Savy was excited to go to preschool this morning. This was the last day she'll have to wear green...that's good, because she doesn't have many green clothing items. Ms Robin, if you're reading, you guys need to do pink for the next month! Savy made this cute lion mask at school today.



This afternoon, Savy rode her bike and drew with her sidewalk chalk. She always wants me to draw squares so she can play hopscotch...here's an action shot.



I still haven't been able to come up with any baby names that I really like. I hate trying to decide on names...it's such a big decision.

The Bathroom Has The Best Acoustics

Savy was singing up a storm in the bath tonight...at least until I got the camera out. Once she saw the camera, I had to bribe her to sing.

It's In The Air

Looks like I'm not the only one with the nesting instinct. I saw a pair of house finches building a nest on top of one of our patio speakers this morning. This one didn't seem to mind my presence too much, but the other one wouldn't come back until I went inside.



I guess we won't be able to use our speakers until the eggs hatch because the vibrations might harm them, but I didn't want to discourage them from nesting there. I think Savy will love having baby birds living with us, and hopefully she'll get to see them learn to fly. At our old house in Cordova, a family of wrens lived under our patio. We just happened to be there to see the babies learn to fly, but Savy was way too young to remember it.

Back To School

Savy was so glad to go back to school yesterday! I finally felt well enough to go back to the gym yesterday (first time in over a week), so I worked out after I dropped her off. Then I came home and did a little housework.

As you probably know, my nesting instinct has kicked in big time. I've been hoping to get a bed for my birthday. We haven't had a real bed since we upgraded to a king-size when I was expecting Savy...we've just got our mattress and box springs on a metal frame with no head or footboard. When I picked Savy up, we headed to Henco to look at beds. I've been thinking about a four-poster, but I just can't find one that is exactly what I want...Jon doesn't particularly favor that style either. So I think I've settled on this one. It reminds me a little of Mom's bed, but hers is massive. This display is a queen. I think a king will look great in our bedroom.



What do you think? Henco always has great prices on beds, and this one is really reasonable. I have issues spending large chunks of money on furniture, but I've been wanting a real bed for over 3 years...I think it's time to break down and buy one.

The wind was terrible yesterday. When we got home, we let Savy fly her kite...she's been wanting to do that for weeks. She got bored pretty quickly, though, so I wound up flying it. Jon was impressed with my kite-flying skills...some of the neighborhood kids even rode their bikes to the cove to watch. Savy picked out the dragon kite.

My First Day Off

Savy was so wound up last night....she didn't go to sleep until around 11 o'clock. I managed to fall asleep right after, only to wake up to her crying at 12:30. She wouldn't tell us what was wrong, but as soon as we got back into bed, she'd start crying again. Finally, on the third trip to her room, she said she had to use the potty. By that time I was fully awake. I hoped that after all that I could sleep until my alarm went off this morning. Nope, I was wide awake just before 7 am. So I got up, showered, dressed, and took the dogs out.

I got Savy up and dressed early too. Jon took us to S&P for breakfast, then Savy and I went directly to the playground. I didn't feel too great, but I feel guilty if I don't let her do something fun on the days that I'm off....especially since there was no school last week and she was stuck at home with me every day.





After the playground, we took care of a few errands and came on home. Savy played with Abbey and Zoe this afternoon...I hope she is worn out enough to sleep tonight! Tomorrow is a school day, so she's happy about going back.

Yesterday, my neighbor suggested it was time for more belly shots, so here's one I took this morning before we left. I'm 20 weeks, and keep in mind that this is at my smallest, first thing in the morning, before I've eaten. I look a lot bigger later on in the day.



Sorry for the head crop, but I'm not feeling too photogenic lately. I might have only gained a total of six pounds at my last md visit, but for the last week, I've just been feeling like a big blob. I definitely need to increase the exercise.

TGIS

I'm so glad to be starting my week off tomorrow! I was feeling a little better today (had a cold most of last week), so I took Savy over to play with Abbey and Zoe this afternoon. She loves going over there to play!







I think the nice weather is helping me to get well. I didn't feel like exercising at all last week...I hope I can get back into my routine this week!

The Reaction

I just love the way Savy reacts when she sees something new and exciting. Just in case you can't understand her first exclamation, she's saying "Oh my!"



I wanted her to think they came on their own, but she somehow knew I was behind it.

New Neighbors

I can't wait for Savy to see the surprise I set up for her this morning. When I was little, the Smurfs were very popular. I didn't know they even still showed those cartoons until a few weeks ago...Savy found an episode on Cartoon Network and really liked it.

When I was a kid, I had the little plastic Smurf figures, but there were no other accessories or anything. I made this little "Smurf village" at the side of our house in Bruce, but I always wished for the mushroom houses they lived in. Well, now you can buy the mushroom houses along with the Smurfs. I picked up Papa Smurf and his house last night, intending to set it up in the flower garden outside and let Savy find it on her own. After setting it up, I decided she needed a village, so I got up early this morning, went to Wal-Mart, and got Smurfette with her house. I also got a Handy Smurf (just the figure). I set them up just outside the dining room window, behind some rocks in the flower bed.





This is the view from our dinig room window...probably where she'll see it first.



I didn't mention it to her...I thought it would be more fun and "magical" if she just found it this morning and thought that the Smurfs moved in overnight. I can't wait to see her reaction!

Adventures In Decorating

I had the best luck shopping last week! Remember when I said I was obsessed with decorating the living room and went to look at fabric to make curtains? After getting fabric samples, I stopped by Bed Bath and Beyond on a whim (I hardly ever go in there) and found curtains that were exactly what I wanted....a dupioni silk blend 95 inch length. Even better, the color I wanted was on sale for 40% off, and they only had four panels left....which was exactly how many panels I needed! How often does that happen? I'm happy that I don't have to make curtains now...I can sew, but I don't really have time these days. You can see an example of my sewing skills here....I made the roman shade in Savy's bathroom.

Here's a pic of the curtains. Now I'm looking for throw pillows for the couch.



I stopped by Old Time Pottery on the way home that same day and found another great bargain. I've had my eye on some wall sconces for some time, but they were $175 each....you guys know I could never bring myself to pay that much. Well, I found some that are almost identical at OTP. They are only 4 inches shorter and a few inches narrower than the expensive ones, and the glass hurricane is not as thick.... they were $13 each. How great is that? I moved the large metal medallion from the hearth room into the living room and hung the sconces on either side.



It's coming along nicely, but there are still a few things I need to find. Then it's on to the bedroom.

Tonight's Special

Mimi came to visit yesterday. Savy was so excited to see her! We shopped and had lunch, and I was exhausted by the time we were finished. We bought some baby clothes, and Mimi bought Savy a few presents. I took a nap yesterday afternoon when we got home. Last night I took my neighbor to the gym as a guest so she could check it out. These are some pics of Savy that I took before we left. She's wearing every bib she owns...I'm not sure why.




Jon's not feeling well, so I decided to make him a special "comfort food" dinner tonight. I made hamburger steak, macaroni 'n cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy.



For dessert, I made peach cobbler.



I spent over 2 hours making this meal (not including the special trip to the market). It was good, but nothing spectacular. I'm not likely to make this again, so I won't bother posting the recipes...it was just too much trouble for the lukewarm response. Jon liked the meal, but he's not a big fan of peach cobbler. Savy loved the mac n cheese but wouldn't even try the potatoes, and she hated the hamburger steak. I thought the peach cobbler was really good.....but, again, I'm the only one who likes peach cobbler.

Well, this is my last day off for another 7 days. Most of my week off was cold and rainy...go figure that it's supposed to be nice weather for most of this week. I set up Savy's sandbox today so she can play with her new sand toys...she's going to be very upset that there's no school this week! I think I'm going to spend most of this week cleaning the house.

It's A Baby!

I was wrong...it's a girl! Savy seems excited that she's getting a baby sister. And we'll be able to re-use all of Savy's old clothes.



My doctor said everything looks great. All our screening labwork came back just fine, and all the measurements were normal. And I've only gained a total of 6 pounds so far!

So, I'm ready for baby name suggestions!

School Day

Savy starts out every morning asking if it's a school day...she absolutely loves school. This month her class is studying the color green, so on Tuesdays they all wear green and take something green for show and tell. Savy looked so cute in her little spring outfit this morning.



Tomorrow's the big day! Come back tomorrow to find out if we are having a girl or a boy.

Spring Is Here!

It was day one of my week off, and I promised Savy we'd do something fun today. After going to get fabric samples and a few other errands we ate lunch, then we headed to the playground.

It was 80 degrees today! The playground was a little more crowded than the last time we went, but Savy still had a good time.









Here's the water park across the road...I can't wait until it opens for the season!



After Savy had enough of the playground, we came home. I finished weeding the flower bed, went over and visited our neighbors and their new baby, and saved a bird's life...talk about a productive day!!!

I also want to post this pic that I took last night...Savy and her BFF Kiki napping in the recliner.



Aren't they cute?

If You Don't Like The Weather...

From this



To this



I took that pic of my blooming crocus yesterday while I was outside with Savy. I've lived in the South all my life, but I'm still amazed how quickly the weather can change. It was in the low 70's yesterday. We took a long walk, then Savy rode her bike and drove her car.

I don't know if it's "spring fever" or the nesting instinct kicking in, but I've been obsessed with cleaning, organizing, and decorating for the last 3 days. I even moved some furniture around yesterday....shhhh, don't tell Mom or Nanny.....they'll have a fit! I'm off next week, so I'm going to the fabric store to try to find fabric to make curtains for the living room. Our fire pit out front needs to be gone over with a wire brush, primed and repainted. There's just so much to do!

We didn't do anything today, so I don't have any pics to post. It's 60 degrees today, so the snow is almost gone....Savy is so disappointed.

I was too tired to go to the gym last night, so I decided I'd try to go early this morning (before work). There's never more than 2 or 3 people there that early...just the way I like it. So I got up at 6:30 this morning and went to the gym. During the summer I got up at 6 every morning and went for a run, but I haven't gotten up early for a while now. I was quite proud of myself for actually waking up instead of just turning off the alarm. It might have helped that I woke up on my own at 4 am and again at 5 am...so I wasn't getting any good sleep anyway. So far I've felt great today. There's just something about getting up and being active early that sets a good tone for the day. I'm going to try it again tomorrow...we'll see how it goes.

And don't forget, only 7 more days until we find out if we're having a girl or a boy!

Rather Drab, Isn't It?

I deleted my cute background because Jon wasn't able to view my blog on his work computer anymore. I know, the gray is depressing. I'll work on it when I have some free time to play around.

Back To Work

It's my week to work again. Savy was extremely disappointed that school was cancelled today. To make her feel better, we went to McDonald's for lunch. Then we came home and played in the snow....there's still plenty of it!



Here's Savy getting ready to throw a snowball at me.



The dogs were play-fighting and getting on Savy's nerves. They kept running into her while she was making snowballs and knocking her over. She started yelling at them to stop.



Then she hit Vita with a snowball.



She found the only mud puddle in the yard and jumped in it.



She saw pictures of her friend Audrey making a snow angel on Sunday, so she had to make one herself before we went inside.



I was pretty disappointed about school being cancelled too. I always go to the gym while Savy's at school, so I guess I'll have to go tonight after Jon gets home. I try to go during the day when there aren't many people there now....I hate getting the funny looks from people these days.

Shipping Deal On Paula's Choice

For anyone who uses Paula's Choice, she's offering $3 shipping on all orders for the month of March, or you can always get free shipping on any order of $75 or more. There's also 25% off all cleansers and toners right now.

Paula's Choice website

More Snow

Savy woke up at 6:30 this morning asking to go out and play in the snow. I brought her to bed with us and convinced her to watch cartoons while we got a little more sleep. Luckily, she fell asleep between us and slept until after 10.

Jon measured the snow again late last night...can you believe it was 13 inches deep in our back yard?!



After Savy woke up, we bundled up and headed outside. Now, I know Nanny was having a fit over the thought of Savy getting too cold...don't worry, she was just fine. She wore two layers of clothing, her waterproof boots, and waterproof mittens. These handwarmers Jon bought are great...you just activate them and slip them in your gloves or socks, and they keep your hands and feet warm as toast. I checked Savy's hands and feet when we got back inside, and they were warmer than they normally are when she's just been inside all day.



Here's a pic of Jon and Savy in one of the deep drifts at the corner of the house.



Savy was so excited about making a snowman. We didn't have a carrot for the nose, so we used a piece of sidewalk chalk. She named him Snowman...here we are posing with him.




The dogs had fun in the snow too. Vita loved it, but it was actually over Kallie's head in places. This is a panoramic shot of the cove...ours is the house in the middle.



Here's our neighbor, Suzie...no way you could miss her!



Savy had a great time, but she was ready to come in and warm up when we were done with the snowman.