Baby Shower for a Happy Little Camper

A few months ago my mom and sister threw me a beautiful baby shower at O'Connor's Restaurant in Worcester. Since Mike and I have really gotten into camping over the past few years, they went with a woodsy, camping theme for our little boy.

O'Connors is one of my favorite restaurants. They did a brunch for us with all the fixings. They even included their signature Butternut Squash Soup, a must try if you are ever in the area.

The decor kept with the woodsy theme. They decorated with vintage camping items and maps and the tables were accented with old-timey toys, burlap and mason jars.

For games, they kept things simple with a mom vs. dad fact guessing game. There was also Onesie decorating that was a big hit. Once decorated, they strung them around the room for some added cozy decor.

The favors were two different types of handmade trail mix. So creative and cute, not to mention delicious!

Thank you to all my family and friends who came out to make Harrison's shower so special!

Welcome Baby!

This post is way overdue! Harrison William was born on January 8th at 9:10 pm weighing 6 lbs 5 oz, 19.5". He came two weeks early.

Harrison is 3 months old now and is happy and healthy. We are so in love! His birth did not go at all as planned and ended in a c-section and a NICU stay. I may share the story at some point but it is still a little raw at the moment, but know that Mom, Dad and Baby are all doing well.

He has kept me very busy for the past 3 months. I'm back at work still trying to figure out how to balance it all. Stay tuned!

Pregnancy Log - 37 Weeks

How far along: 

Long time, no update! I'm 37 weeks and in the 3rd Trimester.

Baby Size: 

Winter Melon

Symptoms: 

Heartburn! Zantac is your friend. Shortness of breath. Baby is really crowding my lungs and I'm getting winded by walking up a flight of stairs or even talking on the phone. It's really bizarre. My nose has also gotten really stuffy this week and I've been snoring.

Sleep:

As I get bigger, it is getting harder to get comfortable. Both my couch and my bed aren't doing it for me. If it weren't for the Snoogle, I don't think I'd get any sleep at all. I'm up twice a night to go to the bathroom. Its pretty much like clockwork at 12:30 and 3 am. 

Loving:

I'm feeling more hungry now than I did earlier in the pregnancy. The kicker is that my stomach is so squished right now I can't eat that much at once. I'm defiantly doing more snacking than I usually do. Also, I have to watch my sodium intake since I have developed pregnancy induced hypertension (more on that later) and since there is salt in literally everything (even milk?!), eating has become frustrating.

Loathing: 

My nose is still hypersensitive and stinky stuff bothers me but I'm not really having any out of the ordinary food aversions.

Maternity Clothes:

For sure. Maternity yoga pants, tank tops and a unbuttoned flannel shirt is my new uniform. Comfort is key. My feet are a little swollen so loose sneakers or my Ugg boots are my footwear of choice. 

Missing Most:

Since I've been watching my sodium, all I want is Chili's chips & queso! Also, french fries. I did miss alcohol a little more during the holidays. A glass of wine or two would've been nice!

Can't Wait:

To meet this little guy! I'm feeling more excited than nervous about giving birth. We had a scare around 33 weeks where I ended up in the hospital for 3 days for observation due to my rising blood pressure. When I first got there it was so high they were talking about delivering him that night which was really scary. Luckily, I stabilized and eventually got to go home. I'm being very carefully monitored with two doctors appointments a week, one with a non-stress test and one with an ultrasound. I feel like I basically live in the doctors office now but it does give me some peace of mind to keep checking up on him.

Feeling:

Pretty anxious. I'm on modified bed rest - I don't have to stay in bed but I have to take it easy and I've been working from home for the past few weeks. Being home alone during the day is pretty boring and there are less distractions so I find myself worrying more, wondering if he is moving enough, stressing about checking my blood pressure. Just general wondering if everything is OK. I'd always thought that with pregnancy the first trimester is where you were the most worried, just trying to get to that 12 week mark, I really didn't expect to feel like that again this late in the pregnancy. It hasn't been all bad though. My family and friends have been really supportive and it's a good excuse to watch a lot of movies and just relax. And I can't say I miss my commute!

Nursery:

Is coming together nicely and is pretty much done at this point! There's just a few finishing touches and decorating things to do to make it 100%. It is looking so cute, I can't wait to share!

Sephora Annual VIB Sale Haul & Shopping Tips

In case you haven't heard, it's that time of year again! The Sephora VIB sale is back! If you are a VIB or VIB Rouge member you will receive a coupon to save 20% off your total purchase. VIB members can save 20% off in store or online with coupon code: VIB20, beginning 11/13 through 11/16/2015.

This is Sephora's biggest sale of the year. It's a great way to try out new products without breaking the bank and it is also a good time to stock up on your tried and true items. Even though you may not be out of your favorite Mascara right this second, you will kick yourself in a month when it dries up that you didn't stock up during the sale.

I am a VIB Rouge member so my sale was a week early and my order just came in. Here is what I picked up:

New Products:

Too Faced Love Flush Blush in Love Hangover
NARS One Shocking Moment Cheek Palette
NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls

Bite Butter Cream Lipsticks in Caramel and Pecan

Anastasia Self Made Palette

Re-Stocks:

Rosebud Salve

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser

Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara


Money Saving Shopping Tips:

Cash Back - If you haven't already, check out EBates. It doesn't cost anything to join. To cash in, you simply go to the EBates website, search for the store you want to shop at and follow their link to the store and you'll earn cash back when you make a purchase. You can also download a button to add to your browser that will automatically alert you if there is an Ebates discount at the store you're shopping at. They are currently offering 4% back at Sephora.

Also, If you have a credit card that offers cash back, you may be able to earn extra cash back rewards when you shop through a link on their website. I have a Chase Freedom card that gives 1% cash back on all purchases, but right now through their rewards program they are offering an additional 5% back at Sephora.

Discount Gift Cards - There are several websites where you can buy gift cards at a discount. My favorite one is Raise.com. I was able to score a Sephora e-giftcard at a discount that I used during the sale. It is so easy to use. Once you purchase the gift card they provide you with the gift card number to use when shopping online.


The great thing about this event is you can shop in-store or online as many times as you want within the 4 day sale and get 20% off your order every time.

Happy Shopping!

Beauty Room Tour

Today's post is all about my beauty room. This room has gone though several transformations over the years. First, we painted it yellow and used it as our guest room. It then became a guest room/office for a while. Finally, when we were renovating our bathroom a few years ago I set up a mirror at the desk in here and made a little vanity for myself during construction. I loved getting ready in here so much that I created a permanent vanity area for myself in here and the room was transformed into my beauty room.

Here's a peek inside:

I get ready in here in the morning and also use this space to do the majority of my blogging and photography.

The vanity setup is mostly from Ikea. The desk is the Liatorp. I added a glass topper to prevent the white desktop from getting stained from makeup products. I think it gives it an elegant touch.

On my vanity, I have 4 of the MUJI 2-Drawer Acrylic Drawers stacked up. These drawers are slightly taller than the ever popular 5-Drawer system by MUJI. This makes them more versatile on what you can store in there. The top drawer is the lift-top version that I leave open so I can store my foundations and setting sprays upright. These are great quality and a great value. The US MUJI online store doesn't seem to be open right now but you can find these on Amazon or go to one of the US Stores.

To the left of my desk I have two of the Alex 6-drawers stacked. I like these compared to the 9-drawer version since the drawers are wider. I use this to store my makeup collection and accessories. I still have plenty of room left to grow.

I hope you enjoyed this peek inside my beauty room! I've been meaning to get this post up for a while now. I've been enjoying this space for about 3 years but alas, I'm being kicked out. This is the bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom so it is going to be the baby's room. It is actually empty in the process of being painted right now. I took these pictures over the summer. We moved the vanity, alex drawers and some of the decor upstairs to the guest room. I rearranged the furniture a bit in there and it actually fits quite nicely. While I'm sad to see this space go, it will be nice to have our little guy right next-door. I can't wait to share what I have in store for his nursery! Stay tuned!

Reference:

Paint: Behr, Moon Dance
Sunburst Mirror: Homegoods
Trifold Mirror: Pier 1
Foil Prints: I See Noise
Baies Candle: Nordstrom
Voluspa Candle: Bloomingdales
Orchid Quatrefoil Pillow: Motif Pillows
Purple Lattice Pillows: Dawns Decor & More
Bed: Ikea
Side Table: Target
Bedding: Target
Dress Form: PB Teen
Storage Drawers: Ikea
Desk: Ikea
Mercury Glass Jars: Anthropologie
Votives: Z Gallerie
Makeup Mirror: Target
Chair: Ikea
Faux Sheepskin Rug: Ikea
Chandelier: Home Depot

A Pink, Blue and Burlap Gender Reveal

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, we knew we wanted to have a Gender Reveal Party. It just looked like so much fun and the perfect way to share with family. The theme was "What Will Baby Bee?" Here's a recap of the night:

It has been pretty warm around here even though its September so we took advantage and had a BBQ with all the fixings.

We decorated with pink and blue accents with some touches of burlap. I ordered the mustache and lip cutouts from Etsy and then we glued them to bamboo skewers to use as a fun prop for guests to cast their vote.

There were definitely more boy votes than girls...

The cake was from Guilty Bakery in Plymouth. They did such an amazing job recreating the design I had found and really brought it to life. They even added an extra layer of frosting so no one could peek through the rosettes.

The baker instructed us on the "right way" to cut into a gender reveal cake, which is to cut straight into one of the sides and tip a piece over. I was so happy that she told us that because it was so much more climactic with everyone finding out at once!

It's a boy!! The room exploded into screams and even a few tears! It was such a great way for our families to share in the experience of finding out the sex of our baby.

The cake did not disappoint. It was a vanilla cake dyed blue with whipped cream and blonde Oreo filling. Oh so delicious!

Reference: 

Burlap Chalkboard - Michaels

She or He Banner - Ichabods Imagination on Etsy

Mustache and Lip Cutouts - Custom Creative Craft on Etsy

Cake - Guilty Bakery

Blue Mason Jars - Target

Beverage Dispenser - Bed Bath & Beyond