Art Supplies Drive

As many of you know I am a huge fan of Art Feeds. Wren even dedicated her first birthday to them, collecting over $300. Not too shabby for a one year old! (click here to read a letter from Wren about Art Feeds)

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I've recently gotten a lot of questions on how people in NWA can help those who have been affected by the tornadoes in OK. While there are several options out there: donating to the Red Cross, donating to UW of Central OK Tornado Relief Fund, etc. this is the one that I'm personally getting behind  -- Art Feeds and Do Something have partnered together to send art packs to the children of Moore, OK to help start the healing process through creativity -- And I would LOVE your help in supporting them!

Kids are amazingly resilient. This is a very true statement. However, kids also have a totally different way of processing and dealing with grief, fear, and other emotions. That's where creativity comes in. Therapeutic art and creativity has been shown to have a major impact on helping kids overcome obstacles or recover from traumatic experiences. So, this is where you come in my friends.

I'm going to be sending a box (maybe several with your help) of art supplies to Art Feeds on Wednesday, May 29. My art supplies would love to be kept company by your art supplies! Here is the list:

Anything helps! Don't feel like you need to donate every supply on the list, but whatever you donate does need to be an unused supply.

Do you have a little artist? Have them draw a picture or send a word of encouragement for a kiddo in Moore!

Supplies and pictures can be dropped off at:
Chambers Bank locations (in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Johnson, Elkins and Goshen) Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am-5pm.

NWA Pilates Studio in Bentonville - Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:30-7:30pm

The First Annual Petree Family Vacation

We are planning our first family vacation and are so excited about all the possibilities that we don't know what to do! So, I'm turning to you for any thoughts, suggestions, or tips! Here are our ideas so far:

You're the only Tennessee!

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 This trip would include going to Memphis and Nashville....with a possible stop in Chattanooga.


A Lone Star Adventure!

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This one would be staying in Austin, Houston, and possibly swinging over to New Orleans! Bonus on this trip is that our awesome buddy Al has offered to let us stay with her when we visit Houston!! That means more beer money. :)


Wild Wild West!

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To UTAH!!! I was lucky enough to visit SLC, Park City, and Zion one time and I'm not sure all of me came back. So, basically I've been trying to get back out there for 10 years.


A few things to keep in mind:

• We have about a week-an-a-half for this trip.
• We will be traveling with a 15 month old.
• We will probably be driving wherever we go.(yikes!)

So experienced parents, vagabonds, and friends! What do you think? Any other locations we should think of? Lodging suggestions? Attractions? Restaurants?

hello,world

Wren Oliva Petree

April 1, 2012 at 1:33 am

6 lbs. 10 oz.

20 1/4" long

babye petree gets her groove on

I had a great post on the striped ceiling in baby petree's nursery, but blogger decided to eat it...after i spent forever writing and getting the photos placed. oh blogger, you and i might be headed for a separation...

anyways, it's friday!!! i hope you enjoy this little video of baby petree dancing to dave matthews band and enjoy your lovely weekend.

awesome.

 

when you have a vision for a photo shoot and one of your best friends happens to take awesome photos and doesn't mind you co-directing the shoot. (most photogs tend to get a little uppity about stuff like that)

after our second shower this weekend we had a semi-maternity shoot. i say semi because it wasn't as belly-centric as most maternity shoots. most maternity shoots just aren't my style. i know what i want. i have a vision. i also happen to have another half of my brain, my friend da, who i know just loves to work with my visions.

so on sunday morning we got up way before anyone should be up, trekked it down to fayetteville, got some donuts, and headed to the park to set up a "picnic" before the sun was up. it was chilly. it was damp. husband confirmed his status has quite possibly the most awkward person ever in front of a camera...and i fall close behind. but we had a blast.

here are a couple of pics from the shower to entertain yourselves with.

 
only 3.5 weeks until baby petree is set to make her grand entrance! we shall see if i make it that far. none of the hens seem to think i'll make it.

hello, coconut

baby w,

at 36 weeks you are the size of a coconut. the doctor says everything is looking great and that if you came right now you would more than likely be perfectly healthy. i hope you are happy in there because i'm not quite ready for you to join us yet.

even though you have now officially given me stretch marks, bruised my belly button, make me have to pee all the time, made my iron counts drop, and squirm around like it's nobody's business...i want you in there for as long as you can stand it so you come out perfectly baked.

and baby w, i want you to know that you are so worth every stretch mark, every bruise, every trip to the bathroom, and every uncomfortable squirm. i can't wait to hold you in my arms and kiss your soft little baby skin. you are so loved already, by so many....more than you will ever know.

an ugly "n" no more

maybe it wasn't so much ugly as just too plain. after all, the lines of it are perfect--a nice serif font. well, it is no longer ugly or plain.

for baby petree's room we decided to spell out her name using different letters that we found.  the poor "n" was just not cutting it so i decided to give it some character--with buttons.

it's very easy to do. just find some buttons and hot glue. that's it, you're set! and now it has pizzazz!

on a side note we are one month away from our due date!

our weekend in 3

1. baby head. baby petree was a movin' and a groovin' on saturday. that would be a head, or quite possibly a butt, jutting out from my belly.

2. musical genius. husband decided that sunday morning in bed would be a great time to introduce baby petree to some new music. the band of choice: band of horses. she seemed to dig it. {no judgement on the appearance please. i had just woken up.}

3. compost, baby. husband and i put together our new compost bin! now if only we could get our garden started.

things are a changin'

the two of us. may 2010

having a bebe and starting a family has changed a lot of things, but one of the things i am really looking forward to is starting new traditions. (i talked a little about traditions in this post)

when it was just husband and myself--before he was husband--we didn't really have traditions. it was just the two of us and life was crazy busy.  starting a family though, i want to soak it all in. make time to slow down. start traditions to look forward to.

i can't wait for family dinners. evening walks and bike rides in the summers. summer vacations. camping trips. holiday traditions.

i think about all the possibilities and it just sends a whole new bolt of excitement through me!

what are some traditions that you and your family have?

to dye or not to dye

i'm getting my hair did before baby petree's arrival. (thanks to my awesome girlfriends for the birthday gift!) however, i can't decide if i want to stay a brunette or if i want to go back to blonde.  Blonde takes some upkeep...is that really possible with a baby? which one really looks better with my skin tone?

what do you think? leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are!

august 19, 2011

baby girl,

that photo right there is from the day i found out i was pregnant with you. august 19, 2011.

so many emotions ran through me that day -- disbelief, shock, pure excitement, overwhelming sense of love and happiness. your aunt da had to bring me two more boxes of sticks to pee on...just to make sure they were all in agreement. after confirming with several sticks, we headed to the doctor's office to get the official word. after that it was time to figure out how to tell your dad.

i bought him a package of pacifiers, wrapped them up into a pretty package and put them in the console of my car. we had plans that night to go to an event in downtown rogers so giving him the present would have to wait until later that night. however, your dad is a snoop and when we went to pick up nana he looked in the console of my car and asked me about the pretty package. i told him that it was for him but he would have to wait until we got home that night to open it.

we went to 3rd friday with your nana, papa mark, auntie da and uncle ryan. we walked around and enjoyed the local artists. we ate dinner - where i turned down a beer which raised an eyebrow from everyone at the table. we listened to the live band playing. it was weird and amazing walking around knowing you were already growing inside of me. it was my little secret (well, mine and auntie da's) and i cherished that fact for the moment. it was an amazing thought to know that i would have you with me at next year's 3rd friday events.

and of course the whole night your dad kept bugging me about what was in the package. i'm pretty certain he was mainly afraid that he had forgotten some sort of occasion that warranted presents.

after the event we went home and got ready for bed. your dad excitedly brought in the package and asked if he could open it now. he was so excited to see what was in the pretty box!

he opened it...

and then he sat there confused. just staring at the tiny little pacifiers.

i told him he would be needing these in about 9 months. and he stared some more. it was a lot to take in.

after the staring came the excitement. we were beginning the last of our adventures as the two of us. in nine months we would have you, our beautiful baby girl, to join our adventures. and oh the adventures we will have, baby girl!

you have been loved since the moment i saw those pink lines and you will be loved more and more each and every day. you have already changed our world and made it a better one.

so that is the story of the day i found out you would make us a family. oh, you are wondering why am i standing there holding a happy 5 years sign? it was the 5 year wedding anniversary of a friend. why do i look so rough? well, let's just say that taking pregnancy tests while at work isn't the best idea...there was some crying involved. it's an emotional event and lord knows those hormones raging through your body produce tears like it's nobody's business.

design thursday: baby petree's nursery fabrics

guess what! the custom drapes and crib skirt for baby petree are in!!! and i could not be happier with the results! i know the pictures don't do it justice, but i was pressed for time and my iphone was just so handy vs. walking 10 steps for the real camera! i promise more pictures (with the real camera) when we get a little further along.

1. i started off with an inspiration picture of the kind of crib skirt i wanted and then did a drawing for the curtains. then it was time to shop for fabrics. and shop some more. and maybe just a bit more. but we found the right stuff, baby!

2. the next shot is of me putting everything together in one spot to see what it will look like.

3. & 4. the finished goods are in!

5. the curtains are hung with care.

6. husband holds up the crib skirt to try and picture what it will look like.

7. i was trying to get a good shot of the floor, ceiling, and curtains....the lighting was not working for me.

they look really amazing in person! a lady name shana down at the rabbit's lair did all the sewing. if you have any custom projects you need done i would highly recommend her.

i'm hoping that the ceiling will be all finished up next week so i can get some good pics of it and do a "how to" post on striped ceilings on a textured surface. hear that husband? the ceiling is calling your name to finish it. it would like its time in the spotlight next week. :)

happy thursday, dear readers!

random ramblings: debatable buzz edition

 just kids bein' kids...before the days of facebook.

amy and juls 2001 & 2002

one of my oldest friends, amy, posted on facebook today about a hot topic on "the view" -- snooping on your kids. the discussion was about monitoring their comuputer usage, reading their texts, etc.  here is my rant that i posted in regards to the post.

I don't think it is necessary for any child who isn't of driving age to have a cell phone. If we (the parents) decide that they need a cell phone before that age then it will be one of those that can only dial like 4 numbers...no texting.

As far as computer usage and accounts...I'm going to have to go with full parental access until 17 (yes, I randomly pulled that number out of my bum). The internet is just not a safe place and that is really all there is to it. Kids are kids and they don't always think things through. They are always going to be a little naive and impulsive. They believe they are invincible so going to meet up with that cute guy/gal they met on the internet sounds like a good idea. Also, with all the cyber-bullying nowadays it's nice to have that access as a parent.
I would never read my child's personal journal. You want to go old school with your pen and paper? I will respect that. Not much trouble can come from the people you meet in your own head.
I don't believe in snooping on your children unless it becomes an urgent/emergency/life or death situation. They would know full well where we stand on the issues of all of these things. I grew up in a house with very open communication and I really feel that is the only way to go. Now if I can just figure out the keys to making sure my child feels the same way...

While I'm on my rant...kids are kids and they need to maintain that. Our society moves so fast and our children are pressured to grow up before they can really enjoy being a kid. I'm sure they will not like that I don't allow all-you-can-play-video-gaming, unlimited texting, or no make-up until you are (enter random age here) but as a parent I want them to enjoy and cherish every moment of not feeling stressed and pressured.

As I'm typing this I'm really starting to stress about what I'm in for here.....only 7 more weeks until I embark on the wonderful journey of parenthood.

what about you? what are your thoughts on this topic? are you a parent of a tween or teen? how do you handle it? are you kids all grown now? what are some of your suggestions for maintaining an open line of communication with your children and making sure they are comfortable coming to you with anything?

a giveaway

 

about a year ago i set up a little design side project called owl good studios. this project came about because the job i was working at the time would not allow you to have any other job--whatsoever. so, i came up with a different name to work under. 

owl good studios is your one stop creative shop -- graphics, printed goods, interiors, i even dabble in some photography. and i use dabble very loosely, i am in know way a real photographer.

with all the life changing events that have been going on over the past year or so, my poor little pet project hasn't been very loved. but i'm really hoping to focus on growing it over the next couple of years! so, with that being said i'm attempting my first giveaway/mini-contest! 

we are currently at 82 "likes" on the old facebook page. if we can get to 100 by march 1st we will give away a set of personalized note cards! what are you waiting for? get over to owl good studios facebook page, hit like and help us reach our goal for the giveaway!

here are some examples of printed goods and a couple of photos:

 

i would love your support!  happy tuesday!

our weekend in 4

this weekend i really tried to do much of nothing. it kind of worked.  we will basically be insanely busy every weekend until the baby comes so i really wanted to soak in the laziness, and apparently laziness doesn't make for great photos. but here is what we did...

1. num. num. num. saturday morning my awesome mom took me out to breakfast at this little french dessert salon and cafe in dotoro (downtown rogers) and then we hit up the mall to do some shopping for my birthday! it was a much needed break from the real world. oh, and those would be cornmeal pancakes with honey butter and nutella....yeah, you might need to wipe that drool off of your keyboard now.

2 & 3. this is hog baseball. and more specifically this is baby petree's first hog baseball game. it was such a great afternoon with friends at the ballpark. perfect weather. hogs won. and any time spent with "the crew" is guaranteed fun.

4. husband and ponca do some gardening. most of sunday was spent doing laundry and other mundane household chores.(it's a glamorous life i know) husband likes spicy things...no. no, husband loves spicy things. so this year husband will be growing the hottest peppers in the world. i'm not sure i see this ending well.

so another weekend pre-baby can be marked off the calendar. it's getting so close! we start our 4 week "prepared childbirth" class this week and then the showers and the final push to ready the house are not too far away

how did you spend your weekend?

i should never have gotten out of bed

i really was going to do a nice design thursday post today...but then i got out of bed. and pretty much everything went downhill from there.

so that picture right there is of me trying to show you the giant hole in my pants -- that i didn't discover until i got to work. yeah, that's always a fun discovery. especially when you have a lunch meeting to go to. oh, and it's the only pair of work pants you fit into.

oh, and then i go to the lunch meeting only to get out of my car and immediately drop my phone under the car parked next to me. i then proceed to get my 8 months pregnant butt down on the ground, lay on my side, and reach frantically to try and grab my phone. praying i'm not squashing baby petree too much. this was not a pretty site folks. especially with my polka dot underoos on full display through the aforementioned hole in the bum of my pants.

the worst part is that people are walking by me the whole time this is going on. really? you just walk by when you see a very pregnant lady laying on the ground? i'm very concerned about our society today.

but on the bright side it is thursday. which means tomorrow is friday. thank goodness. and now that i have vented, and shown the general public my bum, i feel much better.

serious question

has a baby ever actually punched through its mother's abdomen...because i'm pretty sure this little girl is right about there.

we had our 31 week doctor visit last friday and everything is right on track! 26 pounds gained and measuring exactly at 31. sidenote: i bought a dress at 28 weeks and i couldn't fit in it when i went to get dressed this morning... that was fun.

sorry for the terrible iphone pic...we have been so busy we haven't had time to take any with the regular camera.

husband

i love you more than anything. more than ever. more than words.

thank you for reminding me my blog needed some lovin'.

happy valentine's day

I received this text from husband today. it made my entire day. thank you, husband, for always brightening my days and for filling my life with more love and happiness than i ever thought possible.

{note: the picture was edited to keep baby petree's name a secret until she arrives! and to keep husband from being embarrassed by one of his nicknames.}

DIY: Jewelry Board

i don't know about all y'all (oh yes, i just typed that) but i own a fair amount of jewelry. yet, i'm not really sure what i own because it has lived in a giant tangled mess, in a giant cardboard box over the last several (ahem, 5, ahem) years. it's not like i haven't wanted to something with it. i've just never really been sure what to do. i definitely wasn't going out to buy a giant jewelry armoir. and my two jewelry boxes were not enough. so, when husband inherited some lovely peg board a while back i started formulating a plan. 

the plan originally consisted of spray painting a lovely stencil on the pegboard, but it still looked like, well, like pegboard. and that in my bedroom? i think not. so i was back to square one. 

this past weekend we worked in our bedroom instead of in the nursery. we got curtains put up, a new laundry hamper and a dresser moved to make room for the co-sleeper. and then i looked down and the giant cardboard box, we shall call him seymore, was looking up at me. i informed seymore that we had had a good run of it, but that it was time to part.

i had recently seen this big corkboard in a magazine and fallen in love with it. i did not however fall in love with the price of it.

via ballard designs 

with that as my inspiration i set out to make my own for $50 or less.

i -- perhaps i'll start saying we since husband was a very integral part in this project -- we started with the plain old peg board. isn't she a beaut!

then we used some industrial strength adhesive to glue the cork on the board. husband doesn't mess around with his adhesives!

 

after letting the adhesive cure, we covered the board in duck cloth. i cut the cloth down to size.

 

then we stapled it with the staple gun. yes, i know you didn't get to see the fun stapling process, but i would hold the fabric tight and husband would staple. it took all of our hands. 

after that we flipped the board over and stuck the furniture tacks around the edges. what? no pictures? no, i was too busy being incredibly picky about the spacing of the tacks to pick up the camera. then it all went out the window 'cause i was tired of standing.  so, what you will want to do is space out your tacks, then come back with a hammer and tap them into the board.

after we stuck the tacks around the edges we secured a heavy duty picture wire to the back for hanging it on the wall.

after that we hung it on the wall and i used some more furniture tacks to start hanging my necklaces. 

and there you have it, folks! that's it. it's that easy. i haven't made it completely through seymore yet, but i'm working on it.

my face

before labor & delivery class

after labor & delivery class

 the morning after labor & delivery class

ok, not really but it was an interesting class. and i really didn't get a wink of sleep last night. husband was nice enough-- or my banging around in the kitchen looking for snacks was nice enough --to wake up at 2:30 am to chat with me too. isn't he the best! here is hoping that breast feeding class goes better tomorrow night. oh! and DIY Design Thursday is tomorrow! happy wednesday!

our weekend in 5

1. a lazy morning with a toasted onion bagel with onion & chive shmear and some coffee. why can't every morning be like that?

2. husband treated me to my first mani & pedi since i found out i was pregnant. yes, i waited this long. i'm only slightly paranoid about fumes and staff infections.

3.saturday night we celebrated my friend amanda's birthday. it was a great time...until the heartburn and the backaches hit. i'm just a giant ball of fun!

4. our windows now have accessories! we got new curtains and i must say, i didn't know what pur room was missing until we hung those bad boys up.

5. a little peek at a DIY Design Thursday project!

Happy Monday!

random ramblings

 

dress: old navy; boots: nine west; socks: kohl's 

--it's the first day of february and the high is supposed to be around 63 today. (that's right, i'm doing weather shtick today) i have decided that if i'm not going to get my precious snow days then i'm ready for winter to be over and the temps to be like this everyday.

--i read a little article on katherine heigl's rant about the show dance moms. i hadn't seen the show before so i immediately had to check it out since it was apparently the worst ever. wow! she wasn't kidding! that show and the people in it are so far off their rockers and out of touch with reality that it isn't even funny. and the poor kids! isn't anybody thinking about these poor children? no, b/c as long as the moms get their drama and part of the spotlight then all is right in their world. it's messed up people.

--what is up with pregnancy dreams? can i just tell you a little about one i had? you might want to get a good cuppa and curl up for this one. ok, so i dreamed that i went to the doctor and he informed me i wasn't pregnant, but rather i had a giant tumor. he then cut me open, while i was awake, and inside the tumor was a litter of kittens. the doctor looked at me and said, "oh, ok. i know what is going on now. have you eaten chinese food lately? sometimes they cook with cat food and your body then produces a litter of kittens to eat it." -- ok, seriously? how weird is that?