces and knew it was Dora instantly and also knew to put a snowman togethe with the sparkly white circles. **

Very cool. 

 Framed Scrapbook Page

Simple- "And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love."

Bible verse Embroidery

 

Romans 8:28 embroidered with black thread...

 

Man Cave Art

-I'm happy with all of my products! Also, Operation: Make Someone Cry was a success. And of all people, it was my dad who got teary-eyed. Aww :)  He sure does love his bike.