It's Here, It's Here

And yes, by that I mean Friday is here, but what I am really referring to is FALL!! This morning, it was a mere 56 degrees when I stepped outside and I just smiled knowing those long hot summer days are {hopefully} behind us until 2012. I hopped in the car, opened the sunroof immediately, turned on some Dave Matthews Band, and drove my happy self to Starbucks to indulge in my Friday ritual of a "fancy coffee cocktail" as I like to call it. 
In proper VOL fashion, I am of course sporting orange today to support my team going into another game this weekend...we're not headed to Ktown since we have so many other games in October to attend, so home it is!

Tonight, the plan is to pick up some mums to decorate the front porch for fall and then come home and cook one of my favorite things--mini pizzas. I used to make these all the time and Jeff has been asking nicely...perfect weekend food! 

Jeff, his cousin, and my dad are then off to work on planting the new trees all day tomorrow so what's a girl to do? Have a day with Mom! I'm finally giving in to buy new fall boots, and then shop around for some new decor for the house since we're going to have new built-in bookcases to fill--yay! 
Sunday marks a relaxing day for us...church time and then finding things to do around town to occupy the afternoon, before dinner with friends--cannot wait! Hope you all have a great weekend ;)

Fashionable Friday...Maternity Staples

Let's face it...I've already come to grips that some of this season's trendiest pieces won't be gracing my closet anytime soon {no suede platforms, no tight fitting coats, no form fitting cocktail dresses for parties}, for I must accomodate the ever growing bumpage, though I have to admit, I have been searching high and low for cute maternity fashion that won't break the bank. And yes, Jeff is fully aware that with the holidays and trips coming up, I want to look good, too, so with that comes some major expenditure.  Here are some of my first purchases thus far:

Supersoft Crewneck Top via Gap

Long-Sleeve V Neck Shirts via Motherhood

Shawl Collar Cardigan via Motherhood

Sexy Boot Jeans (bought both demi and full panels) via Gap

Full Length Grey Skirt via Motherhood

Dolman Sleeve T via Gap

Jersey Knit Legging via Motherhood

Long Sleeve Cable Knit Cardigan via Motherhood

I've also got my eyes ready to take a trip to A Pea in the Pod for some other necessities, as well as online shopping at Loft and Old Navy, too! For all you other mommies-to-be and mothers out there, where were your favorite shops for stocking up on maternity pieces? I'm looking for any and all help in this area PLEASE ;)

R is for Random

It's Thursday and my mind is a big lump of jello...blogging rut, perhaps? How that is possible--I have no idea, so don't mind me while I babble on about nothing anything that pops into my brain.

I'm back to baking friends, ahhh it feels good to have enough energy to be back in the kitchen! Since we're taking Amber food tonight to help her and Luke cope with the new bambino, I decided to take on the dessert component of the meal {surprise surprise}. My how I have missed cooking...I whipped up a batch of Oreo Cheesecakes and due to my official taste testing, they are REALLY good, and easy, too:
Ingredients
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
16 oz cream cheese, softened {(I used reduced fat}
2 eggs
7 Oreos {crushed into small pieces}
1 Oreo pie crust
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together vanilla, sugar, and cream cheese together with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Add in eggs and mix until smooth consistency--then add in 1/2 of the crushed Oreos and spoon mixture into pie crust. Top with the other 1/2 of crushed Oreos and bake for 35-40 minutes until pie is almost set up. Then, allow to cool completely and refrigerate for 4+ hours until ready to serve!

The highs this weekend in Nashville are only going to be in the mid-60s...I am so excited I could burst. This means I can officially bring out the scarves, boots, leggings, and tunics--otherwise known as the most comfortable pieces to wear ever.

I have officially ventured over to the dark side...with regards to my nails. No more pinks, corals, and bright colored hues for this girl--the chilly temps are on their way, meaning I can experiment with my favorite fall colors, thanks to Essie, Sephora, and OPI.

That's all I got for today friends...I forewarned you, mumbo jumbo at its best. I will leave you with some fun little inspirational quotes and I promise to be back tomorrow with a new Fashionable Friday!!

What I Love Wednesday

This week is flying by...it could be the busyness of work, the crisp fall-like mornings that make my commute enjoyable, or because I actually got a full night of sleep, but I am a happy girl today and enjoying anything and everything. This week, I am loving:

I finally get to meet Baby Hudson tomorrow night. Meg and I are bringing dinner and dessert over to the new mama and papa and cannot wait to see their new little bundle ;)

We're getting new arborvite trees to line the side of our driveway...we need added privacy and so Jeff and his cousin will be putting their manpower to work this weekend and getting this knocked out--yay!

Jeff's traveling this week is over and done with! I want that hubby of mine home at night so we can have dinner together and catch up on all our favorite shows

I got my booty up this morning and went to the gym...which makes me feel SO much better as I was having a few "fatso" moments earlier in the week--I can't lie, gaining weight has been really hard for me to cope with

I think I won wife of the year last night by cooking dinner. Some of you tweeted me back to my question of does it really count if it was only Hamburger Helper and salad and thank heavens you said yes--if it's cooked on a stove, it's dinner ;)

I was shopping at Hobby Lobby the other day and saw Christmas decor...yes, a bit early, but I couldn't help be reminded that it's really not that far away. I've already started making our budget and shopping list for our families this year!

So, what are you loving this week??

Weekend Recap and Bumpdate...15 Weeks!

This past weekend was all about relaxing...after being out of town for a week, things at the house needed to get in order--groceries, endless amounts of laundry, de-cluttering to make way for the contractor starting TODAY, and getting out the fall decor to spiffy up a bit. It was by no means glamorous, but it was much needed due to the fact that we have only 1 more weekend until Thanksgiving where we are in town with no plans...WHOA.
Friday night, I spent some time with me, myself, and I. Jeff was at a important meeting golf tournament in Knoxville and wasn't getting home until late, so I whipped myself up some dinner and spent most of my evening on the couch catching up on TV.
Saturday, we slept in and then headed to the gym before I disembarked on a shopping adventure. I started by searching out cribs to save some $$ though I am fully aware I am most likely going to break down and buy what I desperately want from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child {if they would ever have another promotion on furniture!}. Then it was on to another store to scope out baby strollers...lordy lordy! Are you aware of how many strollers there are to choose from? This lady got overwhelmed after I couldn't figure out how to get one assembled and called it a day--Jeff gets to come back with me next time ;).
On Sunday, we were bad and skipped church because I couldn't seem to get up and moving...so instead, we made homemade belgium waffles and relaxed around the house the rest of the afternoon until our shows came on. The season premiere of Boardwalk Empire {AMAZING just as I expected} and then Pan Am which was really good, too--new shows, yay! 

Alright, now onto the baby stuff:

How far along? 15 weeks, 3 days...172 days to go!

Size of the bambino? A navel orange

Maternity Clothes? I used the Bella Band for the first time last week and it works wonders I tell you. I can still wear my regular jeans--and yes, this makes me think I am still that small, though the tummy, butt, and thighs are ever expanding ;)

Weight Gain? Ewww...the bad part--5 pounds

Stretch Marks? Nope--that cocoa butter/prego lotion seems to be doing the trick!

Gender? See my new little addtion to the right? I'd love to hear your thoughts/votes and see what you think the little peanut is...I cannot WAIT to find out! We are having our gender reveal party on October 22 with friends and family, though Jeff and I will find out earlier that week on the 18th, only to keep the secret for a few days. We went back and forth on whether or not we wanted to know before everyone else, but thought this could be a fun moment for just the two of us to enjoy together. 
Movement? I swear I thought I felt something the other night, but I think it was just my stomach grumbling--haha.
Sleep? This isn't going so well this week. I officially have passed the "I can still sleep on my stomach" portion of the pregnancy and sleeping on my side for a whole night just isn't working. Fail. =(
Food Cravings? The most random things...chicken nuggets, grapes, and cookies--hey, there is some nutrition in there. Do alcoholic beverages count as cravings?
What I Miss? Working out regularly--lately, I am so tired I can barely keep my head up at work, not to mention getting up for morning rendezvous at the gym aren't happening as frequently as I would like--this week's goal: 3 days of gym time! I also miss going to late dinners with Jeff. He knows if I don't eat by 6:30 it's game over.
Symptoms? Insomnia, indigestion, and I swear I am getting cankles--gross.
Best Moment of the Week? Jeff and I were laying in bed Sunday morning watching TV and I couldn't help but think that in a mere 5.5 months, we'll have a little snuggle bear to spend our mornings with...happy heart!
Oh, and I sent out our gender reveal party invites--take a look! I worked with Jen of Blackberry Graphics on Etsy to design them and they turned out perfectly with the colors we are using for the party...I think it's going to be a lot of fun! {just showing the top part of the invitation, as the bottom features our contact info--not necesasry to show--lol}

Our Home...The Before and After Tour

Ask and you shall receive! I had loads of comments and messages asking for a home tour of our little cottage...a lot has changed since the 1.5 years ago we moved in--my how time flies! Though my before and afters aren't as drastic as hoards of homeowner DIYers out there, it's crazy to see just how many little details {and a lot of paint} go a very long way. Check out how our house looked when we bought it here.
Note: The before pictures are when we bought the house in January 2010 and the after pictures are as of September 2011.

Our master bedroom...my favorite place

 My side of the bed...bookshelf with some of my favorites--coffee table books from our travels, my seashell jewelry box from my grandparents when I was little, and countless books and pictures

 Jeff's favorite...the TV ;)

 Every girl MUST have a full length mirror in her room!

 The master bathroom...still work to be done, mostly art on the walls

 Le toilet...obviously nothing glamorous

 The kitchen and dining room...my favorite room and I'm obsessed with the paint color

 The buffet...cocktail concoctions galore! {for everyone, but me right now}

 My refrigerator...I should've taken a picture to let
you see how organized it is--OCD people!

The foyer into the house...the armoire is one of my favorite pieces!!

 The oppostite side of the entryway looking into the formal living room

 Formal living room...

 Where Jeff spends most of his time...the downstairs family/man room

 I've started my fall decorating...little pieces here and there, but more to come!

 The little crafting nook {or food area for football season eating}...and yes, those are the moss letters from our wedding! I just had to use them somewhere

 The main level guest bathroom

 The upstairs full bathroom

 The small guest bedroom

 {notice the painting that needs to be hung ASAP!}

 Larger guest bedroom...see all the closet storage that has now been moved
to make way for the contractors starting this week!!

And the office AKA the new nursery! This room is in for the biggest transformation and I am really excited about it...different paint and new furniture, addition of beadboard to the bottom half of the walls, built-in bookcase and custom closet design--can't wait to show off lots of before, during, and after pictures!

It may not be the perfect home, but it's the perfect home for us and we couldn't love it anymore...it's got our personalities wrapped into it and suits our lifestyle perfectly--even better, it's great for entertaining, too! Much more work to be done in the coming years, but I hope you enjoyed the fun little tour and showed you a bit more into our home and overall style.
And P.S. though I know some of you will ask where certain items are from, before you email or comment, to be honest...it may just be easier to check the pages of the Pottery Barn catalog and website first ;)