Baby Shower

Our baby shower was last Saturday. It was awesome! We got so many things and shockingly we don't have doubles of anything! We received lots and lots of clothes, some diapers, wipes, toys, blankets (2 were hand made!), a high chair/booster seat, my dream diaper bag, towels, and so much more!

My sister Stephanie made this cake. Isn't it frickin' cute! Zebra layer, giraffe layer and an elephant topper. All made by Steph.

Another picture of the awesome cake.

These are all of the presents. People went nuts shopping!

And I'm so happy they did! :)

This tray was used for one of the games. Afterwards I got to take all the goodies on it.

Me opening up one of the many gifts.

And trying to hide from the camera.

The baby shower was awesome! My Mom and sister Samantha planned all of the activities. They did a great job. There will be more pictures coming as soon as I get my hands on my Mom's camera.

Baby Shower Eve

It's kinda like Christmas eve around here! I'm so excited for the baby shower tomorrow! I'm REALLY looking forward to the good food, ha ha!

On a side note, I've ordered some books from ebay and I can't friggin wait for them to be here. Like I said, It's like Christmas time in the Perkins house!!

101 Things I love

I'm making this list so I can look at it whenever I'm feeling down or troubled. This has helped me find myself and not take things for granted. I am a lucky person. I have an amazing life. It is about time I appreciate it.

The following is a list of 101 things that make me blissfully happy:

1. My husband, the love of my life, Justin
2. Our baby boy, Jasper
3. Sitting by a river
4. Walking on the beach
5. Christmas
6. Disneyland
7. Road trips
8. Laying my head in my special spot on Justin's chest
9. Autumn
10. The color of deep amber
11. When the trees change colors
12. Blossoms on trees
13. Peonies
14. Reading a good book
15. A farm
16. The smell of the country
17. Clear night skies
18. A clean house
19. Gardens
20. Koi fish ponds
21. Full moons
22. Pumpkins
23. Camping
24. Playing games
25. Fuzzy slippers
26. Churros
27. Getting my hair done
28. Going to the movies
29. Wolves
30. The idea of fairies and magic
31. Kittens and Puppies
32. Crabbing
33. Getting a new tattoo
34. Justin's muscles
35. Fireworks
36. The smell of a campfire
37. Not having to go to work
38. Cotton candy once a year
39. Swimming when it's hot out
40. Falling snowflakes
41. The zoo
42. The aquarium
43. The smell when the first raindrops fall and wet the ground
44. Love notes
45. A great nights sleep
46. Taking a bath and relaxing
47. Our cats
48. A hot cup of coffee
49. Watching a storm
50. Family get togethers
51. The excitement of concerts
52. Eating amazing foods
53. Home cooked meals
54. Having the toilet paper go "over" not "under"
55. Rainbows
56. Stretching after a workout
57. Apple picking
58. Home grown tomatoes
59. Staying in a hotel
60. Being loved and respected
61. The black and orange woolly caterpillars in the fall
62. Dark, dark bedrooms for sleeping
63. Wandering around stores/second hand stores/mall leisurely
64. Good hearty laughing
65. The way my legs feel after I shave and moisturize
66. Whimsical country style
67. Working out in workout clothes
68. Laying out in the sunshine
69. Smiling when I'm happy
70. Mood music, upbeat for peppy, something to sing with for lovey, songs that are a bit naughty
71. Amazing views
72. Baking with an apron on
73. Books and bookmarks
74. Putting on fresh pj's and lounging all day
75. Putting on warm sweats/sweatshirt after a day of swimming in the river
76. A massage from Justin
77. Getting my nails done
78. Giving the cats catnip and watching them act goofy
79. Clean sheets and pillowcases
80. Painted tootsies
81. Romantic passion and sex with my husband!
82. Getting surprised with a gift
83. Oversized plush towels
84. Chopping wood
85. Beautiful classical music that perfectly describes love
86. Dangling my feet into the water
87. Photographs of Scotland, Ireland and Alaska
88. Unhurried hiking
89. Picnics
90. Sunlight breaking through the forest onto moss covered ground
91. Birds, bird seed and bird baths
92. Chickens
93. Doing daily chores on a farm like feeding all of the animals
94. My wedding ring
95. Good magazine subscriptions
96. Ice cream cones
97. Shimmery things like sand, snow, or stones
98. Amethyst
99. Sitting by a fire, inside our out
100. Birds singing
101. Flowers blooming
102. Perfume

And there it is! What makes me happy, peaceful, loved and zen!

My First Onesie

I was bitten by the sewing bug! I've never used a sewing machine before this project. EVER! For some reason I was feeling very crafty and decided that I wanted to take up sewing. It would be a great way for me to get crafty and the final products would actually be useful. Always a plus! My first attempt into the world of sewing was a onesie for Jasper. I probably could have picked an easier first project but this was so much fun and knowing that I was making something useful for Jasper was kind of exciting in an extremely cheesy way.

I didn't have a pattern so I took one of the shorts onesies we purchased and winged it. The "shorts onesie" is just a regular onesie but with a tank top upper half and shorts for the bottom.

I am so proud of how this turned out! In the beginning I was wondering if I was going to ever actually put this on Jasper. Now I can say I can't wait until he's here so I can try it on him!

The front of the onesie.

A different angle of the front

The back, I love the pearl snaps on the fanny. Butt bling!

A close up of the collar area and the snaps on the neck.

A different view of the top of the onesie.

I'm going to add a little pocket to the right butt cheek, maybe the left too. On the front I'm going to go on an applique hunt for something really cute and boyish. So this onesie still has some finishing touches I'd like to add to really make it pop and be cute. I can't wait until I can actually put it on Jasper to see how it fits!

Country Dreams

It's my dream to live in a fairie-esk country setting. With chickens, god how I want chickens. A nice private house with very distant neighbors and lots of space. We will have a garden, and chickens of course. Maybe a goat, a duck, a goose, a cow, some dogs, outside cats. There has to be a pond for them all to play in. And since there's a pond, some koi fish and regular old goldfish. There will be a vegetable garden and a flower garden. A nice water feature to go with the pond.

The house will sit on at least a few acres, more would be nice but we don't want to get so much land that we don't use it all. The house itself can either be a fixer upper or move in ready. It just depends on which one gives us the best land/house package deal. I would actually prefer to have a fixer upper because then we can (slowly but surely) customize it to our liking. Down to the very last detail.

My top priorities are:
the location must be able to have chickens - I want them that bad!
4 bed
2 bath
NO MOLD!
garage or shop
lots of space
long driveway

Wish list:
nice size kitchen w/island
2nd living room or "mancave"
fenced in section of property
barn

So many things I will do when we have this house of our dreams.

Jasper Update

Dear Jasper,

Me and your daddy went to the doctor today for a prenatal checkup. Everything is normal and looking good. I've gained a grand total of 17lb so far. That is measuring from my lowest weight during pregnancy to my highest, which is now. Ulgh, thanks a lot, ha ha! I'm actually only 11 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight so that's not too bad. I tell people the latter numbers. :) My blood pressure was excellent, 122/67.

When the nurse assistant tried to find your heartbeat you were a little wiggle worm. She would find it for a second and then you'd move away. It cracked her up! She thought it was the funniest thing. Then she asked your name and started talking to you. You wiggled even more! When she put her hand on my tummy to try to find your position you kicked her like a kung fu pro. Eventually another nursing assistant came in and after a few wiggles from you she was able to find it long enough to get a reading. Your heartbeat was 150-ish. Kind of hard to measure it when you kept moving away or kicking the doppler.

Then our doctor Amy Card came in and felt your position, head down. You kicked and punched her too. You were vicious today!

We asked her about the delivery room and how we can keep people out. She told us that the hospital has no problem corraling the unwanted visitors and ushering them out. :) You have no idea how much of a huge stress releiver that is!! And, if we request no visitors, which we will, then the receptionist people will not even be able to buzz the unwanted's back! Woop woop! No visitors until we are all good and ready for them. Darn straight!!

It's not that I'm against the family because I'm sooooo not. But having you is going to be pretty overwhelming for me, to say the least. The last thing I need is throngs of family members breezing in and out of our room, opening and closing the door, catching some nice flashes of my hoo-ha(among other body parts) while I'm panting, anxious and grumpy with sweat matting my hair. Ya, I'm really going to want visitors, I'm sure.

After you are born I have a whole new set of reasons. Me and your daddy want some time to bond with you as a family. To hold you close, cuddle with you and revel in the fact that you are our baby. Man, that just blows me away. You are going to be our baby.

On top of getting some much needed family cuddly bonding time, me and you are going to be learning how to breastfeed. Again, people coming in and out of the room to meet you is not my idea of fun when my boobies will be out. Not. Fun. How are we supposed to get the hang of things when family keep interupting?

Soooooo, our plan is that no one but me and your daddy will be in the delivery room. After you are born we are going to play it by ear and allow about 2 family members back at a time ONLY after we have had as much time with you as we want. Whether it be a half hour (doubtful) or 6. Selfish, maybe, but that's one of the perks of being the mommy and daddy. We got dibs on you! :)

The Accidental Demon Slayer - Part 2

This was such a great book! One of the best I've read in a long time. It was hilarious, sexy and witchy. What's not to love? The authors name is Angie Fox and you should check out her website. She has some fun quizzes on there. Let's see my biker witch name is Lusty Lucinda No Pants. So, my biker witch alter ego is...a streaker. Awesome. Justin's biker witch name was Chicken Legs Hard Rider. Ha ha ha! Chicken Legs, cracks me up. My supernatural pet is Zippy the three-headed dragon. Suh-weet!! Dragons rock, fire is fun (and smells so good), and come on who's gonna mess with you with a guard dragon around? What's your supernatural pet?

Baby Dragon

I had hoped she'd written another book and that it continued with this story, well guess what? She's written two!! SCORE! Man, I can not wait for those books to get here.

The Accidental Demon Slayer

I recently got a new book for my birthday and I haven't had a chance to really sit down and read it. So guess what I'm doing tonight? I'm reading!! In case you didn't catch it, the book is called The Accidental Demon Slayer. I'm only a few chapters in but it's hilarious. She's a new author and this was her first book. I think she may have another one out now. Anyways, the book is calling my name. I'm off to read!!

101 in 1001

I've seen this done by many people and it's too much of a great idea to pass up. I actually did something like this when I was younger. It had random, outrageous things on there that weren't entirely possible for me to complete. This list will be practical but challenging. I mean, why have a list of mundane things that are easily accomplished right? Right.

1. Stop talking to myself

JUST KIDDING! Like that would ever happen. Besides, I keep myself good company. And without further adu...Zee leezt!
Source

The Ultimate Goal: Complete 101 tasks in 1001 days. This is about 2.74 years or 33 months or 143 weeks

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must be realistic but take work on your part to achieve. They're called goals for a reason people. They are happy finish lines in the races towards bettering yourself.

Start Date: February 7, 2010
End Date: November 4, 2012

Red - completed!

Body Wellness
Get down to 160lb by 10lb increments (0/10)
Get out of the house and do something once a week (3/143)
Stretch out once a week (0/143)

Eat it
Give up soda for 1 week
No eating after 7pm for 1 month
Eat dinner with the tv off for 1 week
Go one month without eating a single fast food item
Make homemade dinners from scratch (2/30)
Try new foods (0/12)
Drink 64oz of water every day for 1 month
Put together a cheat sheet of easy dinner recipes (0/30)

Loving Myself
Read at least one book a month (4/33)
Treat myself to coffee (0/12)
Shop victoriously on ebay (3/3) COMPLETED 2-12-2010
Take a relaxing candle-lit bath with a good book (2/66)
Get a professional haircut (0/3)
Get my foot tattoo touched up and finished
Get a new tattoo
Make a list of 101 things that make me happy PROOF
Change my hair color

Financial
Pay off all credit card debt IN PROGRESS
Pay off personal loan IN PROGRESS
Use coupons to shop (0/30)

Be Creative
Post photos I've taken to my blog (4/143)
Paint a picture
Enlarge a personal photo to poster size
Sew a onesie COMPLETED 2-13-2010 PROOF
Sew a pair of baby shoes PROOF
Sew a pair of baby pants
Write a poem

Acts of Kindness
Smile (not a creepy smile) to a stranger once a week for a month (0/4)
Don't glare at people I don't know
Forgive people - hard to measure but it's important to be on my list

Justin
Once a month date night with Justin (1/33)
Give a gift to Justin just because
Give Justin massages (2/12)
Watch the sunset together
Go to a concert together
Try new positions (0/5)

Family Relationships
Get together with my sisters (1/15)
Have dinner with my parents (1/4)
Have dinner with Debbie (0/4)
Send x-mas cards to all friends and family (0/2)
Go to the family reunions

Jasper
Breastfeed/pump for at least 3 months
Take Jasper for a walk twice a week (0/286)
Wean Jasper from the bottle when he's 1

Family Firsts
Trip to the beach
Trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Trip to the Oregon Zoo
Trip to the Bayfront
Go camping
Go on some kind of vacation
Day trip to a state park and have a picnic
Trip to the snow
Go fishing
Go clam-digging
Go craw-dadding

Home is Where the Heart Is
Stay on top of the laundry - this includes folding/hanging
Deep clean house once a month (0/33)
Install fan/heat light in bathroom
Clean out kitchen cupboards and organize
Install air conditioner
Paint all rooms of our home (0/5)

Random
Visit the Newport Saturday Farmers Market
Go to the Toledo Wednesday Main Street Market
Quit swearing for 1 month
Make a new "101 Goals in 1001 Days" list

I've been working on this a few days now and I realize there aren't 101 goals yet. I'll keep updating until there are but I didn't want to keep sitting on this.

Belly Shots

While we were over at my parents' super bowl party my sister Samantha did a small prenancy photo shoot for us. I'll let the pics do the talking...

Caught him in the act.

Mine is bigger than yours is!

Justin didn't want to take pictures anymore.

We heart Jasper!

We are so excited to meet you!!

Five year plan

Me and Justin have a loose five year plan. I'm happy that for once there is some outline of our future. It's very reasuring.

Year 1- This year our goal is to get our finances stable and get our heads above the water. To do this will not require getting more money, but re-evaluating how we are spending it. We could have so much money if we would just be rational with it and not frivilous. with Jasper right around the corner it is so important for us to get this under control. We're always buying things that we don't need.

Years 2 and 3- Pay off our debt. Sounds easy but I estimate we are going to need 2 years to accomplish this. On top of our credit card bills we have a loan that was the worst mistake EVER and I want gone.

Year 4- With any good luck we will have all debt paid off at this point and only be paying our usual monthly bills. Year 4 will be the year of savings. We will put anything and everything away into our savings account and build it up up up!

Year 5- We continue to save, and start looking at buying a house. When we find one we like, we use the savings as our down payment.

This plan is do-able but it's going to take a lot of discipline and unfortunately, we both have none.

We are really hoping the future pans out as we expect it to. Justin is currently studying to be a parole and probations officer, with straight A's so far I might add!! His schooling will be completed on September 28th, 2011. We are praying around this time, or a few months before then, he will get a job in our area. If this happens, our household income will be about $2000 more a month than it is right now.

We are getting by right now...but just barely. A lot of that has to do with the debt we have. Our credit card/loan payments a month are at least $500. So if you've kept up with my crazy train of thought...

When Justin gets that job next year (the end of year 2) we will have an estimated extra $2000 a month. That should take care of the debt pretty darn fast huh? Then it's save save save until year 5. And thhhheeen...*drumroll please* IT'S HOUSE HUNTING TIME!! Ahh, when that time finally comes I think I'll cry I'm going to be so happy.

Damn that's a lot of hoping, if's, good luck and wishful thinking. Keep your fingers crossed for us please! Toes wouldn't hurt either. Well, it might hurt to cross your toes but if you could try I'll give you a really pretty smile. :)

Birthday-round 2

Ding! We picked my sister Steph up after I got off of work today and brought her over to our casa. Then both of my parents and Sam and Wade came over at around 5:30 for cake and ice cream. It was a pretty uneventful night. Steph made an awesome Harry Potter themed cake. It was his school trunk with Hedwig sitting in a cage on top. She even made the little pull cart thing they use at the train station to pack all of their stuff around. It was really cute and soooo yummy. A yellow cake with strawberry flavoring. Oh my gosh it was good. Especially when you ate it with a bite of ice cream like I always do. Hedwig and the cage were edible too. Hedwig was a fruit loops version of a rice crispy treat and the cage was made of sugar. I should have taken a pic but I was to eager to scarf it down.

Well yep, that's it. Pretty boring and uneventful like I said. I'm off to go decorate my new blog now. Ta-ta!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday! Yayyy! I'm ancient at 25 years old! Justin made it the best birthday I've had in a long time. When I came home from work I had to go straight to the bedroom while he set things up. Then after I got all comfy he called me out and said, "Happy birthday!!" in traditional ta-daa style. He had a little heart shape chocolate brownie with a hard chocolate shell and "cutie pie" written in red icing with 1 candle in it. I loved it! I started crying it was very sweet of him.

I got presents too! His mom and him both gave me presents today. From Debbie I got the Zoo Tycoon combo pack which I have been wanting so badly! A Mt. Dew, because I love the stuff. And a rotary cutter because I'm starting to take up sewing.

Justin gave me the pliers I've been dying for. They are sewing pliers and they put snaps onto things. I call them my cu-chuckers. I imagine that's what they sound like. Cu-chuck cu-chuck! He also got me some disney stickers, the Twilight and New Moon books and he made me a really cute gift certificate for $40 to either ebay, amazon or a local nail place. It was very thoughtful of him.

Love my gifts! Justin is planning me an actual birthday party tomorrow. My family is coming over for cake and ice cream and maybe some games or a Harry Potter movie because their one of my favorites. I'm such a dork! Ha ha! I feel really silly getting a birthday party. I'm so old now!! Ulgh, I'll be breaking my hip soon I can feel it.

About Me

My name is Tayia. I'm a wife and soon to be mommy. I was born in the same town I live in now; Toledo, Oregon. It's a nice little town, but I'd prefer a little more country living. I am the oldest of 3 girls. My sisters are Stephanie and Samantha. Aaaannnd I live a pretty boring life. I like it that way. I'm not a people person. People get on my nerves and I panic if I'm in a place with lots of them. Even one or two I'm not a fan of. I don't like small talk or the emotions that often come along with others.

Let's talk about what I do love. I love: reading, snow, rain, water, the color of ice tea, Harry Potter stuff, All things Twilight, anything mystical and magical. I like to escape to fantasy worlds. I've recently tried my hand at sewing and I'm loving where that's going. I enjoy craft projects. They help me to relax. I used to coach cheerleading and although I still like it and get excited when it's brought up, the High School drama is too much for me to handle. I'm a much happier and stress free person without it.

Let's see, what else do I like? I love sitting outside and watching nature, just as long as no person can see me. I don't like people. I love fall. It is my absolute favorite season. The crunchy leaves and the smell of the air. Mmm I can smell it now. I am a huge fan of camping and all things that go with it. Campfires, crawdadding, the hotdogs, marshmallows (even though they make me sick) swimming and freezing. Ahh that's the good stuff.

Hrmm, I like poetry, I like to sing, I love photography, I played the flute all through my school years. I was pretty damn good if I do say so myself. I heart to cuddle with my husband. Anything Christmas makes me smile and cheers me up. I think penguins are really cute. Wolves are by far my favorite animal. Not to mention my favorite sci-fi subject, werewolves. The hot ones! :)

I married the man of my dreams on October 18, 2008. It was a small, very personal wedding and I basked in every second of it. My sister, Samantha, and Justin's brother, Josh, officiated the wedding. While my other sister, Stephanie and Justin's best friend Ira were the People of Honor. The weather was awesome. The place was beautiful. And there were maple leaves and pumpkins everywhere. Simply amazing.

I have an absolutely wonderful husband, Justin, but I like to call him my Snuggle Bean, Nuggy and Nuggs. He is the best thing that has happened to me and I love him more than I can describe.

There is soon to be another man in my life. We've decided to call him Jasper Nolan-Lee Perkins. Our little man! We are so excited for him to get here!

Under Construction

Under Construction...this may take a long time.