Gulliver's Travels

Our Gulliver started out in a box.

Mr. R. got determined this afternoon and decided the box needed to go.

He got out our tools.

And 45 minutes later...Piper has a crib!

My husband is awesome!

Post crib we took a drive in the Cabrio.

It's 80 degrees here and total top down weather :)

And for dinner, you can't beat two for one nugget night.

$374.00

I am often made fun of for my LOVE of IKEA, my need to coupon, and my obsession with Costco. I put up with the teasing (its all good natured I promise) because these places save our family money. The products are quality without cutting corners like safety standards or natural ingredients AND I am able to try a new item or add something to my list without breaking the Republican bank.

That being said today Mr. R and I took a day trip to Orlando not to visit my favorite mouse, but instead my favorite blue and yellow warehouse store. IKEA! We had a gift card (thanks Danielle & Mom & Dad Republican), a few receipt credits, and a list of baby MUST HAVES!

We borrowed two trolleys and went into the warehouse on a mission.

We came home with:

Gulliver Crib

Hemnes three drawer dresser

Chandelier

Hemnes changing table attachment

Changing table pad

2 Ribba Frames

6 blue & pink frames

Hemnes twin bed (headboard and footboard)

AND THE TOTAL COST?

$374.00

And this is WHY I LOVE IKEA!

Sure I love Pottery Barn, West Elm, and I salivate over the gorgeousness of Serena and Lily.

But at the end of the day I just can't beat IKEA.

And with a little creativity, you can always make IKEA look just as gorgeous as the other guys.

Me & Piper at 29 weeks :)

Steppin' Out Saturday: Farmer's Market

Mr. R. and I are blessed to live in a place that has 70 degree weather in February and an AWESOME Farmer's Market every Saturday.

Today I needed a break from the paint fumes and Mr. R. suggested iced coffee and a mini road trip in the Cabrio.

Our 1st stop was Dunkin' Doughnuts.

I know I professed my love for the Karl Keurig, but I will gladly leave him behind if a DD iced coffee is available.

Next stop the amphitheater Farmer's Market.

We tried pickles and kimchi from the Olive Guys.

We sampled Eastern shore crab soup.

We salivated over homemade sorbet.

And came home with Bread Lady Calzones.

Her calzones are to. die. for.

Actually everything she makes is great.

My other favorites include her bagels, cinnamon rolls, and apple strudel.

And on our way out, we were serenaded with folk music.

I love love love my little town!

A few weeks ago I mentioned I started a Bunco Club at school...

I asked Danielle

(you should really be reading her blog!)

and Betsy to help in the planning and promoting.

We hosted the first meeting of the

Sisterhood of the YAYA Bunco Club on 2/11.

Our hostess was the lovely Nancy.

And our theme was crazy hats.

(As if you couldn't tell already!)

Turns out Bunco Girl's Night is AWESOME!

Sombreros are really fun to wear.

A tiara is ALWAYS necessary when crowning a winner.

Hats even make losing fashionable.

Boas are appropriate with any attire.

And I cannot wait for our next meeting this Friday!

Piper's (Really Cool) Safari

Tonight I am feeling pretty full of myself.

I just did the last touch ups in Piper's room.

I sealed the paint cans.

I washed the brushes.

And I bid adieu to my paint stained yoga pants and t-shirt.

The painting chapter of Piper's nursery is officially complete.

I would like you to meet the animals that make up Piper's Safari.

I have been painting them on and off for the last 10 days and as a result I named them.

Georgina the Giraffe

Lenora the Lioness

Monette the Monkey

Henrietta the Hippo

Ellie the Elephant

Yes, I do realize that last confession does make me sound like a crazy woman.

But hello! I am pregnant.

I got a couple of questions about the stenciling process so I tried to document what stenciling looks like at Casa Republican.

My painting station: sponges, acrylic paint, touch up paint colors, masking tape, and tiny brushes to fix my mistakes.

I tape the stencil to the wall with masking tape.

And then I tape up any parts of the stencil that I don't want to paint.

I move the stencil around to match the curves of the animal.

And another look at the final product!

Dear Baby Wednesday (on Saturday!)

Week 27:

Me and Pip post gym.

She kicks me the most on the Arc Trainer.

I think I am so happy in this photo because this run was FINALLY over.

Week 28:

Me with new hair, a bigger bump, and I am up another pound.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: Pip is the size of an eggplant and weighs around 2 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 9 pounds (up one pound since Monday!)

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but I can still wear my normal tops and dresses.

Gender: Girl!

The paint mixer at Home Depot asked twice if we were sure before she mixed all of our pink paint!

Movement: She is VERY active - especially in the afternoon and at night.

She kicks the hardest at the gym and right around 2:30 AM.

Sleep: It comes and goes.

I slept fantastically this weekend, but preg-somnia rears its ugly head at least once a week.

What I miss: WINE! This week I have wanted Sangria so bad!

Cravings: Fruit, granola, cereal, and hot tea.

(And last night I swore I would just DIE if I didn't get some ice cream!)

Symptoms: I think Pip likes to jump on my bladder during the school day.

There are some days when I am not sure if I am going to make it from bell to bell.

Best Moment this week: Nursery progress!

But a close second would be singing 60's hits with Mr. R. while painting for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th time. Outlet shopping for Mr. R's new suit. Finding two cute maternity shirts for 60% off. A new hair cut. And clean sheets on the bed that smell like lavender. I guess you could say I had a pretty great week :)

Wednesday Dinner Weirdness

Tonight I made a weird dinner.

Mr. R. ate it and I admit it was pretty good, but the combo was odd.

I raided the fridge and found: leftover rotisserie chicken, baby spinach, peas, bacon and fontina cheese. I made a bechamel sauce with the fontina, some flour, and milk. But I ran short on flour so I added 1/2 a package of Knorr's pasta sauce mix. Then I sauteed the chicken, spinach, peas, and a small diced red onion. The bacon was grilled (via George Forman), chopped, and added to the mix. I also added rigatoni noodles (found in the WAY back of the pantry).

Perhaps we have forgotten the leftover/pantry raid combinations of our pre-Florida, very poor, early marriage days. Or maybe I am just getting picky about my food combos.

Oh, well some nights dinner is just a vehicle for calorie intake.

And calories are simply fuel to get through the day.

Or maybe, I just really wanted a hamburger from 5 guys tonight.

Happy Hump Day Friends!

I am currently sipping my morning coffee and reading blogs while I pretend I don't really have to go to work in less than 15 minutes.

(Did I mention I am still in my pajamas with morning hair and glasses!)

Oh well, here's wishing you a fantastic Wednesday!

P.S. My new favorite coffee is Dunkin Doughnuts Strawberry Shortcake.

It smells and tastes amazing! I usually drink my coffee black, but I like this flavor with a splash of fat-free French vanilla.

Totally Made my Tuesday

Thank goodness for a good haircut and color.

I actually begged Heather, my stylist, to cut it, but she refused and it was a good choice.

She gave me a trim and a few layers and I feel like a new person. Perhaps I may start wearing more than bun on a daily basis.

My belly may be growing by the day, but at least my hair looks good.

Here's a shot of what I see when I look down.

Those polka dots are my ever expanding belly a.k.a. Piper's current crib.

And those little red ovals would be my feet, or what I can now see of my feet.

And lastly, Mr. R. made a rocking dinner tonight.

BBQ salmon fillets with twice baked potatoes.

If this is what he is capable of, I need to leave the house during dinner prep more often.

May 6th!

Might just be my favorite day this year.

Hopefully Piper will not come before May 6th.

And hopefully I will still be able to fit in a movie theater seat.

(Keep your fingers crossed for that one!)

Movie #1: My favorite childhood comic book character come to life.

This might have something to do with the number of times I watched Adventures in Babysitting and the fact he has an awesome hat and an iron hammer.

Take take spidey with your weird web hands.

And Movie #2: Something Borrowed

I loved this book and the sequel. I may not be so much a current Emily Griffin, I didn't like her last two books. But I loved Something Borrowed and lent my copy to almost every girlfriend I have. I cannot wait to see this with the girls.

Piper's Room (A quick preview)

We have been hard at work painting, priming, silhouette tracing, repainting, and finally stenciling.

Yesterday I showed you my nursery inspiration.

The brilliant Rene told me about an HGTV nursery makeover that included wallpaper safari animals.

I went looking for the show and came across the Holland based company Inke. They will sell you these adorable wallpaper animals for $250 a piece.

A bit out of our price range.

So then I moved onto DIY inspiration. With the help of Ohdeedoh, I found Ozzy's bright Safari.

His talented Mom painted all of these animals at 38 weeks pregnant!

(I cannot even imagine.)

Mr. R and I decided to roll up our DIY sleeves and give Inke a run for their money.

It started with transparency sheets and an overhead projector.

I traced the images onto Piper's walls with a sharpie.

(Oh, how I love drawing on walls!)

Mr. R painted the silhouettes with white primer.

I spent my afternoon finding the perfect shades of pink :)

Each animal was then repainted in shades of sweet taffy, candy coated, and fading rose.

(Do you think that they pay someone to come up with those names? If so, can I be that someone?)

Next we stenciled.

And here is a preview of all of our hard work.

More to come later this week!

And here is my belly in it's 28 week glory!

Up 8 pounds total and no pants fit me AT ALL.

It's maternity stretch all the way.