A Star is Born!!

Benjamin Michael Lutz was born at 8:26am on May 29th, 2010.

Stats:
Weight ~ 10lbs 2 oz
Length ~22 inches

Winners of the pool's will be announced within the week.

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Trials

I've had a few thoughts on what topic to write on today. I discussed some thoughts with Jared and he advised that the two topics I was debating go hand in hand. While that is true I still feel that one particular topic is the one I need to share today but the second topic will be touched on in part.

Trials

We all face trials. Each day of our lives there are trials placed before us. Some are big and last months or years, other's are small and are over in a day or a few weeks. Why do we have trials? We have trials to teach us lessons and prepare us for the future. President James E. Faust said, "The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process." (James E. Faust, “Refined in Our Trials")

Sometimes our trials seem like they are more than we can bear but I've found comfort in a scripture that states:"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) Does that not bring comfort? Even when in the midst of a trial and you don't know how you will make it through, does that not bring comfort? Heavenly Father loves us so much and will not give us trials that we cannot handle. I've experienced many trials in my life that I've thought I would not make it through yet here I am. The Lord always provides a way.

Now sometimes the trials we experience we go through because of poor choices we make. President James E. Faust said the following: "Unfortunately, some of our greatest tribulations are the result of our own foolishness and weakness and occur because of our own carelessness or transgression. Central to solving these problems is the great need to get back on the right track and, if necessary, engage in each of the steps for full and complete repentance. Through this great principle, many things can be made fully right and all things better."(James E. Faust, “Refined in Our Trials") How true it is! I've made several mistakes in my life where I found myself off of the straight and narrow and down a dark and lonely road. Could I have avoided this trail (or trials)? Yes but I didn't. I had to go through the repentance process and learn how to use the atonement and get back on the straight and narrow. But again it shows us how much Heavenly Father loves us because he gave us his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ to atone for our sins and provide a way to return to him.

I remember some time ago of a talk that advised to not wonder and wallow in self pity during a trial and ask "Why is this happening to me?" But that we should instead seek to find what it is that we ought to learn from this trial. The talk can be found here by Joseph B. Wirthlin. This talk was given 6 years ago this fall and still I remember it well and try very hard to apply it when I am facing trials. I've felt that I've been better able to take on trials and endure to the end with this type of attitude. I admit it is very easy to have the pity party and cry "Wo is me!" but how much better do I feel, how much quicker do I make it through the trial when I turn to the Lord and ask, "What am I supposed to learn?"

Jared and I will have been married for 5 years this summer. We had both wanted children right away. I always knew I would have children that I would bear myself. But yet it seemed to evade us. I personally had ups and downs with this trial and I know Jared did too. I wondered why I was not being blessed with the opportunity to become a parent and rear children. I turned to the Lord on multiple occasions and was reassured that it would happen some day. It gave me great comfort even though I had to endure years of having no children. But I have looked back over the past several years and I see great blessings. Jared and I have grown close together, we got to experience things we could not have with children, we were blessed with great jobs that provided material things to bless our lives while waiting to have children. I've had time personally to prepare myself for motherhood. I've studied other mothers, read articles, talked with Jared about how we will raise our children and prayed for guidance. It was definitely a hard trial and again I had my ups and downs but the end is here and I know that I've been greatly blessed and I've learned a lot. I've learned how to turn to the Lord and lay my heart at his feet and let him carry me when I could not walk any further. I've learned to look forward to the blessing of motherhood and the responsibility that goes with it. I've learned that my Savior loves me and knows my heartaches and was always there to comfort me.

Richard C. Edgley said the following, "For the faithful, the normal tests and trials of life need not be the enemy of faith. While we don’t necessarily look forward to these obstacles and challenges, we accept them, and we build our lives and faith from them. To the faithful, the very obstacles that we overcome draw us closer to our Heavenly Father by helping us develop a humble, submissive spirit and causing us to be grateful and appreciative of those blessings that flow from a loving Father. In short, these experiences can and often do increase our faith. The faithful do not pray to be spared the trials of life but pray that they may have the strength to rise above them. In so doing they come closer to Heavenly Father and to that state of perfection they are seeking." (Richard C. Edgley, “Keep the Faith”)

I am grateful for the trials I have had in my life. They have strengthened my testimony in the gospel and drawn me closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have learned to rely on them and not myself. Trials are hard but we must endure to the end and trust in the Lord.

I've Come To Realize...

My friend Meredith did this on her blog so I thought that I would do it too since she did ask. So come join the fun too!

I've Come To Realize...

I've come to realize that my body is... doing really well with this pregnancy.

I've come to realize that my job is ... is to be a Stay at home mom and raise my children in the gospel.

I've come to realize that when I'm driving... I love the windows down, the sun roof open and music blasting.

I've come to realize that I need nothing more in life than... my husband and family.

I've come to realize that I've lost my... feeling in my fingers.

I've come to realize that I hate... it when people spit gum out on the ground, not the person but the action of the person.

I've come to realize that money is... definitely not everything but it sure is helpful.

I've come to realize that certain people... will always be there for you even when you don't think they are.

I've come to realize that I'll always remember... to turn to my Savior for help in times of trails.

I've come to realize that my siblings... are all unique.

I've come to realize that my mom... knows everything and continues to teach me so much.

I've come to realize that my cell phone... is kind of a memory stealer. I don't remember numbers anymore because it stores them all for me.

I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning... I need to shower, relax, do the dishes, relax and relax.

I've come to realize that last night... was one of the last few nights Jared and I will ever have alone together before our lives change forever.

I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about... Benjamin coming into this world.

I've come to realize that my Dad is... always a Fisherman and it will never leave his blood.

I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook... that I...oh yeah I don't do Facebook.

I've come to realize that today... is another day to try again.

I've come to realize that tonight... will be a night to relax and enjoy conversations with my husband.

I've come to realize that tomorrow... will always come no matter how much we want it to hold off.

I've come to realize that I really want to... have Benjamin in my arms right now.

I've come to realize that my children... have been watching and waiting to come down from Heaven. I cannot wait to meet them all.

I've come to realize that this weekend... will be the first weekend of our lives changing forever.

I've come to realize that the best music to listen to when I'm upset is... either something to rock out to or classical music to calm me.

I've come to realize that my friends... have all left footprints on my heart and I am grateful for them.

I've come to realize that this year... has been a year filled with many firsts and there are still many firsts to experience.

I've come to realize that my husband is... incredibly selfless and cares so deeply about me and my happiness.

I've come to realize that maybe I should... be more selfless for my husband.

I've come to realize I really don't understand... much of anything to do with science, I just know that it is how the Lord did it.

I've come to realize that my past... is a place to learn from and hopefully not repeat history, in some regards.

I've come to realize that parties... though they can be fun sometimes a simple one on one time is better.

I've come to realize that my life is... just where it needs to be and that Heavenly Father has a greater plan in store than I do.

Just Another Manic Monday?

What do you do when you don't have a job? This morning felt like any other Monday morning. Jared and I had family scripture study and prayer and then I went back to sleep. I woke up later and was like oh I need to get up and go work...oh yeah I quit my job. I don't have a job anymore!!!

Instead of being totally lazy I got up and did a few things and got myself ready. My friend Nicole and I were going out to get material to make curtains. It was nice to get out of the house and go do something. Now I am home again and wondering what do I do? I've done some dishes, folded some laundry. My plans are mostly to rest and prepare myself for giving birth when the time comes.

Jared has told me I don't know how to just relax and sit still. That I can't be unproductive. I usually disagree but he might have a point.

I Have Prankles

Holy cow I am huge!!! I just had Jared take my picture again. Here I am with 3 days to my due date.

I think on Tuesday I was looking at my feet and they were so swollen. I hadn't experienced this yet and was so not happy. I get them now when I am on my feet for too long. Jared is calling them prankles (pregnant ankles). I almost cried when I saw them. The left foot seems to swell more than the right.

Thank You Cards...

While life is changing and more changes are hanging in the balance one thing is remaining constant. My desire to craft! I've finally finished making all of my thank you cards for my Baby Shower's. I've had fun making them and some have been done for awhile and others I finished today. But I didn't have envelopes to go with the cards. I could have handed the ones out to my friends at church but who doesn't love getting real mail! So yesterday while Jared and I were out and about (trying to put me into labor on Jared's part) we purchased some envelopes. Now I could make my own but they take twice as much paper and are a lot of effort. I made the cards that's plenty I think. :D I handed out the ones from work on Thursday and Friday and said goodbye to those that were around.

Below are some other cards I had fun making this week as well and there's a few lucky ladies who are the intended recipients.

Below is the sticker I've created to go on the back of all my cards. I'm still debating putting myself out there and selling my creations. I just need some time, resources and courage.

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Bloom Where You Are Planted

I love to journal! I'm not always good at it but I honestly have between 8-10 journals currently in use. I have my regular journal, my church journal, my personal progress journal, my ideas journal, my crafting journal and the list goes on. Now you might be thinking I am going to blog about journaling and the importance thereof but you would be wrong. In one of my journals I have written down ideas of things I want to take pictures of and pair up with a phrase or quote that are meaningful to me. One in particular that I can't take a picture of now is a tree growing in the back of an old truck in the middle of a field. It was gorgeous to watch it bloom last year and I kept meaning to stop and take a picture but I never made time. I bet you are thinking I am going to blog about making time for things now huh. Still wrong. I want to talk about blooming where you are planted!

I wish I could paint this picture for you. Think of an old rusty dump type truck out in the middle of field. It's next to one other semi truck and nothing else. In the back of the rusty truck is a tree growing with the puff balls of white blossoms. It's a beauty in the middle of junk and garbage. How did it get there? Why is it doing so good? Why would something even think to grow there? You can think of logical reasons but the phrase that comes to mind is "Bloom where you are planted!"

How many of us are put in difficult surroundings? A place we don't care to be at this point in our life perhaps? How many of us say things about how I will do it someday when everything aligns that I desire? "I will be happy when I have my dream house. I would be more willing to serve if it was on my time table. I will decorate and keep my home clean when I own it. I will make more time for spiritual things down the road. I'll work on my food storage when I have more money and time." And the list goes on. It's in our human nature to never be satisfied. To always be searching for something more and putting things off until tomorrow. but that is not what we should do. We should be anxiously engaged in a good cause. We should be trying to better ourselves and prepare ourselves for the future.

What happens if we just sit idly by and let time go? We miss out on opportunities to have experiences to learn and grow from. The point of our life here on earth is to have this mortal experience and to learn. How boring life would be if we just always sat waiting for something more?! When I first moved into our current house I could not wait to decorate it and make it our own. I was going to use paint and get things put up that I couldn't quite do in apartments (I didn't want to pay for the paint on a 6 month lease). Jared and I worked hard together in our living room and added splashes of color and did our best to tie a theme together. The living room is currently my favorite room in the house. I know I won't live in this house forever but I want to make it beautiful and inviting now. I did the best I could when living in apartments as well. I didn't just sit there waiting for the day I would own a house.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said the following "I share these very personal experiences with you, hoping to impress upon you that wherever you live, whatever circumstances you live in, whatever your background or challenges might be, the gospel light has the power and purpose to bring blessings into your life and into the lives of those placed in your path. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to bring blessings to our Heavenly Father’s children. You are planted in your country, your community, your family to facilitate these blessings. I urge you to bloom where you are planted!" “Bright as the Sun,” New Era, Jun 2006

As you can tell he strongly encourages us to bloom where we are planted. Maybe we know we are only going to live somewhere for 6 months to a year. We shouldn't just let time pass us by. We need to grab at the opportunities in front of us to serve, make friendships, develop talents, bless the lives of those around us and more. I remember when we lived in our last apartment that I went in with the mind frame that I didn't need to make friends. I was only going to live there for 6 months. I didn't want a calling because what was the point. It was kind of lonely. I know I missed out on lots of opportunities. Luckily some women in the ward knew better and helped me to realize the importance of blooming where I was planted. I shared my musical talents and made a friend over crafting. We need to always bloom where we are planted.

There's another article I found that talks about military families and how they get uprooted so often and how it's hard to want to bloom where you are planted. It's important for us to give service and be willing to reach out. While we are blooming and serving we might be blessing someone else who is new to the area want to even try to bloom again. Some people need a lot of nurturing and TLC and I know that if we do that we will be blessed in our own lives.

The Lord has much in store for us and will bless our lives as we do what is right and seek out good things. There are several scriptures that talk about how we need to not procrastinate our day of repentance. We need to ensure that we are doing what's right and seeking further light and knowledge. I know that as we bloom where we are planted we will find fulfillment, peace, friendship, talents will be multiplied and lives will be blessed.

Cards

As I said before or last night I should say...I had some fun this weekend making cards. I had made some Thank You cards to give as a gift for my friend for her baby shower. Well I was a bum and lost them. So to make up I've been wanting to make her some other cards to have on hand. So I finally did it and now they are wrapped up and ready to give...just need to make a card to give with them.

I had a lot of fun making these. I've started making myself some also to keep in my church bag. I've had the thought for years to keep cards/notes in my bag for when someone touches your heart to let them know and say thanks.

Lillies

Below are two shots of my newest Lillie's! I love Lillie's. They are so beautiful and elegant. I had star Lillie's in my wedding bouquet. These will be potted on my front porch. Last year's Lillie's died and so did the year before. I need to study up on how to keep these going.

Garden 2010 Ready To Go!

We worked in the garden last Saturday as it was a beautiful day!!! I cannot express how much I love the area where we live. When you have these gorgeous day's like last Saturday and today it just can't compare.

Anyways I did some weeding and cleaned up the flower bed and then we went shopping. We stopped at Lowe's to get a few things and figure out what we wanted/needed. We got some compost to add to the garden and a few flowers and weed killers.

After Lowe's we ventured out to Flower World!!! I love Flower World! If you haven't gone there you must. It's gorgeous and a great trip for kids. There's flowers and animals to look at by this pond. It really is a must! We picked up several more flowers for my front yard and some more starters. Like Broccoli and Tomatoes...

We stopped back at Lowe's to get Bell Peppers since we couldn't find any really at Flower World. And then we went home...eventually.

When we got home we added the compost to the garden and mixed it all up. We planted what we could and then went inside to get the seeds ready for planting.

It feels so good to have my garden done and out of the way now. I won't have to worry about it down the road. All I have to do now is water it. :)

Let's see we planted...oregano, green onions, cilantro, chives, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, potatoes, corn, lettuce, melon, cantaloupe, spinach, tomatoes, pumpkin, squash, and green beans. I'm excited to eat delicious vegetables again from our yard. Hopefully I can keep up with the production this year seeing how I won't be working this summer but I will have an infant. Still not sure how things will go but I am very excited.

Happy Mother's Day?

I found my camera right after I posted my blog last night. It was in my craft room under my table. Oops!!!

So last Friday I called Jared to see if he was on his way home yet. And when he answered I heard a ton of background noise. He said he was on his way home and I was not satisfied with his answer. I felt he was up to something but I wasn't sure what.

He got home a little later than I anticipated. Jared came straight to me and gave me a kiss and said, "I'm not stupid!" I sat there thinking oh crude what did I do... he continued, "Nor am I suicidal. The question is do you want your Mother's Day present now or on Sunday?" I was a little dumbfounded and surprised. I responded, " I told you you didn't have to get me anything for Mother's day." Again he said, "I'm not stupid!"

We walked out to the Jetta and Jared had me open the trunk. There was a big beautiful Fuchsia plant. I love Fuchsias! I used to love popping them before they bloomed when I was little. But I now appreciate the beauty of their bloom much more.

Below are some shots of my gorgeous flowers. I absolutely love the color and how they open.

I want to blog!!!

I'm in the mood to blog or do something. But I can't find my camera with my recent photos or to take photos of a few things I want to blog about. Poohey!! and a double Poohey!!

We had the most amazing BBQ tonight. We were watching the Food Network last night about a BBQ competition and it made me crave some good BBQ. So on the way home today I made the decision that we were going to try the BBQ place in Monroe. We sampled some on the way home which just made me salivate (even thinking about it and writing this is making me salivate). It was amazing!!! Jared said probably the best he has ever had in his life. So a new favorite now.

We have our garden planted which is what I want to blog about. We got that done this weekend. And one of my home teacher's came over yesterday and mowed my super tall lawn. Almost 3 feet in some spots. Now it's trimmed and I can work to maintain it again with my push mower. :) Maybe that will put me into labor along with weeding and planting flowers this weekend. Though actually I'm honestly thinking about hiring a few girls to weed my yard this weekend. They could use the money and I can save myself on the back pain.

I also made some cute cards this weekend that are also on my camera. "Oh where is my camera! Oh where is my camera! Oh where oh where oh where oh where oh where!!!! Is my camera!!"

38 Weeks...time for a Pool!

My due date is fast approaching. It's 2 weeks away from today. Can you believe it? My little boy will be here soon!!!

Shall we do a pool of sorts?

No money involved...just for fun. If you win you get gloater's rights and maybe a small prize. I will think of something fun.

Pool's:

Day Born

Weight & Height

Time Born

And just to be fair to everyone here is some information about myself and Jared...

1. I was 11lbs and 11ounces when born.
2. Jared was between 6-7 lbs according to his mom.
3. I was a month late when I was born. What can I say I take my time!
4. Jared was also born late about 2 weeks.
5. I had contractions that lasted a minute and were about 5 seconds apart a week ago tomorrow. They lasted for about 15-20 minutes and then I forced myself to sleep.
6. I was dilated to a 2 two weeks ago tomorrow.
7. I feel pretty good overall, I have some minor pains but moving along just fine.

Rules for pool's...

1. You can enter yourself in for all 3 or whichever one you want by just posting a comment. If you don't have an account to post a comment try to do it by being anonymous and just put your name so I know who did it.
2. If you are right on you win! If there's a tie you all win!
3. If no one is right on then the person the closet without going over wins!

Let the guessing begin! Good luck to everyone!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Motherhood

My thoughts are currently on Motherhood. Hmm I wonder why?! Could it be that we just celebrated mother's day? Or is it the fact that I could be a mother any day now? Whatever the reason motherhood is a noble calling that I've studied in the last year especially due to a personal progress experience. I was to study at least 2-3 articles about motherhood but I couldn't just pick 2 or 3 so I think I wound up reading about 5 or 6. They were all amazing articles and touched me deeply. I read them even before I was pregnant about a year or so ago. I've always known that I would be a mother. It's something I've longed for for many years. I remember when I was young I wanted to be different things when I grew up but somewhere in my teenage years I realized what I really wanted to be...a Mother! My plans for an education and a future career are catered around being a mother. I want to teach music lessons from my home when my children are little so I can help to bring in money but so most importantly I am available to my children in these tender years. And when they are all off to school my plans are to further my education and either teach more lessons out of the home or be a music teacher at a school. Regardless of how things go my main priority in life or goal is to be a mother.

I was really excited to read and study about the nobility of being a mother because while I wasn't yet able to have children of my own I knew that the time should be spent preparing myself to be a mother some day. I know I've been preparing myself my whole life and a lot of times without even realizing it but studying these articles really touched my heart.

I will share a few of my favorite quotes from some of the articles I read.

"A worthy woman personifies the truly noble and worthwhile attributes of life. A faithful woman can become a devoted daughter of God—more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish, more anxious to exercise compassion than to exercise dominion, more committed to integrity than to notoriety. And she knows of her own infinite worth." ~Russell M. Nelson, “Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov 1989

"Loving parent. What a noble title! There are no greater roles in life for a man than those of husband and father. Likewise, there are no greater roles for a woman than those of wife and mother." ~ Russell M. Nelson, “Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov 1989

"A woman is a master communicator. And she communicates best in humble prayer. How many of us first learned to pray beside the bended knees of our mothers? Surely she knows that her children can walk alone only when they have found their pathway to Father in Heaven through prayer.

Certainly, a woman is a teacher. Someone said, “When you teach a boy, you teach an individual, but when you teach a girl, you teach a whole generation.”" ~Russell M. Nelson, “Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov 1989

"A woman’s richest rewards will come as she rises to fulfill her destiny as a devoted daughter of God." ~Russell M. Nelson, “Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” Ensign, Nov 1989

I of course can't find my other articles that I had printed off maybe because I'm trying to be good and throw things away. But there are many articles out on lds.org that are all about Motherhood and how it's a divine calling that we have been entrusted with as women. And how we should prepare ourselves for it and turn to the Lord for the help needed. I know I will be turning to the Lord often for help and direction in how to nurture and teach my children of his ways.

I'm grateful for my mother and her example to me on how to be a mother. She is an amazing woman full of patience, love, guidance and lives her life in a way to be guided by the spirit.

37 Weeks!

Today marks 37 weeks! I am so excited. It could really happen any time now. So crazy! I still have moments where I can't believe it's happening. And maybe my mind frame will change once I hold my little one finally.

I put in my notice on Monday! It felt so good to quit! I am parting ways with my current employer but I'm not necessarily parting ways with Microsoft. Time will tell what happens there. My last day is the 21st unless I go into labor sooner.

Gospel Topic Tuesday

So one of my YW on her blog wrote last week about how she wanted to study more gospel topics. I started thinking about it and the idea won't leave me so maybe it's something I should do...I am going to try and do a post each Tuesday about a gospel topic with my thoughts on it. This is to help encourage me to study more on my own. :) It will be Gospel Topic Tuesday.

I've been reading a book called "65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming" by David J. Ridges. My sister in law Tausha was talking about how great it was when I was in Idaho. I'm not very far into the book yet but I must agree it's a great book so far. It's very insightful and helpful.

My favorite part so far is how it's calling out that getting worried and stressed out about the signs that are happening around us is not how we should be feeling/thinking. Below are a few quotes that come from the Prophets that is counsel to us about the times we live in and how joyful we should be.

Below is a quote by our current Prophet Thomas S. Monson from his talk titled "Be of Good Cheer".

"It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges—and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”"

We are that we might have joy! We need to focus on the blessings we have. The world is dark and it's easy to get pulled into its doom and gloom but we need to resist that. Satan wants us to be miserable and insecure at these last days. The time is winding down and he will do all he can to bring us down with him. I know how real Satan is and I know how real my Savior is and that it is a time to be happy. He is coming again!

What a joyful time to be on the earth! It won't be easy but if we do what is right and stay close to the church, follow the counsel of our Prophet, study the scriptures, say our prayers and listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost we will be prepared. We will be able to recognize the signs and not be afraid. I will admit that I have moments where I get nervous but when I read that quote by Thomas S. Monson I feel joy again.

There's one more quote I would like to share from our last Prophet Gordon B. Hinkley from his talk entitled, "Living in the Fulness of Times".

"I do not know what we did in the preexistence to merit the wonderful blessings we enjoy. We have come to earth in this great season in the long history of mankind. It is a marvelous age, the best of all. As we reflect on the plodding course of mankind, from the time of our first parents, we cannot help feeling grateful."

I'm grateful for our Prophet and past prophets and the apostles that give guidance and direction. If we heed their words and counsel then we have nothing to fear.

The Nursery is Almost Done

Saturday was a great day! We accomplished a lot in the nursery. We borrowed the carpet cleaner from Jacki & Terence (Thank You!) and Jared cleaned the carpet while I cleaned the kitchen. We then left to go shopping for a mattress for the crib and a few other things. When we got home Jared put the crib together while I cleaned more in the kitchen (side note...I love my Scunci steam cleaner...I was able to get spots off the walls from spaghetti and other dishes splattering on the walls.). We then worked together to make the bed with the Winnie the Pooh bed set I got awhile back. We brought in the keyboard which we thought would fit nicely in here to play lullabies. We also brought up my rocking chair that was my parents used for us kids. I polished it up a bit. And later we went out shopping again for a small bookshelf to put in the corner by the rocking chair. All we need now is a changing table, a lamp and our son!

Check out the fabulous border. My friend Nichole came over and helped me do it! She is very talented and pretty darn funny. She has a sense of humor kind of like Jared's.