Etsy Swap 2013 - Reveal!

Let me tell you about something fun that I recently participated in! You might remember my bloggy friend Amy (at Taking Steps Home) from the Cara Box that I did in April. She and her friend Megan are self-proclaimed Etsy addicts and came up with a fun idea to do an Etsy swap. Me, being stir crazy waiting for my girls to be born, thought it would be a lot of fun to participate!

Essentially, the idea of Etsy swap was pretty simple -- bloggers signed up and get paired with a fellow Etsy lover. You stalk creep research their likes/dislikes from their social media links that were provided and find something that reflects their style on Etsy. Then you buy it and ship it to them.

I was paired up with Heather at Becoming Beloved! She described her style as Simple, Natural, Outdoors-y, Colorful, and Ecclectic. This was super fun because Heather didn't know that she was my match. I got to stalk her blog and her pinterest boards and find her something she would love! It was like being a secret santa. Except not. If you want to see what I sent her, I urge you to go over and check out her blog. You won't be disappointed!

I was lucky enough to have been matched up to receive a package from our lovely host, Amy! Amy sent me the sweetest package:

The print reads, "I can't imagine life without a table between us" from the book Bread & Wine written by Shauna Niequist. This has been on my to-read list since it came out and the print is totally my style! I can't wait to hang it in the new house! Amy got this print from a website that I wasnt familiar with - Lindsay Letters. If you are into typography, especially, you have to check out their store! They have tons of great prints as well as mugs, stamps, and canvas prints. I. Want. It. All.

Also included in the box were two packages of notecards, a "C" stamp, and a beautiful necklace from  IMSMI. I don't know if you can see it clearly (my picture taking skills were lacking) but it has three hearts that are all connected on a gold chain. Amy said she thought it would be perfect since I had Preston and the two girls on the way. She was right! It also just so happened that I received her package on the day the girls were born. Talk about good timing! I love how delicate the necklace is and I feel like I can wear it with anything, which I love! 

Especially with things getting hectic here (now and in the upcoming couple of months), I am glad that I was able to participate in this Etsy swap! It is always fun getting to know other bloggers! Keep an eye out for the next Etsy swap!!

Introductions are in order!

Friends, Family, and Bloggy Friends,

Allow me to introduce you to the newest members of the May family!

Addison Margaret May and Delaney Gail May made their way into the world on September 17, 2013 at 9:01 and 9:02 am. 

A birth story will come in the upcoming days, but for now a few cute pictures and a promise that we are doing fabulously (and ready to go home!)

Holding hands right after delivery

Big brother was very interested in them! The minute he climbed into my lap he was eager to show me that he knew where the babies nose and eyes were. 

A very proud daddy!

Thank you to everyone who has kept us in your thoughts and prayers! We are so glad our girls are here!

H54F v. 8!

I am back for another fun link-up of High Five for Friday, after an unintentional hiatus! Unfortunately, not for the reason you might think. Still no babies. Things have been quite busy here, though, and I am back and ready to fill y'all in on what has been going on in our neck of the woods!

1.)) If you follow me on Instagram (@chelseymay72) you have seen this, but it remains a favorite and I swear I breathe a sigh of relief every time I see it. It does, however, require a little back story. In the summer of 2010 Ed decided that he wanted to buy a boat. He bought said boat and we had a fabulous summer playing on it. We made lots of great memories, we took the boat to Block Island, RI where he proposed, and many nights after work we would go out on the boat just to grill out for dinner and relax.  The boat, however, was a MONEY PIT. It started having tons of trouble and I swear we might as well have been through money into the wind. Long story short, this past Friday WE GOT RID OF THE BOAT!!!! We have been trying to sell it with no luck and finally ended up donating it. Then we toasted good riddance to the Shelly Jake. Our friend Mike is also pictured here, as he is the one it took care of all of the issues while we were in Tennessee. It's true what they say -- the best days in a boat owners life are the day they get their boat and the day they get rid of it!!

2.)) I can't get over the sweetness of this picture. For the first time ever, Preston fell asleep completely on his own where he was laying. We were trying to pack some stuff for an evening away at some friends house and he was laying on the bed watching Mickey Mouse. Kid passed out! He slept like that for a good half hour. I can't believe how big he is getting!

3.)) We have a new house! This is, obviously, a crappy picture, but this is the only good one I have of the outside and it just doesnt fit. Regardless, we are in the midst of doing all the paperwork and, if all goes well, will close in the middle of October. Yay!

4.)) We had a false alarm last week and thought that the girls might be joining us early. I was, admittedly, freaking out, and texting my best friend. Now when I freak out I just remind myself of her wise words :-)

5.)) My parents have been in town this week to help with Preston and to get things ready for the girls arrival. My mom is going to be here indefinitely, while my dad will be traveling back and forth from our house and theirs. Along with my parents are their 2 dogs. Preston's favorite part of the day now is helping my dad feed the dogs. He is allowed to scoop the food into their dog bowls, and if that fails, he throws handfuls in there.


Hope everyone is having a great day and a fun fall-esque weekend! Make sure you head over to Lauren Elizabeth to check our her H54F!

Raising a Reader!

I have always loved to read! Even as a child I remember having a love for books (and subsequently, writing my name in permanent marker inside all of my books). As a parent myself, I have tried hard to instill a love of reading in Preston. I remember buying him "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" when he was probably 2 weeks old, because really, what newborn doesnt need to hear about the Who's down in Whoville?!? 

Now at the age of (almost) 2, he has his own favorites and loves to keep books in his crib to look at while he falls asleep. Most of them include animals, marine life, or pirates. He is a boy after all. So, when I was given the opportunity to review a children's book, I was absolutely thrilled! 

Allow me to introduce you to Hugo:

HUGO is a little starfish with a BIG HEART. He has a passion is to make others happy but he still has many things to learn. Fortunately he has more than just a big heart, he also has a CURIOUS MIND.

Through his adventures, Hugo learns many valuable lessons of character, life skills, and ecological alertness — all against the colorful backdrop of a magical underwater world and mystical islands.

Believing that happiness can be learned, feelings can be understood, and that building character based on a positive attitude leads to a happy, content, successful and confident human being, Suzy Liebermann has written this charming series of children’s books to help educate children about their feelings, their attitudes, their choices, and the consequences that follow.

I downloaded Hugo the Happy Starfish - One Step at a Time onto my Kindle Fire and fell absolutely in love! This story centers around Hugo after he finds an empty candy wrapper with a picture of a huge chocolate mountain. Hugo discovers that his chocolate mountain is in fact a real mountain, which is called the Matterhorn and is located in Switzerland. He decides to set off on a journey to find this mountain – a huge challenge for a little starfish! Hugo learns to take one step at a time and to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Join Hugo as he finds the secret of perseverance when the road gets difficult.

While the theme of the book is admittedly a little mature for Preston, I loved that it set forth a positive message of not only perseverance, but it was also educational and sets a tone of adventure. Preston loved the bright colors of the illustrations and we had fun pointing out the different ocean creatures and sites that Hugo saw during his trip to Switzerland. Another thing that I loved (and will utilize when P gets a little older) are the free worksheets, games, and coloring pages that are available for download through the Hugo website (link). 

In addition to this book, other Hugo books revolve around important themes such as self-esteem, bullying, and sharing, which I plan to get for Preston!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.