Happy Halloween!

Olivia and I went to a Halloween Play Date for cookie decorating today. My friend Kassaundra and her little girls, Victoria and Madiline invited us over for the afternoon. Olivia wasn't too interested in the cookies, but loved watching the big kids play in the frosting and sprinkles. Grandma Tutu got her this adorable little ducky costume and it was so soft and cozy. We had a great time!

This weekend, Dr. CP and I are headed to the Outerbanks for our first BABY FREE mini-vacation. Olivia will be staying with her grandparents andI'm sure she will be spoiled completely rotten by the time we return on Sunday evening. We've never been to the Outerbanks and we're looking forward to exploring Ocracoke village and seeing the lighthouse.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Yard Sale Finds

There were two neighborhood yardsales in our town this past weekend. I found lots of good stuff - several items are for selling on Ebay (funding for my Etsy additiction!) Almost everything was bought from one yard sale. The lady had really nice taste. I would've loved to have seen the inside of her house based upon what she considered junk! I also picked up an antique baby doll cradle for Olivia's "babies".

12 Brand New Green Pottery Barn Napkins



All the baby silverware sets are for Ebay.

Stamps for Ebay.

Two European pillow shams for our bonus room couch.

Little picture frames - I'm going to add black and white photos and a navy blue ribbons. These will go on our Christmas tree this year.

Toys for Olivia.

Brand New Shoes!

Two cute little planters.

Lots of super nice sterling silver jewelry - $1 each!

Boys Gymboree vest - Ebay.

Have a great week!

Paula Deen Here We Come!

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We're headed to Savannah ya'll! Can't wait to eat at Paula Deen's Lady and Son's Restaurant, see the Forrest Gump bench, explore the City Market and do lots of antique shopping in the historic district. My Mom has always wanted to visit this beautiful city, so we are taking a girl's trip.

Dr. CP's best friend from Chapel Hill will be visiting while we're away. I'm sure there will be lots of chips and salsa consumed and many hours of XBox played in our absence.

There will be lots of Olivia pics to post when we get back!

Seafood Festival

This weekend, we headed out to Morehead City, NC to the annual Seafood Festival. It was a lot of fun. This waterfront festival has rides, shows, music, and of course, LOTS of local seafood. However, we were really there for the vendors. I love checking out all the crafts and homemade items - it's like a live display of Etsy.com. I bought a couple little hats for Olivia and Mom bought some fish themed Halloween decorations (little wooden fins, gills, and eyes you for decorating pumpkins - adorable!)

Olivia was so funny - She got a ton of attention at the festival. She wore this big pink flower headband and people were commenting and taking pictures of her every where we went. She even got her picture in the local paper! The child is only 3 months old and she loves attention. It was really hot and crowded that day, so we didn't stay too long. We later went home and started preparing for our trip to Savannah, later this week. Can't wait!

I previously bought Olivia some purple and green outfits and this weekend made her a sassypants headband. She's going to show it off at our MOPS meeting tomorrow morning.

Olivia's Three Months Old!

Check out little miss Doodle Bug in her footie bunny pants! Olivia Claire is three months old today! She's almost eleven pounds and twenty two inches long. She has red hair, dark brown eyes and huge feet. Olivia is a morning girl (just like Daddy) and smiles and giggles when she wakes up each day. We love her bunches and bunches!

Today I'm participating in Kelly's Show Us Your Life: Baby Gear. Since Olivia is only three months old, I haven't had a chance to use or review a ton of baby stuff, but here's what we've liked so far:

1) Our Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller and Maxi Cosi Mico Carseat - 2 big thumbs up for this one! I absolutely adore Olivia's stroller. Now I know that $700 is a lot of money for a stroller, but it was our only splurge during the baby shopping extravaganza. I wanted a nice, sturdy stroller that we could use for years and the Bugaboo has definitely been wondeful so far. I love going on walks and just snapping in our car seat. The stroller folds up easily and has a ton of options.

2) Avent IQ Bottle Warmer and Bottles - Worth their weight in gold. I love the warmer (it actually works unlike the other three we tried before this one) and the bottles are super nice. They clean easily and don't leak. Olivia will only use the Avent nipples.

3) Diaper Genie - Keeps stinky smells out of the nursery. We tried a simple wastebasket, but it was getting pretty gross (even with taking out the trash daily!) The diaper genie solved this issue.

4) Sleep Sheep - I got this guy at a yardsale and Olivia loves to sleep to the ocean noises. Daddy even likes hear the waves through the monitor. It's very soothing!

5) Dr. Karp's "The Happiest Baby on the Block" - This book is going to be a baby shower staple gift from now on. It has saved our sanity over the last few months! I can't imagine what life would be like without the tips in this book. I feel much more empowered now that I know what to do when Olivia has a colicky spell.

6) Fisher Price Papasan Swing and Bouncer - This is where Olivia takes all her naps during the day. She loves to relax in her swing while I make dinner and shower. I put it on the fastest setting and she's out like a light. She will use the bouncer, but only for about twenty minutes.

7) Baby Bjorn - I picked up two Bjorn's at a consignment sale ($10 each) and we loooooove these carriers! I use mine almost every day while doing chores. Olivia just hangs out, happy as a little clam. I tried a sling, but the Bjorn works well when you need lots of freedom of motion.

8) Sony Baby Monitor - We tried 4 monitors before finally finding one that would work in our house. The Sony monitor is by far the best - super clear, easy to use, fantastic!

We're off to the Seafood Festival in Morehead City this weekend. Hopefully we'll find some cute crafts and eat some yummy food!

Ode to Phillips Avent IQ Bottle Warmer

Oh how I love you, my sweet Avent IQ Bottle Warmer

With your easy to use buttons and light up display, you're my electric little Prince Charming

Your little blue outfit even matches my kitchen perfectly

I'll admit I was hesitant at first - your steep price was quite alarming

Not like the others, cheap though they were, you are worth your weight in gold

Our late night rendevouxs in the dark kitchen are brief and quiet

Your quick bubbling and beeping make my heart go pitter-patter

No scalded breast milk for my baby

Oh no, you heat my bottles to just the right temp every time

Now if only my husband could learn to use you

Hugs and Kisses,

Tyler

Yard Sale Jewelry Jackpot

A few weeks ago, Olivia went yardsailing for the very first time. Although she snoozed in her carseat the whole time, I'm convinced she has a fabulous time. Grandma, baby and I hit a few yardsales at the beach and I found a ton of beautiful jewelry. The lady opened her garage door at 7:10 when the sale was advertised to start at 7:00. You should have seen the chaos at this poor lady's house! She comes out in her PJs to find crazy yardsale fanatics (two ladies had on yardsale fanny packs!) camping out in her driveway. She lets everybody in and it was like WalMart on Black Friday morning. People just poured in! If you're not a yardsale person, you don't know the rules. If you advertise opening at 7:00, people expect you to open up at 6:30. It's just the way it is - those are the yardsale rules. In all the craziness, I picked up some super cute necklaces and earrings.

My jewelry habit started a few years ago in my college math class. My professor, a lovely young middle school math teacher, wore bright, fun jewelry with almost every outfit. I couldn't wait to see her pretty necklace choices each week. Since that time, I really make an effort to coordinate bright costume jewelry with every outfit possible. It's not in my nature to wear jewelry, but I take the time to do it each day because I love the way it looks.

I got all this gorgeous jewelry for $20! I'm going to need an extra necklace hanging system for all these goodies!

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