Day 22: The Worst Advice You've Ever Received

1. I remember when I was just entering high school back in 2001, I had a somewhat older friend tell me "Who you are in high school shows who you are in life." So, when high school came around and I wasn't exactly the most popular.. or the smartest... I got discouraged. But then 2005 came around and we all graduated and guess what? Cliques didn't matter any more. I had the freedom to be WHOEVER I wanted. High School didn't play a factor in any of it. I had a new set of friends, a new set of ambitions, a new out look on life. We were no longer worried about who was prettier, who was cooler... we were on a level playing field. I would have to say that word of advice she gave me was wrong. And for those of who you are still in high school... don't worry.. the labels all leave you. The "popular crowd" are just people once you walk out of those doors for the last time. You are free to be yourself... find yourself. Embrace it :)

2. You'll always love your first love. Nah, you'll let him go. Trust me. You'll meet someone one day that changes EVERYTHING you could have EVER imagined. You'll meet someone that surpasses everyone else that has been in your life. You'll meet someone that treasures you. They won't cheat on you. They won't hurt you like everyone else has. Trust me. Your first love won't always be "treasured." Well, at least for me...

That's all I can think of right now. I've been given some GREAT advice down through the years that it's hard to think of something not so good....

Project 365: Day 438- February 11th

Today was a day spent cleaning up this house :) I'm trying to get things ready for the baby shower... and get spaces cleaned out to put things that we receive for our sweetheart! So, I cleaned some things today and organized a few things! We are getting ready for her... and I couldn't be more excited!! In between loads in the washer, mopping, and the dishes.. I snuck in a few episodes of "Desperate Housewives" ... SEASON 4. Yes, we have officially moved on haha :)  Whoo-hoo! Still loving it!



Once Ethan got home, we got cleaned up and got ready to meet my parents at Bob Evans for dinner :) While we were walking out to the truck, Ethan checked the mail and one of the alligator clips I bought Tayler arrived. I ordered it from: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BowsNMoreBowtique (Go on over and check them out!) Here's what it looks like:

It will clip onto the crocheted headbands we have for her! :) I am so excited for her to wear it, hehe!

We ate some GREAT food at Bob Evans and then we headed over to decorate for the baby shower. It was sad, but I was already completely exhausted by the time we got there, haha! But, thank God I have an amazing mother and family that helped do everything! Here's what the room looked like prior to decorations. You'll see the "after" shot tomorrow :)

And guess what we got while we were there? My sweet momma made us Valentines Day treat baskets :) She made us red truffles and bought us heart shaped Reeses and Sweetart Hearts! She is such a sweetheart! We LOVE them!

We had a great evening! I was beat and came home and immediately crashed, haha!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 21: The Best Advice You've Been Given

1. Prayer changes everything. This is the best advice I've ever been given. That talking to God can change any circumstance. It can change fear to peace, it can change sickness to healing. I love talking to God. He is my very best friend!
2. Follow your heart. My parents always told me this and it has made all of the difference in my life.
3. Enjoy every second of your pregnancy, it goes by fast. YOU AREN'T KIDDING. I literally feel like it was yesterday that I announced I was pregnant and here we are... 34-55 days away from meeting her! I'm so glad I've taken pictures of everything (maybe too many hahaha) but I've documented as much as I could and I am so thankful!
4. Smile. It can change your circumstance.. and it can change other's circumstances that see it. How true is that? I can MAKE myself happy despite what is surrounding me... and I can change someone else's day by smiling. A smile is contagious. Remember that.
5. Do not be selfish with anything you have been blessed with! Give, give, give. You have a good job? That's wonderful. Take care of your family and bless someone else. I hold true to those words and desire for my life to shine this! I don't ever want to be selfish with the things God has given me!
6. Never go to bed mad. I still hold tight to this and it's been years since my parents shared that piece of wisdom with me. I REFUSE to go to bed mad. What if someone happens in the middle of the night? You don't want the last words you spoke to someone to be out of anger.

Project 365: Day 437- February 10th

Today marks 32 weeks pregnant-- yes indeed, folks, we are officially into our 8th month of pregnancy! We're ALMOST there. 5-8 more weeks to go (I like counting days better though-- 35 to 56 more days) AHHHHHH. That just seems SO close. Okay, hold on-- I need to take a moment to breathe. Oh, I'm getting more and more anxious every day. I'm so excited to see her, but dear heavens, I am a nervous wreck about giving birth. I've already been seeking God's face-- Lord, just give me the strength, the energy, and a smooth, healthy delivery with a healthy little girl. Amen.

Want to see some pictures of our belly?

And a full body shot (well, as full as I can get it without having a camera LOL)

And a bare belly shot:

We're busting out there, eh? haha!

2 more days until our baby shower and 9 more days until our 3D/4D ultrasound! I can't wait :)

I spent the day working on some homework and cleaning out the fridge... then, headed to the grocery store with my momma! We still had to get some things for the baby shower, plus, I was craving some strawberries, haha! We had such a good time :) I love hanging out with my momma. While we were there, she ended buying these "nail paint sticker" things that are supposedly really durable and really easy to use, so I decided to give it a shot and I got some to match my outfit for the baby shower... what do you think?

After working on those and eating some Subway... it was time for American Idol! Oh yes, the start of Hollywood week! And guess what? Our favorites are still there! :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 20: Occupations That you Have Ever Wanted to Have (Including When you Were a Child)

1. A teacher. First and foremost-- this has ALWAYS been what I've wanted to do with my life :)
2. A microbiologist
3. Work in the McDonalds drive-thru (I always wanted to wear one of those head-sets, hehe!)
4. A counselor
5. An author
6. An interior designer
7. A wedding coordinator
8. A business owner

Project 365: Day 436- February 9th

My daddy came and picked me up today and we went to my Aunt Nelma's funeral. Despite the circumstances, it was nice to spend some alone time with my Dad. We rarely get to do that anymore since I moved out and life is crazy busy for the two of us. We had a great trip up there, heard some wonderful memories about Aunt Nelma, spent a great amount of time with our family... it was great (as I said, despite the circumstances...) Here's another look at Aunt Nelma's "In Rememberance" pamphlet:



When I came home, there was a bag at the front door from Walmart with my new outfit in it that my husband bought me to wear to my baby shower Saturday :) It matches Tayler's room and the theme of the baby shower! I am such a lucky girl :)

I LOVE it, hehe! :)

After Ethan got home, we relaxed the entire night! I haven't felt the greatest the past few days, so we grabbed some food and watched American Idol :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 19: Favorite Gifts You've Ever Given

1. Mom's "Mom" ring with our birthstones in it
2. Dad's OSU hockey tickets
3. Corey and Marie's Cavs tickets
4. Ethan's zune
5. Ethan's speaker for his zune
6. A laptop for my momma
7. An ultrasound for some friends
8. A calendar for Ethan's sister Susan :) It was personalized! We were excited hehe!
9. A sign for Ethan's mom's house that had a picture of her dog on it, hehe!
10. Our bed :)

Project 365: Day 435- February 8th

Boy oh boy, I'm just going to be honest here. I'm getting lazier by the day LOL! I didn't do much today. I've been trying to finish up my homework for my last class and it's rather confusing.. but I'm striving and that's the key. While working on this homework, I finished up Season 3 of Desperate Housewives :) Soon.. I'll be on to Season 4! :) Whoo-hoo haha!



And I spent the evening at the funeral home. My grandpa Don's sister Nelma passed away Friday evening. Funerals always make you think. They allow you time to mourn and grieve the passing of a loved one, but they also make you think about the value and the shortness of life. We're given one chance, what are we doing with it?

Here's the "In Rememberance" paper for Aunt Nelma:

Cheers to Project 365 and life!

Day 18: Favorite Gifts You’ve Ever Received

1. My first car-- a white Grand Prix :) I miss that sucker some days, haha!
2. Everything everyone has given us for Tayler! They have been huge blessings and we LOVE them all! They are some of the greatest gifts I could ever receive!
3. That being said-- Tayler is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. She counts right? hehe! Of course she does! She is such a blessing!
4. Love :) I know, cheesy, right? Oh stop. It's true, haha!
5. My Droid. Although I don't have it any more, it was so sweet and so unexpected! Ethan brought it home for me during my 1st trimester when I couldn't even get out of bed I was so sick. So sweet!
6. The things within our house that we didn't have to purchase! My desk in our bedroom, my TV in our bedroom, our decorations in the kitchen, our furniture in the living room, the shelf in the living room... we are truly blessed!
7. All of the Scentsy stuff my bought me. She has me addicted, but I am so glad she introduced me to it!
8. My new camcorder I got for Christmas from my parents! I have enjoyed taping things for Tayler and taping other things for our family! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it :)

Project 365: Day 434- February 7th

I get tired of wearing the same stuff all the time. I'll just be honest here, haha! Once you hit this point where you can't wear normal clothes... just maternity... you find yourself wearing the same shirt at least once a week.. what can you do right? You don't want to go buy TONS of maternity clothes that you will hide in the back of your closet for the next 1-3 years (or forever...) so you just buy a few.. well, I decided to change things up today. I looked in the back of my closet and saw a black dress and decided I would wear this black dress (that's WAY too short right now haha) and I wore it over some tight light blue jeans. I think it looked pretty cute! :)



And here's an upclose of that belly at 31 weeks, 4 days :)

And I haven't felt very good the past few mornings. I thought it was the flu (but I wasn't getting sick at all) but here a lot of pregnant women get a tad bit nauseous in the 3rd trimester because hormones are back and in overload again.. I'm sensitive as it is.. so of course, I've been plagued with nausea the past 3 mornings again. Joy, haha! :) So, I cuddled up on the couch today and OF COURSE, I watched Season 3 of Desperate Housewives... AGAIN :)

And I measured our windows in the living room and our bedroom and started looking at curtains. I really want to get some to make our house look a bit more "homey" but I can't find anything that works or that is cost-effective! It's kind of frustrating. If you have any ideas, please let me know. Here's a picture of what the set of windows looks like across from the couch:

We have 3 of those sets of windows in our livingroom. To be cost-effective, I wanted to purchase huge curtains that go from one side to the other but it measures 70" long and I can't find curtains that go that far! It's rather frustrating :( So, I think I might have to buy 6 curtains for all of the windows. I won't be able to save money that way, but it will get done and I won't be frustrated haha! I liked a few of the curtains I saw at Walmart. It's just picking a theme now! LOL If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Once Ethan got home, we grabbed some Subway and came home and snuggled. I wasn't feeling the greatest still, so we relaxed and watched "Pretty Little Liars." I love this show! I get more and more confused and I love it haha!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 17: Everything you Would do if Money were no Object

1. Pay off our bills and my parent's bills (and siblings)
2. Build a new house :) My DREAM house! :)
3. Open up a restaurant. My husband loves to cook and it's always been a dream of mine to own one.
4. Save money for Tayler (and our future children's) college tuition, cars, etc.
5. Buy new vehicles for both of us.
6. Make a charitable contribution
7. Open up a homeless shelter or some sort of shelter to help the less fortunate
8. Is this selfish? -- Buy a new wardrobe LOL
9. Pay to have my book marketed
10. Build a new gym/rec center for my dad so he can follow his dreams
11. Buy my parents a new house closer to their kids :)
12. Invest and save so we have no worries
13. Take our families on a vacation somewhere :)

Project 365: Day 433- February 6th

Ethan had to ref today at our local college, so I took advantage of the alone time and cleaned the house, then I settled in on the couch with a blanket and watched some more episodes of Desperate Housewives Season 3 :) It's such an addicting show, let me tell you, haha!

Once Ethan got home, we went to Subway. Okay, let me tell you something here, haha! I saw on their sign that they had new cookies --- Raspberry Cheesecake, so we tried them and OH MY GOSH, they are AMAZING! If you haven't tried them yet, DO IT! :) You won't regret it. I'm craving another one right now, haha!

Once we got home, it was time for THE SUPERBOWL. Ethan was so excited (hence the new TV we got yesterday, haha!) and I was too, but I had the worst headache. You wouldn't believe it. Plus a nose bleed-- darn sinuses! :( So, I laid on the couch beside of him for the longest time.. and while laying there, my breath started getting kind of short and it felt like my tummy was getting REALLY tight, so I rolled over and wouldn't you know it, my daughter was pushing herself straight upwards in my belly. I don't know if she was trying to break free or what, haha, but it looked like a CONE BELLY!!!!! haha!

And here's a picture of our TV during the Super Bowl :)

It was so awesome to actually be able to see the score of the game and what not haha! Our old TV you could not do that, so frustrating LOL! I thought there were a few bad calls against the Packers, but they overcame it and won! Congrats to them!

And cheers to Project 365!

Day 16: The Cutest Things You've Heard Kids Say

Well, it was suppose to be "The cutest things you've heard YOUR kids say..." but since my daughter is still in the womb, haha, she hasn't said much, so we're going to go with "the cutest things you've heard kids say."

1. I used to be a Sunday School teacher and we had prayer time in the classroom. One of the young ladies said so tenderly, "Please pray for my mom. Her boobs feel like they are going to fall off." Of course, the whole classroom started giggling.. including all of the boys, haha!

2. I didn't actually hear this one, but my mom relayed the message to me. She was also a Sunday School teacher and of course, they were having prayer time, and one kid said, "Please pray for my sister, she hit me this morning and she has the devil in her heart."

3. When discussing a World War, I heard one kid call the Japanese, "The Japans." haha!

That's all I can think of right now. Shoot, my mind is blank, haha! If I think of anything later, I'll post it :)

Project 365: Day 432- February 5th

We woke up this morning, had french toast for breakfast (well, I had french toast sticks.... those are my favorite haha!) and we spent the day just hanging out! But at noon, I had my first EVER face-to-face call with someone in one of my classes. Yes, I have been at Ashford U for 4 years and have never seen a classmate face-to-face, but that all changed today. I "met" Tondra on WebEx (the tool we had to use for class) and we discussed our group project for the week. It was the neatest thing! Here's a print screen of that interaction:



After that, Ethan and I got packed up and we headed into town so that he could help Susan (his sister)'s friend move. We drove for a long ways (and it was wayyyy out there haha) but nothing had prepared me for this driveway! LOL I was in complete shock... I took a picture of it... this is us at the bottom of the driveway heading up to the road. How crazy is that? haah! Super long and super icy! But my husband made it! :)

Once we got done moving Ethan's sister's friend, we headed into Sam's Club. Why, you might be wondering? Well, because earlier that day his friend Tj came over and said those evil words, "Hey Ethan! You know how good the Super Bowl would look tomorrow on a new TV?" AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I told TJ to get out right this instant and NEVER come back, hahaha! You can't put thoughts like that in my husband's head. What was he thinking? LOL So, guess what ALL my husband could think about was?? Yep, you guessed it. A new TV. So, we went to Sam's Club at about 6PM to get a new TV *sigh* Now, one thing I'm super happy about? We got a membership... which means bulk diapers for our sweet Tayler. One thing I wasn't happy about? haha! Wondering around that store for an hour finding the "perfect" TV. Oh, but we found it, yes we did. We found it. Here it is folks:

And we finally got home and settled in at around 8PM. I was BEAT. Yes, walking around a huge store for over an hour takes a lot out of me and my legs/feet anymore, haha! But I was starving when we got home. So, I thought I'd start making some dinner, but guess what?  My sweet husband (who, yes, I was frustrated with because of the TV episode) said, "Babe, you sit down, put your feet up, and relax. I'll make dinner AND do the dishes..." I'm serious :) What a complete sweetheart! Sure, he might have been sucking up ;) hahha! But either way, it was awesome! He made bacon and sausage gravy over toast. It was super yummy!

Then, Laken & TJ came over and we hung out for the rest of the evening :)

Cheers to Project 365!