So I think the Dragonfly on my front door was trying to tell me it was time for a change.

So I headed to the pumpkin patch after work yesterday and picked up these cuties…

and then I…

Stacked…

And stacked…

And stacked a little more…

I think the people at the Greenhouse thought I was crazy.  I must have stacked about 20 different pumpkins to get just the right look.

I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!!

And the best part is, I plan on using my Pumpkin Stack for not only Halloween, but also Thanksgiving, AND Christmas!!

Remember my post last December about a neighbor that painted her pumpkin stack green like a Christmas Tree?

YUP- that’s the plan!

Now I just want to find a little something to hang on the front door where the Dragonfly use to be.  Any suggestions?

{RIP Mr. Dragonfly. You were a good door ornament.  If I can’t find another one of you next spring, I might have to super glue your wing back into place and milk you for another season. xoxo Mrs. vB}

So I spent most of this past weekend laying in the bed or on the couch with my feet propped up, watching our newest favorite obsession.  Yes, Mr. vB has gotten us hooked on the teenage drama, Veronica Mars.   Ever seen or heard of it? {don’t worry if you haven’t} To be honest it has become quite addicting.  But I digress..  The original plan for this past weekend was for me to meet Mr. vB out in Western Virginia for a close friend’s wedding.  Mr. vB rode up with the groom-to-be Thursday night so he could help with the set up on Friday and Saturday.  I was then going to hitch a ride with another buddy on Saturday to attend the actual nuptials.

BUT have I mentioned lately that I am pregnant?  I mean REALLY pregnant. 8 1/2 months to be exact.

And no that is not a basketball I am smuggling under my dress.

I apparently have acquired a new set of fabulous “cankles” and get these crazy stomach pains when I over exert myself.  {what me?  do more than I should, no- never!!} So Mr. vB and I made the official call on Friday afternoon that I would stay in Richmond for the weekend and relax.

It was hard to force myself to lay in bed, watch TV, and eat ice cream, but someone had to do it.  Actually, I was really bummed to miss Nate and Mary’s wedding, but found it very nice to have no plans and just relax.

Now any ideas on how I can make these cankles fashionable?

So it’s been almost 3 years since we last visited this latest house project.  It’s been long overdue, but we knew it would be somewhat complicated and likely expensive, hence the hold off on doing it.

But we bit the bullet this past weekend and jumped back into it.  What is the project you ask? 

THE BACK OF THE HOUSE!!

Like I mentioned, we started this project about three years ago when we literally ripped out the back wall of the house.

And then rebuilt it properly and added Double Doors…

and a nice new deck..

Enter present day.. Now it’s time to tackle the second story!

Mr. vB, his bro Justin, and their Dad were up and at ‘em bright and early Saturday morning.

They focused on the back wall, ripping off the aluminum siding and exposing the original wood…

Then they added new plywood…

and very careful stapled on new house wrap.

Last but not least, they installed the new replacement windows and trim.

Looks better already doesn’t it??

One wall down and three more to go!  Let’s just hope it’s not another 3 years before we get to them!

So I think I mentioned in this previous post that I have been searching for the perfect fabric for van’s crib skirt and bumper.

I’ve had trouble finding what I’m been envisioning in my head, so I’m wondering if I just need to switch gears and do something different.  {Not that van is going to notice if his crib doesn’t have a skirt on it come November, but his momma will.}

Here are 2 options that I’m currently debating.

I’m worried that the yellow ticking is “too stripy” and Mr. vB called the yellow print “too grandma”.

I really liked this fabric from SpoonFlower…

but once I got the actual sample {thanks to free sample day}, it proved to be way too marigold yellow instead of the soft yellow that I need. DARN!

I also liked this one and this one…

But I’m just not sure.

I HAVE made my mind up though that the decorative bumper will be out of this white diamond matelasse fabric.

And then the piping and ties will be made out of whatever fabric the skirt is made out of.

So I’m halfway there…

If you’re interested in making your own crib skirt and bumpers too, check out these links.

For bed skirts go here and for crib bumpers go here!

Happy Sewing!

I was showered with love {and tons of presents} last weekend as my favorite gals threw me an amazing Baby Shower.

Marty, Keri, Sarah, Moi, Adrienne, Rebecca, Jennifer, and Amanda

We took over the front porch at a local hot spot called Cafe Caturra.

And let me tell you, there were so many personalized details.  These girls know me well!

They made lunch menus to match the invites…

{thanks to redstart creative}

And the cutest personalized table decorations…

And apparently the table decoration that we used at our wedding got modified a bit!

{Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s a no-no to strap a car seat onto a motorcycle- right?}

They also made the cutest personalized diaper cloths and onesies…

Here are some other fun snap shots from the afternoon.

{I can’t tell if it’s Boots or Bailey!}

{what up Squirrel Girls!!}

{this was a pin given to me by Mr.vB’s mom, that was given to her when she was pregnant with her DvB.}

{I definitely think our bellies have gotten bigger since our last belly bump photo shoot.}

{In this photo Sarah is definitely up to trouble.  I believe she has just written van a note that says when he turns 16 she really thinks his mom and dad should buy him a car.}

Thanks SO much to the Cafe Caturra 7!! It was such a wonderful day and I felt so loved by everyone there.

Baby van is very lucky to have so many sweet Aunties.

As we continue to prepare for van’s arrival, we’ve definitely had to rethink our storage needs.  Van’s closet once housed the ironing board/iron, the vacuum, the sewing machine, etc.  And since that closet is now filled with cute baby things, we have had to find somewhere else for all that stuff to go.  {For anyone that lives in an old house, you know closets are far and few between.}

Enter my fabulous husband.  I proposed an idea and he implemented it with gusto!

Now I had been debating on going to Ikea to buy some cool storage cabinets, but that required driving about 3 hours round trip, picking up the goods, and then praying that there was no damage or missing pieces once we started to put it together.  So luckily on a recent trip to Lowe’s these cabinets caught my eye.

I came home, did a bit of space planning/measuring, and then took Mr.vB back to get his thoughts.  He loved the idea, so when his Mom and Step-dad were in town this past weekend we took them over to Lowe’s to help with the heavy lifting.  {the tall cabinet alone weighed 115 lbs!  No way this prego was going to attempt to lift that!}

Here are some before photos of my Ladies Lounge/Office that had turned into the “catch-all” room for everything that was displaced.

What a MESS!!!

But look at it now…

It’s still not completely finished, but I’m in organization heaven!!

The tall cabinet is going to hold the ironing board/iron, the vacuum, my small collection of wrapping paper, and a few other things.  The middle cabinet is going to house my sewing machine and sewing supplies.  And the drawers on the far right are going to hold all my present wrapping supplies and other crafty things.  Then on the peg board I want to hang all my ribbon, gift bags, etc.

I’ve already started putting stuff away and it is looking awesome.  Hopefully by the end of this coming weekend it will all be finished.  Stay Tuned!