Nursery Print {Free Download}

A few weeks ago I shared my Baby Girl Nursery Moodboard with you. One of the pieces I would like to hang in the room is a verse from the Bible. I took a little time to print up just how I'd like the verse to look, complete with a few butterflies in the color scheme of the nursery.

I made this in PicMonkey and honestly, I haven't printed it yet. However it is a JPG file and should be high enough resolution to print in an 8 X 10. Won't it be darling in a white frame?

Since things are super easy to edit in PicMonkey, I made a few other versions. Feel free to save the images and print them for your little one, or for a gift.

Keep scrolling to see: Plain Pink, Blue with Stars, Plain Blue, and two Chalkboard versions! Enjoy!

Dawson Creek Campground

The last weekend in August found our family out camping! We went to Dawson Creek Campground that is only 12 miles from our house. Oh the perks of living in Northern Idaho!

We were right by the river in a very secluded site. There was rain in the forecast so there weren't many other campers. We slept without the tarp the first night (pictured) and could see the stars and hear the river. It was so peaceful!

Well, except for the warnings all over that we were in bear country!

Food at camp always tastes better. I prepped most of the meals at home and only had some re-heating and minimal cooking to do on our camp stove, so it wasn't too complicated.

The boys spent much of their time by the river. These pictures are from the first night and the weather was getting chilly! We had worship down there, sitting on the rocks.

The next morning after breakfast we took a hike. Northern Idaho has been very dry this summer, so the undergrowth was brown and the sky was hazy with smoke from nearby fires. (Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires were not allowed but we could use our camp stove.)

Again, being in bear country was a little nerve wracking! We tried to make lots of noise as we hiked and always kept the boys between the adults.

We got to this overlook that showed how high we'd climbed. Right after I took this picture I saw a bear on that little grassy spot down by the river! It was a brown bear (it's grizzly territory too) and was quite a way away, but now we KNEW there were bears!

We finished our hike and refreshed our feet by wading in the river. Well, except for Jonathan who tried to cross it and was wet to his waist. Talk about cold!

We seriously spent hours sitting by the river watching the kids. It was relaxing but I'm not used to that kind of downtime! Is that bad? We didn't have cell phone reception and didn't bring books to read. There was some rock stacking and lots of rock skipping and throwing!

By Saturday afternoon the rain came. We had put up the rain cover on the tent and managed to eat supper between showers, so it wasn't bad. There were light showers during the night and we opted to break camp and go home before breakfast on Sunday. It was wet and cold and dirty, but our memories of the weekend are happy, restful and peaceful. We'll be back!

Big Girl Room {Moodboard}

It's been awhile since I've shared a moodboard of a space I'd like to design, so I thought I'd share a little glimpse of what I'd like to do for our baby girl in a few years. You know, since she's not even born yet (10 weeks left!) and will at first need a crib and changing table.

I'd like to start with soft gray walls and use a mix-and-match set of antique-ish furniture I refinished years ago and is usually our guest room furniture. It includes a double bed that will get a pin tucked up-grade, a vanity and tall dresser.

Next, I'd like to layer in the pink or something equally girly. I think I've shared before that if I had had a baby girl first I wouldn't do much pink. But since I've had three boys first, PINK it up! Of course there needs to be a girly, pretty light fixture too!

I like the chevron rug in contrast with the pink frilly bedding. White accessories go great with the white dresser and vanity. Both pieces have dark wood tops, and the bed frame is natural wood as well. An old trunk or hope chest would be a great place for treasures, or just extra bedding.

Isn't the dollhouse/book case cute? I'd love to find an old doll house and fix it up, or have Gary make one for our little girl.

A few weeks ago I shared my Baby Girl Nursery Moodboard. I didn't use all the same pieces, but my intention is to have much of the same art, dresser and rug be the same. Who else is loving pink and gray and white?

It's so fun to dream, even if it's still a couple years off!

Myrtle Falls

There's a wildlife refuge here in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, that includes a nice little driving tour with great views of the marshes where thousands of migrating birds stop to rest on their way through to (or from) Canada. We always see deer and have seen a moose three times! I think it's the same one each time.

This post isn't really about the wildlife refuge because I'd like to do that one more justice at a future date. BUT Myrtle Falls is at the same place.

The first time we walked up to Myrtle Falls was in late May when Gary and I came here to find a place to live. It was greener and there was more water, but even at the end of a very dry summer it's a pretty little hike!

The trail is easy, though it is all uphill and then all downhill. It's a mile round-trip. Our kids think it's an easy hike, and there's a great view at the end!

What I think is a great idea, they've posted stories along the way! In the few months we've been here we've seen two different books. One was about bear scat (and other wildlife "signs") and the other was the life of a forest over several hundred years.

The books are taken apart so there's a two-page spread on a post under plexiglass every hundred yards or so. Just about the time you start to get winded, you stop and read another two pages of the book! Great motivation!

This is definitely one of our favorite hikes. It will be a place we'll take visitors and we'll follow it up with a drive through the wildlife refuge. Grandparents, be warned!

Pregnancy #4: 28 Weeks

Happy 3rd Trimester to this baby bump!

I can't believe there are only 10-12 weeks left before we become a family of six! I know from experience though that the last few weeks are the hardest. And longest. And slowest. And most uncomfortable.

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling great! My thyroid issue is under control and my numbers are totally normal now. I'm so happy about that! I have more energy and seem to think more clearly. Usually I'm pretty optimistic, but some days I just want to move to Australia.

I'm still walking two miles a day, six days a week! I'm getting stronger there too. I want to keep it up through September, then I might pull back to one mile a day. We'll see how I feel and how the weather holds up. Here's my latest update on my walks.

I'm still wearing much of the same clothes as I was before. I love soft, stretchy maxi skirts and they all still fit! My loser, longer shirts are doing well too. I made a moodboard of comfortable, modest maternity clothes similar to what I wear if you're interested.

I invested in a belly band a couple weeks ago and LOVE it! I got this one and wish it could go a little tighter but I think I'll be thankful for the extra room by the end. I wear the belt on my walks, when I'm doing standing-up chores like meal prep, vacuuming, mopping, etc., and on errands that require lots of walking, like getting groceries. The belt is comfortable when sitting but it does tend to creep up in the back. I feel that it helps my belly not be so heavy.

I'm so thankful for cooler weather and some rain! Those hot hot days were making me miserable! I've been sleeping better now that it's cool and have much less swelling in my feet. I'm taking the glucose test tomorrow and my 28-week appointment. Yuck! I'll keep you posted in another few weeks, or you can see weekly updates on Instagram (I'm Gibsongirl726).

Thought I'd end with a little nursery update! I love seeing pink! We have lots of clothes, though I'm not sure they're the right size for the seasons. Everything is hand-me-downs and furniture we already had. We need a crib! That's on our list for the next few weeks. I got a sweet little canopy for the crib and my BFF/SIL is helping me make a butterfly mobile. So excited!

Thanks for reading!

Maternity Wardrobe

Maternity Wardrobe 

I'm nearing the end of the second trimester of this fourth pregnancy, and let me tell you, I'm all about comfort! I'm finding maxi skirts, once again, to be the best thing out there, so I chose several for this set of clothes. I like loose fitting shirts and the most comfortable shoes I own are the only ones I wear!

Another goal in my wardrobe choice was to be able to mix and match. The red sweater and shoes would look cute with the blue dress, and the coral shirt would go with any of the skirts or pants. The chambray shirt has at least four pants/skirts that it would look great with, and so would either of the blue shirts. (The mint outfit is supposed to be pajamas! I think they'd be cute postpartum too.)

As we transition from summer into fall, it's been fun to add layers to my outfits. Scarves, a cardigan or a jean jacket make an old outfit seem new again. As the weather cools, I'll add leggings under my skirts and the sweaters will be worn all the time. I'm really hoping to stretch my wardrobe out to make it though the last 10-12 weeks.

What are your thoughts on a maternity wardrobe? 

How I Met My Husband {Repost}

10 years ago this weekend, Gary and I first met in person. 5 years ago, I wrote about it. Here's the repost in honor of the occasion.

**********

5 years ago today, I flew halfway across the country to spend the weekend with a man I had never before seen in person.

It's true!

Wanna hear more? Well, I feel like dishing, so here's the story:

I was teaching Kindergarten at a private church school in Las Vegas, about to begin my 7th year. Another teacher (one of 7 or 8--small school, remember?) was one of my closest friends. 

W and me

W had been pestering me for several months about her single brother-in-law. I was in Nevada, he was in Iowa, I was sorta dating someone, he was just out of a serious, long-term relationship, I wasn't interested. One day she looked at me and said, "You're not happy. You need to do something about it. Make some changes in your life!" We all need friends like that, don't we?

I told W that her brother-in-law, Gary, could have my email address, not my phone number. 

(Since then, I've learned that W's husband, my now-husband's brother, felt really awkward making that phone call! And Gary kinda rolled his eyes and agreed to email me only to get W to stop bothering him! Ha!)

A day or two later, I got an email from Gary. It was basically, hi-my-name-is-Gary-and-this-is-weird, tell-me-about-yourself. Still feeling the need to fulfill my agreement with W to at least get to know Gary a little bit, I replied. And he replied. And about that time, the angels started singing and everything started looking all shiny and rainbow-colored.

The emails continued through the first week, then we started instant messaging which lead to a real phone call (for HOURS) which lead to Gary buying a cell phone package with the same provider as I had so we could have anytime minutes. 

16 days from our first awkward email, he was in his truck driving south to St. Louis and I was in a plane flying east. 

An Allegiant airliner with The Strip and Mt. Charleston.

Ok, let me add a couple details that might make you feel a little better. (Hi Mom!) First of all, I had known W for several years and trusted her implicitly. We weren't just work friends. She had been part of Gary's extended family for 15 years and had spent many holidays with him. I had seen the family albums, heard the family drama, read the family Christmas letter. Second, we all belong to the same church. Not a specific building, but an organized Christian denomination with churches around the world. It's a sub-culture. Families have similar goals, individuals have similar morals, people have similar backgrounds, etc. Third, Gary and I had logged countless hours on emails and phone calls. I really felt like I knew him. Fourth, we had separate rooms, thank you. So yeah, it could have the potential to be dangerous, but I guess I was willing to take the risk. All in the name of love. Or glittery rainbows.

Waiting to board that plane was about the scariest thing I've ever done! Right next to walking off the plane and looking for a man I'd never seen in person. The worst part was the fear of "us" not working out! What if he walked funny and had weird mannerisms? What if he had chronic halitosis? What if we just didn't click?

Well, my wobbly- kneed, sweaty-palmed, thundering-hearted self made it to the main section of the airport (post 9-11, so he couldn't come to the gate). And there was Gary with roses and a huge grin. We fell into each other's arms and walked into the sunset.

Or not.

That first evening was AWKWARD. We were nervous and ill-at-ease, me far worse than him. I was having the hardest time matching the person with the emailing/phone-calling voice I knew. We started and stopped random topics. We would bring something up and realize that the stranger walking beside you already knew that story! Strange!

The next day was much better. We got out of the hotel and saw some sights. Finally got comfortable enough to talk! We had our first real date that night--dressing up, reservations, linens, candles, fancy courses... It was amazing. Then we went up in the Gateway Arch!

And then we walked into the sunset!

Well, kinda. :) But that's where I'm ending the story for now!