New

Maybe it's this time of year...maybe it's that we're both nesting (at least I can admit this though). New things are abounding left and right.







We rearranged the living room to create space. We also added a new rug and reframed this old Erlich print from the 70s (look closely...you can see the old buggy in the back). We took it to our favorite spot - The Framing Company in Newtown Square. There you can assemble it all yourself. The frame was my choice. I'm usually quite decisive about mats and frames but this one took me a tad longer, probably because it's from the 70s and we wanted to preserve that feel but also because the lithograph element of it tripped up up with colors. Finally I looked at it like a photo and realized a simple neutral mat was best (not the crazy yellow I originally thought could work - scary!)...at any rate, Vince joined the frame, the gal there cut the mat, and my favorite part? Staple, staple, adhere ATG to the back and drop on brown paper. Fold down sides, trim and add the wire. Seriously, this was always my most favorite part of the framing process.

Of course this print is BANGIN' in our living room now. Good for us.

Last week I snagged Easter flowers for the grandparents and couldn't help but pick a few out for myself. These combined with the ever growing indoor plant collection have our downstairs looking like a mini arboretum. I'm not sure how they've survived considering I never had a green thumb before last spring.








Speaking of a green thumb, I've lusted over the wellies for some time now. However I couldn't bring myself to purchase a pair of boring old green or black wellies. The Gap had these online and I jumped on them. They are just dying to get outside once the weather warms up and mulch with me. Of course I do still need a pair of crocs. Like the wellies, no boring color will do. Purple, pink or green for me.









Finally, a pretty, clean dog on some new carpeting. This extends up the stairs and into the hallway. It's called Robin's Egg Blue. I'm a big dork about color names and labels like "Blue" or "Cream" just don't suffice for me. When we moved into our house, Vince, his pal Mike and our realtor, my cousin Kim, all came up with the name Mocha Latte for the carpet in the master bedroom to fool me. Because of course I said, "No Beige!"

If you're an artist you understand.

Vintage Bags

I love vintage handbags. Heart them. Anytime I visit a vintage store, besides perusing the racks of dresses (and coats when the weather permits), I gravitate toward the bags. Up until now my only rules have been that I like it and it's it in decent condition. I'm not a designer girl by any means but lately I've been thinking I want to invest in an authentic vintage Gucci or Burberry bag. This is a challenge since the knock offs abound on the market and moreover, most eBay sellers aren't savvy enough to spot real from fake. I found an adorable tote on the auction site last week but the pattern wasn't usual for Burberry. Normally I'd be all over something off the beaten path except in this case, it sent red flags up the pole. Sadly, the seller couldn't provide me with any sort of serial number to certify that it is indeed a true Burberry. It was only $40 and I considered buying it because the shape and style were so me, but then I thought I'd rather put that $40 into the real deal. Furthermore, if and when I decide to flaunt a label like that, it sure better be the real thing.

So I moved on and found a great Gucci bag. It's doctor bag style. This one has a serial number but alas, the ever annoying reserve. Alternatively, I could buy it now for $200 which is probably a good deal but then I think about all those other truly unique bags I might buy with that $200. Hmmm.

I remembered this adorable wicker handbag my grandfather bought my mom in the late 60s. He purchased it in Miami. I saw a few similar bags on eBay (and some other vintage bag websites) and started a list of 1950s and 1960s handbag designers. In less than a week I've scoured tons of sites in my research and found this approach to be my calling. I love that these bags (and their designers) so fabulous for their day. I love that older generations can speak to how beautifully handcrafted and desired the bags were then. That the names float under the radar but they are held in such regard and collectible.

These 60s designer lucite boxes are on my to buy list. I also thought besides toting them around town they would also make for great jewelry boxes. I can place them on a dresser and store my ever growing collection of bracelets and necklaces and whatnot.

Vacuum Sealed Bags

In an effort to consolidate and store winter duds and belongings, Vince and I picked up some of those space saver vacuum seal bags at Walmart last night. I've seen the commercials for these bags a zillion times but never imagined how truly fabulous the bags are. All our puffy bulky winter coats, sweaters and fleece garments - sealed up, compressed, and stowed away until the fall. I was so amazed at how much stuff you can fit into this bag that now I want to vac seal everything. I have tons of skirts in my closet, tons of cute pre-pregnancy clothes that I won't be able to wear until the fall anyway, not to mention the hangers full of adorable blazers in the baby's closet that need to move. I'm on a vac-seal mission. I'll store all this stuff, stack it in the attic and the best part? The bags free up storage bins for other items. Fabulous.

Bowling

We recently went bowling for Vince's 32nd birthday. About 20 of us swooped down on Chichester Lanes. Here's my doctored image of me, my brother and my sister...mocking the craziness of that joint and wondering why on earth my other brother didn't haul his lazy ass down from the Cape to share in the fun times.

Belly

Some baby related photos.

Me 6.5 months along (week 26).



From our January ultrasound - a boy!


The baby update at 4.5 months

Ultrasound

So we found out back in the fall that I'm expecting. This was a big surprise and it took a while to wrap my head around it all. Vince wanted to blab to the world...I was not ready to do so until Thanksgiving and even then things were still sinking in...amidst a sea of well meaning friends of family that suddenly had to share their opinions with me on everything from breast feeding to alcohol to painful deliveries. I wasn't even out of my first trimester.

In January we had another ultrasound and determined that our little one is a boy. I'd been having some interesting dreams about pirates and contemplating a pirate themed room so with the "It's a Boy" news, we exchanged lots of high-fives and I started a fun wall mural.

I had a little pooch for a few weeks from December into January and I finally popped in late January/early February, around the 5 month mark. The belly has been interesting to watch. I finally graduated from the demi panel to the full panel and like many aspects of the pregnancy, things that bothered me in the beginning (maternity clothes and full panel pants), I now embrace. My subconscious is clearly perplexed over the expanding region and I sort this out nightly in my head, wondering exactly how big I'll be when I deliver. I remind myself that I am 6 months along so the awkward weight of a belly and rolling out of bed and some discomfort are normal (duh). Or it's my brain's way of diverting my thoughts away from any lingering anxiety that comes with the thought of labor. Who knows.

This past Thursday we went to Innerview Ultrasound in Malvern for a 3D and 4D ultrasound. 2D is the flat black and white scan we all know and it only shows profiles or the baby from a particular angle. 3D is the full image with the depth of field. 4D is capturing the movement.

Having been pretty chill about things up until now, I was not prepared for the intense emotional experience of the ultrasound. The experience was so amazing and I can't even believe I can see his little face - it made it all much more real and exciting and now I'm like a proud mom. I watch this video like, twice a day and I can't wait until he gets here and I can hold him. I've definitely had moments of protectiveness and attachment but this solidified all those feelings. Plus just seeing this took away a lot of the lingering fears I had about labor and delivery.

Truthfully, I think he looks like Vince in these images (even a little like my dad as a child) but he's only 2.5-3 lbs. so he has time to grow still.

Check out the video here.