Baby Must Haves

I really enjoyed reading other blog posts about what items Mommies could not live without, so I thought I would put my two cents in as well.  We are inching toward the 3 month mark so that’s as far as my knowledge extends.

So in no particular order here they are:

Motorola Digital Baby Monitor

Love this thing!  There are nicer versions of the video monitor out there but this one does what you need.  Good picture – good reception.  The screen portion is rechargeable so you can leave it plugged in at night but unplug to take with you as well.  The battery life is good.

 

Summer Swaddle Me Blanket

We have had such good luck with swaddling.  I know for some babies it works great and not so much for others.  Isaac flails his arms when he asleep so when he isn’t swaddled he wakes himself up.  I can’t say he loves the swaddle at first but a little rocking and swaying and kid is OUT.  AKA music to parent’s ears!  We started with some smalls and went out purchased the medium when he out grew the first ones.  Take note: do not put these in the dryer.  They shrink!!

Fisher Price Swing

Isaac loves to swing.  And swinging = good napping and mama love that!  We got ours at a church consignment sale for a fraction of the price of a new one.  So the $35 we spent was totally worth it!  I can’t say the same for the little vibrating seat we got (also at the consignment sale).  It doesn’t move enough for Isaac’s taste – a little too boring for him.  But the $15 I spent on it wasn’t a huge loss.

Munckin Drying Rack

This bessie gets used A LOT.  So far we are mostly hand washing the bottles because Little Bit goes through them like hot cakes and we don’t run the dishwasher often enough.  I like the ease of this drying set along with it not taking up too much counter space.

Sound Machine

I had been looking online for a sound machine but couldn’t find one that I liked.  So a week or so before Isaac was due, Julie and I headed to the Nester’s yard sale up in Huntersville.  (btw – the place was a mad house! But we did find some fun items!)  While in the LONG line to check out I happen to see this sound machine sitting there for $2.00.  I snatched it up and knew if it didn’t work perfectly or wasn’t the correct kind of sounds I wasn’t in the whole too bad.  Little did I know that this would be one of the best things we had for Isaac.  The “night train” setting sounds just like the womb sound.  Best $2 spent EVAH!!

Rocker

Isaac loves to be rocked and when you combine that with his sound machine it’s a unbeatable combination to get that baby sleeping.  This was my Aunt’s chair that we had recovered and we love having it in the nursery.  The fabric was a gift from a friend + a free hand me down chair = a really good deal.  We only had to pay for the re-upholstery and Sugar Hill Upholstery did that.  They do a great job!

Here’s a before of the chair:

Love the way it turned out!

I had the upholsterer straighten up the lines on the back cushion and leave off the buttons.  I updated the chair very nicely!  I love the idea of rocker that doesn’t slowly move across the room and it doesn’t look like a typical glider.

I know things will change as he gets older but so far these items have made our life easier.  What items are on your must haves?  Anything I’m missing that I should have? 

Birchbox Numero Uno!

Well….  I received my first Birchbox this week!!  I’ve been super excited to get this in the mail ever since I signed up last month.  Kate over @ It’s the Small Things introduced me to this super cool company.  You sign up for $10/month and they send you a box of “goodies” each month with all kinds of different hair care, skin care, cosmetics, or perfumes!

Here’s this month’s box – and oh b.t.w.  you don’t always get the same items in your box as someone else for example you can see what Kate got in her box this month here.

Cute presentation right?!?!  Hey what can I say I’m a designer peeps – the wrapping is almost as important as the present!!

   

                       Ahava Foot Cream                        blinc mascara – super cool concept

   

Lash Card – use this not to get mascara anywhere but your lashes.  Seems a bit excessive to me – not sure I’ll see myself using this.

Pandea Organic Facial Scrub & Ouidad Humidity Gel

My overall impression of this month’s box: some good picks and some not so much picks.  But I kind of think that’s the general idea – and I’m cool with that!! If you would like to sign up for your very own Birchbox just click here!

You know I love me some packages!  Have you gotten anything fun in the mail recently??  Do tell!

Mail ♥ Packages

I got a super exciting package in the mail…

It's the Garmin 210 - GPS Forerunner

You're probably thinking, "Katy, what does this watch have to do with eating, drinking or decorating??"  Well nothing really...  but I haven't really been keeping y'all in the loop on what I've gotten myself into.  Wait for it...  a HALF marathon!  What!?!?  Am I mad?  Crazy?  Overzealous?  Well maybe.  No probably.  Okay – YES!

I told y'all about a 5K I did last November and ever since then I have been slowly but surely trying this running thing again.  The longest race I've ever done is the Cooper Bridge 10K Run earlier this year.

Cooper Bridge Run 2011 - Daina, Natalie & Me

I've also done a 4 miler a couple months ago and then we did an obstacle race that was a lot of fun.  But HARD!!

Team Headstrong - Jump & Run 2011 - Kim, Elizabeth, Natalie & Me

 
So back to the exciting package in the mail.  I have been really wanting this GPS watch for running.  It's a great tool to have when training.  It keeps up with your pace, your route, heart rate and more!  It almost runs for you but not quite.  The only challenge was this watch ain't cheap - people!  Typically it retails for $299 but I found an awesome deal on Amazon for $185 and then I did a little bartering with a client so he put $140 towards the watch.  So for $45 I have a GPS watch!!  YIPPEE SKIPPEE!!  I hit the pavement this morning with my new toy and ENJOYED watching the progress of my 5 mile run.  After your run you hook up the watch to your computer and it uploads all your data and stores your runs:

 

It will be so nice to see my progress and keep up with my training.

Are you a gadget girl like me?  What are some of your favorite gadgets?  Any other runners out there?  Do tell!

Cooking with Gas

We have been in DESPERATE need for a new grill.  Our existing grill was a present for Joe’s 30th birthday. (he’s turning 37 in a month!)  So 7 years for a grill to last is pretty good.  Well truth be told we haven’t been able to use the grill for while.  Why, you ask?  Because it looks like this!

Doesn’t look too bad on the outside!  But the insides – not so much!  Check out that rust.  UGH!

We had been talking about getting a new grill all spring.  But we just couldn’t seem to get to the store to actually purchase it.  So on Sunday afternoon, we hopped in the car to run some errands.  We had 3 stops to make.  Shop for a mattress – yes we STILL haven’t purchased a mattress.  More on that later.  Go try out some bicycles – potential birthday presents for each other.  And head to the Home Improvement store for a grill.

So our first stop was to Home Depot and we can upon this grill.  It was in the budget – good sized and was in stock.  So we said “we’ll take it!”  BUT when we went outside to pick out which one we wanted; they all looked junky.  Already rusted in spots – dings in the cover.  I didn’t want to start out with rust.  So I walked back inside and returned the grill before we even took it anywhere.

So next stop was Lowes.  I was determined to get a grill!  We found a Char-Broil that looked pretty swanky!  So we pulled the trigger on that one.  Well out to the car we went.  Joe and I both felt extremely confident that it would fit in the back of his SUV.  We were both extremely WRONG!  And of course by this time it was 5:55 on Sunday and they were closing @ 6 pm.  So our plan was to come back on Monday and rent the “Lowes” truck.

So Joe headed back on Monday to rent the truck.  BUT he didn’t have his updated insurance card!  URGH!!  Was this grill thing supposed to happen or WHAT!?!  Thankfully a friend at work let me borrow his truck and I got that bessie home.  She looks so pretty in her new home.

Joe made some yummy Bison burgers for our inaugural grill off!  And so much faster than waiting on the charcoal like we had been doing.  I am so thankful to have a gas grill again!!  I seem to eat so much healthier when I grill. 

Have you had any challenging purchases recently?  Are you making the most of the grilling season?  Any recipes you would care to share??

And I just have one more thing to share with you guys…  Annie was looking super cute hanging with me on the deck as I was taking pictures.  So she had to pose for a shot too!

What a cutie pa tootie!

I R L

Do you speak in acronyms?  BTW – LOL – BRB – BFF – TTFN.  Well maybe everyone doesn’t say “ta ta for now” like I do.  But when I saw this tweet last week from a new furniture store in Southend, High Cotton Home Co…

Calling all #CLT home and lifestyle bloggers! It's time to meet IRL! Join us on June 15: http://ow.ly/567NH #clthomemeetup

…I decided I needed to check this out.  How cool to finally meet some Charlotte peeps I n    R eal L ife!  So I headed over to High Cotton. This is a new furniture store for Rodney Hines, but it’s not his first rodeo.  Rodney has been in the furniture industry for years.  I remember going to his first shop years ago when I worked for a design firm. He has always had a passion for providing beautiful things at beautiful prices!  (that means a super deal, people!)  Rodney has another shop in Southend as well, The Furniture Connector. 

I’m so excited about this event I can’t decide what to talk about first the great people or the great furnishings?!?!  Well let’s meet Rodney:

Here we are hanging out by some beautiful fabrics.  Rodney is SUPER sweet guy – makes you feel so welcomed!  He was the perfect host!

I got to meet some fellow tweeters.  Above is Todd aka GreenMarketGuy (on the left) and Andy @ Tack Charlotte Upholstery (blue t-shirt).  I didn’t get an opportunity to meet the lovely ladies on their right.

Here you see Rodney again with Rachel @iftheshoefits and Nicole with Yelp

You may recognize these peeps…  Yep that’s Ms Emily Clark  of Emily A Clark Designs. Sweet as a glass of Southern sweet tea! Emily has blown up in the blog world (for good reason!) and has so many great ideas! 

And the GW of thrifting – Mr Goodwill Hunting aka Rashon.  Don’t you love his “i ♥ thirfting” T'!  It’s a revolution.  You must check it out!!  RIGHT HERE!  And there’s going to be a BIG event on July 9th – that’s going to be WORLDWIDE – all thanks to Mr G-Dub!  Oh and you can get your own snazzy T right here.

We were also hanging with Ms Kim of Super Chyc – a super sweet chicky that loves to blog about thirfting, fashion, and much more!

Rodney had a little door prize action going on as well.  Melissa was the lucky winner of a gorgeous silver tray.  Nice, right!  Speaking of gorgeous…  let’s take a little time to look around this store!

             

AHH-mazing, right!  You must go over and really check this place out!  Rodney is stocking Vanguard Furniture (made in Hickory NC – yay for local!!) found pieces from flea markets, awesome accessories, uber cool lighting and the list goes on!

And to top off a super-fabulous evening we didn’t leave empty handed!  Yes that’s right – swag people!  Some goodies from Vanguard and a BEE-utiful pillow…

        

So cool, right!  It’s perfect in the living room.  Thanks again Rodney!!

High Cotton Home Co. is right across the street from Atherton Mill on South Blvd.  So make a afternoon of it…  Hop into High Cotton and take a nice long stroll around – there’s lots to look at!  Then walk over to Bead Me by Linda Minor for some handmade jewelry and then end the evening with a nice bottle of wine from The Vin Master.  So fun exploring new spots!

There were other Charlotte tweeters / bloggers I didn’t get photos of (maybe cause they were hiding from the camera!) or I didn’t get an opportunity to meet…  @havencharlotte @caitlinkaestner @vanguardfurn @moondoonie  @goodwillsp

I had so much fun and was so happy to meet some fellow Charlotte bloggers and tweeters.  I would love to meet some more!  There’s talk that this won’t be the last #clthomemeetup – bring it on!

T T F N!

More fun in Atlanta

So after hitting that fun strip of shops we headed across the street to Room & Board.

I had never been to a Room & Board before so I was super excited to check out their goods!  It’s mostly larger items (sofas, beds, casegoods, etc) not a lot of tchotchkes. 

Good looking stuff – although it’s a bit expensive.  But a 95% of their items are made in America!  Customer service was excellent as well.  Cindy actually picked up the pillow in the first picture – for her guest room!  A perfect match!

Then we headed to CB2 – remember I told you that Atlanta was getting a one them a while back. 

Love this acrylic console table – they have end tables and the cocktail table in same style.

Oh and this marble topped cocktail – yes please!!

And that rug is purty too!

Love the simplicity of grey and whited duvet but a super cool pattern!

And how cute is this votive holder!  It’s actually three different pieces that can be used together or separately.

We had a great day of shopping – checking out the stores that aren’t currently in our Queen city.  We also had some yummy eats on Saturday as well.  We stopped at a little hole in the wall for an Asian/Latino fusion – called Hankook Taquieria.  They had all kinds of fresh ingredients with interesting combinations!

And for dinner we headed to:

They have some really yummy food!  We started with the White Bean Soup that had amazing flavor!  I had the 1/2 chicken – described as “almost boneless – duck fat crisped fingerling sweet potatoes, brown butter chicken jus”  YUM!  Cindy tried the Fish of the Moment (cute way to say fish o day) EVOO poached Trout heirloom tomatoes, brown butter local cauliflower, toasted hazelnuts.  She said it was good but not great.  We were somewhat disappointed that they didn’t have any truly healthy options.  I wasn’t trying to stay on the healthy track so I was definitely looking forward to some uber yummy dessert!  Cindy went with another glass of wine for dessert while I surveyed the dessert menu. The options sounded really good – but I settled on the Rum Sopped Coconut Cake.  Think Tres Leche with rum – HELLO!?!?!  What could be better?

We ended this great day with meal and I have to say this was picture perfect day for hanging in the ATL!

We had plans for brunch on Sunday at Local 3 but unfortunately we found out late on Friday that a family member had passed, so we needed to head home first thing on Sunday for Joe and I to get to Statesville for the funeral.  But even though we only had a day + a night it was a great girls weekend getaway!