Baby Whimsys Nursery Debut

I have finally put forth the effort to both take pictures of the nursery and upload them to my computer!  Quite the accomplishment based on all my pictureless posts lately.

A brief overview of the nursery - all the furniture in this room was redone by me and Mr. Whimsy.  It was a lot of work but really fun to work on together.  I hit up garage sales, other rooms in the house, and friends to put the nursery together (the matchy-matchy store stuff isn't really my style) so it matched the vision I was going for.  We (Mr. Whimsy) primed and painted everything with heirloom white spray paint, then (I) applied a glaze and poly-acrylic to it.  This was a very slow and long process (as you could probably see from my never ending to-do list) but I am really happy, and proud, of how it all came together.  Mr. Whimsy actually spent many evenings while I was sleeping hanging up things, shifting things around and re-hanging up things until they looked just perfect.  Several mornings I had the pleasure to wake up to a more complete nursery (seriously, it was fantastic).  He has a really good eye for room design and item placement.

In the beginning, I knew I wanted to use a light aqua and incorporate some things I have had for a while and haven't found the right home for in my home - namely a vintage aqua lamp that was missing a lampshade, a ton of doilies and a toy box/trunk I got from my Grandma a while back.  I also really wanted to use baby pink and have the room really sweet and feminine.  Apparently I have a thing for blue birds as they seemed to turn up in a couple places in the nursery.  

I took tons of pictures of the individual projects, and at some point will probably do post highlighting some of my favorites, some of my flops, and some of my most challenging one.  Let me know what you think!

Life Update :: Busy Busy Busy

Well I am officially 3 days away from the halfway (20 week) point in my pregnancy.  My icky pregnancy symptoms have gotten much better - I still get a bit sick in the morning and when I smell something with strong food odors (I stay away from the fridge if there are leftovers in it) but all in all, I am feeling way better.  Funny side note - I have become a quasi vegetarian during this pregnancy.  Right now most meat products completely gross me out... that is except for ground taco meat.  Mexican food remains a safe bet... which is not a bad thing!

I have not blogged lately because I have been flat out busy.  Rather then me taking life by the horns, I kind of feel like I have been quasi strapped in for a crazy roller coaster and I better hold on otherwise I will be sent flying over the edge (long run on sentence intended... I am lacking control people!).  I am certain that with prayer and determination that soon I will again take back reigns though.

I have been pretty tired and worn out but that is probably just as much due to my starting a new job then this pregnancy.  I had been working for the past 2ish years with Mr. Whimsy's company but was offered a great opportunity in the tourism industry this past month.  The job is a constant (and everyday eye opening in a new way) challenge but I honestly think it has really helped with my feeling better because I am constantly going and my mind is working overtime.  

In addition to the new job and preparing for Baby Whimsy, my renal company, LindseysWhimsys, has taken off.  I never expected it to grow as fast as it has but its very exciting.  I pray that I make wise, strategic business decisions and take full advantage of this ever growing business.  

Despite the out of controlness of it all, I know that Mr. Whimsy, Baby Whimsy and I have been incredibly blessed.  We have prayed for opportunities and they have come at us in abundance and for that I am very very thankful.  We can look at our lives and see very clearly that God answers prayers and constantly provides and that is an incredible thing to have experienced first hand.

Oh - and friends, I can not forget - APRILFEST 2012 is set!  We will be playing at the house the last Saturday in April, the 28.  Mark your calendars now (if I do not have your email, please send it to me if you want the official evite - lindseyswhimsys@gmail.com).  A theme has not been set so if you have suggestions, please let me know!

I promise to do a dedicated Baby Whimsy post soon... I just wanted to give a quick update on our lives.  

7.9.11 :: I now pronouce you husband and wife

July 9, 2011 my beautiful baby sister transformed into a beautiful bride. It was a special day for all family and friends that were able to attend. The Hafner's welcome John into our family with arm open wide.

Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs!

Wedding Pictures Round 1

First, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting wedding photos to the blog. Because there are so many, and they are so large, they take a long time to upload... so, I will be posting them in phases. Please check back for more photos. Also, if you have photos from the wedding that you would be willing to share, I would LOVE to get them from you!

I absolutely LOVE how everything at my and Joe's wedding turned out. The wedding was totally us, and that is all thanks to amazing helpers/make things happeners, the wedding came together just as I had hoped and included lots of little things that made the day extra special.

Entry to Welcome Hall


The hall itself was amazing (so was the weather, thank you Jesus). Welcome Hall was built in 1899 and usually hosts things in the realm of cattle rides. The building is not air conditioned but is surrounded by great windows on all sides that can be propped open.

My mom handmade pinwheels to give to all the kids during the wedding. We also had large pinwheels in the ground as decoration.

Paper cones were made out of scrapbook paper, filled with rose petals, and placed on each of the chairs before the wedding. These table runners were made of upholstery fabric I found on Craigslist. My AMAZING aunt Marilyn sewed each of these runners for us.

Hankies were passed out to the ladies that attended for their "Tears of Joy". Every one of these hankies came from estate sales. While collecting these over the past year, please were incredibly generous and would frequently give me their grandmothers/mothers/other loved one's hankies because they found out what I was doing with them.

As guest arrived to the wedding we had some yummy homemade cookies and lemonade for everyone to enjoy. Its was apparently a big hit with the ring bearer and flower girls just before their walk up the aisle. (Thanks PMS crew!)
Mason jars with candles were hung from the huge oak trees.

We had a section for "Love Notes for the Newlyweds". We got great notes, tips, and tons of encouragement from friends and family here.
Rather than using all cut flowers (that would be useless after the wedding), we used a lot of potted plants on tables and as decoration around the hall (in addition to the cut flowers).

The entry to hall.

Haley at the Muffin Top Shop made and decorated our cake table. It looked beautiful and it was way better than anything I could have created. The cake/cupcakes were delicous. We also had bumbleberry pies (mix of blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, rasberry, and Rhubarb) from a local (Conroe local) shop called Pie in the Sky. This is a favorite of both mine and Joe's so they were a must have at the wedding.

Gifts were place on the back of an old truck.

Random shots: Next up is pictures during the wedding.

Celebration Sunday

I love my church, Ark Family Church. It is an incredible blessing to have a church home in Conroe where I feel comfortable and am challenged and inspired by on a regular basis. I never expected to find myself in a church like the Ark - its huge. Golf carts offer rides to the front door every morning, there is a book store AND a coffee shop on the first floor. The church brings in famous singers and authors on a regular basis. Needless to say, the Ark is pretty different then what I grew up attending.

Joe and I both grew up in small churches and started looking for a church home after I moved to Conroe a couple years ago. We went to several different churches found one that we both enjoyed. Then some friends from work recommended that we try out the Ark. Joe and I were pretty skeptical but agreed that we wanted to check it out. The band was phenomenal. The preacher and his wife seemed nice. I liked it already... THEN in the middle of the sermon, Pastor Clayton showed a clip from The Office (one of my favorite TV shows ever). With Michael Scott's smiling face on screen, I knew I had found my new church home. Since the first service we attended, Joe and I have found ourselves more and more happy with the Ark and have seen our spiritual lives grow as a result.

All that being said, the purpose of this post is not just to gush over my church. Its to let you know about a super cool event that the church is having this coming Sunday (Oct. 24). Its Celebration Sunday and singer Chris August will perform at both the 9:30 and 11:15.

At 11:30 the outdoor events begin. There will be tons of inflatable bounce houses for kids, rides, a climbing rock wall, yummy food (including funnel cakes), and much much more. At the Celebration Sunday this past spring I was blown away by all the fun activities available for kids.

I HIGHLY recommend attending if you have kids that can walk but aren't old enough to drive. Its a great event for the entire family.