Today is a day I hate being at home all day. It is already turning out to be unproductive.

This weekend I got to do something that I not only love to do, but got to do for one of the most deserving people I know. In case you have missed the memo...I'm going to be an Aunt in November. So, this past weekend I hosted a luncheon and baby shower for Lydia and 9 of her most intimate friends and family. This shower was special to all of us because, as Lydia so perfectly put it, these were the people in her life that already loved and knew Baby Caleb, and were going to put all the effort they could into raising him with his parents. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I didn't get to take very many with my hostessing duties, but Lydia took a bunch and I am sure she will post an terrific collage later this week.

The presents!!! All this from 9 people. She really is loved :>).

Our lunch table. I broke out the china and flatware for this occasion!

Everyone enjoying lunch. Dave and I will be feasting on the leftovers for several days.

I have to explain the irony in this picture. This is, of course, me...sister-in-law Karen N to Lydia. And standing next to me, dressed in the exact opposite, is Lydia's other sister-in-law, Karen D. Isn't that funny!!! It must be the name (wink wink)

Lydia, Caleb, and the soon to be grandmothers!

To personalize the shower, we made a book for Lydia explaining all the reasons we thought she would be a good mother. We personalized our entries by telling a story about Lydia and explaining how that would make her a great mom. Here is Karen D reading her entry to Lydia. Needless to say, there were many tears shed during this part!

Caleb will be dressed to the nine's with all the cloths he got. One of my personal favorites was this Williams tshirt that grandma Norvell gave him. While it will be a few years before he can wear it, he will be representing for the Norvell family none-the-less.

I think this is a great picture to show how cute and trim Lydia is during her pregnancy! She was certainly glowing with energy all day, but I was so impressed with how she has managed to stay healthy and take good care of herself during this time. I hope I can do the same!!!

All in all, Saturday was an excellent day for us all. Not only did we get to grow closer to Lydia and to one another, but it was also a wonderful glimpse of all the women Caleb will have in his life.

Thanksgiving

This is a huge deadline for me. Huge. I am attempting to have all of my assignments for the entire semester finished by Thanksgiving. In reality, this only means one major paper for my Organizational Communication class, one time being the discussion leader, and my thesis. You see..Thanksgiving will bring much excitement. Not only is this my favorite Holiday of the year, but this year, around Thanksgiving, Caleb will be here. Caleb is my soon to be born first nephew, and the first grandchild on the Norvell side of the family, so he's a pretty big deal. When he comes, I just want to revel in that time. No worries about papers, tests (yes, I am actually taking tests this semester) or deadlines, just time with family celebrating this momentous occasion. Caleb carries so much honor in his life already. He is my first nephew, which means that he is going to be spoiled rotten by me and Dave. When Mom and Dad need a weekend away and Caleb stays with his aunt and uncle, it's gonna be ice cream at midnight, staying up as late as he wants, and all kinds of fun (hahaha...jk Jon and Lydia). In all seriousness, Caleb is going to have a different kind of place in the family. When you are the first at anything, first born son, first born girl, oldest child, first to get married, first to have kids, first to do anything in a family....it carries with it such significance. If you do something no one has ever done before, then it makes it just that much more exciting. In this case, Caleb IS something no one else is. First born grandchild. I hope he knows what he is in for. And just what might that be? Well, besides lots of over the top birthday presents, constant attention from the relatives, and a few years of having us all to himself, he is also faced with tons of unconditional love. So...at Thanksgiving, I know all of us Norvells will have something to be uniquely thankful for.

Our Labor Day

Several months ago when our wonderful President bestowed upon us some free money, Dave and I used half of it to buy a new TV and the other half Dave let me use to begin a redecoration of our Master Bedroom! I agonized over how to paint, decorate, and what colors to choose. I watch so many design shows on TV and they make it all look so easy and cheap. I quickly learned that it is not cheap, but it is somewhat easy. So, to make a long story short, yesterday I spent the afternoon sewing, hot gluing, and finishing some room projects that I had spent months collecting fabric and waiting for a few spare bucks here and there to make my bedroom dreams come true. It turned out different then I had originally envisioned, and for the most part, I am very happy with it. Looking back, there were a few things I would have done differently, but all in all, I am very pleased. For my first big decorating experience, I think we did a great job.

This is the bed and focal piece of the room. We decided on a main color scheme of greens and yellows. The bedding is almost entirely green and the walls are all the yellowish gold color. I still have to figure out what kind of throw pillows I want for the bed. I have some that my sister bought me, but I think I may end up using those in other places rather than the bed. The pink panel above the bed isn't that pink...it's more coralish to blend with the curtains below. We were originally just going to use yellows and greens, but then I found some fabric that I loved and we started to incorporate other colors.

One of the easiest and most fun projects was covering these lamp shades I bought. Our lamps were originally black, but I painted the bases and then made these shades to match the room. It was the easiest project of the day, and probably my most favorite little addition to the room.

Here is where the bulk of my work went yesterday...sewing the curtains. I am a very amateur seamstress. I just learned less than a year ago. All in all, they turned out well. My seams aren't perfectly straight, but close enough. I still need to make some ties to hold back the front green panels, but it's the back fabric that I found and fell in love with. I love it's sixties flair and fun, vibrant pattern. The flowers in this fabric made us begin to pull in other colors besides green and yellow, thus bringing the panels above the bed and hopefully some throw pillows (once I find or make the perfect ones).
Here's a close up of my fun curtains!

So, as you can see, everything is bright and vibrant (kind of like me!). We still have some blank places on the walls that need something, and we want a chair for one of the corners of the room, but I think those will have to be things we work on more long term. My next task is figuring out what kinds of throw pillows to put on the bed. Dave has been a gem in all of this. He has given his opinion, but has been very willing to see my visions and trust my imagination. He deserves a reward!