My favorite things......

Every woman/mom has her "things" that she can't live without, that make life easier or that she just loves for her own reasons. Here are a few of the things that I am loving, and that are helping make my life a little easier as a new mom.

Oil is way more easily absorbed into your skin, and it also isn't FREEZING when you
put it on your baby. Amara hates all of the post bathing rituals, especially lotion, so I tried this and it works
like a charm. I actually LOVE the smell that I use it as well :) $7 for 4 oz, but it goes far, and it is totally worth it.

Jar o' pacis ( that sits on my kitchen counter) and Dwell paper doll blanket! The blanket was a gift, and it is seriously my FAVORITE blanket
for this winter wind with the fleece material on the inside :)

Ok.....this stuff is AMAZING! I am very particular about my nails drying to perfection, but that use to mean
that I had to sit in seclusion for a good 30 minutes. With a baby, I don't have that kind of time. I can do two coats, top coat, then drop this stuff on and my nails are dry to touch in 30 seconds. They are completely dry in 5 minutes tops. The best part is that the oil moisturizes your cuticles!

Hands free pumping bra.....need I say more? How do you think I am able to blog right now? hmmmm
Every nursing mom needs this!!

I lived with a crappy Iphone for about 7 months, and finally was able to get the new Iphone 4S. I don't know how I ever went without being able to do video on my phone or voice texting. It is the best way for me to capture all the little moments on the go with Amara, and send it to daddy!

Gingerbread latte. I am the girl that pulls up to the drive-thru and asks if they have the gingerbread latte yet
everyday for the month of November....as if it will be different from one year to the next. I at least make a point to go to a different Starbucks each time so I don't annoy the workers and completely embarrass myself.

  

I got this exact Hobo wallet ( on sale) for my birthday present. I no longer carry apurse because I can fit all of my necessities ( money/cards/coupons,chapstick,phone) in it.

Jo-Ann's Fabric App

I go to Jo-Ann's at least once a week. I am always working on a project, and they always have coupons, and this makes it super easy to carry the coupons and keep track. You just click "add to my wallet" and it helps you keep up with expiration dates and all that good stuff. The cashier told me about it, so I added it while I was checking out and saved 25% off my entire purchase just for getting the app!!

I am thankful for......

     EVERYTHING!!!! This year has been better than ever, and God has just "blessed our socks off" as my dad said in his dinner prayer. It couldn't be farther from the truth though. So, we cooked it all up and just enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day at home.


     Amara spent most of the day in her swing. I don't want to wish her life away, but I couldn't help but daydream about the first time that I can teach her something in the kitchen! Jackie ( Gabe's mom) came over to watch the parade with us and eat a little breakfast, then it was off to prep the turkey and start cooking! My mom joined later and helped us finish up! We were all missing my sis, Jess, as she was in Austin, TX working, so we skyped! My younger sister, Jordan, was with her dad so the weight of my family was a lot lighter this year, and I felt it. Gabe's younger bro, Marcel, joined us and the 5 of us had a nice dinner. I couldn't get out the words to tell what I was thankful for without bursting into tears, but hey.....I am an emotional one.




  Gabe surprised me with my dream kitchen gadget........ a turquoise KitchenAid Mixer. I walked into the kitchen in the am and literally walked past it several times before my we ( the mixer and I) caught eyes, and fell in LOVE!!! I really wasn't expecting it at all just because it is a lot of money to spend for us Patillos, but man I was soooooo grateful!!!!


Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for no matter who you are or what you have been through this year! Blessings!

Skyping with Jess

New favorite contraption for both baby AND mommy! She didn't like the swing at first, but now she loves it!

One of our attempts at a family picture for Jackie's Christmas card :)

Amara spit her paci out onto her growing belly and passed out/ the way I felt by 9 pm on Thanksgiving night!

Weekend Christmas projects

 I have never put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, but this year, I can't resist.
I found a super cute wreath project online and had to do it. I have been eyeing a rosewood wreath at Target from Smith and Hawken, but it is $40 bucks, and I just can't bring myself to buy it. I guess $40 bucks isn't a ton of money, but when you add it to everything else I am usually buying at Target, it adds up! So, I settled for a DIY ( which I actually like better), and it only cost me $15.

I got some cheap felt at Jo-Ann's with a coupon, plus the felt was 30% off. You can do any shape wreath, but I personally liked the one with a flat surface. I chose cream for my wreath color, but red, gray or even hot pink would be
gorgeous also!
layered the felt 3 times and made a circle template by tracing the bottom of a bread crumbs can, and started cutting :)

FYI: I did not cut perfect circles. I actually went as fast as I could. You are folding up the felt and making it look wavy so it is okay if some circles are different sizes slightly or not perfectly round.

Fold the circle in half

Then, fold it in half again

Then, start pinning. It maybe took me an hour total of actual pinning.
Totally worth it in my opinion.

There is no correct way to pin necessarily. Just don't over think it. The great thing about felt is that its totally "moldable". Pin your pieces, then go around and spread them out to get the final look you want!

I pinned a piece of leftover ribbon on the back to hang it with. If you don't like the plain felt, be creative and add some pinecones, berries or something that sparkles :)

Then, you will get a final product to be proud of.... TADAA!!

As for my second weekend project......I decided to add a color to my Christmas Tree and mantle decor (bronzey-silverish-gold)....yup, that is the name of the color. Changing out Christmas decorations can be expensive, and I didn't want to get rid of the stockings that I got on sale from West Elm, so I tried to think of something to add to them to incorporate my new color. I have never gotten our stockings monogrammed, but I thought this year it would be cute to personalize them a little bit....on a budget!

I picked up some ribbon from Jo-Ann's and a stamp set that was 40% off. I knew I wanted to stamp the names on my gift tags this year also. I got an opaque white chalk stamp pad and decided to stamp our names on the ribbons that I added to the stockings. Such a CHEAP way to personalize something. It was definitely time consuming, but only because each stamp had to be mounted onto the stamp handle. Other than that, it was a breeze and I am super thrilled that I had an idea in my own head ( not from a blog).

2 months of baby bliss!

It is time for Amara and I to reflect on her 2nd month...as she sits in my lap and keeps turning red from trying to hard to poop.....here goes...

Amara has continued to be such a joy to our family. I am already amazed at how much she has changed our family dynamic and how much she has changed me as a person. I can speak for Gabe and I both when I say that she is our world now, and we actually LOVE it. She is smiling now, which is the biggest news at the moment. She still looks at us like we are crazy most of the time, but smiles are coming more and more often. My favorite time with her are mornings. God says His mercies are new every morning....that goes right along with a mother and her child. We both wake up happy to see each other and ready to face to day no matter what happened the day before...I have forgotten any frustration. The nights are getting MUCH better, as she is starting to sleep longer and fall back to sleep with a paci.

She is becoming very "talkative." I could sit and listen to her "coo" all day long. I am so anxious to hear her little voice and see more of her personality come out. She is a joyful baby, and she shines from the inside out. She also seems to be very contemplative also ( like Gabe). We have endured the first of our diaper explosions this month....gross :)

All in all, we are thriving and our little one gets cute by the day ( to us anyway)

These are the many things Amara is doing at 2 months.....

First Bus trip to daddy's show! 

Napping in her big girl crib :)

Drooling and blowing spit bubbles

Throwing fits....yes.....she throws fits only when  I am around

LOVING her pacis

Making a poop face in almost every picture

Actually pooping silently all over herself, then just chillin

Sharing space with Sadie

Shopping

aaaand SMILING...

Don't be Tardy for the Party....

 So, I am realizing that I have NEVER posted any pics of my amazing baby shower on here!?! This post will give me a chance to do just that. Amara got invited to her very first birthday party!!! It was for her BFF, Ari! He turned ONE on 11.11.11, and his party is totally blog worthy, so I had to share.

Leah, Ari's mommy, rolled out the red carpet for her little man. There was a black, white and red theme, and Leah made the whole party happen on a dime! I knew that I would be blown away when I walked in because I know Leah. Below are some pics of my shower that she took part in hosting. You will notice very quickly that she is gifted when it comes to throwing an amazing soiree.

The hosts with the mosts!!!

NOW.....onto Ari's bash.......

A picture for every month of Ari's first year in his  glider....stole that idea for Amara. It really is a good way to see how they grow! I loved going back and looking at these!

The birthday boy with mom and dad...

The whole gang!

The backdrop for the photo booth were curtains I made a few years ago. They worked perfectly!
It was my tiny contribution :)

Last, but certainly not least.....Amara in her party outfit. Tutu with leggings and a dog w/ a cupcake on its head on her shirt. Compliments of babyGap!

Such a FABULOUS party!  It makes me super excited to plan Amara's first bash, but sad to see how quickly time flies. It feels like Ari just entered the world.....crazy!!