Pregnancy Update: Week 18

I have made it to 18 weeks! 
Next week we find out the gender, and I can’t wait.
As usual, my belly is continuing to grow.
I can still fit in a few pairs of pants, but for the most part I am using an elastic through my button hole to do the trick. I desperately need to get some maternity pants.

My sister did hook me up with these maternity leggings from Target.
They are the most comfortable things I have ever worn, I may just wear them every.single.day.
My growing belly has been put to good use by Emory.
She loves to lay on it while we read books, she is the sweetest.
My nausea has now been replaced with cravings.
Up until this point, I didn’t have much of an appetite.
Things have definitely changed, and nothing tastes better than an IN-N-OUT burger and fries.
I wish I could report that my belly shots have gotten easier.
I still cringe morning and night before I have to give them to myself.
I will spare you a picture, but I seem to be bruising more frequently which has caused an achy belly. Boo!
I also started another shot, progesterone.
This one goes in my bum and has to be done by Zack.
Luckily I only have to take it once a week, but that needle is huge!
I am so lucky to have my medical student hubby around to give it to me.
He knows exactly where to put it and stays clear of all nerves. 
Love him.
I will definitely share the gender with you next week, I am thinking it’s a girl but who knows!

Modernthread Pillow Giveaway!

 I have an awesome giveaway for you today!
Modernthread just introduced a new line of designer geometric pillows to her shop!
I love the patterns, colors, and especially the price…$35.00 for a 20″x 20″!

  

Modernthread is giving away two 20″ pillow cases to one of you lucky readers!
You can choose from any of the 5 patterns above!
How to enter:
1.  Visit Modernthread and come back and leave a comment!
The giveaway will close September 7th.
Good Luck!

Online Living Room Design!

The last few months I have been slowly working on a few projects.
Thank goodness I have the worlds best clients, who have been very patient with my summer schedule and daily night nausea.
Luckily, I am starting to feel so much better (hurray for week 18!) and getting back into the swing of things.
I have loved working on this particular online living room design.
My client had a really hard time determining her style, until I sent her this inspiration picture from Lonny.
Turns out, she likes an overall modern style with a hint of traditional and touch of eclectic.
I love it too.
She already owns the main furniture pieces, but needed everything else.
Here is the my design plan…
I added a teal rug, white drapery with navy trim, an eclectic gallery wall, a modern coffee table, and geometric pillows.
The gallery wall was really important to her. I selected some art from a few of my favorite shops and created a lay-out to scale for her.
1.2.3.4.5.6.7
I am really excited to see this design come to life, I can hardly wait!

Cleaning a Dhurrie Rug!

I have been on the hunt for a new rug but I can’t seem to find anything I love in my price range.
I considered going with a DIY rug, but ultimately I want something a little higher quality.
So, I’ve decided to make my current rug work until I find the perfect one.
My rug is a 100% wool flat woven rug from IKEA. I love the style, colors, and pattern, but it is difficult to keep clean.
I regularly vacuum and spot clean it, but it has still managed to get very dirty.
Actually, it was so dirty that I was ready to just throw it away. Since I can’t find an affordable replacement, I decided to find a way to clean it myself.
After a couple minutes googling, I found a method and jumped right in.
Materials used:
* Large Bowl
* Cold water
* Dish Soap
* Cleaning brush
I filled a large bowl with cold soapy water and dipped my brush in.

Then I started scrubbing.
In order to get it clean, I had to scrub quite hard.

I was a little nervous that I would damage the rug, but luckily it didn’t.

I was hesitant to get the rug too wet, so I let the rug dry before I did a second scrub on the really dirty parts.
Since I practically had to scrub the whole thing, it took me two days.

Once I was done scrubbing, I just let it dry.
I really can’t believe how well it worked, and how clean it is!

It took a little bit of time and effort, but I think it is so worth it.
Not sure why I didn’t do this before.
Have you ever tackled cleaning your dhurrie? 
What worked for you?