high 5 for insta-friday

im linking up with lauren, jeanette and rachel to share the little things from this past week that makes my heart smile.

ONE: 

last friday, i took the day off work to get ready for mister's shower.  

i spent the entire day cleaning the house, inside and out.  

it was a lot of work but in the end, the house looks great and is ready for company.

TWO:

the shower was a lot of fun.  

we had some great food and our friends and family brought mister some really awesome gifts.

yes, the cake was just as yummy as it is cute!

cake by tara

THREE:

our newish neighbor was asking husband about the shower while he was loading up my mom's car.  

he brought this over later as a congrats to becoming a father gift.  

im looking forward to getting to know all our neighbors better!  

FOUR:

this past wednesday, everyone at work surprised me with a baby shower.  

they did a great job putting it together.  i was totally caught off guard.

courtney, from the funky dot, made a cute metal sign for mister's room.  

she is going to add his name as soon as we release that information :)

FIVE: 

speaking of staches ... ours continues to grow.  

EXTRA CREDIT: 

i will use the extra credit for non-baby related awesomeness.  i know its hard to tell, but i have a lot of things to be thankful for that have nothing to do with mister.  

• number one this week is the weather.  man, its been amazing out lately.  
• the second thing is for friends ... the old and the new.  husband and i are surrounded by such an awesome group of people.  our hope is to expand that sense of community and build on those relationships.  i hope that we can offer half the support we have received these past few months and be able to pay forward the kindness that others have shown us. 

have a great weekend!!!

33 weeks pregnancy update

update:

• 33 weeks = 8.25 months
• mister should be about 4 lbs and 17 inches long
• his movement:  a lot :)  he has been doing his best to stretch my stomach from the inside out.  i love to place my phone on my belly button so the movement is a little more visible.  
• my movement:  seems to be screeching to a halt.  i am officially taking husband up on his offers to go get me something.  mostly because he can get wherever and back before i could even roll my tail off the sofa.  
• sleeping:  less and less.  im not complaining though ... i still get a lot more then most pregnant women.  it mostly has to do with movement.  we sleep on a memory foam mattress that has an extra soft foam padding on top (not able to remove).  i think this is making it harder for me to flip over during the night and that is what wakes me up.  i could try and sleep on the guest bed which is a firmer mattress but then i wouldnt sleep well because there isnt enough room for husband, me and mister.  
• energy level:  i have my ups and downs.  last friday, i stayed home to clean house and i was able to get a lot done.  i spent about 8 hours working with only an hour break ... then i hit bottom and had to rest for a while.  
• nursery:  on friday, i cleaned up the nursery so anyone that came to the shower could see our progress.  we did receive one of the prints i registered for but i need to find a frame to fit before i hang it.   
• belly button:  still in but i feel like it is stretched to the max.  
• stretch marks:  none yet

wise wednesday

source

etsy ecstasy: diaper bags

i know that i have gone a little baby happy on this blog ever since i revealed that we were pregnant. well, today's post is no different.  i want to share with you the awesome diaper bags i have found on etsy.  the good news, for you non-pregnant ladies, is that several of these bags are great for everyday use ... no baby bump required.

so here they are, in no particular order:

{click on the picture to shop}

messenger style diaper bag - multi colored dot by the daisy box

carry-all diaper bag made from recycled coffee sacks by burla bags

pleated shoulder diaper bag from wild sprout design 

deep plum canvas diaper bag from ickady bag

elephant messenger diaper bag by petunias

picking out a diaper bag is something that i am having a really hard deciding on.  i had one picked out on my online registry but i recently changed it.  dont get me wrong, if someone has already ordered/purchased the first bag i chose then i would still be stoked.  i switched it out for the grey messenger type bag because it just seemed more practical.  not only am i already used to carrying a bag across my body, its also something that husband can carry without looking girly AND its something i would totally use just as a regular bag.  

here is the bag i have decided on ... for now :)

i have heard some great things about these bags so im hoping to not be disappointed.  

if i get it, ill be sure to let you know what i think. 

bailey - dark grey handmade canvas bag by luckycann

have any of you ordered a handmade diaper bag from etsy?  

shower for mister

cake made by tara

i did a horrible job making sure i had pictures of the shower :(  im sad i didnt ask someone to take a few shots of the people that came and the gifts for mister.  i am keeping all the cards we receive so one day i can show our little guy how excited people were to meet him.  my sister took these pictures after we had everything set up.  although, i do not have the photo evidence to prove it, it was a super fun morning with lots of yummy brunch food and amazing things for mister.  husband and i were so blessed by our family and friends ... again. 

high 5 for insta-friday

im linking up with lauren, jeanette and rachel to share the little things from this past week that makes my heart smile.

ONE:

being at the beach!!!

TWO:

celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary ...

and still being smitten by my handsome guy :)

THREE:

being able to spend our anniversary at the same place we were married.

FOUR: 

just being with husband ...

laughing about the past and dreaming about our future.

FIVE:

iced coffee and a perfect morning

EXTRA CREDIT:

my brother had the opportunity to go alligator hunting/fishing.  

they pulled up this 10 plus ft, 400 lbs gator into his little fishing boat. 

crazy right?  

i cannot wait to hear the story of how it all went down and try some gator bites.

have a great weekend!!!

32 weeks pregnancy update

update:

• 32 weeks = 8 months
• my babybump app reminds me this morning that i only have 50 more days until my due date
• mister is about 16.5 inches long and 3.75 lbs.  
• his movement:  quite a lot.  i am much more aware of how much space he is taking up in there.  i feel hiccups way low and i feel him pushing out (im guessing with his feet) way up towards my ribs.  
• my movement:  slow and steady!  lots of breathing and grunting to get myself off the floor or flipping over in bed. 
• sleep:  there have only been a few nights this week that i woke up more than once or twice (each not for very long) ... nothing i cant handle. 
• energy level:  i have my ups and downs.  last week i was super tired all week and then went into this crazy energetic cleaning mode on thursday night.  i am hoping to get that mode back this thursday night as well. 
• nursery:  not too much to share for this week.  i am cleaning up and organizing some of the things we received from the shower.
• belly button:  still in
• stretch marks:  none yet

currently crushing on ...

these merona boots from target!!!

wise wednesday

source

joan's heart winner

congratulations rachelle!!!

you are the winner of the joan's heart giveaway.

please shoot me an email to mrs.elizabethbenfield{at}gmail.com.

dont forget that everyone is a winner this month and will receive 20% off.

just enter the coupon code "BDE20" at checkout. 

5 years

on saturday, husband and i celebrated our 5 year anniversary.

we checked into the same motel we did 5 years ago and walked down the same pathway to the beach that was there 5 years ago.

taken 9/15/12

we always enjoy our time at carolina beach but this weekend was special.  

we really spent some time relaxing and enjoying each others company.  

it was fun to think back at how much we have grown individually as well as a couple and to laugh at those things we never thought we would be able to laugh at.  

taken 9/15/07

{wedding photos were taken by christine hall}

high 5 for insta-friday

today, i am linking up with lauren, jeanette, rachel and lindsey to acknowledge all the little things from this past week that makes my heart smile. 

ONE

i had the best day on saturday hanging out with my sister, mom and my mother-in-law. 

they were very helpful when i was trying to pick out fabric to recover the cushions for the old rocker thats going in mister's room.  i was having a really hard time making a decision and sticking with it and they were very patient with me :)

TWO

while we were out shopping on saturday, husband switched out the guest room and our room.  it was one of the most time consuming things on our to do list.  this created more space for an actual bed in the guest bedroom, an office/bill paying corner and space for my crafting/sewing.  the bedroom set came with a dresser and mirror perfect height for belly pics.   

THREE

on sunday we had an amazing worship team.  
it was a great way to kick off a new series about finding your own mission.  

FOUR

i cant think of a better way to spend an afternoon then being surrounded by some of  my favorite people and favorite foods.  that pretty much sums up the baby shower the church ladies threw me on sunday.  

these tables look like something right off of pinterest

look at these figs. yummy!

FIVE

my stache ... of diapers

cynthia raffled off a free photo shoot for people that brought in diapers.  

 thanks again cynthia!!!

extra credit:

this weeks giveaway is awesome! 

check it out