Jake's Giggle!

The other night I said something to Jake and out of no where, I got a huge giggle from him. He kept laughing and laughing. It made my weekend! I feel so blessed my phone was sitting right there so I could capture it! What a fun kid!!!!!

FFA Challenge #2: Homegood's Quiz

Let me start out by apologizing about Jakey's middle finger in the Easter post. Dave said he gets it from me... I wish I could dispute that! Poor kid's already picking up his mom's bad habits... actually, I never used my bird until after a few years of commuting to work. Something happens to me when other drivers make dumb choices. Either way... Jakey's getting a tude... He's spending way too much time with his mama!!!

"What you talk'n about Willis?"

Okay... so on to today's Fearlessly Finding Awesome Challenge. It's is all about a quiz on the Homegoods website. I am impressed!!! The quiz is to help define your design style. I told you I was obsessed with this stuff...

Here is what my quiz told me:

You are a Bohemian Casual

You are interested in creating a place where people feel relaxed. You have a variety of interests and influences and so appreciate different styles, cultures, and objects. Your home is cozy, with comfy chairs, throw pillows and places to set a drink or a book. But it also feels creative and visually intriguing, because you have an artist's eye that allows you to find objects that appeal to you in a unique and personal way—whether from your travels or from a local shop. This gives your home a feeling of being laid-back, and maybe even a bit quirky with its mix of pieces—some of which are classic, some handmade, some ethnic, and some just rich in meaning to you.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

I think they nailed it!!!

On a different note:

I'm trying to get all my spring cleaning done. I feel like I cannot keep up on things. It drives me crazy!!! I'm hoping to get that squared away this weekend. I found an awesome link to a spring cleaning check off list. Love it. Dave thought I created it myself. He made the comment that I "go all in" when it comes to cleaning... that made me laugh!

I am eager to get all the cleaning done so I can start on a project I'm dying to start. Right now Jakey is sleeping in a mini crib. It's not a pac n' play or anything like that... it's a real crib, just half the size. It works great for our bedroom, however, I haven't put together a nursery or bedding for his crib he'll move into. I wish I could just put the kiddo in a twin size bed, but he'll be too small for that so I have to get all the stuff together for his crib. Of course picking out crib bedding at JC Penny's or Khols would just be too easy.. instead, I have to make it by hand. I can't help it... Jake's room theme is going to be OUTER SPACE  and ROCKETS.   Everything to do with that topic that's been done is so cheesy. My kid isn't going to have cheese. So... If I get my spring cleaning done rather quickly, I can start this fun project!!!

Here is a piece of artwork we picked up that serves as inspiration:

Adorable, right?!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Easter 2012

Having a baby around has been so fun, especially during the holidays. Easter is no exception. We had fun shopping for Jake's first Easter Basket. We got him candy (ha! The perks of having a baby, you get their candy!), baby spoons (because Jake is just about ready to start eating solids), Baby Einstein, a ball and a fun little outfit. Oh...and bubbles, which he loved!

 We took a few photos of Jake in his Easter outfit. Do boys have Easter outfits? I don't know... Either way, we took some cute photos. I love how this photo came out... you can see his adorable little dimples.

 We decided we would make it a family tradition to see the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause every year. First year was a success. We hit the mall and set out to find the Easter Bunny. It wasn't hard to find!!! The rabbit was huge! Jake is looking less than thrilled in this photo. He just woke up... I'm surprised he didn't scream... LOL!!!

We had a nice Easter dinner with my parents and brother's family. It was a good time!!!

In LOvE with Jeff Lewis

 Currently, I'm in LOvE with show Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis on Bravo. Bravo is my go-to station. I love all the Housewives, Tabatha's Salon Take-Over... if its on Bravo, I've probably seen it which isn't something to brag about, but is sadly the truth!!!

Jeff Lewis is a home designer who first had a show called Flipping Out. He's known for his impeccable taste which I find so refreshing. Trust me, the guy isn't working with a cheap budget. He's usually working on multi-million dollar homes in LA. Interior Therapy is a show about room makeovers done in 5 days. Jeff Lewis has a way of presenting things that appear clean, simple and contemporary.

Here is some of Jeff Lewis' work.

What's it going to take for me to have a house like this??? I guess a million bucks, right?!

Shadow Box and Teething

I'm a huge Pinterest fan and one day I found the cutest idea! Someone put their baby's coming home outfit in a shadow box along with a photo. I had to do it!!! Jake's coming home outfit was very significant to us. Of course because it was his very first little outfit we put him in but also because it represented the fun we had shopping and preparing for Jake. Dave was actually the one who picked the little jammies. Those are the best memories!!!

Here is the shadow box finished. You can see I added his jammies, a birth announcement and first little Binky. I found the frame at Hobby Lobby for $23.99 @ 50% off... So this project cost me $12.00! Awesome right?! What an awesome way to preserve such precious memories!

On a side note... I've got one sad little guy!!! I know he's young, but I swear he's teething already. He's never been a drooler and all of a sudden, he's got a non-stop stream of spit. He woke up this morning with a little fever and man is he fussy!  Poor kid! If anyone has any tips, please let me know!!!

FFA: Catch a Dream

One of my favorite blogs I read is Vintage Revivals. Mandi, the writer of the blog is incredibly creative. She turns old undesirable furniture from thrift stores into beautiful creative pieces. I'm always so inspired by Mandi's creativity. Not to mention, her testimony of the Gospel is truly amazing.

Mandi recently started a club called the FFA: FEARLESSLY FINDING AWESOME. This club is all about finding your style, what inspires your house design. She gives challenges every other week. This week's challenge is to link our personalities with the feelings we want from our home. So... here it goes:

My personality is usually described as bubbly and cheerful... also creative. That's unless I've gone on the fritz and I get especially ornery. I can be a little sassy, mouthy and very strong.

What I want people to feel in my home is rich, comfortable, sassy, bold and playful . I definitely want people to feel like they can be themselves in my home.

I have a creative spirit so I like elements of creativity, but don't like things looking too cutesy. I love having things in my home that reflect the gospel but I don't want my home to be inundated with just church  art. For some reason, that bugs me. When the only art people have in their homes are pictures of Christ or temples. I think the spirit of peace can come through different ways, such as how you treat each other. So... church art is out for me.

Here is my dream kitchen. Its clean, crisp and the flooring makes it playful. I might add a pop of color depending on the season.

I guess you get the same feelings in this bathroom. The mirror is so bold. I'm in love with it! I would probably minus the light fixture. I know these types of chandi's are in, but I'd probably go a little more modern vs. romantic.

I'm loving the feeling this room creates. There's not a ton of contrast in this room, but I think it feels so relaxing and comfortable. Normally I'm drawn to more bold patterns, but I'm really digging the white and gray.

On a lighter note... I just bought this chair. All of my furniture is black and I decided I needed something playful and sassy in our living room. I'm hoping my intention for sassy doesn't turn trashy in this attempt to play up my design. I guess we'll see how it goes! Since we're living in a fully furnished home, I'll leave this bad-boy in the box until we move.

Jake's Baby Blessing and Salt Lake

A few weeks ago Dave blessed our little Jakey. It was an AWESOME experience. Of course Dave was super nervous, but he did such an excellent job. I was a proud mama and wifey that day.

My mom was always really big into hope-chests when I was younger. I remember being at the Deseret book store when I was 14 and coming across the most adorable little white tux you've ever seen. My mom encouraged me to purchase it and keep it in my hope-chest. Who knew if I would have a boy or not, I was prepared, right. Well... it paid off! Little Jakey wore his adorable white tux the day of his blessing.

I worried this little white tux would be too small. I kind-of tried it on him a few weeks previous, but lets face it... this kid grows like a weed, so I was pretty nervous about it fitting. It took three of us, my Grandpa, Grandma and I to get it on him. I thought I might have to cut it off him when we got home. It was worth the struggle...

 Look at the tail on the tux... adorable right?!

A week after the blessing, we drove down to Salt Lake for my cousin's wedding. This little Salt Lake trip was pretty significant for me. Not just because it was Jake's first road trip, or that I took photo of my cousin's wedding, but because it was going to be the first time I saw my best friend's little guy Blake and it was her first time seeing Jake. If you can believe it, Jake is two months younger than Blake.

*** DISCLAIMER: I realize I am wearing the same top in both photos. Sad thing... I'm wearing the same top today... as I write this. I think the universe is telling me its time to go shopping!!!!!!!!