Hooked on Nesting

As our countdown to baby is fast approaching, our nesting has become a part of our daily life. Every other thought we have is baby related. My husband and I keep thinking baby is still months away when in reality, baby is only eight days away. It's crazy to think that in only eight days, our lives are going to change. Our lives will never be the same again. Instead of putting each other's needs before our own, we're going to be putting our baby's needs first.

After watching a lot of HGTV home makeovers, and seeing before-and-afters of room transformations, our baby's room was our own "makeover" room inspired by our favorite designers from those shows.  From the theme, to the colors, to lighting, we drew out the room and pictured what we wanted the room to look like. Our goal was to make the room a very peaceful place where baby can be calm, and relaxed (along with very exhausted parents to find peace and quiet).  Our baby's room includes:

Theme: Airplanes

• Light grey walls (inspired by "Flipping Vegas" @Amie_Yancey) who taught us that grey walls are perfect for small rooms becuase it makes it look larger and brighter. 
• Dark blue accent wall with hand painted clouds drawn by my sister-in-law @elinasinanyan 

• White Furniture: Crib (DaVinci Porter 4-in-1 Convertible Crib) and Changing Dresser (DaVinci Porter 3 Drawer Changing Table)

Other Accents include: 

• Airplane Curtains 
• Blue and White bedding set 
• Navy Blue Wool Rug 

One of my favorite parts of the nursery is the bookshelves that my husband and I created. We used basic spice racks from Ikea, spray painted them white, and started his Dr. Seuss and Elmo Collection. 

My favorite feature of this wall is the "M". It's dark brown stained with gold finish which brings some warmth to the room since everything is mostly white, grey, and blue. With the colorful books, it really stands out on its own.

Here is little Ms. Fallon anxiously waiting for baby's arrival. I feel like she knows he's coming soon. She came in the room (which she never does) and sniffed every corner of the room. Even though I told her to leave the room, she sat on the rug for a good twenty minutes and would not move. She was smelling the rug and constantly looking backwards at the crib. I wonder if she knows something we don't...

I wonder what their first meeting is going to be like. 

Hooked on Maternity

As fun as the past nine months have been, my husband and I are ready to welcome our son into this world. With only two weeks until delivery, we decided to do a maternity shoot and have some maternity pictures for ourselves to show our baby in the future.

We loved every moment of the process, and had lots of laughs and giggles during the process.

Here are some of the pictures that stand out the most to us (even though we love them all, and can't choose a favorite)

This picture pretty much sums up his room decor with a little hint of mom and dad. 

He's got an airplane themed room complete with a hand painted accent wall of clouds, airplanes hung from the ceiling, and bookshelves with the Dr. Seuss collection. The only thing missing in his room is a family portrait, which will get done when he arrives. 

We decided to take our pictures at a peaceful location where we could feel relaxed and calm. We went to the Descanso Gardens, in Foothill, CA. Not only was the location very scenic, but it was lush green and very earthy. We even saw lots of fish in the ponds, and could hear some frogs. 

This is my personal picture from our session. Ok, truth be told, I'm kind of obsessed with this picture. It is the true definition of my husband taking in parenthood, and showing his soft side. I think everything about this picture sums up our relationship. We're always there for each other, and always put the other's needs ahead of our own. We have come to the point in our lives where we are completely ready to put someone else's needs ahead of our own. Baby Michael is exactly what we have been missing in our lives. 

The very first item we bought for baby, even before we knew he was a boy. They have made several appearances throughout all the baby photos we have done. 

Our Little Cowboy! This was the very first outfit Arthur got for Michael. 

Our family is growing by two feet, and we can barely wait. 

Hooked on Pilates

Pilates Re-invented! 

Are you the type of person who is constantly looking for a new workout that will help you see results? Have you signed up for the gym, and every class they offer? Have you reached that point in your workout where you're just not seeing results anymore? Welcome to my world!! As a former gymnast and dancer, finding a workout that is challenging, yet fun and quick is an impossible task (becuase in all reality, nobody wants to spend hours and hours at a gym). You must give Pilates a try. 

My aunt actually introduced me to Pilates when she found out I was pregnant, and wanted to help me stay in shape throughout my pregnancy. At first, I thought it was going to be very much like Yoga (which was way too slow for me, and to be honest, made me bored), so I was pretty skeptical about giving it a try. My aunt raved about it so much, and told me all the benefits she gained from Pilates during her pregnancy that I said to myself "why not?" so she actually helped me find a Pilates class nearby and I signed up right away for a free class. 

As I walked into my Pilates class, (WundaBar Pilates in Montrose, CA) I looked at the machines and thought to myself "This looks like a torture device!" but kept an open mind and a positive attitude towards the workout since I didn't want to be too judgmental.  As I picked the machine that was off to a corner, just incase I embarrassed myself, I put my blue ribbon on my machine (so the instructor knows to modify my workouts for my growing bump) I got ready for the most interesting workout I had ever had. 

WundaFormer

By the time the 45 minute class was over, I felt my muscles shaking in places I had forgotten I had muscles. Everything from my shoulders, down to my calf muscles were tingling. I didn't know a workout that short could be a complete workout from head to toe. I was probably sweating more in that  45 minute class that I did running at the gym and lifting weights while taking long breaks between sets. Becuase the instructor is constantly changing exercises for the class, you don't know what's coming next, and your mind is constantly working to make sure the exercise is being executed correctly. 

The 45 minute class included everything from pliés on the ballet bar (the blue bar), to the most difficult planks you have ever done, and triceps and biceps using your own body weight while you are on the WundaFormer Carriage which moves back and forward (which you have to keep stable by engaging your abdominal muscles).  There were so many different exercises done in the 45 minute class that it's difficult to remember all of them in order. All I can truly say is that it was by far the most interesting and effective workout I had done in a very long time. 

I woke up the next morning and felt every inch of my body sore, you know, the good sore that people strive to get after spending hours and hours at the gym. Except, I don't have hours and hours to spend at the gym anymore, my WundaBar Pilates class was the only workout I needed. 

I highly recommend everyone to give Pilates a try. Keep in mind that different studios have different machines, you need to find the studio that best fits your needs. Take advantage of the studios' "Free Trial Class" and see which Pilates Studio is best fit for you. I'm so glad I listened to my aunt and gave Pilates a try. It is definitely a workout I will be able to do throughout my pregnancy, and plan to stick with it for years to come. 

Hooked on Breaking the News

One of the most exciting news to break to family is baby news. Since both my parents, and Arthur's parents do not have any grandkids, this is a very special announcement to both parents.

We had thought over and over again as to how we would break the news. The traditional ultrasound picture, little baby bottle gifts to the parents, and even the baby bibs for the grandparents, but they just weren't "us".

Arthur has really grown a passion for the quad-copters, and is getting pretty good at controlling the copter in mid air. We decided we would make a movie type of announcement. We started by filming the scenery in Los Angeles, along with the trees, sky, and the park. Very slowly, the copter lowers down and in the middle of the screen, we are standing with a poster that reads, "GUESS WHAT".

We leave the the "guess what" part of the poster  showing for about 5 seconds, and then I turn it around to read "WE'RE PREGNANT".

It took several seconds to click with our family members... but once everyone realized this was not a joke, and we were serious about our news, everyone started to applaud, cheer, and run to us and give us a squeezing hug.

After all our planning, we can both proudly say we had a great and successful announcement for both our parents.

                            

Hooked on 5 Weeks: Baby Chip

Guess who is going to have a beating heart by the end of the week?? Yup! thats right! Baby Chip is going to finally have a beating heart! I still cannot believe all this is happening to me.  I asked Arthur to think of a nick name for our little future baby, and we both couldn't think of one. After thinking about it for a few days, "Baby Chip" came to Arthur's mind when we were reading the daily baby scoop, and said "your baby is the size of a mini chocolate chip". So until we find out if our little one is going to be a girl or boy, we will call it Baby Chip. 


Here is a computer generated image I got from www.babycenter.com  that shows what the fetus looks like at this point. How cool is it that this is happening inside me?! 

This is such an amazing experience that I am going through. It's all true what they say, "you don't know what someone is going through until it happens to you". When my best friend was pregnant, she was the most positive pregnant lady I had known, and since it was such a new experience for the both of us, we spent many hours doing research, finding the most informational apps, and looking at pregnancy in a different view. We learned so much more about pregnancy than we never thought we would learn. And yet, now that I am going through my own pregnancy, it's even more different than I could have imagined it to be. And, of course, just as I was there for my friend, she is there for me every step of the way: from the silliest questions to my biggest fears.

These are my thoughts/concerns this week:

1. When does the baby bump start to actually show? 
2. I wonder what my first appointment is going to be like.  I know I have chosen the right doctor for me becuase she had all the qualifications I was looking for in my OB-Gyn. 
3. I've been going back and forward on my biggest fears, and deepest worries, and nothing too serious is coming up (which I think is pretty awesome!). At this point, my fear is the same as everyone else's... THE PAIN!! 

On a total side note, I finally got the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and am excited to start reading it and getting my husband more involved with the pregnancy. 

What were your thoughts and concerns in your earlier pregnancy days? 

Hooked on Baby

What a Happy Happy day for us!!! Arthur and I are going to be growing our  family by 2 little feet!

We are beyond excited to announce that we will be expecting a new addition to our family by the end of September 2015. It's official, we are pregnant!!

                                             

I don't think it has really hit us yet, but we are slowly taking all of this in.

After going through several pregnancies for my cousins, and friends, now that it's happening to me, I feel like my mind is blanking out and I feel lost. Maybe this is all the new excitement. First things first, we have to take this moment in, enjoy every second of this blessing, and prepare ourselves to be the best parents we can possibly be. 

Where to begin.... oh boy.. this is where it gets difficult...

Hooked on Blankets

One of the hardest things to do is starting a new project. New projects are always left with unfinished projects, which are often times pushed off to a corner and forgotten about (trust me, I've got several of those in a corner which I intentionally forget about).  The inspiration behind this afghan is the fact that I wanted to prove to myself that I can actually read a crochet pattern and do it correctly. I've tried so many times, to crochet by reading the pattern instructions. That has always left me frustrated, annoyed, and many little pieces of blanket attempts in the trash. This one I plan on finishing! I am going to be my own inspiration. 

You can find the written pattern for this blanket at:

http://com.yarnspirations.pattern-pdfs.s3.amazonaws.com/Bernat_Pipsqueak807_cr_blanket.en_US.pdf

Please keep in mind that I am only following the written pattern, and not following the color schemes, or the yarn used. At first, I tried to use the Pipsqueak yarn, but found it too difficult to get it started. Maybe one day I will try this pattern with Pipsqueak yarn. For now, a simpler, softer yarn will be easier for me. 

10-25-2014

At this point, I started to feel really proud of myself for even doing the first 2 rounds correctly. After going around twice, I decided to change into the white yarn. (I am using Caron Simply Soft in Autumn Red and Off White)

I went 4 more rounds and added my second row of off white. By the time I had finished the second round, I was so excited that I decided to get comfortable on the couch, and crochet the night away. 

10-26-2014
After the 4 rounds, I decided to go 8 more rounds of the pattern before adding another round of off white. I am now pretty stuck.

After working on my blanket and getting stuck for a while, I decided to finish off the blanket with 14 rounds of red yarn and giving it a nice white finished edge. 

Here is the final product. 

Hooked on Tree Lights

Story and inspiration behind Tree Lights:

My husband and I took a very relaxing day-cation last month to Ojai Valley Inn and Spa (http://www.ojairesort.com/) and were inspired by The Oak Grill balcony seating. We were having dinner during sunset, where behind us was a beautiful giant oak tree where the bark and branches were lit up with string lights, along with some  rustic lanterns hanging from it. After dinner, we couldn't help but walk to the giant oak tree and sit on the bench and feel the romance in the atmosphere. We looked at one another, and said "We have to do this to our oak tree at home!!"

Our Inspiration at The Oak Grill:

Now that we knew we wanted to put lighting on our Oak Tree, we had to find a way since there is no electricity on the outer side of our house. My husband's genius idea of Solar Panels was born. If we had solar panels outside, we could easily use the solar energy to power the lights. And so it begun:

The Tree: 

Days 1-2: Connecting the Solar Panels

My husband had put it in his mind that he was going to get the solar panels working properly before we got the lights to put around the tree.  By the way, we decided to put the solar panels on top of the pool shed which is only about 30 feet from our Oak Tree.

Day 1-2: CHECK! 

Days 3-6: Clearing the vines, and wrapping the lights.

There are a lot of vines that grow beneath the tree which have decided to start growing on the bark as well. In order to get our lights to show, Arthur started cutting the vines, and clearing the barks for the lighting. Don't worry, he was extra cautious. He was wearing a harness which he tied to the thickest bark, and even wore a helmet just incase (either way, I was still very nervous for him).

Then came the lights. Still harnessed up, and tied to the tree, Arthur wrapped himself around the tree and very carefully put the lights around the bigger branches. Some of the smaller branches had too many vines on them, and were difficult to cut, so we decided to be safe than sorry and just avoid the smaller branches. 

The final project:

While waiting for the sun to set so we could take a nice picture of the tree, our dog Charlie wanted to join in on the fun with wearing Arthur's helmet. I think he's better off staying off the trees, and enjoying all the doggie bones there is.

Welcome

Welcome to Hooked On Stories

Have you ever had an idea, and wanted to bring it to life, but no matter what you do, you can't seem to do it?

I can honestly say that I have had so many different ideas, and started countless different projects, but have never followed through with them. I have tried to think them through and come to a conclusion as to why it is the way it is, and after re-evaluating myself, and my day to day life, I think I have found my answers:

1. We (as a society) are so busy, and have so many responsibilities and obligations, that we don't have any "me" time.  When we finally have a little of that "me" time, we use it to catch up on things we didn't have time to do in the first place.

2. We live in a society where there is so much negativity going on, and people try to put others down to make themselves feel better, that we are so busy trying to impress others, we forget about ourselves.

I want to change all that!

I am going to dedicate this blog to unfinished projects, ideas, and thoughts that will find their ending because every project, idea, and thought is inspired by stories. I am Hooked On Stories but they seem to be unfinished. The ending to these stories are incomplete, and I will give them the ending they all deserve. After all, isn't our life an ongoing story itself?

Maybe by giving my unfinished projects the ending they deserve, my own Life Story will develop and create mini stories within itself.

After all, I am Hooked on the stories these projects have started for me. Lets see where the rest of the stories lead to...