Levi's Cabin Nursery Tour

We've been a little on the busy side for the last month awaiting the arrival of Baby Levi... (still waiting on you by the way little man..!)

Here's a little tour of Levi's Cabin Nursery!

We went from renting to buying our first house at the start of 2018 which meant I could go all out in his nursery! Initially it was just going to be a few pieces of decor around his room but once we closed on the house it was the first (ok, and so far the ONLY room) to get a full makeover fit for our little guy! Jonathan and I both love the outdoors and while I'm sure he'd prefer a cabin in the woods for now we've got a cabin themed nursery!

When I was first looking at baby nursery bedding, I instantly fell in LOVE with this set by TrendLab. It had coordinating items in a few patterns for everything; the crib sheets in a few fabric options (fuzzy and warm as well as classic cotton), diaper stackers and even clothes hampers! There are extra blankets, baby wash clothes and hooded towels too!  My mom and my aunt Lynn made sure his room was stocked with all the bedding we could need (cue late night sheet changes that are bound to happen!) You'll see bits and pieces of it around his room!

 Behind his crib was MY first attempt at a big wall decal! I've had the idea to do one for quite some time but hadn't had the nerve to actually do one. Well, no time like the present! I'd seen something similar on Pinterest and decided it needed to happen! It went up way easier than I expected and it was the perfect addition to the mountain wall Jonathan painted! (And with any luck Levi will get the hint that sleep is a good thing!)

We were fortunate enough to score our crib with changing station and storage from Jonathan's sister as our nephew Konnor has found himself in a big boy bed! (I can't believe that kiddo is going to be 4 this year! He tells me he can't wait to play with his cousin Levi!)

The storage drawers are perfect for stashing extra crib bedding, all of our baby care items as well as what we are calling the "battle bag." This caddy (also from TrendLab) has a little bit of everything packed in it; ready to carry for diaper changes, bath time, anything we could want in a moment's notice is packed in here!

Tucked in the back you'll also see a teddy bear from our baby shower wearing a camo vest made by Jonathan's Aunt Janelle! It'll be a little while before Levi will need it to go hunting with dad so this bear will keep it safe til then ;)

Tucked in the corner we've got a few little shelves Jonathan made! Artwork from my Aunt Lynn, a working lantern from Jonathan's dad that will serve as a night light and this crazy dancing moose that sings, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot!" (Yes we have THAT sort of humor)

This ($30) dresser was a total steal! We looked all over one day for a dresser because this. boy. has. TONS. of. clothes! From new outfits that we received as gifts to wonderful hand-me-downs he is covered! (I think we've only purchased 2 outfits for him!) Store after store we found dressers that were not quite what we were looking for... I looked on one of our local buy/sale/trade pages and sure enough found this dresser for $30 had JUST been posted! We picked it up (in my Dodge Journey, I swear I can fit everything in there!) and after a quick coat of paint and some new knobs it was perfect!

It even had the spot for a changing station! The blanket was made by my mom and fit perfectly on the top! We found an alternative use for his crib bumpers too!

It just wouldn't be me if we didn't DIY decor for this room! His ever growing gallery wall (I actually added the compass and deer head sign this morning!) has been a work in progress! Its been fun to let go of my usual "straight and centered" style to create this layout. I still have more to add (Don't tell Jonathan!) but I'm taking a little break for now. (Need these for your little one's room? We've got them up on our website! (And we LOVE custom orders too!)

Backstory on this moose... I had been swooning over him for MONTHS. He was a whopping $40 at Hobby Lobby and I was determined to get him on sale... I waited and waited then finally got the nerve up to buy him and he was GONE! I was super bummed he wasn't available online even! Ah well... Come December we were opening gifts at our baby shower and low and behold there he is! My Aunt Lynn had already picked him up and had him sent out to me. Jonathan knew and didn't even tell me! I don't know if its the vest or the shirt but Levi just HAD to have him! Here in this rocker is another special piece to his room; the book of bedtime stories I grew up with. There are 365 stories; one for each day of the year and I can't wait to share it with Levi. I hope he loves them as much as I do!

There are a few other very special pieces in Levi's room... The first being Jonathan's trophy fish seen here! It was too fitting to put this mount in the nursery (and in given time I'm sure Levi will have his own to add in there too!) Our little "Crawl. Walk. Fish" sign is also available on the website (as well as Crawl. Walk. Hunt!) The second sign is one Jonathan has wanted up in his room since the first time he heard the song "Boy" by Lee Brice. He's so excited to have a little buddy and I know he's going to make a great dad. (If you haven't heard it, here's the video! Grab some tissues!)

I've still got a few things to add; I've got some tutorials for the fancy nursery letters to spell his name and I need to get juuuuuuust the right lighting to get his window treatment (curtains courtesy of mom!) But there's a peek into Levi's room! I can't wait to add the most important part; Levi!

We love all things buffalo plaid and anything with a moose (in case you hadn't noticed) but what nursery trends have you swooning?

5 Birth Affirmations for the Badass Mom-to-Be

Sitting in my pjs, dogs crowding both sides of my 39-week-pregnant-self in my husband's recliner I've come to realize I'm either over being pregnant or I am just a different kind of pregnant woman.

Now don't get me wrong; if you feel an instant loving bond with your unborn babe, power to you sister! I mostly feel like half my day is spent thinking, "Levi! I swear kick me one more time and see what happens..." (But honestly what is going to happen? Not like I can swat him through my ever-bulging belly) and the other half reading ways to evict him... (Pineapple anyone?) I know some women just LOVE the intimate bonding of pregnancy and looking for that perfect set of affirmations and birthing playlist. This. Is. Not. Me.

Initially I worried this meant I wasn't prepared to "mom." I don't get teary eyed at ultrasounds and baby kicks. I felt somewhat guilty, especially since Levi will be our rainbow baby.  But I'm realizing now I'm far from alone; tons of moms are like this and we need our own set of affirmations! Some are more "thoughtful factoids" and others are just a reflection of my somewhat crude humor... Enjoy these and feel free to share with other moms-to-be that could use a little more in-your-face approach to birthing motivation.

*Warning* Some mature language ahead...

1.  My personal favorite... Its kinda been my mantra the whole time... I KNOW its going to be painful, let's not beat around the bush about that. But a little humor goes a LONG way...

Want to see more like this one? Check out the My Domestic Mess blog!

2. Let that sink in just a little... You do the same thing a lion, a tiger, a bear and [insert other badass mammal] do. You do it with support of others, a doctor, a douala, a midwife... Yet we doubt ourselves. Don't. You've got this!

3. 60 seconds is NOTHING. That one minute contraction is such a short bit of time. You've been doing hard things the last 400k+ minutes. (Yes, I used a calculator to figure out the minutes in 9 months) What's another minute?

4. I've always been told if you believe you can't... you're right. If you believe you can... you're also right. We need to quit saying we "can't" do something when everything says we can... short, simple and to the point with this one.

5. And we'll leave it off on a humorous note... if a chicken can do it on the daily, you've got this for today! Speaking of which, anyone else craving Chik-fil-a? No, just me? Ugh #pregnancycravings

Want more affirmations? Check out my Pinterest board I'm constantly adding to here!

Do you have any favorite mantras or affirmations? Something that hit you just right? I'd love to hear about them! Leave us a comment!

Where Have I Been?!

Guys! I'm sorry! I'm finally putting "blogging time" in my Happy Planner which means it HAS to be done!

Where have I been the last few months? Pregnant. I've been pregnant! We are super excited to be expecting our little man Levi in January!

Along side all of that excitement we've been pushing forward with eliminating debt, working out the kinks to buying a house and I'm still crafting as much as I can! I've already got some future posts with DIY projects and debt payoff plans in my head that I am putting in my planner!

This is just a short update post but I promise to come back soon!

5 Random Facts About Me...

Anyone who knows me KNOWS I am long winded and yet here trying to come up with 5 facts I want to share seems so difficult. If (when) I begin to ramble just know you're getting the real, authentic me...

1) I am a HUGE fan of the Chicago TV series. They are all getting ready to go on break for the season so I will be gaining 4 hours into my week, plus Law & Order SVU so there is 5 more hours in a week to craft! (Or ya know, catch up on house work...) I've never found a drama that captivates me the way those produced by Dick Wolf do!

2) I am very happy to say my marriage is an absolute team effort. While I tend to be the driving force Jonathan steps up to the plate every time no matter what my next crazy idea is (paying off all our debt at lightning speed or buying a vintage camper, he's all for it!) PS I promise the debt reduction calculator post is coming soon, it is seriously changing our lives and I look forward to sharing it with you!

My Diamond in the Rust

What one of these look like it all its glory!               

3) Speaking of vintage campers... I have one! Its a Santa Fe Cub! (Never heard of it? Yeah me either until we got one and did some research!) The funniest story on how it came to live under our front porch I'll share in due time. We will be doing a full restoration and will document it here. Now just to decide between making it a camping camper or Gettin' Personal on wheels! Decisions, decisions...

One of our Paint-A-Pallet workshop photos!

4) Gettin' Personal is actually my 4th business adventure and already in just 2 months (Today is my 2-month-aversary!) its proven to be the most successful. I started out with The Branded Cowgirl which is the company I started as a high school senior; handmade western bling, one of a kind cadet caps, cowgirl purses, you name it I had it all! When Jonathan came into the picture it morphed into The Branding Iron Trading Co. (same great stuff, less girly and home decor and manly stuff was added) I also started Paint-A-Pallet which is a sign painting company! We do all the prep work, you come paint a wooden sign (also handmade) and go home with new decor! We love hosting workshops all around town and have also traveled to Cali to host! Which brings us here to Gettin' Personal...

Please excuse my low quality Instagram photo! Here you see (top to bottom) Brody James, Beretta Lynn, Tucker Lee and Pancho aka Panchito and one proud pup mama!

5) I am a super proud dog mom! All of my babies have unique personalities and their own stories; Tucker who's been spoiled since birth, Brody who's been in more homes in the last year than I care to count but the only time he'll be getting a new home is when we buy one and move, Beretta Lynn who was found in the desert with gunshot wounds yet loves like nothing has ever happened and Pancho the roof rat who was left on an apartment roof when the tenants moved out and charmed Jonathan out of a Chile Pepper burrito and eventually a forever home! They drive me insane sometimes but I believe sometimes love is just a four legged word!

Well now tat you've gotten a little more insight on my life I'd love to know more about you! Drop a comment below about yourself so we can really start gettin' personal!

<3 Gwynn
facebook.com/gettinpersonal

Gettin' Personal with Gettin' Personal...

Every blog needs an introduction right..?

The day I married my best friend

I'm Gwynn, one half of the Gettin' Personal team. My husband, Jonathan being the other half. I'm one of those people who are fortunate enough to say I married my best friend and business partner and we have 3 very unique relationships; a professional relationship, a marriage and the goofiest of friendships. We've been married just shy of 7 months and we've been through some trying times already with family illness, financial restructure and a heartache that somewhat lead to the start of Gettin' Personal.

The last "business lunch" in my storefront.

Prior to meeting Jonathan I had just closed my storefront for my first business The Branded Cowgirl. He'd actually heard of my business and knew of my entrepreneurial spirit early on so he had fair warning of the eventual late nights of crafting to meet deadlines. We eventually rebranded as The Branding Iron Trading Co. to be less feminine as Jonathan had really become part of the team. However, while I have some western roots my interests had shifted. I learned that more than anything I liked creating personalized gifts and one-of-a-kind items.

Fast forward to January; we learned we were expecting! We were on top of the world! One of my best friends was a month or two further along and I was also excited to be bump buddies and have someone to feel my pain with at work. (We both groom dogs at Petsmart). Everything seemed to be going well until March 13th. It seemed as if I had started my period but I was pregnant, that couldn't be right... I called my obgyn and they ensured me it was just normal spotting. On the 17th when it hadn't stopped and had actually gotten worse I called labor and delivery to get a 2nd opinion, still they said I was fine. Saturday, the 18th I began having cramps around 10am. While I started getting ready for work they got worse until I couldn't stand up straight anymore. In my Petsmart uniform Jonathan drove me to the triage center because something was wrong. By 2:45 I had passed a large mass of tissue and by 4pm they had concluded a miscarriage. Sitting in the triage room waiting to be sent home I needed something to talk about, to occupy my mind. I told Jonathan I thought I would name my new business Gettin' Personal and there in that hospital room I laid out the foundation of this company.

In the coming days I spent every moment I had working on products that I would like to offer, bugging friends to leave reviews of custom work I'd done for them in the past and keeping my mind, my heart and my hands busy. We are a couple days shy of two months in business and already we've surpassed my goals and we are continuing to build. I've pressed more shirts than I can count, cut more decals and painted more signs than I had in the past year. Its been the best thing for me to focus on something positive. To everyone who's shared my business, placed an order or even just liked a picture on Facebook; I am so THANKFUL for your help and support when you didn't even know how badly I needed it.

If you've made it this far you're either very interested in my life, killing time or my mom (Hi, mom!). I promise future posts will feature all sorts of things like projects we are working on, DIY tutorials and even our plan for paying off every cent of debt in the cheapest way possible so please subscribe and I look forward to gettin' personal with you!

<3
Gwynn
facebook.com/gettinpersonal