These people are my kind of people.

 Being away from this papa for a whole month was not good for any of us. For starters, the husband was miserable working his ass off 10 hours a day, six days a week and coming home to a quiet home with no real meal to eat and no crazy kiddo to fill his arms with after work. No fun. In fact, it really sucked bad for him. Me being gone last month really screwed with our finances and everything fell behind like things usually do when there's no one home to look after those things. So on top of working too much, no wife or son to be with and absolutely no money for four weeks really left him feeling like shit. My husband isn't a very emotionally romantic sort of fella but to hear him say how much he was missing us was sort of a blessing in disguise. You know how absence makes the heart grow fonder? Well, in our case it really did. We weren't having any problems or anything but like most relationships, some space will do you all good. I came back really damn excited to be home. I really, really missed my house and my cats and most of all my sweetheart. I feel like I needed some space from Portland and my home to really appreciate what a badass life we have (broke or not!). I feel like I'm less on the computer and my phone when Steve gets home and more outside hanging with my guys. Don't you sometimes feel like you maybe spend too much time on blogs, pinterest, instagram, netflix or is that just me!? I've recently tried to keep my blogging and computer time for when the fellas fall asleep so I can have uninterrupted hang time with them in the evening and it's been so awesome! Dinners outside, lots of hammock time, beers with papa and Miles on the skateboard starring at bees on our wildflowers is way better then the computer any day. I guess what this post is about is just taking the time to step away from the routine with your family to really appreciate what you have and actually make a change for the better.

Father's Day gift idea

 I saw this cute idea on Design Sponge a few years ago and thought I'd give it a try for an impromptu Father's Day gift. I followed these steps to emptying the bulb which was way harder then I thought it would be. If I try this out again I'll have to remember to clean the bulb out better and use a smaller block but either way Steve loved his new "trophy"!

A happy birthday gift

Steve recently celebrated his 40th birthday and I wanted to surprise him with a gift that he needed and would actually use so I figured I couldn't go wrong tools. Both of our families pitched in to give him 10 $40 gift cards to Home Depot which I individually wrapped and hid in an old tool box found at a yard sale. I still wanted to give him something special from myself but was running out of time to hand make something cool. Luckily I searched on Etsy for local items and found a company, Image 3D, that sells old school View Masters with personalized reels. So awesome! I was able to pick it up the next day here in Oregon and surprise him on his party.

Christmas Eve

 We joined Papa on Christmas Eve to watch him skate at an indoor park here in Portland. Miles was in totally awe! Steve took a few laps with him in his arms and Miles could not stop laughing and smiling. He was for sure a proud papa! Our boy took a little spill on his cheeker while sitting on dad's board but beside from that he was beyond fascinated!

Papa and babe

If only I could have bottled up his laughs and squeals.

 

Back to reality

Hey ya! We are back in Portland and really excited to be home with papa! Spending time with my sister and girls was so much fun but being away from Steve for that long was pretty tough on all three of us. Miles and I started feeling funky toward the end of our trip and I was really worried that he was going to have a difficult time on the flight home but thankfully he crashed out immediately and woke up mellow the last 10 minutes before landing. Thank you, Lawd! Fortunately, I'm feeling much better now thanks to extra sleep and vitamin C and for my little scout, he still has a pretty snotty nose but the last few days we have been recharging with naps, movies and needy cats. Rough! Finally today I started to sort through M's winter clothes (really just his 12-18 month stuff) and boy oh boy does that child of mine have way to much stuff! I started buying clothes for him when I was pregnant and as the crazy frugal thrifter that I am, I was able to afford and hoard bins of clothes for him all the way up to 2 years old before he was even born. One little kiddo doesn't really need 7 jean jackets, about a billion cardigans and 12 OshKosh overalls... for starters. My goal for this weekend is to thin out his wardrobe (just a wee bit) and price new merchandise for my mall space and hopefully some of Miles' clothes will end up there too. Next week Ill post photos from our trip, share all of our awesome thrift finds and talk about what it's like to travel with a little one.

Thank you everyone who entered last weeks giveaway! Rachel Laveen is the winner.

TWO MORE DAYS!

 

This mama and papa are going to be married very very soon. Friends, I am so EXCITED! What a year this has been for us. Both of our families are in town and have seriously worked their tushes off to help make our wedding as lovely as possible. We are so grateful for their love and support and are looking forward to celebrating our marriage with them. Life is good!

Fathers First

Have a special day with the papas in your life!

Picture Booth

Aww goodness, family time rules! The first row of photos were taken when I was 5 months pregnant. Feels like forever ago! The weather her in Portland has been so dreamy the past few days. Papa had a three day weekend so we took full advantage of the time together outside in the sun watching baby roll around in the grass. We are so ready for this lovely weather to stay. C'mon summer!!

Before we were mama and papa

These photos make me smile so big!

Valentine

I love holidays and pretty much any excuse to make or find fun gifts for friends and family. However my darling Steve doesn't share my same enthusiasm. So over the past few years Ive learned to drop subtle hints to my sweet clueless friend to subconsciously remember what I want. Is this a jerky move? Heck no, I think he wants the help and in this case I really wanted my pretty vase. 

But in all honesty HE is the BEST valentine I could ever want!

This morning I woke up to an impressively mushy hand made card, this AMAZING deer vase I saw months ago at an antique store (and flowers!) and delicious pastries from the bakery down the street. Well done my wonderful other half, you surprised the hell out of me!

Papa time

Steve's dad and step mom are visiting from Idaho for a few days and it was pretty awesome comparing these photos of my sweetheart to Miles. I loved listening to all the stories they had of little Steve and the mischief he caused. I guess one day Ill have my own stories of Miles being a wild boy!

Huge!!!

39 weeks!! My belly is HUGE! 

(Read On! for photos of belly and one sweet shot of papa!)

Papa!

My sweet man! He has been such a dream and I can't imagine going through this pregnancy with out him. I am so thankful for his unconditional love, support and the gift of our son! Cheers to many many years of friendship and love!

I am officially on maternity leave (!!!) and have the fine luxury of doing little to nothing except sitting on my yoga ball, taking naps and making jewelry. I have been having really unpleasant Braxton Hicks contractions the last few weeks so being able to stay home and relax has been great. Steve and I met with Miles pediatrician today and she is WONDERFUL! We are really excited to have her look after our boo's health. I also went to my weekly check up with my midwife, Holly, and she said things are looking great but his amniotic fluid looked a bit low. She said it could be a number of things that are not to worry about but just in case she scheduled another ultrasound for tomorrow morning. Holly said that if in fact it is low that I may have to be induced. Ehhh, damn, damn, damn! But Miles is looking and sounding healthy and that he is most certainly going to be a big boy. Phhhew! Ill have more to tell on this subject tomorrow.

Christmas tree is up and gift shopping is almost finished! Im not normally crazy with being this organized about the holidays however this year with a tiny new born in my life, I'm not so sure how easy running errands are going to be. Our tree is darling and we can usually find one of the cats napping under it during the day. So far no stray ornaments found around the house. Impressive, cats!

Lets get real

 source

Its 4:46 AM and Steve and I are both under layers of blankets laying on the couch. Hes watching a war documentary and I'm surfing about the internet. Leaving the bedroom obviously interrupted the cats sleep so now they are piled on the couch with us. We both woke up around 3 and realized we were both suffering from an over active mind that wouldn't let us sleep.
Today was an exceptionally difficult day for me. I'm still working at the restaurant but am down to only a few day shifts but unfortunately I came to the realization that working at all is just far too difficult for me this far along in my pregnancy. Usually I take breaks when working to relieve my body and I have plenty of time for nourishment but today there was no chance for either. The restaurant was packed to the point that I was serving 7 to 8 tables at a time all day. I was making mistakes on orders and soon became short and irritable with costumers. My body was pushed too hard. My stomach was extremely uncomfortable and twice today I had to stop and compose myself from standing there in tears. At this point in my pregnancy I want to not work. I want to be able to relax and not push my body or mind too hard. Unfortunately Im letting money rule the inevitable. Steve has had a dramatic loss in work in the past few months and construction wont pick up much during the winter season. We foolishly dont have any money squirreled away for when Im not working and now we are going to deal with the real reality of my loss of income. This issue has put a heavy amount of stress on us as a couple. The weight of change, pressure and finances is so overwhelming at times that we lose focus of eachother. I know I need to give him more strength and support versus the constant heat and intensity I lay on him. At nearly 40 years old he is having to make huge life changes and responsibilities and for a life long bachelor, he is finding that being the head of the family is a bigger task then anticipated. He is truly trying and I need to remind myself that no matter what he will always find a way to provide for us. I called my mom today after leaving work and unraveled myself to her. I uncontrollably cried and explained how difficult it is for me to work and like a good mother, in the midst of her birthday dinner, she listened and simply told me no matter what I needed to stop working for the sake of my baby and health and that money is not worth either. In mere weeks we are going to be this little boys momma and papa and it will be the most gratifying and beautiful thing we could experience together. We have a beautiful home and healthy bodies and best of all we have one another. Miles is arriving soon regardless of how prepared we feel. Plain and Simple. I ultimately must let go of our financial burdens and instead enjoy the extra quiet time we have together in our home.

Yesterday

 

There's Steve and his sweet face and here's me and my belly at 34 weeks!