My daddy always said I was a Winner!

So I LOVE entering blog giveaways! I never expect to win, but it is always such a thrill when I do! Over the last couple of weeks I have won...(wait for it)...4 blog giveaways! I probably entered 100, but winning 4 still seems impressive! So this post will be a BIG THANK YOU to the bloggers who's giveaways I've one plus a little bit of bragging over the great prizes!

First - I won Simply Stacie's Patient Style Giveaway. I got THESE super comfy chenille socks. They will definitely be in my hospital bag!

I also won Simply Stacie's Expressiva Nursingwear Giveaway! I'm still waiting for my $35 gift card to arrive in the mail, but I will probably order THIS shirt...

Then I won Murdock's Mama's Surprise giveaway. It was so exciting to get a scrapbooking idea book and Iowa lottery ticket in the mail! Can't wait to try some of the pages!

And the 4th giveaway was Making Lemonade's b. children's wear giveaway. I picked THIS adorable onsie from her site...

Happy 101

A big, big thank you to Meredith at La Buena Vida for awarding me the Happy 101 blogger award! I love Meredith's blog because she really shares from the heart. She is a new mom to beautiful Lizzy, going through the ups and downs of having a new born. She also blogs about photography, books and life in general. Check her out and let her know I sent you :)

The Rules:
- List 10 things that make you happy
- Tag 10 other bloggers and link back to the person who tagged you

Here are some things that make me happy:

1. Date Nights - Last night we went to Panera, brought the laptop, and spent an hour or two just being together and dreaming and planning for the future. I love those simple nights we spend together
2. Books - I love escaping into another world, even for a minute
3. Nursing - I love being a nurse. There is such joy in helping people every day, working to make their lives better. I especially love when a toddler tearily says "Thank You" or "Buh-bye" after you give them their shots. Kids are just so precious!
4. TheNest.com - I have become internet friends with so many wonderful ladies through the nest's message boards.
   
5. Night-time nursing bras - Yes, I bought two already. I figured that I would need them eventually, and they are really really comfortable for bed.
   
6. Mascara - The little black tube that makes a huge difference for my face
7. Yummy "Fancy" Coffee - I don't drink regular coffee, but I do drink the fancy drinks. They are as good as dessert! The new ones from McD's are delicious!
8. Long Showers - There is nothing like a 20 minute shower! Whenever I have the time to take a nice, long, steamy shower, I always seize the opportunity. I think very deep, wise thoughts in the shower :)
9. Pictures - I love looking at pictures. I don't even care whose pictures they are!
10. Comments on My Blog Posts - I love reading people's reactions and responses.
    

I would love to pass this award on to:

1. My Happy House
2. Leslie G
3. I Just Need My Coate
4. Humes, Party of 3
5. Happily Ever After
6. Celeste's 101 in 1001
7. Book Hooked
8. You Paid More Than Me
9. Black 'N Gold Girl's Book Spot
10. A Penny Saved

22 weeks

First, I want to say THANK YOU to Sara at The Breathing Post for my 2nd Beautiful Blogger Award!!! Sara, you are so sweet to think of me! Thank you for supporting my blog. Readers, please head over to The Breathing Post and tell Sara I sent you!


Bow for a baby update!

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain: Haven't gained from last week...phew!

How big is baby? baby has stretched to the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs almost a pound. (Length: nearly 11 inches.)

Maternity clothes: The only pre-pg clothes I wear these days are cardigans (open), Tshirts and PJ pants

Stretch marks: None :)

Sleep: Thanks to a terrible cold, I've been sleeping very poorly.

Movement: She kicks and moves all day long!

Food cravings: This am I couldn't think of anything but an iced mocha from 7-11! I had to have it and it was sooo good!

Food aversions: Meat still...gross!

Belly button: It is getting more shallow and wide, but still a deep innie

What I'm looking forward to: Working on the nursery

Weekly Wisdom: Invest in panty liners

Weekly joy: I love that M can see her kicks from the outside. She is getting so strong!

It's the Little Things

There have been a few little things in my life recently that have just made me happy and thankful. Honestly, the little things in life are awesome!

1. Two nights ago, I went to wash my face. The water was cold. I waited and waited, but it never heated up. Immediately I imagine the worst - that we would need a new water heater. By the time I was home from work the next day, M had fixed the water heater. Apparently the element needed drained and replaced (or something like that!). I am so thankful for a handy husband.

2. It's so great to be a giveaway winner! Jessica at Forever Young: A YA Lit Blog emailed me this morning letting me know I won a copy of "The Lonely Hearts Club." I can't wait to receive it, read it and give you all a review!


3. Who doesn't love free stuff? Bloom Grocery Store had a program that for ever $10 you spent, you received a little sticker. When you collected enough stickers, you received a Cuisinart item! Look at what I got for free (each is valued at $29.99):

I'm also planning a giveaway! Keep a lookout for it to start sometime in the next 7 days!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I was so thrilled and excited to see that Kate at Whimsical, Whamsical, Whumsical gave me a Beautiful Blogger Award! I have been seeing these pop up on different blogs I follow. Each blog that has one so far is truly sensational, so I am honored Kate picked me!

Kate has an awesome book blog. She reads and reviews books from a variety of genres and posts awesome reviews. Her blog look is absolutely to die for, too. Green and damask - gorgeous!


I would like to pass the award on to some awesome lady bloggers. I have been reading some of these blogs for a while, and some I just discovered. All of them have something great to offer - please check them out! Of course, tell them that mrs.messi sent you :)

1. ...back to the basics...
2. A Blonde Walks into a Blog
3. She's Simply Inspired
4. Adventures in Mommyville
5. Baby Nolen's Journey
6. Blackberry Jam Cafe
7. Blue Hydrangea
8. Decorating Obsessed
9. Happily Ever After
10. Living Eventfully
11. My Two Red Shoes
12. Nuestra Vida Dulce
    

Bring some Sunshine to your day (An Award!)

I was so thrilled to receive my first blogging award today! Thank you Short Southern Momma for thinking of me! I love you blog - it is always so fresh and you post so many cute things!

Readers, check out her blog and tell her I sent you!

And now for the Sunshine Award:

The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world. I am now going to pass along the sunshine and present this award to some of my favorite bloggers who make my day "A Sunshine Day!"

The rules, once this award is received, are as follows:

1. Post the logo on blog

2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers

3. Link the nominees blogs so other can get to know them

4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog

5. Share the love and link to the person who received this award from.

Again, thanks Short Southern Momma for nominating me!

Here are the ladies I want to shout-out to. Some of them I have been following for a while, some I just discovered. But they all have one thing is common - they are all positive and uplifting ladies!

1. Bless This Nest
2. Princess and the [sweet] Pea
3. Momma Maven in the Making
4. The Life of an Army Wife
5. Smooth as a Baby's Blog
6. Little Woman, Little Home
7. World of Dennifer
8. the luckiest
9. The Adventure's of Mrs. Emmypants
10. My Happy House
11. The Domestic Princess
12. Growing a Lemon (I love this one especially because
we are both having girls at the same time!

Congrats to all my Sunshine Award Winners! Pass it along!

Blogs on the Blog

The more I get into blogging myself, the more I enjoy finding new blogs! Women (for some reason, I haven't come across very many blog's written by men...probably since I stay on websites aimed at women!) just have the gift for gab! I love how people's personalities come out in their writing styles and subject choices. I thought I would share some of my favorite blogs with all of you!

Do me a favor and comment back with links to your blogs and blogs that you love!

In no particular order:

La Buena Vida

The Domestic Princess

Reading is Sexy

Jenni From the Blog

withTWOcats

365 days: 30+Mommyhood

And the Suzanne Goes To

And here are my blog confessions:

1. I am more likely to read posts that have pictures. Therefore, I've been *trying* to incorporate more into mine.

2. If you have a good giveaway, I will be your follower :)

3. I sometimes stalk blogs without leaving a trace of my ever being there. I'm going to get better at commenting on great blog posts (not just those tempting giveaways!)

My Dream Nursery

Christy at The Domestic Princess graciously agreed to create an idea board for Felicity's nursery. She has been an awesome "online/blog friend" to me for over 10 months now. I love stalking her blog which is full of decorating ideas, recipes, product reviews, fashion, giveaways and more.



When I told her my ideas for the nursery, I basically just said I wanted blue walls, white furniture and pink accents. What she came up with is better than I imagined and totally do-able for us. For all the details about the idea board, including where to find all the products, click here.

We are going to turn Matthew's office into the nursery, which means that Matthew's desk will now be moved into my craft room. This isn't such a big deal, since my craft room at this point is just a boring room with white walls and boxes everywhere.

We have so many home projects to complete before the baby is here...
*Matthew is in the middle of building more closet/storage space in the basement
*Paint and set-up the craft room/office
*Decorate the nursery - which includes bead board and a little paint
*Make the laundry room a laundry room, rather than a room without a walls and a cement floor that houses the washer and dryer

Getting the laundry room done might be a little far fetched...maybe if I should Matthew this post he will be extra motivated :)

I'm a winner!

Knotties&Nesties on Etsy have a great blog of women designers, artists and crafters who have teamed up to support each other. Whenever I check their blog this is something new, fabulous and HOMEMADE! Right now they are doing awesome daily giveaways that you should definitely check out!

I am the lucky winner of these adorable booties from BellePapillon:
I can't wait to put them on Felicity!

Thanks you to Knotties&Nesties on Etsy and BellePapillon!

Books and a smoothie!

M just went out to get gas for my car. I asked him to pick me up a Frutti smoothie from 7-11 while he was gone. Turns out the sweet man had to go to 4 7-11's before he found one with a Frutti machine. Mr. Wonderful went to 4 stores in a blizzard to satisfy my craving! Love him...

Anyway, what I really wanted to blog about tonight was my awesome experience with another NBC Elf Book Exchange. I was able to send my elf "Under the Dome" and a hard cover edition of "Little Women." The free shipping from Barnes and Noble made it possible to stay close (Only $2 over!) the $25 budget.

I was thrilled to receive books from RevJen. She sent



Check out Jen's Blog My Brain's Comfort Food

Awesome signed book giveaway!

Heather at See Heather Write is doing an awesome signed book giveaway here.

I entered to win "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve...if you haven't read this book before, it is very very good!

Here's the synopsis from goodreads.com:

With five novels to her credit, including the acclaimed The Weight of Water, Anita Shreve now offers a skillfully crafted exploration of the long reach of tragedy in The Pilot's Wife. News of Jack Lyons's fatal crash sends his wife into shock and emotional numbness:

Kathryn wished she could manage a coma. Instead, it seemed that quite the opposite had happened: She felt herself to be inside of a private weather system, one in which she was continuously tossed and buffeted by bits of news and information, sometimes chilled by thoughts of what lay immediately ahead, thawed by the kindness of others...frequently drenched by memories that seemed to have no regard for circumstance or place, and then subjected to the nearly intolerable heat of reporters, photographers and curious onlookers. It was a weather system with no logic, she had decided, no pattern, no progression, no form.

The situation becomes even more dire when the plane's black box is recovered, pinning responsibility for the crash on Jack. In an attempt to clear his name, Kathryn searches for any and all clues to the hours before the flight. Yet each discovery forces her to realise that she didn't know her husband of 16 years at all. Shreve's complex and highly convincing treatment of Kathryn's dilemma, coupled with intriguing minor characters and an expertly paced plot, makes The Pilot's Wife really takes off.