Merry Christmas from my family to your family!

First of all I just want to say THANK YOU for all of your sweet comments on my new arrival in May! Blog friends really are the bestest!  I am feeling so much better and am really starting to feel like my normal self. I am almost 19 weeks along and we will be having our first ultrasound in about three weeks.  We have decided that we are going to find out what we are having.  I just can't wait until May! I promise to keep you updated with nursery pictures and my growing bump.

I also wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!  I leave you with a picture of Clark Griswold (the smile on his face says it all).

(Photo Courtesy of: http://screenrant.com)

Special Announcement to Make

Hello my dear blog friends, it has been forever since I have written any posts. Well, I think it is only fair that I share my news with all of you. I am expecting my first child this coming May. My husband and I are very excited and still in complete shock that we are going to be parents.  I am just about through the first tri-mester and am starting to feel somewhat normal again.  I have had morning sickness (no pukes just queasiness) and have been extremely tired.  This morning I woke up and felt the best that I have in 3 months. I had my first Dr.'s appt. last week and was able to hear the heartbeat (so awesome). The heartbeat was 160 which I have heard a fast heartbeat usually means a girl, but I am not sure if I believe all of those old wives tales.  I would be happy with either a little boy or girl.  I am just so happy to be almost done with the first tri-mester.  I am probably going to be needing some advice from all of you mommies out there because I have no idea what to expect!  Please stay tuned for upcoming projects including the nursery. :)

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed

Thank you to all of my new followers and for all of your lovely comments.  I have been MIA lately because I have been feeling overwhelmed. I apologize for my lack of posts and projects but sometimes I just need to take a break from it all.  I am hoping that I can get some projects posted soon but I need to find some balance and just needed a little break.  I love you all dear blog friends and I hope you will continue to read this blog.  I will be back soon!

Gotta Love CSN Stores!

I just love CSN stores!  CSN has given this little ol' blog some great opportunities to give a few of my readers a $40 gift card.  They have just about everything that you can imagine such as cookware, bedroom furniture and dining sets.   Here are a few things that I would love to have from CSN stores.

This mobile kitchen cart would be perfect to bring out for family gatherings and the best part is that you can wheel it anywhere.

Ok, I am a kid at heart! I would love to have this cotton candy machine. It would be perfect for my nieces and nephews birthday parties.

These chair slip covers would be really great to dress up a boring chair.

CSN stores has anything and everything you could ever want!

A Backyard Makeover

Wow! It seems like forever since I have posted any projects that I have been working on. I apologize for taking so long, I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately.  I want to say thank you to all of my new followers and dedicated readers.  Now for the good stuff!  I will start with some before pictures. I am a little embarrassed on how bad our yard looked but that's what makes it a good before and after.

 BEFORE

This was our sad, little fire pit. It seemed like a good idea five years ago, but as you can see it is pitiful pit. LOL!

DURING

We decided that this sad fire pit needed beefed up and it needed to be well round.  We priced out fire rings and mobile fire pits but the quality just wasn't there and some of them were too much money. So, we decided to make our own.  Lowe's has a pretty good tutorial we didn't use as many pavers/stones as Lowes did, but you get the idea. 

AFTER

Aww, much better! Now, that looks like a real fire pit. We got the adirondack chairs for $25.00 a piece unfinished. I stained them with dark stain. I sewed the pillows and used fabric from a yellow table cloth that I had bought from a thrift store. 

The picnic table was white and I painted the top of table and seats brown. I think the brown gives it a little character and goes better with the chairs. 

Now, we can spend these crisp fall nights by our new fire pit. I love looking into my backyard now!

I am linking to:

http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/

Not Much to Thrift About!

Hello blogger friends! I don't have a lot to report from this past weekend of thrifty finds. My old, reliable friend Goodwill had their 50% off sale this weekend and the husband was kind enough to go with me. I only found one thing that I couldn't live without.

Isn't this owl the cutest? I just couldn't resist.

I hope you are all having a great week! Maybe next week I will have more to report.

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