Thoughtful Thursday - Birds and Carnations

Last night as we were eating chicken fajitas in our sunroom, I glanced out our window and spotted a family of birds who had set up camp on our gutter. As I got a closer look, the momma bird was feeding her baby bird supper!

I whipped out my camera to get the perfect "action shot" and she flew away. But here you can see the momma bird cleaning up after her babies after a delicious meal of freshly picked worm, and the babies squaking for more!

As I watched this momma bird, I started thinking about how she has a responsiblity as a momma to make the nest, feed these babies and clean up after them. But what makes her different is you don't see her flying off to her neighbor bird, complaining how messy the kids were, or that she has to go find another worm, when she would rather be perched on the local McDonalds collecting french fries.

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Believe it or not, this momma bird motivated me. She has a responsiblity, she does it diligently without complaining, and she always gives 110%. I need to be like that. I may not be a mom yet, but I have plenty of responsibilites I can be applying this towards now.

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***In other news, BABY CARNATION STATUS! I must say, the color predictor did me no good. The last three carnations, 2 pink and 1 blue, all died at the same time! (The picture makes them look like they may still have some life left, but trust me, they're as dead as a doornail).

But as I told my mom about this, she said that maybe its a prediction of the future...maybe we'll have 3 kids...2 girls and a boy :) Only time will tell! Only TWO WEEKS will tell...that's right...TWO WEEKS from today we'll know the sex of Lil' Pumpkin!

Hilarities - News Blooper

Lesson learned from this News Anchor Blooper...cheaters never win :)

Be sure to have your volume up...her reaction is half the funny...and don't worry...I heard she was just fine in the end...

Trendy Tuesday - Moon Shoes

Remember when you were a kid and you weren't cool if you weren't running down your sidewalk in these moon shoes? My sisters and I had a pair...I think we looked pretty dumb but felt like we were the coolest thing since sliced bread!


Well, like all trends, I assumed that would fade away. But no. Last night hubby and I went to our local park for a peaceful picnic dinner (plus the fact is was 82 degrees in our house since the AC is broken). We're sitting there eating and this lady in her late 50's jogs/hops/bounces past us on these:


Apparently these are the new trend for higher impact work outs. I've seen the more stilt-like versions in entertainment venues, but not in my local park for working out. Will everyone be wearing these by 2020?

Monday Mayhem - Lil' Pumpkin's Growing Stash & Baby Carnation Status

The highlight of my pregnancy so far has been the showering of gifts for Lil' Pumpkin. Although all these things are for our baby, I am greedily enjoying these presents for myself! But I'm sure Lil' P will appreciate them just as much :)

I headed to The Resort this weekend to attend a friend's wedding and spend some time with the fam. While I was there, I received so many fun things! (PS...pay NO attention to the make-up-less preggo woman...focus on the cute baby gifts!)

The G's (my grandparents) got me several summer maternity tops in pink, peach and blue!




Mom and Dad gifted us some fun and super cute baby items! I've already cracked open the book, learning what to expect and what to purchase! They also got Lil' Pumpkin its very first book! And of course, every child needs a RUBBER DUCKIE! (rubber duckie, you're the one. You make bathtime so much fun!)

Based on this next photo, you might think I've lost all self control in eating healthy, but there's a reason for 4 boxes of cookies. I LOVE Archway Molasses cookies! And last time I was at home, my parents discovered that Archway has discontinued making them :( But apparently my super shopper parents were able to find the 4 last boxes known to man :)

LOOK how cute this reindeer fleece is! OH my goodness. Our baby is going to be the CUTEST thing ever! Look at the little reindeer heads on the feet!

After all the gift opening, we headed out back for the first fishing of the season. We were very sucessful in catching many "baby fish" and getting the bass to come around, but unsuccessful in catching the bass :( but at least we know they're here and hungry this season!

All cleaned up and ready to go to the wedding! It was a wonderful ceremony at a beautiful church!

And finally, to make up for all of my NO make up photos, here's another one of my super cute maternity dresses my parents got me! I wore it to church on Sunday and got SO many compliments! Its good to feel beautiful when you're not feeling so thin anymore :)

BABY CARNATION UPDATE!!! Well, the weekend provided some activity of the flowers. It is harder to see on these pictures than in person, but it appears we've got some wiltage going on here. 2 blue and 1 pink have turned toward the wiltage side. And below that, you'll see that 2 pink and 1 blue are standing strong!

FGF: Art

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Congratulations to Entry # 19!!! ZentMrs!

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Is today really Friday? I hope so, because I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!!

This week's giveaway is brought to you by Catherine Holman Folk Art! She has SOOO many beautiful pieces on her etsy page!!!

Here is little info about her business:

"My paintings depict life in simpler times. These scenes remind me that we should live life at a slower pace with more time for family and friends. Today everyone seems to think that bigger is better, but I still prefer small cozy cottages and getting to know my neighbors."

And she also offers custom orders!!!

WHAT I LOVE about her etsy page is that each piece has a story/meaning behind it. Be sure to take a few moments and read about what is going on in these pictures! Also, each piece lists its size.

Catherine also has a blog page about herself and her work. You can learn more about her and her business at http://www.catherineholmanfolkart.blogspot.com/

WANT TO WIN? The winner will get to select the painting of their choice!!!

Rules:

1) (required) You must visit Catherine Holman Folk Art and tell me which painting you would select if you were the winner!

2) For a second (and separate) entry, become a follower, or let me know if you already are.

3) For an extra 2 entries (both separate) post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to here!

4) Winner will be announced Monday morning!

Thoughtful Thursday: What are you thinking?

I'm still sick today. Can't breathe. Can't sleep. Can't keep my eyes open. Can't think straight.

What is slowly moving around in my brain is...

-Why won't this head cold go away? Why doesn't Claritin work???

-I am SO HAPPY about the weather being in the 80's this weekend!

-I think Fez might be having a low-key day today...he was abundantly served with human food last night by all our college students. He was the entertainment of the evening!

-Cereal is not as good when you get to the bottom of the box. Its all crumbs. Its like "cereal backwash"

I usually have more thoughts than this, but the snot/drainage has taken up all my brain space in my head :(

On a happier ending note, BABY CARNATION STATUS: exactly the same. I'm almost convinced these bad boys are immortal. How long do carnations live? Apparently this baby-sex predictor does not want to share its secrets sooner than later! When there is a significant change, I'll be sure to post a picture!

What's on your mind today? What are you thinking about?

Hilarities: Googly Moogly!

Trendy Tuesday

Hello everyone! I have returned. I was MIA yesterday due to a head cold :( And its not gone. I have my new best friend sitting by my side on the desk today...my kleenex box. Well, sorry there was no Monday Mayhem to share, but it was great featuring Sonicstef Designs one extra day!

Today's Trendy Tuesday is short, sweet and to the point. Here's a great fashion tip of the day I got from InStyle.com...

"INSIDER TRICK: Want to add sparkle to your hair without making a color commitment? A shimmery hairspray will add brightness to winter-worn strands."

And here's how to get it done (for us blondes...)

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shape & Shimmer Hairspray, Crystal Clear, $6.99 at Walgreens!

FGF: Sonicstef Design

WE HAVE 2 WINNERS!!!

Congrats to Entries # 6 Kendall and #51 Kelly & Rhett

***Thanks again to Sonicstef Designs for your gracious giveaway! We have enjoyed visiting your blog and knowing where to get the best custom-made cards!***

I can't believe it is already Friday. Is it really Friday? Already?

YES IT IS!!! :)

This week's giveaway is awesome. It's one of my favorites so far! And we're going to have TWO WINNERS!!!!

Sonicstef Design has graciously donated TWO SETS of 24 cards each to two very lucky winners. And they're pink!

These Thank You cards read, "Oh you shouldn't have, but I'm so glad you did." Don't they look like they were made exclusively for The Pink Potpourri?

A little info about Sonicstef Designs...they create custom invitations, announcements, logos and much more to mark the important moments worthy of something out of the ordinary. Sonicstef has worked with clients all over the world.

They create custom designs for many occasions, including babies, weddings, business logos and much more! And I've totally scoped out the baby birth announcements and chosen my most favorite :)

TWO WINNERS will be selected to each win a set of 24 cards/envelopes of the Thank You cards above!!!!

Rules to Enter to Win: (ps....EACH ENTRY MUST BE MADE IN A SEPERATE COMMENT!)

1) (required) Visit Sonicstef Design's website and tell me which of card is your favorite.

2) Make a purchase/order through Sonicstef Design.

3) Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already are one.

4) Post about this giveaway on your blog...let's spice things up...you can leave 2 EXTRA COMMENTS if you do this one!

5) Winners will be selected Monday morning at 9 am!

Thoughtful Thursday: Baby Carnations

***NOTE!!! I just wanted to thank ALLLL of you for your sweet, loving and encouraging comments from Monday's announcement that we're having a baby! I do wish I had enough time to individually thank each one of you on your blogs, but work is not allowing for such freedom, and pregnancy knocks me out at 7 pm :) Soooo...to each and everyone of you wonderful blogger friends, THANK YOU!!!!

When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, my dad brought her home a beautiful bouquet of carnations...3 pink and 3 blue. After about a week or so, all 3 of the blue carnations wilted and died, but the 3 pink carnations kept going strong. 9 months later, they had a girl!

So after revealing to my family over the Easter weekend that we're having a baby, my dad sent me a beautiful bouquet on Monday morning, 3 blue carnations and 3 pink carnations!! Everyone in the office has heard the story of these flowers, and we are all watching intently to see which ones die first!

Of course, we know that the Lord has already knew this baby before it was conceived, and the bouquet is just for fun. We will not be relying on these flowers to determine the sex of our baby :) But it is fun to have this new Family Tradition for all of us girls when we're pregnant!

So, I'll be sure to keep you all posted. The previous picture above is from the day they were delivered, on Monday. Here's the most recent photo from today. As of now, they all seem to be holding on strong!!!

Thanks again, Dad, for these beautiful flowers!

Hilarities: Last day at home depot

Poor Guy....Guess he's looking for a new job.

we're having a b-a-b-y!!!

Husband and I are HAVING A BABY! Yep, we've got a pregnancy going on here at The Pink Potpourri!!!

Right now I am at 12 1/2 weeks! Our Little Pumpkin is due October 22!

We were very blessed to discover we were pregnant on Valentine's weekend! Here's the picture:

And the proof:



I saw one of my blogger friends do this through her pregnancy, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to try to keep up. Each week (or two) I want to take a Belly Bump progression picture, noting the week and "fruit size" of the baby! I didn't start until week 11...



Husband and I mutually agreed to wait until the end of the 1st Trimester to share the news, even with family. Although it was difficult not to share such a wonderful joy, it was a very special time for us to keep this just between the two of us. And it also gave for some extra planning time on how to break the news with everyone else!

My family is a big fan of the game Apples to Apples. In this game everyone has cards with nouns on them. Each player takes a turn with a verb card, and your goal is for the person with the verb card to pick your noun card.

Confused yet? Anyways, we knew playing this game would be the only way to get everyone gathered around the table at the same time (except for meals). So Husband and I went through and put all the verb cards that would fit pregnancy on top...Amazing, Exciting, Unbelieveable, Memorable....then we pulled out one of the blank cards and put:

With our scheme, my Dad was the victim....we had him choose the first verb card. Zack had the "We're Pregnant!" card in his pocket and slid it into his playing cards. He was the last one ot put this card on the stack. My dad flipped over all the cards and started laying them out on the table. He gets to the last card and says, "We're pregnant?"

All eyes graze over to us...dead silence...5 seconds pass..."really?" my mom says. "Yes, we're pregnant!" Husband declares...

A few more seconds of shock...tick, tick, tick, LIGHTBULB!

"OH MY GOODNESS!!" chairs are flying, people are jumping, hugs are being given everywhere! The rest of the evening was all about Little Pumpkin :)

The next two days were filled with shopping. Husband and I hadn't bought one single baby thing since we found out we were pregnant. That's what Mom's and Sisters are for :)

We began our day with a strong breakfast for energy at one of our favorite cafe's:

Next we walked down the shopping center to one of our favorite baby stores, Carters. We found SO many cute things! They have all their holiday outfits on sale, so we bought some Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies for Little Pumpkin.

And finally, we topped off the day with a new wardrobe of maternity clothes! I know I'm only at 12 weeks, but I already can barely zip up my pants anymore! Thank you, Lord, for spandex!

It was a wonderful Easter weekend of special memories during this amazing time in our lives. My family was so excited and supportive of our growing family, and blessed us so much with so many gifts!

Yesterday during our Easter Church Service we were able to tell our friends the great news. It was an incredible experience bring glory to our Lord for blessing us with this child. After church we had a huge Easter lunch with friends, and then took our 2009 Parker Family Easter photos:

This is me and Little Pumpkin at 12 1/2 weeks in my new maternity Easter dress! I'm pretty sure the bump is half baby, half easter feast :)

Thoughtful Thursdays: Easter Imposters!

Easter is on its way this weekend! Beware of the Easter Bunny Imposters!

I am really looking forward to this special weekend. My family and I will not be celebrating the Easter Bunny, or the fact that we get presents, a new dress or TONS of un-needed chocolate. We will be celebrating the Victory of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Resurrection as the only One and True Living God!

However you plan to celebrate, may your Easter weekend be a wonderful time of fun and fellowship with your family and friends and a special time of celebration and memories!