Monday, January 30, 2012

traveling across GA

These past few days have been a whirlwind.  An awesome, exciting, full of family whirlwind.  

As I mentioned in the previous posts, last Thursday the non-Augustans traveled to Augusta to support our dad as he received his award.  We headed back early Friday morning just in time for work and school!

On Saturday, all the non-Carrolltonians traveled to C'ton to attend the 7th (maybe?!) annual Blue Jean Ball, which supports West GA Habitat for Humanity.  I'm proud to say that my sister, Jennifer, is all the creative brains behind this event.  She's so talented, and the BBB is not only a fun affair (with an amazingly decorated barn, outdoor bonfire, yummy Low Country BBQ, fun bands, and dancing!), but it's also their biggest fundraiser.  

And yesterday we had our first baby shower!!  Gma Sue-Sue hosted the event at her house, along with Aunt Kelly, my friend (and honorary Aunt) Jessica, and one of our Augusta family friends, Marilee.  I could go on and on, and believe me I will as soon as I have some pictures to accompany my words, but it was amazing.  And really made this feel like the real thing (as if my ever-expanding belly hadn't done the trick!).  More to come...

Speaking of baby showers, my sweet friend and co-worker, Dawn, crafted these AMAZING invitations for a work shower coming up at the end of February.  



Are they not the most adorable invitations that you've ever seen?!  

She used baby clothes (sleepers, to be accurate), sewn to make an envelope that you had to unbutton to get to the adorable invite, which was backed with gingham fabric and topped off with a sweet bow.  My iPhone photos don't do it any justice, so you should go to her blog to see her photos and to get a better idea of how she created them.  She's one of the most talented, creative people I know, so this is one shower I am so anxious for...just to see the decor!!  

Friday, January 27, 2012

and while i was out...

...I got this text from Jamie.

Hi mom...dad let me out and I went straight for the mud.


Hall of Fame

Last night, I was one proud daughter, as my dad was one of five who got named to the CSRA Business Hall of Fame.  Junior Achievement sponsored the event, and let me tell you...it was kind of a big deal. :)  After a fabulous dinner, each of the inductees was introduced by someone currently in the JA program, followed by a video highlighting the life, success, and hard work of the inductee.  And finally, each award winner got to say a few words of thanks.  My dad was surrounded by family, friends, co-workers, and his new staff (the campaign staff, that is), which made it all the more special.  

Growing up, I spent most of my life hearing my parents tell me how proud they were of me.  However, lately, I've found myself realizing how proud I am of my parents.  

Here are a few photos from the event (taken w/ my iPhone)...






Tuesday, January 24, 2012

bachelorette!

I hate to admit it, but I am SO excited about this :)


Thursday, January 19, 2012

celebrating

In my family, we have a tendency to celebrate birthdays (and all other fun, exciting milestones) for at least a week.  Jamie doesn't feel quite the same way about his own day, but he is always so good to recognize that it's just what we do. :)  That being said, he did a pretty amazing job at making sure 30 was one birthday I'll never forget. 

it's been on my wish list for so many years...the Nespresso Citiz
amazing, husband...really, amazing!

SURPRISE!  husband and i made a lunch date, and when i showed up, it wasn't
husband at all!  it was some of my favorite people at one of my favorite lunch spots!
[sidenote: Unfortunately, I'm almost impossible to surprise.  But he pulled it off!] 

Scout forgot to give me a gift on my actual bday, so Thursday morning
he found and tore apart our new phone book!  and i got to pick up all the little pieces! 

We were back and forth on how to celebrate 3-0 (mind you, I'm 7 months pregnant,
and not much for a blowout event right now :), but he threw together a pretty
great get-together with some of our closest friends.  It was a blast, and the perfect
way to ring in 30.  Big thanks to some of the women who helped him pull off this spread! 

 so much yummy food!

 we also got to use the fire pit that J's mom got him for Christmas!
it was cold outside, but this was perfect (and that's the only pic I got of it).

 4 of my absolute favorite people came to celebrate, too!
I love it when my sister comes to visit, for so many reasons, but in part 
because she will sweep through my house and help me change things
around, rearrange, and just revamp.  30 minutes before the party, she did
just that!  she's so talented!

 party planner extraordinaire, with his really pregnant wife.  
thank you, Jamie, for making this such
a great birthday.  i know you're glad it's over. :)

and just because i love him so, check out scout hanging out in the
middle of all that was going on.  he had such a big night (the twins wore
him out pretty good beforehand).  he just sat and took it all in until
he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer!

Thanks to everyone for making it such a great birthday!  I know I've said it over and over, but I am confident that 30 is going to be our best year yet!  Grateful to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

3-0

Today's the day.  I'm kissing my 20's goodbye, and am officially entering a new decade.  Hello 30, hello baby, and hello parenthood!  If the celebrations (oh, and the baby-to-be in my belly) are any indication of how great 30 is going to be, then I'd say we're in good shape.  

birthday lunch at JCT Kitchen with mom, dad, RA + Bob

celebrating at FLIP w/ Kelly + Sue

husband's eggs + bacon this morning

office birthday party :: all things child-like, princess, and 
tacky :)  except for the amazing tiffins from ESS!  streamers, 
balloons, party hats, favors, toys, barbies, and.....

a unicorn cake!!

party planner extraordinaire, Dawn

Tonight it's just me, Jamie, and Scout.  With Chef Jamie cooking up something yummy, I'm actually really looking forward to just hanging out.  And going to bed early.  Lame?  Yep.  But I've come to totally appreciate this season. :)  Here's to you, 30!  Bring it on.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

projects

The month of December was a busy one for us, for all the obvious reasons and for the list of projects that we had to tackle.  

The first was a fun, random commission project.  A co-worker of mine had a friend who was looking to gift a custom-made corn hole set to her husband.  My co-worker knew that Jamie and I had made a set last year for my sister, and asked if we were up for it.  We figured a little extra cash was always a good thing, so we took it on!  That being said, I'm not sure we'll ever do it again. :)  It was a lot of work!!  And I made the mistake of letting her request whatever design she'd like on the front.  Oh well...at least it was a fun, time-consuming project! 



If you know me well, you know how meticulous I can be when it comes to 
free-hand projects.  So, this AU was a pain in my rear!!  Especially given that I
needed to make two of them.  But, it all worked out...after way too much time!


the final result
(we'll probably end up doing another one next year :)

Between Christmas and New Years I set out to tackle a large to do list.  Most of that list was organizing and cleaning...two things that don't make a huge impression to the outside world, but make such a difference in our home!  

But two projects that I have visuals for are below.  The first was redoing our countertop in the guest bathroom.  The top layer is some type of varnish or clear coat that had begun chipping long before we bought the house.  It has bothered me so much over the past two years that it was time to finally do something about it!  

With little to no knowledge on this kind of stuff (Kristen Davis, where is your full tutorial? :)  What, you can't give all your secrets away?!), I did my fair share of google research, and came up with a plan of action.  


see the spots


here's why i tried to use sandpaper and elbow grease after we moved in

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the sanding process.  Thanks to Gavin and Lindsay, we had an electric sander.  But, because the piece was attached to the wall, I had to sand inside.  Talk about a huge mess!  Oh well, gave me a good excuse to thoroughly clean the bathroom, I guess!  


starting the priming process...pregnant ppl have to wear masks


after the first coat of paint


and we're done!


it is by no means perfect, but it is so much better to me...
and that's what counts :)

The other big project was getting started in the nursery.


furniture moved: check
walls patched up and painted: check
cleaning out the closet: check
installing closet door: check


husband was such a good sport...he was put to work!
and of course, scout was a good sport too...wondering
what the heck was going on!

Now I'm working to fill the nursery with all that we need!  I'll keep you posted as we make progress!

Friday, January 6, 2012

fun facts

This week, I am 30 weeks pregnant.


Next week, I'll be 30 years old.


Totally intriguing I know.  But, hey...kind of cool. :)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Christmas

This year, we celebrated the Hargather family Christmas the weekend before the 25th.  Sue is such a great host, and even more than that, she's a gift giver.  It was supposed to be a small Christmas, but the pile of gifts under the tree proved that she just couldn't do it!  We also treated it just as we would any other Christmas, so we ate a huge meal Friday night, and woke up Saturday morning to our "Christmas" Day.  


 breakfast on "Christmas" morning

 

Even the dogs had a big Christmas.  They played hard (here they are chasing
after a tennis ball in the pool...Bailey was the only one who would actually 
swim to get it!).  I'm pretty sure Sue-Sue's is Scout's 2nd favorite place to be!


Although we didn't have Christmas at our own home (or even host anything Christmas-ey), I couldn't help but deck it out in Christmas decorations.  But all I remembered to take a picture of was our tree!  It was a skinny tree, but (a really good deal! and...) perfect for us to squeeze into the small space we are working with.  


there's nothing I love more than a lit Christmas tree...
especially with all the gifts underneath

For Christmas, we traveled to Augusta (for the first time since we've been married!).  We went down early for the 3D ultrasound, but it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends (oh, and for Jamie and my dad to play golf :).

 one of my favorite catch-ups was seeing this sweet little girl - Caroline Burkhalter
(and the rest of the Goldsmith's ever-growing family!)

My parents are always on the go, so we went to more Christmas parties, dinners, etc.  It sure makes for a festive holiday tho, and some really good food!

Christmas Eve

our attempt at a family photo...Scout wasn't havin' it

the table set for Christmas morning (thanks for our super
talented family friend, Lynwood)

before checking out what Santa brought us

Christmas dinner

[Sidenote: I think my parents' house is so beautiful at Christmas.  My mom
always does an amazing job with the decorations, centerpieces, etc.  Jamie
joked that we were having the "formal" Christmas this year (as they used to 
refer to my family as the formal family...the Hargathers were the fit ones :).
While he was probably fairly accurate, I love it so much!]


On the way home, we took my sister's fiancé, Bob, back to his parents' house in Thomson (where he's living for the time being while they look for a house).  They live on a beautiful large piece of land, along with several relatives close by, and a big ole' pond.  We let Scout run around for a bit, took him to the pond, and he had a blast!  He chased sticks into the water and ran all over...leaving him muddy and spent.  The Wills were sweet to let us bathe him before we made the trip home.  But I love this picture above.  He was like a little kid.  He didn't want to go to sleep, so he was sitting up.  But, he could barely keep his eyes open!  The cute lil' stinker.  What are we going to do when we have cute little kids?!