Highly Entertaining....

my boy

 

Hates the feeling of being covered in dried salt ocean water, but loves hanging out near the shore finding crabs and creatures.

 

Is curious and loves to explore, but will maintain a safe distance from anything that looks like it has pinchers, claws, stingers or teeth ;)

 

(He found a HUGE hermit crab... the thing was inhabiting a shell bigger than a golf ball.)

 

Isn't a fan of having his picture taken, but will strike a ridiculous pose with me at any time.

Thats my "beach boy" in a nut shell. Guess I didn't spend enough time on the shore with this dude as he was growing up. We'll have to make that a priority with the Bean ;)

three years strong :)

 

(photo credit: Breanne Crawford)

Yesterday was my three year wedding anniversary. Three years ago I married the best man in the world. The man that loves me for who I am, who lets me be who I am, and who understands who I am.

The man who has helped me make our house a home.

The man who always puts his family's needs before his own.

The man who is about to become the best daddy ever.

I am a lucky girl to have found my life partner. The person who will make me tea in the morning, have the laundry done when I get home from a long day at work, and who will get up with the dog in the morning so I can get a few more minutes of sleep.

He is the guy who willingly took on the responsibility of having a "built in family" when we entered our relationship. He is the guy who watches guy-shows with my son, who plays Mr.Mom when I work late nights, who picks up McDonalds as a special treat when I'm not around ;)

He is the man who tolerates my whims and helps me rearrange an entire bedroom of furniture on a hot and sweaty Friday afternoon after working all day. The man who has the new baby furniture assembled when I get home from work. The man who spends hours creating a baby registry with me, filled with items he has no idea how to use.

I can say confidently that I will spend the rest of my life loving this man. We will grow old together and make a million more memories.

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband :)

hey, sunday

Nice to see you.

After a long Saturday, I would like to say that I am looking forward to a restful Sunday. Well.... not so much, but it's all good, people! No need to scold today ;)

Yesterday we spent the afternoon celebrating Griffin's birthday with family and friends. We didn't sing happy birthday. We ate pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream cake from Smitty's. The kiddos splashed in the pool and had a water balloon fight. I too, like, half of a picture. Bad mom, I know.

Last night we went and peeked at the three-day-old baby quail that are being incubated down the road from our house... they are the CUTEST things ever!

Aunt Carol and Maegan also came over with Maegan's puggle, Ellie, for a romp in the yard with Miss Buttons. They did fine until the birds in the trees started squawking and dive bombing the dogs... ELLIE HAD A FREAKING BABY BIRD IN HER MOUTH. Good thing the dog is a "puppy" (even though she is bigger than Belle) and is sans-teeth right now. The little fella was a bit dazed and was taken care of by its mama once we herded the dogs back onto the deck.

Really, It's not like I lilve on a farm and have acres of land teeming with wild life. All this animal interaction occurs in the confines of my fenced-in back yard.

ANYWAYYYYYYYYYY.

Today I have a few mornign errands to run while Bobio busts out a side job fro a friend. We are heading to Toys R' Us to complete a baby registry (at the DEMAND of my best friend and my mother) a little later, which will hopefully also lead to lunch at Sam Diegos ;)

Sometime today I will be weloming Miss Breanne, her lovely babe Madelyn, and her mom for their Cape-cation! Lets all keep our fingers crossed for lovely weather, ok??

Enjoy your Sunday :)

confessions of an etsy addict

Hello. My name is Melissa, and I am an ETSY addict.

Over the last week I have purchased several bundles of fabrics and several prints for the babe's room and (maybe) a few other goodies.

AND my list of *favorites* has grown exponentially as I have had the presence of mind to move said *favorites* from my shopping cart into my "maybe someday" file ;)

Some of the lovelies I am currently lusting after:

 

cuties from QUILTISH.

(seriously)

 

adorable bag from stefanie with luv

(big, beautiful, and summery... just like me ;)

 

reclaimed fabric yumminess from janesays vintage

(oh, the possibilities...)

 

blackberry jam from kittything

(does this NOT make you want to go out immediately and grab a freshly baked scone and slather it with jam??!!)

 

totally fabulous quilty from twinfiber

*sigh*

Now if I could only devise a way for the hubs and I to become independently wealthy and I would never have to work again... I would snatch up EVERYTHING in my favorites. Alas, much of the goodies in the etsy faves have already been sold to more deserving folks (ie: folks willing/able to put up the cash for the goods).

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right??

Does anyone want to tell me what step two is, and how I might go about getting there?? ;)

story time

Once upon a time, a man and woman were preparing for the birth of their child. The man was very handy, and decided to craft a cradle in which their baby would sleep. The man toiled over the cradle until it was just as he had imagined.

Their child was born, a beautiful baby girl. She slept in that cradle (we'll use the term "sleep" loosely here) and made her dad proud. A while later, a sibling was born, who also slept in the cradle. There were also numerous cousins and relatives that were fortunate enough to sleep in the cradle.

One day, the cradle came full circle and the little girl it was created for placed her OWN baby inside it to sleep peacefully as she once did.

 

(Griffin William Robbins, July 1997)

Years passed, and several other babies had the chance to also sleep in the cradle.

One day, the girl who the cradle was made for told her dad that he would once again have to lug the cradle over to her home in preparation for another baby to sleep in.

 

It is waiting for some custom bedding to be made, and for the arrival of the new Bean who will sleep in it for the first weeks of her life.

 

The little girl thanked her dad (and mom) for the cradle. She set about making plans for a beautiful quilt and anxiously set to work (THAT story is to be continued...).

This is not the type of story that has a "THE END". This story will (hopefully) continue for years and generations to come. Pretty soon, there will be pictures of the newest member of the family sleeping safely and snuggly in the cradle that means so much to the little girl who it was created for.

*just like that*

... my boy turns twelve. 

Well, technically not until 8:20 pm this evening, but it's his birthday. Twelve years ago today, I woke up and went through my daily routine, really not having any clue that I was about to become a mom. I thought I had a good three weeks left of carrying around the mysterious little creature in my belly. That mysterious little creature had other plans for my day ;)

 

His delivery was swift and left me little time to grasp the concept that I would momentarily be holding my baby. Before I knew it, there he was, perfect and pink in my arms.

 

I was SO YOUNG. I had just graduated High School. I didn't know where my life was going to lead me, other than knowing that I would be a mom.

 

This tiny little man, my little prince, would forever change me. His needs came first. We were together 24 hours a day, learning about how to live and love.

 

He embodied so much of what was me and what was his dad. Sometimes a volatile mix of both ;)

And here we are, 12 years later. My little buddy is still my buddy. He still has the same shining personality and devilish smile. He and I have done much of our growing up together. I can't believe that he is soon entering Junior High, and the little boy I have held close in my heart is starting to change into a teenager, then a man. While I marvel at the transformation, I am torn apart to little bits inside, longing to snuggle that little baby one more time in my arms.

Happy Birthday to my favorite boy. I hope this year brings you closer to your hopes and dreams (even if that does include getting an XBox 360 for your birthday). This is promising to be a year of growth and change, and I know together we will make it through. I will be able to see parts of you develop that I have never imagined. I will take deep breaths as you go to your first school dance. As you learn a foreign language. As we argue over homework ;)

Today we are celebrating with a special breakfast and cupcakes. Today I will try to not nag you, and will let you play video games till your eyeballs pop out of your head.

 

Sounds like a plan :)

okay, okay!

I get it. Take a chill pill, Melissa. It's on my list of things to do ;)

Friday evening my brother in law Paul came over to help us rearrange some furniture in the bedroom to help make way for the Bean. It was hot and humid and sweaty and exhasuting, but all the *big* stuff is in place. My dear sweet Bobio and his brother Paul get exxxxxtra credit for this one :)

This is what the Bean's side of the room looks like right now:

 

Yeah, that would be what I refer to as a FREAKING MESS. Not a big mess, but piles and boxes and bags of crap my stuff that I will sort through in the next few days. Bobio has a dresser and changing table to assemble, and the cradle my dad made for me over 30 years ago should be heading over here soon as well. By the end of the week, I hope to be posting a picture of the room completely furnished :)

In order to make way for the babe's things, we had to move our dressers from one side of the room to the other, and the bed also was moved over about 4 feet or so. The view above is taken from where the bed is... my side of the bed is the side facing all the open space. I am SO not used to this. All night long I feel as though I'm going to fall off the bed. So I toss and turn and make sure that I am a safe distance from the "edge". I think another week or so should be enough time to adjust (and hopefully get a better night's sleep!).

Another fun picture for you:

 

This is Griffin's baby stroller that was given to me as a gift by the family I had nannied for. It has been sitting in the basement at Griffin's dad's house for about 10 years now, and yesterday afternoon when his step-mom picked him up for the weekend she dropped it off for me. When I came home last night, it was sitting in the kitchen.

SO.MANY.MEMORIES. Memories of my little buddy tucked snuggly in the carriage, going for long walks the time my car died and I was going stir crazy for a few weeks. Of picking blueberries at my parents' house wheh he was so so so tiny. Of the wheel falling off as I walked through Sears, and having to crawl under a rack of clothing to retreive it. Of walks along the Cape Cod Canal with my friend Rachel and her little girl Corie when we were both new moms.

Now I look at it and wonder what new memories will be made. I can see the Bean snuggled up inside, just like my Griffin was. I can see HIM pushing HER in the stroller. The journey coming full circle... a momma with so many memories, collecting more as every moment passes. It makes me wonder how much more I can possibly keep inside this brain of mine.

The carriage is smelling a bit musty, and needs a good cleaning. Any suggestions on how I should go about doing that?? Bob has some chrome polish to use on the metal parts, but the heavy blue canvas is going to be a bit trickier. I have it sitting outside to air out for a while, which will hopefully help with the musty smell. I want it to be a clean and safe place for the babe, so all sanitation measures will be taken :)

In other news, I am happy to report that over the next two weeks I have an abundance of time off. I pinky promise that I will take it easy and relax for a while. My buddy turns 12 on Tuesday, so there are sure to be some festive birthday plans :) All the moving-cleaning-rearranging-to do list-shenanigans will get done at a reasonable pace.

Thanks for keeping tabs on me, and reminding me that my priority is to keep on cookin' this one-bean-salad of mine ;)

agenda

Because, obviously, some of you think my lack of blogging leads to things like itchy right pinky fingers (and/or ringworm). Maybe I need one of those "facebook is killing my blog" posts ;)

Anyway.

It's Friday. I have the day off, with plans to go see Harry Potter with Griff (and possibly Jordan?). In order to earn seeing the movie, he had to clean out his dresser drawers so his summer clothing would actually *fit* in there, not overflow in tangled heaps onto the floor. Mission: accomplished.

Also on the agenda? Project: get your room cleaned. I have about two hours worth of work in this department so that Bobio and his brother can rearrange the furniture over the weekend while I'm at work. I WILL get this done.

Also: prepping for my Holiday Planner class taking place tomorrow.

ALSO: a few store-related emails (which could certainly add up to hours worth of work if I choose to try and get it ALL done at once...)

Weekend plans?? Working, obviously :p

I slept in this morning (read: 7:45 am) because yesterday kicked my ass. It was a long-ish day at the store, but "working" with Erin always makes things easier :) Good thing I left Hy-town a few minutes early, because I JUST missed being held up by an accident at the end of West Main Street - an older woman who was already wearing a neck brace rear-ended another person. Ironic? I was also lucky enough to be driving behind a mini van with North Carolina plates that read SHALOM2U. Maybe this person knew I needed a little cooling off in the middle of my work day ;)

I thought I was in the clear from there on out, but it still took almost an hour to get to job numero dos. It was clearly a bajillion degrees in the restaurant, which makes for very pleasant work conditions. Sure. Somehow my table rotation fell into a pattern of seating three to four tables consecutively, creating a sort of frenzied/sweaty/waitress panic mode. F-U-N-o-meter hits minus sixteen at this point in the night. The next five hours is just ridiculous and filled with missing kitchen slips and a few mis-ordered items by me ( I LOVE this new computer set up, really I do....*insert sarcastic eye roll here*). The great thing about the job is that once you're done with a shift, you're DONE. No baggage to bring home with you, just a heavier wallet ;) I have to keep reminding myself about that little fun fact.

By the end of the night I was having a series of Braxton-Hicks contractions that was really begining to concern me. I occasionally will get one or two here or there, but never in the quantity/severity I was feeling last night. I'm very sure that it had everything to do with not drinking enough water, being ridiculously hot and more than a little stressed out.

Reminder to self: you are seven months pregnant. Chill. Out.

I'm wondering if I will have to actually schedule time in my agenda to CHILL OUT. I'm pretty much in full-fledged panic mode right now, thinking there is NO WAY all the loose ends will be tied up before this bean arrives in the world. I guess that the more I stress - the more I push myself to do more.more.more - the higher the likelihood that she will be popping out earlier than expected. But how do I slow down when there is SO MUCH TO DO?

Let me know when you figure that one out, ok??

check it out!

Core'dinations has a new and improved website... its super-fantastical! Anddddddddddddd... if you peek at the "Projects of the Month" section, you'll get to see one of my layouts featured :)

I was very excited to see how interactive the site is, complete with links to the core'dinations blog. Did you notice there are some ongoing contests over on the blog? If you're one of the *lucky* ColorfulCreations cutsomers, you are fortunate enough to have access to a plethora of core'dinations goods... so get to work and play along with the monthly blog challenges!

I've been playing with some core'dinations myself lately :)

 

Lovely Miss Avery getting her play-on. She is so inquisitive and eager to explore her world :)

As usual, there is a ton of embossing and sanding going on with this page... it's nearly impossible to use a piece of core'dinations "as is". You're drawn into the coolness of its versatility as you emboss, sand, and tear your heart out.

I've also completed a few cards... and you know I'm SO not the card-maker.

 

 

As I belly-up to the scrapbook "bar" in my basement, I am reminded that I NEED TO TAKE MORE PICTURES. Over the last month, I think I've only snapped a dozen or so. NOT.OK. Mission: take cool pictures to scrap is ON.

Alright, crafty girls. Take this opportunity to peep all the links and get inspired! Let me know what you think of the new and improved Core'dinations website and blog :)

28 weeks :)

 

(photo credit: Griffin Robbins:)

28 weeks signals the begining of my 7th month of pregnancy. SEVEN months. That means there are approximately 12 weeks left until the Bean makes her grand appearance in the world. 12 weeks left to get my act together. 12 weeks to get our room ready. 12 weeks left of being a family of three (well, four, counting the evil, villianous dog). 12 more weeks of running around like a crazy person, trying to tie up all of the loose ends.

12.more.weeks.

Holy. Crap.

My mother has started her Nana-shopping-spree. There are three giant bags of baby clothes sitting on my kitchen table. In there somewhere is a onesie that says "what happens at grandmas stays at grandmas". Oy. We also scored a fantastically sweet deal on a changing table and dresser at Target the other day... $85 for the set. Gotta love the clearance sales. Now all I have to do is finish moving all of my old crafty crap supplies and furniture out of our bedroom so we can rearrange the furniture and make room for the Bean. I feel like this should already be done. Between Bobio working TONS lately and my long work days (combined with a *tiny* bit of procrastination) we're a little behind schedule. I can't wait to get it all done... anyone want to offer to come and help? :p

I'm loving being pregnant. I am so fortunate that there have been absolutely no issues, other than developing a bit of anemia. She moves and kicks throughout the day and night so much more than I ever remember Griffin doing. I'm feeling fantastic, aside from the sheer exhaustion I feel after working a 15 hour day. I am excited and scared and terrified and anxious and so-so-so happy.

12.more.weeks...