Mulva Monday... On Wednesday

Mulva's Big Announcement

Well, Mulva hasn't said much lately.  Her usual day is Monday, but she didn't want to wait a whole weekend to share her big news.  So, I told her we could cheat this one time and let her share today, so long as we pretend it's Monday:)

Drumroll, please....

Mulva is going to be a big sister!!  That's right, I'm pregnant, and she was the first to know.  She found out a long time ago, but she had to keep it a secret for a while.  She is excited to finally be able to share the news, and she's even more excited that I'm finally over the "morning sickness" phase.  I wasn't very pleasant to be around for a few weeks, but she was a trooper.  She cuddled me and told me the worst would be over soon.

The due date is May 28th, which happens to be the day after my 6 year anniversary!  Mulva is secretly happy about that, because she knows that means Mom and Dad won't be leaving her at home to travel for their anniversary this year.  But, she assured us that she will be a big help when the baby comes - she is ready to cuddle her new brother or sister, although she realizes it might mean less attention for her;)

In the mean time, Mulva decided to help me practice!  She also gave my hubby some tips on "growing up" and dressed him to be more fatherly.  With Mulva being the silly pup she is, I'm sure we have a lot more adventures to come, both before and after the baby arrives!

Brandon acting "fatherly"

Mulva helping me practice

 

Long Time, No Post!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything...  Sorry about that!  Sometimes, the time just disappears, and you don't know where it went!

The holidays are coming up, and I'm getting excited:)  Christmas is my favorite holiday, despite my distaste for cold weather.  This year, my husband and I have decided to make at least one gift for each person in the family!  This is the first year I'm finding myself being "crafty," so I'm pushing myself to come up with something unique and different for each person.  Thankfully, there are lots of ideas out there to help with that!

I've mentioned Pinterest before, and I'm plugging it again.  I love that I can keep all these lovely ideas together in one place.  So, if you're looking for some holiday ideas, from party food to gift wrapping, to gift ideas - be sure to look through Pinterest!  If you aren't already a pinner but would like to be, I'd be happy to send you an invite:)

For this year's Deck the Balls Party at my in-laws:)

Cute gift idea for anyone on your list!

Button ornament

Made one of these as a gift, and it was a hit!

Great for a kid at heart - and you can make it with love:)

Paint chip gift tags - great idea!!

Make your own newspaper gift bags!

And, there is SO MUCH MORE!  So, I challenge you to make something this year - be it gift tags, home decor, or even a gift for someone special on your list!  There is just something extra special about a handmade holiday:)

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Liberty Originals!  Those extra 5 entries from the treasury must have helped her odds!

Liberty will be receiving one of these super cute screen printed bird pillows.  Thanks to everyone who participated - it was fun!

Feature and Giveaway!

I have a couple of things to celebrate today.  First, I'm celebrating being so close to 100 followers on my blog - how exciting!  Second, I'm celebrating the grand opening of my husband and brother-in-law's new etsy shop:  Toddah!

Brandon and Jeremy Todd are brothers, and they are both so artistically talented.  Brandon is a motion and graphic designer by day, and a cartoonist and freelance designer by night.  Jeremy is currently in his junior year in college, pursuing a double major in illustration and graphic design.  After some prodding from yours truly, they agreed to open up their very own etsy shop, focusing on screen printed designs!  All of the designs are original, and the screen printing process is done by hand with lots of time and love.  We've spent many weekends together mixing emulsion, burning images, drying, drying, and more drying, mixing ink colors, and making prints on pillows and onesies!  Now, Toddah is officially open!  I am so happy for them both, and I am in love with their designs. 

They are excited, too, and wanted to start by giving their very first creation away!  So, for the next week, you can enter to win this 14X14 screenprinted bird pillow!  What makes this even more unique is that this design will not be sold in the etsy shop or elsewhere - it is Brandon's logo for his website and blog, and it is not for sale!  So, you will be the owner of something that no one else can buy, ever.

If you'd like to enter to win, please leave a separate comment for each entry.  There are 10 possible entries per person, and the winner will be chosen via random.org on Wednesday, November 2

How to enter:
1 entry:  Follow this blog.
1 entry:  Following Brandon's blog.
1 entry:  Favorite Toddah on etsy (please leave your etsy username in your comment).

1 entry:  Tweet about this giveaway (leave a link to your twitter page).
1 entry:  Blog about this giveaway (leave a link to the blog post).
5 entries: Create a treasury using an item from Toddah's shop (leave a link to the treasury).

Remember to leave a separate comment below for each entry!  Good luck!!

Pinterest and Pumpkin Patches

Over the weekend, my husband and I spent some time at Red Barn Farm in Weston, MO with our dear friends Erik and Jenny.  They are pregnant... with twins.  And, this is their first time!
Considering Jenny and I are both semi-addicted to pinterest, we found lots of inspiration for some maternity photos and wanted to re-create some and have some fun!  We definitely had fun out at the pumpkin patch, and Jenny makes pregnancy look so beautiful!  Here are just a few photos from our adventure.

We certainly had a blast and ended our visit with some apple dumplings, which were divine.  Jenny is due in December, and both babies are super healthy so far!  Wish them luck in their twin journey!!

P.S. If you aren't on pinterest, you should be!  There is so much you can find and keep in one place for inspiration!  If you'd like an invite, just leave your email address:)

Mulva Monday!

Movie Star Mulva, Take 2:

The last time you saw Mulva in a movie, she had a small, supporting role.  About 5 months ago, Mulva was offered a starring role with her best friend Boone in a video about best friends!  Boone belongs to Erik and Jenny Stewart, who come to hang out quite a bit.  She was very excited to take part in the short film, and she was even more excited to do it with Boone.

You see, Mulva is a very sweet pup, but she doesn't make friends very easily.  She thinks maybe she tries too hard to make a good first impression...  She loves everyone she meets, but for some reason, that love isn't always returned.  Her aunts Reina and Mattie don't like to play with her, either.  They will play together, but if Mulva tries to join in, they will stop playing.  This hurts Mulva's feelers:(

But, Boone is special.  He loves to play with Mulva!  So, they are best friends forever!  Without further ado, here is Mulva's first starring role:

Mulva Monday!

Chunky Mulva

Well, Mulva and I have come to realize something.  She's a bit chunky for her breed.  Well, not necessarily "chunky," just not as slim and muscular as most other dogs like her.  I broke the news to her the other day, and she wasn't surprised.  She admitted that she had snuck some chocolate chip cookies from time to time when she wasn't supposed to.  She thinks she may be an emotional eater.  I told Mulva I was partially to blame, because I haven't been exercising her like I should.  Mulva wants to change things, though, because her 4th birthday is coming up, and she doesn't want to start going downhill already.  She wants to be around and still playful when she has a little brother or sister some day, so we decided to get in shape together!  While neither of us are overweight, we could both use some toning and healthier habits.  We don't want to continue at this pace and wake up unhealthy one day, so we're going to help each other stay on task!

This morning, we began.  We walked for about 25 minutes around the neighborhood at 6 AM!  We have a HILLY neighborhood, so it was good for both of us.  Brandon (my hubby) was a little surprised that Mulva and I actually got up that early and walked with him...  We usually like to sleep in while Brandon gets ready for work!   Needless to say, we both got directly back under the covers for another hour of sleep after our morning walk:)

This is Mulva.  She's a cute pup!  Still a slim pup, but we've got some toning to do:)

This afternoon, I got home from work, and Mulva said she still felt tired from our little walk this morning.  She took a big stretch and plopped on the floor.  She'll keep at it though, and we'll be healthy together!

When she does this, I just say, "Stretch it out, Mulva."

 

 

 

Still tired from our morning walk:)

The journey to fitness is to be continued...