Follow Friday + Ad Space Giveaway Winners!

Last Friday you ladies asked great questions!  Here are the top 3 and winners of my free ad space:

Evani asked:  What is your favorite quote to turn to (either when happy, sad or hopeful)?

 {Via}

I love this quote, because it's a reminder that everything--good, bad and inbetween is temporary.  

Whitney asked:  How do you maintain balance in your life?

Isn't this the million dollar question?  I don't believe we can always be in a state of balance.  Life happens and learning to roll with the punches is key.  I believe there are "seasons" of life that will be unbalanced and crazy...in those seasons I recognize that "This too shall pass," and life will once again balance out.  I do however realize that sometimes those "seasons" of crazy last a bit too long...I think it's super important to have accountability in our life to help us recognize that maybe we are just taking too much on.  Learning to say "no" was life changing for me.  

Lillian asked:  When is the last time you cried in public?

I laughed when I read this question because I cry almost weekly in church.  I'm an uber emotional person and I cannot hold back my tears for the life of me.  

(Congrats ladies...I'll email you about winning the free ad space! Didn't win?  Check out my super affordable sponsorship rates!)

Remember my new Friday Series?  I think I'll do this once a month...last month it was great to get to know some new bloggers!  Please follow me on GFC, RSS or bloglovin, link up your blog, and find some new bloggers to follow!

You can find me here too: bloglovin',  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @discoverystreet

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Nursery Thrifting

Shopping on Craigslist is a lot like thrifting in thrift stores.  It's hit or miss.  I looked on Craigslist often for major nursery purchases earlier in my pregnancy and I'm happy to say, if you keep at it, you can usually find what you're looking for. 

I found a glider worth over $270 and bargained the owner down to $80.

It's perfect, and I thrifted that afghan for $5. 

Check out this Craigslist find--a BOB Revolution stroller!  It came with a car seat adapter and a rain guard and it's only 2 years old; the value well over $500 and I got it for $260.  I looked at a couple of Bob strollers and I'm so glad I didn't get the first one I saw...this one was newer and a better value.  

I kept my eye out for a video monitor for awhile...these are around $150 online and I got mine on Craigslist for $70.

The changing table and wardrobe I picked up off Craigslist for a total of $100.  It's more than I wanted to spend, however, I needed to find very specific sizes due to the awkward size of the nursery and low ceilings...so these were just about perfect.  The crib and horse were given to me by a friend.  Free is always awesome.  Speaking of free...

Friends with kids just outgrowing their stuff is seriously the bees knees.  I've had an outpouring of love from friends who've given me tons of clothes (for me and the baby), and other kid things that they just outgrow super quickly.  

Ok, I didn't thrift my breast pump, but I did save $225 on it.  I randomly read on a pregnancy forum that most health insurance plans will reimburse or cover most of the cost of your breast pump.  So I called up my insurance company and sure enough, they do!  I just had to pay a $25 copay.  I was stoked! 

It's Thrifting Thursday's Link up!  Link up your thrifting finds...please grab my button or just link back to me!

<center> <a href=”http://www.discoverystreet.net/“> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthygoogins/7648452692/" title="200x192 by ruthygoogins, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7648452692_204b936534_m.jpg" width="200" height="192" alt="200x192" /></a> <br /> </a></center>     Linking up with Sandra

39 Weeks

My Dear Baby Girl,

I've been waking up every morning asking myself, "Is this the day my life will change forever?"  Your father and I try to imagine how life will be once you're here, but we still can't quite grasp the life change we're about to encounter. But know we couldn't be more ready or excited for the new journey and adventures that life will hold with your presence.

We pray for you every day sweet Parker Penny.  We pray you will come to know the love of your creator who knit you together in my womb.  Dear child you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Do you know that you are the daughter of the most high king?  That he has plans to prosper you...plans to give you hope and a future?  Sweet girl you are so loved; you are answered prayer; you are made perfect in His image.

I can't wait to meet you sweet pea.

Love,
Your Mama. 

Linking up with Kate, Sarah & Carina

Nesting Much?

NESTING :: Here is a snippit from Wikipedia.

"In human females, the nesting instinct often occurs around the fifth month of pregnancy, but can occur as late as the eighth, or not at all. It may be strongest just before the onset of labor.
It is commonly characterized by a strong urge to clean and organize one's home and is one reason why couples who are expecting a baby often reorganize, arrange, and clean the house and surroundings."

Um, yeah...you could say this is what I've been up to lately.

 Hung up some of my favorite cards in Parker's nursery.

Took out most of my jewelry from my jewelry box and displayed it.

Deep cleaned the fridge.

Reorganized my tupperware cabinet with a cd rack!

Reorganized my husbands "junk drawer." 

So that's what I've been up to lately.  How about you?

DIY Upcycled Glass Jars

***Have you entered the Fisher Price Giveaway?***

Do you remember when I wrote a post about hating throwing away glass jars?  Well I finally did something with a couple of those jars sitting in my garage.

All I used was washi tape, a bit of twine, and spray painted the lids.  Then filled the jars with epsom salt.  That's it folks.  Easy-peasy upcycled glass jars.

Linking up with Stacy,  Lauren,  Kara, Molly and Kayla

Friday Favesies Linky + Free Ad Space!

**Have you entered the Fisher Price Giveaway?**

Hi all you wonderful readers!  It's Friday so I wanted to share with you some great links I came across this week, plus because I'm in such a fab mood I wanted to giveaway 1 large and 2 medium ad spaces for the month of September. 


But first, the good stuff...my favorite blog of the week!  Let me introduce you to Carlee of Life Smith.  Carlee started to follow my blog over 2 years ago...and because the universe is so absolutely amazing, it turns out not only did I move to her town, but I literally moved up the street from her and her husband (before we knew each other in real life).  Now we're practically neighbors, real life friends, and guess what, she recently announced on her blog that she's preggers too! (She also announced that they might be moving to a different part of town...major sad face).  Anyway, she's awesome and hilarious and you should go check her blog out.

So how cool is this?  Framed wallpaper. I love it, and this week The Paper Mama blogged about how she made hers.  It turned out so cute! I have a blank wall in my bedroom I'm thinking about sprucing it up this way.

Metropolitan Mama introduced me to a company called Thred Up.  THIS IS SO  FLIPPING AWESOME.  Resell your kids clothes and select new pieces.  You know I love thrifting, and now I can do it without leaving my house?  Yes please!  (Can you tell I'm just a tad bit excited to shop for Parker Penny?).

The New York Times posted this article about moms and weight; ironically the author of the article just had her third baby, is battling her own weight gain, and happens to be the editor of US weekly. Very interesting. 

Ok, now for the free ad space!  I get questions emailed to me often about me and my life, so I thought I'd do a Q&A post next week with your questions. My top 3 favorite questions you ask will get you a free large ad space for the month of September, and then the next 2 will get medium ad spaces. So ask me anything!   (If you are currently advertising with me and I chose your question, I will upgrade your ad once it expires).  

Link Up!  Anything goes, link up your favorite post of the week or your favorite links that you came across.  Please just grab my button or link back to me and check out some other fabulous bloggers.


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DIY Coffee Mug Design

****Fisher Price Giveaway!  Enter here****

I've seen these DIY coffee mugs floating around pinterest for awhile now and wanted to make one for Andy when I brought him breakfast in bed for his birthday last week.

{Via here, here, and here.}

I'm not an artist and can't free hand pretty fonts, so I bought foam letters from the dollar store and traced them with a glass paint pen from Michael's. 

I then peeled the stickers off and filled in the letters.

I've read some posts that suggested letting the paint dry for 24 hours and then bake for 20 minutes at 350.  I skipped the first step since I was making this last minute, and just baked it for 20 minutes.  It's gone through a few hand washings and hasn't come off yet!  It's a super easy way to personalize plain coffee mugs in your cupboard. I'm thinking of some birthday and Christmas gifts I can make with this personalization!

Linking up to Kara

38 Weeks

Have you entered the Fisher Price giveaway yet?  Enter here. 

Dress: Given to me by a friend!

Remember when I told you about my friend who gave me a ton of stuff for Parker?  Well this dress was part of the stash and I realized I hadn't worn it yet, so I threw it on, took some photos and then went shopping at Target feeling all glamorous. 

Multiple people have told me it looks like she has "dropped."  Besides the fact that I have to pee about every 20 minutes, I can't really tell.  But I also have a really short torso, so there isn't really a big "drop" for little Parker. 

I'm definitely feeling ready for her to arrive.  Not ready in the sense that I have my house in order and everything is checked off my list, but ready.  I'm ready to not be pregnant any more and have a little girl in my arms to hold.  

According to my baby bump app, baby girl is about 7 pounds and 20 inches.  I'm praying that my app is right and she stays between 7 and 8 pounds (but I highly doubt it).  Someone paid me the nicest compliment this week...she said, "you're so little!"  I've gained about 40 pounds, so let me tell ya, that was music to my ears.  Want to encourage a pregnant friend?  Tell them how little they look.  

Well...I'm hoping Parker wants to make her debut soon.  I'd be thrilled if I didn't have to do a 39 week update! 

Linking up with Carina, Cami & Sarah

Nursery Update + A Giveaway!

The nursery is about 70% complete.  Because half of the room is still functioning as my office, I'm not sure if it will be fully complete until Parker Penny arrives and I go on maternity leave. But I thought I'd share the little corner of her nursery that is mostly complete.  I used Fisher Price's Room to Bloom Nursery Tool to help me design the nursery and figure out which Fisher Price collection I wanted--I chose the adorable My Little Snugabunny collection which  included the Cradle 'n Swing, Bouncer, and Newborn Rock n' Play Sleeper.

 I really love how the stripes turned out thanks to Sherwin-Williams.  

My mother in law is making a bed skirt, and I still want to get a white furry rug for the middle of the floor, but for the most part, this little corner of Parker's nursery is complete.  Now guess what?  Fisher Price is giving away one item from their My Little Snugabunny Collection to one of my readers!  Enter below for a chance to win--winner will be announced next week!

**Disclosure:  I was provided a Sherwin-Williams gift card and items from the Fisher Price collection in exchange for my review of the Room to Bloom design tool.    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY Clothespin Photo Banner

I wanted to create a unique birthday banner for Andy's 33rd birthday, so I implemented a few ideas that I got from Wattlebird's DIY clothespin photo wall.

All you need are clothespins, washi tape (or paint, or you can leave the clothespins plain), twine (I got mine from the dollar store), and pretty paper to cut out words or numbers.  I then printed off some pictures I wanted to display from this past year and found a place to hang the banner.

I added some crepe paper around the banner for a festive look...but it looks great without it too!

Linking up with Kayla & Molly

Nutrition and Pregnancy // BrainStrong Prenatal

For those of you who follow my instagram feed, you may have noticed my love of photographing food, particularly all the indulgent, unhealthy stuff that I've been craving during pregnancy.  Would you believe me if I told you I have a B.S. in nutrition?  I actually do try really hard to balance out all the "junk" with smart food choices, and I include supplements. I strongly believe in supplementing our diets as it is difficult to get all the nutrients we need from food alone.

I feel it's doubly important to supplement while pregnant.  This can be difficult if you suffer from morning sickness like I did.  I couldn't keep down the prenatal vitamins I was taking at the time, so I switched over to a gummy version that didn't have iron. Of course I found out later that I had pregnancy induced anemia, so I needed to switch back to a prenatal with iron in addition to taking iron supplements.   The timing worked out perfectly because BrainStrong Prenatal contacted me to try out and review their product just when I needed to choose a new prenatal vitamin.  

What I really like about this brand is that it includes 75% more DHA than the average prenatal vitamin and it's from a natural vegetarian source.  In fact it has the highest level of folic acid and DHA available without a prescription.  DHA is an omega 3 fatty acid that helps a baby’s brain, eyes and nervous system develop; our growing babies depend on us moms for their supply of DHA. And of course you've heard over and over the importance of folic acid in our diet while trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy.   

In comparison to other prenatal vitamins on the market, it is priced well and costs less than most co-pays.  I'm no doctor, but I really research supplements that I take and I would definitely recommend BrainStrong if your looking to buy a prenatal vitamin. 

How did you choose which prenatal vitamin to take?

I was compensated for this post, however, I would only recommend a product or service that I fully believed in.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Happy Birthday Andy!!

You're 33 today.  

I can think of a million, but here are 33 reasons I love you.

1. You love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul

2.  You are a spiritual leader

3.  You love me the exact way I need to be loved

4.  I can be myself around you, snorts and all

5.  You forgive easily

6.  You show me grace, often

7.  You're a man's man

8.  You build things with your hands

9.  You know how to fix stuff

10.  You're clean (sometimes too clean).

11.  You're a wonderful cook

12.  You love my cooking

13.  You are phenomenal communicator

14.  You always act with integrity

15.  You love being with me, all the time.

16.  I love how much you love our dog

17.  You're already planning daddy daughter dates

18.  You seek accountability

19.  You're humble

20.  You make me feel safe

21.  You make me feel good about myself

22.   You're spontaneous

23.  You dance with me in the kitchen with no music

24.  You make me want to be a better person

25.  You always share your food with me

26.  You are generous with others

27. You're always positive

28.  You always greet and leave me with kisses

29.  You're romantic

30.  You're spontaneous 

31.  You work incredibly hard for our family

32.  You pray with me

33.  You are the sexiest man I know

Happy birthday Andy, I love you.

37 Weeks // Full Term!!

 Top: Cabi // Capri's: Thrifted

Holy smokes people.  This baby could arrive any minute--I seriously can't believe it!! I have a feeling baby girl is going to arrive before her due date (but perhaps this is just wishful thinking).  On one hand I'm ready to be done being pregnant, on the other, there is still a lot I feel like I need to do. 

We installed the car seat this week.  Can I tell you how odd it is to look in my back seat and have a car seat there?  And to think I'll be driving with a car seat for at least a few more years?  Reality is definitely setting in. 

Baby girl is growing--according to my baby bump app she's about 19.25 inches and weighs about 6 1/2 pounds.  This is significantly less than the NIGHTMARE I had that I gave birth to a 17 pound baby.  Seriously people...I dreamed this.  Scary. 

Minus the carpel tunnel and swelling, I'm doing great.  My prilosec OTC is keeping my heartburn at bay, once I fall asleep, I sleep pretty well, and my energy levels are good.  I'm crazy clumsy however.  I keep dropping things, and bending over to pick things up this late in pregnancy is daunting.  I almost cried in the Target parking lot because I dropped my keys as I was about to load my car up, and then immediately after I picked up my keys I dropped my bags. (In hindsight it's kinda funny).

Some things I want to check off the list by the end of the week (and hopefully before baby arrives:

• pack a hospital bag (any suggestions?)
• get my oil changed and car detailed
• make a couple freezer meals
• deep clean my fridge

This could be my last bump photo--but I doubt it.  

No Sew DIY Bunting

I really want to learn how to sew, but since I can't, I wanted to figure out how to create a bunting project for Parker Penny's nursery that didn't requiring bothering my friends to sew it together for me.  I'm happy to say I figured something out that is pretty easy for those of you who can't or don't want to sew either!  I wrote a tutorial on bunting a long time ago, so here are the instructions on how to get started from that blog post.  

What you need:  Fabric, pinking shears (or regular scissors, but pinking shears give you a cute edge that won't fray), and heat n bond.

The above images from an old bunting project where I took more specific photos with instructions.  Don't forget to write (or stencil) your letters backwards (since you peel and iron on the opposite direction!).

Below are photos from the bunting project for Parker Penny and the instructions for the no sew part.