gram it.

May 28, 2013

1. i woke up super early with a ton of energy. this rarely happens so i decided to capitalize on that mess and make my wonderful husband (who takes the best care of me ever) a little breakfast. the weather was amazing this weekend and it was so nice eating with all the windows open and a nice little breeze…and the sleepy oogly eyes at each other are always nice : )

2. finally got the urge to paint and was able to make a couple gifts for some dear friends of mine that are also having baby girls this summer.

3. pool time with lily bean. good lord i love my niece. i

4. sad to say, ive been totally hooked on desperate housewives. also i drink ice water out of this giant beer stein because im a wild thirsty beast all. the. time. and im making penny a little blanket out of left over yarn from her poms.

this weekend was FULL of so much relaxation, friendship, alone time with the hubs and fam, and a little creating time squeezed in there. it was the BEST! but alas…here we are…back at work. at least its only a 4 day week.

hope all of your memorial day weekends were fantastic!

maternity slump.

May 28, 2013

baby, life, maternity style

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To be honest, im a bit of a binge shopper. I don’t really shop all that much and then ill spend a $100 bucks on a bunch of stuff and satisfy the need for newness in my closet. The place i do most of my binge shopping is forever21 online (to save myself from walking around all the cropped topped teenagers that remind me that i am so…not…21). A hundred bones goes a long way at that place. Sometimes i think it makes Brett jealous, because he’ll spend the same amount as me on a pair of jeans and a t shirt…and i get these big ol boxes delivered to our door step with at least 10 outfits in it.

My need to feed the online shopping beast has pretty much been on hiatus since the bump arrived and can i be real when i say…i hate maternity clothes. They are comfy as hell, but pretty pricey and really not my style. I’ve never been a fan of empire waist (especially tops or tunics), ruching, or things that tie. So since this belly has grown i haven’t really felt like myself. After some consulting from an extremely fashionable friend o’ mine, I decided to try a little of my old tricks, and just up the sizing a bit.

i am irrationally excited about this dino tank. its nice to have something ridiculous to throw on on those hot summer days. and of course what would a shop binge be with out unneccessary accessories…

forever21 is sporting some really cute things these days…and their sale section is pretty legit right now too. ill let you know how these oversized shirts do with the bump invasion. im pretty stoked to see how it goes.

fighting the fear.

May 22, 2013

Crafty, life

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This post is completely unrelated to pregnancy or parenthood. Gasp! There are more things to talk about than us having a baby? Totally. I mean don’t get me wrong…Penny is awesome, but I am still Katie, and there is a lot more going on in here than just becoming Pennys mom.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way. Lets talk a little about the fear. All my creative people say “Haaaaaaaaaaay”. I’m sure we all have it. If you don’t id like to know your secret. Being creative is easy. Sharing your creativity with the general public is well…not as easy. There was a period of time in my life where i loved painting and i would sit in my room for hours just making things. After a night of crafty goodness, i would pack everything up and put it in the closet. Where it would stay. Forever. I never talked about it and i would NEVER have the audacity to call myself an “artist”. I still cringe at the word. If anyone ever calls me that I get really uncomfortable and say something awkward like…”i dabble” or “im a doodler”, but I would never voluntarily share that i was an artist. I still don’t think i am.

Since the days of sneakily making things in the privacy of my bedroom and locking them away, Ive branched out a little bit and have developed a style that i feel more comfortable sharing. I even sold a few things which was shocking to me, because i never thought anything i made was worth spending money on.

Recently i had the the opportunity to sell my prints at a local book store that is connected to my work. Unsure of how it would work out and a little afraid to step out of my comfort zone, i went for it and applied.

i was rejected.

im not going to lie…i totally cried (which i partly blame on pregnancy). But i immediately chalked it up to the fact that i…well…sucked. Then i remembered that before i had deleted my facebook (long story and also best decision I’ve made in a while) i had applied to sell my prints at an adorable little handmade shop in a near by cute little town and they were super interested (which i totally forgot about until today). i think really the bookstore and i just weren’t a good match. and that’s okay.

After bumming for about 10 minutes and feeling like a complete failure i actually got a couple more ideas for some prints that i want to create for some dear friends that are having babies a little bit before me and brett. and boom! total complete failure turned inspiration moment. my normal self would have been like “well i guess i suck, ill most likely never paint again”, but not this time. growth!

i love to make things. i love to paint funny little child like pictures. and that’s okay. you don’t need to paint full on scenic, perfect piece of art to be an artist. you just have to love to create.

so to any of my fellow closet “artists” out there. keep on keepin on. make things cuz you like to. and if you make things and try to sell them and no one buys it…who cares!

so i guess this was my own little way of fighting the fear today. posting these little things that Ive made that i enjoy and sharing them with you.

I hope you like them…and if you dont…thats okay too : ).

23 weeks.

May 21, 2013

baby, letters from M

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hello little one,

one of the sweetest little mile stones this week was feeling you have the hiccups for the first time. im not one who enjoys repetitive motions or tapping or things of that sort. but these cute little hiccups were awesome. you really are a little person in there, and it amazes me every day. even though we’re already sort of getting to know each other (in an odd way) im so very nervous to meet you and so excited at the same time. your dad gives you plenty of hugs and kisses and i just cant wait till we both can hold you and squeeze you and kiss your little face!

one of the things you craved this week was your grandma tonis goulash. when we ate it you tumbled about in my tummy with pure joy. im pretty sure you love food just about as much as your family. the halls (my side of the family unit) will be very impressed by your appetite in the years to come im sure of it. you also are still a fan of raspberry sorbet. we end each night with a few bites from our little pint (its still about half way full and we’ve had it for a week) if it were up to your dad this would have been gone on day one (he has a bit of a sweet tooth). its kind of our little ritual. before we go to bed your dad gets us a glass of ice water and we take our vitamins, then we have a few bites of sorbet and hit the hay! (hey that rhymed…we’ll teach you what rhyming is later).

you are definitely growing and it is not always the most comfortable experience for me when you go through your little spurts, but its so good to know that you are getting bigger and staying healthy. i’m starting to feel you all over my tummy these days, instead of just in one little spot and i can see your little flips and thuds on the outside. i thought it was crazy to feel you move, but to be able to see it is absolutely insane. each day something new happens and its fun (and at some times pretty hilarious) talking about it all with each other and your friends moms and dads (they are all getting ready to be born too…you have quite the group of friends on the way actually).

you are doing awesome in there penny joy! and your dad and i love you like crazy!

xoxo,

a bako visit, a wedding, and some shopping

May 20, 2013

life

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This weekend was a bit chaotic, and also a bit wonderful at the same time. My work had a huge event that required nearly all of my energy. Brett and I were up at 8am helping set up everything and left around noon to begin our trek to bakersfield for a friends wedding. We made it up there at about 2, went to the wedding at 330 and were out with his friends until 1am. Needless to say…i was quite the tuckered out pregnant lady.

We do enjoy when we get to get fancy though. We don’t do it very often…but I think us Lemsters clean up pretty well.

Sunday was a family day and we were able to go to church with everyone and see the bako side. There were lots of belly rubs and excited conversation and it was fun to be around more people that are just as excited about our growing family as we are : ). There are some good ones up there.

Post lunch we did a little shoppin and bretts mom bought penny some pretty adorable outfits. My favorite was this little overall stripey shirt combo, that coincidentally enough matched one of bretts t shirts exactly. I die. The thought of them matching was about the cutest thing ever to me, and i giggled as i looked at all her little tiny clothes spread out on the floor.

(sidenote: how fun is the new a beautiful mess app?!…ive been playing with it a ton and its fun to see everyone adding little details to their photos here and there. the ladies over there did a wonderful job with this thing…i highly recommend it!)

We also scoped out a “totally bad ass” (bretts words) stroller at babys r us. Its an epic jogging stroller with some pretty sweet bonus features and we are all about it. Baby gear is still completely overwhelming to me, but i think having brett there makes it a little less scary. Plus it was super helpful to have mama carolyn walk us around and tell us what everything was…ha!

Then we got to go to dinner with bretts dad and step mom before heading home. Its so cute to see how excited his dad is about this little one.

All in all it was a very action packed weekend but it was super fun to see some faces that we dont get to see often and to celebrate the marriage of some pretty awesome peeps! I wish we could make it up there more often.

Happy Monday and Cheers to another week!

22 weeks.

May 14, 2013

baby, letters from M

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oh little lady,

we are head over heals for you! we’ve already begun special care in getting your room all sorted out for you. i love to think of you sleeping/not sleeping in there and growing and learning and getting lots of kisses all over your sweet little face from me and your dad. your kicks are getting so much bigger…and higher! the other day you kicked me so high it scared me, you are getting so big! sometimes i get so preoccupied that i forget your in there, and then you give me a swift kick in the belly and remind me.

Yesterday we did our first pregnancy work out and let me tell you it was no easy task. I’m gonna start taking better care of us : ). Going on long walks with your dad and doing some work outs here and there, ill try not to move around too much so you aren’t getting all shakin up in there.

You are still super into eating things with chalula and ranch dressing. Although today you have had a huge hankering for some sort of sorbet or an icey coffee beverage of sorts. This heat is already doing a number on us, and i think we just want something fresh, light and chilly.

we love you penny! keep growing strong!

XOXO,

a well nested weekend…

May 13, 2013

baby, Crafty, DIY, life

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This weekend was full. It was totally fun, but oh so full, and i find myself pretty exhausted from it all today. The heat isn’t helping much (geez California with your 100 degree weather…takeachillpill).

We were lucky to spend some mothers day time with my mom yesterday and she and her boyfriend blessed us with a crib for our little lady! We were so excited and let me tell you, standing in that ikea in front of a crib with my hands resting on the side of it was the most surreal feeling ever. When did we become old enough to have a baby? When did we go from “yeah maybe in 5 years…” to “hey maybe we could do this now?”. Its so amazing and wonderful and terrifying and incredibly ridiculous all at the same time. I’m so glad that I get to do this with Brett and when we talk about our little girl and the dreams and plans we have for our family I feel so lucky. And when we talk about how scared out of our minds we are and how we have literally no idea what we are doing, I feel even more lucky that I’m not in this alone and that my husband is just as clueless and scared and excited as I am. That may not make sense, but its oddly comforting.

Anywho…in the midst of hanging out with some of my favorite people this weekend I actually got enough energy to get our spare room in order for some baby craftin. I really wish I had a before photo so that you all could be impressed with how much I did. Our spare room was FULL of boxes, some empty and some full of random crap, from our move (no worries…i did not lift things…there was a lot of scooting, pushing and sweet maneuvering skills…but no lifting). Our friend Eric came over and helped put up our curtains and my friend Faith and I hung out and made some pom garland for above the crib. I did all this stuff before Brett came home from work so I could surprise him with all the good work i did : ). Then he surprised me today by building the crib while I’m at work (we like to surprise each other with things).

It’s definitely coming together and also has a long way to go, but I’m already in love with the direction its taking. I’m on the hunt for a dresser to refurbish for the changing table, we have some shelves we’re going to hang above that, and im scouring all etsy sites for cute little prints to hang up. I cant wait till that little white book shelf is full of books to read to our little Penny and it will be awesome to see her snuggled up to mine and bretts childhood stuffed animals (fuzzy the blue bear and bubba the dolphin).

I cant wait to meet this little girl that is just gonna rock mine and bretts world. Shes already so awesome.

Pennys getting mail.

May 10, 2013

baby, life

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We received a package in the mail yesterday addressed to Penny Lemster.

I turned to giddy mush when I saw that my amazing mother in law sent us these incredibly adorable teeny tiny baby Toms!

Whats great about this, is we told her Tuesday afternoon what we were having and they arrived Thursday afternoon. Mama Carolyn must’ve been chompin at the bit to get this little one something tiny! Its so fun to share all of this excitement with our family! And getting little gifts in the mail from the people you love is always fun!

Happy Friday Friends!

peachy keen.

May 9, 2013

baby, life

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I am not a pink lover. Even my own mom gives me grief about how she “prayed and prayed for a little girl, so I could put her in all things frilly and pink, and you hated all things girly”.

Which is true. I used to steal my brothers (who is 8 years older) t-shirts and wear them with my leggings with the stirrups and my multi colored scrunch socks (yeah 90s kid).

In one of my mini pinterest binges during the work day, i realized that i may be a little bit swooning over peach. All shades of peach. I have in mind to use tons of color in our little girls room, but these little peach and grey accents. I’m loving it.

We already had in mind for the nursery that our main colors would be black white and grey and then we could get fun with whatever colors we wanted after we found out what we were having. Its been fun looking at all of this bright and cheery decor for our little lady.

Ive pretty much been obsessed with these little yarn poms for a while now, and luckily the person who lived in our apartment before us left 4 hooks in the ceiling right above where the crib will go. I plan on hanging a ton of these little fluff balls above the crib. There are also a couple of etsy shops ive been dying to purchase from and I finally get to pick my favorites now that we know who we’re buying for! I’m excited (im sure brett is terrified).

Links:

Children’s Wall Art -Little Cat Illustration – Nomuu

Geometric Triangle Peach and Grey Blanket – Little Hip Squeeks

Dress – Thief & Bandit Kids

21 weeks.

May 8, 2013

baby, letters from M

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Dear little lady,

Your dad and I were shocked to find out that you are indeed a little baby girl! And even more shocked when we decided to give you a different name than the one we’ve planned all along. We’ve decided to name you Penelope Joy Lemster. Joy is a pretty special name. My mom gave me the name Joyce as my middle name after her mom, and so I’m handing the name down to you. Its fun to already have something special to hand down to you. We’ve been loving calling you by name, even this morning when your dad went to work he gave me the usual kiss on the forehead and i love you and then turned and said “i love you too penny”. My sleepy heart just melted. Everyone is SO excited about you and you even got your first present from my boss this morning. Its a cuddly little bunny rabbit with rosy red cheeks. You are going to LOVE it.

Our doctor said that you are growing just fine, your even 3 days ahead of schedule and everything is growing perfectly. We’re so proud of you!

This weekend I plan on getting some things up in your nursery. Now that I know who you are I’ve got some great ideas for your little space : ).

You are so amazing Penny, we are so incredibly thankful for you and we feel so lucky that we get to be your parents.

We love you little lady.

XOXO,