currently ...

missing ... summer, beer, a tan, a good nights rest and the energy it provides.    

loving ... husband, his patience with me and his general awesomeness. 

thinking about ... pretty much everything under the sun.  my mind races constantly with all the things i need to get done in the next few weeks.

listening to ... mumford & sons pandora station 

drinking ... a sprite

thankful for ... being only 4 days away from reaching full term (27 weeks). 

dreading ... the famous after pregnancy hair loss that most women experience.  

addicted to ... pumpkin ice cream from trader joes

watching ... dvds for our birthing class.  also, husband and i just finished watching season 2 of the walking dead on netflix. 

dreaming of ... pain free child birth :)  and getting to meet our son!   

excited about ... having more than 5 items of clothing/shoes that fit comfortably, being able to easily paint my own toenails and getting out of bed without grunting :) 

high 5 for insta-friday

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

ONE:  
i love to remind husband how he says he "doesnt have a sweet tooth" when i find him like this :)

TWO: 
after our last baby shower, its now time to buckle down and find a place for everything we have received.  we are so blessed ... we wont have to buy diapers or clothes for a while!

THREE:  
twice this week husband has been able to meet me for lunch.  after 5 years of marriage, he still opens my car door for me.  i seriously heart this dude!   

FOUR:
i was able to meet up with kristin from the art of being silly on wednesday night for coffee.  it was fun getting to know another local blogger in real life :)  

also, we met right around the corner from a.c. moore, so i slipped in to grab a few art supplies for a nursery project im working on.  

FIVE:
its official!  i have made it thru 35 weeks of pregnancy.  i only have 4 more weeks until my due date and im getting very anxious to meet mister!!! 

have a great weekend!!!!

35 week pregnancy update

update:

• 35 weeks = 8.75 months
• 29 days until my due date ... as of tomorrow, i only have 4 weeks left.  what the what!  
• mister should be about the size of a honeydew melon, measuring up to 18 inches long and weighing in over 5 lbs.  however, i look like i have something much larger then a honeydew in my belly. 
• mister movement: things are getting a little crowded in the ole' uterus so the movements havent been as large as they were, but just as often. 
• my movement: in a word "elegant" or maybe even "graceful" LOL!  ok, i just pulling your leg that feel asleep.  whats that?  your legs arent falling asleep every 30 minutes ... maybe its just me.  HA!  lets just say that i have felt quite large and awkward these past few days.  and yes, i know, its only going to get worse. 
• sleep:  waking a few more times during the night this week and finding it a little harder to get back to sleep.
• comfort: well, i finally went bra shopping.  i was able to find a nursing bra that seems to fit pretty well.  if anyone else is having a hard time, i decided to go with the brovado brand (thanks for the suggestion kristi).  
• energy level:  about the same as last week. 
• belly button:  in
• stretch marks:  none
• birthing class:  i signed up last friday and went by to pay and pick up any materials needed for the class.  since we will be doing the 1 day class, we have several videos to watch before we go.  i have only gotten through the first two and have learned a lot and i think husband is getting a lot out of them as well.  so, the videos alone have been worth the effort and cost of the birthing class.  im not sure i would have put this much effort into it if i had not heard such great things from my readers.  thanks ladies!  
• nursery:  i finally have my area rug and i started putting together the collage wall.  i plan on organizing a lot this weekend and find a proper place for things instead of shoving it up on the closet shelves.  i think i will wait to do a nursery reveal post instead of showing any more random pictures ... so stay tuned!
• other: i had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything seems to be right on track.  from here on out, i will see them once a week. 
• also:  we had our final baby shower last saturday afternoon.  my aunts hosted it at my mom's house.  it was really great to have a bunch of family friends i havent seen in a while.  i know i have mentioned it on here before, but we have just been overwhelmed with generosity, love and support from everyone.  

here are a few photos from the shower on saturday. 

wise wednesday

etsy ecstasy: autumn

boots, scarves, pumpkin spiced lattes and the state fair are the things i look forward to the most during this time of year.  after this short list has been enjoyed, im cool if we just fast forward to spring. however, i did find a few items on etsy that would help make this time of year a little more cozy and enjoyable :) 

{click on the picture to shop}

infinity crochet scarf - kelly green from e & c seasonal sale

vintage yellow ochre chevron striped afghan from mansfield ave

vintage enamel white and blue polka dot mug from go go berlinette

slouchy hat beanie crocheted from ct handmade

1970 brown leather, lace up, riding boots from dingaling vintage

cherry blossoms

i saw this video on boho baby bump and just had to share it.  



happy monday!

high 5 for insta-friday

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

ONE:

saturday morning, i headed to the flea market in north raleigh.  its a small one and i rarely get up that way.  i stopped by my favorite shop, susanna's antiques, and instantly feel in love with this red cabinet.  the best part is that it was such a great price, i didnt have buyers remorse at all.  right now, im using it as a buffet but im wondering if i want to bring the bakers cabinet down to the dining room and taking this up to the nursery to be used as a changing table.  either way, it is an awesome and very useful addition to the benfield household!  

TWO:

on saturday night i got to put my new buffet to the test.  we hosted a spaghetti dinner for our neighbors.  we have had the pleasure of meeting several neighbors briefly and they seemed great.  what better way to get to know them then by throwing, what could potentially be, a really awkward dinner party :).  our dining room table was full of people of different ages, races and backgrounds all breaking bread with people they didnt really know before walking in our home ... it.was.awesome!!!  i am so glad i didnt chicken out.  i have been meaning to have them over for a month or so but i always had a great excuse.  the biggest one was that my house wasnt clean.  well, hello, i stayed home from work last week to clean my house for the shower.  when our church congregation was challenged to share a meal with someone i told husband that we really didnt have much of a choice.  so i made a crap ton of pasta, salad, bread and brownies and then we waited.  i didnt even ask for an rsvp on the invites, i just decided that if no one showed up that it was totally ok ... we would just eat spaghetti for the rest of our lives. every single person showed except for one guy that had to work.  i would like to extend the challenge that i got at church 2 sundays ago ... share a meal with your neighbors or ask some coworkers to lunch.  the point is to eat and live as a community, loving one another.  

i dont have an instagram picture of the dinner or people but i did have just enough spaghetti left to make baked spaghetti to freeze for after mister gets here.  it felt pretty good to prepare something i know we will really need later when momma doesnt feel like cooking!  

THREE:

on sunday, i headed to meet my parents to ride to a mini family reunion in little washington, nc.  we had a great meal and had a great time catching up and just being together.  

i was also able to take my fabric to my mom's cousin to recover the rocking chair cushions for misters room while in washington.  im hoping to go back and pick it up in a couple of weeks.  

FOUR:

its been pretty humid and rainy all week.  i was so pleased to look out my window on thursday morning to see the sun poking through the trees.  i couldnt help but smile.  

FIVE: 
after work on wednesday, i had some awesome ladies over for tea and coffee ... and some yummy pumpkin bagels.  we had a great time relaxing in my mostly clean living room talking about nothing and everything.  it was such a simple and lovely evening!  

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!