Holy cuteness!

My dogs have to be mail carriers this year for Halloween!
Minneapolis was great (well, minus Friday). I promise to post soon!

Ikea, round 2

Brent and I are doing an Ikea roadtrip to Minneapolis this weekend, and I'm just a tad excited for it. Plus, I've never been to Minneapolis for pleasure, so it will be nice to see the city.

While our shopping list isn't as big as I was originally expecting, it will still be a productive trip.

The List
Expedit bookcase (for behind the sectional in the man cave):

Another Expedit bookcase (for behind the sectional in the man cave):

Branas Baskets for the Expedits:

SKUBB drawer organizers for the nursery:

Bastis hooks for the nursery:

Kassetts magazine files for work:

On our original list was also a crib, but Ikea sadly took all those away for more testing about 6 weeks ago. So that decision gets to remain in limbo for a bit.

I'll also be hitting up The Container Store while there, because that store is amazing. I'm still in shock that Kansas City doesn't have one. Apparently, my fellow neighbors feel differently about organization, and that makes me sad.

Ummm...I like penguins

In case you couldn't tell by my penguin tree...

or my dogs' toys...

I may like penguins a little.

So, is it really a surprise that the only baby items I've bought so far are penguin-related? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Over the winter, I snatched these up from Baby Gap:

And my mom got me this adorable penguin backpack from Gymboree last week:

But considering I bought the penguin hat and booties before I was pregnant (yes, I judge me too), this hits the shocking reality that I've bought nothing for the baby since I've been pregnant. I know this will change once we find out the gender (September 12!), but until then I really just don't know what to buy.

Weekend Update

For having no plans, it sure has been a busy weekend.

Going green
Goodbye purple:

Hello green:

While Brent is still sad to see the purple go, the green looks so much better with the brown sectional.

The basement has been o constant project since we moved into this house almost 2 years ago. While it's still not 100% complete, I'm so happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The hole
Brent has been sick, but is finally feeling better today – so I harassed him with a project he's said he was going to do for the past 3 months.

Remember the unfortunate incident that happened when moving the sectional to the basement?

After 3 months, it's FINALLY being addressed:

Well, I'm less than thrilled to have to redo any part of that wall...no longer having a futon in the basement does make it worth it.

Because I have issues saying no
I agreed to do the Westie Rescue of Missouri calendar again the day before I found out I was pregnant. While, I'm sure I could have canceled that obligation once I learned the news, well, I'm just not that sort of girl.

So, in addition to early bedtimes and feeling pukey – I've been busy with this:

Thankfully, it's much more organized this year. And I'm hoping my part of the project will be wrapping up soon.

Because I really have issues saying no
The calendar isn't the only project I have going on. Aside from that, I'm also helping co-organize a neighborhood block party for our street. Thankfully, my neighborhood is awesome and we have lots of volunteers wanting to help out – so my plate won't be too heavy.

Food!
I am starting to feel better (!!!!). I have some of my energy back and the majority of my food aversions are gone. To celebrate, I decided to cook dinner tonight. I haven't cooked since June, so this is a big deal.

I found this pot roast recipe on Pinterest, and knew I had to try it.

I have been craving fall and winter foods like it's my job, so hopefully this will help mellow that down. There's only so much soup one can eat in this heat.

What HAS to get done before February

My 2011 goal list is about to get, well, altered. The deadline is now February, and the priorities are changing.

The obvious one:
- The nursery (Most of this adventure won't be until after we find out the gender in late September, but I'm slowly establishing a game plan. Since Brent and I prepared last year with buying an Expedit bookcase and dresser/changing table – we are making progress).

Not as obvious:
- The master closet (My biggest issue with our house is the lack of walk-in-closets. That's right, we have zero. So Brent and I share the master closet, and I've been using the closet in the future nursery for my dresses, shoes and purses. While I know I'll be losing considerable amounts of space – hopefully, Brent can build some sort of organizational system for the tiny closet).

- The man cave (We spend a lot of time down there, and I can only imagine that increasing once February rolls around). The list:
- Finish painting
- Get a mini-fridge for the wet bar
- Track lighting for above the bar
- Shelving for behind the sofa
- Wall art

Because I feel like it:
- Frame bathroom mirrors (The master and hall bath have the standard, build-grade mirrors in them. I'd like to give them a custom look with a frame job (couldn't help myself)).

- Entryway (Install molding below the chair rail).