Christmas shopping – check! Already! Lovin’ my staycation. I just looove wrapping presents with pretty wrapping paper and ribbons :) although my back did start to hurt after a while; oh the joys of pregnancy! I felt so winded by the end of it, ha!
I’m so excited – my Pottery Barn bookcase is finally arriving this week. It’s one of the last pieces I’m waiting for in the nursery. I can’t wait to share pictures really soon so stay tuned! It was definitely one of the most fun decorating projects so far; everything is just so incredibly cute.
She’s up and she’s a beauty! Hello, Christmas! :) I LOVE putting up the tree and playing some classic Christmas songs while doing it. We got this beauty up last night and it makes me happy every time I look at it. It’s such a treat and warms up the whole house. Love all her sparkle and shimmer and everything. It’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year. A busy time, but a wonderful time. I have the week off with Chris to do baby errands (it truly feels like a never-ending list) and Christmas shopping – it’ll be busy but nice!
Alright, onto DECOR TIPS:
1. If you have a small space for a tree, slim trees are so key! (Not a short tree, a SLIM tree!) It could be tempting to just get a small overall tree but you can get away with a skinny tree and still get the glory of the height :). A short, small tree just does not look or feel the same.
2. Tree skirts are generally a miss for me. I don’t tend to love the designs that I’ve come across and quite frankly, they’re just too large in diameter that it would not fit in our small tree space. So instead, I found us a holiday throw/blanket and used that to wrap around the base of the tree. Works like a charm!
3. Lastly, the ornaments. This can become an obsession very quickly because they’re just too. darn. pretty. We got most of ours from Canadian Tire and maybe a few from Homesense and then I had to block it out of my mind to keep me from buying a gazillion. :)
Before buying your ornaments, you have to decide on a colour scheme. For us, we chose silver and gold with brown/wood-like accents. After that, it’s pretty much just picking the shapes and figures you like and love. Ah, so much fun!
That’s it from me for now! I’m going to get back to watching Love Actually – best Christmas movie ever. I’ll be back in December for a baby bump update!
We’re having so much fun putting the nursery together – it’s coming along really nicely and I can’t wait to share pictures :).
Here’s a quick “almost 26-week” bump update. The photo was snapped over the weekend when I wasn’t quite 26 weeks yet! Getting bigger and more excited (and a bit scared) by the day but I truly can’t wait to meet this little guy. He’s a super active one; always busy in the womb with not sure what. :P Crazy boy. Love him to death already.
Also noting that 26 weeks marks roughly the time I’ve been feeling more energetic. Took long enough! Here’s to hoping I don’t lose it again as I enter the 3rd trimester. :P
Happy thanksgiving! We are thankful for sooo many things. God is so good and it’s a true blessing to know him. Thankful most of all for our little baby blue! Yes, we’re having a baby boy :). So extremely excited. The shopping has fully commenced. Gotta keep it in check though because stores like Pottery Barn Kids can be a dangerous place for first time mommies!! Everything is so cute, I want them all! We’ll be starting to put the nursery together in November when all the pieces are ready. We’re getting a shiplap accent wall installed this month, yay! I’ve always wanted one in the house, so why not the baby room? :)
Update on how I’m feeling: I never did get my pre-pregnancy energy levels back even now well into the second trimester but other than still being tired all the time, I am a very happy camper. Just gotta get those naps in and 10+ hours of nightly sleep, and I’m good. It’s worth mentioning that I go to bed around 8:30PM every night and wake up at 8:00AM for work (crazy, right?) LOTS of quality time with sleep going on around here. It’s as if I’m getting ready to bid it farewell, lol.
I’ve been feeling kicks and all sorts of baby movements since week 17. In fact, this little guy is quite an active one, like a little athlete in the womb. Feeling these movements is quite magical and every time I feel them, I am in awe all over again about the miracle of creating a little life inside of us. It’s truly so incredible! What a wonderful journey.
Also LOVING work and my new team. I am really, really enjoying having a team and coaching and developing others. I find it so very fulfilling. So I am thankful with my whole heart for these opportunities.
Last but not least, thankful for my amazing family (on both sides) and my all-star husband, Chris. YOU ARE THE BEST HUBBY IN WIDE WORLD. I am so lucky to be your wife :). I love you.
We are having a baby!!! We are so. very. excited. But it wouldn’t be the full picture without first sharing the part that wasn’t so exciting.
The truth about being MIA the last few months is that I was absolutely destroyed by the first trimester. What torture that was! I had never felt so sick in my life :(. All day nausea with vomiting (2-3 times a day), dizziness, extreme fatigue, constant bloating, horrible gas pains, and excruciating hunger. It was completely debilitating and I actually felt like I was going to die. While every inch of me was so grateful for this gift, feeling horrible every single day for 7 weeks straight really took away the excitement of the pregnancy for a while there.
The bright side of it all? Other than the obvious little peanut growing inside of me, Chris had been a rock by my side. I had never seen him in this light before. Completely and utterly selfless throughout my sickness and did everything he could to help. I am so blessed to have this man and going through this has made me fall in love with him even more. I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a whole lot more falling in love as we journey through the ups and downs of life and as we grow and bond deeper with each other with each experience. :) I thank God everyday for you, Chris.
So then the second trimester came like a knight in shining armour! YAY!! All other symptoms have subsided or completely gone away and I am just dealing with fatigue now. I’ll take it!! I’ve accepted that it’s probably going to be a part of me until the 9th month and I’m okay with it. I’ve been able to get back into the groove of things a whole lot more the past few weeks with LOTS AND LOTS of sleep to get me through. :)
We are 16 weeks 3 days today and are sooo over the moon about our little human in the works! We’ll be three in February 2018!! What an absolutely incredible and incomprehensible thing to create LIFE. We are in awe. God is so good and we are so blessed. I can’t wait to capture our journey here as we embark on the next chapter so stay tuned!
I am sooo sorry for an unexpected, no-warning 3-month hiatus!!! Life got incredibly busy and the blog got abandoned for a little bit :(. I am BACK though. Also so excited to have finally taken the plunge on purchasing a new lens – the Canon L Series 24-70mm f2.8. I realize that sounded gibberish to many of you but it’s not just any lens, it is THE lens. Pricey as hell but also long overdue and a well deserved treat for myself after getting a promotion at work :) (You’re looking at the newest Marketing Manager at General Mills as of July). Yay!!! So happy.
Now onto a decor update!
The linen closet can either be an eye sore or a pretty place :). They can also be a chaotic dumpster or they can be storage (its intended purpose) where you can easily find things. Let’s be honest, no one likes to have to hunt things down around the house. And things are usually easy to find when they’re organized in some way.
Here’s what we’ve done to our giant linen closet in the upstairs hallway. Organized things into wicker baskets with labels. We’ve been in our home for 2 years now and the closet has stayed exactly like this. Once things are in nice, organized boxes, you can’t help but keep it that way!
DECOR TIPS:
1. Think of your organization categories!
2. Pick up some matching wicker baskets from Michael’s Arts & Crafts
3. Pick up a few accent baskets to add fun and personality to the mix
4. Pick up mini chalkboard signs from Michael’s or Dollarama, label them with your categories, and use a glue gun to adhere them to your baskets
Cozied up to tea and music this morning while working on orders :). I just love this print so much, I thought I’d snap a picture of it in its packaging ready to be tucked away for shipping. It’s going to a lovely customer in Tennessee!
Happy birthday weekend to my incredible husband! And happy weekend to all.
PS. We’re almost at the finish line with our backyard project!! Right in time for SPRING and it makes me so happy.
Our backyard oasis is in progress!! Oh how much easier it is for renovations to take place outside of the house rather than inside. Little to no headaches in comparison. If they all could be this painless. :) It looks like it’s all going to be ready right in time for Spring – I just can’t wait to spend all my hot summer days in it. We’re not quite sure what we’re signing up for as far as maintenance goes but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there ;).
Here’s a different shot of the majestic Zion. Big rocks and mountains really get me every time. We were initially planning a trip to Norway for June but given the backyard, we’re thinking of pushing it out to the end of the summer. One way or another though, we will get to Norway! Happy Sunday, everyone!
It’s a tough one but being able to fly is very appealing :).
Had the pleasure of participating in the 2017 Young Marketers Competition and spent 15 hours working on our submission yesterday! It was so much fun and so incredibly challenging. I loved it. The winner gets to go to Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Results come out in April so we’ll have to hold our breaths and cross our fingers for now!
Here’s what our other ceiling-high book case looks like, on the other side of this book case. This one’s decorated slightly differently and has got more of a travel theme happening :) because we love to travel!
DECOR TIPS:
1. Generally, I’d say never to actually fill up a decorative book case with only books! I’m finding that book-filled book cases tend to be beautiful only in home libraries where there are tons and tons of books and together they look masterful. One-off book cases are best decorated with a little more!
2. Carefully handpick the few books that make it onto your decorative book case. Make sure they have pleasing spines with colours that complement each other! The trouble with books we DO have in our arsenal is that they tend to be business books that don’t have the right look and feel. So if like us, you find yourself having to buy books for decorative purposes, don’t be spending full price on them. Head to a Value Village or a second hand bookstore. There are plenty of gorgeous books, especially antique ones, to come by for $2-$3.
3. Keep some books sitting upright in the traditional way and others flat on their cover. A mixture looks great!
4. Then it’s a matter of adding accents like wicker baskets, storage boxes, block letters, clocks, plants, globes, and other such knick knacks that bring the book case to life.
5. Lastly, we managed to throw in a teeny tiny reading nook right beside the book case with super comfy wool-filled cushions and pillows. Right next to it, which isn’t captured in this image, are big windows that bring in tons of bright natural light from the backyard. :)
Hi, Charlene Precious here! Welcome to my blog that is both a life journal told with words and photographs and an evolving portfolio. I'm thrilled to be able to share my work and my world with you, so thank you for following! (Read more)
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