My Inner Domino Self

I don't believe in reincarnation. But if I did, I would swear I was Dorothy Draper in a former life. I love anything and everything to do with interior design. I love finding inspiration and bringing it to life. I love thinking outside the box, combining pieces from different genres, and just being able to make something feel like you. I am seriously a nut for it.

So it was only natural that when Jeremy and I decided to buy a house, I immediately started to follow 50 design blogs. Jeremy's one rule was I was only allowed to do one room a year. I could do that room any way I wanted, but I had to stick with that one room. I happily agreed.

First room, living room!

When I graduated from college, I needed furniture for my first apartment. It was just me in a one bedroom so I wasn't really picky. I bought a couch, love seat, coffee table, and side table for a total of $150 from another college student. I was in heaven. The furniture was semi-cute. It had obviously been in the girl's family for years, but was cheap and functional.

Today, nothing is more annoying than coming home to that furniture. The holes are bigger than they once were, the cushions don't really fluff anymore and are constantly falling off the couch, and the lumps have made it just plain uncomfortable.

A new living room was a must!

Then, we got the news. I was pregnant.

This meant my inner domino self would have to refocus all thoughts of a new living room onto a nursery.

So while other new mothers are reading books on pregnancy, motherhood, and babies, I added nursery room decor blogs to my already long list and started scouring through my old Domino magazines. 

(Last night, Jeremy actually asked me if he should be concerned that I haven't read anything and am doing no research. I told him no that we'd be just fine... Although, I might just have a nervous breakdown once the baby comes forth. For now, though, I'm really okay living in ignorance and not having panic attacks every couple hours. Plus, my sister loves google and we have to take classes soon. Yeah, we'll be just fine....Where is that paper bag I had earlier??)

It didn't take long for me to create my first inspiration board. Jeremy's comment: "What if it's a boy?" My response, "I really want a girl. I have girly taste. Plus, some of this is kinda boyish."

Inspiration Board #1

And then it happened. The baby showed us his little wee wee. My first thought was, "Aw! A boy!! He looks like a scary dinosaur!" My second thought was, "Oh no! How do I decorate for a boy???? I'm girly!"

So upon returning to our house, I began trying to get inspired by the thought of all things boy. I began looking at what I had and decided why I had chosen it. I loved the solid colors with pops of bright colors and patterns. I loved the navy and orange. I hated nursery themed rooms. And within 48 hours, I had a new inspiration board. (Like I said, I really like design.)

Inspiration Board #2

Over the next couple of months, I plan on slowly revealing to you how I take this inspiration board and bring it to life. And trust me, it's starting to really come together nicely! We've already gotten in many wonderful pieces and have more on it's way. I'm seriously giddy with excitement!

The best thing to happen all year

Well, minus Bradley...

Have I mentioned on here that we are having a BOY?! I don't think I have. And we are! Bradley Garrett Johnson. He's long, growing faster than "normal", and a kicker. Oh, and he hates the pool. But I think he's starting to like me. I sing to him and feed him. He's beginning to understand just how important I am to his little life. Finally...

Oh, and then there's the house. That was big too.

But trust me. My most recent purchase is a close number three.

I should also warn you that the pictures below are not the best quality. I apologize. The minute Mr. UPS showed up at my doorstep my camera died, I cried, weighed my options, and grabbed my iPhone. The package was going to explode if I didn't open it right away. (Actually, I would have exploded with excitement and anticipation. Then, Jeremy would have had to clean up the mess. It would have been a hassle. I was saving him the trouble really.)

Parker was excited too. I took a picture, but my iPhone deleted it. You'll have to trust me. He knew what was coming. I'd let him in on the little secret to be fair.

The box "it" came in. And I really should tell you that while looking around for baby decor for Bradley's room, I have come across some really cool stores. One is CB2. It's super modern and fun. Probably mine and Jeremy's number one decor store right now. And this is the store where I found this wonderful, wonderful purchase.

Confession: I almost wet myself when I got to this point.

Ready??

Can you stand it??

Any guesses??

Dun Dun Dun!!!!

Yes, my greatest purchase this year was this beautiful leather hippo!!

He really is fabulous. And he will look perfect with my housewarming gift! (Which must be lost in the mail...) 

But other than just being stinkin' cute and awesome, this hippo was handmade and is numbered! How cool is that? He's number 2490 out of 9999. I feel like a regular art collector. He came with a tag and everything! oh! And he has a name! Seriously, this purchase got better and better every second.

Yes, Budy and Bradley will be very happy together. I seriously may move into their room. I really don't think either will mind. Parker can join us. Jeremy should go find that missing housewarming gift, then maybe he can join us.

Confession #2: Budy came to work with me today. I couldn't bear the thought of separation. Plus, he deserves to be shown off.

My Favorite Beauty Products

In my last post, I mentioned my favorite face lotion by Estee Lauder and I got to thinking. Why stop there? I'm no expert, but I do have products that I use religiously and really love, many of which I received through tips from other friends. So in the nature of sharing, here are my top five beauty products that keep me looking oh so young ;-).

1. Sparkling Clean Purifying Mud Cleanser: Since my skin decided to become oily in last 5 months, this face wash has been amazing. It has kept my skin in check. Plus, I love the way it smells. I definitely think adding the toner has helped too!

2. Urban Decay's Eden Eyeshadow Primer Potion: This one I got from my friend Kristi. Her make-up is always flawless and we are often hanging out at night after work where naturally make-up just doesn't seem to survive. But hers always looks so great. I figured she was just on top of her game and would redo her make-up before we met. Then, she let me in on her little secret. This stuff! You put it on over your lotion before putting on any of your eye make-up. Then, you apply your eye make-up and go about your day. Your eye make-up WILL NOT MOVE! It's crazy! My eye shadow looks the same at 6 p.m. as it did when I apply it at 7 a.m. It's truly amazing.

3. Cream Blush under Powder Blush: This is a secret I picked up online after Kristi revealed hers to me. Once I got my eye shadow to stay put, I figured there had to be a way to make my blush stay put too. So I did some googling and, let me tell you, it's soo simple! First, put on cream based blush after you moisturize. Follow with your powder blush on top of the cream blush. And, lastly, put on your foundation (which mine is also powder based). Somehow the cream makes the powder blush not sweep off during the day. I'm not really sure all the science behind this method, but it works!

4. J Beverly Hills ADD BODY Volumizing Shampoo: I came across this shampoo by accident. Actually, I think it was God. You see, I won a huge basket with tons of beauty products at an event last year. This was one of the products. I didn't think much of it until I started using it. For some reason, at the oh so young age of 26, my hair decided it was going to change. It was going to become more oily. Then, it decided to turn into a wavey mess when the pregnancy hit. This shampoo, like the face wash, has put my hair back in it's proper place. The grease is at a far distance, the wave is being treated with some of their other styling products, and I look like a normal person rather than a form of Carrot Top. Thank you, gift basket!

5. Exercise: Ok. So this isn't really a beauty product, but it definitely is a priority for me in my beauty regime. Why? Well, for one it makes me feel better and when I feel better, I look better. Two, it helps me sleep. I am a horrible sleeper. I fall asleep slowly, wake up constantly, and usually end up dragging myself out of bed in the morning from exhaustion. But if I am in the routine of working out daily, I notice a huge difference. And third, and probably if I were honest the most important reason, is that it gives me cute calves, a firm butt, and tightish abs. And really, ladies, who doesn't want that? So what am I doing right now to stay fit? Prenatal yoga, lunges/squats, arm weights, kegel exercises and a lot of walking. I mean, seriously, I've got to get ready to push a watermelon out of me and I'm determined to do it faster than any other woman. ;-)

Now, it's your turn! I'm curious: what beauty products do you rely on??

The Ramblings of a Crazy Person

Before you ask, no, I do not have pictures of our house yet to post. There's a simple explanation for this too. I'm suffering from what the medical profession would like to call cephaloneuronal disseminata due to an infection of the uterus. Or in layman terms, I'm a hormonal pregnant woman and if you dare to mess with me, you just might lose a body part. Of course, I say this with a smile- crazy people usually smile a lot.

I have come to find that women like to trick other women into believing that being pregnant is a blissful time. Don't believe them. The truth is that shortly after a woman's body is taken over by "the child", craziness sets in...

My first crazy moment happened at the Estee Lauder counter at Dillard's. Since becoming pregnant, my face started to look more like a teenage boy's than a glowing pregnant woman's. I was mortified. I tried every true and proven over-the-counter product. Nothing. The pimples and grease kept coming! So out of complete desperation, I went to visit the Estee Lauder woman. Why her? Well, I absolutely LOVE their face lotion.

Santa always puts fun samples of make-up products in my stocking at Christmas. This was one of them and I haven't stopped using it since then. So when nothing else worked, I ran to the poor woman behind the counter at Dillard's.

Woman: What can I help you with?

Me (spoken calmly, in a normal voice): Well, you see... I have a problem. (sniffling) I'm pregnant. (crying) and my face is just a pimply mess. (hyperventilating) I just don't know what to do. Nothing works. I've tried it all. I just want the pimples to stop. I haven't had pimples since high school. Not like this.

Woman (trying to smile): Oh.. well congratulations....

She, then, starts to show me wonderful products that actually did work to get rid of the pimples. As for the craziness, well...

The next instance happened at our apartment. One minute I was watching T.V. and the next minute I was crying uncontrollably.

Jeremy: What's wrong?

Me: I'm going to be a horrible mom!!

Jeremy: Why would you say that?

Me: I'm selfish and needy. Are you going to love me more than the baby?? (Yes, apparently, I am also jealous.)

Jeremy: Yes, I'll love you more.  And you'll be wonderful Mom.

Me: But how do you know??

Jeremy: Well, look how you take care of Parker.

Me: I don't think I fed him today. I barely walk him. And I like dogs. I don't like kids!

Jeremy: You'll like yours.

Me: Promise??

Jeremy: Yes, I promise.

I'm sure he's right about this...

Then, over the Fourth Holiday:

Me: (taking a bite of my mom's barbecue beans)

One of my siblings: Jessica, are you crying?

Me: (trying to not appear to be crying, but obviously crying): It's just soo good! I mean, we haven't eaten this since we were little kids. You know, before Mom gave up cooking. It's sooo good! I missed it!!

Mom: (getting up) OH! I was going to heat up those potatoes I made yesterday for Ryan!

Me: (realizing this was another dish long put aside long ago let a few more tears fall...)

And while I'd like to think those crazy moments were the high points... sadly, they have become more frequent and more focused upon a single target... Jeremy.

Now, before I go into the horrible details of living with a crazy person, just know that I love my husband more than anything. He is absolutely the most amazing man. He is caring, attentive, and completely unselfish. Seriously, he makes me sick. He's so nice all the time. And with my crazy spouts, he grins and bears it like no other person would. He's a true saint.

In saying all that, he is the absolute last person I want to be around right now. He walks into the room and immediately the hairs on my neck stand up. Then, he opens his mouth and my head starts to spin. Fire comes to my throat and I get ready to attack. Why? Hormones.

Jeremy: How are you feeling?

Me: How do you think I'm feeling?

Jeremy: I'm hoping better.

Me: Well, I'm not. I feel exactly the same as I did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before... starting with the time that your sperm chose to make my egg its home..

Jeremy: I'm sorry.

Me: Yes, you should be sorry.

--------

Me: What are you doing?

Jeremy: I was going to sit beside you.

Me: I don't think so.

Jeremy: Why not?

Me: There's another couch over there.

Jeremy: But I thought I could sit with you.

Me: Well, you thought wrong. I'm sitting here. Oh, and while you are up, could I please have something to drink?

-------

Me: I have to go pee. (Two seconds later) JEREMY!!!! HELP!!!!

Jeremy: (yelling) JESSICA? WHAT IS IT?

Me: JEREMY, COME!! HELP!! I NEED YOU!!

Jeremy: (entering the bathroom where I am being held hostage by two things: me peeing and the largest cockroach I have ever seen) WHAT?!

Me: COCKROACH!! GET IT!!

Jeremy: (clearly aggravated and mad that I am still yelling) CALM DOWN! I WILL GET IT!!

Cockroach flies towards me. I, in turn, shriek really loud unable to move.

Jeremy: (really mad) Stop yelling!!! I will get it!! (takes off shoe)


Cockroach lands on our hand towel. And yes, I am still on the toilet.

Me: (now, crying) HURRY!! GET IT!!!

Jeremy: STOP YELLING!

Jeremy kills the cockroach only for it to stick to his shoe, then fall off of it and land only inches from my feet. I, of course, yell again.

Jeremy: (as he throws his sandal across the room) I SAID STOP YELLING!

Me: (hysterically crying.. you know, the kind where you can't catch your breath because you are crying so hard) I know, it's just a roach, but I thought it was going to eat me!!

Jeremy: (now, being able to step back and see how ridiculous the whole scenario is, laughs) It's ok. You just freak me out when you yell like that. The roach is dead. All is ok.

Needless to say the bug guy is coming today to spray our house. I also wouldn't be surprised if a shrink decides to join us for dinner. I'm not sure how much longer Jeremy can take living with this crazy person before he himself needs a Valium or decides to sneak one in my drink...