H54F - Love Me a Long Weekend!

Whew, am I excited for a long weekend! All week I kept thinking it was a day later than it was. That's never a good sign! Thank goodness we finally got to Friday (even though I thought it was Friday yesterday)! I'm looking forward to the long weekend so I can try (key word: try) to get some things done in the nursery.

1. I got home late one night this week and all I wanted were chocolate chip cookies. So I stopped at McDonald's to indulge and man were they worth it!
2. While at the Redskins game on Saturday, our sweet friends bought Charlie her first official Redskins item! It's a super soft onsie. I can't wait until next season!
3. The weekends are also my favorite because I make cinnamon rolls! yummmmmm
4. My friend, Janelle and I at the game! 
5. My mother-in-law is giving us this adorable bench/toy chest for the nursery. I can't wait to paint it and make it special for our little girl!

Enjoy your long weekend and the official end to summer! Bring on the fall!

 

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F! 

WIWW - Key Word: Comfort

Getting dressed these days is all about comfort. I tend to wear A LOT of maxi style dresses and skirts because that is what I most comfortable in (aside from sweatpants, but those aren't work appropriate). If you've been following along for a while now, you know that dressing this new body is a daily challenge.  I have a few staple pieces that if it was socially acceptable, I would wear them everyday. But it's not, so I'm forced to rotate outfits and try and come up with some creative new ways to wear the same things.

I apologize again for my lack of photography skills. One day I will get my act together and take decent pictures. Until then, this is all I've got.

Dress//Target

Necklace//Caroline G.

This week's outfit was a steal! I got the dress at Target when they were having an additional 20% off their women's clearance. This is an online only dress that I snagged for a whopping $9! You can still get it for $12! One thing I've learned is to accessorize like crazy. Maternity clothes are usually pretty plain, so I always try to add either a statement necklace or a scarf to every outfit to spice it up. 

Speaking of things to wear. Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop for all your embroidery needs! Make sure you and your little one are ready for the football season and the holidays!

What was your favorite outfit of the week? Link up with Lindsey @ The Pleated Poppy to share yours!

Week 21 Update

The weeks keep sailing by and before we know it, our little girl is going to be here! I am so ready, but also have started to realize that I'm really not. I really need to work on our registry this week and pick out paint color. My goal is to have the nursery completely done by the end of October. Sounds like I have plenty of time, but it's almost September and most of our weekends are full! Good news is there isn't a lot that needs to be done, so just a few days working in the nursery will get us where we want to be.

 

How far along?: 21 weeks, 2 days
Baby is the size of a: Pomegranate
Total weight gain/loss: 18lbs
The Bump: Definitely growing more and more every day.
Symptoms: I get winded very easily now. Definitely not a fan of that!
Food Cravings: Usually I want something sweet late at night, but I try to resist the urge.
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope!
Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well aside from all the crazy dreams.
What I miss: My sanity. This week has been a tough one with being emotional. I'm happy, then sad, then angry all within one hour. If I find it annoying, I can only imagine what my husband must think of me.
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlotte Noel
Gender Prediction: Still a girl! We had our anatomy scan last week and she's still a she! PHEW!
Movement: I am feeling her more and more every day. I think I can start to feel a pattern in what time of day she moves the most.
Maternity Clothes: I need more! I am gaining weight all over, so my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit at all. Doing the best I can with rotating the few maternity pieces I have. Getting dressed in the morning is definitely frustrating!
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Reconfirming our little girl is still a girl. Of course getting to see her and listen to her heart was also pretty magical.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: I know it's a little early to already be wishing this, but I'm ready to meet her!

Linking up with Molly and Carly for Funday Monday!

High Five for Almost Fall

It's been a long but fun week and I'm ready for another fun weekend. Summer is almost over and my favorite time of year is coming. I love fall and the entire holiday season, so I'm ready to say good bye to August and welcome September with open arms! There are two downfalls to summer leaving: traffic gets really bad once school starts back up and we lose sunlight. Other than that, I'm ready to bring in a new season! Enough of that, time to talk about what made my week's high fives!

1. Went to the first home preseason Redskins game. As always, had a blast! View from the suite.
2. This is my adorable little niece, Hadleigh. She is a little over a year and is absolutely hilarious. She saw Charlotte's bows hanging in the nursery and wanted to know what they were for. I showed her that they go in your hair and she proceeded to ask me to put them all in her hair. She sported this look for a good hour.
3. Our family does a little Fantasy Football draft and so we hosted the draft party at our house. I of course took this as an opportunity to bake some cupcakes. They were delicious funfetti cupcakes. You really can't go wrong with them.
4. No Friday is complete without a Milo picture. He loves to just be wherever we are. If I'm working at my computer, he finds it perfectly acceptable to nap on the keyboard. Somehow, this time I managed to get him to sleep next to the keyboard as opposed to on it. I live for those small victories
5. If you follow me on Instagram (@ALittleBoltofLife), you've already seen this dress I made over the weekend. I was super proud of how it turned out and even learned how to do my first embroidery applique properly! The dress may not fit her for another year or so, but it was fun to make!

Hoping to sew and embroider some more this weekend. What are YOUR plans?

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Maternity Chambray Style - WIWW

It's official, my wardrobe has decreased by about 85%. It is really becoming depressing every morning trying to get ready for work. I have a handful of maternity clothes and an entire closet full of clothes that are too small. I think it's time I hit up Goodwill to try and find some basics. In the meantime, forgive me for my lack of creativity both on my outfit and on the pictures. I should be back at it by next week!

Top//Motherhood (similar here)

Pants//Old Navy

Shoes//second hand

Belt//no idea

Be prepared to see this top a lot, as it is one of my few maternity investments. I think I'll be able to wear this a number of ways as we come into the fall. I'm thinking leggings would be a comfortable option. Can't wait to read what every one else is wearing this week! 

Linking up with Lindsay @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

Week 20 Update

Where is the time going?! I'm so thrilled to be officially halfway through with my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying every moment, but I'm not a patient person and all this waiting has me going crazy! Why can't the stork just drop babies on our doorstep and be done with it?! You see, all I want is to meet our newest family member in person! I know this time is magical and I shouldn't wish it away, but sometimes I feel like there are a lot of "can not's" with pregnancy and I'm ready for the limitations to be lifted! Either way, I know this second half is going to be fun. Flutters will turn into kicks and the reality of it all will start to sink in. I'm ready, bring on the next 20!

 



How far along?: 20 weeks, 2 days
Baby is the size of a: Banana
Total weight gain/loss: 17lbs
The Bump: This week I think I actually started to show to people other than my friends and family.
Symptoms: Who knew that an extra few pounds would already start taking a toll?! My feet and my lower back really start to ache when I'm on my feet for long periods of time.
Food Cravings: Depends on the time of day whether I want salty or sweet. Nothing crazy, yet.
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope!
Sleep: Had a few restless nights this week, but nothing to complain about.
What I miss: Feeling human. My emotions have been getting the best of me lately, which is new, but even more so frustrating!
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Still Charlotte Noel. I'll let you know if anything changes.
Gender Prediction: Girl! That's what we were told at 16 weeks. I have an ultrasound this week, so I'll let you know if anything changes.
Movement: This week I was able to tell for certain that those tiny little flutters were movement. It's so fun to feel her rolling around!
Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity. Who wouldn't want to wear stretchy pants when given the opportunity?!
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Finally feeling for certain some serious movement!
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Getting to get a good look at our little girl on Tuesday!

Linking up with Molly and Carly for Funday Monday!

H54F

Tomorrow is an exciting day for me. Why you ask? Well, I will officially be halfway done with my pregnancy! I really can't believe how fast time is going by. Although I don't like the reality check it's giving me to get stepping on prepping not only physically but mentally for this baby. I think these next 20 weeks are going to be fun though!

The work week seemed to drag, but still have plenty to high five about!

1. With how nice the weather has been lately, there is nothing better to do than go to an outside concert! Tonight we are seeing Josh Groban with some friends. I really can't wait!
2. We had game night at our house over the weekend, and this little girl owned all of us in Apples to Apples! She didn't even know half the cards because of her generation but still managed to play them appropriately. Of course, we couldn't resist snapping this picture. It was all too perfect.
3. I missed putting a picture of Milo up last week, so here is a good one. The positions cats find comfortable really crack me up!
4. To you this probably doesn't look like much, but to me this is a major accomplishment! I managed to wash all the clothes, but folding and putting them away has been a daunting task hanging over my head all week. I finally manned up and got 'er done!
5. If you don't know by now, I'm obsessed with bows. And now that we are going to be having a little girl, it's only fitting that she too rock the bows. This week was a major breakthrough in my bow making skills. I finally perfected the bow I've been trying to make all along. So here is the start of Charlie's bow collection!

Pretty excited for this weekend and even into the week. Football games, relaxing and time with friends to make for a fun few days ahead! Oh yeah, and let's not forget about this glorious weather! I just wish it was here to stay. Oh well, a little taste is better than none at all, right?

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Maxi-mize Your Style - WIWW

In a desperate search for something to wear, I discovered a new favorite outfit. I can wear this to work, shopping, on date night or anytime (the possibilities are endless)! Not only do I like the way I look in it (which is rare these days) but I love how comfortable it is (I seriously feel like I'm in my PJ's all day).

If you haven't been able to tell by now, red, white and blue is one of my favorite color combos. I think it has to do with how popular navy is right now. Because when you wear navy you wear white, and then I always feel like it needs a splash of color, hence the red. Before you know it, I am a walking billboard for patriotism. Could be advertising worse things, right?

Outfit Details:

Shirt//Target Maternity

Maxi Skirt//Target Maternity

Scarf//random street vendor pashmina

Jewelry//Alex and Ani

What is one of your favorite outfits that no matter the day, you look and feel great in it?

Linking up with Lindsay @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW and Shanna @ Because Shanna Said So.

DIY Bow Frame

When I first started blogging, I briefly mentioned my bow frame  here. However, today I am going to show you how to make said bow frame so you too can create one for you (or your little one's) bows. In this case, I am making a second one to hang in the nursery, because let's face it, I'm not ready to share my bows. I think it's best she has her own set.

To start you only need a few things:

Frame - I got mine at Michael's but any frame will do.

Spray paint - If you choose to paint the frame

Hot glue gun

1.5" ribbon

First, I needed to get my frame the color I wanted so I chose to spray paint it hot pink to go with the nursery.

Once it is good and dry, begin measuring out the ribbon to go from top to bottom. You want a little extra at each end so it overlaps onto the frame to make it good and stable. You can always trim it later.

Lastly, you just need to glue the tops and bottoms of your ribbon strips where you want them (I did four strips going across), and you are done!

Super simple, huh?! Now just add your bows and you have the perfect bow holder that looks great on the wall too to keep everything in one place. It also helps me see if a bow is missing. This is just the start of Charlie's collection. Scary thought....

Week 19 Update

This is the week! As I alluded to on Friday, we have decided to share our little girl's name with you. It's hard to keep a secret, plus we've grown accustom to referring to her by her name: Charlotte (Charlie for short).

How far along?: 19 weeks, 2 days
Baby is the size of a: Mango
Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs
The Bump: Growing slow and steady. I'm sure I'm going to wake up one day soon with a sudden bump.
Symptoms: Lower back aches from time to time, but nothing I can't handle
Food Cravings: I don't crave anything on my own, but if I hear about something someone else is eating, I suddenly want that.
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nope!
Sleep: Sleeping pretty good these days thanks to "Mr. Snoogle"
What I miss: Feeling like me. I find myself getting frustrated with my new limitations both physically and mentally.
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: YES!
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: I feel little tiny flutters every now and again that I'm pretty certain is movement
Maternity Clothes: Still wearing a mix of maternity and my regular clothes.
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Knowing those tiny flutters where our little girl moving around.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: My anatomy appointment on the 20th!

Linking up with Molly and Carly for Funday Monday!

H54F - Football's Back!

This week I made it my mission to spend less time on the couch after work and more time being productive. Whether that meant making dinner instead of ordering takeout or just tinkering with my sewing machine to come up with new projects. As frustrating as both these things can be, it is so worth it in the end to have a product you are proud of! On to my High Fives from the week!

1. One of my projects from the week: Redskin koozies! I didn't realize how long the logo would take to embroider, but it was so worth it in the end to have a little fun treat to give my friends for the first Preseason game last night!
2. I found this amazing new website that I think will get me in trouble. Girls Crochet Headbands (GCH). There stuff is priced so low which is refreshing considering boutique type things like this are always more expensive. I got all the stuff in the picture for just $20 and that included shipping! Not to mention it got here in 4 days from the time I ordered it!
3. It's the best time of year. Football is back! I'm so pumped to be able to go to the first Preseason game at home!
4. Who is this little munchkin? Well he is my sweet little nephew. We got to spend some quality time with him down at my in-laws new river house. He LOVES the water!
5. I made our little girl's first of many monograms this week. Can you guess the name?!

As always, I'm ready for the weekend. I think it's going to be a productive one! Do you have any big plans?

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

Cooking for Two - Baked Ziti

I don't usually post recipes because not only do I HATE cooking, but my husband and I are super picky eaters (think 5 year old diet). It's bad, but we are trying to get better so we can set an example for our kids one day. My other struggle is cooking for just two. Every Pinterest recipe seems to be enough to feed an army and we are the worst at eating leftovers. A few years ago, my friend taught me one recipe that will always be a staple in our house; baked ziti.

This makes A TON so I break it up into three separate dinners when it's just the two of us. If you are having company, you will easily be able to feed six adults with this recipe.

Gather your supplies:
Box of penne noodles (or any noodles of your liking)
1 jar of pasta sauce
An entire bag (2 cups) of mozzarella cheese
1lb of ground beef
1lb of ground sausage

First thing is first, you need to start boiling the water for your noodles and begin browning your meat. This is where you will use both pounds of meat.

 Set your meat aside once it's cooked and begin combining ingredients into your pasta pot. Empty the entire jar of pasta sauce and stir.

Now add all your meat and continue to stir. Lastly, stir in all but a little cheese (you will use the remainder as a topper before you put it in the oven. You'll notice I don't add any additional spices or random ingredients, because all the flavor is in the pasta sauce and the sausage. The sausage is definitely the key ingredient to this.

I use disposable loaf pans and fill all the way to the top. If you are not planning on eating it for dinner that night, cover with foil and freeze. However if you want to cook one, go ahead and use the extra mozzarella cheese and then bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.

Voila! There you have it, an easy dinner with leftovers that will taste just as fresh as the first batch! Let me know how this turns out for you. I hope you enjoy this easy meal that anyone can make!
 

What I Wore Wednesday

Getting dressed in the mornings when you are too pregnant for your normal wardrobe but not quite pregnant enough for a full maternity wardrobe, is no easy task. I'm in that stage where I'm trying to learn how to dress my new body (aka the most awkward stage EVER!).

Lucky for me, I found this awesome maternity maxi dress at Old Navy a few weeks ago and I don't think I've taken it off since (ok, it's not that bad, I do take it off to wash it!). What I'm trying to say is, this is my "go-to" outfit for when I want to feel like my old, normal self again.

Dress//Old Navy

Belt//I think it came off a dress

Jean Jacket//Old Navy (super old)

I chose to wear a white tank top underneath to make this work friendly. Also, I've never been comfortable with showing off my chest (even if being pregnant has made more well endowed!). 

I'm hoping the daily task of getting dressed gets a little easier as I start to look more noticeably pregnant. I gotta say, this in between stage is the worst! As for now, I'm going to rock what I've got and be thankful for the start of this new chapter in my life!

Linking up with Lauren @ The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

Week 18 Update

 

How far along?: 18 weeks, 2 days
Baby is the size of an: Sweet potatoe
Total weight gain/loss: 14lbs
The Bump: Growing slowly but surely. Sometimes it looks like I'm pregnant and other times like I'm packing on a few L-B's
Symptoms: Nothing major, just a few new aches and pains, but nothing major.
Food Cravings: Nothing in particular, I'm just STARVING when I wake up now.
Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Certain flavored chips make me turn up my nose, but nothing super offensive.
Sleep: Hit or miss this week. Starting to feel restless at night, but the snoogle helps.
What I miss: Still missing alcohol (I don't know why I feel guilty saying that).
Weddings Rings On or Off: On
Any Names Picked Out Yet: YES! We have finalized her middle name and will debut it next week for sure!
Gender Prediction: Girl!
Movement: I think I felt something last night, but who knows. I've been told I'll know when I feel it, so I think I'm still waiting for that moment.
Maternity Clothes: Loving the comfort of maternity clothes right now. I still mix it up and can wear my regular pants with the Belly Band if I want.
Labor Signs: None.
Best Moment of the Week: Relaxing this weekend with my husband's family down at the river. We took an impromptu trip on Saturday and really enjoyed being away from everything for a few days.
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Feeling her move around and seeing her again at my next appointment!

H54F

Often times when I sit down to write my H54F post, I struggle finding five pictures from the week that aren't all my cat (believe it or not I do try to have some variety). This week some random cool stuff happened, so I actually had to select the best five moments and not just any five.

1. Oh you know, just me and Milo doing what we do best....acting crazy.
2. We got our first gift for the baby in the mail this week! It was totally unexpected and the sweetest thing ever! It's a book of Disney lullabies and bedtime stories that comes with a CD of Mickey and Donald reciting them. Absolutely the sweetest thing and sooooo us. Thank you!!
3. Randomly on Tuesday night we heard what we thought was thunder, and then we quickly realized it was fireworks. So we did what any normal adult would do and scurry to the deck to catch a glimpse. Turns out it was a front row seat to a great fireworks display. I pretended I was in Disney so of course I felt it necessary to sing the "Wishes" soundtrack!
4. My company hosts a meeting offsite every year and this year we went to Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. My view from lunch on the first day....not bad!
5. I am in love with our little neighborhood. We decided to go to our local pizza shop (right outside our front door) for a little impromptu date night. I just love the way everything looks at night here.

Hope your week was just as good as mine! I think the weather definitely added to the niceness factor. But like always, I'm ready for the weekend!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

DIY Nursery Clothing Organizers

I haven't been inspired to make anything in particular lately. I have perused Pinterest day-in and day-out with little to no DIY ideas. It wasn't until I was reading Molly's blog that I decided to search for her nursery projects to see if there was anything inspiring. Of course there was and that's where I came across these: DIY Closet Clothing Organizers. I knew then and there that this had to be my next project. Just as I start any project, off to Michael's I went to gather my supplies.

 

What you need:

Foam Doorhangers

Ribbon

Glue gun

Scissors

Marker

Wooden decorations

I was so proud of myself because I used a 20% off entire purchase. I bought everything but the doorhangers with that coupon. Since they were the most expensive item at $8, I did a separate transaction and used a 40% off coupon. All in all I spent $15 on this project. Not bad if you ask me!

The rest of this project is pretty self explanatory and open for creative freedom. I laid out my design on each hanger and then glued everything down. Just as Molly suggested, I categorized them as:

Newborn

0-3 Months

3-6 Months

6-12 Months

12-18 Months

18-24 Months

 



The only thing left to do was to write on them and tie a ribbon for that extra girly flair!

I went ahead and cut a slit in them so they could easily fit over the clothes rod. Now all we need are some clothes! I don't think that part will be hard. I'm excited to have a place to organize everything as I start receiving those "hand-me-downs".

One of the most painless projects I've done. Even for those of you who claim to not be crafty, this project is for you! You can even see I'm not perfect, check out the 3-6 month hanger. I let my mind drift for one second and there it was, I had written a completely different number other than 6. Oh well, sometimes those imperfections are what makes crafting the best. It's not going to be perfect and sure it bothers me, but every time I look at my mistake, I will remember that I made these, imperfections and all.