The inconsistent blogger...

I am obviously not a good consistent blog poster. Maybe it is because I have not narrowed down exactly what I want to post about! I mean, I love to cook and craft, so there are options. Maybe as I embark on this adventure of being a mom, I will be inspired to blog about mommyhood, who knows! Or you may just get an update of the adventures and going ons of the Riley household. As is obvious, I have not quite narrowed it down yet, but I would enjoy to blog more.

That being said, I announced previously that we are having a baby and I figured I would go ahead and share the gender as well! Finding out was an exciting adventure because our immediate family joined us for a 3D ultrasound for the reveal. Everyone thought that we were having a boy, with the exception of two of my gal pals and I do not think I was ever convinced personally. They all fell into the trap of believing in the old wives tales. Since I did not experience any sickness or cravings (except for healthy food) and did not show or really gain weight until about 20 weeks, that meant that I was having a boy. 

Surprise!

It's a girl! Here is our announcement that we posted to share with the friends we had not yet told.

The best part about finding out was James' response. He just sat there for a good long minute and did not say anything! His first words were "I need to get more guns" and "She already has me wrapped around her finger"! So we have been embarking on this adventure of decorating the nursery and preparing for little Emery Grace Riley to join us. 

Next, I will share some photos of the nursery because much of it has been the handy DIY work of my sweet husband. Emery and I our lucky girls to have him! 

Musings of a Pregnant Woman!

So I have not blogged in ages and ages. Since then, James and I have had many adventures including continuing to build our photography business, getting me through graduate school (I am officially Rachel Riley, MSW!), and now we are having a baby! We are not divulging all of the details yet, but yes we do know the gender and we will share it along with the name of our little one here soon! Thankfully, this baby is so sweet to me as I have not been sick at all. I am a little over 21 weeks--more than halfway there! I figured it would be entertaining to share my random musings that I have experienced thus far.

1. It is quite awkward to be judged by the size of your stomach! Many people kept telling me they did not believe I was pregnant and ask when I am going to start showing. I get many awkward looks when people find out I am pregnant. It is odd to have one area of your body focused on so intensely.
2. On this same note, I have been told by my midwives that I need to eat more food and can basically eat whatever I want (which they say they do not tell anyone). This is because I only crave healthy foods, especially vegetables and cheese sticks. Therefore, I have now been tasked to gain a pound a week from now on. I did not think I would be told I need to gain weight.
3. I have discovered that the world of fashion is against us preggors. A few of the trends this season appear to be shorter shirts, dresses that are shorter in the front than the back, short/tight skirts and basically anything that is short! Searching for cute sundresses in the junior section has been quite an entertaining experience.
4. While on these shopping adventures mentioned, I have heard multiple women in fitting rooms say "Ugh, I just don't want to look pregnant!"  Hey now!
5. I have also found that I feel a little vulnerable as I walk around with my pants unbuttoned half of the time and I have to completely rely on a hair tie, belly band, or long shirt to cover up the gaping space of my open zipper!
6. I googled what type of bathing suit to wear while pregnant to see what people were saying on forums (I know, big nerd). I found one posting that asked men what they think about pregnant women wearing two pieces. A few men said that it was gross and thought moms should do a better job protecting their little one!
7. Speaking of summer, when people find out I am due mid-September they respond with something like "Oh girl, it's going to be a hot summer for you!" Yes yes, thank you for the reminder.
8. Lastly, James and I are thrilled to say that we are delivering at the Charleston Birth Place. This means that I will have a natural delivery which I am hoping takes place in the form of water birth. This decision has also yielded interesting responses from friends and family and I am surprised that so many people think it is a crazy idea!  I believe I am strong enough and am so thankful to have an extremely supportive husband.

So there are a few of my musings thus far. I am sure there is much more to come and am so excited about this adventure! I will be sure to share more with you, especially the gender of our sweet little baby!

Lend me your design eye!

Lately I have been tinkering with the idea of re-doing or vamping up some rooms in our house.
When we first bought the house, we painted the living room, kitchen, and bedroom CRAZY colors! They were bright blue, bright yellow, and bright red. Since then, we have toned all of these rooms down.

I am quite happy with my kitchen. All I need to find is a table cloth or sew some place mats. Eventually we want to re-do the cabinets, counters, and floors...eventually! My living room is okay. It could definitely use some work but I am just not quite sure what to do! I just keep sewing random throw pillows and sticking with that!

The room I am focusing on now is my bedroom. Here it is in all its glory-sorry the pic isn't so great!



It never really came together from the beginning and I am just kind of over it. I want to create a more peaceful resting place-and one that I will want to keep clean!

I am thinking about keeping the color theme for now: neutrals, reds, oranges (it's hard to see all of the accessories in this pic). I just have to get rid of that wall color. I figured if I go more neutral with the walls, then I can always change the accessories in case I tire of the accent colors. Here are some pictures of what I am thinking about doing for colors:

1.

2.

I am leaning more towards number one because it feels more light and fresh to me. Our bedroom does not have as much natural light as number two so I am afraid it will be too dark. James said the first has a little too much grey in it. Either way, I was thinking a medium shade of brown/taupe.

We will also be putting a lot more art on the walls-in the form of photos of course! My hubby often comes in handy :) I am hoping to get rid of some of the furniture since we have so many different grains of wood in there!

This will sound silly, but I go back and forth about decorating my house because: 1. It is temporary and I don't want to be materialistic or discontent. 2. It's just so easy to get used to seeing what's around you. To address these, I will say that finishing my kitchen and craft room has made me feel good about our home. Also, I know I will do it on a budget and make many of the accessories. I think it is worth it since I am here every day!

What do you think? Do you have any advice you can offer? Also, does paint ever go on sale?! Ha!

Cracking Up on April Fools

Being that today is April Fools, a quite hilarious memory comes to mind.

In 2007, James and I played an April fools joke on our friends:
We faked that we got engaged!

We did not call anyone (I wouldn't be able to lie!), but simply changed our facebook statuses and posted pictures online. Now, I understand this is a completely cheesy joke and has been overplayed. Therefore, I was thinking, no big deal!

Oh, but it was! People on facebook were freaking out. I had friends calling me and commenting on all of our pictures, pages, and status updates. I even had old high school friends calling me! Some were freaking out in a good way and others were not.

Most people did not know James and I were together for the first half of our dating relationship (that is another story). Therefore, people thought we had only been dating maybe two months. I would guess that we had well over 100 people convinced that we were engaged.

The reason everyone was so convinced is actually really funny! They all said "It's because you had a picture with his mom!" Here is that picture and a few others:

I am glad that Momma Riley was awesome enough to get in on the joke with us. Eventually everything settled and we got a few lectures from our friends!

But, guess what?! We got engaged about two months later!

I'll have to tell that story another time. For now, I am cracking up laughing remembering the chaos our April Fools joke caused. What is the best joke you have played or someone played on you?

For all the things I put you through...

My field placement this year is at Big Brothers Big Sisters. As I was getting an update from one of the parents, she explained that her daughter (the Little) is no longer so little. As the parent explained, her pre-teen hormones have caught up and she is a little crazy, moody, having a hard time adjusting. Not only that, but she is starting to have sleepovers and spending time with her friends on the weekends.

This made me feel anxious! One day I will be a parent and have to deal with this moodiness- not to mention all of the other stages leading up to this (fighting to sleep through the night, potty training, first day of school, etc). I feel like this is a lot of emotions to endure: exhaustion from sleepless nights, anxiety of if you have done enough as a parent, and the joy and sadness of watching your child grow up. I would say I just got a good dose of birth control!

This makes me think "my poor mama"! Thank you mom, for putting up with my moods, because we know I had plenty of them. And for enduring that one boyfriend we know everyone disliked. Thanks for staying up with me all night when I had an earache in elementary school and ruptured my ear drum in high school. The comfort of your presence and fingers brushing through my hair made the pain that much more bearable.

I imagine that is how parents feel. You might go through exhaustion, disappointment, and pain but it is the sweet memories that make it worth it. Memories that we both will hold in our hearts of each other. I am sorry for all the things I put you through, but I know it has helped us grow closer today. I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you.

I am sure you will have a good laugh when I have a moody teenager one day.
Here are a few pictures of my sweet mama:

My Latest Obsession

EUROPE!
That's right, I just came right out there with it.
Ever since I watched the movie "Letters to Juliet" (with my husband and Philip-ha!)-
I cannot get Europe off my mind.
So, I am determined that we are going to Europe in May 2012. This will be our big hoo-rah!
It is significant because I will have finished graduated school and received my Masters in Social Work-yay! Also, this is our "before we have a baby" trip.
The downside is that Europe is expensive! So I am trying to save, save, save! It doesn't help when graduate school is even more expensive, but that is another story!

I know movies glamorize everything, but Europe is absolutely amazing.
I can't wait to experience the history, taste the amazing food, and capture a million images.
Mostly, I love making sweet memories with my hubby.


Thanks to one of my lovely gal pals, Laura Euler, I have found another obsession:
SHABBY APPLE
Basically they make amazing dresses and have a new line called Roamin Holiday.
How suitable would it be if I had one of these dresses to wear on my trip there?!
I entered a contest to win this dress:

But it is one of many beautiful dresses that they have.
Hint hint, amazing husband of mine!
Wait...focus...must save for EUROPE!!

Random Musings

I have a lot of friends who post blogs about random musings so I figured I would join in!

1. Odd Sense-ability

The other day, I smelled diesel fuel coming from an old nasty truck and guess what I immediately thought of? "Oooh, ice cream truck!" That is a horrible smell to associate with a sweet childhood memory. I often associate scents in an odd manner.

2. Potato Backs

This is what I call the french fries from Chick-fil-A that are squishy and rounded instead of waffle-like and crispy. My gal pal, Lane-o calls them Butt Fries-what about you? No matter the name, I think they are gross!

3. Shout Out

This might embarrass my husband, but I will share it anyways: James paints my toes for me. I am absolutely horrible at it and he is an artist after all! He recently told me to stop buying cheap nail polish! Since then, I have been obsessed with OPI! Today I am wearing a dark shimmery green! Thanks babe!

4. Babies Everywhere!

I have a million friends who are pregnant right now! This makes me happy because I can play with all of their babies and learn all of their mommy secrets. This also means we will be busy taking a lot of pictures during this season-yay!

5. Speaking of Babies...

No, I am not prego, or trying! Everytime I tell someone that I don't want to get an epidural (In the future when I get round) they think I am crazy! I believe I am strong enough. My doc told me childbirth will be a breeze compared to my past injuries! See this pic? No gracias!

6. Graduate School Makes Me Think

Such as the other day in class, the teacher said something funny and everyone responded by laughing. You are probably thinking, duh! It made me wonder where laughing comes from. Is it a conditioned response (learned) or is it a natural biological reaction? Deep.

7. Working on Working Out

I have been wanting to get toned for a while now. I will admit that I bought a skirt bottom last year to disguise my bottom! Thankfully, I have an honest gal pal (Courtney) who pointed out that A. I am 23 and B. I am not a mom yet. Therefore, a skirt bottom is silly unless it is just really stinking cute. I will share my health plan with you in my next post.

There are some of my random musings for the day. Now I am off to help James mow the lawn and hopefully get a bike ride in with my hubby and pups! I am loving this Spring-like weather!