If you absolutely love Frightened Rabbit, as Landon and I do, you will love these bands.  Landon has a knack for finding sweet tunes, and he showed me these recently.
I absolutely love the Scottish accents, don't you?

Check out:

We Were Promised Jetpacks



The Twilight Sad



Admiral Fallow

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these days i'm having to take things slow and easy.  it's nice to get to quietly relax and take in the quiet moments amidst the noisy ones throughout the day.  all i need on days like today are good books, hot drinks, and messy hair.

Finn Abram Rife...

Finn, a few hours old.

Our first family picture ever!  About 10 minutes after he was born.

Sleepy husband...but he totally deserved that rest!  

Finn, one week old.

We are so blessed and happy to have Finn Abram Rife join our family!  He came at 4:15am on 11/21/11.  He weighed 8lbs. 1oz. and was 21.5 inches long.  I can't begin to tell you how amazing and beautiful the birth experience was.  I still can't believe that this little man is here, and all the things that it took to make him. God knows what He's doing.  Finn is perfect and we are so happy!

I was blessed to have a short labor...only 7 hours!  I was prepared for a longer labor, so Landon and I were thrilled when it happened quickly.  We were so happy when it happened because we were facing a possible induction.  Fortunately, God worked it out that I went into labor spontaneously, and we were able to have the unmedicated birth that we desired.  I'll post my ridiculously long birth story some other day.

Finn is doing so well, too.  He had his first Dr. appointment today, and he nailed it. :)  He's a champ at breastfeeding, and he's been really good at sleeping too, which I appreciate.  Having a baby is so wonderful!  It's been really hard at times, but it's been worth it all to see his little face every day and cover it with kisses.  I love him SO much.

Landon and I are truly blessed by Finn and we can't wait to watch him grow and change each day.

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Landon and I are savoring these quiet days with each other as we wait for this newest addition to our family.  I love it when Landon gets home from work and we get to snuggle or sit on the couch and talk about our days...one of my most favorite times.  Soon, he'll come home and snuggle with me and our baby as we catch up.  I can't wait for that.

Still no sign of baby yet.  We had an appointment on Monday and the midwife was so calm and laid back about me being over due.  She said we can technically go past Thanksgiving if baby waits that long, and they aren't pushing induction at all right now.  I'm so thankful for that.  Landon and I truly believe that the baby will come when he or she is ready.  Since I'm over due now, I'll go in for monitoring once a week just to make sure all is well, and if so, we just keep waiting.

Oh, my precious baby, mama can't wait to hold you, and see you, and kiss you.

birthday boy...

We celebrated Landon's 25th birthday last Saturday and had a wonderful, relaxing time.  We started out the morning with the Rife's traditional birthday breakfast of cherry turnovers and chocolate milk.  I did not wake the poor boy up at the crack of dawn though...he was able to enjoy his Saturday morning sleep.  He was super excited to get his birthday gift from me...a Louisville slugger wooden bat!  He's been wanting one for quite awhile, and now it's resting by his side of the bed in case any bad guys get in. :)

Then, we headed out to our favorite burger place in town for some good eats.  We LOVE the food there!  The fries are just perfect, and the burgers are always superb.  We ended the day with watching a movie at the theater and having brownies for dessert.  I love my husband so very much and I'm so proud of all that he's done with his life.  He is successful, caring, loving, and passionate about living and he's going to make a GREAT dad!

A room for a wee one....

The nursery is finished for real now!  I just had to add a few decorating touches.  Here's a peek for you, all we need now is a baby!  I'm ready for this little one to get here today, or tomorrow, or Saturday. :)

This is a shelf my grandpa made for me and it hung in my room growing up as a child.  We got the pat the bunny from my awesome cousins and aunt and uncle, and the ornament is our baby's first one I made which we'll hang on the tree this year.
It looked nice hanging there for now.

This is an owl embroidery design I did last year, and I loved the way it looked in the nursery.  (If you know Landon and I at all, you know we love handmade, simple decor.)

I can't wait to use our cloth diapers!  My mom and dad helped Landon and I get them all ready.  We also have a great stash of disposables for travel and such.

The basket of blankets and "friends" for the baby.  I grew up calling our stuffed animals friends, and we have some really cute ones for the kiddo.

We have a wonderful rocking chair we got from our soon to be sister, Casey.  She also made the lovely blanket hanging on the back.  It's a real life Cracker Barrel rocker, and so comfy!  This is where you'll find me and baby during early morning nursing times. :)

The desk Landon refinished for me as a wedding gift, all the baby books are stacked and waiting on a shelf I helped my Grandpa make when I was little.

A couple of pillows I made...the whale is one of my all-time favorite projects I've done.

Some great motivational signs we were given from my awesome boss.
I love the colors and the fonts.

Here's some wonderful bunting that my sister made as decor for my baby shower.  It looks great hanging over the pack n play.
I love the colors.

Well, there you go.  It's not much, but it's perfect for us and our precious baby.  I love how the majority of things I see in this room are handmade and have meaning to Landon and I.  We have been so blessed with amazing family and friends, and our baby is one lucky little kiddo.

I can't wait to meet him or her!!! :)

My go-to snack lately...

1) Cut up one granny smith apple into slices.
2) Cut up a chunk of your favorite cheese into slices...sharp cheeses work well.
3) Pair up a good looking apple slice with a great slice of cheese.
4) Enjoy!

Tomorrow is Landon's birthday, so we are taking the entire day and celebrating.  I told him no baby talk is coming out of my mouth tomorrow.  He deserves some quality one on one time, and I am going to make it the best 25th birthday that I can for him.  For sure it will include: cherry turnovers and chocolate milk (a Rife tradition we have carried on), Boogie Burger...seriously the best burgers in Indy, a movie that Landon gets to pick...I think we might see The Rum Diary, a special yummy dessert that I'm making, and hanging out all day!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Squeaky Clean!

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Ahhhh, what a productive day!  I got a burst of cleaning energy today, or maybe just a frantic urge to have this house sparkling before baby gets here.  Regardless, I was able to knock a lot off of my to-do list.  I swept and mopped all the floors, swept out the dirty garage, washed all the blankets, cleaned the bathrooms, and did some much needed organizing. It feels so good to sit back and enjoy a clean home.

I am working at eliminating harmful chemical cleaning products from our home.  They just aren't necessary, and a bit too harsh.  I pretty much just use plain white vinegar for all my cleaning purposes.  It does a great job and smells better than bleach or other strong chemicals in regular cleaners.

Also, my friend pointed out yesterday that Johnson & Johnson baby wash carries some harmful chemicals, which stinks because I have two giant bottles of it already.  Here's an article I read about it.  So Landon and I spent a bit of time last night researching some natural alternatives, and I even found a recipe for homemade baby wash that I'd love to try.  It would be so much cheaper, and I can actually pronounce all the ingredients.  Cheap is good, and natural is always good. :)

I realized I haven't done a thankful list for quite some time, and I need to get better at reminding myself of those things.  Here are some things I'm thankful for today:

*Energy!  I have seriously taken this for granted in the past.

*Good friends.  We had dinner with some amazing friends last night.  They are so encouraging, and we love to be with them.

*My husband.  What other kind of guy would go to a cloth diapering store to buy burp cloths with me?

*Peanut Butter and Bananas!

*An amazing job.  I edited photos today and loved every minute!

*Beautiful weather.  Isn't today just amazing?  The sun, the leaves, the fresh air?  So awesome.

*Between Two Ferns.  Oh Zach, you know how to make me laugh....

halloween weekend

We had a fun little Halloween around here yesterday.  On Friday, we carved pumpkins, then lit them up last night for the little ones.  This was the first year we've ever had trick or treaters, and I got super excited when I saw the first little man show up on our porch.  It was fun to hand out the candy and see their cute costumes.  We even had some candy leftover so..... :)

Hope you all had a fun day yesterday!  Here's a peek at our carving, and I'll throw in a preview that my boss did of our maternity shoot on Sunday.  She's awesome by the way!