Bower Power

Love List - Blues

allbowerpower — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In my web browsing, sometimes I discover items too delicious not to share. Seriously. They are like bacon-grease-on-my-fingers-lickin-good. So I put together ones that are similar and...TAH to the DAH! the Love List is born. Lotus Dinnerware $8-10 Fish plates $3.50 Khandara Swoop Arm Chair in Indigo $300

Love List - Yellow

allbowerpower — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ding Dong the Bell is Dead

allbowerpower — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Our doorbell died. As in...thud...kerput...throw it in a hole six feet deep and talk about it's glory years. It actually happened a while back but we had been procrastinating the job of installing the replacement until finally we decided that enough was enough. It was hanging by it's wires - not exactly safe for girl scouts selling cookies to notify you they are there to deliver the seventeen boxes of Samoas by messing with exposed live wires. Although, it would be a good plan if you were planning to hijack the wagon full of heavenly deliciousness...I'm just sayin. Plus it's pretty bad when the delivery guy tells you that you need to fix your bell because the broken plastic cut his finger...not that that happened. Not more than twice anyway. So we headed to our local home improvement store to snag a little five dollar fix. Since our button was wired, all we needed was a replacement wired push button to install with our existing bell system. We ended up choosing this brushed

Auto Draft

allbowerpower — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Nursery News - Furniture Fun

allbowerpower — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:02:09 +0000

I've talked alot about the nursery furniture. A LOT. Like when I put together the initial moodboard. Or like when I changed the initial moodboard and decided on other furniture. Or like when I posted about building the crib. So it should come as no surprise that there is yet another post about furniture for the nursery. I promise that this will be the last time. I know. I'm milkin this pregnancy (THAT WON'T END FOR THE LIFE OF ME!) for all it's worth. No pun intended. Ya know. About the milkin :) Anyhoo. Back to the furniture. We decided to splurge for a console/buffet/changing table from Walmart. As you may remember, it matches our Craigslist crib and it can be transitioned into a new place (and function) once Will outgrows it. The best part about shopping at Walmart is that they have free shipping to the store. So all we had to do was select our nearest branch and have the Wallie World peeps deliver it to that local location (who gave us a ring to come pick it up when it came in!). Easy peasy contraction squeezy.

When we broke into the package and set out all the pieces, I went to work putting the drawers together while Jeremy put together the big pieces including the frame and the doors.

Canopy invests a little more into their instructions than Ikea (whose directions include two stick figures making faces. You think I am joking. I am not.) so we were able to get this piece together in a jiffy.

We did discover that the package was short on two 'pins' that were used to assemble the drawers. First we called Walmart to see if there was a way to get extra pins. They directed us to the customer service peeps at Canopy who said that if we were able to find a replacement (like getting a couple nails at our local home improvement store that would fit) then they would reimburse us up to $10.

It's nice to know that a company is willing to work out a good deal. Because otherwise we would have had to disassemble the entire piece, pack it up, and return it to the store, then wait for a new one to be delivered, go pick it up and then assemble it all over again. That would probably be as annoying as waiting for your uterus to expel your child. THREE DAYS and counting people!

Here is the completed piece. We love the color and the versatility. We don't love the difficulty of opening the drawers (not pictured). Since they are optional - as in, you can take em out and plop in a dvd player or a stack of dishes. Obviously, since we are using this piece of furniture in the nursery, we wanted the drawers for the storage and since they are a little tough to slide out then we will be sure to place items in them that we don't need to access everyday.

After we assembled the console table, my boyfriend and I started talking about the layout once again. As you may remember, we had previously decided that the wardrobe would go next to the closet and the console table would go next to the door and the rocker.

But as we got closer to putting all the large furniture in the room, we both hated how the wardrobe was tall enough to block some of the light from the window (see photo below). It just didn't butter our muffins if you know what I mean.

So we did a last minute switch. We swapped out the console table for the wardrobe...and then scooted the rocker towards the door and catty-cornered the tall wardrobe.

So much better...right??! The console table next to the closet is still in front of the window but doesn't block the light or obstruct the shades. And we were able to pop an ikea mirror over it to reflect even more light from the opposing window and the texture from the accent wall.

And since we moved the console table, we went to work placing the cabinet in the corner. We wanted to save money by reusing the little white side table beside the (non-pictured) rocker. The only problem was that we had an overwhelming amount of white-hued stuff on this wall...the cabinet, the side table and the soon-to-be-included rocker were all white.

So to break up the albino-wall, I decided to bring a little color in. I chose to spraypaint the little sidetable so that it would separate the white pieces and also add a little boyish personality to the space.

Spraypaint was the easiest method to get a quick change. I went with the only navy spraypaint available at our local Lowe's...and it was a REALLY quick change (it only took me thirty minutes from start to finish!).

Now onto the juiciest piece of this here furniture post...the chair. We scored a rocker off Craigslist for $30. The seller was given the rocker by his grandparents for their own nursery (small world, huh?) and the soon-to-be-mom decided that the color wasn't the right fit for their own scheme. So we swooped in with our thirty bones to snag the lazyboy.

Check out that hottie carryin' the chair like it weighs two-point-oh ounces (enter cat-call whistle here!)

Fortunately for us, the cost was super low, the quality and comfort was high and I had dabbled in a little re-upholstery before. Unfortunately, I had only dabbled. And I really wanted to make sure that the reupholstery included separate covers for the cushions so that we could remove them to wash off any airborne baby vomit.

It only took me about fourty-seven straight hours to remove the existing upholstery and the three and a half gazillion staples, figure out a plan for the new upholstery, and actually finish the covering.

When I got 95% completed, I was so excited to take the chair upstairs, it didn't matter if the skirt was completed or not. Just to see the rocker in place was thrilling. And I am not too shamed to admit that I gave myself a high-five. Swollen fingers and bruised hands and all.

You'll be happy to know that now it is 100% finished...I got the skirt done the next day (high-tens all around!). And after I put into place the side table, the rocker and the cabinet, it was easy to imagine the rest of the room complete. In fact, it was amazingly simple to get the ball rollin' after I got the chair rockin. Yep - that's right. There is a lot more to come...like, say, um, the baby for one...but also the gallery wall I did above the changing station, the little shelf we installed, plus our storage solutions, lighting and all the other finishing touches that make this nursery fit for a little woodsy prince. And now that you know what we did for all the big pieces, anyone else wanna chime in with how they tackled a room with a slew of various priced furniture? I mean, we paid full price for our buffet/changing station, only $30 for the rocker and everything else was hand-me-downs (plus the cost of a can of spraypaint!). I know I can't be the only one out there that remakes rooms with a huge variety of different pieces and styles. Or maybe you just wanna comment on how content this baby is at living inside of me...yes...I might be the first ever gal to give birth to a two-year old.

Belly Hugs

allbowerpower — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 05:28:33 +0000

My nephew Cole is my sweetheart. Don't get me wrong. I love ALL my siblings children...but it's hard to not talk about this little buggar...

...especially since his twinkling eyes are like two little diamonds. And you know what they say about diamonds...they're a girl's best friend. they rock. pun intended. But Cole-baby's eyes are not the subject of this here post. It's really about this kid's heart. He is so darn sweet. Just to prove it to you - here's what he wrote in my birthday card:

Excuse me while I die. Another thing that Cole does that just kills me is how he says goodbye. First, he always gives me a big bear hug. He wraps his little arms around my neck and squeezes my neck until I feel like my head is actually going to pop. And then he gives me a big kiss and tells me that he loves me. And then he says goodbye to Will. That's the part I love. The part where he says goodbye to my unborn baby. The part of HOW he says goodbye. Only a picture can describe it:

The belly hug. It's the world's best medicine for leg cramps, uterine contractions, backaches and sciatica flare-ups. If I could bottle this and sell it...I'd be living large...well...larger :) I'm sure everyone feels this way about a certain child. I can't be the only one. Maybe it's a nephew. Maybe a product of your own womb. Maybe a random kid that you just know through a friend's neighbor's cousin. Let's get kid-friendly up in here and share with me the name of your favorite little buggar, their age and something they said or did that just tickles you pink (or blue!).

Uterus Update

allbowerpower — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:53:33 +0000

WARNING: Like the title of this post indicates, if you are sportin' a ding-a-ling, you may not be interested in this info.

Yesterday, I had an appointment at my OBGYN's and took a NST (non stress test) to make sure Will was still alright hanging out in there. Good news - he's just peachy. Our doctor recommended that we weigh the risks with waiting vs. the rewards. So Jeremy & I came up with a decision on what to do about my 48in diameter belly. We have scheduled an inducement for tomorrow at 5am. However, last night I started having some pretty tight contractions. And today they are pretty intense. and painful. But not close enough to justify the label of 'labor'. And my water hasn't broken...although the mucus...yeah...which is way more disgusting than ever needs to be explained online...that's no longer taking up residence in my uterus. Back to the point - we are definitely going to have a baby by Friday. So now...here's where you guys come into play. I need your help. I need some prayer warriors to take up arms. I know you're out there. And I would really love to have this baby come au natural...not because I am against drugs...I'm not. Drugs can be friends with me anytime. My only issue with Pitocin is that I would be stuck in bed. And that situation scares me worse than animals with clothes on (which I find extremely frightening for some odd reason!). So I need you to pray that either a) my cervix would fully cooperate TONIGHT thus eliminating the need to be bed-ridden or b) that I could lay aside my fear of being stuck on my back. I know whatever happens, the most important thing is a healthy baby and a healthy me...so really everything else falls by the wayside. But it would be extra nice to know that I have at least a few more prayers on the superhighway to heaven! Could you do that for me? Pretty please? I would love you forever if you did...and just so everyone knows...I will be sure to update ya'll asap with any new news.

Welcome Will

allbowerpower — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:52:41 +0000

We are thrilled...no...beyond thrilled....completely and utterly soaring to announce the arrival of William Jackson Bower.

He was born on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 6:11 pm. After 36 hours of natural laboring, Will was born via caesarean with a head full of dark hair. Weighing in at 9 pounds 11 ounces, he claimed the title of the heaviest baby born in our hospital that day. And he was 21 and a half inches long.

All we can say is that we are incredibly blessed. And that I am 100% in love with our little boy. And I can't wait to share the birth story with you!

Cornered

allbowerpower — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:38:40 +0000

Sometimes it's fun to flip back through photos to see how things in my home change. Is that fun to anyone else but me? It's like seeing the before and afters of Biggest Loser contestants...except less cellulite and more 'WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!?!". In this case, a little corner of our master bedroom went through a series of phases. And most of them got documented in the form of photos. Surprisingly I still have most of the photos. I'm not exactly the naturally-organized sort (that's more Jeremy's forte) so having a bunch of pictures of the same corner is kinda unbelievable. So in the spirit of Ripley's Believe it or Not, here is one little bit of our master boudoiur that has changed more than Hollywood's favorite hairstyle. It began way back in 2007 with an upainted bedroom and a tallboy from my childhood. The corner really didn't do much design-wise (unless you count a shade hanging off a lamp as a design element!)...it was more functional than anything. It provided storage for clothing and a landing zone for a bunch of clutter.

A little while later the space changed with a paint-job and a little de-cluttering. The corner got organized and sported a little art while still being great for storing t-shirts and underwear outta sight.

Then we purchased some new furniture from Wally-world. Not only did it mean that my childhood furniture got the boot but it also meant that a new arrangement was necessary to fit the new dressers properly in our room. Basically this meant that the corner was vacated. And once again, the little corner was void of all style.

Enter a visit from my pal Sherry. In a moment of bacon-induced blogger horse-play, we took a parasol and a shadeless lamp and made up a little interesting corner. Yeah. That's a good word for it. interesting :)

Less than a week later, the parasol fell off the wall and birdcage/candleholder/lampshade weirded me out. So the corner went from interesting to...well...not.

Let's just call this minimalist, shall we?

At one point I tried to put the woven basket up on the wall. But it just fit so much better on our mantle. So that simple wall decor was short-lived.

So you might be wondering what it looks like now. Well, I begged my boyfriend to dig out these old frames from basement storage and I used them to display some free art. Yeah. Those are strips from Benjamin Moore paint decks (click here for details on that project!).

And the rest of the corner is back to fully-functional as it is my 'feeding station'. Sure, I still need to pop in a photo in the little white frame and Jeremy is working on moving the phone headset charger to another place...but the rest of the little sidetable is ready for Will's hungry tummy. But I am pleased as punch that I have a little area just for mothering - complete with a stack of 'mommy-books' (just in case I need a reminder of all those how-to's) and a hurricane vase chock full of boob-gear. You heard right. That vase has a bunch of breast pads, some nip-products, and a burp-cloth.

So that is how one little corner of our humble home has changed from messy to dressy to bare to strange back to bare to simple to boobielicious in a few short years. Wow. Talk about a metamorphasis! Anyone else out there who can't keep their paws from changing a certain space? It might not be a corner in your bedroom. It might be your bed linens, or it might be your foyer paint color or it might be your bathroom closet. Maybe it's your cabinets that get a switcheroo every other month? Or perhaps you just can't keep your mits outta rearranging the fridge shelves? I need to know. Tell me. Immediately. What's the space and tell me how often you change it.

To appease the masses....

allbowerpower — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:37:37 +0000

First off - let's just clarify one thing. This photo was taken 48 hours after giving birth. I only wish I looked semi-human after the actual event. I actually looked like a swollen troll.

Secondly - I know you all are beggin' for the birth story. However, I don't want to forget anything so I am in the midst of documenting everything that I feel is important for me to remember. No six paragraph birth story here folks. It might not be your cup of tea to read a ridiculously detailed and long recap of all the events - so you get-to-the-point-people will have to wait for the clift notes to come out. And C - you guys wanted some photos. And my camera is getting a Jillian Michaels style workout. So here are a couple to tie you over until I actually sort through the bazillions and do some editing.

Lastly - a huge thank you to all our faithful readers who understand that this is a HUGE transitional time for us (nothing says transition like learning how to feed a human from your boob) and that posting will be a little touch and go for the next month or so. I love your support, prayers and comments. You truly are good friends!

The Birth Story - Part 1

allbowerpower — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:06:24 +0000

My eyes welled up with tears. It was April 1st and I woke up hoping, wishing, wanting so badly to feel all those things that people told me about. I laid there searching myself inside and out for the clues. The clues that would indicate today would be the day. That today would be the day that I would have my baby. But today I had nothing. No compulsive need to clean. No excessive energy. Not even the need to empty the bowels... ...that's when my eyes welled up with tears. With a waking yawn, Jeremy rolled over. He looked at my face knowing that I was a bundle of emotion. of frustration. of disappointment. of impatience. "Could you just make today special even though it's totally not?" I whimpered pathetically. "Sure honey", he said as he wrapped his arms around me pulling me into his warm body. "How 'bout some very special breakfast?" Ignoring Jeremy's question, I was fullblown crying. Tears streaming down my cheeks and onto the pillow. "I just want him here already. I just want to meet him. I just want him." It wasn't that I thought Will would make his arrival on the due date...but I had hoped. And I knew that the weight of the wait would be excruciating. Like each minute would feel like an hour until I had some signal that our baby boy was ready for life here on earth. And every moment was another opportunity for my brain to run wild with questions. Will our boy come when he's ready? on his own? Is it wrong to kick him outta there with inducement? Is that forcing our timing over God's timing? Is my water gonna break or will I have labor pains first? Will I even recognize labor if it's here? Can I have peace about induction if that's our only option? Could I make it through laying on my back during labor if Pitocin is used? Should I have an epidural if I already am stuck on my back? Can I handle the pain if I don't use it? The questions were overwhelming. Not knowing the answers was even worse. Our visit the day before to the doctor didn't really answer any questions. He merely said that the baby wasn't floating away and that my insides didn't indicate that I would be going into labor anytime soon. I kept dwelling on his words "thick and ripe" as Jeremy and I finished our very special breakfast of Chickfila biscuits. Thick and ripe. Thick and ripe. That doesn't sound like a place anybody would want to leave. Heck, I would want to live in a place described as thick and ripe too. "Jer - did we make the right decision about the induction?" I asked as we headed to Baby Gap for the millionth time. Baby Gap, with it's preppy little baby polos and the chinos in miniature sizes usually makes me feel better about everything...but this time all I could think of was the gaping hole in my arms where a baby should be laying. "I mean, should we have it on Tuesday or Thursday? I just want to make sure we give him enough time to develop." Even with the doctor telling us that it was our choice, I feared that things were being pushed. That somehow in my desire to meet my unborn son, that I was considering using drugs not out of medical necessity but out of my selfishness. Was I speeding things up for my own selfish wishes? Should I instead wait on Will to pull the trigger on his arrival? What if he never does? What if he is just peachy keen in his thick and ripe environment and could care less about meeting me? "Katie, he is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. We don't know God's will. We just know that He put this doctor in our path for a reason and the doctor said that there are much more risks in waiting past 41 weeks than benefits. And who knows, maybe we are supposed to schedule the induction so that Will is saved from an accident happening. Now, did you find anything cute for him to wear?" I just sighed. We both already knew we owned everything cute in this store.

The Birth Story - Part 2

allbowerpower — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:50:23 +0000

April fools day came and went. Each day that followed seemed like just a huge empty space that was supposed to be filled with a new baby. Each day the only thought in my head was the unborn burden in my belly that my arms were aching to take away. Each day seemed like an eternity. That weekend felt like nine months all by itself. The length of the wait was punctuated each time I had to answer the question, "So, when are you due?". And it came from all angles. The fact was, just thinking about the answer was embarrassing. Like I didn't know how to give birth. like I didn't know how to give the world to this baby inside me. like somehow I was a failure. And the only comfort was the fact that each day we planned another productive 'event' or project. Somehow our accomplishments helped me from dwelling on the one thing that I desperately wanted to achieve...our son's birth. Jeremy did his best to brighten my days and check off each item I daily added to the list. He listened to me cry and complain and rant about our child not wanting me. He held my hand as I waddled along the street lined with the Bradford pear trees and made me giggle about the foul smell. He planned the dinner with my family & friends at the local Greek place so that we could put the 'eggplant parm' theory to the test. He even planted a tree in honor of our son's impending arrival. No method to bring this baby on was left untouched and Jeremy helped with each one (even the crazy ones!) with an encouraging attitude. And that's when Monday occured. On Monday evening I had an entirely different distraction. As I tried to sleep one day closer to our induction date, the pain in my stomach was undeniable. Is this labor? I wondered over and over. Is this it? Is Will finally ready? The only thing was - these pains didn't feel like contractions. They felt like a gurgling. A very uncomfortable gurgle. "I'm gonna take a bath." I whispered to Jeremy as we laid in our too-small-for-a-41-week-pregnant-girl-and-her-boyfriend bed. Ten minutes later, the warm water trickled down my skin giving me goosebumps as I squeezed the washcloth over my giant belly. I felt my bump with both hands - trying to ensure that the baby was still head-down. I decided to talk it out for the millionth time. "Will - it's okay honey. It's okay to come out. I may not be the best mom. I may not know what I am doing or remember everything I read about in that giant baby book or what we learned at the classes. I may not always be able to protect you or defend you or keep you from pain. But I promise that nobody will want you more than I do." Suddenly, I felt my stomach lurch. Is that Will? That doesn't feel like a kick. It feels like something wrong. Am I laying in this tub wrong? Am I crushing the cord? Something is definitely wrong. I did my best to hoist my ballooned stomach up and out of the water. Struggling not to slip, I finally stepped over the side of the tub and grabbed a towel. As I leaned over to wipe my legs dry, I felt my entire abdomen push up into my throat. I barely had enough time to grab the edge of the sink and pull my head over when it happened. I hadn't thrown up since middle school and here I was clinging to the edge of the porcelain fixture wishing that my nonsick-streak was still going strong. But it didn't stop there. Thirty seconds later, I reenacted the scene from Dumb&Dumber when Jeff Daniels was ridding himself of a healthy dose of X-lax. Literally, my hands were gripping the edges of the toilet as my legs were sticking straight out. "Jeremy!" I called out - hoping he would wake up at 4 in the morning to hear my cries. "Jeremy!" "Are you ok?" he asked as the door started to open. "DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR!" I shouted. You see, Jeremy had never seen me sick before and I wasn't about to let him start now. "Could you just bring me a glass of water and set it outside?" "Are you ok?" He sounded a little more panicked this time. "I'm fine. I think I got food poisoning." Secretly I didn't mind the thought of clearing the bowels. Afterall, it was supposed to be one to bring on labor and at this point, I was trying anything...ANYTHING. One hour (and several "drop-everything&run-to-the-bathroom) later, my hair was vomit-free, my teeth were brushed, and my stomach was empty and I was back in bed. The next morning, Jeremy & I walked into my obstetrician's office with a little more hope for progress. First, I had to lay down to have the non-stress-test performed. Afterwards, the doctor stated that in thirty minutes, I had five contractions and Will had responded wonderfully. "This is an example of a perfect NST. The heartrate was on target and your results were textbook." His words gave me a glimmer of hope. "Alright, now let's check your cervix." I took a deep breath and waited for him to speak again. "Well. It's still thick and ripe. I could go digging around in there but you would be very uncomfortable." All my hopes scattered like a flock of birds at the sound of a barking dog. "So I am not dialated at all?" I asked. "Maybe to a one. But you never know. You could still go on your own." He stated as he handed me my paperwork for the induction scheduled for Thursday morning. As we climbed into our car, I turned to Jeremy with more tears in my eyes. Surely he was tired of seeing me cry constantly. He had to be wondering what happened to the happy wife he used to be married to. I was here. I was just trapped. Gagged and bound by my fears and my unfullfilled expectations. Paralyzed under my emotions. And I didn't know how to get free. Later that night came the answer. As we laid in bed, cuddled underneath our duvet, I asked Jeremy to pray. "Please honey, pray that the baby is ready." And that's when I realized that I needed to pray too. I needed to confess something. Tearfully, I said it outloud. "Lord, help me realize that it's not about me. Help me give this up to you. I know that this is your baby and not mine and that I don't need to be afraid. Help me give up my expectations. Help me give up my birth plan. Help me remember that you have the perfect plan for Will. Lord, I want your plan and not mine. Amen." And with that prayer came a sense of relief. The fact was, I needed to give up. I needed to trust that induction wasn't the end of the world, but the beginning of a family....our family. And that God would be with me even through Pitocin-riddled labor pains. Everything was going to be ok. That was my last thought before drifting off to sleep. Sleep that was soon to be interupted.

Nursery News - Bedding

allbowerpower — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:48:11 +0000

I thought it was high time for a nursery update. Who's with me?! Yeah - I saw a hand in the back. (sucker!) So let's get to it. Here is an update on what we did for the bedding. Fortunately, our crib was equipped with a mattress platform that could be moved to an upper level (which comes in handy for those of us Bower's with c-section incisions!). Unfortunately, our crib was equipped with a mattress platform that could be moved to an upper level (leaving a huge space underneath that a standard crib skirt would not cover.) BOO. With the option to just buy a standard crib skirt out the window, I knew that the next best option would be to whip together something homemade for our cabin-turned-clean&modern themed nursery. That's when I found a plaid navy and white fabric at my favorite Scandanavian super-store. The accent fabric was spied at Ikea and all I needed was two yards to add a little country splash to the skirt I had in mind. I could have made the entire skirt out of the navy & white plaid fabric but I didn't love how the pattern looked underneath the bars of the crib. The vertical lines of the wood bars seemed to compete with the cheap ikea fabric...so I decided that I could make a two panel skirt. The first panel would be plain navy and then the second panel (the fabric that would graze the floor) would be the plaid.

Seven hours later (when it comes to sewing, I am not the brightest star in the galaxy), the crib skirt was finished. I loved how it grazes the floor and the solid navy creates a background for the vertical crib bars to basically fade away into. For the last layer, we just bought a cheap solid white crib mattress sheet and threw it on for a complete bedding arrangement.

Now you might notice that we didn't create a bumper. Everything we researched told us that it wasn't necessary for newborns and in fact, could be a hazard for those little people who can't control their rollin-over skills yet. We did snag some additional plaid fabric for a future bumper when Will heads into toddler-dom. We did however, pick up a little something to add a little cush to the crib - one was this pillow cover from Ikea. We gave the crib a little accent by adding two throw pillows (the solid navy pillow is from Ikea and the navy & white pillow was from TJMaxx) which are easily removed for naptime and are actually super comfy for supporting my shaky arm during nighttime feedings.

The best part about the homemade crib skirt (besides the clean lines and the cabinesque feel) is the fact that it increases my storage space in the room. Hidden underneath the panels of fabric, I can fit up to SIX (as in one more than FIVE!) 40 QT plastic bins! One hundred points who can calculate the total quartage :)

That amount of storage is perfect for all our too-big or too-small baby clothing. And with my fixation of Baby Gap clothes, extra storage space is really used! So that's the update of how we added a homemade crib skirt while adding storage and the modern cabin-y feel all in one simple twenty buck move. For a few dollars more, the cushions pulled double duty (heehee...doodie!) as elbow-supporter & adds a little design aesthetic that makes me happy. And that is priceless :) Anyone out there with me on the frustrating too-short crib skirt issue? Or maybe you found the perfect length crib skirt online? Maybe you are a fellow under-bed storer? Spill those baby Gap clothes...err...details on your hidden storage secrets. Man...I gotta get baby off the brain :)

Support Report

allbowerpower — Mon, 03 May 2010 04:44:49 +0000

I'm back with my second installment of the Support Report (a monthly breakdown of the ABP sponsors so that you get the lowdown on who holds our hand around these parts and I get a chance to say thankyouthankyouthankyou). And speaking of support, there is nothing that says 'supportive' like mothers. (At least that is what I tell Will everyday!) So in honor of the upcoming mother's day extravaganza, I would like to show you some of the great stuff that you can score at our sponsor's spots for your favorite mom. First, let me introduce you once again to The Monogram Chick.

Monogram Chick provides personalized gifts for babies, children and adults. Everything from monogramed tote bags to personalized serveware, Monogram Chick puts that personalized touch on gifts for everyone special in your life. Wouldn't these customized burp clothes be excellent for that new mom (like me!) or for the expectant mother. And since this is an under-$20 gift, it would be affordable for the sister or best friend that just became a parent.

On the other end of the spectrum are those special ladies that are saying sianara to nesting and welcoming an empty nest. Yes. Those would be parents of parents. The grand type. And sending a package of personalized note cards would be just the thing to put a smile on their face. Plus, Monogram Chick has tons (TONS!) of different designs that are subtle and classy!

Lastly, I wanna sing the praises of these pretty preppy mugs. Isn't it so uber cute? Vera Bradley just turned green with envy :) And this would make a super gift for your mother-in-law or your sister who just became a new mommy (she would definitely appreciate the caffiene caddy!). Pair this travel coffee cup with a bag of some of their favorite brew and pair it with some of that shmancy creamer for a gift that she'll actually use.

Our second sponsor is The Tile Shop.

They offer natural stone, ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal tile in coordinating lines including hand carved accents and moldings, all at direct import pricing. All ABP readers who print this listing and present at the time of purchase receive 15% off their entire purchase. Or you can enter the code ABP2010 at check out for online purchases. So if you are in the market to give a Mother's Day gift that is a little bit bigger than notecards, I am sure that your mama would love a bathroom makeover or a new backsplash. Or you could just stop in at The Tile Shop to score some tile accessories or products. In fact, the fine folks from the tile superstore sent me a little 'mother's day' package that perfectly wooed a DIYer like me.

Inside the goodie bag, I found a slew of promotional items - sock caps, pencils, notepads, even Tile Shop golf accessories...but some of my favorite items were some pamphlets on incredible tiled spaces. I loved looking through for future ideas on our beast of a master bathroom.

There was also some information on hard-to-find tiles that were oh-so-Candice-Olsen.

Seriously...can I just move into this bathroom right now?

And besides the promotional gear, there was also some useful items that I couldn't wait to put to the test. The grout cleaner and glass tile cleaner are like flowers and candy to a girl like me. (Jeremy - flowers & candy are still totally approved as gifts..hinthint).

The best part is that you can score some tile cleaner for yourself. Hello happy Mother's Day!

So that is a recap of who and what is the wind beneath our Bower Power wings. So tell me - what are you getting for your mom this mother's day? Or maybe you would rather tell me what you mama's want? Afterall, this is gonna be my first mother's day - so I need the lowdown on what's what this mommy holiday!

Interested in getting more information on becoming part of the ABP sponsor club? Click here for the new sponsor information page!

Gotta Light?

allbowerpower — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:41:54 +0000

The last time I went to Goodwill I spotted a pretty fabulous reading lamp:

It actually called me by name. I heard it from admist the clutter. It called out, "HEY YOU! YOU WITH THAT CRANIUM! COME GET ME!" and I did. And the price was killer. $20 would have been an awesome price all by it's lonesome. But since it was "Yellow day", all items labeled with a Y were 50% off. That's right. Pick up your jaw from the floor. There are germs down there.

Ten smackers and ten minutes later, I was back at home and removing that amazing price sticker. How do I remove price stickers? Well I am so glad that you asked. First, I wet the sticker to get the papery outter layer off. Then I use an empty spray bottle filled with mineral spirits (paint thinner would work just peachy too!) to spray onto the sticky underlayer. I like the ole spray conditioner bottle because of the misty spray. oh and because it was free. All I did was spray the mineral spirits on and rub the stickiness off with a paper towel. The finishing touch was some stainless steel cleaner applied with a clean paper towel and buffed to a shine.

Right now the new-used lamp found a new home in my dressing room. Looks pretty good right?

Looking for something similar? Here are some options:

IKEA Barometer reading lamp $50 Pottery Barn Hayes Task Floor lamp $279 Target Brookfield Deluxe floor lamp $150 So that's another reason why I love shopping at Goodwill. And one little way that ten bucks can make my day a little brighter. Gotta love a light pun :) Anyone else scoring a recent thrift store find lately? Bloggers link up if you posted about your latest steal. Or if you have another tip for removing the tacky price stickers, I'd love to hear it. Maybe you use GooGone? Or perhaps we have someone that uses that olive oil trick? Spill...or should I say spray it? :)

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:10:15 +0000

The Birth Story - Part 3

allbowerpower — Sat, 08 May 2010 04:51:18 +0000

"Hrrmmm"...I groaned as I rolled my giant belly over to blindly search for my phone on the nightstand. 6:04 am. Why am I up this early? This seems absurd. What's wrong with me? Oh I know. I'm about to start my period. Wait. That can't be right. Aunt Flo doesn't visit when Mr. Stork is on his way. I stumbled into the bathroom and attempted to understand the crampy feeling in my lower abdomen. "This can't be labor. It doesn't even hurt. And I've finally come to terms with being induced," I thought aloud. I'll just go downstairs and see if the bathroom needs cleaning...again. The morning sky blazed through the back door. Above the tree line was steel blue with gold streaks. It was like looking at a spilled treasure chest at the bottom of the ocean. Pirate's gold before a storm. It was a beautiful last day. The last day before our inducement date. The last day of being just married. The last day of a solid night's sleep. "Hmmmph''...the cramps kept coming. Maybe I was just feeling aftershocks from the food poisoning. Yeah, that has to be it. Just food poisoning. After checking our very clean bathrooms for the third time, I pulled open my favorite baby book. It was filled with daily bible verses and a prayer for your unborn baby. And it seemed like six oh clock in the morning was a perfect time to pace the living room in my baby blue slippers and read the first three months of baby prayers. I needed that distraction. I needed those reminders. I needed to get to tomorrow. The time actually flew by and before I knew it, I was opening the garage door to my parents who stopped by to drop off some donations for the church yard sale. It was great. Nothing was a better distraction than picking through my mother's hand-me-downs. "How are you feeling?" my mom asked nonchalantly. "I'm crampy. It's nothing to get excited about...tomorrow is the day." I casually reminded her. "YOU ARE CRAMPY?!?! Honey! That's labor!" She wrapped her arms around my head and was a bit more excited than I anticipated. "Mom. It's not real labor. The contractions aren't longer, stronger and closer together. That's what the class said and they aren't." "How close are they?" she asked. Why wouldn't she just drop it? Didn't she understand that I had come to terms with the induction? That all I wanted to do right now was rummage through her junk? Her wonderful, glorious junk? I knew that in order to end the conversation topic, I would have to sound as firm as possible without squashing her excitement like a bully stomping on a little kid's balloon. Either that or I needed a diversion. "I haven't timed them. But trust me, this is not labor. Cole, do you want to stay here with me?" Cole, my five year old nephew, was an innocent bystander throughout this entire conversation until I decided that he would be a perfect out. And of course he would want to hang out with me...afterall, I am the Aunt that always has macaroni and cheese and a creek in her backyard. Twenty minutes later, I was attempting to convince a five-year-old that walking IS a fun activity. "I have an idea. Let's play ps3!" He argued back with his little smily sparkly eyes. It's amazing how a kindergardener can sound so convincing. "C'mon Cole...I need to walk while Uncle Jeremy helps Pappap. It'll only take a minute, I promise." I lied as another cramp washed over my abdomen. I quickly threw on my shoes and punched in our house alarm code. Walking felt good. Even going at a forty minute mile pace, it felt like an accomplishment. The sun was high in the sky and the warmth made me sweat a puddle into my too-tight-even-though-I-wear-wide's New Balance shoes. Cole was miserable and my ankles were the same size as my lower thighs, but it didn't matter. This was my last day before my baby arrived and I decided to focus all my efforts on soaking it in. Soak Katie. Soak it good. Suddenly, my daydream was interupted by a shrill ringtone. "Mom?" I could hear our house alarm on the other end of the phone before she said a word. "Honey...." she was only slightly frantic. "Honey...I opened the door and the alarm went off." "It's ok, Mom. We went walking. Just punch in the code on the keypad and it'll stop." I was crossing my toes hoping that she would find the pad in time. Then I realized that the alarm was past it's warning stage and had started it's "render-the-intruder-deaf" volume level. "Mom! Mom! Can you hear me?!?! Answer the phone and tell them the password!" This was going to be impossible. She was likely already deaf. At this point there was only one thing to do....call my boyfriend and explain the situation. Five minutes later, I was ranting about how Jeremy was supposed to answer his phone when his 41 week pregnant wife called. I was the priority, right?!? What if there had been an accident? What if my water broke? Why the heck didn't he answer my call?! He should know that it is more important to hang up on my mother and answer the dang phone when his hormonal wife calls him! "Honey, do you think Jeremy will be mad at me?", Mom asked as she drove her Honda beside me with Cole in the backseat. "No." Maybe a little, I silently thought. I kept walking. As we approached the house, I challenged Cole to a race. "Let's run to the stop sign!" I don't know why but I thought I had a decent chance. He climbed outta the car and took off. I started my waddle-run and that's when I saw a cop car in our driveway. Crap. That means that Jeremy didn't answer the phone call of security company either. It seemed like ten miles to get past the final three houses. After admitting defeat to Cole, I waddled up to the police officer talking to my neighbor as she watered her plants. "Ma'am, do you live here?" he politely asked. "I'm really sorry. My mom accidently set off the alarm..." "She's IN LABOR." My mom chipped in with a giant smile covering her face.... "I'm sorry." I said to the cop, shooting darts at my mom with my eyes. "I was just taking a walk and she thought we were still at home." "Well, the door was open and so I went inside and checked things out. It's locked now though. Congratulations. You take care now." He smiled as he slid back into his car. It was probably out of pity that I was lugging around fifty extra pounds of baby weight. I smiled back and nodded. "Thank you." I turned back toward the house and the smile dropped off my face. Double Crap, I thought. I didn't have any keys. I felt slight anxiety wash over me as my brain ran amok. What if my water broke this very instant and I had no way of getting inside?!? I would be standing in the driveway covered in amniotic fluid and shoes full of sweat with a five-year-old and a overly-excitable mother. My thoughts were interupted by the beeping on my phone. It was from my father-in-law. He was texting me to let me know that the security company had called him and he gave the ok to send the police. I couldn't do anything but laugh out loud. I held up the phone for my mom to read as I chuckled at the absurdity of the entire situation. My mother started laughing too. I knew that she was terribly embarrassed just by looking at her eyes. "I'm laughing because I just want to cry." She stared at her wringing hands. She would have never purposefully tried to put anyone out...literally or figuratively. "Jeremy is really gonna be mad, isn't he?" Another cramp hit me..."well, let's just hope that he has his keys! Besides...this is a great story for Will one day. This is what happened the day before he was born...and I love that." And I meant it. Afterall, it's the small things that I always loved knowing about my own birthday...like how it was a very bright day outside and how my older brother was very gentle with me when he came to see me. To me, it's details that make a birth story a real story. Anyhoo, it didn't take long for Jeremy and my dad to come home and rescue us women. And since I continued being 'crampy' with no real changes, my parents went home (with the promise that we would call immediately if anything changed) and I continued my day on the couch curled up with the remote control and a stack of magazines. Throughout the day, whenever another cramp would come up, I found great relief by just sitting on our 1970's toilet in our master bathroom. No other toilet was the same as this great throne. I could lean back and rest until the contraction subsided and I didn't have to worry about breaking the substantial piece of pottery since none of it was plastic or flimsy. It was here that I received my first concrete piece of evidence that the early stage of labor actually started...I passed my plug. "JEREMY!" I definitely wanted him to see this. "JEREMY!" I can't believe I am taking our relationship to this level. This is entirely too gross for words. I am about to show the man enough mucus to drown a small animal and I expect him to kiss me afterwards. This is going to either bring us closer together or force him into another woman's arms. A woman who doesn't fart or burp or show him a wad of toilet paper covered in disgustingness. She probably still shaves her legs. She probably can still REACH her legs. Dang her. "What?" He had no idea what was about to hit him. "I passed the mucus plug." It was out there. No going back now. Say goodbye Katie. "Wanna see it?" "No." "C'mon. You gotta see it. It's huge." I read the books...this was not 'quarter-sized'...this sucker could have kept the Titanic from sinking. And Jeremy knew that he wasn't gonna get to walk away now. I had him cornered. "Fine." He looked at what I held out and then looked back at my face. "Wow." He said it completely void of emotion. "yeah. I know." I was actually surprised that he didn't ask for a divorce right then and there. Or at least a separation. Or marriage counseling. Little did I know that this would actually be the first of many times in the next four days that I would ask my sweet boyfriend to do something that would bring us closer together. Something I would normally be completely embarrassed by. Something you would only do if you truly loved someone.

Nursery News - Gallery Wall

allbowerpower — Wed, 12 May 2010 00:58:53 +0000

Above the changing station we had a big blank wall. And what are big blank walls perfect for? Yes. Graffiti. But since I had not welded a spray paint can in quite some time (let's not talk about my rebellious years, shall we?), I decided that instead of bubble letter gang signs, that an art gallery would have to do.

First, we installed that round mirror. I liked the fact that the round shape was repeated in other areas of the room (the light fixture and the side table)...and I also adored the aspect of allowing more light in the space (seeing as how we completely darkened one wall with the pallet wood). The icing on the mirrored cake was the fact that this baby was only $20 at Ikea.

The next step was finding the right lamp. I wanted something white, cheap, and simple. Enter Goodwill. I scored the base for only $3 and the shade was $15 at Target...so for only $18 I got a simple white cheap lamp. One hundred points for me.

Now here comes the fun part...the placement of the frames. In order to get the right placement I followed a very strategic plan...it was called "Nail-the-frames-up-step-back-and-take-a-gander" method. You can see the steps here:

didn't like that last one...so...moved it down a bit. Let's resume....

PAUSE. didn't like the last two...so...more switcheroo...

Yup. That's it. Now that the frames are in place, I went to work whipping up some art in photoshop to fill the frames.

And now for the finished product:

Most of the art is cabin/lodge/outdoors related...and I got them all printed at scrapbookpictures.com (they have ok prices but TONS of different print sizes).

So there you have it folks - my very own owlish gallery wall that can grow with Will as he gets bored with the images. I love the fact that one day his own art can take the place of the photos or he can snap his own photos to frame. What do you think? Anyone out there with a sure-fire way to create a killer gallery wall? Maybe someone uses that wrapping paper trick where they trace the frames out on the floor first? Perhaps you have tried doing the template method? Or maybe you can just rock out spraypainted graffiti?

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:11:17 +0000

Year of Photos

allbowerpower — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:29:02 +0000

I decided to take photos of Will everyday. I don't know why. I guess it was because I realized that he is going to grow up in a blink of an eye. or the swish of a hummingbird's wing. or the beat of a heart. either way...our little boy is going to be different everyday....and I want to remember him and everything about him every single day. man...am I sappy.

Petersik Perfection

allbowerpower — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:40:18 +0000

Our buddies, the Petersiks, have announced the arrival of their youngest Youngster and we were thrilled to hear the good news! When we got word that they were heading into the hospital, it was party time in the Bower household. Seriously. We broke out the baby Bjorn and danced our booties till our phone buzzed with the text announcing Clara's birth. Will was the most excited....

Yeah. He broke out the bicep curl pose. He knew that the new little cutie would be seeing this photo and he wanted to impress. Afterall, with beauty that rivals that of the Northern Lights, Will knew that he would have some fierce competition when it comes to being Clara's future boy toy. But don't take his word for it...go check out the sweetie for yourself! Congratulations John & Sherry!

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:07:41 +0000

The Birth Story - Part 4

allbowerpower — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:20:59 +0000

“C’mon. You gotta see it. It’s huge.” I read the books…this was not ‘quarter-sized’…this sucker could have kept the Titanic from sinking. And Jeremy knew that he wasn’t gonna get to walk away now. I had him cornered. “Fine.” He looked at what I held out and then looked back at my face. “Wow.” He said it completely void of emotion. “yeah. I know.” I was actually surprised that he didn’t ask for a divorce right then and there. Or at least a separation. Or marriage counseling. At the very least a late night phone call to Delilah to get some on-air radio advice about being married to a crazy pregnant woman. My single thought about this man was that he must really love me. Immediately in my heart I forgave him for not answering my phone call earlier that day. It was so easy to love him. It was so easy to imagine my baby boy being exactly like him. It was enough to make me crave my next crampy feeling. Later that night, my mom and dad stopped by again to check on my progress. They told me that they just wanted to hang out...but I knew that my mom was anticipating a flood that rivaled Katrina's aftermath. But my fluids all stayed intact. The cramps, however, continued. They continued as my dad assembled the mobile over the crib. They continued as I straightened my hair. They continued as I chugged glasses of water and frequently visited my favorite porcelian pot. "Honey...why don't we time the contractions?" my mom asked softly. "Because they aren't anything...it won't make any difference. I won't be one of those girls that goes into the hospital the night before she is going to be induced only to find out that I am not dialating...it would be embarrassing." I tried to argue with her while breathing through the contraction. These cramps were happening closer together but the intensity hadn't changed. It still seemed like nothing more than a regular day with Mother Nature. "Well, according to my watch, they are about two to five minutes apart. And it's been that way for the past hour. When do you plan on going in?" "When my water breaks." I answered bluntly. A fierce cramp seized my belly. I tried to focus all my attention on my breathing while leaning up against the door jam. My mother reached over to rub my shoulder as I inhaled deeply. "Pray mom. Please pray." I begged her. "Lord, thank you for this unborn child. We praise you for allowing Katie to go into labor..." "NO! Not like that!" I interupted, "Don't pray for the baby. Pray for little things. Thank him for butterflies and birds. Be creative!" Didn't she understand that I needed a diversion? Why the heck would you bring up the baby now?! While I am suffering through this contraction? That's not a distraction! That's salt in my wound, woman! She just chuckled in amazement. She obviously didn't fully understand why I was asking prayer for insects. But she tried anyway..."Thank you Lord for butterflies and birds. Thank you for the beauty in your world." The cramp subsided. It was obvious that I needed to go to bed. I was getting crankier by the minute. "Mom...we are just gonna head to bed. The induction is scheduled for 5 am...which is in, like, 5 hours...so we better get some rest. We'll see you at the hospital...and if anything happens before then, we'll call. ok?" I wanted to just curl up in my covers and close my eyes. I wanted to be able to spoon with Jeremy and feel his arm against my cheek. I wanted to just make the next five hours fly by so that I didn't need to give another thought about the Pitocin and how it makes things more painful. We said our goodbyes and started getting ready for bed. Jeremy started double-checking the car to make sure that everything was ready for our early morning departure. He started doing his night-time routine...tidy things up, check. doors, check. lights, check. change, wash, brush, check, check, check. I sat in the bedroom watching him in awe. He was such a caregiver. Such a servant. Such a good provider. I had really married up. I continued to dwell on what a good man he was as I went to the bathroom for the millionth time. And that's when it hit me. No, it wasn't my water breaking. It was a very bad case of the chills. I was completely freezing from head to toe. My jaw started chattering like a jackhammer. There was no way to control it. It was so unexpected, so startling, that I didn't know how to react. And that unknown was scary. I hadn't heard of anyone suddenly becoming frozen during labor...did this mean something was wrong?! Jeremy came over and realized that something was not right with me instantly. I explained that I was very cold and couldn't stop shaking...but I think that the fear in my face was more of a concern with him than my temperature. He rubbed my shoulders and held me close but I still couldn't warm up. The two minutes that I shivered in his arms felt like two hours. That's when I thought...it's time. Let's go to the hospital. Jeremy only hesitated for a half second before realizing that I was serious. It was go time! As we arrived at the hospital, the labor & delivery floor was empty except for a dozen nurses chatting in their station. I was escorted into a room to change into a hospital gown and wait to be shown into a laboring room. Jeremy was on the phone with his dad - letting him know that we went ahead into the hospital and that we would have more information soon. Since it was 3 am our nurses decided that I should be given a permanent labor room and checked to see if I started dialating. This was the moment. The moment where I was convinced the nurse would look up from beneath my hospital gown to tell me that nothing was happening. The moment where I was going to be labeled "false laborer". "You have done a lot of work today. You are 4 cm and 70% effaced." I was shocked. What an amazing gift! I was going to be induced only 2 hours from now! And this meant only one thing...my baby was ready. My baby was not being forced from his ripe and thick home to enter the world! My baby was coming on his own accord. My heart was full. It was enough to make me welcome with a smile the next contraction. During my own personal joyfest, I had one nurse insert an IV and hook me up to a bag of fluids while the other nurse strapped monitors to my midsection to listen to the fetal heartbeat and to see my contractions. The main nurse explained to me that she was going to be on duty only for a couple more hours and that I would need to be hooked up to the monitors at least 15 minutes of every hour. All I could think was about how I would cope with laying in that bed for 15 minutes. Every moment on my back felt three times longer than it actually was. It wasn't a surprise...I knew that being in bed would be my least favorite part of labor. But I also knew that it was manditory...no amount of whining would get me outta this one. I was stuck...both literally and figuratively. "So how long do I have? Like till the I get fully dialated?" I had a million questions but the only thing I wanted to know was the extent that I would have to wait till I was face to face with my little lovechild. "Well, every labor is different. But in general, there is an algarhythm that we go by...every centimeter of dialation takes about 1 to 2 hours." The nurse said before turning to check the monitors. My mom, who had arrived at this point, excitedly grabbed my hand and said "Katie - that means you'll definitely have the baby by 3 in the afternoon!" Her smile was taking up her whole face. Today she was going to become a grandmother all over again. Her excitement was pouring out of her eyesockets. The next three hours flew by. The contractions continued and our plan of attack was to change activities every hour. It seemed to be working. We walked around the labor & delivery floor. We pulled out the labor ball. We plugged up our ipod with our labor song playlist. We visited the waiting room. We pushed Cole around on my IV cart. We visited with arriving friends and family members. The most comfortable way for me to get through each contraction was actually just hugging Jeremy. Leaning my head on his shoulder and having my arms wrapped around his neck gave me a sense of calm. And I loved being able to share the burden of my body with the man that I loved. Six in the morning arrived and with it came a shift change in the nurses. My main nurse was named Amirah...I called her Amy for short. She was a tall black girl that had her head of dark hair wrapped up in a bun with a beautiful piece of fabric. The wrap was perfect for her complexion. It made her big dark eyes even warmer and next to her face, her mocha colored skin glowed. When she entered the room, the first thing she did was come over to me as I laid in the bed and ask if it was okay to have a student nurse in the room as I labored. I had heard that sometimes this was a possibility and I was thrilled to nod yes. Amy then introduced me to Faith. Faith was older than what I imagined the typical student nurse. She had a maturity in her eyes that gave me a peaceful feeling. And when she came over and talked about her own children, I immediately liked her. I reveled in the happiness that I had such personable nurses especially since I knew that these would be in the room more often than any doctor. Plus, it seemed like they both were supportive of my efforts to 'go natural' with my labor. And that additional support ran me over with gratefulness. It actually made it easy to thank the nurses each time they came in to the room or gave me instructions. When my new nurses settled in, I was bursting to do one thing...get in the tub. I had always dreamed of laboring in water. The only thing standing in my way was getting back in bed and being monitored. After the 15 minutes of struggling in the bed, Amy said that she would check me and then we would be able to get ready for the water-labor. "I would say you are a 5/6. So you are progressing slowly but it shouldn't be a problem." She said matter of factly. Ok. Ok. That's sortof what the previous nurse said would happen. I tried to remember the formula and do the math with the pain of the contraction. I decided to not overanalyze. Just focus on the here and now. Focus on the contraction. Focus on my breathing. Focus on the tub. The process to get ready was tedious. Faith and Amy wrapped my IV with a plastic bag and tape and ran to get me several towels. As I stepped into the warm water, the feeling of relaxing literally washed over me. The water rose above my shoulders and my muscles melted into the back of the tub. I felt like I could finally breathe. "Jeremy, will you hit the button again?" the jets had shut off taking with them my sense of calm and peace. He needed to sleep. He had stayed up all night with me and was fading. Jeremy reached up and pushed the button to get the engines started again. The gurgle of the jets began and I shifted my weight to get the bubbles on the sorest part of my back. Jeremy sunk his head into his hands and rested momentarily. He didn't get to relax very long before we heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Katie, your doctor - Dr. Hood, came by to see you but since you were in the tub, he decided that he would come back after you finished. ok?" Amy asked like I had a say in the matter. "Ok. thank you!" I peeked out the open door. The clock indicated that it was already 8 am! I can't believe that I've been here already for 5 hours! It seems like it flew by! I am doing it...I am really doing it! The time for the tub came to an end really soon as I climbed out to get back in the prison of a bed. But I didn't realize that this time, I had a surprise waiting for me. As soon as I was strapped in, Faith came to me and said that her instructor was a midwife and if it was alright with me, that she would get her to see if she had any labor advice. "Really?!" I had originally signed up for a midwife but the doctor's office had to cancel their midwifery practice because of the economy. This opportunity was unbelievable! I knew that Jeremy was exhausted and having new blood in the room would be revitalizing...both mentally and physically. "Yes...I'd love that!" The midwife had more than supportive advice...she actually came down and spent the next half hour in the room...helping me as I labored in that bed. Her tips and advice were great. Push here, lay here, breathe like this, relax here, rub this...it seemed like she had known me my entire life and knew exactly what I needed to conserve my energy while still focusing my efforts. "You are doing amazing!" She complimented me. "You are doing everything right. You are relaxing very well through each contraction. Make sure you do your cleansing breath. And if something seems to be working, keep doing it." I followed her advice to the letter. Each time that a contraction felt like it was about to begin, I sucked in deeply and focused my full energy on breathing slowly and deeply. In my mind, I began visualizing my toes relaxing, then my feet, then my ankles, my calves, all the way up to my eyebrows...everything was forced into a lazy place of relaxation. The only part that wouldn't submit was my hips. It felt like all my pain and frustration was coming to a head right inside my hip flexors. "Rub my hips!" I said over and over to Jeremy & my little sister. Their fingers would dig in below my hip bones forcing them into submission. My head tossed back and forth. Finally the contraction would end and I opened my eyes to see them smiling at the fact that I got through another one. It went like this for the rest of the morning. I was at 4 centimeters at 3 am. I was at 5/6 at 6 am. At 9 am I was at 6/7 cm. Then at 2pm I was at 7/8 cm. With such slow progress, I decided that maybe I would benefit from another dip in the tub. I called Amy into the room and we started the process of getting everything water-tight and me undressed. I hadn't been in the warm bubbly water very long when I got the news that the doctor was coming and he wanted to check me. Although I was disappointed in getting out of the relaxing water, I hadn't actually seen my doctor yet. As I climbed onto the table and got strapped back into the monitors, Jeremy held my hand reminding me that maybe the doc would think I was progressing farther along than the nurse. Dr. Hood entered the room in a hurry. He came over and greeted us and I was immediately reminded why other patients had warned us of him. He had a very salty bedside manner. "Let's check you..." He sat in the chair at the end of my bed. Jeremy squeezed my hand as Dr. Hood pulled out what looked like a knitter's hook. "I'm gonna need a towel." My brain ran wild. Like a grazing gazelle who suddenly spotted a predator. Panic set in. Why the heck did he say that? Nobody else needed a towel to check me... Suddenly I realized what was happening. At the same moment, the hook was being inserted and Amy said "He's going to break your water..." I didn't hear her. All I could focus on was closing my legs and saying "WHOA!!! Whoa Whoa Whoa!" My heart was beating a mile a minute. Why was this happening? There was no discussion. No explanation. No warning. "Can we talk about this for a second?" I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought I had made my birth plan very clear...let's try natural...let's try. If it doesn't work or I don't want to continue...we can quit...but until then...let's try. The Doc stood up in a hurry clearly agitated by the interuption. He huffed over to the trash can while ripping off his gloves. The snap of the latex and the swish of the trash bag were the only sounds in the room. "You need to think about how long you are going to let this continue." He said firmly. He continued talking but I couldn't continue listening through my frustration. Why wasn't he apologizing? Why didn't he explain things before he tried to stab my babies watery bubble? This is wrong. This is very very wrong. I barely processed the situation as the doctor stormed out of the room. As the door was shutting, Jeremy angrily cursed. His opinion of the doctor was clear to everyone in the room. "JEREMY!" I couldn't believe he cursed! What if the doctor heard? What if he held it against us? I looked up at the nurses for an answer. Any answer would be nice. Any explanation. Any support. Faith was the first to speak... "You are right. He shouldn't have done that."

Green Day

allbowerpower — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:43:08 +0000

And I ain't talking about the band! I'm actually talking about our exterior. I know. I know. It's totally not baby-related. But seriously folks...I gotta talk about something other than Will sometimes. He's pretty awesome and all but too much baby talk can drive anyone a little bonkers....err...a little more bonkers. So before we went into labor, our front yard looked a little like this... BLEAK. and brown. and unbloomerific. and when we got back from the hospital after our four-day stint, we were pleasantly surprised. Apparently God was in the mood for a little before & after action. It was completely painted green and pink and lovely. My boyfriend was thrilled that the grass had greened up. And even though there were a few patches that had died before they were established, the smile on his face was completely worth the $400 water bill we had last year. (long story...here's the short version...we laid sod, Eric the yard dude told us to make it swampy, we made it swampy, water company charged us for the swamp plus some, we argued with said water company, water company revised bill, we paid $400 for swamp). It was crazier than eyeliner on a Jerseylicious girl. Almost. And because I am in a generous mood, here are the side by side before and afters. Yeah...because scrollin stinks, right? Or am I the only one that is THAT lazy around here?! Don't answer that. So that's that. Now I have another totally unrelated question for ya. I think that I need a little spiffing up around here...as in the blog. I think I might be ready to get my own little web address and stuff like that. But I am kinda a doofus around computers...so does anyone out there know of a good way to cheaply go about spiffing? Maybe you can recommend some kinda book for dummies? Or know of some web designer person that can help out a gal? I have like $13 I can pay :) Whatever your recommendations, I'd love to hear em!

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:11:48 +0000

Love List - Black & White

allbowerpower — Sat, 29 May 2010 03:21:23 +0000

5x7 Zebra printed cotton rug $68 Wire basket $10 Labyrinth Pillow $50 Brooklyn photography $varied Women's Long sleeve button down Buffalo Plaid Shirt $11 Udderly Cow Mug $8 Polka dot oval dish

Zillow

allbowerpower — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:17:54 +0000

Have you discovered Zillow.com? Because I did many moons ago and still, to this day, receive great joy that I can input someone's address and find out how much they paid for their house. The first one I did? Oh. My parents. It was like finding out how many boys my mom ever kissed. Their mortgage amount was like a dirty little secret. Except just a secret. and not so dirty. Actually they scored a pretty good deal on their house. Still. I never knew how much my folks had paid for their home...I guess I was too busy hating that I was stuck in there so much. Kids don't know the meaning of 'grounded' like homeschoolers do. Seriously. Ever try falling asleep during spanish videos with my mom checking in on ya? No? Well, let me tell ya, you don't want to. The reprocussions are like a kung fo karate chop to the adnoids. Anyhoo...back to Zillow. It's like a peek into people's private lives. And it's a way that I can window-shop for a dream house. And it's a way that I can see my house. Like from a really long time ago. Yeah. They have that fun street-view that shows our exterior from WAY back in the day. Notice the little dogwood? And behind that was a magnolia tree that pooped pods all over our yard. And this is after we chopped down the giant pine tree that was four feet from the first step on our porch. And WAY before we did the front yard overhaul. Man, I love looking back at how crappy stuff was. It's like looking into the toilet after a really big you-know-what and proudly smiling about passing something so huge. Wait. Did I just write that outloud? Please strike that from the record. It's like looking back at how crappy stuff was. That's all that it is like. And nothing else. Anyhoo, I thought it would be fun to do a little comparison...ya know...for fun. Before (via Zillow): Before the yard had zero landscaping. The trees were planted in what looks to be a block-the-view formation. The grass was a mixture of three different types (crabgrass, weeds, and dirt) and there were some overgrown rhodendrum bushes on one side of the porch. We also lived on a slope that provided a great workout for Jeremy when he attempted to mow our patches of grass. After (via now with my camera): Now we have a graded yard which provides us with a relatively flat area in the center where we can picnic...if we were the picnic-in-your-front-yard-types. The yard also has defined beds with plants and mulch. We also installed a sprinkler system (to the tune of $400) when we tackled the yard renovation. That sprinkler really helps the ONE type of grass that we have now. Here are the infamous side-by-sides for your viewing pleasure. Clap at will. (That's 'will' as in whenever you feel like it...not 'will' as in my baby). Dontcha just love the flashback in time? And seeing the difference? It's totally funkycoolmedena. Ok. So if you are still here and not Zillowing your parents abode...tell me, have you gotten hooked on a real estate website before? If so, dish it like Emeril. Man, I watch way too much daytime television :)

Experiment – What’s inside a Water Filter?

allbowerpower — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:01:48 +0000

The week before Will was born, we occupied ourselves with random projects. One of them was the brainchild of my boyfriend. It started rather simply. The light on the inside of our fridge indicated that our water filter needed replaced. You see, our fancy fridge...ok...fancy-for-Georgia fridge has one of those built in water filtration systems and it's ready for it's closeup. Bam. And I love, love, love that it has it's own filtration system and we don't have to clog precious sweet tea shelf space with a Brita water pitcher (which is what happens to my parents fridge). I mostly love it because I got great peace of mind thinking that our ice was filtered. No anenemies here :) Well...the indicator light told us it was time to switch out the filter. So Jeremy removed the old filter from the hole in the bottom of the fridge and suggested that we take a peek inside. Except not with those words...he's manly...and manly men don't "peek inside"...they rip the thing open with their bare hands or with their teeth. or they strap the thing to a cinder block and get out the sawzall. You can imagine my delight :) And for those girlie girls out there who don't know what a sawzall is...it's awesome. Basically it's one of our favorite tools. It's a Dewalt reciprocating saw that has interchangable blades for cutting through just about anything. It's totally manly. If it were a living thing, it would have a penis. Sorry mom. So Jeremy whipped out the sawzall and got to work cutting into the water filter. I would like to take a break now in our experiment and say three things. 1. Our hypothesis was that the water filter was a basic tube filled with a sponge like mechanism that was heavy laden with dirt and biohazardous material. 2. Don't try this at home. 3. My man has some sexy calf muscles. Mmmm. So once he sliced the sucker open, we saw a black tubie thingy wrapped in thin paper. No sponge. Hypothesis incorrect. The black tubie thingy is actually an activated carbon microfilter according to PUR. Basically the water flows through the paper and then through the tubie and then out the tip all nice and clean. The paper removes the sediments in the water. And there were LOTS of gross sediments. And the black tubie removes contaminents such as microbial cysts, sediments, chlorine taste and odor, agricultural and industrial pollutants and lots of other byproducts. Pretty gross, huh? When we removed the tubie outta the other end, we were better able to remove the paper and check out the grossness that we were not ingesting. You see...this: came outta this: and when we wiped our finger around the inside of the blue thing...we found this: Eww. Yeah. I was moving all 205 lbs of me to make sure the new filter was in place ready to go. Pretty nasty stuff if you ask me. And you can bet your bottom dollar...heck, bet your top dollar, that I will be sure to get all my drinking water from the fridge from now on. So did you enjoy our experiment as much as we did? Anyone else out there paranoid about their drinking water? Or maybe you are shocked at the amount of grossness we discovered? Or perhaps you are still staring at my boyfriend's legs....well, stop. those belong to me :)

Blogging 101

allbowerpower — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:52:59 +0000

Everyday I receive emails with questions about blogging. It's kinda strange actually because I know veryvery little about the subject. In fact, I don't think this here blog is anything to get excited about. Actually, I think that it needs tons of work and I am a strange writer who fixates on potty humor and bacon and often forgets to write major posts (like the nursery reveal...oops!). So to have the honor of your questions is quite befuddling...if that's a word. But because I am quirky, I thought, heck, why not share what I've read and learned over the years? I ain't afraid of no ghost....I mean, It can't hurt...so here we go.

Tip #1 Photos

I like photos. I like blogs with photos. Preferably clear photos that are big enough for a nearsighted grandma with glocoma to see across a room. I put photos on this blog because it seems like you all like photos too. Plus it helps for those people that can't read. Tip numero uno is to include photos in your posts. And all over your home page. I use em whenever I can. I think it helps.

Tip #2 You & your shtick

You are unique and special and appealing. Not to everyone...but to someone (yes, your mom counts). So know what makes you unique and special and appealing and cling to it like you ain't never clung before. Basically said - KNOW YOURSELF. If you are true to yourself and are passionate about what you are writing, it will reveal itself in your blog. If you don't have a passion for home decor...don't write about it. If you love cats, bring that to the table. Be truthful in how you reveal yourself and be honest in your writing and someone somewhere will recognize it and love you for it. If you are trying to be someone else in how you write, it's gonna be made very apparent very quickly and nobody likes a copy cat. In short - passion for cats, yes, copy cats, no. Then remember that everyone has a shtick...everyone. Some people's shtick is decor. Some people's shtick is clothing. Some people's shtick is food. Some people shtick is that they don't have a shtick. It can be any subject, any joke, or any type of writing. Me? I like making analogies that include celebrities and calling my husband my boyfriend and talking about my life and our projects. And that's not mentioning the poop and pork. We got a whole house made of shticks! :) Sorry - that was a bad joke.

Tip #3 Manage those expectations

Nobody...NOBODY...is a blog success overnight. Unless you are Eddie Ross :) Make sure reality has your expectations in a headlock. In other words - keep those expectations in check. Keep blogging if you love blogging...not because your stats need to hit a certain number or because you want to be a 'successful' blogger. You can't form a blog with the mindset that you will be rollin in the dough and entertaining millions of readers in a week and a half. It just won't happen. When I formed this here blog, I thought that maybe if I was lucky, my mom would read it. If I wasn't lucky, I would read it...and that would be good enough. It was good enough. And it still is.

Tip #4 Readers

Let's get to readers. That's you. Readers can tune it for a million and a half different reasons and I think it's a good thing to know who's reading. Check out their blog if they got one. Leave a comment saying hi. Maybe you realize that your readers are interested in more personal info...if you are willing to give it, why not? Maybe you find that your readers are most eager for your certain area of expertise and you need a break from it...if you don't want to...I promise that the reader isn't gonna hunt you down if you don't give in. Remember, in the end, your blog needs to make you happy first...then your readers. Readership will change. You need to proud of your blog in the end.

Tip #5 The Funk

Remember in highschool how it's tough to make everyone like you? Like in my homeschooled version of highschool, my brother didn't like me. My mom did. My sister did. My little brother didn't care. But my older brother? He didn't like me one bit. We would get into these insult fights...like you-so-ugly fights...and he would totally win. Afterwards, it would totally put me in the funk. Well, blogworld is the same thing. There will be a time in your bloglife that you will come across Betty Sue Insult. She will be like your-blog-so-ugly in a comment and you will want to throw yourself on the ground, pound your fists and cry your eyes out. Then you will want to react. Your fingers will fly as you draft a scathing retort. You are ready for the fight. But be aware - drama can ensue if you say anything mean back. And you will immediately regret it. (At least I did the first twenty seven times). This is where you need to keep your cool. Keep your cool and remember that you just read ten other comments that were sweet and kind and encouraging. And that you can delete any comment on your blog if you so wish. Afterall...it's your dang blog. And now you are so popular that people hate you. Just like highschool...even the popular kids get hit by a bus....or at least that's what Mean Girls taught me.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I post? Ideally - you should post at least once a week. Any less and you will lose readership. More is always loved...and people love a schedule...so if you can post on a regular scheduled basis, give yourself a pat on the back. How do I get commenters? I have no idea. I get comments on posts that surprise me. I don't get comments on posts that I think are totally juicy. It's hit or miss here. But I do know this...if you leave comments on other people's sites...they might come check your's out. And you need readers to get comments. What can I do to increase my readership? Blog often, leave comments on other's blogs, link to your facebook page, submit posts or photos to congregate sites like Apartment Therapy or The Tasty Kitchen, link to other's blogs in the body of your posts, increase your blogroll, participate in blogger's forums or email your favorite blogger to establish a relationship to get more ideas. Can I be on your blogroll? Listen folks...I love ya....I really do. But if you are new to the blogworld, let me tell you something. It's no secret. In my opinion, you don't ask to be on someone else's blogroll. It's like humping a strangers leg. AWKWARD. It's one thing to ask someone to check out your site cause it's new. Or asking for feedback on what to improve. Or even just emailing a blogger to tell them that you added them to your blogroll. But in my humble opinion, a blogroll mention is earned. In fact, I don't add newbie bloggers to my blogroll until I have read their blog for at least six months. I like to know that my buddy is in it for the long haul...maybe because I am just too lazy to remove them if they go kaput. Let's change that 'maybe' to 'definitely'. So there you have it...the skinny on blogging. Any other questions you get a lot? Perhaps you wanna share your favorite Betty Sue Insult? Or maybe you are totally unlike me and change your blogroll like you change your underwear? Whatever your tidbit on bloggin...I'd love to hear it. Afterall...that's why this thing is so fun...we all have different experiences!

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allbowerpower — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:13:37 +0000

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allbowerpower — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:16:22 +0000

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allbowerpower — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:49:30 +0000

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Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:14:29 +0000

Maternity Photo Outtakes

allbowerpower — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:15:54 +0000

These were never meant to be shared. But since I'm taking my good ole sweet time writing the next installment of the birth story, I thought this would be good incentive to finish. Afterall, nobody in their right mind would want these to be on their home page....they are just too embarrassing. But since they are up...wanna play a game? It's called CAPTION. And you must come up with a caption for each photo. I'd love to read your captions. It can be funny or crazy or awkward. Whatever. Be creative. Here's what I came up with: #1 Stretching in preparation for second dinner...or first midnight snack...they all run together. #2 Note to self - Kissing photos are even more awkward when you aren't actually kissing. #3 Forcing your husband to eat everytime you do IS sweet revenge. #4 A whole new definition of sexy. also known as Meow! #5 When Kegels fail. #6 "It was that thing's fault." #7 Welcome to the gun show. Ten thousand points to the folks who play the game with me. Ready, set, CAPTION!

The Birth Story - Part 5

allbowerpower — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:08:46 +0000

The Doc stood up in a hurry clearly agitated by the interuption. He huffed over to the trash can while ripping off his gloves. The snap of the latex and the swish of the trash bag were the only sounds in the room. “You need to think about how long you are going to let this continue.” He said firmly. He continued talking but I couldn’t continue listening through my frustration. Why wasn’t he apologizing? Why didn’t he explain things before he tried to stab my babies watery bubble? This is wrong. This is very very wrong. I barely processed the situation as the doctor stormed out of the room. As the door was shutting, Jeremy angrily cursed. His opinion of the doctor was clear to everyone in the room. “JEREMY!” I couldn’t believe he cursed! What if the doctor heard? What if he held it against us? I looked up at the nurses for an answer. Any answer would be nice. Any explanation. Any support. Faith was the first to speak… “You are right. He shouldn’t have done that.” Thank goodness another person was on our side with this issue. "I'm going to get my instructor..." I couldn't be more thankful for this sweet girl. My head was still swirling. Swirling with heat and anger and frustration. It was no more than two minutes till the midwife arrived. Apparently Faith had explained what happened on the way down the hall because as she entered the room, she immediately came over to me and grabbed my hand. My thoughts came spewing out like hot lava from a volcano of emotion... "I would probably have let him do it if there was any explanation! I just think that if a person is going to do something that they need to talk about the procedure before doing it! Am I wrong? He didn't tell me anything. Nobody told me anything. I thought I was doing good. Sure things are going slow but things go slow sometimes. Right? Right??!" I was trying to stay calm as I paced around the room breathing through the start of my next contraction still gripping her hand like a vice. The midwife was able to handle the situation like an experienced cowgirl handles cattle. She grabbed the reins and gently reined me in. "You are doing fine. Let's get through this contraction and then we can talk." She massaged my palm and breathed with me as I hung on my Jeremy's shoulders. "Ok. Are we through that one?" she was so considerate of the labor pains that it instantly made me calm. "Yes." I stated as my breathing slowed. "Yes, it's over." "Alright. About the doctor, you are right. This is your labor and you get to choose how to go about it. If you would like your water broken, you should be able to discuss it first." My head started dreaming of switching to this woman instantly. Either that or adopting her as my long lost aunt. She continued. "If you decide to break your bag of waters, sometimes it helps things progress a little quicker although it will be a little more difficult to handle the contractions." She went on to explain how breaking the bag would eliminate the cushiony pillow between my babies head and my cervix. "Well, I would probably have let him do that if he said something first! Do you think he's gonna be mad at me?" I couldn't believe that I had to worry about the doctor holding a grudge while I was in labor. "No. I don't think you need to worry about that." This woman was a saint. Our conversation was interupted by a knock on the door. Crap...it's Dr. Hood. The door cracked open and in walked a short brunette woman with a confident look in her eyes. She came over and introduced herself as the head of the nurses. "I wanted to apologize." She said with a serious face. "Amy told me what happened and I am very sorry you had to experience that. Dr. Hood was in a crabby mood. He had a c-section scheduled and was in a rush to get to the OR. He's a very good doctor though, I want you to know that." "No. I know." I remembered back to when we first were introduced to him. "I remember that we were told he was an excellent doctor in case of a caesarean. I just think that he should talk to me first before attempting a procedure." I felt like a broken record. "Well. We all apologize on his behalf." She was sweet for saying so. I knew that she was apologizing because he wouldn't. He was a doctor afterall. He had to keep status quo. He had liabilities. He couldn't stoop to my level. "I think Jeremy and I still need to discuss if we are ready to have my water broken yet." "You do that. And if you are ready, then you can tell Amy and she will get Dr. Hood." The head nurse said before heading back to her station. "I think that is the right decision." The midwife said encouragingly. Jeremy and I turned toward each other and we both knew that it was time. The length of anticipation had us worn down. Jeremy looked exhausted. And my adreneline was only good for me. I knew that breaking my water would be jumping in with both feet. There would be no going back now. Amy retrieved Dr. Hood and he entered the room coldly. There was no apology but I didn't expect one. He did talk about how he thought that this decision was the best one and that it probably would help things progress along faster. I really didn't pay much attention though as he spoke. I knew why he was there. Just in case of a c-section. I didn't want to discuss labor with him. He barely saw me labor. What would he know afterall? As the hook punctured my bag, the warmth of the water indicated only one thing: we are having a baby in the next day. I knew that as soon as the water gushed out, the hospital would only allow you 24 hours to deliver before retriving the baby via caesarean. This was it. Or so I thought. At 2 pm I was at 7/8. Dr. Hood broke my water at 3 pm. Then at 4, Amy checked me for progress. 8 to 9. Only 1 cm. I had hoped for more dialation than that...but my mind was battling back and forth between hope and reality. The hope was that I would be true to the algarythm...but reality clearly stated that my baby should have been here by now. I should be pushing. I should be getting this baby out. Then hope would fight back...people have long labors. I can do anything for two days. The Jews were tortured for years by the Nazis, slaves were whipped, women are mutilated, if these people are strong enough to survive and thrive...I can labor for a mere 48 hours! I clung to the thought of strength. Hope. Strength. and breathing. The next thing I knew there was a phone in my hand. "Dr. Hood wants to talk to you." Amy told me. "Hello?" Why the heck is he calling me on the phone? Is this normal? My brain didn't really process what he was saying. Something Pitocin. Blah blah blah not dialating enough. Something about average labor charts. Blah blah blah epidural. Something about still at a nine. Blah blah blah probably a caesarean. What was he saying?! Doesn't he know that I am in labor? Right now? Like the contractions turn my brain off? Why is he telling me this on the phone? My contraction ended at around the same moment that he hung up the phone. "What did he say?" Jeremy asked. "I don't know." I started freaking out. My heart was racing and my skin started sweating. Drops of sweat were forming on every surface of my skin. "He said I wasn't doing it. That it wasn't working. He said that I would need a csection!" "What?!" Jeremy look confused. "I don't know. Why would he talk to me on the phone? Why didn't he come in here and explain it?" I was starting to breath crazy. My head was spinning from the news. I did everything in my power from hyperventilating as I told Jeremy everything I could recall from the phone conversation. When I finished, I felt like I was a kid who just walked into my playroom to find every toy was smashed to bits. I needed an explanation. I needed help. Faith was already out the door retrieving the midwife before I had a chance to say ask for it. Fifteen minutes later the midwife had fully explained the situation. My labor was taking too long. I wasn't progressing. She outlined my options more clearly than the doctor...or maybe I was just more willing to listen to her because I trusted her. I trusted her explicitly. I trusted her with my life. I trusted her with my babies life. When we got done with our conversation, I blamed myself. I was too relaxed. That had to be the problem. The next hour I was determined to do whatever it took to kickstart this labor. Changing positions. Changing activities. Leaking was a part of walking now. Especially since I was walking while trying to do a combination of a jumpy-waddle hoping that gravity would be on my side. I didn't think it was working until I had the urge to go to the bathroom. "Faith, can I go to the bathroom?" I asked innocently. "Number one or number two?" "I feel like I gotta poo." A smile lit up the midwife's face..."That could mean that the baby is ready." She said it calmly. "Let's check you." Amy got me ready on the table and both Jeremy and I were hopeful. "Hmm." She said. "I think you are about a 6-7." "A SIX OR SEVEN?!?" At this point there was no controlling my volume. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? A SIX OR SEVEN?!?" My heart was racing. "YOU MEAN I WENT BACKWARDS?! WHO GOES BACKWARDS?

Weekend in Chattanooga

allbowerpower — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:08:47 +0000

This past weekend, we were able to visit Jeremy's hometown...Chattanooga. It was officially Will's first roadtrip. And we figured out that Will does not love being in his carseat. And he is not one of those magical babies that falls asleep in a car. That's ok...we'll keep him anyhow. It was really really fun to get out of the house. It was even more fun because we got to see some folks and introduce them to our newest little guy. Here's Ben & Liz. We are trying to peer pressure them into having a baby too. We used phrases like "oh he never cries." and "the poop smells like buttered popcorn" and "they practically take care of themselves". We'll see, I guess. We also got to meet up with our friends Dan & Heidi. I have a girl crush on Heidi. She's so fun. And pretty. Apparently Will thought so too. And we also got to see some of our future best buddies that we have arranged for Will to befriend. This little guy is Hayden. Remember him? He was born right around the same time that Will was a little twinkle in my uterus. Oh and we also met up with Asher. Asher is Jeremy's cousin's son. So I guess that would make him Will's second cousin. Or second cousin once removed. Or first cousin twice removed. I never remembered how that works. Let's just say they are related. And that he is a cutie patootie. Man, I could gobble him up like bacon. Between all the new friends, the cookouts, and the naptimes, we also met up with Jeremy's mom & grandma. They are still deciding their names. You know...their grandparent names. Right now they are considering GranB and GG. Will already has a Nana, a Mummum, and a Grammy...so it's kinda tough to come up with something a little different. What do you call your grandma?

Oh and did I mention that while I was there, I totally left Will with Jeremy and got to attend an adult only event? Yeah. My boobs didn't leak once because of a crying baby. And I got to sit down. It was pretty amazing. It was a baby shower for my friend Jill...she's having a girl if you were wondering. Yeah, I know. Pink zebra is hot for boys right now too.

By the end of it, I was really missing my boys. I couldn't wait to get back to them. It made me realize that I am oh-so-content with my life. I don't want a big house or a fancy car or a million dollars in the bank. I love having simple pleasures. Like a little boy who sleeps 8 hours at night. And a husband who still tries to cop a feel when I wear shorts. And pictures of kittens.

So that's our weekend. What did you do? Anybody lovin simple pleasures lately? What are they? And for goodness sake, tell me that those baby cats are the cutest thing you have seen since Will Bower!

Pillow Placemat Take Two

allbowerpower — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:12:51 +0000

During the winter months our den usually looks like this: But it just wasn't jiving with my spring timey feeling. I needed a little splash of color. So it was quite fortunate that I ran into this little placemat the last time I was at Pier1. The two sided colorful piece was on sale in the clearance section for...oh yeah....only 98 cents. I loved the colors and couldn't help but think that perhaps it would look good in our den. Plus, it coordinated with the pillows that I put out in the adjoining living room. I can't help loving being matchy-matchy....it's a sickness, I tell ya. I know that I outlined how to make a placemat into a pillow before...but this time I wanted to do it a little differently. Instead of stuffing the fiberfill directly into the placemat, I ripped open one seam and added a 9" hidden coat zipper. It was really quite easy and all I had to do was follow the directions that came with the zipper. Then I used the feather pillow insert that was in the previous chocolate brown pillow cover. It actually is quite convenient...because now I only have to store a pillow cover (which takes up about 3 square inches of room) versus an entire pillow (saving me 21 square inches - valuable space for a packrat like me). While I was sewing the placemat into a pillow cover, I brainstormed other ways to add a little more pow to our monochromatic den. Then it hit me...why not add some flowers to coordinate with our new flowery pillowcover!? Man...I should be given an award for this kind of genius. Enter our hydrangea bushes. The hydrangea bushes we planted last year were in full flourish and were quite robust with blooms. Aren't they divine? I cut a handfull of stems and plopped em into a blue bubbly hurricane vase I scored at Goodwill for $8. It was so simple and beautiful. Plus, it coordinated with our new pillow perfectly (see the big blue hydrangea on the pillow?). So that is how our den got an under-ten-buck makeover perfect for welcoming the warmer months. Pretty cool huh? I like it like I like bacon-wrapped-bacon. The question is...do you love it? How bout them hydrangeas? I never met a hydrangea I didn't like :) Or perhaps you are just excited about turning one of your placemats into a pillow cover? Or maybe you have another method for saying Hola to the summer months...do tell.

Meet the Bower Family

allbowerpower — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:42:03 +0000

The name is Bower. Katie Bower. And I married that goodlookin' studmuffin. He's Jeremy. We are just a couple of suburban Atlantans who decided to write about this crazy adventure called life. Sounds exciting, right? Yeah. It didn't to us either. You may be wondering about how we came to be bloggers. Well, I am a 29 year old former homeschooler who has a love for decor, entertaining, jokes and photography. Jeremy (who I affectionately call my boyfriend) is a preacher's kid who can't get enough power tools, hanging out with friends, and well, me :) And after we got hitched, bought a house, and started renovating, a blog seemed like the best way to catalog our transformations and update our family without actually picking up a phone or breaking out the stationary. Plus it helped me get the millions of thoughts out of my head without yappin' Jeremy's ear off. Along the way, we started adding tidbits of just about everything to this here site...especially when it came to our passions. Speaking of passions, we would be remiss to leave out our favorite pasttime...raising a little boy named Will. Yeah, we know. Will Bower sounds like Will Power. It could be worse...his name could be Katie Jr. but we decided to name the kid after his father. Don't worry - that would be Jeremy's first name. Let's not get awkward. He was added to our crew in April 2010 and we love knowing that our son is going to be raised in a home that adores home improvement, eating the other white meat, and almost as much as we love Jesus. We are excited to unfold this life and we are thrilled that we can share it with you. So we invite you to follow along as we catalog our journey in changing our home, having kids, eating artery cloggin' food and kicking back with friends and family.

Meet the Bower Family

allbowerpower — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:43:56 +0000

The name is Bower. Katie Bower. And I married that goodlookin' studmuffin. He's Jeremy. We are just a couple of suburban Atlantans who decided to write about this crazy adventure called life. Sounds exciting, right? Yeah. It didn't to us either. You may be wondering about how we came to be bloggers. Well, I am a 29 year old former homeschooler who has a love for decor, entertaining, jokes and photography. Jeremy (who I affectionately call my boyfriend) is a preacher's kid who can't get enough power tools, hanging out with friends, and well, me :) And after we got hitched, bought a house, and started renovating, a blog seemed like the best way to catalog our transformations and update our family without actually picking up a phone or breaking out the stationary. Plus it helped me get the millions of thoughts out of my head without yappin' Jeremy's ear off. Along the way, we started adding tidbits of just about everything to this here site...especially when it came to our passions. Speaking of passions, we would be remiss to leave out our favorite pasttime...raising a little boy named Will. Yeah, we know. Will Bower sounds like Will Power. It could be worse...his name could be Katie Jr. but we decided to name the kid after his father. Don't worry - that would be Jeremy's first name. Let's not get awkward. He was added to our crew in April 2010 and we love knowing that our son is going to be raised in a home that adores home improvement, eating the other white meat, and television almost as much as we love Jesus. We are excited to unfold this life and we are thrilled that we can share it with you. So we invite you to follow along as we catalog our journey in changing our home, having kids, eating artery cloggin' food and kicking back with friends and family.

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 03:32:39 +0000

This one was taken at three weeks old...but I couldn't help but share it. Notice his belly button had not yet fallen off!

The Birth Story - Part 6

allbowerpower — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:09:18 +0000

Amy got me ready on the table and both Jeremy and I were hopeful. "Hmm." She said. "I think you are about a 6-7." "A SIX OR SEVEN?!?" At this point there was no controlling my volume. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? A SIX OR SEVEN?!?" My heart was racing. "YOU MEAN I WENT BACKWARDS?! WHO GOES BACKWARDS? WHAT THE CRAP? Why isn't this working? Why isn't my body working here!?!?! The frustration was all over me but I couldn't dwell very long before the next contraction hit me. I know I am a slow learner...but I thought this was like a natural thing...like twisting your ankle or getting a black eye...it's not person specific...people just do it. People just have babies. The facts were clear...I was a week overdue. I had gained 54 pounds and they thought that the baby was probably pretty large. Even though he wasn't in distress, I had a little under 24 hours to give birth. And the doctor thought that my uterus was stalling out at 9 centimeters. The doctor said that when I bared down, that Will's head was probably pushing against the opening of the cervix and was causing it to swell. Causing it to close up. This could happen because of a long labor. Because of a big baby. Because my uterus was tired. I tried to argue that I had the energy to do it. That I could "paint a house". But it wasn't me...it was my uterus. Apparently giving birth was going to need a push. And that is when I remembered the options the midwife had outlined. I could try Pitocin...which might kickstart the labor back into full speed. I could also give an epidural a whirl...hoping that the drugs would allow my uterus to relax enough to get the last centimeter. But both could fail...and that's when I would need a csection. I looked at Jeremy and we talked about the options. My head was still swimming. My eyes were red as the tears poured down my cheeks. The labor didn't hurt as much as failure. I just couldn't wrap my head around going backwards. I just didn't think it was possible. I hadn't read about it in any book before and I didn't really understand how it could happen. Wasn't your cervix like a sinkhole? They don't close up...they can only get bigger, right? My confusion was suffocating. I attempted to cling to the fact that the baby was ready either way. Manage your expectations Katie! He's ready. He started coming on his own. He's healthy. That's what's important. My heart sank as I realized that this natural childbirth wasn't going to be quite natural anymore. I would need something. The drugs were going to come one way or another and I would need to let go of my natural dreams. Letting go would have to be my choice. Because the aftermath of having those dreams ripped from my heart would take too long. "Ok. We decided. We want to try the epidural." The anestheiologist entered the room soon after our decision was made. He was tall with a dark tan and long fingers. And he seemed young. Way too young to be a doctor. "Ok Katie, your contractions are about two minutes apart now and this is going to take about 8 minutes. So I need you to hold still through your contractions." This is when Jeremy became my hero. He looked at me with these big blue eyes. And he knew my pain. He grabbed my hands and helped me lean over my knees. My back was arched like a cat after it met an enemy. I was the cat and the giant needle about to get stuck in my spine was my nemisis. "Look at me." He said. "Look me in the eyes. Don't look away. You can do this." I held my breath as my eyes started to fill with tears. All my fears were floating around me as I stared into his eyes. His beautiful strong eyes. As I stared into my favorite pools of blue, I noticed something else. Jeremy's lower lip started to quiver. Then his chin wrinkled up and his eyebrows furrowed. As he bit his lower lip, tears started rolling down his cheeks. He was crying. I couldn't remember the last time I saw him get emotional. Not like this. "I would do this for you if I could." He said. How did I get so lucky? How did I get such a man? Such a provider? Such a protector? I was so caught up on my labor plan that I forgot what was really important. I get to have a baby with my favorite person in the whole world. I got everything I wanted. I got my love here with me. I got to have a dip in the tub. I got a midwife. I got to hear my babies heartbeat over and over. It was strong. And I have to be strong too. The epidural was over before I knew it. When Dr. Hood prepared to check me, he said "I truly hope this worked." And I did too. But in my heart, I knew the status before he said anything. It didn't work. I would need a csection. The hospital crew prepped me in a heartbeat. The catheter was the most uncomfortable thing...and I kept on telling everyone that I felt like I needed to pee. As I was ready to be wheeled out of the room, my mom reached over and told me that she was proud of me. I knew that she wanted me to have a natural childbirth...that she wanted me to get the chance to push this baby out into the world. But she reassured me that the baby was probably just too big and her smile was contagious. This was the hour. The hour that we were going to meet this baby. Ten minutes later, I was strapped to a table with my arms out like a cross. "Dr. Hood?" "Yes." He said. "What do you use? Like do you use glue or staples or sutures?" I remembered back to a conversation I had with a friend about the weirdness of glue holding you together after a caesarean. "Dissolvable sutures and stainless steel staples on the surface." He went on to explain how they don't leave a bad scar. "I am very vain." I joked trying to lighten the air in the room. That was the last thing that was said before it started. The entire thing felt surreal. Like flashes of memories. The anesthesiologist had adjusted my epidural for the operation. The student nurse had grabbed my camera ready to start shooting. The nurses were buzzing. I didn't really feel much of anything except the squeezing of Jeremy's hand in mine. Someone said outloud that the cord was in the way and that is the only indication that I was opened up. Dr. Hood warned me of some pressure. Then suddenly there was a collective gasp in the room. I heard 15 people take in a breath of air at once. "HE's HUGE!" They said at once. A choir singing in unison about my baby. Jeremy looked down with a huge smile peeking out from beneath his face mask wrinkling his eyes. "He's huge!" He said excitedly. I couldn't help but bust out laughing. I laughed out loud as I imagined that they pulled out a toddler from my belly. He was here! He was finally here! I could hear the nurses shuffling their feet. As Dr. Hood worked on me, the nurses worked on our new baby. I imagined what they were doing...rubbing, cleaning, turning my little guy to a ripe pink color and checking his eyes and ears and mouth and reflexes. Then I heard the cry. The sweet cry. It was literally the most delicious sound I have ever heard. "Go Jeremy!" I knew that he wanted to be with his little boy. "Go be with him." The next moments of his life were the longest of mine. I tried to imagine what he looked like. The color of his hair. The shape of his face. His lips, his nose, his little fingers. From across the room, I heard the nurses announce his weight...nine pounds eleven ounces. My smile was stretched to its max. I couldn't believe it. I knew he would be big but over nine pounds? My grandma would be proud. Jeremy came back to see me. "He's got hair!" Jeremy beamed, "He's got lots of dark hair!" Jeremy looked like he was glowing with pride. Amy came over to give us our ID wristbands...we were officially parents. Parents with wristbands. Like bonafide identification that we were officially part of a club. Jeremy never stopped smiling. And then I saw the nurse carry something over to him. The bundle was wrapped in a blanket and the nurse placed it in Jeremy's welcoming arms. I knew what was about to happen. I was about to see the person that would change my life. I was going to become something entirely new. Something entirely different. Something special. Jeremy turned and it was a moment that I will never forget. My eyes swelled and my heart soared. There he was. My baby. I laughed as I cried. "Honey he doesn't look like either one of us!" I giggled with Jeremy. "He looks Chinese! I swear he's yours!" Jeremy was laughing too. My eyes filled with tears of joy. Everything was right. Everything worked out. Everything was good. In that moment, that very nanosecond, I knew that everything that had taken place was there in our little family historybook for a reason. There was a reason that labor came on it's own, a reason to have Dr. Hood chosen as our doctor, a reason we had the midwife, a reason for the student nurse, a reason that my cervix went backwards....it was all leading us to that moment. A moment of pure elation, identifiable pride, and undeniable love. Dr. Hood reached out to shake Jeremy's hand becoming the first to congratulate him on becoming a father. Then he turned to me and said the very sweetest thing that could possibly be imagined... "Next time, you will be able to go natural." All I could do was smile and genuinely thank him with the sincerest heart possible. I realized in that moment why God gave us him. God knew that I was going to have a caesarean before Will was even conceived. That is why God gave me a midwife. That is why He provided this surgeon for Will. And for me. All my anger and resentment toward Dr. Hood was released in my heart and in flooded a sense of gratefulness. Moments later I was wheeled into the recovery room and my little boy was finally placed in my arms. My blood pressure was very low and it made me swirl in a land of dizziness but I knew that I wanted to see him, touch him, look into his eyes. I reached out and Jeremy placed him into my hands. He didn't feel almost ten pounds. And then I pulled back the blanket to see his face. His big dark grey eyes peeked out from underneath, locking with mine. "I'm yours." His eyes bored into my heart. I had planned this second for the longest time...imagining what I would say...fighting to stay lucid as my dizziness increased with each heartbeat. "Happy Birthday Will." I whispered. "I'm your mommy and I love you."

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Bower Power 3.0

allbowerpower — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:53:02 +0000

After a ton of feedback from you guys on how to snazzle this little blog up a bit, we decided to take the plunge. That's right. I would like to officially introduce All Bower Power 3.0. You may remember my past attempt last year around this time when I went from being a BLOGSPOT gal to a WORDPRESS lovah.

Yeah, I felt so grown up and fuzzy inside. But I soon learned that I have a lot to learn when it comes to this whole internet thing. First of all, I chose a layout that got lots of complaints. It didn't show the past posts or give a link to easily access previous posts. I literally tried everything in my power to remedy it. But after several weeks (ok. ok. months) of googling and even emailing John Petersik and talking to other programmers for help, I realized that there was no way for me to fix it with my own two hands and my empty wallet...that I needed to just pull up my knickers and move on. So I started my research on what I really wanted. First, I wanted my own URL. I heard from many of you that it was hightime that I go pro and snag up my own handle. But unfortunately some dude in India bought the allbowerpower.com name and used it as a site to sell flowers & hammocks....dang him to heck. I was totally bummed. So I brainstormed and when it came down to it, the easiest thing was to choose the most simple....so I am proud to announce that we are now officially located at...

Are you dancing? Cause I am. We could be like virtually pullin' some killah moves. Mia Michaels would be proud. Anyhoo. Back to the blog stuff. We are all set up here in our new internet home...and lovin' it. So from now on, we will officially be found at www.bowerpowerblog.com and are planning to stay for a VERY long time. The old wordpress url is automatically redirected, so no worries about missing out...but if you would like to update your reader or your blogroll, I hear that when you do it, it solves all your problems in life. Seriously. So now that you know where to go to find me...let's talk about what you will see when you get there. First, the obvious...a brand spankin' new header:

I know...I love the old one too. I even loved our little 'transitional' one. But my boyfriend said that my hair made me look like a man. Let's take a look at that old one just for memory sake:

Yeah...definitely similar to the hairstyle of Will Shuester on Glee. Not exactly what a girl who's fending off post-partum depression wants to hear. The mustache doesn't exactly help either :) So we decided that a simple look is definitely more our style. Plus I love that you can see a snapshot of our little booger Will. And our photo is still in the mix since now there is a link right there on the side bar that allows you to get a little info on our newly expanded family.

Will cracks me up in that photo. Plus, it gives you a little better idea of who we are...real folk who wear regular clothing that we purchase on sale at Old Navy...not suits and shmancy earrings. So I invite you to click on that there button and read all about us. Unless you could care less. Which is very possible. So our new site is pretty snazzy. We even slapped some virtual paint on the walls and made it a little more our style. Instead of the bright blue and green, we decided that a neutral would be better background for the photography that I am hooked on posting...and since 99% of our house is neutral with a splash of accent colors, the tan buttons, header and background definitely suits us to a T. As in T-bone steak. As in the bestseller at Waffle House. As in the home of greasy bacon. People...I can make anything lead to pork. Anything :) Now...here's the best part. All you folks who let me know that you thought the previous layout sucked hairy toes...IT HAS BEEN IMPROVED. Yeah. Now when you get done reading the newest post...all you have to do is keep scrolling down to see the previous post. So that way you are not missing anything in our very exciting (read: mundane) lives. And when the posts run out...there is a link to previous posts. It's exactly what you wanted for Christmas, isn't it?!? We definitely think of this site as a work in progress but I think that now we are finally moving in the right direction. I still need to do a little remodeling in the tabs above...and keep you better posted on our mini-house-projects...but know that I am workin hard to make this baby better and better while still taking care of my new baby at home. And I love each and every one of your comments...even if I don't respond right away, I am laughin', cryin', and answering the questions in my head...so thank you :) In conclusion, we have a newly renovated blog just in time to celebrate our second, yes, second blogiversary. Bower Power is officially two years old! My how things have changed. And as I said during our first blogiversary, I can't wait to add more and more posts about home improvement, shopping, entertaining, photography and of course, Will to this site. Oh and I obviously still retain the right to make cheesy jokes, un-pc remarks, celebrity jabs, and use potty humor whenever possible. That my friends is here to stay :) So this coming week, be on the lookout for blogiversary events...like the annual Reader Survey and the Reader Review plus a giveaway that gets my bacon fryin!

Bower Power Survey

allbowerpower — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:23:12 +0000

I'm baaaack....and so is the Bower Power survey! It's just like the 2010 census that has been taking over the commercials on televisions everywhere. I wanna know who you are. what you do. things you love. Why? Well, cause I am a people pleaser (false...I'm actually not...just ask my mother...but in this case, I love you guys so much that I could dabble in the people pleasing arena). Actually I wanna know who is reading so that I can better provide you with blog posts that you actually care about...you know...so that we can keep this virtual friendship alive. I'd do anything for a friend. Well almost. I won't braid your armpit hair. I don't know what you heard but that was a one time thing. Anyhoo...last year, we took this survey and I loved the results. Loved. More than celebrities loved boob jobs...if that's possible. This year, I know that it's gonna blow that one outta the water....but it depends on you. If you would, pretty please take the time to comment. So here we go: 1. Personal details – WHO ARE YOU? What is your name? Age? Job? Location? Kids? Marital Status? Pets? 2. Preference details – WHAT IS YOUR CUP OF TEA? Favorite hobby? Maybe your favorite ABP posts? Favorite blogs (maybe yours)? 3. Random details - Biggest Fear? Most embarrassing moment? Favorite bacon dish? Favorite Tv show? Favorite tool? TELL ME SOMETHING OUTTA THE BLUE! 4. Question – WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANNA SEE ON ABP? Like, do you want links to Jerseylicious episodes? More craft ideas? More Before/Afters? More baby related stuff? And because I can't help it...here's a photo of the cutest baby ever to come out of my uterus:

Post Pregnancy Must Haves

allbowerpower — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:54:03 +0000

All my favorite new-mommy blogs have been featuring their own post-pregnancy-must-haves...so I thought that I might as well jump on that gear-wagon. So if you are pregnant, here's what worked for us...if you aren't, just skip directly to #6...because everyone can benefit from easy access tank tops.

1. Soothies Gel Pads - Let's begin this with a story about my boobs. The day after Will was born, I was in the hospital and the lactation consultant checked in on our nursing progress. I told her that Will was a bit of a yanker even though I had a kungfoo grip on the back of his head. And then she asked to see me do the breastfeeding deed...again. I proceeded to pull all the pillows around me and then pull down my top. That's when the LC was like "WHOA!" and I was like "I KNOW" and she was like "YOU ARE VERY DAMAGED ON THAT SIDE" and I was like "I TOLD YOU". So I had to stop breastfeeding on the one side and use my pump for half the feedings. Needless to say, I ended up experiencing a lot of soreness. A LOT. I don't care what the books say...transitional soreness is not mild...it's worse than labor in my mind. And for those of you ready to say "Well, Katie, you weren't doing it right then..." well first of all, if you could identify what I was doing wrong, then you need to become a lactation consultant because my LC didn't know. She did know one thing that helped tremendously : Soothies! I would pop em in the fridge as I nursed so that when Will finished molesting me, I would get some relief. I would meticulously clean the gel part with an icecube and a papertowel so that they would last the longest time possible. I don't know what I would have done without these. 2. Balmex - We are constantly battling diaper rash. We use Balmex at night because it has the ability to neutralize irritants in the diapers. It also seems to create more of a waterproof barrier between Will's willy and Will's pee. It seems to be working. 3. Maximum Strength Desitin - Like I said, we are attempting to evict diaper rash from it's current home. The regular Desitin wasn't working. So we switched to Maximum Strength during all the daytime diaper changes. You could smell the power. It was amazing. In one week we went from LOTS of bumps and redness to only three little dots and just a bit of pink. 4. Baby Bjorn - After the C-section, I was told the number one thing to help me recover faster was to walk. And sometimes I had a hard time pushing the stroller up and down the stairs. Plus, Will loves to face forward. Even before he could see farther than eight inches from his face, he loved to face forward. So we absolutely love this carrier because I can strap it on for our daily walks and he can face forward or lay his head on my chest. 5. Johnson's Bedtime Lotion - We have a nighttime routine. Bath, Massage, Nurse, Read, Pray, Swaddle, Bedtime. It works like a charm. And during Will's rubdown, I use this lotion. Sometimes he smells so deliciously cute that I want to kiss his little cheeks off. And Jeremy thinks I am deliciously cute when I let him sniff my fingers. Nuff said. 6. Target's Nursing Tanks - Gotta love a shirt that can let the girls hang free! And Target carries the cheapest around in an array of different colors. Now you can whip out a tah-tah whenever the mood strikes you...or your baby. Also beneficial when attempting to cool off on a hot day, hiding small objects or when eating crackers. Warning: if your teenage daughter shows interest...immediately remove her from public school, bar all doors and windows, and enforce the "you're not dating till you're married" rule. Worked for me :) 7. Euro Sham - What the heck is a sham doing on here? Well, instead of one of those plastic changing mats, we use a green euro sham that I scored for $1 when we change the Willmeister's diaper. Not only is it absorbent for those "HE'S SPRUNG A LEAK!" moments, but it is extra cushiony for his little head when the floor is our only option. Sure, I tried one of those plastic coated mats, but the liquids would just congregate on Will's onesie...forcing us to change his entire outfit. This way when the little dude tries to tag me, I can use the sham to soak up any stray leakage that may or may not have landed on the carpet, my pants, and his face. 8. The Boppy - I never really used the sucker for breastfeeding but this little c-shaped pillow is worth it's weight in gold for being the perfect perch for our newbie. Even at the hospital, when we both wanted to see him, the Boppy was the perfect baby-booster. And now, we love to place him in it during dinner which we eat on the couch...just like always :) 9. The Baby Book - My darling boyfriend bought me this humongous resource book when I was pregnant. It (along with tidbits from numerous others) helped me get prepared for breastfeeding (as if you can actually BE prepared! Insert me scoffing here!) and baby care. Currently, it is my go-to book whenever I get that new-mom-questioning-everything-disease (Does my baby need vitamin drops? What can I do for colic? What breastfeeding position is best for a yanker? Etc.) 10. bumGenius 3.0 One Size cloth diapers - We are cloth diapering. It's crazy I know. But we figured that if we wanted four kids, then we could literally save thousands of dollars over the course of our diapering lifetime. After some number crunching, we calculated that we would probably pocket about $400 in the first year alone! That's a lot of bacon people! So after I convinced Jeremy of our savings, we compromised in some areas...first, we did receive numerous boxes of diapers for the newborn stage. So we didn't actually start with the bumGenius' until three weeks after Will was born. Also, we make sure the diaper bag has at least two disposable diapers for when we drop Will off at the church nursery. (No need to get on the nursery worker's bad side especially with all the chaos in there!) Lastly, we decided to only travel with disposables. Personally I love the smell of dirty diapers in a hot car in the Georgia summer but apparently Jeremy gets two votes on the subject. (oh and for those of you wondering - I scored our diapers at BellaBlu Maternity.) 11. Always Ultra-thin Overnight Pads - Let's just state the obvious - there's a whole lotta stuff goin' down after birth. Literally. It has the option to go down your leg or down onto your pants or down into some highly absorbant, ultra thin, extra long pad. I chose the later. And since I was still 'adjusting' to non-pregnancy for weeks and weeks after I delivered, these prevented me from a highly embarrassing situation. Plus the thin profile allowed me to walk without looking like I had a watermelon between my thighs. I vote that hospitals should use these for their post-delivery leakage needs...they are a heck of alot better than those throw pillows they hand out. 12. Ocean Spray Cran-Grape Juice - My name is Katie and I am a Cran-grape-aholic. Hmm. I love this drink. And it loves me. After Will arrived, all I wanted was fresh fruit. But I didn't always have the energy to get up and grab some. Especially for those late night nursings. So each night I would have a glass of this juice next to my rocker so that while in the middle of the feeding, I could gain some energy to continue with the quest of the missing burps. I still drink it like a banchee. It's delicious. And it does not qualify as a fuss-food so it is A-ok to pass along to my main man Will. So there you have it folks...a list of my must haves. And because I know that there are lots of new moms, soon-to-be-moms, and I-think-I-passed-some-lady-in-the-supermarket-that-was-totally-knocked-up-gals out there that need to know all the latest and greatest baby gear, here are some links to my favorite must-have's lists:

My girl Sherry's Must Haves

Karen's Must Haves

The Stamford Wife's List of Necessities

Kristal's Baby Gear

Leah's Young Infant Must Have's

And for those of you just busting at the seams to add something to the must-have baby list, I'd love to hear it! Maybe you just couldn't live without your bouncer, swing, or stroller? Or maybe you adored the zipper sleepers, or the easy to match granimals or the Breast Friend? Or perhaps your favorite baby item was a ceiling fan and your kneepads for those diaper changes? Whatever your favorite baby item, put 'er right there in the comments.

Stringing Me Along

allbowerpower — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:49:29 +0000

***This Giveaway is now closed and no longer taking entries. Thanks to all who commented. The results will be announced Thursday, June 23, 2010***

Sometimes we have weeds. Weeds that need a whack.

I tried explaining to the weeds that we have a blog and threatened them with being outted on said blog...but that didn't seem to convince them to leave us alone. I guess that only works with family. Anyhoo. Jeremy already owns a weedwacker...a wonderful beaut that tackles the weeds that sprout around our stone wall, along our neighbors fence and that cover the entire back yard. So when the fine folks at Black n' Decker offered us one of their new shmancy electric weedwackers, I wasn't really jumping at the chance to acquire a new yard tool. Call me crazy but enough is enough. But then my boyfriend looked at me with those blue eyes. And he flexed his calf muscles (you know what that does to me - let's just say that's how Will came to be). And he may or may not have bit his lower lip before leaning in for a soft one (that may have been the post pregnancy hormones but a girl can imagine it actually happened.) And then he suggested that we just do a giveaway. Hot & generous. Mostly hot. Anyway, I told the Black n' Decker peeps that we would be happy to just do a giveaway. But they decided they wanted our opinion on how this puppy works....AND....(I love ands)....AND they would provide an additional weedwacker as a giveaway! So we put it to the test. Literally. We worked this baby (as in my boyfriend did all the work as I incessantly asked questions). First off...it is the Black and Decker 24 volt cordless string trimmer and edger. Secondly, it's electric. Like the slide. Sorry about the cheesiness. It's electric. And therefore it requires charging. When we tore open the package, the first thing you wanna do is charge it up. Thirdly, electric weedwackers have a reputation of being the weaklings of the weedwacker community. But this one was surprisingly powerful...and required an extra long charge at the beginning. So first charge - then get acclimated. First there are two ways to use it. The first way is to have the head swiveled down. This is the weedwacker function. You know...for getting in those awkward spots that the mower can't fit or under stuff like trees or playsets or around fences. But you can also swivel the head to use the tool as an edger.

In this position, the little metal bracket comes down and acts as a guide for along sidewalks and driveways.

So right after Jeremy became fully acclimated, we decided to put it to the real test...the fence. In the past, lesser weedwackers that we borrowed were not up to this challenge. The single string would get caught in the fence or the long weeds and would require that ever-popular "BANG THE POO OUTTA THE WEEDWACKER" adjustment that you see people doing. But surprisingly it worked just fine. No tangles and no banging required. Now I would like to draw attention to one of our favorite features : the Power Command. Honestly, I feel this should be called the Bower Power Command...because it is awesome. Basically it is a power-saver/power-booster switch. It's like the turbo button on my hairdryer. When it's on, it goes into super-mode...you can immediately hear and feel the power. And when it's off, it conserves the battery. That's like a two-for-one. And now for the before & afters. Before: After: Before: After: Nice, eh? So here's the deal, we have a giveaway for one of these puppies...you can win one. But if you don't win, you can score one at your local home improvement store for your hubby, your dad (Hello! FATHER's DAY!) or yourself (it's honestly light enough for a gal like me to handle...and I'm a total wuss!). And as a bonus, the Black n Decker folks have also provided a coupon. Go here to see the freebies you can score! Oh - and here is the coupon code for you to enter - TRIM351 Now onto the giveaway! Here are all the details on how you can win a Father's Day Gift of your own:

PRIZE : 1 Black n Decker Cordless 24 volt String Trimmer/Edger

NUMBER OF WINNERS : One (1)

TO ENTER : Leave a comment with the phrase “Whack Me” and tell me what you would do for this prize. Would you climb Mt. Kilmanjaro? Anybody willing to trade a firstborn? How bout bodyparts...anybody wanting to barter? Let's hear it!

PRIZE SHIPS : Within the USA

NITTY GRITTY : This giveaway ends on Wednesday, June 23rd at 8am EDT. Only one contest entry per email address. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and announced on Thursday, June 24th.

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:35:15 +0000

Age: approximately 2 weeks

Even warm from the womb, he was always able to look directly at the camera. Apparently God did hear my prayers :)

Hobby Lobby Mob

allbowerpower — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:07:04 +0000

It sounds like a tongue twister but it is actually the group of screaming women who literally took over the clearance aisle at my local craft store. Ok. So they weren't screaming. Not on the outside. But I can guarantee that each one was doing a little inside shrieking when they saw the low prices. And they were low....extra low. And of course I could not resist. Wanna see what I bought? Yeah...I knew you did. Cause we are buddies...and friends like to make each other jealous...and then we act glad for the other person while deep down wishing that we were that fortunate....and it's what we do. OK - here we go: Two wire baskets - Large $3 small $1 Let's blame it on the addiction to all things country-inspired or we could say it's Country Living's fault, either way, I love some of the simple classic down-home-on-the-farm decor items that were sitting on the clearance aisle for over 70% off. And with a combined price lower than that of a Big Mac Meal, I knew they would be making their way into our buggy. Can't you see that big one on the counter of a bathroom stuffed full of fluffy white hand towels? And that little one would be just perfect for an oversized napkin wrapped around a couple blueberry muffins sitting along side a jar of freshly squeezed orange juice (also known as just-bought-from-Kroger). Two oversized metal jacks - $1.80 each I love me some oversized items. Or mini items. Regular sized items are soo last year :) And although the color on these babies isn't quite my favorite, at less than two bones a piece, they would look just darling as bookends in our kiddie bookshelf. Plus if I ever want to play jacks, these will give me the advantage :) Two tiered plate stand - $3 I can't help but buy these things whenever I see them on sale. $3? Yes please and thank you. Not only does the color go with the other three-tiered version that I already own but it is perfect for placing a shallow oven safe bowl on the top level and a candle below for a simple but elegant fondue style setup. Anybody up for dippin' bacon in chocolate? Pink Polka dot platter - $6 Normally I wouldn't splurge on such a large non-diverse platter like this one. But seeing as how I turn 30 this coming year, I decided that this serving dish would look perfect with a 13x9 inch homemade cake. Scratch that. It would look even more perfect with a Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate cheesecake cut into slices and artfully placed on the polka dots by my darling boyfriend. Did you get that honey? Love you. and your hot calves. And did I mention that the platter matches perfectly with these two pink ruffled edge footed bowls that I picked up at Goodwill back in the first week of April (as I awaited Will's arrival)? I can't wait to put them on the platter for a cookies and strawberry display! Man, is it lunchtime yet? Two domed glass display trays - $2.20 each My favorite item of the shopping excursion was definitely these domed glass display cloches. They came with the metal-like bottoms but could easily be switched to cover a food safe surface like a plate of cheese or be placed over a skinny bowl of stacked fruit. I think I might use one to house a fern that is currently suffering from a little frond brownage. The other would look just darling with a candle and some black and white photos of Will tied to it with twine. Oh the possibilities! So are you sufficiently proud of me for my Hobby Lobby finds? I was thrilled...and can't wait to incorporate them into my home. Now comes your chance to tell me what shopping deals you have recently found...tell me what you bought, what you paid and where you got it! Maybe it was a thrift purchase...or a clothing score...or even a grocery item that you got paid to buy due to some coupon stacking? And even if I don't look it...believe me, I am green with jealousy :)

Happy Father's Day

allbowerpower — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 08:08:01 +0000

Dearest Jeremy, This year is the year. The year you are more. The year you are a father. I want you to know that I am so very proud of the father you have become and are becoming each and every day. You are the best man I have ever known. And I hope Will turns out to be just like you. I also hope that you give me a little girl one day. And another little boy. And another little girl. I really feel like it's your duty to the world to make as many children as possible. The planet needs more of you in it. As much of you as possible. I love how gentle you are with Will. I love seeing you try to make him smile. I love hearing you sing to him the songs about bathtime and dressing to match him when we go to church. And I don't tell you enough that I am thankful for you. I'm so very thankful. And that when you are with Will, you are sexy. You make other sexy men look like cute bunnies. You are that sexy. I love you. I love everything about you. Even the parts you think I don't. I especially love that I got to be your baby-mama. And I hope that you have the happiest father's day ever. Love, me

Bower Power Reader Review

allbowerpower — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:10:52 +0000

Well, it only took me three days of non-stop reading and stat-taking to tally the totals and read through all the responses on the Bower Power Reader Survey. Don't worry - I stayed well hydrated with Cran-Grape Juice and surprisingly, the task of breastfeeding cuts down on the number of necessary bathroom breaks. But with over 300+ responses, you really blew me away with your feedback and there is only one thing to say...

And you really kicked some serious survey bootie! I couldn't believe that so many of you took the time out of your busy lives to share with me a glimpse into your beautiful worlds. It was a thrill to read through each comment and I got a total kick outta seeing what lovely, quirky, intelligent and funny people come virtually visit me each and every day. So thank you. Thank you so very much. Now, let's get down to business. Using a very elaborate excel spreadsheet, I tallied all the results to see if I could nail down exactly who the basic Bower Power reader really is...and here are the results (yup, I am that nerdy that I got excited at the chance to use pie charts): According to the responses, you are women. The majority of you are between the ages of 21 and 30 although there are some exceptions. Our youngest reader has logged 19 years here on planet earth and we even have a couple grandma's that have stopped by to share their fabulousity with us. The vast majority of you are happily married to the trophy husband of your dreams. And surprisingly, only two of you single ladies have asked for my help in matchmaking. Apparently they saw my boyfriend and knew that I had excellent taste in calf muscles...I mean, hot men.

Although most of you "have a ring on it", you are not already experienced the human incubator ordeal. The vast majority of you are not parents...yet. I was very excited to read that over 30 of you gals are pregnant...Hooray! Way to do it! And CONGRATULATIONS! I really enjoyed being knocked up and I hope you do too. One very special congratulations goes out to that one special reader who is expecting all the way from China. Adopting is such a beautiful thing! To all the proud parents out there, I'm honored to be part of the club.

Speaking of babies...even with so many non-babified readers, there is one thing for sure...you love your furbabies. And I loved hearing all about your funky pet names (hello Fenway & Taco & Queso!) and the tricks you teach them (like that pony that can be a flower girl) and the way you live hand in paw (21 ducks? Really?). All those fun stories made me completely crave that boxer puppy....now only to convince the boyfriend....

So now that you know who you are...let's talk about where you are from....EVERYWHERE! From South Africa to Sweden, from Wisconsin to Brazil, and from Australia to right around the corner, you readers are from all over the planet! Wowza. It seriously makes me feel like a superstar....just call me Bono. Seriously. Now somebody get me some funky sunglasses before my star-quality burns a hole in my own retinas.

The funnest part about reading your responses was reading the random tidbits of info that you included with each comment. They had me rollin! And since I know that you don't want to be here all day reading every little bit...I thought, let's combine the fears into one place and see how similar we really are. Afraid of peanut butter? Any girl watching her waistline who has looked at the calorie count on the back of a jar of the creamy nutty deliciousness has felt that shudder of horror. Fear of giving birth? If you don't wince at the thought of pushing a HUMAN BEING out your drainpipe, you might not be normal. Scared of balloons? Well, who isn't afraid of those fun, colorful orbs of joy?! Seriously though...I loved how diverse and unique each peep out there was...it made me proud to be able to call you friends.

So now that you know all the basics and some fun stuff about who comes here...let's get to making 'here' a little bit better. The things you want were very important for me to read and after a bunch of note-taking, I put all of the ones mentioned together so that I can better improve Bower Power in the future. Many of you requested more DIY projects and crafts - well, good news, I have a bunch I can't wait to tackle and share with you (a doorbell tutorial, a headboard slipcover, and a paper mache project to name a few). Before&After's were a highly requested item - and I am very excited about that cause there is a yardsale farmhouse table in our garage that needs updating, a guest bedroom that is begging for a makeover and a staircase that needs overhauled...so keep your eyes peeled for those future posts. A lot of people asked for more baby stuff (and Will updates)...and I loved the idea of sharing with you how we stash all the baby gear and how we have adjusted to life as people with a newborn. Plus, since so many of you wanted more household tips (I could tell ya how we organize everything from coupons to the MANY dishes in our possession), and photography help (how bout some basics?) and entertaining ideas (I'm hosting a shower soon!), I thought, ok...basically you guys are interested in the same stuff I am interested in...which totally rocks my world (and makes it a little easier to breathe knowing I love to write what you love to read!). All in all, I can't wait for the next year in blogging and I am thrilled that I get to share it with you...and I am even more happy because it looks like this coming year will be the best yet. Again...thank you for taking the time to share the little tidbits of your life with me. I am honored by your presence. Please wrap your right arm around your torso. Now wrap your left arm around the opposite shoulder. Squeeze. Consider that a hug from me. A thank you hug. From one friend to another. Sincerely.

Twosies

allbowerpower — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:40:03 +0000

Recently my mom - Little Debbie, as we gangsta rappers like to call her - asked me about tablesetting with amber colored glassware. I suggested turquoise but I think she probably already had that in mind. Then last week I went over to her house.

Bada boom bada bang!

She had not one but two tables set with the glowing warm gold glassware and the fun blue color that made me oh-so-proud to call her Mum. The best part was that both arrangements had very different feels, styles and set ups even though they shared a common color palette. And because I am always prepared to snap photos...I snagged a few to share with you.

The first tablesetting was in the dining room. And since it was in the more formal space, it made perfect sense to create a more formal arrangement. She used lots of deep browns to warm up the blues...and tied in those browns with the perfect accent plates. Those accent plates (which sported different pictures of fruits with that washed-out blue background) were placed upon a stack of various sized plates. The base plate, a coppery toned plate with a metallic feel, was placed on a round Easter placemat which was then placed on a turqouise square placemat. Don't you just love the layered placemats? And I can't get over how great the rugged masculine dinner plate pairs with the frilly pastels of the round placemat. Can you imagine if she had only placed the placemats down? It woulda looked plumb crazy. But then adding the layers made it look cohesive and distinguished. I also love the fact that she added LOADS of texture with the different elements. See the rough but small texture of the woven placemat, then the soft and ruffly feel of the round placemat, followed by the smoothness of the brown plate, then even more interest with that glass plate that looks like cracked glass topped with a plate that has the texture literally painted on? And that's not mentioning the amber glass cup. Finally, she finished off the entire thing with a simple stacked centerpiece. Yup. That's one glass cakestand with a turqouise plate on top for a punch of color followed by a generic glass vase filled with dead roses. Yes...dead. as. a. doornail. Wait. That's not right...what is that saying again? Dead as a doorknob? Dead as a doorbell? Whatever. They were dead. And on either side was a couple large glass candlesticks with turqouise hued candles. Pretty fabulous, right? The way the warm colored roses accented the dishware was uber elegant, right? And the fact that those roses didn't require any upkeep meant a winning centerpiece in my book. They are like the George Clooney of centerpieces....no commitment but always looks good :) Now on to numero dos in the turquoise and amber tablesettings. This one is quite different. First off - it's totally informal. And island-inspired. The glasses and the placemats were the same as the previous tablesetting. What was different? Everything else. But the thing that made this tablesetting work was the way mom integrated the colors with the rest of the tableau. Using a little wire and some fun beads, mother-dearest created some cheap napkin rings to bring in all the hues in the fun scarf that she draped in the middle of the table. The napkins & the crafty napkin rings coordinated the glasses to the scarf but also the rest of the centerpiece. Speaking of the centerpiece, a silver hued tray was filled with a glass hurricane, a faux coral, and some glass accents. I love that she worked in so many sea-inspired elements such as the sand nestled around the oversized candle, the turquoise coral, and the clear orbs that looked like bubbles. And of course, I can't forget to mention the quirkiest centerpiece item - a walking stick. with a head like a whale. Jonah wouldn't forget a thing like this :) Isn't it great to see how a little challenge like "how do ya use amber glassware?" turns into two very different but still beautiful tablesettings? I love it when people turn something a little old-fashioned into a chic design element...even if it is on the tabletop. So all I have to say is good job ma! Now go give yourself a couple thousand Bower Power points. So what do you guys think? Double the pleasure? Double the fun? And how bout that crazy walkin stick? I never would have thought to incorporate such a strange item into a tablesetting...would you? Any other wacky items you've seen lately as a centerpiece? Or maybe you are still gawking at those dead flowers...anyone else a bloom drier? Or perhaps this is just a good reminder to get out your thinking caps when it comes to that old dishware?

Slip & Slide

allbowerpower — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:57:40 +0000

Have you met Cole? Let me introduce you. Cole is my nephew. My youngest nephew. I've mentioned him before. Like here. and here. and here. And a dozen other times. And this past weekend, he exhibited pure and unpolluted joy. It was due to this: Joy...Exhibit A: Joy. Not just happiness, mind you. But joy. The exhuberant feeling that is usually only demonstrated by the lead female role in a musical after meeting the man of her dreams. The thing about Cole is that he evokes that same lets-break-into-song emotion in me... ...you know...making a joyful noise...without having cold water squirt up my knickers.

Although a little squirt never hurt.

That's what she said :) Sorry...it's been a while for the inappropriate humor and sometimes it just squirts out...that's what she said again :) Man, they just keep coming... ok...I am drawing the line.

Anyhoo....This past week I got to babysit Cole. I loved it but it was actually due to an unfortunate situation...while at a backyard bible club, Cole had jumped off a retaining wall onto some boards. Unfortunately, he had landed directly on some nails in the boards. Obviously, he is doing just fine now: Slip and slides heal just about everything. As does this smile: Now close your ears...I'm about to break into a rendition of Hakuna Matata. And yes, there will be interpretive dancing to go along with it.

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:37:39 +0000

Will on Father's Day.

Weedwacker Winner

allbowerpower — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:33:03 +0000

Congratulations to Alicia – the winner of the Black n Decker Cordless 24 volt String Trimmer/Edger curtesy of the fine folks at Black n Decker and ABP.

Now that Alicia has the fine prize of a cordless (and very powerful) weedeater, she can enjoy a manicured lawn thanks to Black n Decker and thanks to those three guys in her life. Oh and Alicia, be sure to hold up your end of the deal and make them a Bower Power Pie as reward for all their hard work. And feel free to send one here too :) Seriously though - be on the lookout for an email from me for all the details to claim your prize. And for those of you who are interested in getting a better looking yard with the Bower Power seal of approval, check out the weedwacker here. Don't forget your coupon code – TRIM351 for your freebie!

Flagged

allbowerpower — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:33:05 +0000

On Memorial Day the only plan we had was to hang a flag pole. It's been a long time coming and I really wanted to display the stars & stripes on the outside of our house.

After thirty minutes of discussion (and when I say discussion I mean my darling boyfriend suffering through numerous shoulder cramps as he held up the flag pole in every possible position as I walked around the house to see it from every possible angle). We considered hanging it next to our front door, over the garage, over the front door, on the corner where the house meets the garage, even on the large oak in the front yard. Finally, we decided that the best place was the most simple...right next to the garage.

Installation was a snap. All it took was a drill and literally one minute to screw in the pole support bracket.

As soon as it was attached, the flag just slid right in.

The location ended up being perfect for us...it's directly over the rose bushes (we try to stay away from those thorny things anyway) and it doesn't block our motion sensitive lights or get in the way of us pulling out of our garage. Patriotism never looked so effortless. And I love the little punch of color on our colorless house. It makes me want to paint our front door barnyard red. Don't be surprised if that happens. Jeremy - I'm talking to you :)

Now that is one simple $15 improvement that honors the men & women who have made priceless sacrifices.

And because it wouldn't be a Bower Power post without a photo of Will...WaBAM! That's his evil eye for all terrorists.

So now that you know one of the latest quick fixes here at the ABP home, I wanna know if you have recently made any improvements. Anybody? Anyone hang a flag or planning to for the fourth of July? Or maybe you already have a flag on your exterior? Where is it? Is it a decorative one or are you sporting the red white and blue too?

A Subtle Hint

allbowerpower — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 03:36:40 +0000

This is my dad.

On Father's Day, he received one of the best family pictures ever.

Each stick figure was hand sketched by my five year old nephew Cole.

And in case you were wondering...I have labeled each family member drawn.

Let's take a closer look.

First up...my sister, who is Cole's mom. Note the prominent hair. Apparently she is the only one that has any. Cole is quite accurate with this picture....Lori does have a full head of curls.

And Jeremy is well-illustrated as well.

We will leave that one to your own imaginations.

And lastly we have me.

Since Sunday, I have started a rigorous workout routine and a very strict diet consisting of water and a small bowl of Kleenex with one tablespoon of tabasco sauce. I got the hint.

Eye Lift

allbowerpower — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:41:27 +0000

There were so many requests on how to boost eyes in photoshop that I couldn't refuse. Here's the how-to: First you need a photo with some eyes in it. A-duh. You also need photoshop. Not Photoshop Elements because we are going to be using actions...specifically the free actions provided by The Pioneer Woman. You can go to her site and pick em up. As an example, I will be using the photo of this little smarty-pants squirt...Cole. Here is the straight-outta-the-camera shot. First I open up the photo in photoshop. I use the CS4 version for those who are wondering. As you can see, the actions are saved and open in the right hand column under 'Actions'. The first thing I do is apply the 'SLIGHT LIGHTEN' action so that the photo is lifted a bit. Note that if you shoot in JPEG, it is better to underexpose than overexpose....I can never seem to get it right when I am outdoors (something about the sun makes me shoot all crazy)...so if I underexpose, I can salvage a shot in photoshop rather than losing a great photo. Anyhoo...here is me lightening the photo: See the difference? Ok...ok...I'll make this easy on ya. See the difference now? After lightening the photo slightly, I wanted it to look a little more contrasty and a little more saturated. The 'Boost' action is perfect for that. I applied that one directly over my last action and kept it at 100% opacity for the maximum contrastyness (yes that is a word) and saturatedness. Here's Cole baby after the boost: See how the background looks even greener and the little pink in his lips puckered right up? Even his little tan and his blue eyes became richer. In the words of the Mad Hatter - he's muchier...he's got more muchness. Ok. Now we are to the point where we can really bring out those baby blues. Pay attention. This is the part you were asking about. In Pioneer Woman's action set 2, there is one of my favorite actions called "BRING ON THE EYES!". And boy, does it. First you have to apply the action. Then, you have to get your little brush ready. I like to use a little brush with 0% hardness (so that if I go into the little fleshy part of the eyes, it won't be too apparent). And then lastly, you must make sure your color is white. Then, I zoom in and color in the eyes with the white paintbrush. Everywhere that you color will become more light and more saturated so try to color in the lines. There's those sparkly little suckers :) Not really noticable unless you see the before's & after's...but alas, the little editing really draws you into see his bright blue eyes instead of focusing elsewhere. Plus, it whitens the whites and makes the iris of the eye way more saturated...like in real life :) Now the last thing that I always do is sharpen things up. I apply the "SHARPEN THIS" action. The same thing applies here...you have to get your little brush and "color" with white the areas that you want to sharpen up. I like to go on the features and on the outline of the face...so I brush with white over the eyes, the nostrils, the mouth, the jawline and the hair. I don't sharpen the skin because then the flaws of the face (like dirt, wrinkles, and eye bags look more apparent). There he is in all his lightened, boosted, saturated, sharpened glory. And just so you can see what the sharpen tool really does - here is the difference: Now that you have followed along, I know you are dying to see the comparison. Well, I just want you to realize that this means that the charade of me being a good photographer is coming to an end. I'm a giant falsehood. With this little tutorial I hope that you realize that I can no longer pretend to be this fabulous shutterbug...it's all editing. Judge me if you want. I can take it. No...that's a lie. I can't take it. I want your adoration. I want you to love my skills so much it makes you green with envy. In the words of Michael Scott - I want you to love me so much it hurts. Seriously though. I can take it. That's a lie. Not really. Almost. Ok. Back to the photos. Here is the SOOC shot next to the fully edited version: See the difference? No? Mom - go get your glasses. You have like eight pairs in the office. Pretty cool huh? It really ought to be called PhotoMAGIC instead of Photoshop. It seriously has to be magical to take one of my photos from drab to fab. And now that you know one of my little tricks, I hope that you can take your lift the eyes of your subjects...afterall, they are the windows into the soul. Basically you are making other people's souls better when applying this action. That's what the Bible says anyway. Pretty much :)

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:40:12 +0000

Picture of the week

allbowerpower — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:44:35 +0000