So you're gonna DIY your backyard...

Yes, yes we are. And I am way too excited about it, as being outside in our yard is one of my favorite little things about life. We're thinking something like this, with a more natural looking deck, and more greenery.

This is the exact wood stain/deck type I have in mind. Just not attached to the house, but free standing like the above.

This all started a few months ago, when I realized that it was basically impossible to sit outside on the deck and enjoy the sun in the evenings… because our deck is 95% shaded by the house by about 4:00pm. First world problems, I know. I decided to easily remedy this little situation with a blanket out in the yard. Unfortunately, a blanket on the ground is not that comfortable. This got me to thinking about how to make better use of our yard. I’d like to eventually get a pool, but this will be probably 10+ years down the road. I’d also like to get a swing set for Norah, but this doesn't help those of us over the age of 10.

Corner landscaping = must.

I decided it’d be nice if we could put a picnic table or some type of lounge seating area at one of the back corners of our yard. The corner I always stare at and post on Instagram most likely. This corner...

...that has plenty of space to the right of it. Ignore the rain above and puppy blocking the view below :)

Anyhow. I personally have no problem looking like a hillbilly with random lawn furniture strewn about the yard until we are able to put in a patio at the bottom of the deck, but Will wasn't so keen on that idea. A free standing deck solves all of our problems. Did I mention I also want to start a garden? I’m not sure what I want to grow exactly. Definitely some herbs and flowers. Probably a tree and some vegetables.

Eventually we'd like a fire pit too. And I love the idea of outdoor rocking chairs.

Insert the blog world and Pinterest. All pics from this post are from this Pinterest board BTW. Non of them are exactly what I want, but all of them have a feature that I love. After a lot of digging one morning, an entire set up came to me. And it was actually something we can probably afford to do/learn to do ourselves within a summer or two. Even better, Will loves likes the idea. And as I've basically finished the nursery (busy body over here), my next project is born.

Corner landscaping. Garden. Decking. Fire pit. I cannot wait to add all of these features to our little abode. I plan on dragging Will out in the next couple of weeks to price supplies and plants. Wish us luck! Linking up with Ashley for the It's the Little Things series.

two in one

When Will and I got engaged and sat down to select a wedding date, the options were limited. We got engaged in the Spring of 2012, and I knew I wanted to get married in the Spring or Summer of 2013. With Will also set to graduate with his MBA in May of 2013, both of us having Spring/Summer birthdays, and the slew of other weddings we were already invited to or in that year, the pickings were slim. But when I selected May 11th, it sounded perfect and I was more than Happy with 5-11-13.

I didn't realize that our anniversary would fall on Mother's Day weekend until the florist I wanted told me she didn't take on weddings on such a big weekend for flower sales. Even when I did realize- I didn't care. I share my birthday with Father's Day weekend, so I chalked it up to another weekend that would always bring two reasons to celebrate instead of one.

My Dad and I a few years ago during our Father's Day and birthday combo celebration.

Now as we approach our first wedding anniversary, that falls exactly on Mother's Day, which will also be my first Mother's Day as a Mom (Mom-to-be still counts in this house!) the whole thing seems rather appropriate.

Since our wedding date I've planned to return to our ceremony and/or reception site to take a picture and relive a bit of our special day. This year we'll not only attend Mass on our anniversary at the place we got married, but we're also able to attend a Mother's Day brunch at the golf club where our reception was held! I cannot wait to relive the most special day of our past, and talk about all that is to come in our future as parents. I also can't wait to eat our one year old wedding cake. Our cake was seriously amazing and I could have eaten (and probably came close to eating) 100 pieces of it.

So happy in this moment!

We will also be exchanging the traditional first year gifts of "paper", and I'll get my first Mother's Day gifts from Will and Norah. I seriously cannot wait!

Happy Monday!

a nice surprise

I have been dreading buying maternity clothes this entire pregnancy. Partially because I hate spending money on things that I won’t be able to get much use out of, partially because finding clothes that fit my long limbs can be a pain in the butt, and partially because I just knew all the maternity stores were going to be filled with ugly, boring outfits that looked like they were from 1990. I’ve purchased a few pairs of pants and a couple of plain tops out of necessity, but for the most part, I’ve been squeezing into the tunic length shirts I did own, and hoping no one noticed how ill-fitting my clothes were.

With the weather warming up, and the bump continuously growing though… it was just time. Not to mention I work at my company’s corporate headquarters, so I don’t think they were going to let me go the rest of the summer wearing maxi dresses and leggings. Insert Destination Maternity. Last night I visited this little heaven on earth with my Mother in Law in tow to help judge outfits, and I found so many cute things! I love how the store has a ton of different lines of clothes to fit all styles and price ranges. I was able to get a few Pea in the Pod dresses and tops that we on the pricier (but defiantly worth it due to cute factor), and some things from the Motherhood Maternity line that were much more reasonably priced. I also got a few things from the Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt maternity lines there.

Here are some of my favorite purchases.

here

I couldn't find the shirt I got online, but this one is similar. Mine is white and 3/4 sleeves.

here

Love this dress, and definitely think I will be able to rock it post-baby.

here

here

I couldn't believe how comfortable and flattering just about everything I tried on was. And the best part? I think I can still wear a good amount of the items post baby. When I got home I had Will move probably 40% of my closet contents to one of the guest rooms. I was exhausted, but couldn’t wait to hang up all my new swag. And it was so much easier getting ready for work this morning without having to paw through tons of clothes that I know darn well are too small, then try on 100 shirts to see if any of them were long enough.

Here's to the first day of May, no longer looking like a pregnant bum, and officially being SIX MONTHS (24 weeks) along as of tomorrow!