'Tis the Season

I am SO in the Christmas spirit this year! Since Chad and I did not make it home for Thanksgiving this year, I decided to put the tree up a little earlier than I usually do. The day before Thanksgiving, I went through the Christmas boxes stacked in the basement and pulled out the Christmas tree decor. I decided to let Chad sleep in (which is usually very hard for me to do) and started trimming the tree. I wanted to get a real tree this year, but I left our tree stands and lights at my mom's house. This weekend, we are going to a tree farm with our friends. We'll get wreaths instead. Here are a few of my favorite ornaments...


I guess this year will be a family one! Unless the lil' stinker comes late.

Not sure why I like this one so much. It was my mother's ornament and she gave it to me. It was always one of my favorites growing up.
Oh and this is Norma waiting for Daddy to wake up and come play with her! She loves to lean her chin on everything.

Yesterday, I was obsessed with making Stovetop Christmas Potpourri. It makes your whole house smell so festive! All you do is add some cinnamon or cinnamon sticks (I do both), nutmeg, whole cloves, and ginger in simmering water. I did not have any bay leaves, but you can add them too. Then, you can also add some fruit peels like oranges, apples, or lemons. I had an orange and boy did it smell good! You have to keep checking on it to make sure your water is not all gone. I would add water every so often. The smell eventually diminishes after a few hours. I made 10 bags of the potpourri so when I want the house to smell good again I can just dump it right into the water. I also made festive labels for the potpourri bags too!

As I was enjoying the Christmas smells and music, I decided to clip a few trimmings from the holly bush and evergreen tree outside to make this:


Last pic of the day: I am HUGE! 37 weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was pretty quiet this year. Unfortunately because of my growing belly and aching back, we did not make it home for the family feasts. We really missed being with family yesterday, but Chad and I did have a great day together. We took the dogs for over an hour walk in the morning, worked on a Christmas gift for someone special, and then got started working on our mini Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, Chad and I played Scattergories! By the way- I WON!
So thankful for all of the MANY blessings in my life!

Norma enjoying the dog show on Thanksgiving morning. :)

Simple Pleasures

Starbucks Hot Chocolate. A good book.

A Pedicure.

And a yummy sugar cookie. :)
I had a terrific Tuesday!

Diaper Wipe Case

Look at the diaper wipe case I made for the baby! The only thing I would change is the trim. I do not like the ribbon I used. JoAnnes did not have the type of trim I was looking for. Oh well. I cannot stand our craft stores around here. Boy, do I miss home. I think I will have to make it a priority to have a nice craft store nearby wherever we will be moving next year. I am sure Chad will love to hear that.

BEFORE:

AFTER

Waiting for Baby...

On Friday night, Chad and I had dinner at Chipotle (my favorite) and then walked over to Old Navy to return a maternity top I bought the weekend before. I had an Old Navy Cash coupon in the bottom of the bag. We had to go the register to see how much money was on it. The coupons could be redeemed for $2, $5, $10, $15, and $25. It was my lucky day! Our coupon was good for $25!!! So we bought the baby an adorable little plaid shirt and corduroy pants. We also bought him this little outfit. We just HAD to get the Johnny Cash shirt!

Can I see your baby?

This week I have been subbing in a 3 year old classroom. At first, the little ones all thought I just had a big belly. Then, after realizing that I have a baby in my belly they all wanted to see! They just did not understand that the baby was growing inside of my belly. They thought he was hiding under my sweater! One little girl kept bending down on the floor and looking up my shirt to see if she could see the baby! I had hands ALL over my belly today! One boy was using one of his fingers to touch my belly (instead of his palm) and little Charlotte was so concerned that he was going to poke the baby’s eye out! Too cute! Oh and the other question they wanted answered was “How did the baby get in your belly?” Hmmmmm… I did not know how to answer that one!

Charlottesville Country Themed Baby Shower

Baby Rigdon was spoiled yet again! Our friends here in Charlottesville threw us a country themed baby shower. The gals came up with so many special touches. They served all of my favorite foods (well they said they had to put a vegetable tray out for the other guests), came up with fun games (how big is mama’s belly, sharing a naughty memory of your childhood and baby stuff memory game), and they also had some adorable decorations (straw bales, ball jars, onesie garland, sunflowers…). We are so lucky to have made such caring friends here in Charlottesville.