DIY: Fall/Thanksgiving decor for $1 or less

I hate to say this, but Fall is here. Husband just left this morning for 4 days of shananigans up North for opening day. Once the camo comes out, summer's over and cooler weather is just around the corner. So since it's just pup and I for the weekend, we spent today running errands and breaking out the fall decor. I'm here to share with you a few DIY and CHEAP decor solutions!

1. Ornamental Grasses + Vases (large)

(Grass - free; vases - $1)

This is the one DIY project that you have to jump on early enough before people start cutting their grasses down for the year. Depending on where you live, ou may be surprised on the variety of ornamental grasses that may exist even in your own neighborhood! Collect a lot... like way more than you think you'll need. Put your arrangement skills to the test and make a mess! 

When you go to pack up your Fall decor, simple bind your arrangement together with a rubberband and find a storage room or somewhere to hand these upside down where they'll dry. My collection of grasses is on it's 3rd season... drying them gives them longevity and that "dead plant" Autumn vibe. 

2. Dollar Store Knicknacks

($.50 - $1)

Don't underestimate your local Dollar Store or the dollar bins at Target, Walmart, etc.! Try to look past the cheap looking embellishments on some of the items... those can be removed, painted over, hidden, etc. This wicker pumpkin had really corny glittery apples stuck on it... so I snipped those off. Voila! Menards also has a pretty decent collection of holiday items... not a dollar, but not unreasonably priced either.

3. Stones + Wicker Basket

(Baskets - $1; stones - free or $1)

Nothing about stones are particularly Fall-ish, but the colors can accent the rest of the decor. My in-laws bought us this arrangement for our anniversary last year, but it can be easily duplicated to fit in with the rest of your Fall accents.

4. Pine Cones + Baskets

(Baskets - $1; pine cones - free)

This basket came from the dollar bins at Target (who doesn't love Target?!) and the pine cones were free! Yes, you can buy the bags of pine cones at a craft store, but why? Free trumps any price, any day. Unless you're somewhere without pine trees, I guess... but luckily I'm from The Mitten, so there's no shortage of pine trees.

5. Ornamental Grasses + Vases (small)

(Grass - free; vases - $1)

I used to have a large grass arrangement on my dining room table, but my husband hated how enormous it was and it did make quite a bit of mess when you had to move it every day for dinner. I suggest keep the large, messy arrangements in a place where they're going to remain stationery for the season and make a smaller one for your table. Remember, I said collect lots! The vase was my great-grandma's and compliments the dried grasses well.

6. Pine Cones + Polished Stones + Vases

(Vase - $1; pine cones - free; polished stones - $1)

Like the rocks, the right hue of polished stone can be a great Fall accent. Vase and stones came from the Dollar Store and I decided to stick a nice looking pine cone in there.

7. Painted Acorns + Vases

(Vase - $1; acorns - free; paint - had on hand)

This project was completed last year and I just love it. Took a little bit of time, but I think the outcome is well worth it. I purposely painted them the color of my living room walls to tie them in better and add some more yellow-gold accents to the room. For the full tutorial, click here!

September babies!

I just wanted to jot down a quick post to congratulate quite a few first time parents in my life! I've had the pleasure of Facebook stalking four very special couples in the past few weeks as they gave birth to their sons and daughters. Congratulations and good luck to all of you as you being this exciting new adventure... can't wait to join you!

1. Jack Michael Witte

DOB: September 17

Parents: John + Fawn Witte

(2nd cousins of mine)

2. Elise Ashley Maier

DOB: September 17

Parents: Phil + Justine Maier

(former co-worker)

3. Mackenzie Kristine Gee

DOB: September 20

Parents: Andy Gee + Dani Schmitz

(our good friends)

4. Asa Owen Kulchar

DOB: September 26

Parents: Josh + Sarah Kulchar

(fellow co-worker)

Blender mush... it's a texture thing.

I have texture issues. Like bad. Especially when it comes to fruit. Pears, peaches, applesauce, mushy berries... may as well be rollin' slime around in my mouth until I gag. So I've basically lived my whole life on a minimal fruit diet. Well, that doesn't fly when you're in charge of growing a tiny human.

I've never been a smoothie person before and until I became pregnant, never touched my blender. I am now, however, a smoothie fanatic! I've learned that you can't have texture issues when everything has just about the same consistency after a swim in the blender. So I figured I'd share with you some of my favorite smoothies I've been downing since becoming pregnant. Enjoy.  :)

Tropical Blend I

1 1/2 C. orange juice

1 T. lime juice

1 C. strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1 - 1 1/2 bananas

Ice

Tropical Blend II

1 1/2 C. orange juice

1 - 2 bananas

1 1/2 C. peaches (fresh or frozen)

Ice

Pina Colada

1 C. pineapple chunks (canned or fresh)

1 C. coconut milk

1 banana

1/4 C. ice

2 t. honey, optional

Green Monster

1 frozen sliced banana

1 T. reduced fat peanut butter

1/2 C. vanilla greek yogurt

1 C. unsweetened vanilla almond breeze or skim milk

4 C. baby spinach

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake (Weight Watchers)

1 3/4 C. fat free chocolate milk

1 T. cocoa

1 1/2 T. sugar

1 1/2 T. reduced fat peanut butter

1 1/4 C. ice

2 bananas, optional

*Yields 2 servings - 2 points per serving (excluding bananas)

Lil Arch definitely isn't going without an adequate amount of potassium. I think I buy bananas every 3-4 days. I love the fruit smoothies in the afternoon... especially when it was such a warm summer. The chocolate peanut butter shake is a perfect alternative to my beloved Oreos in the evening when I need a chocolate fix. Plus I feel so much better getting the fruit, protein and dairy intake rather than bingeing on desserts.

A word to the wise... the green monster requires you to immediately rinse out/wash your glass after finishing up. I've left the remnants of the smoothie in a Nalgene bottle for the afternoon and it may as well be the organic version of gorilla glue. We're talking wallpaper paste-like consistency and I don't know about you, but I don't have dainty lil Bambi hands that can fit inside a water bottle for a good cleaning. Just sayin'... 

30 weeks

Today marks week 30 for Lil Arch! Holy cow. Time is flyyyying by. I still feel like there's a lot of time left... until I look at my to do list. Then I have a small panic attack and try to give my tired body a pep talk to get moving. Baby is the size of a cucumber this week weighing anywhere from 2.5 to 3.8 lbs at 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. The skin is getting smoother, but brain getting wrinklier (making way for all the essential brain tissue). Plus Hercules is now strong enough to grasp a finger!

Total weight gain/loss:

Just a smidge under 30 pounds. I know, total freak out, right?! Doctor assured me though that I'm perfectly on schedule for someone my size. I mean, shoot, I'm growing a 4 foot long baby! ;)

Milestones:

I have gotten sooooo much accomplished over the last few weeks, it's crazy! My to do list is broken down into "right now" and "before baby" projects. I've been organizing the house like mad, getting all the outside stuff done, prepping for baby, etc. I feel super awesome when I get big projects accomplished. Plus, I've gotten 61 things on my Bump Checklist done with only 17 more to go. Is it possible to be in the "nesting stage" all 9 months???

Maternity clothes:

Yes, I splurged and picked out a few more tops. Well, Mama Z picked them up. The weather started turning cold and windy this week, so skirts have been far less convenient. (My apologies to anyone that may have seen my wind vs. skirt disaster heading to my car after work today.)

Stretch marks:

Nope, thank God. Hopefully we can keep it that way.

Sleep:

What's that? Oh, my naps in between nighttime pee breaks? I'm so tired of sleeping on my side, having achy joints, burning feet, jumpy legs and peeing every 45 minutes... I could scream. I just want a good nights sleep... just one night. Is that too much to ask?

Best moment last week:

Passed my second glucose test! Yes, I failed the first. Major bummer. Doc said I passed with flying colors... especially since I was at the absolute minimum score for having to retest in the first place. We also got our pre-admission appointment out of the way. Normally this is done between 35 and 37 weeks, but A.) I wanted to get it done and off my to do list, and B.) those weeks are during hunting season. You're welcome husband.

Movement:

Sometimes moves like crazy, but has the same skittishness as a dog. As soon as it knows you're watching or put a hand on my belly, it stops moving. Turd. I love watching when I can see a head or limb come protruding out of my side. Such a miracle.

Food cravings:

Ranch dressing. I've gone through 3 bottles in the last few months. I love it on turkey wraps (with some pepperjack cheese and spinach... mmmmm.) Plus I've dipped all my chicken and drown my salad in it.

Gender:

Ashley's niecephew's gender is still unknown.

Labor signs:

Still too early. Maybe some Braxton Hicks contractions... maybe. Not sure.

Belly button in/out:

Still an innie... but barely. Where I had my belly button piercing, the scar tissue is starting to jet out a bit. Enough to see through my clothes along with the few super moles I have spazzing out on my belly. I feel like an animal with a bunch of nipples traveling down my belly. Eww.

Annoyances:

Not being able to finish up my nursery. My chair, that was suppose to be here in 6 to 8 weeks is now pushing 14. Langlois is "hoping" it'll be in by the end of the month. Uhhhh, it better be in addition to a discount or they're going to have an angry pregnant lady to deal with. I also have to re-order the tall dresser for the 3rd time since they keep sending me very yellowed ones. I'm tired of driving to GR to compare furniture colors every few weeks only to have it still be wrong. Damnit Babies R Us, get your shit together. Or else, you too will fear my wrath.

Mood swings:

Um, I think I'm doing ok. Husband might think otherwise, but other than semi-sad things making me start to bawl uncontrollably, I think I'm pretty stable... knock on wood.

What I miss:

Eating raw batter, lifting anything, laying on my belly, sleeping through the night, walking without a waddle, not grunting when I have to lift my feet to put on pants, being able to walk Zora more than just around the block (unless public urination is ok by my neighbors), etc.

What I'm looking forward to:

Getting to spend my favorite time of year at home with my lil one! I looooove Christmas time and the thought of my maternity leave falling right around the holidays brings me much joy. My sister is coming over probably right around Halloween to help me get my Christmas decorations up. Beware trick-or-treaters, my tree will probably be up and lit. Don't be confused. Plus Clay got me a super comfy giraffe robe for our anniversary and I just can't wait to spend my days around the Christmas tree snuggling my babe.

29 weeks

Not a whole lot to catch up on lately. I'm just here getting rounder and rounder and... yeah. Failed my glucose test a couple weeks ago and had to do the 3 hour retest last Tuesday. How the hell is it legal to prevent a pregnant lady from eating for 16.5 hours?! And what was even more mind boggling was "don't drink anything, but we're going to expect you to pee in a cup 5 times over a 3 hour span." Even my overworked bladder had a hard time performing that miracle. I'll find out Tuesday if I passed or failed glucose phase II. In addition to failing my first glucose test, my OB informed me I was anemic and had to get on iron supplements. Thanks doc, my digestive system thanks you.

Hmmm, what else. Dad came home for the weekend... had a great dinner and game night all 6 of us. Grandpa Z even incorporated baby stuff into his usual garage sale-ing. He's so cute. :)

We had Nut try on one of Lil Arch's new onesies and she was NOT a happy camper. Oops. Mom, Peanut and Dad headed back down to West Virginia today. Mom and Nut will be there for the next 7 weeks coming home right before Thanksgiving... and baby time!

This weekend was productive at home. Got the storage room under control and organized. Figured I'd better get that taken care of before I'm too big to move. Mom had given me a huge box of my toys from my youth, so I did the responsible OCD mom thing and gave 'em the Clorox swim in the sink. Four hours later, I had bleach seeping out all pores, but everything was super clean. I'm not sure who will be more excited to play with the toys... probably me. I remembered about 90% of them... oh memory lane.

Lil Arch's baby showers

This past weekend wrapped up our baby showers for Lil Arch. Two beautiful days shared with family and friends celebrating the anticipated arrival of the long-legged goober! The weather was phenomenal both days and thankfully the rain held off until the very very end of the celebrations.

I had everyone at both showers fill our a Baby Wishes card. I had done something similar with Wedding Wishes and I loved reading everyone's advice and thoughts. So I figured it would be special for our lil one to someday go back and read what people wrote to him/her.

Now available in my Etsy shop! 
100% customizable baby wishes cards available for purchase.

The Archambault/Rinehart shower was on Sunday, August 19th and was hosted by my mother- and sister-in-laws. Had a ton of family and friends show up and had a great time with lots of super gifts. Everyone was asked to pick their gender guess by either wearing a sheriff's badge or beaded necklace. Surprisingly the votes were super close... 16 votes for a boy and 17 votes for a girl! My sister-in-law Sarah also came up with this awesome print of a giraffe and a naked tree and all family members placed a yellow fingerprint on the tree. What an awesome representation of Lil Arch's family tree!

Baby Arch's family tree

Gender guess... boy or girl?

Lil Arch's aunts and super hostesses

Lil Arch's great-grandmas

Lil Arch's Aunt Z

A beautiful quilt made with so much love by Mama Z

Lil Arch's grandmas

Me and Mama Z

Grandma-Next-Door's awesome animal print quilt!

The Neiser/Zylstra shower was on Sunday, August 26th and was hosted by my Aunt Cindy, Aunt Judy, Aunt Linda and Grandma Neiser. Everything from the food to the cake to the decor was fantastic! More awesome gifts and time spent with family and friends.

Duckies takin' a bubble bath

Ducky cake from Ryke's... nom!

Grandma's gender appropriate carrot cake. Boy and girl side - with and without nuts

Aunt Linda's awesome homemade baby cookies

My sister... lookin' hot while chiseling away at a baby in an ice cube

Grandma and Aunt Z are anxious for Lil Arch to get here!

One of many quilts making their way from Cali... thank you Aunt Bernie!

Fawn and I... and our bumps

My amazing aunts who hosted a fantastic shower!

Female Neiser cousins

A HUGE thank you to Mama Z who has spent her entire summer sewing just about every major item for our nursery. My incredible mother made, from scratch, the crib skirt, bumper pads, four sets of sheets/pillow cases, two changing pad covers, a beautiful quilt, nursery curtain and a handful of bibs. Not to mention all the painting, errand running, gift-buying, etc. she has done to help me out. I heart you Mama Z! 

25 weeks

Lil Arch is the size of a cauliflower now! The average fetus measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. Baby now enjoys the new sense of equilibrium and can tell which way is up and which is down. He/she is also busy growing more hair and fattening up (wow, something else we have in common).  ;)

25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:

My doctor and I apparently have very different numbers for weight gain, but hers are lower... so roughly 16-18 lbs. And growing and growing and growing... 

Milestones:

Our level II ultrasound indicated that the choroid plexus cyst was gone and no other abnormalities were found. Yay for super awesome news! I also saw the baby move on Monday. Any movements have been super muffled so I was beyond excited to see a limb come poking out of the side of my belly. Still very subtle and few and far in between, but miraculous and exciting just the same.

I'm also coming up on my glucose test in 3 weeks. Then, after that, I'm already at bi-weekly doctor's appointments. It was so weird to schedule those appointments as well as my weekly ones. Ready or not, Lil Arch is on its way!

...and because I'm such a nerd, here's a peak at my blob-like body over the last few months. Pregnancy animated gifs... who does that?! Shameful.

Maternity clothes:

I hate shopping for maternity clothes. :( I was on a mission last weekend to find a "little" black maternity dress for my sister-in-law's November wedding. Fail. Yes, maternity clothes manufacturers, I'd like to feel like a frumpy whale in an outfit resembling a Hefty garbage bag with straps. Nothing would make me feel sexier. Mama Z and I ventured out last night and luckily found one at Target.

I also purchased two more pairs of leggings and a pair of maternity jeans to hopefully tide me over. I also grabbed my own men's large tshirt since Clay apparently doesn't like me depleting his shirt supply. I love that this amazing weather has allowed me to wear skirts to work, but I'm afraid it's going to get super cold all of a sudden and I'm going to be S.O.L. So yeah, it may be 30 degrees out, but I'll be the one truckin' across the parking lot in a skirt or pair of capris. Oh well. I wonder what work's policy is on showing up in sweatpants and one of Clay's tshirts... hmmmmm, better consult the handbook.

Stretch marks:

Still none. Thank you god of awesome genetics! The linea nigra (that creepy dark line down the center of your belly) hasn't shown up either yet. Phew. 

Sleep:

Sleep still sucks and is pretty much non-existant. Jumpy, crampy legs with burning feet attached to them. I thought Clay beat me up in my sleep the other night because when I woke up, my head was throbbing, chest was so tight I could barely breath, both calves cramped up and super sore pelvic joints. Nothin' like feeling like a million bucks first thing in the morning. Plus when I'm super tired in the late afternoons or evenings and I take a short nap, that usually means no falling back asleep until the wee hours of the morning. 

Best moment last week:

Besides the good news from the doctor about the CPC and seeing/feeling the baby move, Clay and his buddy moved the crib and dressers into the nursery after we got done painting and had new carpet installed. I LOVE our nursery. I absolutely cannot wait until we get our glider and closet organizer in along with all the rest of the nursery goodies!

Aaaaaaand... hearing the ultrasound tech say that baby's new "due date" was opening day of gun season was priceless. Oh karma, you silly lil boy... 

Movement:

I think since the movements aren't occurring that often and they're very subtle, I forget sometimes that there's a baby in there and it's not just my stomach growling at me. Seeing it finally move was such a special moment... keep kickin' all you want lil dude/dudette! 

Food cravings:

I had a healthy food rampage last week. Lots of fruit concoctions swimming through my blender and protein and spinach for lunches. I also made my flaxseed energy balls and chocolate avocado fudge for my sweet treats. Also, my name is Andrea and I haven't had an Oreo in almost 4 weeks. 

Gender:

Still holding strong and still don't know. Thank you ultrasound techs for not spilling the beans!

Labor signs:

Still too early.

Belly button in/out: 

Still in innie, but it's slowly flattening out. Aaaaahhh, the horror! I don't like weird belly buttons!! 

Annoyances:

Not being able to lift ANYTHING and always hobbling around like a 90 year old lady.

Mood swings:

Still no tolerance for your 'tude. None. I will become very pissy and then probably cry. That's just how it is. Give me a hug or walk away. 

What I miss:

Fitting into clothes. My bland and tiny wardrobe gets smaller and less acceptable by the day. It was a sad day when I had to change out of my sweatpants into a pair of Clay's because my own elastic waisted pants were too tight. Booooo. 

What I'm looking forward to:

BABY SHOWERS! The Archambault shower is this Sunday and the Neiser/Zylstra shower is next Sunday. I cannot wait. My need to nest is consuming me, but the OCD says I can't start washing and organizing baby stuff until I have everything I need. Aaaaah inner turmoil! 

Level II ultrasound finding: CPC results

First of all, I want to sincerely thank everyone for all their prayers and for sharing their stories with me after we found out a choroid plexus cyst was detected in Lil Arch's first ultrasound. Even hearing other pregnancy horror stories helped me put things into perspective and really understand that almost everyone experiences similar fears during their own 9 month roller coaster. Well, once again, God's grace and the the power of prayer have prevailed as the level II ultrasound detected no signs of the cyst or any other abnormalities! The long-legged goober was once again given a clean bill of health. Even though the ultrasound tech commented that she didn't see anything during our ultrasound, I still was hesitant to rejoice until we were given the final confirmation from our doctor.

Up next is my glucose test in 3 weeks. Oh goody. After that, however, my appointments go from monthly to bi-weekly. I also have my first baby shower this Sunday (Archambault side) and the Zylstra/Neiser shower the following Sunday. Ooooooh man, shit's gettin' real. I absolutely cannot wait to get the nursery completely set up!  :)

Again, thank you everyone for the overwhelming amount of prayers. We are so grateful for the good news rather than having to play the waiting game for a few more months. Bless you all! xoxo

24 weeks

Wednesday marked the beginning of week 24 for Baby Arch. The lil one is the size of a cantaloupe this week weighing 12.7 to 20.8 ounces at 10.5 to 11.8 inches long! (Probably longer with these genes.) Baby's skin is gradually becoming more opaque and is starting to have a pink glow due to newly formed capillaries.

Last night we had our follow up Level II ultrasound. The purpose of this was to see if the choroid plexus cyst (CPC) was still present, growing or completely gone at this point. I was very excited to have both Clay and Mama Z there. Even though the ultrasound went way too quickly and we didn't get to see as many cool views as last time, the technician stated that she did not see any signs of the cyst. I don't know if they'll go back and take a closer look later or if that was the final diagnosis, but we'll have a for sure answer on Tuesday when we go see the OB. Fingers crossed!

The ultrasound lady also informed us that Lil Arch apparently had a growth spurt over the last four weeks. All measurements pointed towards almost 26 weeks! How crazy that he/she has been dead on with the measurements the entire timeline and then all of a sudden jumps ahead nearly two weeks. She said we're looking at a due date of November 15 now. Bahaha, thank you gods of anti-hunting! This lady could be way off on her prediction, but it was hilarious to hear her say opening day as a due date. Oh karma...

Other than the ultrasound, things are still going (and growing) well. Leg cramps are starting up... oh goody. Went on a grocery shopping spree the other day and loaded up on lots of "must-eat pregnancy foods." I kinda fell off the bandwagon with eating my fruits and veggies, but this week I'm back on track full force. Been trying new smoothies and shakes too. I figure texture is no longer an issue with my fruits once they've taken a spin through the blender. Problem solved.

Will probably schedule my glucose tolerance test next week. Hopefully that's no big deal. I've also had two more people approach me at work this week and say "I had no idea you were pregnant!" Um, how did the large bump in my shirt not give that away? Are people beginning to think that this weight gain is strictly from my Oreo bingeing? Crap.

Nursery is coming along b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l-l-y! Carpet was installed on Monday (thank you Mama Z for coming over mid day to supervise installation while we were at work!) Clay installed a nice new light fixture/ceiling fan in the nursery and assembled the crib. Thank you to Mark too for helping move the rest of the furniture in... even though you thought you were only coming over to shoot your bow. ;) Only a couple more weeks until showers and then I can finally start putting everything away instead of in a huge pile in the guest room!

23 weeks

Happy 23 weeks to Baby Arch! The wee one is the size of a grapefruit this week, measuring anywhere between 10.5 to 11.8 inches from crown to rump and weighing in at 12.7 to 20.8 ounces. The face is fully formed now - just needs a little bit more fat to completely fill out. Lil Arch can also hear my voice, my heartbeat and any super loud noises.

23 weeks

Not much new right now. Any movements are still pretty muffled, but can feel them when I'm sitting still in a chair or lying in bed. Both baby showers are coming up later on this month, so I'm super excited about that.

Clay and I also have our all day birthing class on Saturday. He may be less than thrilled, but I'm actually a little excited to go. Hopefully there's some fun people in the class so it's not super boring.

Our follow up ultrasound is a week from today. Fingers crossed for the CPC to be gone, but no worries if it's not. There's a chance it will still be there until around 36 weeks.

Nursery carpet has finally been ordered and should be installed next week. Word to the wise, do not purchase flooring from Carpet Bonanza. Yes, by all means, use them as a resource to gather samples and view a large selection, but if you get a lower quote elsewhere, do not expect them to budge. They were over $200 more than Lowes for the exact same carpet and, without even knowing how far off they were, there were like "nope, absolutely not budging on our price." All righty then... kiss your commission goodbye.

Take care kids and stay tuned for the ultrasound results next week!