Royal Treatment...

A few days ago I went to the mailbox to retrieve the mail and what I found literally made me squeal with excitement- Look at this detail-
This is the invitation to my babyshower...
Talk about the royal treatment!!!
One of my dearest friends, Stephanie, slaved for hours over these (she didn't tell me she did, but trust me I know she did because I know how time consuming creating and making invitations can be). I am so humbled that a friend would go over and beyond to create the most perfect invitation in my honor- I am honored to have the most AMAZING friends in the world. Humbled that friends (Michelle and Theresa) are hosting a baby shower in mine and little Makayla's honor. I'm just in pure awe that a little over 5 years ago I moved to AZ from CA and did not know a soul (besides David) and here I am surrounded by some of the most amazing, talented, faith driven women who I call my friends. The Lord has greatly Blessed my life with friendships and for this I am Blessed!

Having fun over at the Mellstrom's crib-

Yesterday when I was at work I received this email from my sweet hubby-
"Why don't you come over to my crib tonight and where some of those cute pregnant clothes"- Of course I couldn't help but LOL when I read it.

Truth be had, we've been super busy over her at the Mellstrom crib but we are having a blast getting ready for the sweet arrival of our baby girl Makayla Grace. In fact, when mom and dad were out visiting a few weeks ago we got this put together-
I had my eyes set upon the Pottery Barn sleigh style crib but of course spending upwards of $1,000 was out of our budget- the next best thing...well one of my dearest 'tweetest' friends had remembered that one of her friends had a similar style crib. She asked her if she would be willing to sell it and she was :). We got a rockin deal on it and mom and dad insisted that they pay for it (thanks again mom and dad!). When we picked it up we could not wait to get it together so with the help of some extra hands we got it together (even with out directions we managed to assemble it in less then 30 minutes). In fact assembling the crib was one of the only things that went smoothly when mom and dad were out helping paint and wallpaper the nursery. David and I could not be more thrilled with the crib- we often go and stand in the nursery admiring the crib imagining our sweet baby girl resting there- we can not wait!!

We aren't the only ones who are enjoying this new addition of furniture to our home-

Treasuring the time...

Now a days my life is consumed with treasuring the time-

Treasuring the time we have with these 2-

This past week our big guy (Duke) had us worried beyond measure. When David came home from his Biblical study class on Sat. morning Duke could not get up. He always meets David and I at the door but his back legs would not support him- he could not stand up nor could he walk. We immediatly rushed to our vet who performed an x-ray and informed us that there are numerous possibilities to what the problem could be. It could be anything from valley fever (a common occurance here in the desert) to bone cancer. He prescribed some pain killers for Dukey and gave him a dose of accupuncture. David and I were on edge as we were pretty convinced we may have to put our big guy down and although we know this day is emenate we were not prepared to face it. God's grace was with our family as later in the day our gentle giant was up and walking. He has been doing great as of late- in the mean time, we take it day by day and treasure each and every second we have with this big guy.

Dealing with Duke has had our emotions running all over place but then on top of that we have the other one...my love bug, Dakota. In the midst of everything our poor bug stops eating and has bloody stools. Dakota loves her brother dearly and we seem to think it was a combination of her emotions mixed with a slight over dose of raw hide chips that caused her problems. Dealing with our 2 fur balls has had us consumed but we thank God for these moments..these moments with our 4 legged kiddos.

On a different note, I have also been treasuring the time- treausring the time as we prepare for Makayla Grace. As you know from my previous post the beadboad wall paper project was a disaster!! Well...I was convinced that I would win this challenge with the paper and thus I did not give up. I ordered another brand called 'Wall Dr' that you can find at Home Depot and man oh man it is so much better then the original paper I had purchased from Lowes. I was so excited to get it up that I literally did not waste anytime, the second I received it in the mail I went to work. My 1st. project was to practice with the paper by papering our laundry room- I love how it turned out (pics to come soon). Since the laundry was a success I decided it was time to move on to babies room well not so much of a success :(. The paper was great but I learned a lesson; even if the paper states that it is pre-pasted use a paste!!! The day after I papered the babies room I went in to admire the room and this is what I found-

Not good my friends....

Plan B- Order more paper and use wall paper paste=
Love it!!!! Once I got it figured out I was in love- I highly recommend this textured beadboard wallpaper friends. It is so much cheaper, and easier to install vs. traditional wood beadboard. Now that the paper is up we continue to work hard on Makayla's room. I promise I will share pics. as the room comes along....many projects are in the works :)

Labor of Love.....

Oh my....It's been a whirl wind couple of weeks!! As of today, I am officially 24 weeks prego and I think it has finally hit me that in a very short period of time my life as I know it is going to be forever changed. David and I are anxiously awaiting this most welcome change in our lives but at the same time we are scared, nervous, and well just plain anxious for what the future has in store. For whatever reason, the fact that Makayla will be arriving (Lord willing) into this world in less then 16 weeks has me going into turbo speed- I am anxious that the nursery isn't going to be done, that we are not going to be prepared, etc. As always, the good Lord knows our needs and to my delight my parents graciously arrived on our steps 2 weeks ago to assist in preparing the nursery. Having mom and dads helping hand was a prayer answered....even if it did turn out to be a labor of love.

You see, we had great intentions of getting A LOT accomplished in the 2 days we had to work BUT things did not turn out as planned. It seems that any and everything that could go wrong did go wrong-LOL!! Perhaps the Lord was working on our patience as a family as we most certainly encountered many more obstacles then we had hoped...but Praise God for our time together as family. The most important thing, was that we were making memories together as a family and we were able to laugh...Laugh at the fact that painting the ceiling 'Pepto Bismol Pink' as dad called it was much more strenuous then expected...


laugh at the fact that grandpa is already leaving sweet Makayla little love notes but does not know how to properly spell her name (don't worry dad, you still have a few months to figure it out)...

laugh at the fact that the beadboard wallpaper that was supposed to be so spectacular was horrible and had to be ripped off just hours after putting it up (more to come on that later)...


and laugh at the fact that this completely wonderful shabby chandelier that mom and I found literally exploded twice after the boys got it installed (luckily it turned out to be defective light bulbs so we can still use this in the nursery- with out any further explosions!!
Believe it or not, there were many other obstacles we faced but these are just a few. Regardless of the fact that we didn't get as much accomplished as we set out to I am so thankful for the Blessing of this time with family- as we prepare for the new addition to our family I could not be any more thankful to the good Lord for these people He has brought into my life. Things may not always go as planned but the Labor of Love is a sweet, sweet gift!


Many more projects to come- I've been a busy little bee...I can't wait to share.

Happy Fall Y'All...

Can you believe it is already October 1st!!!! I could not be more thrilled that we are entering my most favorite season of the year- It's fall ya'all :)

The temperatures are beginning to drop here in AZ- today was such a gorgeous day! I know I've said this before but I don't know what it is about fall but it just gives me that warm sentimental feeling. I'm mildly obsessed with all things fall; the smell of the season is amongst my favorites ;)

{My favorite fall candle is this delicious spiced cider candle from Bath and Body Works- I'm currently up stairs and I have the candle lit down in the family room...I can smell it all the way up here...absolutely delightful!}

Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile may remember that last year we started a new tradition in our home- Call us (ok mostly me) a little crazy but we decided to get our Christmas tree (yes, you heard me correctly) our Christmas tree out in the fall. Last year was the first year we did this and I was in love ;) I adorned every nook and cranny of the tree with fall garland, pumpkins, and well any and everything fall. I loved coming home last year and seeing our fall tree- it made me happy ;)- LOL. So this year I decided we would once again continue the Mellstrom tradition and adorn our fall tree...

Accept this year my friends we put the tree up the first week in Sept- I just didn't post pictures until now because I knew you would all think that I've truly lost my marbles. I feel a little better now that it is officially October..LOL

Oh, and this is a quick and easy project I worked on the other night-

I've been blog spying some beautiful monogram wreaths and I couldn't wait to create one for our home. Super quick and easy friends!! And better yet, you can pick yourself up one of these great monograms at one of my favorite places- the Hobby Lobby (50% off this week/ /$5) It looks exactly like the monograms they sell in Ballard Designs for $29.

Anyhoo...I wish you and yours a joyous fall season!

3 years....

So much for the blogging hiatus...LOL. I really had intentions of being a better blogger but once again time got the best of me!

Anhyhow, this past week our household celebrated yet another joyous event-

3 years of marriage :)

This was then-


And this is now-



The most precious gift that David and I can give one another is the little bun in the oven (pictured above). Our little bun is 20 weeks in the above pic.

So much has happened in the 3 years we have spent as husband and wife. Each and every moment has been such a blessing- I am so thankful to God for blessing me with the best man I could have ever dreamed of..he truly is my prince charming ;)

I'm back....

I'm finally back from 'blogging hiatus'. For the past few weeks I feel like I've crawled into a hole but now I'm back.

Well, I guess I should clarify; as many of you know, I was put on bed rest after the car accident that was then followed by 2 heavy bleeding episodes. As you can imagine bleeding while pregnant is not normal and it had us pretty scared and concerned (the bleeding is due to a subchorionic hemorrhage that surfaced 2 days after the car accident). We have whole heartedly been placing our trust in the Lord knowing that He is in control of all things and this obstacle/challenge in our lives was no different. The Lord has revealed so many things to us in this season in our lives but most importantly how extremly Blessed we are to be surrounded by an awesome church and fellow believers. The prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf overwhelms us! The out reach that so many of you have offered is amazing; the phone calls, the meals delivered, the offers of vehicle transportation, just everything has left us amazed. We are humbled that the Lord would surround us with such amazing people- Thank You!

One of the many people who instantly offered support to us was our parents. My parents graciously offered to travel out to AZ to be with us and after the 2nd. bleeding episode we decided to take them up on the offer. My mama came out and spent 2 weeks with us here in AZ- it was so great having her here...Thanks mama, I love you! There is nothing a girl needs more when she is hurt or in pain then the hug of her mama or papa. My poor dad so desperatly wanted to be here too but he had to man the fort at home with the fur balls and of course go to work. One of the great blessings of having my mom here was that it just so happened she was here to spend my bday with me-

Check out these delicious Snickerdoodle cupcakes she made me- Yummy!

And look at these 2- the most lovely rendition of Happy Birthday you have ever heard!

My bday was so sweet this year- I truly had so much to be thankful for...most of all for life- My life, the people I get to share my life with, and the amazing life growing inside of me-I can't wait to spend my bday with our sweet little girl next year...holding her in my arms and not just in my belly :)
God is good!

A Sweet Baby.....

GIRL!!!!


A week ago we were told that it looked like our little miracle was a girl- we received confirmation of that at a 2nd. ultra sound on Mon... indeed, our gracious Lord has Blessed us with a baby girl. We continue to pray that God will continue to protect and Bless this absolute miracle- Makayla Grace Mellstrom

Gods Grace....

Gods grace is evident in my life day in and day out....however I have never seen it more evident then it was last Wed (8/5). I was driving home from work when in a blink of an eye this happened-

Traffic came to a hault and a man driving a very large SUV decided he would plow right into me. The impact was so strong that it sent me across the dirt median and into oncoming traffic. When you see cars heading right at you your life literally flashes before your eyes...I cried out, "Oh God" as my car was struck once again by yet another huge truck. When my car came to a stop back in the median I was able to walk away from my car. My first thought was of course the precious miracle growing inside of me- was the baby ok? The police, fire crew, and ambulance were on scene imediatly and I was taken into the ambulance to get my vitals checked out- my heart was racing (to be expected of course), my neck and back were sore, and at first glimpse the baby seemed to be ok. I refused transport to the hospital via ambulance because all I wanted was to see my husband, to touch him, to hug him, and to have him by my side. As soon as David arrived we were off the ER to get news of the baby and my injuries. The wait seemed like hours (probably because it was) but finally came the moment of truth- the nurse placed the doppler on my belly and immediatly we heard our little miracles heart racing- 164 bpm, consistent with the heart rates we had been receiving...Thank you God- I can deal with a sore neck and back but loosing this precious gift that we have been praying so hard for for the past 3 years was something I was not prepared to deal with...Gods grace is good!

The next day and a half I took it easy allowing my body to recoop and then the emotional roller coaster started all over again. At about noon on Fri I started to bleed a lot. My heart sank as the blood just continued to rush out- Please God don't take this baby I prayed. Yet again, I called my dear hubby with ' news' he did not want to hear- he immediatly left work and met me at the urgent care. Moment of truth part two- the nurse at the urgent care placed the doppler on my tummy but this time did not pick up the babies heartbeat- my heart seemed to stop. The staff at the urgent care made arrangements for us to go the yet another ER so an ultrasound could be done. Minutes/hours later I am finally seen by the ultra sound tech; as she is doing the ultra sound she informs us of the hospital regulations- she is prohibited from talking about what she is seeing on the ultrasound, however with a wink in her eye she told us she is not stopping us from seeing what is on the screen. David appears and immediatly states, "that is the baby and it is moving..and there is the heartbeat" Yet again, Gods grace holds us and confirms that through Him ALL things are possible.

It is difficult to grasp why so many challenges have been headed our way as of late, but few things I do know- Gods grace is awesome! The prayers from our church family, family, and friends have and are sustaining us- words can not express our grattitude and how touched we are by the many phone calls, offers, and prayers you all have made...it is so humbling that God has put so many amazing people in our lives- we cherish, appreciate, and love everyone of you! We know our Faith is made stronger through trials and are just amazed by our Gods love- I am thankful to be alive!

Miracle-

This is our little miracle at 12 weeks 2 days-
Today David (daddy) and I had our first trimester screening ultra sounds- IT WAS AMAZING!!!! We got to see our little one very up close and personal with the 3D technology they offer now a days. Look at this-
It looks like it has Davids legs (long and skinny) Perfect if 'she' is a dancer- LOL! Although my hub would argue and say that they are perfect legs for a baseball player if our little miracle is a 'him'. We were told that sometimes the sex of the baby can been seen at this particular appt- but not for us. We have a mover and a shaker on our hands...our little one loves to boogie inside my womb so of course we couldn't get a good peak to see if we have a she or a him. Regardless, God is great and seeing this miracle grow before our eyes is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced!

I can not thank the Lord enough for this miracle in our lives. You see, yesterday we had a bit of a scare...I experienced a little bleeding and of course thought the worse. I immediately called David in tears. We rushed over to my dr. office who was able to squeeze us in and we waited to be seen. We sat, and prayed, then prayed some more. We were prepared to continue placing our trust in the Lord and know that whatever was happening was a part of His will for our lives. As the dr. entered the room we held our breath as he placed the doppler on my tummy to see if he could pick up the heartbeat....nothing. He assured us that at this stage it is not uncommon to not pick up a heartbeat via the doppler so we would do an ultrasound and see what we could find. The next few minutes felt like hours as we waited to be seen for an ultrasound. I questioned why my dr. was able to pick up a heartbeat at 8 weeks 3 days but now at 2 weeks 1 day he could not- we were scared, nervous, and sad, although we continued to put our trust in the Lord. Finally the moment of truth arrived- we walked in for the ultra sound and as soon as they started the ultrasound the dr. said he had a heartbeat- Thank you God!!!! It turns out the reason they were unable to pick up a heartbeat via the doppler is because our little one will not sit still- it is moving around so much that they couldn't pick up the heartbeat. The dr. measured the heartbeat to be 160 bpm- which he stated was right on track. We go back in a month for another follow up but in the mean time we pray daily (well many times a day) that our good and gracious God will protect this little miracle- It is His creation and we pray that He will continue to form, shape, and breath life into this little one...a little one that we fervently pray has been called to the Lord before all of creation...God is good & this baby is a MIRACLE!!!!