Steals & Deals

Check out the deals I scored on Plum District and Southern Savers. I'll make this short and sweet! 

Plum District has a 30x30 Minky Chenille Baby Blanket from Bebe Bella Designs - a $52 Value for $20!! I  also snagged an extra 20% off bringing the price down to $16. Even if you're not having a baby, this is a SUPER deal that can be used for a shower gift. Only 3 days are remaining for this deal - so snag it while you can!

Southern Savers has a great one-day deal featuring Shutterfly. You can get 12 FREE 3x5 personalized thank-you cards. All you have to do is enter PROMO code - AFF12CARDS.  The only cost to you is $4.99 shipping and tax.  

Free & discounted are two {wonderful} words!

Happy shopping!

Crafty{ness}

Maybe not! I tend to try something and then get fed up very quickly. Yep, that's how I roll.   

I could spend hours upon hours on Pinterest. I think by now, every female and their mother should have a Pinterest account. If you don't, you're missing out!! I love to 'pin' recipes, crafts, home remedies/cleaners & well, stuff I can only dream about. 

One craft on my to-do list is to make some fabric flowers. Here is a blog I found on how to make the flowers. I'm sure there are others that I will try soon, but I wanted to try something quick and easy! I went to  the craft store and bought 1/4 yards of fabric (which was more than enough and very cheap.) I then came home and cut various size strips about 22 inches long and followed the tutorial in the blog above. The only other thing you need is a hot glue gun.

Viola! 

The three rosettes above took me about 20 minutes to make and I have 1/2 of the fabric left. Hopefully soon, I will try other tutorials and find out which one I like best. 

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Catching Up (weeks 21 & 22)

Hello Summer! Yesterday was absolutely unbearable for me. I could barely walk outside without the heat and humidity taking my breath away.  Oh well, welcome to the South! I guess the hot weather will cease when baby Liv arrives.  

I've started many projects and have yet to finish one. Shame, shame...Pinterest is getting me in trouble! 

Let's see - I have a half painted mantle, unfinished hair bow holder and a glider/rocker that needs a slip cover. I also need to order fabric for the slip cover, bed skirt for the crib and pillows. As a side note; Brant and I have decided to forgo the typical crib bedding and not have a bumper. As pretty as they are, we just don't want to risk a safety issue of something happening with suffocation. It's better to be proactive than not active at all!  Baby Liv's bedding will be lovingly made which will be much more meaningful!

I really don't know how to describe the decor of the nursery. Something along the lines of modern, vintage, cozy and chic all meshed into one. I told you it was hard to describe, ha!  

In other news, how AWESOME is it to be a Gamecock fan right about now? Our defending National Champions have another opportunity to win the CWS title and make it a three-peat! I'm not too sure about everyone in the state of South Carolina, (we do have some haters) but I feel good, ecstatic about our current situation! We are two games away from another win and can only hope LB Dantzler's fish, "Reptar" helps us out with two more victories against Arizona. Fear the fish!! 

18 more weeks to go for baby Liv! 

How far along? 22 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes. They feel so much better than trying to constrain my belly into tight pants. I LOVE dresses! 

Symptoms? Back pain and a few headaches.

Stretch marks? None! Hopefully they will stay away! I'm religious with the use of my creme..lol

Sleep?  I'm sleeping pretty well. Once my head hits the pillow, I'm out! 

Best moment this week? Feeling and (seeing) some kicks on the left side of my belly & receiving some girly outfits from Zulilly.com.

Movement? See above - I'm ready for her to really move. She was moving some during church today.  She just loves joyful music and preaching. ;-)

Cravings? Firehouse 'hook and ladder' sub.... that about sums it up! 

Gender? She's still a girl:) Sarah Olivia (Liv) Anderson

 
Labor Signs? Goodness no!

Belly button In or Out? So in.

What I miss? Being productive, turkey sandwiches, not feeling like a walrus in a swimsuit! 

What I'm looking forward to? Next doctors appointment which is Wednesday. Completing some unfinished projects and making some fabric rosettes.

Weekly wisdom? Avoid putting SPF sunscreen on babies until 6 months of age. 

Milestones?  Grandma, 'Gabby' had a Birthday on Friday, Gamecocks are playing for the CWS - 3rd year and first Gamecock outfit is in the process of being made. 

20 weeks

I've officially hit the 20 week mark - only 20 weeks {or less} to go! In those remaining 20 weeks I have TONS to accomplish. I would be forever and a day listing out all I need to do.  

{I'll just save that for another blog..ha!} 

Baby Anderson is now the size of a Mango. She weighs about 10 oz and is 6.5 inches long.  According to my last ultrasound she is measuring right on schedule. PTL! It's always great to hear good news - especially since I'm not the perfect epitome of health. 

How far along?   20 weeks

Maternity clothes?   Yes. I'm still able to mix some maternity with my regular clothes - with the use of the Bella band. I did put on some Bermuda shorts yesterday that I could not zip..depressing!  Oh well, it's ALL worth it! 

Symptoms?   Back pain and a few headaches. 

Stretch marks?   None! Hopefully they will stay away! I'm religious with the use of my creme..lol

Sleep?  Pretty lousy.  I toss and turn a lot - due to not being comfortable. But once I'm out, I'm OUT - except for a bathroom break.

Best moment this week?   (2 weeks ago) finding out the gender. This week - deciding the nursery colors/theme. 

Movement?  I think I feel a little movement, but am not quite sure. May still be to early in the pregnancy to tell. 

Cravings?   Peanut M&M's and Popsicles.

Gender?   She's still a girl:) Sarah Olivia (Liv) Anderson

Labor Signs?   Goodness no! 

Belly button In or Out?   So in. 

What I miss?   Being productive and turkey sandwiches. 

What I'm looking forward to?   Next doctors appointment which is 2 weeks away. Oh and finally getting my maternity swimsuit from Zulilly.com.

Weekly wisdom?   Once in labor if they ask if students can observe - say NO! 

Milestones?   The bump is out and evidently grew overnight! 

Cheers to 20 weeks and the 1st published picture of the bump! 

Lilly?

I'm ashamed {head facing down; lips poked out}. I haven't blogged since March. 

Here's why: 

I promise they are legit reasons!

1. Sometime between March and present day - Blogger changed. My trusty ole' Internet Explorer would no longer let me blog. I could read blogs, but not type anything. I guess due to laziness (my busy lifestyle), I just read what other people wrote. Therefore, I never made any attempt to search out a new browser. Yadda, yadda, yadda (I feel like I'm on Seinfeld) and here we are. 

2.  Since the end of January, my body has gone through a lot of changes. I'm sure within the next four months the word "a lot" will be an understatement. My husband and I are expecting a sweet "baybee" GIRL in October. Thoughts/feelings so far? A. I thought I would never get through the nausea stage - but I did!  I feel about 80% better. B. Some people love being pregnant - me, not so much. I love the thought of clothes fitting - not everything being so tight. C. Speaking of clothes - maternity clothes are sooo expensive. I'm fortunate that my Sister-in-law let me borrow some of hers to use. I have also bought some stuff along the way and am currently mixing non-maternity with a few maternity pieces. I guess I better start getting creative with my wardrobe! 

I will be 20 weeks on Sunday.  That means it's time to show the bump; yes I have a bump! Some days it's bigger than others, but I've read that you can have a come and go belly. On my bigger days I've been asked 'are you having twins'? To my relief...goodness no! I don't want to trade our single Bob stroller for a double.

Since finding out we're having a girl..I've been told "get ready". I know I know...my days are over. This baby is already spoiled. I have purchased a few things but must show my steal of a deal that I scored at a consignment shop yesterday. I found a Lilly Pulitzer cable knit sweater for $20 brand spankin' new with a $58 retail tag on it. Umm yes please.  My not so great day became w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l!! 

Tribute to Brylie

March is almost over and I have not blogged since February. BAD! {I know.} 

I promise to do better!

My precious niece Brylie just turned 4 this past Wednesday. She may be the BIG number 4, but she knows a lot more than other kids her age. See below:

Brylie has also accomplished a lot more than her twenty-nine year old aunt, {moi}.

Let me explain:

1. She can upload a picture of herself to Facebook. Well, I can do this now...because I have an iPhone. But about a month ago....I had no idea how to post a picture from my phone. I could get on Facebook but that was about the extent of it.  (Technology and a phone upgrade has helped make my life a little easier.)

2. She has defeated every level of Angry Birds. I was introduced to this game back in October by my husband, who is also obsessed with defeating every level of Angry Birds. For me, yeah it's fun...but really? I cannot spend hours upon hours on this game. I think I still have the app on my iPad, but not on my phone...so sorry Angry Birds - you win.

3. She averages 512 points a game in Words With Friends. My husband is also obsessed with this game, as are many of our friends. It's a fun game if you like Scrabble - but playing against my husband makes me soooo MAD. I'm not sure how he can get 45 point words off just 3 or 4 letters. One night, I just deleted the app off my phone accusing him of cheating. Now Brant is one smart cookie, but can he not let me ever win? Geez!

Obviously Brant stretched his Facebook post a wee bit, but majority of it is true!  (I might get upset if she averages 512 points a game in Words With Friends. Just because I actually like that game and feel that I can't play it to prove a point to my husband.) 

So it goes to show that my sweet Brylie has conquered more in the technology world than me. Besides all this technology - she also LOVES The Lion King, Justin Bieber, animals - (big & small), fishing, and American Girl. She is truly a blessing in our lives and growing up every day! 

Happy Birthday Brylie!!

6 more weeks of Winter??

January has come and gone...how bizarre is that??
Time just flies nowadays.

I love February for many reasons.

 Groundhog Day 2012  

Can you believe Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow?? I'm not ready for 6 more weeks of winter. BUT from the looks of it, we never really even had a winter. I mean, how accurate can a groundhog be? His record has been pretty bad over the years. I don't even think the local forecasters can get our weather right..it was supposed to rain all day yesterday...complete opposite - Beautiful!

I do want to watch the classic '93 movie, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray & Andie MacDowell as it is a tradition in the Anderson household. Maybe I'll find some time today before the Super Bowl.

Little late - but okay.

You can never go wrong with any 80's or early 90's movie.

Hands down.

Valentine's Day

Brant and I bought very little for each other this past Christmas. I think we are very fortunate with what we do have, that it's hard to spend money on something that we don't need.  Brant also gave me an Apple iPad back in October, so I really did not need anything for the next year or so...he he!

We usually do not spend a lot of money on Valentines Day either, but this year is different.  I love to give gifts, even more...I love to wrap gifts. I have already wrapped all of Brants' Valentines gifts, but kindly asked him not to wrap mine. Here's why: He wrapped my Shark Steam mop along with tons of compartments in the past and it was a total disaster...not to mention with the use of my "good" wrapping paper. I am obsessed with quality wrapping paper, if you're going to attempt to wrap a gift, please use cheap paper. OCD?? That's why I love him!

He has ensured me that he will be using bags this year - so no worries!

He knows everything he is getting from me. Maybe because I get soo excited about things, I offer hints to help him out. I think that's sweet of me to do so. However, the anticipation is killing me. I have asked for simple things, like a Costco membership and a camera strap. Those are fun and easy gifts, right? Either way, I'm sure he will not disappoint.

{Randomness I know.}

Biggest Loser update:

Week 3 - gained .8 lbs (boo!)

Week 4 - lost .6 lbs

Brant and I traveled to Trenton, SC to a furniture auction for Anthropologie, Free People, & Urban Outfitters on Saturday. Who knew there would be soo many people there?? They had some great rugs, couches, chairs and tables that were going for cheap. $3,000 retail for around $150-$200. I think the highest bid I heard was around $500 for like granite kitchen table which is pretty awesome.

 Yes, some pieces were damaged but nothing you couldn't work around. They had a lot of furniture to auction (around 450 items), so it was fast moving and quick. The people behind us kept saying that they had gotten many of the same pieces for a lot less at previous auctions. So, my thought is to wait it out and keep coming to the auctions - only to hope not as many people will be there! Maybe then, I can get something that is already highly discounted for much much less.

Afterwards, we left and ate BBQ in Aiken. Stuffed? YES! That is all I had yesterday and I'm still feeling awful this morning.

I'm sure tonight's Super Bowl food will not help me either.

Have a Super Sunday, everyone!