Nursery Diaries - Part Three

This summer, Brad and I had so much fun watching our adopted "pets" play in the yard. Like clockwork, these rabbits would appear early in the morning and then again late in the evening. Sometimes we would see as many as five rabbits at one time munching on the grass and hasta.

These little cottontails became the inspiration for the artwork in Addison's nursery. What do ya think? I put the finishing touches on the painting last week. I am always my own worst critic and see things that I wish I done differently. But, I have to remind myself that painting this picture was A LOT cheaper than buying a piece of artwork for the nursery. After the canvas is framed, I believe I will hang the rabbit over the changing table. I hope Addison will like it:)

Remember the dresser that I bought in Alabama during Thanksgiving? Well, it is quite old and the drawers have an unappealing musty smell. So, I ordered some scented draw liners from Thymes in the Sweetleaf Baby scent so Addison's clothes will smell yummy. I LOVE the Sweetleaf Baby products - warning ladies: this scent will make your uterus do flip flops. Sniff with caution:)

The liners had a precious pattern of squirrels, birds and butterflies in a sage color.

Now, Addison's dresser drawers are smellin' sweet and filled with her precious little clothes:)

A Big Year

There are only a few weeks left in 2009 before we enter into a fresh new year. There is no doubt that 2010 will be full of excitement for the Hamilton family...

31 1/2 weeks

Brad and I will embark on parenthood...yikes!...

Trey with his girlfriend

Little bro Trey will graduate from high school and attend Auburn University (War Eagle!) in the fall...

Mallory and Steven

And Mallory is getting MARRIED!!!! This is probably old news to most of you now because I am about a month late in writing about this.

We are very excited about welcoming Steven into the family - I hope he knows what he is getting himself into:) Poor Steven has endured some "interesting" moments with my family. You see, Steven is a city boy from Florida and not at all familiar with farm life. He has witnessed injured cows being "put out of their misery" and been forced to entertain the entire family with full-fledged concerts at a moments notice.

Mallory during her candlelight ceremony

But, despite the misery and embarrassment he decided to stick around...he must really love my sister:) I must say she is pretty great.

Mal and the Gammers

Did I mention that Steven is a musician? He is apart of a group called Riverside Worship Project and they are really good. I'm not just saying that because he is my future brother-in-law - he is really talented. For all my Auburn peeps, Steven and his group lead worship each Sunday at First Baptist Opelika.

And they have a brand new CD, "So Sing." Check it out here or here. You won't be disappointed!

Congrats Mal and Steven!

Birthday and a Shower

On Saturday, several of my friends threw me a baby shower in Birmingham. I am so blessed to have such sweet friends and family that support and encourage me.

Everything was so nice and beautifully decorated!

And, everyone raved about the menu: chicken salad, fruit salad, pasta salad (Lauren, you will have to share your recipe) spinach dip, pimento cheese dip...

AND baby bites from Pastry Art (you may remember how much I love these!)

There were also these cute M&M favors featuring Baby Tew's initials.

All of the gifts were so thoughtful and generous! Brad's truck was packed to the brim when I left. This little Auburn smocked bishop dress from my brother, Trey, was a crowd favorite.

But, my favorite was this pink dress from my parents. I think this is what Addison will wear home from the hospital:)

So many of my family members were able to make the trip down from Arab - thanks for making the drive! It was so fun to catch up with all my friends and family.

Me with "Tula" and Aunt Lauren.

And me with "Nana" and Aunt Mal.

Unfortunately, I didn't get all the hostesses in one picture so here is hostess group one...

And hostess group two. Such sweet friends! Thank you, THANK YOU for everything.

On Sunday, we celebrated my mom's birthday. We had family over for dinner after church, but I didn't make many pictures - I don't know what I was thinking!

Nursery Diaries - Part Two

Slowly but surely, Baby Tew’s nursery is coming along. We have most of the essentials – now I just need to put it all together!

A few weeks ago while I was in Arab, I spotted this distressed, antique chest in the window at one of my favorite shops – Belinor. You may remember that I found my brown and cream transferware dishes here last Christmas. I was thrilled when I saw this piece because I thought it would match the crib perfectly!

My sister-in-law, Lauren, is so graciously letting me borrow one of Walker and Kathryn's cribs. This is one of the benefits of having twins for a niece and nephew - there is two of everything:) Wasn't their nursery precious?! In the picture, the paint looks white but it is actually a creamy white and difficult to match.

I think this is as close as it comes to matching the crib without color matching and repainting. Here are a few of the details:

While I was in Belinor, I also found these adorable doll highchairs.

I left with the wooden one with the mice. As a child, I played house with my dolls for hours on end. I hope Addison enjoys this one day!

There was also a pretty good selection of old Golden Books that I picked up too. I guess you could say I racked up at Belinor during this shopping trip!

I finally found a coordinating pink fabric that compliments the main floral pattern. Finding pink solid pink fabric on a budget was not as easy as I thought it would be. Warehouse Fabrics had some great selections:

But, they weren't exactly right. But I did find this pink linen embroidered fabric at a local fabric store here in North Carolina (I don't know who mills this fabric):

Now, all the pieces have to be sewn together...easier said than done.

Weekend with the Dostie's

Well, its been awhile. I suppose my long blogging hiatus' have become somewhat of a habit. Please forgive me:)

Last weekend (yes, I know it is Thursday), our sweet friends Emily and Chris came to visit. Since Emily and Chris live in Jacksonville, Florida, we don't have the opportunity to see them much. Brad and I were so grateful that they made the long drive from Florida to NC so we could spend some much needed quality time with the Dostie's.

The majority of our weekend revolved around food. Friday night, we took them to one of our favorite restaurants The Old Fourth Street Filling Station. Of course, the meal was delicious but the company was even better.

Saturday morning, Emily and I whipped up a bit of breakfast. On the menu...breakfast casserole, Almond Danish Swirls (courtesy of Mrs. Paul Deen) and fresh fruit. This was the first time I have made Almond Danish Swirls and I must say that were little bites of heaven - yummy!

The breakfast casserole was great too thanks to Lauren and Mrs. Tew. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I shared their special recipe. I think the secret is the Parmesan cheese:)

1 lb. sausage
3 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 cup Cheddar cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 package Philsbury cresent rolls
salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage and cool. In medium bowl, scramble eggs. Add cheese, milk, sour cream, sausage, salt and pepper. Line bottom of casserole dish with crescent rolls - sealing all perforations. Pour sausage mixture on top of crescent rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. This recipe is fail proof!

Saturday afternoon, we headed out to watch the Wake Forest Deacon Demons take on the Florida State Seminoles. The weather could not have been more perfect for football! Unfortunately, ACC football is not very exciting.

Too bad this pair doesn't live closer. One weekend wasn't long enough!

Long Drive and a Bit of Advice

Appalachian Mountains somewhere between NC and TN

I have packed my bags once again and headed back to Alabama for a couple of weeks. I am leaving Sweet Brad and a beautiful fall behind in North Carolina. My drive down on Monday, was absolutely gorgeous despite the winding two-lane mountain roads I had to navigate. Early Monday morning, I had to change my driving route at the last minute due to a random rock slide on I-40. My drive was VERY long and unfamiliar, but I finally made it home.

In other news, I would like to share a bit of advice on how to speak and interact with pregnant women...

1. It is ALWAYS inappropriate to make negative comments about a pregnant woman's size. For example:

Woman in Sam's: "When are you due?"

Me: I smile and say, "February 10."

Woman in Sam's: With shocked expression, " Really?! That far away?!"

You might as well just call me fat to my face.

2. NEVER pat, rub or touch a stranger's belly bump...NEVER...I know, this is a tough one. Resist the urge. For example:

Woman in Wal-Mart Customer Service Line (young woman with three, unruly snot-nose kids): Woman turns to me in line and says, "OH, is it a boy or a girl???!!!!" She then proceeds to grab my belly with both hands and doesn't let go.

side note: remember this is a complete stranger

Me: With shocked, wide eyes I say, "Girl."

Woman in Wal-Mart Customer Service Line: While still man-handling my baby bump, "OH, don't you just LOVE being pregnant??!!"

Me: Still shocked and expressionless I say, "Yes, I am excited."

Woman in Wal-Mart Customer Service Line: Says to unruly, snot-nose children, "Do ya'll remember when Mommy was pregnant??!! Do ya'll want to feel the baby??!!"

Her children take their dirty little hands and start rubbing and patting my belly. At this point, I am dumbfounded and very anxious. I begin scanning the check-out lines for security. In my mind, I am screaming, "STOP!! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!"

The whole occurrence, eerily reminded me of a recent Private Practice episode were a crazy woman cuts one of the main character's baby out of her belly and kidnaps the baby.

To recap, it is NEVER acceptable to touch a stranger's belly bump.

Meet...

Addison Paige Tew

Last week, we had a 4D ultrasound and we were able to put a face with a name:)

The ultrasound technician spent over an hour showing us this sweet baby squiming around inside my tummy. It was so neat to feel her move and then see what she was doing on the screen.

We can't decide who she looks like - the verdict is still out. The only thing we know for sure is that she has LONG fingers and toes and may be a thumb sucker.

Three months is a long time to wait...I can't wait to meet her.

Icing on the Cookie

Meet Katie and Shelby Adams, proud owners of Birmingham's newest sweet shop Icing on the Cookie. Over the past year, I've had the pleasure of working with Katie at UAB and I am thrilled that her business endeavour is off the ground and running!

Icing on the Cookie is your one stop shop for delicious customized cookies that are perfect for any occasion.

Love this little onesie - great for a baby shower!

I promise these cookies taste as good as they look! Each cookie is large - over a half inch thick with buttery, almond goodness.

I have ordered cookies from Icing on the Cookie a couple of times and haven't been disappointed yet. Be sure to order plenty - they fly off plates in a blink of an eye!

These cookies also make great party favors. Icing on the Cookie will individually wrap your cookie in clear bags with matching ribbon.

The owls are my favorite:)

Be sure to check out their website. They even take online orders and ship anywhere in the country! If you don't see a design you like, chances are they can make exactly what you want. Icing on the Cookie offers hundreds of cookie designs to choose from. Plus, new designs will be added to the website in coming weeks.

If you don't need a custom order and just want an afternoon sweet treat, stop by their new bake shop and choose a seasonal cookie out of the case:)

2907 Central Avenue, Suite 101

Homewood, AL 35209

Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

205.871.9852