Christmas Cards

Hello there.

It has been a busy year in our household, but we are very excited to start planning for Christmas cards (not too early, right?)  There are so many sites to chose from, but one of my favorites are the Tiny Prints Christmas Photo Cards. I wanted to share all the fresh designs and fun features with you—especially the new Premium DoubleThick™ Matte Paper, the most luxurious cardstock yet.  I hope you enjoy browsing their cards as much as I do.  I can't wait to put our little peanut on a card and share with you all.

This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints, but all opinions are my own.  :)

It's been a long time coming..

More posts to follow...especially an update on the little one.  YAY!

Baby Bump- 22 weeks

About a month ago we found out that we will be having a little boy!! We are extremely excited and cannot wait to meet him.

I finally caved in today and decided to post pictures of the "baby bump." I was a little hesitant to showcase my belly on this blog, but thought it would be fun to keep track along the way. Below are some of the highlights: 16 weeks and 20 weeks!

Here I am this week. I thought I would keep a little record of the pregnancy process along the way, as inspired by her.

How far along? 22 Weeks
Total weight gain: up 10 lbs.
Maternity clothes? only a few, although I have brought out the belly band for some of my jeans
Stretch marks? none yet, but lots of cocoa butter lotion
Sleep: going well, no more waking up every few hours to use the restroom
Best moment this week: Celebrating the Super Bowl/commercial watching with friends (although I shouldn't have eaten so much pizza!!)
Miss Anything? Sushi!!!
Movement: All the time! He pokes around to remind me he is there
Food cravings: anything salty, especially any type of cheese, honey wheat pretzels, and veggie chips
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of the refrigerator/trash
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: occasional cramp and rib pain if I twist in the wrong direction
Belly Button in or out? It seems to be flattening out
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, although quite moody at work the other night
Looking forward to: the 24 week mark, picking out a bedding theme!! eeek

I will try to be more consistent with posts from here on out. :)

Christmas Card Displays

As I unfortunately skipped posting anything for Thanksgiving*, I am excited to consider how to start decorating our place for Christmas. As I posted below, one of my favorite things about this time of year is receiving Christmas cards. I can often get overwhelmed by the gorgeous variety and sheer volume, and I find myself shoving most of the cards in my Christmas decorated mail box. I found some fun blog/website posts, thanks to Pinterest (oh how I love thee), that show some fun ways to display and organize all the cards. I can't wait to come up with my own idea, and I will try to post something soon. Bring on the cards!

Also, one of my ABSOLUTE favorite sites to buy and receive cards/invitations from is Tiny Prints. From the cute little elephant logo to the huge variety of beautiful cards, I die everytime I go on their website. For Christmas cards, I am loving the tri fold selection, specifically this Checkerboard Chic card. I remember the days when cards only came in one size with the option for one photo. Now the options are endless!! I am so excited to see what people decide on. Anyways, back to the display links.

Wreath by Martha Stewart: here
Open Frame from Craft Gossip: here
Tree by Martha Stewart Organization: here
Christmas card holder by Moda Bakeshop: here
Tip Junkie Compiled a good variety of ideas: here

One of my favorites was this vintage open frame. So fun!


*I truly have an unbelievable amount of things to be thankful for... all of which come from Him.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.James 1:17