GAPTAP: WWYD with One More Day?

Alrighty folks.  We are in the window of arrival for the wee one, so literally any day now.  Or as my Mom reminded me - Noah and I were both 11 days late so any time before October 20th would be much appreciated!  

My question is this:

If you knew you had one more day until your world was about to be rocked by a tiny human, what would you do?

I have already gotten a pedicure {Trophy Wife by Essie, a great fall color!}, had the house cleaned and Benjamin and I are maximizing the out to eat time we have as only he and me.  

Let's hear what you did or what you wish you would have done! 

Bump It: Week 40

It's official!  We made it to Week 40!  Little Winston is currently two days away from his estimated arrival window.  We were told that it was somewhere between October 9th and October 12th, so really any day now he could make his debut.  And I can now say with confidence, we are ready!

The night before our last doctor appointment we did a double check on the overnight bags incase we needed to go straight to the hospital after the check up.  We had to mentally prepare ourselves for the possibility that he was going to be a big baby and that there would be decisions to make.  However, thank the Lord, that was not the case!  Everything was looking great and we made a follow up appointment for the next week.  On one hand, I was ready to meet Winston - ready to welcome him into the world and smother him with kisses!  On the other hand, I was apprehensive and still wanting a few days to keep life as it was.  When we heard that we could keep waiting for him to choose his own day of arrival, I was muddled and full of emotions on the inside.  I found myself a little disappointed that I'd have to wait to meet him, but excited to take advantage of the the days without him.  Over the past few days, Benjamin and I have been maximizing our time with each other doing the things that we love to do.  I find myself storing these times away even more than before.  I can't put into words how thankful I am to have Benjamin as my partner in this life. 

The past five weeks we finished the nursery, celebrated Benjamin's birthday and enjoyed a few concerts.  I have continued to work, in fact I took on a new job opportunity and have moved to a new group and a new floor.  It was an expected change that I took quite a while to consider and I am thankful for!

Since I know that Winston should be here any day, I don't want to purchase any more maternity clothes.  On Friday I didn't want to wear a dress and didn't feel like leggings so my eyes drifted to Benjamin's side of the closet and landed on his jeans.  The first few pair I tried wouldn't fit over my hips!  Darn me and my persistence to get him to wear straight leg jeans!  Then, at the bottom of the pile, there was a pair that was wide legged and success! they fit!!  I sent him a text telling him I was borrowing his pants and when I saw him that night at dinner he said, "I just never thought I'd see the day!"

There is such a comfort in knowing that Winston has a time and a day when he will arrive into our family.  Although I'd love to know when that day and time is, I am trusting in the Lord for his perfect timing as He has proven over and over that His ways are indeed the best.  

Benjamin, Lulu and I are excitedly waiting the arrival of our little dude!  C'mon Winston Ace!

Pumpkin Poppers: A Fall Time Recipe!

With the arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes back in coffee stores across America and this "cooler" front that we have gracing us, it truly feels like Fall has arrived!  I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Poppers and in the spirit of enjoying all things fallish,  decided to give them a whirl!

I ended up making two batches because I couldn't bring myself to throw away the remaining pumpkin and ended up making 72+ poppers!!  Because of the abundance of poppers, I decided to take them to share them with the folks on my new floor.  Seeing that the container was completely empty when I walked by later that morning, I'd call them a success!  

Funny story for you {with some background:  since I went overboard and had 72 poppers, they were in two containers: one large and one small.}  Thanks to my forgetfulness and Lulu's impeccable sense of smell, she devoured the small container of poppers all by herself while Benjamin and I were out enjoying dinner together.  We returned home to one very puffy stomached Lubaby, a destroyed plastic container and poppers hidden all around the house!!  Note to self: don't put computer bag on orange chair when it contains food.  Second note to self: just take the food out of the bag before putting it any where!  This all to say that the Pumpkin Poppers also have the stamp of approval from Lulu!

These little guys are a delightful mix of fall time spices married with a light pumpkin taste.  A perfect pairing for with a morning coffee!  They would be ideal for a girls breakfast get together or if you need something to share with a church group on Sunday mornings.

first seen at just the little things

Here is a link to a printable version of this recipe

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup of flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. all spice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp of vanilla

3/4 cup of pumpkin

1/2 cup of milk

For coating:

melted butter

suger and cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking powder, and spices into a bowl.

In a second bowl, combine the vegetable oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk.  Stir together.  

Pour the contents of the second bowl into the flour and spice mixture.  Stir together.  Fill mini muffin tins until almost full and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Melt butter in a small bowl and mix the cinnamon and sugar together on a plate or bowl.  Once the poppers have cooled, dip or brush the butter onto the popper.  The roll the popper into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Then tada!, you're done!

Birch Box: September Review

I first read about the Birch Box from Katie's blog and was intrigued by what she had written.  So, I looked into it for myself and decided, for $10, to give it a whirl and see what I ended up with.  Then she posted again about what she received in her September box and I got super excited to receive mine.

I opened mine, anticipating that I'd get very similar if not the same items and was quite surprised when my little box held a completley different set of surprises!

1. The Brush Guard: {Extra!} handy dandy make-up brush protectors for when you're on the go!  This will be perfect for the times when I pop my blush and brush in my bag for a quick fixer-uper when I'm in between work and social events!

2. Fekkai Color Care Collection Shampoo & Conditioner: It's a trial of them that I will keep for the next time I get my hair color did - which will be after Winston arrives!  Hello fall hair color!

3. Vasanti Brighten Up! Face Rejuvenator: An exfoliating cleanser that I used with my Clarisonic and loved the result!

4. twistband Hair Tie:  Since I have short hair, this will be passed on to a friend who has a need for it.  If I did have longer hair, I could see how this would be preferred to those old hair ties with the metal pieces that hold the ends of elastic together...man those hurt!

5. Color Club Nail Polish: {Color is Insta-This} LOVE it!  It's perfect for the fall time hues of blue and it dries SUPAfast for when you need a quick color change to match outfits!

6. Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm with SPF: I have used the same face moisturizer for quite a while now and enjoyed trying this one out.  It has a tint to it so on a day when you need something quick to give you color and moisture it would be a great option!

All in all, I really enjoyed the products in my September Birch Box and look forward to the October one!  If you are interested in trying it out - it's only $10 a month and you can sign up by clicking on the link here: Try BirchBox!  Again, who doesn't love getting surprises in the mail?!

Halloween Candy Review: Caramel Apple Milky Ways!

A month or so before Halloween candy even started coming out - I clipped a coupon for Milky Ways.  They were advertising their new flavor for the fall: Caramel Apple!  I love caramel apples and thought I'd store the coupon away for when the Halloween candy hit the shelves.

When Target first started stocking their shelves, I stalked up and down the aisle and came across the Caramel Apple Milk Ways, bought two bags, used my happy coupon and headed home.  

I wasn't quite sure what to expect for the taste - some things can taste really fakey and then there things that taste like those lollypops...I LOVE those lollypops that come out each fall, ya know the ones.  The Candy Apple ones that are the green apple lolly covered in caramel with the green wrappers.  The ones that most everyone who has tastebuds loves and hoards because they are delicious.  

That is what these tasted like!  Little bite sized morsels of caramel apple goodness wrapped in a chocolate blanket!  I like that they are small enough to satisfy the craving when it hits you and that you don't feel guilty when you eat 2...or 3 5 at a time!  

I figured that there were some cooking savvy people out there who had already whipped up something delicious with these little guys and my searching produced the following things - I think I need to head back to the store to pick up a few more bags because all of the recipes look AMAZING and perfect for fall!

Caramel Apple Milky Way Cupcakes by Java Cupcake
Caramel Apple Spice Milky Way Cookies by The Domestic Rebel
Caramel Apple & Chocolate Muffins by Lil' Luna
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars by BrewCru Life

Now, put these on your list and let me know if you try one of the recipes above!  I'd love to know how they turn out!

Whimsy Woodsy for Winston!

Weeks back I mentioned that our nursery theme was what is proudly displayed above: Whimsy Woodsy for Winston!  Without further ado, here is the final product!

This is the crib side of the room and I adore everything about it!  I knew from early on that I wanted the colors to be grey, orange and green.  Can I just tell you how hard it was to find a grey crib?  But we were successful and are pleased with it and the other matching accessories.  Excuse the empty grey frame, it is a PIP {Project in Progress} and will, fingers crossed, be finished before he arrives.  The lamp in the left corner was a DIY combined effort between Benjamin and myself complete with a foot pedal for easy on and off.  The hollow log is indeed a hollowed out tree from Hungary that Mom and I found on our girls weekend to Dallas.  It will serve as a catch all for toys, pillows and our Boppy.  We also found the bedding on that trip at a sweet store called Baby Bliss.  And to round it out, a little boy's woodsy room just needed a bear rug!  I can't wait to take pictures of Winston curled up on his rug as he grows!  Our pebble rug completes the floor and is super soft.  Lulu has claimed it as her favorite thing in the room!

The window treatment was another DIY where Benjamin and I combined our powers and I'm pleased with the way it adds a finishing touch above the changing station.  Lots of dirty diapers to be changed here while trying to avoid the "streams" that may come flowing!

Our little rocking corner complete with the wisbone rocker and a comfy blanket to curl up in!

The theme is present on every wall, especially the one that has the bright orange deer with antlers mounted to it!  Another DIY along with the little sign for Winston's routine, encouraging him to be amazing!

We are pretty tickled with the way that everything turned out and fits with our original theme.  A huge thanks goes Mom for going on shopping excursions with me and to Hubby for being so willing and eager to help create what was needed to fill in the gaps!  

Now all we need is a Winston...

Wire Bracelet Success!

Last week I came across a how to on making an adorable wire bracelet and thought it looked simple enough to do.  I pinned it on my "make me" board and moved on with my day.  The Friday of that week was my 9/80 Friday off so, I headed to Michael's and gathered the very few supplies: 16 gauge gold filled wire.  The other items needed {pliers and a cup} were already in my arsenal at home!

The directions are located at I Spy DIY and are very easy to follow.  After creating the heart bracelet, I thought to myself, "How fun would it be to have a heart and the name of the one that I love?!"  So, I decided to try bending a name in the wire.  And I'm pretty pleased with the way that it turned out!

I have worn them all week with the slew of other bracelets that I wear and they have been super cute additions to my arm!  Now Benjamin is not the only wire bender in the house!

September Bark Box!

Yes its true that some people could consider how much I adore Lulu a little over the top.  I had mentioned earlier how we were making special efforts to make sure that she adjusts well to the changes that are about to come her way.  Well, today was the day that the September BarkBox arrived at the our home and I was so thrilled!  Lulu and I took the box outside and opened it up to see what goodies were inside

Lulu gets the small dog box because, well, she's a small dog!  The surprises inside of the box did not disappoint!  Along with a card explaining the products and the products themselves, we also received $10 off of an order at wag.com.

Now for the good stuff:

1. Zukes:  We received three different flavors of the Z-bones designed for dogs to clean their teeth and freshen their breaths!  Benjamin also gave this a thumbs up!  

2. LA Fresh WAG Wipes:  One travel pack of the wash-and-go wipes to help keep loved ones clean and conditioned.  I am looking forward to trying this as Lulu tends to have grass allergies, so this may help keep those pesky itchys at bay between her weekly baths!

3. Barkworthies:  Another chew!  This one however is made from grass-fed Angus beef.... Oooo la la!

4. Whole Life Pet treats: We received a full sized bag of freeze dried sweet potato snacks and a mini bag of freeze dried chicken bites.  Lulu has devoured the chicken already and LOVED it!  What piqued my interest most about this item is that one: it was freeze dried and two: both items were less than 1% crude fat - which is a good thing for me to keep in mind for Mom and Dad's Jingle love!

5. A Hurley toy!: BarkBox must've heard that Lulu LOVES water and loves to swim!  This fun toy is tossable, chewable, and floatable!  We will be using this the next time we are in the pool for sure!

In trying to be a "responsible" parent, I have had to refrain from allowing Lulu to try every single item that we received today!  I look forward to spoiling her with the contents of our Bark Box over the weeks to come.  I like that all of the brands were new to me, broadening the variety of snacks for my little treat monster.  

Overall, Lulu and I are very pleased with the surprises inside and give it two thumbs paws up!  I very much look forward to the next month's goodie box and the new finds it will hold in store for us!

If you'd like to sign up for a Bark Box subscription for your sweet fur baby, click on this link here and receive $5 off of your first subscription!

This message was approve by Lulu Belle Cozad.

Winston's Rockin' Wishbone Rocker!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Benjamin had been working on a rocking chair for Winston's room!  When we discovered that we were going to be having a baby, Benjamin decided that he wanted to make something for the room.  Discussions of a crib were had, but we decided on a rocking chair as we we envisioned that it would become a staple piece of furniture in our home.  It would be a place where we would sit with our sweet babies and treasure the quiet {and not so quiet} moments in our hearts.  

When looking for a design, almost everything that Benjamin came across was very bulky or quite old fashioned looking which wasn't what we had in mind.  Then he Google searched "modern rocking chair" and we came across a chair designed and created by Toby Howes. 

Benjamin thought this would be the perfect thing to make.   All we had to go by was a short description on his website and this picture.  Armed with the photo, his own blueprints, and 32 board feet of American walnut and hard maple, Benjamin headed into the wood shop to start creating.  Each weekend that we had available, he was out in the garage cutting, building, sanding, and finishing the chair.  We are guessing that in total it took him about 100 hours give or take to complete his work of art.  And to me, it truly is a work of art wrapped up in love.  Without further ado - the finished product!

 I love the way wishbone look of the arms and the seat along with the way that the walnut is pressed between the maple for a pop of color in the chair.  Benjamin created the form for the curved pieces and then glued together the 6 layers of wood to create the edges of the seat, arms and rocker.  He meticulously calculated each cut he had to make in order for there to be perfect joinery without any screws.

The time, care and love that he put into making sure the seat would hold weight and be flush without any gaps was astounding to me.  He has made other pieces of furniture before, but this beautiful creation is a true labor of love.

The chair has found his home in the corner of Winston's room and I have already rocked in it, holding sweet Lulu while she has fallen asleep.  When I sit in this chair, handcrafted by the love of my life, my little heart gets overwhelmed at how he so desired to create something that would become a legacy piece for our family.  And more importantly, that it come to fruition in a magnificent fashion.