Week 23 & Getting Ready for Baby

Hi all - another week is behind us already! Time seems to be going by much more quickly these days - and will only get worse as the holidays approach! Hope that everybody had a great Halloween! JD & I enjoyed greeting all of the neighborhood kids in costume & seeing our neighbors' *precious* baby girl (9+ months old), who was dressed as a duck!

Last weekend my sweet parents came over to help us finish up the "big stuff" in the nursery!! JD & my dad were able to assemble the crib & install the new hardware & blinds in the windows; Mom & I steamed the curtains, washed the bedding, & focused more on the "details". We are SO PLEASED with the finished product!!! Everything looks better than we even imagined!! Here are some pictures of the finished product:







Walls are still a blank canvas, & I haven't decided what I want to do just yet. Here are some ideas I've found on *pinterest*...

**over the crib, something with the initial & various "baby" items on small floating shelves**



**on the wall over the dresser / changing table - some form of assorted pictures (family? baby prints?) & I MUST find this huge safety pin!! anybody have a clue??**



**this idea is still in the works, but I like the idea of storage for books without taking up a lot of space in the room (like you would with a bookshelf)... thinking about these on the small wall immediately on the right when you walk in the nursery**


(another image of book storage - right side of the picture only)



I know that this stuff will come together in the next few weeks - it's such a HUGE relief to have all of the big stuff done in the nursery!! MANY THANKS to my terrific hubs for making sure that we got a jump start on the house projects & nursery early enough in our pregnancy so that I wouldn't stress too much, & to our families for all the help you've provided as we prepare for Baby Baker's arrival!!

This weekend we are looking forward to RELAXING & enjoying time at home! Our Supper Club group is coming over on Sunday evening for dinner - hoping that the weather cooperates because we were imagining doing a fire outside & making smores!!

Here's what's new with Baby Baker this week - no "new" pregnancy symptoms to report, but JD was able to feel & see the baby kick / move around this week! Baby continues to be very active, & I am starting to learn his / her schedule - I know to expect to feel movement at certain times in the day! Next week I am scheduled to go back to the doc & will have the dreaded glucose test. Wish me luck!!

Your Pregnancy: Week 23 (www.parentsconnect.com)



Your Baby
Your baby's got a while to go before her lungs will be ready for air and is practicing her "breathing" on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of her lungs. Other highlights this week:

Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the baby, not you! Well, OK, maybe for the baby and you). Your baby will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! You'll be happy to know the same won't apply to you.

Your Mini is starting to look more like a newborn as her skin becomes less see-through. Her body is looking more proportional now, although her head is still kinda big compared to her cute little body.

Your baby is about 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound, or about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book.

21 Week Update & Nursery in Progress

Hello All - lots going on since our last update on Baby Baker! We attended our 20 week appointment on Friday morning with an ultrasound - doctor reports that all looks GREAT & baby is growing, growing, growing!! My official due date is still February 26, but the ultrasound tech measured baby last week with a due date of February 13 -- I guess this one is really going to surprise us on the arrival date!

Baby must have known that he / she was in the spotlight all morning because it was dancing all over the place! Not only could I feel it moving, but the ultrasound tech had a hard time keeping him /her on the screen & then the doctor had to keep moving his device to hear the heartbeat! He did get a good heart rate reading & it came in at *134* (for all of you who are playing the guessing game, the rumor is that a lower heart rate means BOY). I'm getting to where I feel baby moving just about every day now, which is such a great feeling! The best one so far was last Thursday morning (10/13/2011)- I woke up, it was overcast, I was really tired as I haven't been sleeping very well, & all I wanted to do was crawl back under the covers to get some more rest - well, as if baby could read my mind, I felt two quick *kicks* in my tummy, as of he / she were saying "Mom - you have to get up & go to work now or else you will be late!!" Well, that was all I needed to get me moving :) Still looking forward to when those kicks are more intense & hard enough for JD to feel them!

This weekend we drove over to Social Circle to visit with my parents! While there, we were able to get a lot of things checked off the list for the nursery, including window treatments, hardware, & an area rug!! I couldn't hardly wait to get home with our new purchases so that we could see how they were going to look in the nursery - I'm happy to report that everything is even more perfect than we even imagined!!! I know I haven't posted any "nursery in progress" pictures yet, but I am ready to do so now...

*the bedding - still no pictures of the assembled crib with the bedding because we haven't assembled it yet... updated pictures will be shared in early November*


*rug & window treatments - this is seriously the SOFTEST rug that I've ever seen in my life!! can't wait to get baby baker down there crawling around on it!!*


*close up of the dresser / changing table - prints were previously in the guest bathroom at my parents' house, we think they will be perfect in the nursery! The fuzzy guy on the dresser is a recent purchase - we just couldn't leave him at the store :)*


*another close up of the window treatments on one window - it AMAZES me what a difference some curtains & a rug will make in a space!!*


We also found these cute little guys from HomeGoods - just couldn't leave them there & they are PRECIOUS in the nursery!!



It's still hard for me to comprehend that we are move the half way hump in pregnancy!! Here's what's going on with baby's development as we kick off week 21...

Your Pregnancy: Week 21 (www.parentsconnect.com)

Twenty-one is a magic number. It means independence. It means you just won a hand of blackjack. In pregnancy terms, it means you have gotten over the hump and you only have 19 weeks left!



Your Baby
Chances are good you're feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? Other highlights this week:

By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what she'll look like when she's born. All her facial features are formed and hair is growing on her head. She's even acting like a baby and will occasionally suck her thumb or yawn. Aww ...

Baby's heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! By 21 weeks, fetal bone marrow starts making blood cells—previously done by the liver and spleen. This may not sound that exciting, but it's good news.

The amniotic fluid that has been cushioning your little bean now serves another purpose: Your baby uses it to "practice" chowing down. Yes, it sounds gross (as many aspects of pregnancy do), but it's an important step for your baby toward being able to chow down in the real world. Your baby has been swallowing amniotic fluid for a while now, but now the intestines are finally developed enough that she's absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. And let's face it, being able to effectively digest sugar is important at every stage of life.

Your baby now weighs between 10 and 11 ounces and is approximately 7 inches long—the size of a delicious, cold, frothy bottle of root beer. Float anyone?


That's all for now - looking forward to a visit from the Bakers this weekend for a JD & the Man show at ORE (Friday) & the Freshwater Land Trust Darter Dash 5k on Saturday! Wish me luck - not sure I was in my right mind when I agreed to do a 5k at a nature preserve at nearly 22 weeks pregnant...

Weekends for the Baker Bunch & 18 Week Update

Hi All - realizing that it's getting harder for me to keep up with my weekly blog updates! A lot has been going on for the Bakers -- here's a quick recap of what we've been doing...

We finally got the house projects complete {with the help of our amazing families!!!} & the Baker abode is getting closer to being ready for the arrival of Baby Baker!!! All of JD's music & home-brewing equipment is tucked away in its new home, thanks to JD's dad's incredible carpentry skills!! {I promise to post pictures soon of the beautiful cabinets he built for us!!} We now have new hanging cabinets in our screen porch for JD's homebrew equipment & we have two GORGEOUS cabinets in the guest room for JD's music equipment!! We also installed a kitty-sized pet door so that Aja is free to travel between house & screen porch. It took some time for her to get compfortable with the new set up, but she has finally come around & seems to be a much happier kitty overall! (For those of you who know Aja, I think she's really started to come out of her shell - a few mornings this week, I've gotten up in the morning & spotted her sitting in a window sill out on the porch just watching the yard & flicking her tail!! JD & I joke that she is out there enjoying her morning coffee, watching the world go by...)

We hit a couple of bumps in the road during work week, but we *could not* be happier with how everything has turned out!! AND - with JD's stuff out of the third bedroom, we were able to start making progress on the NURSERY!!

No pictures of the nursery-in-progress yet, but here's what we've done so far:
>painted the room (walls, trim, closet, etc...)
>put in new crown molding
>purchased new blinds for both windows
>picked up dresser & crib from furniture store - dresser was already assembled
>bedding arrived & is ready to go in the crib, once assembled

It's got a long way to go before the baby comes, but it's definitely coming along!! We ended up going with a nice, neutral color for the walls (Martha Stewart's 'Alpaca Brown') with white trim - it's amazing what a difference a couple of gallons of paint can make!!

JD & I find ourselves stopping by the *nursery* most nights just to look around & think about what it will be like when Baby Baker arrives & is living in his / her new space! It seems like so far from now, but at the same time, I know it will be here before we know it!! I get so excited thinking about it!!


Last weekend we spent some MUCH NEEDED R&R time at Smith Lake with some great friends! We enjoyed the sun, games, good food, football, & baby Caleb! Here is a quick picture I snapped of the view of the lake from our room at the GORGEOUS house:


(Sadly, this is the only picture I took all weekend... must have been having too much fun??)

Other big news for the Bakers this week is that we met with our mortgage broker & are going to be able to refinance our home loan & save 3 points off our current interest rate!!! We couldn't be more excited about this - it's going to save us over $200/month, which will definitely come in handy when we have to start paying for daycare next year!

Although this week is nearly over, here's an update on our baby's progress...

Your Pregnancy: Week 18 (www.parentsconnect.com)

Now that you're in the full throes of the second trimester, you're feeling—and looking—fabulous. So don't waste it! See friends (they've missed you since you moved your bedtime up to 7:00 p.m.), plan romantic dinners with your partner (you will miss those when junior arrives) and get active. Waterskiing might be a little too much but swimming and taking long walks are great for you and your bambino.

Your Body
At about 18 weeks, you might begin to feel a suspicious flutter in your belly. The professionals call it "quickening," we call it "baby's makin' waves!" Within the next few weeks, those tiny bubbly feelings will become more obvious. And soon enough they'll be unmistakably identifiable—especially when you (and anyone within 10 feet of you) can see tiny feet, elbows and knees moving across your belly.

>>>SIDE NOTE: I felt this for the first time on Sept 20!!!




Your Baby
Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week:

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long—about the size of a pickle from the corner deli. (You're familiar with pickles, right? Your regular accompaniment to a big bowl of ice cream?)

16 Week Update & Making Room for Baby!

Hi All - we are still trying to catch up after our first BIG work weekend!! We got sooo much done this past weekend, both inside & out! The tree that fell in our yard earlier this summer (did I ever mention that before now??) is finally gone & while we had the chainsaws, the guys (JD, his dad, & Katie's BF Dwain) went ahead & cut back a LOT of overgrowth from both in our yard & along the outside of our fence. The backyard, in particular, looks like a whole new yard! So nice! While the guys were busy outdoors, the ladies were busy inside cleaning out every closet & under the bed and doing some serious REORGANIZING! Several trips to the trash & GoodWill later, I'm finally starting to feel like we'll have some space to bring this new baby into our home, ha!

We also made some serious headway on the nursery!! Just about everything is cleared out of that room & the closet -- just waiting on JD & his dad to finish building the cabinets to store his homebrew & music equipment!! We ordered baby furniture this weekend & it should arrive no later than Sept 24! The pieces we ended up ordering are a convertible crib & what they call a "combo dresser" - I think they call it a combo piece because it is supposed to function as a changing table while the baby is in diapers (which it will at our house). Here are pictures of the furniture we ordered:



We are excited to be able to re-purpose two pieces we already have at the house to use in the nursery - a tall chest of drawers that belonged to JD's grandfather & a wicker rocker that my parents painted & recovered a couple of years ago that we have been using in the guest room.

We also ordered some baby bedding online this weekend as well - waiting for it to arrive to see if it's exactly what we want for Baby Baker! If so, then I can {finally} decide on a paint color & we can get the nursery painted!

Some other things on the "to-do" list for this week:
*finish painting / staining the cabinet pieces & get those in their correct spots
*replace screens on porch
*install pet door in backdoor
*get rid of remaining furniture in nursery that we aren't keeping
*paint nursery?

We are sooo thankful for our sweet families who have been such a HUGE help as we prepare for Baby Baker's arrival!! We absolutely could NOT have done it without their help!!!

I have another doctor's appointment this week - no ultrasound, just a check to see that our sweet baby is progressing as expected! I believe that our next big appointment with an ultrasound (what would be the anatomy reveal, were we finding out) is in two weeks - & I can't wait to see how big he / she has gotten since last time I saw him / her! I have been feeling pretty good, just finding myself getting tired more quickly than I did pre-pregnancy. I haven't felt any movement from the baby yet, but I read that I could feel hiccups starting last week & should start to feel kicking / movement starting next week!! We have a long weekend planned at Smith Lake next weekend with lots of friends who we don't get to see very often - I'm really hoping that Baby Baker decides to do some kicking / moving while we are together so that hopefully they can feel too :)

Speaking of, here's what's going on this week...

Your Pregnancy: Week 16 (www.parentsconnect.com)

What You're Thinking:

"I. Only. Have. Five. More. Months. Until. Everything. Changes."

Your Body
No, you don't have a new superpower, although it'll feel like it because you're able to smell pizza, burnt toast or a pulled-pork sandwich from miles away. Your heightened sense of smell isn't the only new trick your nose is doing. You're probably noticing some extra nasal congestion and maybe even some nosebleeds to go along with it.

Clearly your sense of smell is in overdrive, so try to avoid walking past the BBQ Pit or Curry Emporium.

While pregnancy-related nasal congestion is annoying, it shouldn't cause any problems and will go away after the baby is born. If you're getting a lot of nosebleeds, it could be because your partner keeps cheaping out on theater tickets, buying seats located in the top row of the balcony. Either that or it could be an indication of high blood pressure, so check with your medical provider.




Your Baby
Your baby is already mugging for the camera as she practices all sorts of facial expressions, such as squinting, yawning and grimacing, which will come in handy when you introduce her to pureed spinach. Check out what else is happening in utero:

You're just getting comfortable with being a new mom, but you're actually on the road to being a grandma. If your baby is a girl, her uterus is fully developed and the ovaries already hold primitive egg cells. Did that just make you feel a thousand years old, or what?

Your baby's skin is still translucent and wrinkly, not unlike an old man's, but more fat will soon accumulate under the dermas to plump her out. If you could peer inside right now, you'd be able to see all of her veins under her skin. And speaking of veins, your baby's heart now pumps about 25 quarts of blood per day, and she hasn't even seen Orlando Bloom yet! Also, her eyes are now locked and loaded at their final destination, facing forward rather than to the sides. (Whew!)

This is the week women get an amniocentesis, if their doc recommends it. In addition to supplying doctors with a boatload of info about the baby's health, amnios are also more than 99 percent accurate in determining what version of baby you'll be having. So if you want to know and you're getting an amnio, now's a great time to find out for sure.

Your baby weighs about 3 ounces this week and measures between 4 and 5 inches, about the length of your mascara.

15 week update & OTW

Greetings! Sorry for the late-week post this time! Short work weeks always seem to throw me for a loop...

I hope that everybody had a great Labor Day weekend! We were just productive enough to not feel guilty about relaxing on Labor Day :) Saturday was filled with FOOTBALL as the new season begun. Our Auburn Tigers left much to be desired, but they were able to pull off a W! JD's "hetero-life mate", Jason, paid us a surprise visit on Saturday & spent the weekend with us! Jason is currently doing Marine Reserve Officer training up in Virginia, so we don't get to see him as much as we'd like! Sunday JD & I continued our search for nursery furniture for Baby Baker. I think that we finally found what we are looking for - now we just need to get the rest of the nursery / house ready before we can bring it home!

This weekend, JD's mom & dad are coming up to kick off "work week" - we are hoping to get a number of things done before next Sunday, including cleaning out & painting the nursery! BUT - we have lots to do before we can get that started, so we'll have to see!

Speaking of baby, we hit the 15 week mark last weekend!! Here is this week's update:

Your Pregnancy: Week 15 (www.parentsconnect.com)
What You're Thinking:

"Why does this feel like it's going so fast and yet so slow all at the same time?" (A-men!!)
Your energy may have returned but that doesn't mean you should be hitting the clubs until 4:00 AM every night. With a baby growing inside you, sleep is one thing that you can't go without. Try these tricks to ensure you beat up the sheets.

If your growing belly is getting in the way of a good night's sleep, surround yourself with pillows to make for an extra-comfy nest effect. Sometimes room temperature can affect sleep, so make sure that your air conditioner is cranked up if you're feeling too hot.

Some sleeping positions are more comfortable than others for pregnant woman, like the "I'm just going to pass out on the La-Z-Boy" position. And get comfy sleeping on your left side while you're preggers: It's what the docs recommend to keep the blood flowing full steam ahead between you and the tadpole.



Your Baby
Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around. Here's more to look forward to:

Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager.) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day.

Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You'll know he's had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel.

Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever, so make sure you load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support his growth. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces.





Tomorrow is our sweet puppy Luna's 4th birthday! To celebrate, her *thoughtful* brother Benny planned a small family birthday party. People in attendance will be: Luna, Benny, Aja, me, JD, Katie, Dwain, Tanner, Sadie, Johnny, Pam, & Wilson. Benny was in charge of sending out the "e-vite" invitations, so I promised I would help by making a dog-friendly birthday cake for all of the pups to enjoy! I'll let you dog lovers out there know how it turns out :)

Hope that everybody has a great weekend & enjoys this autumn-like weather!!

War Eagle!

11 Week Update, & more

Hello All,

No real changes for me this time, but I thought I'd post the 11 week update on (BB)Baby Baker...

Your Pregnancy: Week 11 {from parentsconnect.com}

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...

What You're Thinking:
"I am not crazy for crying like a little girl during the cheerleading championship on ESPN. Those girls work hard!"




Your Baby
All of your baby's vital organs are now formed and functioning, so the risk of defects decreases this week as your baby becomes less susceptible to outside influences. Phew! Other exciting developments include:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body.

While testes or ovaries are completely formed now, don't start decorating the nursery. You won't be able to see your baby's gender for a few more weeks yet.

Your baby is really on the move now. In an ultrasound you might be able to see your little acrobat flailing his or her arms and legs and doing somersaults worthy of Cirque du Soleil. You still won't be able to feel any movement, so if you feel something "kick" in there, it's probably gas.

In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length. You might feel like you're increasing 30 times in weight at this point, too, but we can assure you're not—because, honey, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Your baby now weighs a third of an ounce, about the same as two small, Starbucks-sized packets of sugar, is about 2 inches long, the length of one of those sugar packets. Isn't that sweet?




I'm still feeling better than I was for the first several weeks, which is a GREAT relief! Still waiting for my energy to kick back in. JD & I had a pretty lazy weekend, however we did get a closet & a chest of drawers cleaned out. We're in the process of trashing or donating the stuff we don't need anymore, or putting things in storage we don't need but still want to keep, all in an attempt to get ready for BB!

We have a 3 bedroom house currently set up as 2 bedrooms & an office / music room / beer brewing room. The initial thought was that we would turn the current guest room into the nursery; however, since we have family who live out of town, getting rid of a guest room wasn't really an option. So, we have since decided to turn the office into the nursery. That means, however, that we need a space for JD's music & beer brewing equipment to go. After talking out the logistics with JD's dad, we have decided to close in our existing screen porch & make it a family room. JD & his dad are going to build custom cabinets to house his stuff. Work week is set to take place in early September - and we are sooooo excited!! Once the new space is complete, we can start working on the nursery!!

Also, on the short horizon for the Bakers is a mini vacation to New Orleans! We leave Friday & will spend 3 nights in the Big Easy! We are really looking forward to getting away for a little while & spending some time with friends who we don't see very often! I know, NOLA seems like an unusual place for a preggers lady to go - we scheduled & paid for this trip before we knew we were expecting! But, I was still excited to go! I'm really excited because we decided not to stay in a hotel this time, but in a little one bedroom condo! We found a GREAT place on a www.VRBO.com search - it's right on Royal Street, behind Jackson Square! In the heart of the French Quarter - close to everything! We even have our own little courtyard & two bicycles for getting around town!!! This will be my third trip to New Orleans, & I am excited to see how different this trip is from past visits!

Hope everybody has a great week! Talk to you soon...

loving this

check out this really unique *customizable* piece of art from one of the blogs I follow, MadeByGirl

This little beauty might make its way to the Baker house in the near future...


...and a TOTAL steal at just $45!

Other Projects Around the House

Well, our biggest project was all of the work in the bathroom, but we were able to get a few other things done around the house:

*JD & his dad insulated & put "walls" up in our laundry room / storage room (this was really special for me as I am the one who spends the most time in this room & can REALLY APPRECIATE insullation & organization)
*They also built up new shelving for extra storage!
*Pam & I went through everything in our outdoor storage unit & threw a bunch of stuff away & organized what was to remain
*Pam & sweet Aunt Denise really helped us out with our outdoor areas (patio, yard, & porch) - lots of pictures below...

>>>WE ARE SO HAPPY WITH EVERYTHING & CAN'T THANK OUR FAMILIES ENOUGH!!!<<<
















We kicked off our Spring / Summer entertaining by hosting Supper Club last weekend! We had 11 people over for one of our favorites, Mexican! We had a taco bar with all the fixins', beans, rice, grilled chicken, ground beef, queso - JD even made a cerveza home brew for the occassion! It was delish! A lovely evening with great friends :)

I also want to share a recipe I tried for beer-margaritas - really easy & super yummy! For those who don't like margaritas, the beer cuts the sour / tangy taste of the margaritas...

(my recipe was for 16 cups, the size of my drink dispenser)
4 cups 7up
4 cups Corona Extra
4 cups silver tequila
3 (12oz) cans of frozen limeade concentrate (thawed)

Mix together ingredients & serve over ice with lime for garnish!

Baker Bathroom Project, 2011

Here it is! We've finally completed the bathroom re-do! Here's a run down of what we did:
*new beadboard ceiling
*new tile in the shower (w/ accent tile)
*new tile floor
*new crown molding

...and here's what we have now:








WE LOVE IT!! SOOOO many thanks to our sweet families who helped us out with this project! It was our first try at a real renovation project & I am confident that we will be able to do more!

Over the week, we were able to get a little more stuff done around the house, but I will touch on that in another post...

Bathroom Reno - Sneak Peek

More to come....

over. the. weekend.

This was a pretty nice weekend for the Bakers...

Friday we went to Big Blue Bagel to see JD & the Man perform! My sweet friends {Katie, Tonya, & Leah} came to keep my company! We even made friends with the bartender, Todd.

Saturday morning we got to catch up & hear all about Katie's recent vacay to Puerto Rico with her boo Dwain! {Katie B spent the night at our house Friday night :)} WOW. After hearing her talk about their trip, I am so ready for a beautiful, relaxing, tropical vacation! Her pictures are incredible - check them out!

I also made a cake for JD's birthday {coming up this Wednesday} - I saw the recipe in last month's Southern Living magazine & knew that it was something I had to try: Key Lime Pound Cake! Here's the cake when it came out of the oven, but before I poured the glaze over the top:


...and here's the picture from Southern Living:



Yumm-O!!

Saturday afternoon we grabbed a little lunch in Crestline & then got ready to meet up with the Knechts for the Boil in the Hood crawfish boil!!

Sunday was really chill around the house - JD didn't have to work at Mellow, so we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. JD ended up brewing a new batch of beer & bottling another one (a CERVEZA) that we'll serve at supper club this month! I hosed off all of the patio furniture & started to spray paint the wicker furniture. Keeping it the same color, but just patching up some chipped places from where we painted it last summer.

There was also a lot of this going on this weekend:





We are looking forward to next weekend when we start our big house projects!!! JD's sweet parents are coming up to help us - I'll post progress pictures soon!