Via Abodelove

The rug in this Fieldstone Hill design board is the same one we have in the kitchen, so I’m obviously a fan. I’ll also take the curtains, pillows, throws, annnd everything else.

Via Fieldstone Hill

I believe the phrase, “I want to go to there,” is pretty much all I need to say about this next one. Ticking stripe bed and crisp white sheets? Yes, please.

Via Bryn Alexandra

I would love a day of shopping with the wonderful Tommy Smythe. He is welcome to come design a room in our house anytime, even if it means just duplicating this living room.

Via Brynalexandra

Another lovely moodboard that would be a great jumping off point for the future…

Via The Handmade Home

Fresh, lovely striped drapes from Pottery Barn. This little corner is such a breath of fresh air.

Image Via potterybarn.com

I love the classic, versatile nature of this pattern. It’s easy to incorporate into any room, and adds a  graphic yet casual element that’s really nice. Bring on the blue and white!

….Except, of course, when we’re talking about sports. In that case, blue and white is for sissies. (I may or may not have deleted the phrase “And cheaters” from the end of that sentence after some deliberation. Trying to take the high road over here. :) )

Partly inspired by one of my favorite places to get an after school treat, an old cash register has been on my wish list for quite some time. The only problem is, those things cost a pretty penny.

A few months ago, Zach and I were at an estate sale, when I spotted one in the basement. Much like others we’ve seen, the price was nowhere near anything we’d be filling to pay- a whopping $375.

Thankfully, I was happy to discover that the particular sale we were at was accepting silent bids, and any item not sold would go to the highest bidder. We figured it was worth a short, so we wrote a total lowball offer on an index card and hoped for the best.

A few hours later, we got a call that said we were the proud new owners of a super cool vintage cash register. Zach went and picked it up (since it was my Christmas present), and it’s been hanging out in our living room since then.

 I love the quirky, industrial look, and the warm wood tones inside the drawers. It’s fun to watch people play store (it’s like Fisher Price for grown-ups) when they come over, and we like alternating the numbers based on the day or our mood. I had the “No Sale” sign up for a while just because it made me laugh, but we decided the “$.1” might be better for showings.

It might not be diamonds, but it’s just the kind og bling I like. Way to go, Husband, for such a fun gift!

Some of you know that I am pretty much a hot chocolate aficionado. I’m not a big coffee drinker (except when it tastes like dessert- think Frappuccinos and Pumpkin Spice lattes), and I’ve only recently begun getting into hot tea. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, I’m an expert on. It’s pretty much my go-to beverage when I need a little boost.

As a result, imagine my giddy, nerdy excitement when we saw this little feature on WRAL news.  (Side note: does anyone else love the way Dr. Allen Mask says his name? We crack up almost every time.)

I was super pumped about the possibility of sampling some truly gourmet hot chocolate, especially in such a neat setting (I had been wanting to check out the Umstead for a while, and let’s just say the chances of us getting a room there are less than slim). Also, can you think of a more fun Christmas break weekday activity to do with your husband? I think not.

We decided to eat in the bar/lounge area, and asked our waiter right away for some of the world-famous hot chocolate we had been hearing about. Unfortunately, he told us that it was a seasonal drink (or something like that), and they didn’t have any prepared.

Womp. womp.

Serious bummer. Thankfully, my knight in shining armor mentioned that we had seen it featured on the news and we had been really excited to try it. He also may or may not have mentioned something about his pregnant wife having a serious craving for it. Sympathy votes, people.

We were thrilled when a girl returned to tell us that while they didn’t have any on hand, the chef would be happy to make us some if we were willing to wait about 25 minutes. Ummm YES. Have you ever had a chef make something special just for you? Very exciting experience.

While we waited, we enjoyed amazing appetizers of fried pickles and homemade chips (can you tell we’re on a health kick?), and just generally soaked in the über posh atmosphere.

And then. It arrived.

The most delectable tray of deliciousness I have ever laid eyes on. You thought we would be getting some hot chocolate in a mug, didn’t you?

Instead, this little miracle magically appeared before us:

A teapot of the smoothest, most creamy hot chocolate I have ever tasted, homemade marshmallows that were so fresh they were basically melting, and homemade whipped cream with a hint of Bailey’s cream (don’t worry, our waitress assured me it was the teensiest bit).

The next half hour or so was spent with me squealing various things about it being the most amazing thing I’ve ever tried, and trying to ward of the impending sugar coma for as long as possible. It. was. so. good.

After we finished, we enjoyed a little stroll around the first floor of the hotel. We loved looking at the beautiful artwork and marveling at the swanky little details (like real towels in the bathroom!).

Overall, it was one of the most fun dates we’ve been on in a while. While it was a little pricey (the hot chocolate was $8, though it did make several cups), we chalked up the extra expense to ambiance and the fact that it was a special treat.

Especially with these crazy chilly temperatures that have recently set in, I’m going to go ahead and say this is a pretty perfect winter afternoon date!

As much as we’re looking forward to this year, I can’t move forward without backing up a little bit and doing a little recap of the last few weeks of 2011.

Because we exchanged presents with my dad on Christmas Eve, had nursery duty Christmas morning, and headed to Boone for Christmas Part II later that day, this was our very first Christmas morning with just the two of us. I was a little unsure of how things would pan out without the fanfare of celebrating with family, but I was so thankful to get to spend a quiet Christmas morning with my favorite person in the world- particularly because this will likely be our last Christmas as a family of two!

I wanted to cook an extravagant breakfast for our Christmas morning celebration, but since we were leaving town later that day, my plans were thwarted by a desire to not leave leftovers festering in the fridge. Instead, I opted for these based on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Robin!). (Side note about Robin: she is hands-down one of the best cooks I have ever met. Seriously, there hasn’t been a time that I’ve been to her house when she hasn’t filled my belly with some ridiculously amazing concoction of yumminess. Thus, why I trusted her with something as important as my very first Christmas breakfast. :))

The french toast definitely did not disappoint- highly recommend it!

Since we decided to limit our Christmas decoration to poinsettias this year (showings have been a pretty regular occurrence and we didn’t want to clutter things up), we didn’t have a tree to open presents by. Thankfully, at the last minute I remembered that my sweet sister-in-law had given us this little guy as a thank you when she stayed at our house a few weeks ago. Combined with a cozy fire, it was perfect:

As far as gifts go, there was a definite theme happening among the gifts we have each other. Simply put: Trader Joe’s.

Since I really didn’t have a Christmas list this year, I was super excited to discover that my husband had done some Pinterest stalking and had gotten me this hilarious Etsy print , an adorable book on all things domestic, and the amazing Pioneer Woman cookbook.

The cookbook came with an offer to cook me anything I picked out. (I know, right? He’s amazing.) Even so, I wanted to try something out myself before handing over my gift, so I gave Zach a few options and he (not surprisingly) chose the Cowboy Calzones for New Year’s Eve. Thankfully, P-Dub is living up to the hype.

Zach’s gifts were pretty boyish, including an air tool kit, Quantum of Solace, and a set of CDs of one of his favorite musicians. His favorite, however, was an outfit. Yes, unbelievable. But this wasn’t just any outfit, this little number is now ready for next football season:

When we first found out I was pregnant, Zach told me he wanted outfits for the baby for all of his favorite teams. We already have a couple of NC State onesies, there are Hurricanes and Indians outfits on our registry, and we now have the Panthers covered. Baby Angle is basically set! (But if you see Golden State Warriors, Fulham Football Club, or Columbus Crew baby things anywhere, I’m still on the hunt for those…yes, we support a few super random teams in the Angle household.) We are looking forward to some fun Sunday afternoons of cheering with dad!

Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of our Christmas in Blowing Rock, but we had a great time catching up with family and playing with my nephews and niece who are absolutely some of the most adorable children alive. My sweet mother-in-law surprised us with a Flip HD camera, which we’re so excited to use to catch some fun moments with the baby.

It was a very merry Christmas- I hope it was for all of you, too!

Don’t get me wrong, I really love my job, but it was tiring before, and now with this whole growing a human process going on, there were points last week when I wanted to lay my head on a table and take a little siesta. Seriously, as lame as it sounds, 0ne of the top things I’m excited about for this Christmas break is catching up on some much-needed sleep. I’m still figuring out at exactly what point in this zany time of year that’s going to happen, but trust me, it will happen.

To kick off this week of freedom, I thought I’d leave you with a few of the most recent pictures of our little man. We had our 20-week appointment two weeks ago, and we were thrilled to get a great report from the doctor. We also LOVED getting to watch Baby Angle squirm around on the screen- truly a miracle.

This first shot shows a profile view- spine, ribs, and other tiny, adorable body parts.

Next up, a little more proof that a baby boy will be joining this household in the spring:

And finally, my favorite shot. He was already looking at the screen, and when the doctor went to freeze the shot, Baby Angle moved his little hand up under his chin. Looks like we’ve got a thinker in there.

Seriously, I could look at those pictures a million times a day. We’re so so thankful that our little man is doing well, and we can’t wait to meet him in about four months!

Seriously, I have no better excuse for you other than the fact that a) life has been crazy busy and b) during the rare moments when life hasn’t been crazy busy I have been preoccupied with napping, snacking, or researching ridiculous baby things.

For fear of inundating you with too many baby-related posts, I decided to do a post on a pattern that appears to be occurring in our house. I actually took the pictures for this post a while ago, forgot about them, but then was reminded by a recent Craigslist purchase/ early Christmas present (that actually has a funny story behind it that I’ll share later).

If you’ve been to our house, follow me on Pinterest, or have seen my wardrobe, you may have picked up on a few things that I have a hard time resisting, the first being blue and white stripes.

Like, on anything.

Blue and white striped bedding from college….

Blue and white striped dresses (that help me channel my inner Dorothy)…

Ticking stripe curtains….

A throw for the living room…

And one of my favorite tools for tackling kitchen messes…

Seriously, with Christmas approaching, I’m pretty sure that if Zach is stumped, he could just slap some blue and white ticking on something and call it a day.

Soon (like tomorrow maybe? apparently I can’t be held to blogging deadlines as of late), I’ll be back with a few more images featuring my favorite pattern as it shows up in my fantasy world.

We are beyond thrilled with the news that a little man will be joining our family sometime around April 21st. Seriously. Can’t. Wait.

Before our appointment yesterday, Zach and I made a friendly wager. We each took a guess (total shot in the dark- neither of us had any clue), and agreed that the person who was right would get to pick the appetizer at our Outback celebration dinner (cheese fries for him, Bloomin’ Onion for me).

When we got in the room, the doctor first showed us the heartbeat (total moment of rejoicing), and then moved the picture around so we could get a good view of the gender. He asked us what we wanted (we both said we really didn’t care- just a healthy baby, please) but by that time I already knew. It was pretty obvious from the screen shot that we were having a baby boy! Just in case you’re interested, here’s the shot that gave us the proof we needed:

We went out for our celebration dinner- the Bloomin’ Onion was great, and our sweet server even had the kitchen die some whipped cream blue and brought it to us on top of a delicious bowl of ice cream. We spent most of the night talking about middle names (we had decided on both a first and middle name several years ago, but it was recently thrown for a bit of a loop, so we’re considering our options), and had fun tossing out ridiculous ideas…Danger, Carter Finley, Chuck Norris, you know, the usual. The power of naming a person is kind of crazy!

Dinner was followed by a trip to Target to start our registry. I know it’s a little early, but since people have been asking us about Christmas gift ideas, I figured it would be good to get things up and running. I had a great time picking out fun things for our little guy. We’re so looking forward to welcoming him home!

Image via Etsy seller HarperGrace

At this stage in the game, people almost immediately ask 1) if I have a feeling (I don’t) and 2) if I have a preference. I’m really relieved to not have a strong preference as far as boy or girl is concerned (even though we would love to eventually have one of each), but there are definitely specific things that I get excited with when I think about either one.

Boys:

Image via Etsy Seller ClaireBearBaby

I’m comfortable with boys. I was raised by a boy, I am married to a boy, I feel like I get boys. They’re fun.

I’m told that boys love their mamas. That’s good, because I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be kind of over the moon for this little booger.

Saturday morning football/soccer/whatever games (and watching my husband coach them). I may not be the biggest sports fan, but I love the idea of spending a fall afternoon watching a herd of kids chasing a ball down the field. Plus, I secretly dream of being “Mrs. Coach”.

Less drama. For the most part, with boys, things are what they are.

The opportunity to raise a little man to lead with love and humility.

Sawyer needs a BFF.

Tiny man clothes. Seriously, there are few things I love more than seeing little boys dressed up in button-down shirts, suits, or sweater vests. Too cute.

Girls:

Image via gap.com

I think it’s pretty clear that I’m pretty girly. And having someone to be girly with me is pretty exciting.

Getting to see my husband be a daddy to a girl. Even watching him with the girls at school sends me over the top. He is pretty adorably sweet. I have no doubt that she would have her daddy wrapped around her finger.

Girl clothes. Shallow, yes, but the truth. It’s hard not to be excited about having a real, live baby doll.

Stereotype, but as a teacher, I’ll just go ahead and say it: for the most part, girls are more organized. (Yes, not all, but still. They are easily sucked in by cute office supplies and color-coding. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.)

Getting to teach a little lady that she is treasured by her Creator.

The current Angle cousin ratio is at 2:1, boys to girls. It could be fun to even things out a little.

There are tons of other little reasons why I think one or the other might be fun, but I’m so thankful that we can rest assured that whoever it is in there is part of God’s perfect plan for our little family. We’re just looking forward to finding out!

I don’t think the nesting phase is supposed to hit until later in pregnancy, but man, am I ready to get this show on the road. Seriously, I think I’ve been nesting since birth. I’m a little bit worried about what that means for my poor husband once the real phase kicks into gear.

Since there’s not much we can do before knowing the gender (and where we’ll be living), I’m mostly settling for looking at zillions of amazing ideas.

As weird as it may sound, one thing that I have been trying to decide on before the big gender reveal is the crib. Ok, yes, part of this is because I’m just dying to start on something, but there is also strategy involved. Since we’re wanting to reuse as much as we can from this baby to the next, I’m trying to keep the larger items as gender-neutral as possible. Therefore, I feel like choosing a crib before we actually know what we’re having is a good way to make an unbiased decision rather than one that is tainted by a room plan. But man, has it been a challenge.

Here’s what I’ve thought of so far:

Craigslist: out. There are some deals to be had, but with the recent drop-side ban and our plans to use this crib for years, I’m thinking that buying new is a worthwhile investment (particularly since none of the cribs I’m considering will break the bank).

I know that I want a crib that can work either against the wall or away from it. I lean towards this style anyways, but since we’re not exactly sure what the baby’s room will look like space-wise, it also seems like the most flexible option.

First of all, let me just say: I am totally head-over-heels for this crib:

The only little problem is that it’s discontinued. Not to mention that if it were still for sale it would probably cost approximately $8,000.

That being said, if you have one (Pottery Barn Kids Harper) that you want to sell me, let me know.

On the realistic side of things, I have always been a fan of the classic style of Jenny Lind cribs. I think it’s pretty clear from my previous post and my recent Pinterest madness that I kind of love them.

I’ve always thought of a white Jenny Lind crib as the quintessential nursery item, but I especially love the fresh, modern feel that a glossy black finish adds.

In addition to the classics, I also really like cribs with a little unexpected color. I love that gray is different, but still versatile enough to work for lots of spaces. I really like both the gray and the white versions of this crib. The clean, modern lines make it versatile enough for lots of different spaces.

I think I may have come to a decision, but I’m pretty notorious for changing my mind. Hopefully this baby will have some place to sleep come April.

Baby Angle is currently the size of an apple (15 weeks). I love that we’ve recently graduated into the produce category as opposed to the lentil comparisons that were being made in the beginning.

In related news, I have been eating peanut butter and apples like it’s my job. I’ve always been one to go on weird food kicks for extended periods of time (Turkey sandwiches with ketchup basically got me through college. Yes, I know.), so I don’t know if it’s a pregnancy thing or not. In either case, given the current size comparison, I like mentally noting to Baby Angle that, “You are what you eat.” (or, what I eat.)

Zach and I recently started watching Parenthood on Netflix and we both love it.

I have been trying to get used to sleeping on my side and I’m not a fan. Benadryl and I have become close friends. I also read that you can try to surround yourself with pillows, but my husband isn’t really a fan of that strategy. Plus, I don’t want to end up like this guy.

I had jury duty Monday and Tuesday, which was surprisingly enjoyable. I was pretty fascinated by the system, and I loved listening to the lawyers ask questions and get to the bottom of things. Zach and I also had fun joking about me as the “Rur Jur”:

And, that about wraps up the spastic mess that is my brain as of late. Looking forward to the weekend!