It's that Time: New Year's Resolutions!

Okay, let's be honest....we all make New Year's Resolutions! Whether we write them down or just keep them in mind, we make them. I made several last year and I followed through on a lot of them, but a lot of them never even got wings! So a new year means a new chance!

I started my blog (well, restarted it) on January 22nd of this year. My first post was about my priorities and goals for my life and my family's life. You can read it here. I feel like I have carried through with a lot of theses goals and these are goals that I will continue to work on in the new year. Some of the other ones I had planned to do this year (2012) was to start couponing, organize our house, and start walking and getting in shape.

I did start couponing and do pretty good with it, but the big thing we did was to really start looking at the sales flyers and seeing who had the best deal on what we needed. This might mean that we go to three or four different grocery stores, but we get a better deal by doing this. I also started doing freezer meals, which wasn't on my list of resolutions, but it has been great! We throw it in the crockpot in the morning and it is ready that night! So easy!

I did some organizing in the house, but I really want to do more. I want to get our kitchen organized and there are other projects too. My husband wants to get the garage organized so we can pull the car in the garage again. I want that too. So this will be on the list again.

I did not start walking! I didn't really do anything to get in shape except try to watch what I eat and eat at home more. which did help with some weight loss. I am hoping after Maggie is born I can keep off the weight that I lost with her. (That sounds so weird to say!)

Okay, here are my new resolutions for the NEW YEAR!!!

1. Continue working on organizing the house! This may have to wait until after Miss Maggie is a little older, but now that Klint has a new job and has more time off, maybe some more honey-dos will get done and we can do projects together!

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2. Keeping the weight off after Maggie! I know it is so cliche to set a weight loss goal, but I am tired of talking about it and ready to do it! Something I am planning to try is trying to eat breakfast every morning. I have learned that when I do eat something in the morning, I don't snack throughout the whole day. Another thing is drink more water. I do drink water at work, but I have gotten in a bad sweet tea habit with this pregnancy. I know that will have to end! Bah!!!

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3. Keep working on our Total Money Makeover! Klint and I have discovered Dave Ramsey and we LOVE him! We have started really focusing on our finances and setting financial goals for us. We can already tell a difference in our thinking and spending and I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes. I highly recommend every couple reading this book no matter what your income or stage in life! The sooner you read it the better. We just finished reading The Total Money Makeover and we plan to start his Financial Peace book next. We have really enjoyed reading something together and discussing it as well. (This has helped my goal of having a happy marriage!)

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4. Decorate and paint our bedroom and bathroom.  Our bedroom and bathroom are the last two rooms in the house that haven't had much done to them! I would love to get them painted and decorated this year. Well, at least painted. I would also like to tackle the laundry room too, but we'll see. These are low priority and if they don't get done, I am okay with it! 

So there you have it! My resolutions for the year! May they inspire you to make your own known so that others may hold you accountable! 

Everyone have a happy and prosperous 2013!!!

Comparing My Girls...Update!

In early September, I made a post about the similarities and differences in my pregnancies. You can read about it here. I wanted to update since that was three months ago and a lot has changed in those months.

Similarities

• I have carried both of them the same way. It looks like a basketball is under my shirt and from behind you can't tell I am pregnant. The other day, while getting gas, a car full of men came by and cat called as my back was turned. I knew it would have shocked them if I had turned and not wanting to cause an accident I just ignored them. (Ha ha!)

Differences

• I have not gained as much weight with Maggie as I did with Sophie. I gained right at 20 with Sophie and with Maggie I have gained right at 10. 
• I have had swollen hands and feet with Maggie and I didn't really have that with Sophie. 
• I have had Braxton Hicks contractions with Maggie and I didn't with Sophie. 
• I put this in my last post, but I am still so much more emotional than I was with Sophie. I can be happy happy happy and then in an instant just want to cry!
• I reached the miserable stage with Maggie a little sooner than with Sophie. I have trouble breathing because Maggie is in my lungs and I have had the worst sciatic pain. 
• Maggie is measuring a little smaller than Sophie. They are predicting she may be a little smaller than Sophie which is fine with me because Sophie was a big baby.

I am anxious to see if Maggie shows up before her induction date of January 4th. I have a feeling she will and with Sophie I really didn't. We'll see!

Maggie's Nursery

Maggie's nursery is finally done....well, as done as it will be before her arrival unless I can squeeze in a few last minute crafting things. I also need to order some pictures for her room, but those aren't a necessity to her arrival. The basics of her room are done though and here are the pictures to prove it.

I went so bright with Sophie's nursery, I wanted to go a little more subdued with Maggie's. I found a shabby chic quilt set and I also went bumper free this time around. There are pillows in the crib, but we will take them out when she sleeps.

The pennant banner was made by my friend Chelsea for my shower. I thought it was a nice touch.

Curtains

I made the memo board. It is a little lopsided, but once pictures are on it, I am not sure you will notice. I bought the frames at Kirkland's for a steal and just glued ribbon to the back.

This was my mom's rocking chair she had with my sister. I need to retie the pads on it. We used this chair so much with Sophie. I know we will get a lot of use out of it with Maggie too. The two flowers above the chair are for two of my maternity pictures that I just ordered tonight. 

It is very simple, but I love it and I think I like it a little more than Sophie's nursery. I would like to find a rug for in front of the crib, but that can wait for a while.

 Now we just wait on Maggie!

Christmas, 2012

I haven't posted in forever...I have been a busy little bee getting ready for Miss Maggie, finishing school, and trying to get everything together for the Christmas season (which is very hard when you are over 35 weeks pregnant). Here is a run down of our Christmas!

On December 7th, we went to my Dad and Dee's house. I was 35 weeks that day! Talk about laughing in the face of danger. We opened presents with my parents and just had a good time being together as a family. On Sunday when we left, Sophie stayed for the week (Wow! That was a long week!). She did great...Klint and I, not so much! We were ready for our little girl to be home. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Loving on Nicole!

My new pots! I love them!

Sophie's big present from my Dad and Dee!

My dad has such a sense of humor!

The Monday after we left, I had a baby shower with my co-workers from school. It was a lot of fun and I got some really cute things. Maggie got a carseat canopy, a fur coat, a cute outfit and we got some gift cards! A sweet lady at work also got a gift for Sophie so she wouldn't feel left out. I work with the best family and girl could ask for. That following Sunday, we had another shower at church for Maggie. We got diapers, wipes, gift cards, a nice swaddle blanket, and my diaper pail. My friend Chelsea made a banner for Maggie for her room (pictures to come in my post on Maggie's nursery). It was a good shower!

School got out the 19th and we hung around and caught up on grocery shopping (and freezer meals) and finished Christmas shopping. On the 23rd, we made our Santa cookies. We have done this every year starting with Sophie's second Christmas. I have always struggled with the cookies losing their shape. This year I found a recipe on Pinterest and it worked. The link to the recipe is here. I do recommend you have plenty of time to make the cookies. I didn't read all the way through and you are supposed to freeze the dough for a little while and I didn't do this and it made my dough really sticky. I will do this differently next year. The cookies were really good though and held their shape. Here are some pictures from our baking!

37 weeks!

The belly gets in the way of everything!

 On Christmas Eve, we went to Valdosta to see my grandma and Klint's parents. I always love visiting with my grandma and my aunts because I feel closest to my mom when I am with them. My grandma gave us some homemade jelly, pecans, and box of sugar free chocolate (for Klint). She spoils us! We gave my aunts and grandma handmade ornaments with Santa on them. It was a Pinterest idea and I didn't take a picture, but when I get one I will post it. We then went to Klint's parents to open presents. Sophie got the castle she has wanted forever, the movie Brave (which we have watched all Christmas day), and other cute things. Here are a few pictures.

Last Christmas as the only girl in Klint's family and only child in ours!

Today, we stayed home, something we have never done on Christmas day in forever. But with Maggie's arrival looming in the near future we decided to stay off of the road (plus the weather is nasty) and have a family Christmas. I made ham, hash brown casserole, my mom's broccoli casserole and a pecan praline cake which was amazing (recipe is here)! We then took naps and just hung out as a family which leads me to here writing my blog. Here are some pictures from this morning.

She got her princess dress and...

She got her monster truck!

It was a good Christmas and we feel truly blessed this year! We can't wait to see what they upcoming new year hold and we have our fingers crossed Maggie is here to help us welcome it in!

Projects for Baby Maggie

So, I feel I am a little wiser and a little more practical. I have started learning to sew a little and decided to sew some things for Maggie. I also looked up how to make a wipe case and a few other things. Here are a few pictures of what I made.

I made a changing pad. I am not crazy about the ones that come with diaper bags. They never seem long enough or very soft. So I wanted one that was long and wide. The original one had a pocket for diapers, but I wasn't thrilled with how it looked or functioned so I took it off and redid it. I like it a lot better now and it is still long and wide enough that they don't have to touch the yucky changing table!

The diaper case tutorial I used is here.

This is a diaper case. I didn't really have a pattern for it. I just used a diaper as a guide for the size and went with it. It turned out really cute!

My coordinating set...and my feet...I can't really see them now when I look down...he he!

I also decided to tackle making a diaper bag. I didn't do it by myself. I just wasn't that confident in my abilities yet. I asked my friend, Chelsea, to help me and she agreed no questions asked! So thankful for her help. I wanted a black diaper bag. Something that would hide dirt and would go with anything. I did add some color to the outside with a few accents and the inside is hot pink!  The tutorial we used is here.

We used tissue paper to make our pattern. Of course all I had was glitter tissue paper...

The final product! Love!

I still bought another diaper bag, a Kalencom, that I found on sale in Atlanta. I love Kalencom diaper bags. They hold up and they they stay really clean on the outside because of the covering on the fabric. I recommend checking out Kalencom if you are looking for a diaper bag. They also come with a changing pad, a zipper pouch, and bottle holder.

My diaper bag!

I was working on burp cloths when my sewing machine died....hopefully I can get them finished before she gets here! I love being crafty for my baby! Can't wait to try making matching outfits for my girls. Maybe that will be a summer project!

Christmas Time at the Guess House!

We decorated the house yesterday for Christmas! We figured since Princess the Elf, our Elf on the Shelf, showed yesterday morning it was time to get the rest of it done. This late in my pregnancy, I am getting pretty miserable pretty fast and though I would love to go all out like we normally do, I am just not feeling it like I have in the past. We did the basics! We put up Sophe's tree, our main Christmas tree, and I decorated the dining room a little. We still look festive, but it isn't over done! 

We have really tried to do a lot with Sophie this week since we know our time is limited being a family of three. We made last night a big deal and made cookies and listened to Christmas music. She was loving all the Christmas stuff being put up. She really liked decorating her tree. It is hard to think that this will be our last Christmas as a family of 3!  Here are a few pictures from our night of decorating!

Hanging Sophie's "Big Sister" ornament on her tree!

33 weeks pregnant! Sophie loves those glasses! She would wear them all the time if she could! 

Klint got the tree put up while we worked on Sophie's

We did take the pumpkins down!

My daredevil climbing the step stool!

Almost done... I didn't hang all of our ornaments like I normally do because A) I was tired and B) I wanted to hang the ones that were most important to us on the tree. I hung the ones that we have acquired in our seven years together, and we have gotten a very nice collection going!

You would think that he did all the work!

We still have the outside to do, but we aren't doing all the lights like we did last year. Trying to go simple since we will have a new baby when it is time to take it all down. Can't believe we have less than 7 weeks for Miss Maggie to get here!