Baby Bucket List

DeerHead

Remember this post?

Ben and I... okay well maybe just me, pride myself on this idea that I am a highly responsible, super street smart kind of adult.  I know what it means to save money, I've always kept a budget of where things are going, and if something costs more than $150, I have serious buyers guilt about it, so I don't do it (alone).

We have been fortunate enough to have traveled and visited friends and family in different states, so when we were thinking about a baby bucket list, nothing really jumped out - YES we would love to go to Europe - Spain - Germany - but we don't have the vacation days or money to do it. And we already make trips to Yakima valley (heaven, really) multiple times a year to get some quality ben-dana-wine time.

We decided on two very important (and time consuming) things to accomplish before Baby could be a reality.

1) pay off our debt (Credit Cards strictly, and create a budget we can both agree on to pay off our house & student loans, and build up our savings account)

2) get Dana to a healthy weight (It's so important to me to create a healthy body for a baby to grow in)

When we accomplish these things, I think both Ben and I will be able to rest easier knowing that we have created a financially secure place surrounded by a healthy lifestyle for our kids.

I should start sewing clothes again

This makes me want to start loving my sewing machine again. I think it's tired of the on and off quilting the past two years.

Aren't you just in love with these colors and patterns!?

All images and patterns can be found on the amazing BurdaStyle website

WTF Swarovski

pinterest

When I'm on the hunt on ETSY for something awesome nothing turns me off more than a shop hawking things covered in swarovski crystals or "diamonds".

It's like they found some cheap plastic and glued it all over things like: phones, shoes, flip flops, light switches, and more iphone covers. As if, by name dropping "swarovski" on items, it makes them big ticket expensive items. Am I alone in thinking they look gaudy and completely unnecessary?

/Rant.

Winning on the wedding circuit

I was borderline obsessive compulsive about checking wedding blogs during the planning and preparing for my wedding last August. There was a time I was circulating between 9-12 blogs at a time, within A DAY. It was idea and inspiration overload.

Recently I got to be part of that inspiration for future brides!!! 

Our wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty's "Little Black Book" Site. OMG HUGE!

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2012/06/15/saxonburg-pennsylvania-wedding-from-cardens-photography-jpc-event-group/

Thanks again to my family, friends, and vendors for an amazing day!

kid thoughts

Bear Print via Animal Print Shop

You know that moment when you're a kid and all you want in the world is to be an adult so badly. You crave the responsibilities, the control, the money, and the ensuing adult life choices. 

And when you tell an adult about your big rush to get to their spot, they tell you to settle down and take your time, you're only a kid once. 

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I rush through life, it's not my most redeeming quality, but I'm impatient. I've set goals for myself since I was a little kid. I only lived in the "next step" phase and never in the "present." This also attributed to my successes - kick ass internships across the United States, winning scholarships, and many leadership positions. All these were stepping stones to eventually achieving adulthood. 

I recently turned 26. 

When did that happen?? I was just a youthful 20-something. Now my bones are weakening, my skin is wrinkling, I enjoy red wines, got hitched, and just bought a house. 

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Since before we got engaged, Ben and I have been excited to start a family (you can breathe, I'm not pregnant). We both love kids, big families, and cute little things. And there have been serious times when we say "yea, let's do this!" However, we just don't feel like it's the right time for us, which is really frustrating because we can't pinpoint anything except that we still feel like college kids.

A few weeks I stumbled onto this cute blog: WhereMyHeartResides and her great idea for a baby bucket list. So part of our college kid mentality isn't that we think we're immature, we just don't think we're smart or cultured enough to raise a kid to be the absolute perfect kid in the entire world.  And that's why we're going to do a baby bucket list... things to do, see, & experience before a little one arrives and makes us parents forever. 

Suggestions?