Due date +3

Summary of my day thus far:
crickets at the kratz home.....
first day of maternity leave and i was bored to death......
walked two and a half miles......
got a pedicure with my best friend......
rented 15 books from the library, almost finished one.....
ate an entire pineapple......

and then there were three...

My Papa called me yesterday.  He told me about when him and my Nana had their first child.  The conversation went something like this:

"I remember when there was just two, and then in one day--one moment, there were three.  Just like that....from two to three.  It was never the same."  He said "Everything changes for the better and changes forever...It is wonderful.  Some moments will be difficult, but all in all it is the best."

His call reminded me of a tree that Matt and I carved when we were engaged.  For over four years it has just been us two--and in a couple days it will be at least three forever.  It will never be just the two of us again......from M+H to M+H+W.  Crazy! 

Due date +2

He is still not here. Apparently the foot reflexology yesterday didn't work.

Though originally I was planning on working up until the moment I went into labor.  I decided yesterday that today will be my last day of work.  Maybe he won't come until I turn on my "Out of Office Auto Reply" and stop checking emails.  That being said, I am closing up shop today, all while bouncing up and down on my exercise ball.  Hoping that helps.

For now, he still has the "do not disturb" sign on his door.

Due date +1

William missed his due date. 

Today, my "What to Expect" tracker moved his size from a watermelon to a pumpkin. 

I have tried to coerce him out.  I have tried talking to him, bribing him with yummy milk, showing him his new room and even resorted to giving him a mini-spanking last night....but he's sticking in to his guns and staying in.

Before my Dr. Appt today, I am heading to get some foot reflexology in hopes that the "pressure points" are not a myth and that they send me into labor.  I'll keep you posted.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Everyone keeps asking me when Baby K will make his debut.   His due date is three days away on July 5th, but your guess is as good as mine. 

Dialation-wise, I haven't made any progress since the OBGYN started checking me three weeks ago.

Am I discouraged?  No.  Am I enjoying silence when I wake up?  Yes.  Do I like that I get to feed myself before I have to feed someone else?  Yes.  Do I like my tidy home.  Yes. 

I am enjoying this calm before the storm. 

Nesting? A good excuse for a kitchen makeover.

I could blame it on nesting, but I would be lying. I have wanted to give my kitchen a makeover ever since we moved in.

A little background: We purchased our home two years ago. It was a bank repo and what some would call "a house with potential," others would just call it a disaster. The first time we toured the house, we were appalled. Who, in their right mind, would choose to pair forest green carpet with red walls and mint green tile? Maybe in a future post I'll share the before and after shots of the rest of our home. But for now, a look at my new kitchen makeover. 

It wasn't a remodel—we opted for a more economical refresh.  Basically, painting the existing oak cabinets white and adding hardware. Simple enough right? NOT! For anyone who is interested in doing a similar makeover, the hardest part is picking the right color white for the cabinets. No matter what your husband tries to tell you: WHITE IS NOT JUST WHITE! There are so many variations, shades and undertones. And the shade that looks fabulous in the paint store, looks awful in your home. For a month, we lived with about 40 rotating paint chips taped to the cabinets. On them, I wrote down my favorites based on time of day (the sun and time of day make certain whites turn funky shades of green or yellow or pink) and finally narrowed it down to about a dozen.

After much internal debate, and purchasing 8 samples of the whites I had narrowed it down to, I settled on a Sherwin Williams grey hued white: Aesthetic White (#7035). We are very happy with the almost-final result. We need to add a backsplash at some point, but I am resigned to waiting a while for that. …. One project at a time!


Before: Light oak cabinets, Matt routed out four of the cabinet doors for glass to open it up a bit.

During: The painters masked off the entire kitchen and sanded, primed, sanded and painted in three days.

Almost there: It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do! Matt added molding to the island for architectural detail.

And the hardware is on: We chose basic round, brushed nickel knobs and matching pulls. The hardware on the island are a little more kitschy—vintage pulls from Anthropologie.

Golden Birthday in Napa

Here's the situation: My little sister Nicole celebrates her golden birthday this year--25 on the 25th of July.  My momma likes to plan a girls-getaway for our 25th birthdays.  A girls-getaway on July 25th might be kinda tough with a little boy relying on me for survival and nourishment.

Here's the solution: Early girls-getaway to Napa!  We celebrated over a month early, but I am so glad that we were able to make it happen.  What is better than a weekend of beautiful women, beautiful places, amazing food, relaxing by the pool and massages at the spa?  

Happy early birthday Nicole!

the four pics above: Rutherford Hill Winery

the three pics above: Opus One Winery

above: Auberge du Solei