So far, the toughest part of being pregnant for me has been holding back from buying tons of stuff. And of course, there are good reasons not to buy stuff right away, I just don’t like to listen to those logical reasons. First off, we still have no idea if the baby is a boy or girl. So I know anything I buy will have to be “gender neutral” at this point, which is fine, but then will I still be as in love with these things once I know the sex of the baby? Probably not, since I change my mind so often.

We have bought a crib. I have known for quite awhile I wanted a white crib. Something simple to go with the dresser and changing table we already have (mine as a baby). I saw this one from Ikea about a month ago after realizing how expensive the ones at Target or Babies R Us were. This was a steal. So many people have posted about how sturdy it is and how cheap! So I knew I had to have it.

This picture above is Beau, setting it up in the nursery, which is currently my summer office.

So, since I am restraining myself (seriously. I have been doing anything I can to resist driving to the store…) from buying anything else until we know if this little baby in me is a boy or girl, here are a few things I’m dreaming of buying or making soon:

Took this picture awhile ago, when I purchased my newest wide-angle lens right before our trip to Glacier. Just stumbled upon it again though.

This my typical view each day as I climb the stairs from our entryway. Maebree loves to lay on top of the fish tank where it’s warm. Such a little girl. :)

Here it is!  The bathroom, a whole year later.  This room is one we’ve put quite a bit of work into.  The floor was fairly disgusting and old, all scratched up and was a horrible old linoleum.  Replacing it was one of our most recent projects that Beau did one day when I was at work.  I couldn’t believe it went so quickly.  Though after he put it in, we needed to caulk it into place and that is what took a bit more time.

The awesome part?  Most everyone that comes in, including a recent appraiser, think it’s tile, but it’s completely fake!

As you can see, the only things we haven’t changed out are the tile on the counter and anything in the shower.

Oh, and want to know what the random bowl is behind my Pacey Kitty?  Click the photo and head over to Flickr to find out.

It was horrible…

Wow…

And our new kitchen!

Again, click to see notes I’ve added to the photos per Flickr.

One year ago, I married my husband.  Though I was never really into the whole wedding planning and today will not be much different than any other day for us (meaning we won’t be celebrating), I really did cherish that day.  Mainly because it meant so much more to me than a white dress and a new ring on my finger.  One year ago we were also working on our home.  Creating a home together.  We were both so anxious to get out of the apartment life and into a home we could call ours.  And we were unbelievably lucky to be able to find a home we could afford right in the town Beau grew up in.  In fact, only a block or two away from the house he grew up in as a boy.

In the past year, with the help of our families, Beau and I have worked to make our home livable.  And from the pictures below, you’ll really get a feeling of the amount of work we’ve had to put in.  (Though I should mention, we never saw it quite this bad.  These are pictures the bank took after taking the house from the previous owners)

And the after pictures. One year later.

(click on the pictures to bring you to my flickr photostream to see random notes I’ve pointed out on the images)

Next: The Kitchen and Dining Room

Beau and I have been on opposite shifts all week since we’ve been back from Florida, and I can’t wait for Monday when we have a day off together again, BUT it is really nice having the whole day to myself and being able to work on projects.

I had a small to do list today, and two of the things on it were:

laundry.

dinner.

I had waited all week long to do laundry since I never had the motivation to do it all in one morning before work.  Plus, I like to keep little projects like this until my days off since they help me feel productive.  I know, it sounds weird, but even when I’m kept busy with things I want to do, I start feeling unproductive when I’m away from work.

And you should know, I’m the worst cook ever… so this dinner task is quite a big one.  I had to email Beau 4-5 times to make sure I was doing it right.  I even took a picture with my blackberry, and sent it to him… bc, like I said, I suck at cooking.  But…

it turned out great!! It was edible and Beau even seemed to like it! (Hmm.. maybe I could actually make a birthday cake next week for Beau’s birthday?)

Pictures from today:

Before and After Laundry (and yes, both times I took the pictures, the cats followed me and stared at my like, ‘why are you taking pictures of the clothes?’  And you may be asking as well.  The answer: I just wanted to use my camera on something! ps. more pictures tomorrow of the cats

And the wonderful meal we had for dinner. Nothing too special, but we (mostly me) were very excited to have some squash!