Update: Congratulations to Liliana on winning the Lowe’s $50 & Change giveaway! Please check your email :). Thank you to everyone who entered!
It’s funny how sometimes time seems to fly by so very quickly. Or how some days it seems to stand absolutely still. I suppose it’s all how you’re feeling at that moment. There are days when I feel like this pregnancy is zooming past and I can’t believe we are six months along, and then there are the ‘other’ days when I can’t believe I have at least 100 days to go. But, as far as a belly bump update, it’s safe to say I’ve officially popped and it’s no big secret any longer. Especially to the grocery checkout girl (that’s when you know…).
The ‘pop’ happened overnight. The belly went from the ‘wow she’s getting a little round in the middle’ to ‘oh, she’s pregnant!’ a few weeks ago. Maybe just before this big reveal. I figured I owe you a belly bump shot, but since I’m not so keen on photos these days I rarely slip in front of the camera (I’m also growing the typical tree trunk thighs to support said belly). But! With such a beautiful, sunny, happy weekend, Liv and I were feeling photo optimistic and we took a couple of profile shots just after the Farmer’s Market on Sunday. (Poor second babe, I think I documented every month of Liv’s pregnancy). Liv is still sure there’s a little baby growing in her belly too…
Now on to today’s home update!
We are very excited to once again be partnering with Lowes’ $50 & Change campaign to share what recent $50 update we’ve made around the house. Funny how the everyday fix-it/Saturday morning projects tend to hover around that $50 mark, no? It could be installing crown molding or painting a room or planting a spring veggie garden… but $50 is that magic number!
For $50, we gave our front porch a mini facelift.
It’s been on my to-do for a while but now that the weather is turning in our favor and the sun is shining bright, it was time to add a little welcoming color to the porch of our Spanish casita.
I used my $50 to invest in a new pot, 4 new 1/2 gallon plants (3 red geraniums and 1 purple verbena) and a pretty pillow to add to the mix!
The sticks and basket have been relocated from our dining room – they look much better out here now and bring great height – and the other two pillows across from the new bird pillow had already called our bench home.
This part of the porch (and the lack of any direct sunlight) makes it really hard to grow anything. I’ve killed my fair share of beautiful potted flowers before and was near throwing in the towel, but I’m committed to give these no-sun-needed shade varieties an honest go.
To better my chances, I actually mixed in a few ‘faux’ Ikea plants as well. Can you tell?
Those green foliage hedge-like guys are actually fake! but when mixed in with all of the flowers and real leaves, you couldn’t tell even if you were just five inches away. Now even when all plants are not flowering the pots look full and green.
Here’s a rough before. This is ‘before’ paint trim had been decided (hence the two tone windows) and back when the porch was feeling very lonely for color (and our yard for anything flowery, for that matter).
I love walking up to my front door now!
Lowe’s is generously offering a $50 gift card to a reader who would like to take on the $50 & Change challenge as well! Your next Saturday morning project is on the house. More info on the $50 & Change program (with ideas and inspiration) here and here.
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Giveaway: A $50 gift card to Lowe’s!
To Enter: Use the Rafflecopter giveaway entry form to enter once or multiple times.
Giveaway ends Thursday, March 7 at midnight PST, winner will be chosen randomly and announced on the blog. Good luck!
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New hardware in the kitchen!
I’d really like to put on new hardware on our kitchen cabinets, this would be so great!
$50 would get me started on some gardening supplies. Can’t wait for spring!
Adorable baby bump! Funny how little the 2nd pregnancy is documented compared to the 1st, isn’t it?
We’re in the middle of a complete overhaul of the master bathroom so $50 from Lowe’s would come in handy about now. Great give away!
I won’t tell you to stop how you feel, because I know how annoying that is, but I will tell you that you have a gorgeous baby bump and look beautiful in that pic with Liv. I love the way you’ve incorporated fake plants with real…and now you’ve reminded me how drab our front porch is. (at least we still have a few weeks of winter left to make those changes!)
My wife loves to garden so I would give the gc to her
Painting and caulking
Love the baby bump! You look great!! love that live thinks she has a baby also haha… With $50 dollars i would put the finishing touches on our f garden or start decorating my guest rooms :-)
Great giveaway!
My next project would be to start getting ready for some gardening.
I’d love to repaint our front door, it is looking really beatup
We will buy paint for our computer room.
You look great and you are going to be so happy you have that picture. I don’t have any of my second pregnancy and regret it. Thanks for the great give away!
awesome re-do! totally could use some pots/plants from lowe’s too!
We need to finish putting up baseboards in our kitchen … it’s a small space and we already have the paint and primer, so $50 ought to cover the lumber!
Morgan, you look adorable with your baby bump! So funny that Liv thinks she has a baby bump, too!
$50 to Lowe’s would probably be used to refill the planter by our front door, and to replace a few plants that didn’t quite make it last year. Yeah, brown thumb here, but hope springs eternal, right? :)
We live at Lowes and thank goodness its just down the street. Always in the garden department buying flowers and looking at outdoor furniture.
Looks great! I just picked up some blinds at Lowe’s this past weekend to install in one of our guest bedrooms…
I just love your porch! Mine is a shambles. my $50 project would be to build a cat bench which a large bench that people can sit on (or cats) that has holes that you put planters with cat grass and catnip in at either end. I have to buy the wood and the stain and the planters and the plants and seeds.
Need to do a lot of painting
Sorry – this might be a duplicate comment? Oh my gosh, you are adorable pregnant! So excited for your new addition :) $50 to Lowes? It would be a tie between new plants for the deck or new ceiling tiles for our half bath!
Oh my gosh, you look adorable! So excited for your newest addition. And $50 to Lowe’s? It’d be a tie between plans for the deck, or new ceiling tiles for our half bath!
Our next project is improving the storage in the hall closet.
Our next little project is spiffing up our kitchen to hold us over until we can completely renovate. Sometimes a little elbow grease goes a long way! :)
You are the cutest pregnant lady ever!! Love that sweet bump! Hope you are feeling well! I’ve felt that pregnancy has gone by pretty fast…until a few weeks ago! Starting to get a little uncomfy, luckily only 7 1/2 weeks to go! :)
Oh my goodness, so uncomfy! You lucky girl that it’s just starting to get uncomfortable now :). Loved all of your Iowa pics.
We meed to replace a broken light fixture.
Awesome giveaway! I’d update my bathroom with some new decorations.
My next $50 project… Well, since we are finishing our basement, there are LOTS of things I could do. Could to lumber for the bathroom vanity, the bar area, doors/shelves for the built-in cabinets, carpet, etc.! The list goes on and on!
Painting the bathroom!
My next $50 project will be to add some plants to our balcony to add some life and color outdoors!
We are at Lowe’s almost every weekend picking out supplies for our latest project!
We don’t have a lot of Spanish style homes in our area so it’s fun to see how you decorate yours! My front porch is barren and could really use $50 worth of sprucing up!
You’re right – $50 to Lowe’s would take care of one of our many projects!