snow days

A feel like I have been hibernating since Christmas day afternoon. The snow started to fall late Christmas night and didn't let up until late Sunday. We had a total of about 15" and to say we had a white Christmas would be right on target (the first in SH since 1948 - wow!). We had a wonderful Christmas. The weather forced us to stay inside and rest, watch movies and enjoy each other's company. It was nice to completely veg for a few days with my sweetie. Work was cancelled yesterday so we had one more day off to enjoy. While Jake drove to Wilson to check on a few things at the office, I forced myself to do two loads of lingering laundry, run a load of dishes and vacuum. When Jake got home he put together the few remaining baby items we had in boxes. Baby now has a functioning swing, bouncy seat and pack n play ready to go. Now, I just need to purchase $500 worth of batteries to keep things running for the next few months.

Have a holly, jolly Christmas!

I have finally found the Christmas spirit and merry things are happening in the Green house. We host Jake's family for Christmas brunch, so I have the menu ready and did all my shopping this morning. I'm excited to try a new French Toast Casserole recipe I found on Pioneer Woman yesterday. It looks freaking de-lish! I don't think it would make its way onto my low glycemic diet plan, but we are going to make an exception just this once.


Oh Christmas Tree - 2010

A few of my favorite ornaments:



Wedding gift

  

Denver momento - 2009







Hawaii - 2008



Wedding gift



My mom is coming up tomorrow to go to church with us tomorrow night. Word on the street is that she has been in the kitchen all day today making goodies. Hope she brings a few to our house. I would love just ONE sugar cookie. Christmas Eve service has become my favorite tradition. It's a community, candlelight service at our Methodist church with beautiful Christmas carols and hymns. At midnight, we take communion to celebrate the birth of Christ. It's such a lovely way to start Christmas day. Here's wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas! 

Hallway - After (well, sort of)

The more I thought about the "big" reveal of this after shot of the hallway, the more I knew no one except Jake and me would be excited about this transformation. We haven't had a chance to decorate this space yet, so we will consider this the almost after photo. A few disclosures before you look - yes, I should have mopped the floors before I took these pictures. Yes, I should have cleaned the glass in the french doors before I took these pictures. And yes, I should have waited for Jake to put on the outlet covers before taking these pictures. haha.


Hall - view from Living Room


 

Hall - view into Living Room


 The paint color is SW Essential Grey. It changes throughout the day, which I love. All the trim is BM Decorators White in Semi Gloss. The Living Room is now painted the same color and it ROCKS. My plans for the hall are to find a jazzy runner, add an accent table with a lamp and mirror and to create a gallery wall of family portraits on both sides. I might get Jake to build a bench for extra storage if there is room. It would be nice to have a place to hide store all our extra items that seem to accumulate in the Living Room. Don't ask me why I keep capitalizing Living Room. I just like it.

a few questions about newborns and a teaser before picture

I have been trying to finish up my shopping for the impending arrival my first born child and am curious about the following things. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

1. How many newborn outfits should I have ready. Now I know this depends on the weight of the baby so let's just assume we have an average size newborn (around 7-8 lbs). I am all set for 0-3 months, its just the first week or three that have me nervous.

2. How many blankets do we really need. We currently have 3 really fuzzy/fluffy blankets, 3 muslin swaddling and about 4 or 5 misc receiving.

3. Your top 10 have to have baby items and any items you needed but didn't think about ahead of time?

Now, for a "before" picture. This is our hallway. It is directly off the Living Room. The nursery is that door to the right and the guest bathroom is the door on the left. The door straight ahead leads into the back of the house which currently houses a weird entry foyer (that used to be a porch) a bedroom on the left (which is housing Jake's gym/man room that I am not allowed to enter),  our "master" bathroom and our bedroom to the right. Confused yet? Yeah, so am I. Let's stick to the hallway for now. Please note the gorgeous green plaster and the previous owners love of dark paint colors. Forest green was such a forward thinking color choice for wainscotting. This picture isnt a true before, it is actually a mid point. It was even worse before, if you can believe it. In this picture, Jake has removed the wood paneling walls  down to bare plaster and started demo on the ceiling. Stay tuned for the after - It makes me happy!



Before: Hallway mid demo



Its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

We had a family friend shoot some pictures of us to commemorate baby bump and because we didn’t have a picture to use for our Christmas card. I think this was the best picture and the one we used for the card.

This picture is my favorite. I think it captures me and Jake perfectly. I am going to print this one for the baby’s room.

We are heading into our 31^st week. Only 9 weeks to go. It’s so exciting. And scary. And almost unbelievable that we will have a sweet baby boy in about two months. I know I have haven’t been in the best of moods on this blog the past few weeks, but this morning I looked outside and it was snowing. The ground was covered and the house was cold and still. It made me think of my life growing up in Pennsylvania and the limited memories I have of cold weather, snow suits and making cookies. I felt so at peace this morning. My little one was giving his morning kicks, Jake was dressed in snow boots and his red as fire, Kris Kringle beard. My life is good.

Our work Christmas party got cancelled tonight because of snowy weather. I am actually glad it is going to be rescheduled. Jake is heading out of town tomorrow to go skiing so I am glad I get to spend the evening with him. I think we are going to turn off the tv, turn on some Christmas music and the lights on the tree and wrap some presents.

give me some sugar

Well, I don’t know where to start. I am in this half funk/half elated mood. First the funk. I failed my second glucose test. MARGINALLY failed I might add. Two of my readings were slightly higher than normal. They are still putting me in the category of “Gestational Diabetes.” Ugh. This makes me feel so horrible on so many levels. First, I feel like a failure. I do have a tendency to snack and I do adore all things sugar, but honestly, before the glucose tests, I have been pretty darn proud of myself. I have kept my weight gain down, blood pressure is good, etc. I’m trying to be positive about the whole thing and keep it all in perspective. I meet with a nutritionist on Wednesday and the nurse at my office assured me that if I follow a regimented meal plan and exercise plan that I will not have to go on medicine and me and baby will be fine. I am positive about this too. It’s just ... I feel like such a statistic. An over weight statistic at that. Lovely. The nurse did mention that we would receive additional sonograms and fetal monitoring the closer we get to our due date. I can’t help but be happy about that because I miss seeing baby g’s sweet little profile inside my black and white womb. She also mentioned that we would probably go before our due date of Feb 18^th with an induction or c-section. Now, a c-section scares the ever-living daylights out of me but an induction has its own fears. I am praying each day that God knows my strengths and what we need to all be healthy and safe. So, I am handing this over to Him and I know he will keep us close and give us the best situation we can handle. Jake is pretty stoked about going early. His birthday is the 8^th. His dad’s is the 9^th. It would be neat for baby to be born close to either of those dates or even share a birthday with his daddy. We shall see.

On the elated side, our house is magically coming together. After three years of blood (Jake’s), sweat (Jake and Jenna) and tears (yes, mine) we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The nursery is 90% complete. All I need is artwork and final decorations. The curtains I chose are about 4-5 inches too short and its driving me bonkers every time I go in that room. I am going to take the hem out this weekend and see if that helps. More on house renos later. I am going to get with the program and actually add some pictures to this blog.

Let’s not even broach the topic of Christmas. I am almost done shopping and we finally got a tree up and decorated. That’s about that at our house this year. Next year we will do better.

glucose this

I failed my glucose test. darn it. going back tomorrow for the three hour test. Here's hoping and praying that we get good results.

gobble gobble... oh, I mean Ho Ho Ho

Another holiday down in the books - Thanksgiving flew by in flash. We traveled down to SC to visit Jake's brother, Daniel. We had a nice dinner (with no turkey, stuffing or pumpkin pie).  That is the thing about  Jake's family of three brothers, Jake being the oldest and the only one married, the "boys" always want steak on special occasions. So sad I didn't even get one bite of pie :(

Jake did indulge me and let me go to the Gaffney outlets on Black Friday afternoon. They were packed but  I was able to pick up a few things for baby at the Pottery Barn outlet. If I would have had two more hours, more patience with crowds and a uHaul, we would have been packing up some furniture and fixtures for the drive home.

Saturday morning we drove from Gaffney to Monroe. My step-sister, Angie, got married that afternoon. It was a really nice ceremony and we love her husband, Rob! After the wedding, Jake let me drive through Waxhaw to pick up a treat at Pizza Works and to see the Christmas lights. Sara was home at the Byrums, but we didn't think to stop by. At this point, the trip had completely worn me out ... let me rephrase that ... eating every meal out for four days straight and living solely on diet coke had completely made me feel awful. Oh, did I mention my glucose test was that Monday bright and early at 8am? oops.

We drove home Sunday and caught up on routine chores before it was right back to work. Monday (28 weeks), I had my glucose test. I personally didn't think the drink was that bad. Now, it wasn't great, but the way people talked about it I thought it was going to be the most awful thing in the world. I think it helped that it didn't smell funky. I don't do weird smells. I haven't heard back, so I am assuming everything checked out okay. My blood pressure was a little high. I think my extra ordinary levels of diet soft drinks and sodium may be the culprit, so hopefully when I go back next week, my bp with check out fine. The baby has been moving like crazy, which makes me happy. My baby bump is officially visible to the outside public. I had my first stranger "when are you due" questions last week. That was nice - everybody gets happy talking about babies and pregnancy stories.

Lately, I have been getting up anywhere between 4-5am. I mean wide awake, no way of going back to sleep. The first day I fought it,  now I am embracing it and tackling laundry, dishes, etc first thing in the mornings. Mom is on her way today to help me organize the baby's room. She is a complete cleaning nazi so hopefully she will motivate me and help me knock a lot of things of the to do list. Maybe one day I'll post a picture, this blog is lame. Also, I better start thinking about Christmas - we at least need a tree.

birthday/trip report

Blogging is much harder than I thought it would be. I am lucky if I get one post a week. In my defense, I am double duty journaling. I have been keeping a journal for the baby and have been managing to write in that a few nights a week. My hand has been cramping after each entry because of the lack of writing I do in everyday life.

Our trip to Hilton Head was fantastic - just what the doctor ordered. The weather was great all week. We stayed in a great hotel, oceanfront and woke up to beautiful sunrises each morning. We did a lot of napping, resting and dining. Jake was a trooper and tagged along on a few shopping trips to the outlets, TJ Maxx and Homegoods. We kayaked, took a boat tour around the island, a day trip to Savannah and had a movie date. It was so nice to be alone with Jake, with minimal distractions from real life.

Jake gave me a super gift to celebrate my 30th year. He gave me a Nikon D3000 so that I can take pictures of baby. Plus, I have been wanting a camera upgrade for a long time. He is a very good listener :) I am excited to learn how to use and it and to practice my photog skills over the holidays.

We had our 26 week check up last week. Baby's heartbeat was strong and everything was good. We have our glucose test on the 29th, which I am totally NOT stoked to do. I keep eyeing my bottle of pink glucose, I hope I can refrain from too much pie over the holiday so that I do not need any additional testing. The baby has amped up his activity. He is most active mid morning (10am) and again at night before bedtime.

30 rock(s)

I am 30 today. My brother in law (who is 23) told me yesterday, with a slight bit of pity in his voice, don't worry 30 is the new 20. Jokes on him. I don't want to be 20 again. The last ten years have been a roller coaster and I am thankful to be in this exact place today. I share my life with an amazing husband, baby is on the way and our families are healthy and happy. Here is a quick timeline of events to jog my memory (30 more years from now when my brain is really tired):
2000 - 20 years old and going into my sophomore year at NC State. My sister had her first baby on that first day of the semester. I skipped all my classes that day to be at the hospital. He was the greatest gift that year.
2001 - Spent my 21st birthday in my dorm room in Burgaw. Sara came over from UNC and we went to the grocery store and bought a red velvet cake and a six pack of Smirnoff Ice. I didn't get carded. The cake was good and we watched Reality Bites. That weekend, Michelle treated me to a cruise to the Bahamas where we ingested a few too many coco locos and had a great dinner at the Atlantis resort to celebrate 21 & 27. In the spring, I got to spend a week in Paris with my mom.
2002 - 22 was a great year of my life. I was a junior in college and an RA at Alexander dorm. I made a ton of new friends at school, had made the Dean's list six semesters straight and then things started to get really good.  I spent that fall semester on an exchange program at the University of Hawaii Manoa. I came home a changed person. That spring, I went to visit Sara in Ireland while she was on exchange. So many great memories!
2003 - Ah, 23. I graduated from college. Spent the summer in France. Fell in love. Fell out of love. Twice. Got my first job out of college.
2004 - I met my husband technically when I was 23, but specifically in March 2004. I got laid off from said first job, got a new job the following week. Spent my 24th birthday at Disney. Another great year!
2005 - The biggest event of 2005 was my trip to Italy with my Mom. We spent time in Florence, Rome and Tuscany. I loved that trip and I love my mom.
2006 - I spent 26 totally in love with Jake. That year seemed consumed with just me and him. We went on dates, spent all our time together and moved in together.
2007 - Another big year of greats. Jake and I moved to Spring Hope. We got engaged on St. Patty's Day. I got a new job (my current). We got married at Disney in September. Hands down, the best year of my life... so far.
2008 - Jake got a new job (City of Wilson). We bought our house in January. I think that was enough major life events for one year. We got tired, we got cranky. We worked on the house, we went to work, we went through the motions.
2009 - 29 hit me hard. Yikes, so close to thirty. Our house renovations were coming along, Jake and I were happy. Life is good.
2010 - Here we are today. Jake passed his PE (thank God!). We are having a baby and I am turning 30 today. We are on our way to celebrate these two big life events with a trip to Hilton Head. I don't know how we landed on that destination, but it just seemed to fit. I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life, all the good times and bad, and am looking forward to many, many more!

It's a good thing

The morning is gorgeous and had me waking up quoting Martha Stewart this morning... It's a good thing! The leaves have turned and our street is a beautiful wave of bright yellows, oranges and reds. I treated myself to a decaf coffee and just bit the bullet and ordered my "birthday" jacket. I got lucky enough to flip to a page in the new InStyle magazine and see a coupon code for 20% off - sweet victory! My hotty totty maternity jacket (if there is such a thing) should be here just in time for our trip departure and my birthday! Speaking of birthdays... the big 3-0 will be here a week from Monday. Holy Moly, 30 years old. I can't really get into that right now because I am too busy living up the last week of my twenties... shopping online and blogging about nothing. haha.

We are all geared up for trick or treating tonight. We spent $60 on candy last night at Target, and Jake thinks its not going to be enough. I told him, as much as I would love to provide candy for the entire population of Spring Hope children, I refuse to spend $100+ on candy. Especially with the secret jacket purchase made earlier this morning... but he doesn't need to know about that. 

The baby is moving a lot these past few days and I have seen my stomach grow quite a bit even though my weight is staying about the same. I hit the gym two days last week and did 30 minutes of cardio. It felt good to exercise and I am going to try and keep up a 2-3 day a week commitment through the winter.  Although, my sweet little pumpkin finds it necessary to stand directly on top of mommy's bladder while I am on the elliptical, making me break every 5-7 minutes for a trip to the loo. I make sure to use the machine directly in front of the ladies room.

I am craving popcorn balls like no other. I need to call Grace (my sweet momma) and see if she'll whip me up a batch.... and then call Jeff to brag that mom made me entire batch of popcorn balls and isn't he jealous.

hi(gh)

Whoa! The painter came today and our house is smelling very STRONG. Thank goodness our bedroom was spared so I have a hiding spot until tomorrow. She (the painter) assured me the smell would be gone tomorrow. So, I think the hubs is in the living room, breathing deep and getting a tad bit high :) haha.

Our vacation is three weeks away. I have it nailed down to three locales: Washington DC, Ft. Lauderdale and Puerto Rico. I know those last two are random as hell. Southwest is having a flight sale to Ft. Lauderdale and the hotel rates are super low in Puerto Rico. Plus, I forgot to get my passport renewed when I changed to my married name so any international destination is out. I am going to do a cost analysis of each this week and present options to Jake. I'll let him make the final decision. I think we are both dreaming of a beach vacay with lots of sun, dips in the pool and early bedtimes. Cross your fingers for Puerto Rico.

Progress!

What a busy week. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which sounded great. Everything is right on schedule and we got to see Dr. Tosky who delivered Tillie four years ago. We really liked him and wouldn't mind if he delivers us, especially if we end up having a c-section. We are 23 weeks tomorrow. I feel like I have done pretty good so far, I have gained 6lbs and am going to try to keep exercising and eating right through the holidays (keep me far away from mom's pumpkin pie and sugar cookies!!).

The painter starts Monday! Yippee! She finally called me today and I am so excited to get some of these rooms painted so we can move back into our bedroom, set up the nursery and actually decorate our house. Its been kind of bland here on Walnut St. with no pictures on the wall and minimal furniture. Glad we are moving forward. Jake deserves the worker bee of the month award. He is so dedicated to this project. I would have sold this house two years ago for $25 just to get rid of the headache. Many before and afters to follow. I save all our pictures on my work computer and update this blog from home so things aren't jiving right now. 

Off to pick paint colors - the pressure!

I dye

Well, after much deliberation, I am back to being a brunette. For the past 5+ years I have highlighted my hair and it just got old. I, unfortunately, was not blessed with thick, pretty locks. My hair is the deadly combo of thin and fine. boo on genetics. My hair had seen better days. Way better days. It was way damaged, too long and just looked a mess. So off to Aveda I went yesterday morning and requested a dye job to match my roots. Whoa. I am still trying to tell myself it looks good. Its dark. Like, really dark. I almost feel goth. Jake assured me its not black, but its close. I don't remember my hair being this "brown." I am going to live with it for a few days and see if it grows on me (hardy har har, pun intended). The dang problem is that I have to get my license renewed this week or next... and I don't know if I want to live with this do in that pic for 8 years. Yes, this is completely lame that this is the only thing I have to write about. I need to make a post on my dresser makeover, baby bedding and remodel updates.

Jake and I were thinking of going to the State Fair this morning. We ended up sleeping in, having breakfast in bed and catching up on infomercials well into the early afternoon. Why does the p90x infomercial get me every time? I.cannot.change.the.channel. We went for a walk around the block and are enjoying the warm sunshine on the porch swing.  I hope this gorgeous weather stays in place for a few weeks.

Registries and an ER visit

Yesterday was a very busy day for the Greens. I spent the day with Mom, Michelle and Tillie registering for the baby. That was easier said than done. I went in with total preparation, list in hand, research done, etc. Well, few notes to self: don't register on a Saturday when everyone and their mother (including me) is shopping or also trying to register in the four baby aisles at Target. Also, Saturday at 1pm is not the time to enter the only Babies R Us in a 100 mile radius. To be honest, it was baby overload. Tillie learned how to use the registry gun. Every toy in aisle 12 was scanned. So, if baby g gets a Disney princess play mat, I won't be surprised.

I came home to awesome progress on the house, Jake had primed the hallway, installed vanity lights and mirror in the guest bathroom, finished grouting some tile work in the bathroom and a few other misc honey dos. We decided to take a break and run to Lowe's and get a quick dinner. Jake was in a great mood, I was glad to be on a date with my honey and then it happened - Herb, clean-up in aisle 5 (Mr. Mom). Jake went to reach for a sheet rock thing a ma jig. It looked like a huge wiper blade with an actual blade. Well, it fell off the shelf, sliced Jake's wrist open and freaked me the hell out. I watched the whole thing happen, Jake grabbed his wrist and we just looked at each other. I could tell he was thinking... is it that bad? We should just pick this stuff up off the floor, pay and go home and get a band-aid. I asked him if needed stitches and he opened his hands and I saw it. My stomach flipped, he needed stitches. Six to be exact and a tetanus shot. Yikes, it was gnarly. I really love my husband, because after an hour at the ER (9pm) I was ready to go home. Jake still wanted to go out to eat. So I took him, and his bandaged wrist, on a date to Chili's.

bad blogger

I haven't even been blogging for a month and I am already taking a hiatus. Funny, how it's hard to find 5-10 minutes a day to write a blog post with work, house, husband and misc to tend to. October is off to a great start. I felt the baby move for the first time about a week ago (20 weeks). That is an odd/awesome feeling, a half pound baby moving inside your tummy. The little guy likes to get busy at about 6pm and parties til about 9pm and then baby and momma go to bed. I'm meeting Michelle and Mom in Raleigh on Saturday to register. We are also on the hunt for a glider/rocker. I'm hoping we can finalize that decision and get it ordered this weekend.

Things are going well on the home front too. Jake, the dear, has been coming home every night and working on the house. The poor guy looks exhausted and has been going to bed with me and baby at 9 every night. Jake is usually my night owl, so I hope he isn't over doing it. Hopefully, come December, most of the work will be done and we can enjoy (rest) the last two months before baby arrives.

Asheville, NC & a bday shout out

Jake had a conference in Asheville this past Monday and Tuesday and he was nice enough to invite me to tag along. We drove up Sunday afternoon and were surprised the leaves weren't changing yet. The trees were still green and lush and the air was fresh and cool. Jake was in meetings most of the two days so I just walked around town and window shopped. It was a good two days of rest and relaxation. Our hotel had mini Aveda products which made my day(s). Rosemary Mint shampoo, need I say more? I only took one picture the entire trip. I have been really bad about digitally documenting our life lately. This picture is horrible, but it is from this great little restaurant where I had lunch on Monday, Tupelo Honey Cafe. I had a grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich on Texas Toast and a bowl of Tomato soup. I sat at the bar, read my US Magazine and enjoyed the yummy food while the rain fell outside. What a cozy place and all the food looked DELISH!



Tupelo Honey Cafe - Asheville, NC

On a side note, it is my Grandma Lawrence's birthday today! We are sending her much love. I would give anything to take her out on a birthday date to Perkins and give her a hug. She is such a wonderful person and I miss her dearly.  

California dreaming



Niagara Falls - 2005

I am a total vacation snob. It's not like I have to stay at the Ritz kind of snob, but when I vacation, I want to vacation. Please don't ask me to drive to the Outer Banks or up to Williamsburg. I need a flight, a hotel stay and preferably sunny skies and warm temps. Jake can attest to this. I like to plan. This is why Jake and I get along. He lets me plan all of our vacations, every last detail. I love him for that because poor buddy might get slapped if he tried to interfere with my flight choices (just kidding...okay... kind of kidding). We (I) like to take one big trip a year and then a few small ones sprinkled here and there to fit in our beach time, Jake's ski trips, family events, etc. The baby has thrown a wrench, a very good wrench, in our plans for this year. I was planning a trip to San Diego in November when we found out baby was on the way. Well, Southern California is expensive and so is our unborn child so we nixed CA for 2010. So now we are left with a week vacation in November with nowhere to go. Jake and I said we would just play it by ear and go wherever the wind takes us. Well, that isnt flying with me anymore and I am itching to plan. I am going to try my best to refrain from rash decisions and hold out for another two weeks. If the weather is nice, I want to head up north to NYC or Boston. If the weather turns, I have no idea. Help - I need ideas. Ideas that won't break the bank and that involve a pregnant gal (aka no extreme sports, hiking, or super long flights). PS. I really do want to stay at the Ritz. Just one time before I die.

daily haps

I am still coming down off the high of knowing - It's a boy! I will randomly yell this out around the house. I know Jake is tired of hearing me say it. Although, I do catch a hint of a grin from him every time I say it. He is so excited too. Boys just don't like to show their feelings... silly boys.

My dad was very generous and gifted us with the baby's crib. It arrived yesterday and Jake got right to the point and promptly put it together in pure engineer fashion (complete with reading directions, under thirty minutes). That is really the only baby item we have in the house right now, which makes February seem very far away.

The weather here in Eastern NC is hot. Like 90+ degrees everyday hot. The mornings are cooler and the nights are pleasant which makes fall feel like its kinda sorta here. Not really though, when you are sweating carrying groceries into the house after work. I am ready for chilly (note I did not say cold, I hate cold) weather. I love jeans and boots and jackets. Boots and jackets = LOVE. I have my eye on one of each to spruce up my fall maternity wardrobe (boots & jacket). I think I am going to splurge and buy both for myself for my 30th birthday present. Come on November, momma needs a new pair of shoes!

It's a Boy!

Wow! Big news to report from yesterday - It's a boy!

We were nervous walking in to our appointment that the baby might not cooperate and hide his/her business. Well, baby g is not shy and was more than happy to show us, most definitely, that we have a boy. Or as the ultrasound tech said, "Yes indeed, 100% outdoor plumbing." This whole time I thought it was a boy... well maybe a small part of me was thinking, maybe, just maybe it could be a girl. We have a boy. It's still sinking in that my house will soon be filled with trucks and legos and light sabers. That we will have muddy boots and baseball practice. I am in love already.

busy bees

Cane Creek Tri Sprint - September 2009 (Jake & Jeff)

We have a busy weekend ahead so I need to take advantage of the night and finish some cleaning and get the car packed so we can leave after work tomorrow. Jake and my brother, Jeff, will be participating in their second annual Cane Creek Triathlon Sprint. For the record, Jeff puked multiple times because dummy ate an apple two seconds before the start (and probably cane creek water would make me barf too).  

Jeff and I are insisting we do lunch at Ice Cream & Pizza Works on Saturday. I might have to pull the "eating for two" excuse and go for a double scoop on a waffle cone for dessert.

On Sunday, Jake is off to the Panther's game and I am off to Ikea and then home. I want to pick up a few organizational items for the house and look to see if they have any good stuff in the baby department that baby g has to have.

Speaking of baby g... Monday is the big day. At 10:30am we find out if sweet baby g is a boy or a girl. I am ready to find out, but nervous at the same time. It's scary to think that my pregnancy is almost halfway finished and that in three short days we will know if we have a son or a daughter on the way :)

Picking a winner

Spring Hope's claim to fame is the annual Pumpkin Festival. I am guessing pumpkins were all the rage back in the day and it was a weekend to celebrate the fall harvest. Today, the festival has morphed into a weekend filled with local town events in the downtown depot, carnival rides and a parade on Saturday morning. The Pumpkin Festival is always the first weekend in October. Since moving to "town" we have been having a porch party on the first night (Friday) of the festival. As everyone walks into town, or parks on the street, they can stop by our house and get a little snack, drink a little beer and chit chat. It is always fun and we always seem to have a good crowd.

Each year, the local Chamber holds a recipe contest. I made my first entry last year and placed honorable mention with my pumpkin spiced whoopie cookies. I am going to enter again this year and see if I can place in the top three. My ideas for this year are (since no one but my husband reads this blog anyway): pumpkin spice crepes with spiced cream cheese filling, pumpkin pancakes or waffles, pumpkin spice doughnuts or pumpkin spice latte gelato with cookie garnish. Let's hope I can pick a winner!

three

Three years ago today, I married this hottie. He makes my heart melt everytime he calls me baby.

He has a big heart, a happy spirit and the sweetest soul of anyone I know. I am lucky to have him as my husband and my best friend.

I love you Jake - Happy Anniversary!

Stress

All of a sudden I have major baby anxiety. Is the house going to be ready in time, I need to find new living room furniture before Christmas, is it a boy or a girl, am I going to be a complete spaz of a parent, am I going to be able to drop that sweet little thing off at daycare everyday without losing it. Whoa! (joey lawrence style) I need to take a deep breath. It still hasn't sunk in completely that we are adding a new person to our life in February. I only have a slight hint of a baby bump and I haven't felt the little bugger move yet. In just a little more than a week we will know if baby is a boy or a girl. I am leaning boy, Jake is going for girl. Why all of a sudden am I blank on baby names? I have only been thinking about that exact topic for the past 23 years of my life. I am giving myself (Jake included) until October to get our backsides in gear and start thinking about registering, nursery decor, baby savings, final daycare options, etc. We have a really busy fall on the horizon and I just want to enjoy everyday and remember everything. Breathing in, breathing out.

baby daddy

This is my baby's daddy. The love of my life. My best friend. I think he is really handsome. I met Jake in March 2004. I cannot believe that was six years ago. Time flies when you're having fun. We met on a blind date. We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Rocky Mount, NC. I still have the shirt I wore that night. It's really tiny and doesnt fit anymore. Jake had worked outside all day and had a raging sunburn. I almost fell when I tripped over the curb. Yes, love at first sight. haha. A month after we met, Jake moved all my stuff in a U-Haul to Rocky Mount so I could live closer to work. A month after that, he packed it all back in a U-Haul and moved me back to Raleigh. Edgecombe County and Jenna Lawrence didn't mix too well. We took a week "break" after that second move. I think the moving was a tad too much a tad too soon. Looking back, all that makes me laugh. He was a good sport. This picture was taken the night he received his PE license at a reception at NCSU (July 22, 2010). Jake, you are everything to me. You make me laugh, you make me happy. I am so glad the McKirahan's thought we would make a good match, because we really do!

Front porch - before and after

We closed on our house January 18, 2008. It seemed like a really good idea at the time. Buy a fixer upper, fix er up, sell for profit and live happily ever after. Ever after, preferably, being a house with a pool closer to a city with at least one Target and a Starbucks. Oh, how naive we were (are). This house, our first house, is located in Spring Hope, NC and was built in the late 1920s.

Jake's first project was to tackle the front porch. When we moved in, half the porch was rotten and in desperate need of repair after many years of neglect.

I don't have a true "before" picture, so a midway view will have to do (Spring 2008)

Porch - after

We splurged and went with Trex decking materials. We felt this was the best decision since the porch sits almost flush to the ground and also the house is on a hill which makes drainage an issue. Jake installed a french drain and we also replaced the gutters around the porch. One note about Trex, the color isnt really uniform (at least for the Winchester Grey option) and it scratches easily. On the plus side, no splinters, no rot and covered under warranty.

labor days - I meant to post this yesterday 9/3

Happy Birthday to my bff Sara B. She turns 29 today and is celebrating this morning at the Aveda institute and most likely a venti starbucks drink ... and ... Happy Anniversary tomorrow to my sister Michelle. She has been married to my brother-in-law David for 11 years. The day they got married, hurricane Dennis decided to hit NC. The wind was blowing and the rain was pounding and it was by far the best damn reception I've ever been to! Funny, hurricane Earl is making his away across the Outer Banks as I type. Also funny is how good champagne tastes when you are underage!

I am dubbing this weekend "Labor Days" in honor of the Labor Day holiday on Monday and also because Jake and I are going to work super hard on the house. He has his list and I have mine. Hopefully, at the end of the long weekend two bedrooms willl be ready to paint, the garden will be gone, all the laundry will be clean and I'll need a nap.

It's pretty easy being Green.

I couldn't think of a better name for this blog so Living the Vida Verde (green life) will have to do for now. Thank you Ricky Martin for the catchy phrase. I remember in 1998, my mom got invited to a Ricky Martin concert. I never heard any details from that night... let's hope it was loca.

I am joining the blogging craze to record our history. You see, we are having a baby. Baby G is due on February 18, 2011 and I already feel guilty for not recording every detail of the pregnancy so far. So hopefully, I can stick with this blogging gig and chronicle our lives from this day forward. So, meet me, Jenna Green and my husband Jake as we journey into first time parenthood, remodel our 90 year old house and keep you up to date on what I ate for lunch and how much I love to report celebrity gossip.