Going into the last stretch of deployment

AND IT FEEELS SO GOOD!

I didn't think I would be able to make it through, but now that the home stretch is in the future I am getting more and more excited. Just wanted to brag, and thats really all!

Apparently when you get pregnant you get crafty

I have been scanning Pinterest for a while now looking at all those adorable hats people put their newborns in and take photos of.  I went to Etsy and browsed some shops and I realized they can range from $25-50 a piece!  Then, I went to Walmart and looked at yarn and saw yarn was only about $4 for a ball.

I decided from that point on that I was going to learn how to crochet.  Mostly for my wallet because I could have easily bought 4 or 5 of those adorable hats and booties.  I found this really awesome blog online Crochet School Lessons (that is the lesson for the above piece.)

I would recommend if you are trying to learn how to crochet, start from the beginning and go through the entire "school".  I tried to learn the basics and then use a book and as soon as I looked at a pattern and tried to start a blanket I got really confused.  So now I am back to practicing.


Do any of my followers crochet?

Mother Fears? First Official Pregnant Crying Breakdown.

Well it has happened.  I had my first irrational crying episode... in the car.  I had Glee Pandora playing on my radio, happily singing some Gotye when this song comes on. In the beginning I start singing along, but happy singing took a hormonal twist.

Then it hits me out of no where.  Blurs of my teenage years when I questioned everything about myself.  And I thought to myself, "Oh my. How am I going to deal with Zoë going through her teenage years?"  I know this is an odd thought but I do not want my child to ever think that she needs to change her appearance to feel better about herself.  One personal instant sticks in my mind the most.  When I was in middle school my teeth were in pretty rough shape.  It was obvious that I needed braces.  Every day on the bus a boy would tell me that no one will ever date me because of my teeth.  I made my mom take me to an orthodontist just to see how much it was.  When the orthodontist told my mother how much it cost JUST to get them put on, it was out of the question.  I cried at the orthodontist because all I wanted was to have nice looking teeth.  But I wonder if this little boy didn't tease me on a daily basis if I would have grown to accept my teeth (I ended up getting braces not long after).  You know how many people have something to say about my "butt-chin"?
"Haha, you can wipe your butt and blow your nose at the same time."
Original, and no one is laughing.  Your 25? You are very mature for your age.

People are mean.  I want to protect my daughter from everything and she isn't even here yet.  Actually, I would love to save every teenage girl from going through self-doubt.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually hypnotize people like Hal from the movie "Shallow Hal"? I am pretty sure that would be AWESOME.

#198 Flip and Sell a house for a profit

Well, as much as I would LOVE to check this off my list, I don't know if it really counts because it's technically my husband's home we are selling.  In all fairness, I was with him the entire way.  I was with him when we had to order take out for a few days because we had no kitchen.  Or had to make frequent trips to Lowes to use their restroom because we were waiting to put our toilet back into place after the tile was set. (Not to mention Lowes employees know me and a lot about our home.)

It has definitely been an experience.  Buying a house that needs some love, and putting all your love into your home and then signing papers to sell is a very overwhelming experience.  I have learned a lot of things along the way though (make sure circuit is completely off before trying to change an outlet is a good learning experience.  Or that you MUST wait the 4 weeks after killing weeds to plant grass or else grass won't grow).  Here are some before pictures that I tried to round up (we don't have too many)

Our original cabinets 

We only kept the fridge.  Our old cabinets were particle board and peeling off.  I couldn't even reach the cabinet over the fridge, it was a useless cabinet. And that sink...augh

Our new kitchen arrives!

Our old sink.  The nasty walls and more nasty shots of our cabinets.  When we pulled all of these cabinets out there were masses of roach nests underneath (insert vomiting here). Although we had bombed the place several times, it was a nice feeling to get to the root of the problem and clean it all out.  Roach problem- Solved.

Here is the famous Lou- Small sized- Modeling our awesome shower that had a serious black mold problem.  When we ripped the tile off the wall we actually had to replace dry wall because the mold ate away the old walls.  Yes.  It was nasty, and another health violation!

Our bathroom, needed a lot of love.  Starting with a floor.  We had added the above cabinet already because there was no storage in the bathroom to put all our stuff.

Unfortunately I have no photos of our bedrooms.  Both bedrooms were painted a very light purple by the previous owners.  I am pretty sure there was crayon on every single wall when we moved in.  Crayon and pencil EVERYWHERE throughout the home.  Also, all of the screens to the windows and the doors (front and back) were completely damaged and needed to be replaced.  There were no closet doors at all in the house and the ceiling fans were cheap.  Here are our after photos...

 Our backyard.  Planted grass and flowers.  We have a little sprinkler system to keep the lawn hydrated

The front of the house, part of the kitchen and the dining area

The kitchen, all new appliances.  We added a microwave hood.  The useless cabinet turned into a very useful wine rack.  The cabinets are no longer particle wood! Hooray- nothing is better than hardwood cabinets.  The nasty white tile- gone and replaced with something more fashionable.  Granite countertops, because honestly...how do you not have granite countertops in your kitchen?  Sink new and approved, and turns on with a touch.  We also have soft close cabinets and a pull out drawer pantry which is a must in Hawaii when you are dealing with space problems.

The Bathroom was also completely gutted and redone.  We went with bronze fixtures throughout the bathroom. We added more storage space for our goods (I don't know if you have ever lived in a place with one bathroom, but you need all those cabinets and shelves!).  

 Our living area.  And a little glimpse of our lanai outback.  Not much was done to this room except a paint job over the purple and the crayon, new ceiling fan and new outlets.  Oh, and the worlds comfiest couch.

Our guest room/ Computer room/ Green room.  The closet door was a hard fix because it ended up being weird dimensions that they don't make doors for.  We opted for the curtain.  It was not a choice that we wanted to make but it was better than an empty door frame.

Master Bedroom.  Yes, all those clothes in that closet are my husbands! 

Surprisingly everyone who saw our house LOVED our color choices.  We knew painting the walls (especially the green room and the bathroom) was a risk, but we got an asking price bid three days after the house was on the market.  I would say we had great success with our first home.

My husband paid for the house $256,000 three years ago when we moved to Hawaii.  We listed the home at $285,000 which after commission and closing fees and the amount of money we put into the place...we are walking away with a profit.  Not a HUGE profit...but a profit!

Baby Zoë update

(21 weeks)

In the past month I have only had one doctors appointment.  It was pretty routine and about 5 minutes long.  It was brief, the doctor checked her heart beat and I got my stomach measured for the first time because I have a little bump going on now. This week I will be 24 weeks done!

Zoë has been pretty active, she is definitely a kicker.  My husband got to take a week of leave to sort things out with the house and he actually got to feel her kicking and moving around in there.  I also downloaded this app called "Baby Beats" on the iPhone and it's really neat! It allows you to hear your baby's heartbeat.  I don't know how it works but it's pretty amazing.

I purchased a baby book that I am starting to doodle in and write little notes.  I might make a scrapbook later on when we settle down in Georgia/Florida.  I haven't really even bought anything yet for her.  I did by this pretty awesome outfit from Carters...

Pretty much my two favorite things wrapped up in one...tutu's and cats.  And how cute is that beanie?? This will be one of the first outfits she will be fashioned in. I know...I am a crazy cat woman.


I also got this...

Love the baby carriage for pandora.


So that's pretty much it for updates on the little Laccetti. Everything is going good, I feel great (thank goodness) and I am getting anxious and excited for her arrival.

My Hectic Life

So I know I haven't posted in almost a month! (Bad Brittany!).

I have been incredibly busy this past month.  I don't even know where to begin.  Ever since my husband got his new orders to Kings Bay Georgia,  I have been SO busy with trying to sell our home, our car, working, growing a baby, dealing with a deployed husband, and setting up a move and a game plan for September when we are officially detached from Pearl Harbor!

So I am sorry for the lack of posts, and for the next 5 binge posts that I am going to make.  I also haven't had any time to read any new books, so unfortunately I do not have any new book reviews either.  But the good news is that I plan I starting Time Travelers Wife today so hopefully it doesn't take too long.