Five on Friday - Halloween inspiration

HAPPY FRIDAY, Y'ALL!!!! I am beyond excited that Five on Friday is back! Hip hip hooray!!!

I typically don't decorate for Halloween, usually just for Fall...which is kinda all-encompassing. BUT, Jacob is at a super-fun age, and he's really enjoyed the idea of Halloween (so far), so I've decided that I will be decorating for Halloween this year. Woohoo!

I've been scouring the internets for easy, simple, and FUN Halloween décor, and compiled my FAV FIVE here. All of these will make an appearance in our casa this year! Let's go!

ONE.

 

This front porch from Jessica at Little Baby Garvin. I love love the simplicity of the bats and spiderweb, plus all the pumpkins. So cute and I scored all this at the Dollar Store last week!

TWO.

 

This Halloween deco mesh wreath. It's given me major inspiration for a Halloween wreath, and I can't wait to share my final outcome with you! Stay tuned for a full Halloween decor post. 

THREE.

 

This super cute Happy Halloween banner for the mantel. Cheap and cute!

FOUR.

 

This cute sign for the front yard, from none other than LBG. It's so stinkin' cute (especially if you're OBsessed with Hocus Pocus, like our fam)!

FIVE.

 

Can't forget the basic "punkin head" as our pumpkin says. We've got 5 of these floating around the house! $1 at Target!

What are y'all loving for Halloweeen??? Do share!

DIY tutorial - galvanized letters

I've been in love with the Anthropologie Zinc Letters since forever, but at $18 a pop, it wasn't practical for Judson's room.

 

 

I had honestly kinda moved past them, because like I said- I couldn't swallow the cost, when I stumbled upon a Pinterest tutorial to copy them. It was like fate! Ha!

 

So, I ran over to HobLob and got all the supplies, and went to work. I am so thrilled with the results!

 



I decided to do a quick tutorial, because this is SUPER easy and I think it really does look like the Anthro letters.

 

Alright, so let's start.

First, you're going to need:

Paper mache letters (HobLob for $2.99/ea)

Black acrylic paint

Silver metallic acrylic paint

Paint brush

 

The first step is to take off all the price tag stickers. Please do this. You will thank me later.

 

Next, paint all the letters black. Make sure to get the front and sides. Then let them dry completely (I let them dry overnight).

 

Next step is to go over the black with a thin layer of the silver metallic paint. Less is more here. You can always add more paint, but you can't take it off. The goal is to use long brush strokes to give the appearance of metal.

 

You can see my technique here. I just started on 1 side and went up/down and kept the brush strokes going the same way.

 

 

You can see the brush strokes that I was talking about in this picture.

TA DAA!! That's it!

What do y'all think?? I can't wait to get these up on the walls in Mr. Judson's room. And the best part is they're super light, so you can just use command strips to adhere them to the wall.

Baby #2 - 30 weeks

How far along: 30 weeks

 

Baby's size: Cabbage

 

Weight gain:  19 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly all

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Pretty good!! Judd hates when I lay on my right side, so as soon as I flop over there, he starts kicking so hard! Haha! So funny!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Lots and lots! Yesterday I thought he was going to escape! Ha!

Best moment this week: This weekend was so nice. We got a few things done around the house, relaxed and ate good food. Definitely needed that!

Worst moment this week: I have "off" days periodically, usually about 1-2/week, where I'm just cranky and tired. Thank goodness for my amazing husband that does bathtime without me, so I can crawl in bed at 8:30!!

Looking forward to: Decorating for Halloween! And hopefully some cooler temps...

Food cravings: Still breakfast foods

Weirdest food I ate this week: Nothing, really...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Tired, queasiness, heartburn, tight tummy, shortness of breath, hemorrhoids, Braxton Hicks

Workouts: Went for a few walks this week, felt good to get outside!

What I miss: WINE!

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Absolutely the same! Last pregnancy at 30 weeks here for reference.

Things that suck: I am so sick of this Texas heat. It's supposed to be in the 90s this week! What the heck!

Things that don't suck: 10 weeks (ish) left until we meet Mr. Judson!!!!!!

Josh's Take on the Name

Josh did a post on Jacob's name back in March 2012, so I thought I'd let him do a post on Judson's name. Here it is...

 

 

The selection of our second son’s name was, really, pretty easy & quick.  Kate has noted that all of the Sokolewicz men going back to my Grandpa have J first names: Joseph, John, James (Jim), Jason, Josh, & Jacob.  So, we wanted to continue that without re-using a name yet.  I think Kate & I both also liked the idea of something not every day, yet also not far-out (think: Jamiroquai).  We would both brainstorm & look around name lists online.  Kate came across Judson, which was a formal version of a name I had thought of but hadn’t suggested yet: Judd.  We liked it enough to pencil it in, & as time went by it really grew on us.

 

For the middle name, we both like the idea of having meaning behind it.  Jacob’s middle name is Monroe, in honor of Kate’s side of the family.  When we found out our second baby was going to be a boy, I had a few ideas for a middle name but really all along I had one that I wanted: Cody.  Coach Jeff Cody, outside of my parents, has had the biggest influence on my life.  He has been a role model & second father figure to me, & as I have gotten older I have realized how lucky I was to have had him as my high school coach.  In college, I learned that most guys didn’t have a coach near his caliber.  Also, his wife served as Principal at my elementary school & continued to be in my life.  Together in their marriage & their family, Coach & Mrs. Cody are an example to me & Kate.  Knowing all this, I could not think of a better middle name for Judson & I’ll be thrilled in the future to tell him the origin of his middle name.

 

--Josh

Baby #2 - 29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks

 

Baby's size: Cauliflower

 

Weight gain: 18 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Well, after seeing myself in workout clothes over the weekend, I've officially retired them. Let's just say- woof! I'm starting to collect larger tees and comfy pants/leggings.

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Pretty good!!

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Lots and lots!

Best moment this week: We had a good week. Lots of time outside, since the weather was a bit cooler. Josh and I also had a little "date day" on Saturday to go car shopping and eat lunch together. It was really fun!! I miss spending alone time with him!

Worst moment this week: I honestly can't think of a bad moment. Although I'm starting to get Braxton Hicks when I do most anything physical, so just walking to the park is kinda uncomfortable for me.

Looking forward to: I purchased a few little things for Judson's room over the weekend, so I'm excited to finish that up!!

Food cravings: Still breakfast foods- pancakes, cereal, bagels, yogurt.

Weirdest food I ate this week: Nothing, really...

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Tired, queasiness, heartburn, tight tummy, shortness of breath, hemorrhoids, Braxton Hicks

Workouts: Nothing, really...blahhhh!!

What I miss: WINE!

Similarities/differences between last pregnancy: Absolutely the same! Last pregnancy at 29 weeks here for reference.

Things that suck: Nothing!

Name Game

Baby names are super important to me. Like in a weird, indescribable way. I get very sensitive and protective over my name choice; probably because people are so damn judgmental and most people don't realize they're being offensive when they say "oh, that's interesting...."

I try to keep it on the down low  for as long as possible, mostly for my heart. But alas- the time has come. Baby showers are coming up and people want to know!

We landed on a name shortly after we found out we were having another boy. Honestly, it was the only boy name I liked and Josh agreed!

Besides family and close friends, we haven't shared it yet because the middle name has sentimental value (like Jacob) and we wanted to let his namesake know before everyone else. Seems fair, right?!

So, without further adieu...our second baby will be...

All the men in Josh's family have "J" names; hence Josh and Jacob and Judson. Lots of J's! I'm going to be confusing them 24/7 (like I'm not doing that already). I love the name Hudson, and thought using a J at the beginning would be a little different but not too wild. I'm not about wild, weird names.

Cody is the last name of Josh's high school basketball coach, who taught Josh much more than just basketball. If you ask him, he'll tell you that Coach Cody has been a role model for him his entire life and continues to be. We had a lovely time with Coach a few weekends ago, when we told him our name plans. He was surprised and thankful, just the humble reaction we all expected.

Of course, we are super excited for little Judson "Judd" to make his arrival. I can hardly believe I have 11 weeks left! It feels like just yesterday that we found out I was pregnant. And here we are, jumping into the last trimester. Which, might I add- might be my final trimester EVER. EEK!

Hope you're having a lovely Monday! Cheers!

Want // Watch // Wear

I thought it would be fun to do a toddler version of WWW, or a Jacob version. ;) Here we go!

WANT

MONSTER TRUCKSSSSSSSSSSS! My child is obsessed with anything that "goes." I swear he can spot a race car or monster truck from a mile away. The other day we were walking through Walgreen's and I accidentally walked down the toy aisle. I tried moving super quick so he wouldn't see too much, but I guess I didn't move fast enough. He spotted the 5-pack of monster trucks and we couldn't leave without them. I figured since the reason we were there was to buy suppositories for said toddler, I would get him the monster trucks (plus they were only $6.99). Poor guy!

WATCH

Jacob has been really into Lady in the Tramp (aka "doggy movie") lately. He will literally sit on the couch and actually watch the movie. He knows all the character's names and will tell you what's about to happen. It's really cute!!!

WEAR

I bought Jacob this shirt and I die laughing every time he wears it! He wore it to school for the first time today and one of his teachers really got a kick out of it.