Sometimes I don't believe it when I think about the fact that I'll be a mom in less than a week. It is so crazy to think that time has gone by this fast and frankly, I am scared out of my mind. Being a mom is all I have ever wanted and I know without a doubt that this was the time Jordan and I were supposed to start our family; but that doesn't change the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. For this reason, I am so grateful for the gospel and to know I can completely rely on prayer and inspiration to help me when I'll need it, which will most likely be 100% of the time. As unprepared as I feel, I'm as ready as I'll ever be!

Jordan and I finally finished the nursery. There are a few things we still need like a garbage can, but overall it feels finished. I love how it turned out, especially when I see pictures of what that room used to look like...

Before

 After

Jordan's dad designed and printed this art work for us, painted the wall gray, and hung them all up. Thanks Scott! We LOVE it!

We found this for a ridiculously low price at DownEast, as you can see below. It was the first thing we bought for his room and we were pretty excited about it. 

Don't mind the garbage on the floor... I told you I still need a trash can.

Close-up of his sheets.

Forgive the pictures... we don't have a high-quality camera so those were taken with Jordan's phone. I don't think they do the room justice, but for a phone they aren't too bad. It feels great to be finished and know that at least I'm prepared in that aspect. The colors turned out fun and even though I know decorating was more for us, I'm glad my baby will have his own cute little room. I love walking in there and am excited to actually have a baby to change on the changing table, put into the crib, and cuddle with in the rocking chair.  

On Halloween, my 39 week mark, we were able to have maternity pictures taken! My friend Summer was kind enough to take them for us since I'm pretty much awful at documenting our lives. Our main form of documentation is Instagram, and I think we've posted like six pictures. Pathetic. I need to be better so I can capture all the fun family moments that are soon to come! Anyway, we love how they turned out and feel so grateful to have some nice pictures of us for once since our wedding. Thanks, Summer! 

3 more days! Ready or not, he's coming!

Interchangeable Yarn Wreath

I had a really hard time naming this post in such a boring, straight-forward manner. Just an FYI.

I normally don't get that excited about wreaths that I make, but I really am pumped about this one. Yarn wreaths are by far my favorite but they take twelve years and five months to make. This is a problem. All of the hours spent wrapping yarn and untangling it only to tangle it again by continuing to wrap it is enough to drive a person insane. Oh, and let's not forget all the time spent massaging your hand and hoping you don't develop some type of arthritis. Yes, I'm a whiner and yes, it may not be that bad, but I've solved my problem regardless. This wreath is interchangeable! The bats are pinned on, not glued, so now I can take them off and pin on other things depending on the season or holiday. I can pin on snowflakes or blue roses for winter, hearts or red roses for Valentines Day, four-leaf clovers for St. Patrick's Day, etc. Three cheers for preventing carpal tunnel!

Rocking Chair Makeover

While browsing DI in Rexburg a couple of months ago, Jordan and I found this rocking chair and got really excited. We wanted a chair that we could fix up and make our own, but nothing caught our eye until this little beauty. Sure it smelled bad, and maybe the original cushion was covered in cat hair (we left it at the store because it was so bad), but we knew there was a little treasure hiding beneath it all. I'm so glad we got it! $15 for both pieces... that's what I'm talking about.

After spending several hours sanding and painting, Jordan was ready for me to help finish it off. We only needed three things: a cushion to sit on, pillow for decoration/comfort, and fabric for the ottoman and pillowcase.

We spent FOREVER searching online and in stores for chair cushions but could never find one that was the right size. We decided to stop by Cost Plus to check out their selection while we were in Utah. After searching through the chair cushions with no luck, we started wandering around with hopes of magically stumbling upon something that would work. What was waiting for us in the 50% off section you ask? A cushion of not only the perfect size, but also the perfect color. It was love at first sight.

We found the perfect fabric to use for the rest from a body pillowcase (on sale) at Target. We cut it in half and used the part with the zipper for the pillow and the other part for the ottoman. I should do projects with Jordan more often - all I had to do was sew one seam and staple some fabric to wood. Best project ever.

I'm loving the end result and can't wait to rock little Baby Bevan. This chair is the perfect size for tall people like us and I hope it lasts for a while. I'm excited to post more pictures of the nursery, but we still have a lot of work to do. One project down, several more to go!

By the way, as I was walking out of Walmart the other day, I had quite the conversation with a mysterious old man. I thought I should share.

Old Man: You're walking out of the entrance door.
Me: Haha, yep... (so are you?)
Old Man: You know, I was at McDonald's the other day and they only had one straw left. Do you want to know what it was?
Me: What?
Old Man: The last straw. (Exits stage right.)

Just a little food for thought for the evening... something to ponder about. As for me, I'll continue to be freaked out by random old men (not the kind that resemble your cute grandpa or Santa) approaching me at Walmart, which may or may not happen every time I go. Super Target, please come soon.

Copycat

So, I haven't been able to sleep well lately. Jordan, on the other hand, has been passing out at around 10 every night, leaving me with my computer. Alone. All alone. This is not a good thing since every time I pick up my computer and there isn't anything or anyone distracting me, I end up spending hours browsing/stalking websites and blogs. I have been wanting to make something for my sisters for a really long time and figured Pottery Barn would have some fun things to look at.

While browsing, I came upon this little guy:



Cute, right? Oh, by the way, it costs $129. Do you think it's cute now? I can't believe how expensive things are. Who would pay $129 for that? It's ludicrous.

I ventured out to Porters the next day and bought all of my supplies for $5. The canvas was on sale for $2.99 and I bought a couple pieces of pink paper (my sister's room is pink and zebra). After that I went home and talked to my sister about what quotes she wanted for it. I predicted she wouldn't want some of the cheesy quotes about love, and she did indeed make it very clear to leave most of them out. I don't blame her. She's 12 and the last thing that is on her mind is that ""love conquers all". After coming up with some of our own words and phrases, and picking ones she liked from the original, I typed up the quotes, printed them, and cut them out.



Is it illegal to use the quotes they have on there? Because I'm pretty sure I could have thought those up on my own. Or I could have used the help of some 9 year olds to think of the phrases like "Life is awesome!" and "Sparkle and shine!".

First, I organized all my phrases and words on wax paper because it was easy to move them around how I wanted (I tried to lay them out on the canvas, but the papers would stick and it was really frustrating). Once I had them all where I wanted them, I busted out the modge podge. The end. (I may or may not tie a zebra or black ribbon around it somewhere. I don't know where I would tie it if I decide to. Suggestions?)



I guess this means I saved $124, even though I would never buy that full price. Or half price. Or half of half price.

Happenings

On Wednesday, I threw my very first baby shower for our Relief Society president with A LOT of help from my friend Monica. She made delicious cake pops and chocolate covered pretzels and helped out in a billion other ways. Oh, and I can't forget about my other helper and friend - the internet. Good thing there are so many talented, generous people out there who create really cute things for other people to steal. After we decided on colors, I found a banner, cupcake toppers, and really cute invitations from a blog that matched perfectly. To whoever made these adorable elephant printables, thank you!







I also played in my very first championship volleyball game at BYU-Idaho last night. It’s only for the competitive league, so it’s not really legit, but it was still a great game. Jordan was the best fan ever. He got all our fans in the stands to chant and clap for us, and he yelled so loud the whole night that his voice was gone after the game. Although we lost, I had a lot of fun. My team played great, but the other team’s defense was ridiculous. If you know me, you know I’m really hard on myself and only think of the mistakes I make rather than the good stuff. All I can think about are the things I could have done better or differently last night. So, I just keep watching this video over and over again to keep myself from getting too depressed:


I’ll miss playing volleyball at BYU-Idaho, but at least Jordan and I were both able to make it to the championships while we were here (Jordan actually won his). We’ll have to find a league to play in wherever we end up because I know we’ll die without volleyball.

Spring Has Sprung

Today we woke up to the sun. For once, my spring wreath actually looks like it is supposed to be hanging on my door.

Thank you, Spring, for deciding to show up.

Conference

During conference, there was one particular talk that was such a blessing for me to hear. I felt like it was written just for me and my family, although I know there are probably thousands of others who probably felt the same. I am so thankful that I was able to hear a talk that so perfectly answered all of my prayers as I have recently thought about life and why we are required to go through such difficult and unexpected trials. I am thankful for revelation and that we have prophets and apostles that tell us what God would tell us if He were here. I loved all of conference, but there are always a couple of talks that really touch me. This was definitely one. I love the gospel.
The Atonement Covers All Pain