We discovered Freecycle several years ago through my friend Amanda when she was living in Fort Collins. It has provided some of the best bargain finds for our family as well as many frustrating moments. Every time I think I am going to give up on the whole system we find something great that makes it worthwhile again. Overall I love Freecycle and tell everybody about it when they are looking for a great deal for their home or family.
Freecycle allows you to post wanted items or to offer things you would like to get rid of. This is a great way for us to clean out our closets and get rid of things when it isn't garage sale season or even leftovers from our yearly garage sale. There is also a swap group that is fun to trade things around on. You will always have people who commit and then never show up or people you email 6 times and they still never give you an address to pick up so you just have to give up on them. Overall though you can find some pretty great things!
We have been SO blessed these past couple months with the amazing things we have gotten for Lucy through Freecycle. I first of all back in May started looking for furniture for her room. I wanted time to be semi picky about it as they are pieces I want to use for many years and potentially multiple children. Some of the items we received were:
Crib: wooden and in excellent condition, also converts to a toddler bed plus
Bookshelf: 3 shelfs, great shape
Changing Table/Dresser: excellent condition with two shelfs and three drawers
Rocking Chair: great condition, and beautiful wood!
Baby Bath Tub: brand new!
Stroller: jogging type - picking this up today, just needs a $20 new tire replacement
etc. All of Lucy's furniture happens to match in wood color as well and looks great in her room. We are so excited to start decorating her new to us things!
We were also blessed by tons of baby clothes. I have yet to purchase any clothes for her and she is set for the first 9 months of her life! One lady had two little girls and was excited to give us 8 bags of clothes, sleepers, bibs, hats, socks, bath items, etc. Amazing and yes FREE!
Of course we are grateful for our friends and family who have gifted us various items as well, including clothes, bumbo seat, books, bouncer, infant car seat w/ 2 bases, etc. We can't believe those who already love Lucy so much - both we know and don't know!
Thank You to those who have helped make sure she looks cute every day of her life and is provided for with more than she will ever need!
September has proven to already be a busy month for us and we are only half way through!
We traveled to Indiana to visit with Heidi's family for several days. It was a busy couple days combined with birthday celebrations, baby shower, baby moon in Chicago, and attending a wedding! Even though the trip was quick it was filled with lots of fun memories and milestones.
We celebrated Heidi's birthday in Indiana with her parents and grandparents by going out to dinner at a Japanese Steak House (Heidi's favorite!) This was the first time since Heidi was 17 that she was able to celebrate her special day with her family. It was a wonderful evening and even though Heidi missed out on eating Sushi, Kevin and her dad for sure enjoyed theirs!
Spending time with Heidi's grandparents Ray and Ruth Tyson is always some of the most cherished time in the world. They are getting ready to celebrate their 70th Wedding Anniversary in December and what an example of Godly love they show through their marriage and life together. We enjoy playing cards with them and I know Lucy loved hearing great grandma's voice for the first time. Our prayer is that no matter how much time Lucy gets to spend with her great grandparents that she would understand the importance and specialness of being named after such wonderful women.
Heidi's parents, sister and her sister's best friend more than out did themselves with our Open House Baby Shower. The theme was centered around books and the evening was more than perfect and special. The food correlated with some of our favorite childhood books and guests were asked to bring a book with a special message written to Lucy instead of a card. She received so many special books, outfits, and other fun baby items. We can't wait to read from her abundant library! Thank You to those who attended or sent special notes/gifts. Specially Thank You to our parents, Krista, and Jessica!
After our time in Indiana we headed to Illinios for Nate and Leah's wedding. It was a beautiful evening and we were so honored to be part of their special day! Can't wait to for you guys to come visit soon - you know Denver is where you belong! Congrats to Nate and Leah Dobbins!!!!
The following day we drove back to Chicago to catch our flight back to Denver. We spend the day in Chicago as a Baby Moon! We bought our favorite candy bars at Macy's and Lucy's special coming home from the hospital outfit. Then enjoyed lunch at our favorite restaurant Elephant & Castle. They serve the BEST French Onion Soup and Heidi couldn't miss out on that!
Things in Denver are still going well. Kevin is loving his job and Heidi has had over a $3000 quarter in sales with Tastefully Simple with 15 more days to go. We are excited for two more baby showers to come and looking forward to setting up Lucy's nursery as we prepare to meet our baby girl.
We have had a lot of questions regarding our nursery colors and where we are registered at. Here is the info:
Lucy's nursery will be decorated in the "I Love Lucy vintage theme. The primary colors will be Raspberry Pink and Green with her furniture being a chocolate brown. We are not too focused on colors so you will see that we have registered for a breathable bumper, crib skirt, and sheets (Target) instead of an official nursery package set. Feel free to incorporate blues and purples as well as the above colors mentioned.
Our registries can be found at the following places by searching for "Heidi Gunn" or "Kevin Gunn" OR by clicking the orange links below.
Babies R Us - larger items such as stroller, pack n play, crib mattress, play mat, etc Also some bath items, swaddlers/sleep saks for sleeping, and small misc items as well. Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry
Target - First Aid needs, bath items, bedding, nursery accessories, etc. Target
Amazon.com - books, I Love Lucy vintage items, puzzles, etc. Feel free to use this registry and take note this was specially created for a baby shower in Indiana where the theme is "books", as we are asking people to not purchase large items due to flying in from Denver. Amazon
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask us! You can email us at gunnfamily07@gmail.com
Wednesday August 1st arrived and it was time for our 20 week Ultra Sound. We knew from day one and both agreed that we wanted to know the gender. Being pregnant was a surprise enough for us that we didn't want anymore surprises and wanted to be able to plan for Baby Gunn. We both felt from the moment we knew Heidi was pregnant that we were having a boy. Both of our mom's and many other family members felt the same way.
There were a few exceptions... at five weeks we told Heidi's parents and Kevin's mom that we were pregnant. Kevin was scheduled to travel to Ames, Iowa for a business trip so we wanted to let a couple people close by know Heidi was pregnant just in case. We told our small group leaders Robert and Monique who for months now have predicted a girl and called her "Olivia". Then we told our neighbor Sharee who just new it was going to be a girl! Thanks for keeping our secret and not letting us go over board planning for a boy!
Just in case though we had chosen both a boy and girl name. Our boy name was to be Jeremiah Andrew and the girl Lucille Jean. Kevin 3 days before the appointment decided to combine them and start calling baby "Jerelu". Thank GOD he didn't come up with that sooner! :)
Well... much to our surprise again - IT'S A GIRL!!!!! While we are totally in shock but are so blessed by the wonderful reports from our Ultra Sound Tech and Doctor on how healthy she is. Lucy is currently 11 oz, meets all her measurements and doing great. She was so hard to get a good profile picture of. Lucy is already a sassy little girl as we watched her kick her legs up and take her little hands to cover her ears. As the tech went to count her little fingers she flashed the middle one proudly for all to see. We have NO idea what we are in for!
A little bit about her name:
LUCILLE
* Lucille is Heidi's maternal grandmother's middle name. So her name comes from Ruth Lucille. Heidi's Grandma Ruth is one of our very favorite people. She has always been so special to Heidi and carries many memories of sleepovers, UNO games, popsicles, bike riding, playing in the park and swimming together.
* Lucille also comes from our most beloved TV show "I Love Lucy" - we have spent countless hours watching old reruns and laughing for hours together.
* Lucille is also part of a song that Heidi's dad use to sing to her. The song by Kenny Rogers called "You Picked A Fine Time To Leave Me Lucille" provided many laughs and specials moments between Heidi and her dad as he use to change the word Lucille to "loose wheel". In fact it was the first voicemail he left on Heidi phone when we told him the name of our baby girl!
* The nickname "Lucy" that we will use comes from a little girl that captured Heidi's heart and several years later Kevin's too. Lucy Grylicki is the oldest of two sisters (younger Molly) who Heidi use to babysit in college. The girls in 2007 were our Flower Girls in our wedding and will always be claimed as "our girls". We love these two dearly and to make it extra special Lucy Grylicki's birthday is December 18th - one day after our Lucy's predicted due date.
JEAN
* Jean is Kevin's maternal grandmother's middle name. So her name comes from Beatrice Jean. Kevin's Grandma Bea is also one of our favorites because of all the fun memories we have. She loves the outdoors, fishing, hunting, and etc. Grandma Bea's home is a favorite for all of us to visit and a place where we enjoy her wonderful cooking, nights by the campfire, hiking, fishing and playing games together.
* Jean is also the middle name of our neighbor Sharee Jean. Sharee is the greatest wife, mother, grandmother, and dear friend anyone could ask for. Heidi and Sharee have spent countless hours swimming, comparing gardens ("wait is that a weed?!") and chatting on the porch with laughter and memories that will never be forgotten.
We will call Lucille Jean by her nickname "Lucy" she will not go by "LJ" unless she would to make that change on her own at a later age. We ask that you feel free to call her Lucy with us. Her nursery will be decorated in a vintage "I Love Lucy" theme with colors of Raspberry Pink and Lime Greens.
Thanks for your love and excitement you have shown us. We are beyond blessed and daily surprised by our little Lucy!
Ah FINALLY 2nd Trimester. At 13 weeks baking and cooking were still not that exciting but energy level started to finally pick up a little.
Cravings went from fresh veggies, yogurt and grilled cheese into green olives, applesauce and fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden in weeks 14-16. Week 17-19 cravings for peaches, apple juice and pancakes took over.
June 17th was Father's Day and Kevin received a board back book called "I Know My Daddy Loves Me" and a picture frame that says "Daddy and Me". In the book it talks about I know my daddy loves me because he makes me pancakes. Heidi loved this part because pancakes are Kevin's speciality in the kitchen. Even when he was 2 or 3 and tried to make them for his mom mixing them on the kitchen floor with yummy ingredients like ketchup included. He has since, with lots of practice, perfected them and they are a highly requested item from Heidi.
When we first found out we were expecting we knew our lease for our townhome would be coming up for renewal in mid September. While it seemed like a perfect time to move before winter came and locate ourselves closer to Kevin's new job it felt stressful at the same time. Heidi would be 5-6 months pregnant and unable to lift much as well as have the energy to clean and pack. With lots to consider we decided mid July that in September we will sign another 12 month lease and remain in our townhome. It does mean an hour commute each way for Kevin but it also means the security and company of our wonderful community of neighbors and a great price on the space we occupy.
Moose hanging out in Baby Gunn's Crib
Kevin spent two days moving Heidi's Tastefully Simple office from the third floor of our townhome to the basement. Then in return moving all the generously given baby items that were being stored in the basement to the third floor bedroom for a nursery.
We are looking forward to Wednesday August 1st for our 20 week Ultra Sound. Boy or Girl?????
1st Trimester with Baby Gunn was a rough one. We could never be more thankful for the timing God provided for our lives. With Kevin taking a new job mid April and Heidi moving from balancing work at the preschool and Tastefully Simple to moving full time with Tastefully Simple it has really worked out. Being sick for 12 weeks was rough and while at the time it felt like years it actually went by quickly. Heidi was thankful to have her home office where she could sleep in and take lots of naps as well as get some work done when need be.
Heidi lost her love (only for the time being) for cooking, baking and even bacon! :) Many nights Kevin would come home from work and make himself dinner eating in front of the oven fan while Heidi sat on the porch waiting for the house to air out.
Kevin's new office or car or something smelled moldy! No one else could notice this but there were no hellos upon arrival home from work until Kevin changed into other clothes. What a trooper!
In the first trimester Heidi lost almost 25 lbs. Food was really the last thing to think about. However around week 10 a couple things sounded good: Oatmeal Cream Pies and Caesar Salad. Starting at week 12 we realized Heidi wasn't eating any protein at all and this was creating horrible headaches. Chipotle became our best friend! Ordering naked bean burritos and starting to crave fruit, specially raspberries along with vanilla yogurt and lemon water.
While Kevin was working and enjoying his new job Heidi spent time in her office; enjoyed afternoon swims in their pool and time with neighbors on the porch. We are so grateful for the community we live in and the neighbors we have. Several other women work from home or are off for the summer and it has provided many days of good company and sunshine.
At our 12 week apt we heard a heathy heartbeart and our doctor said Baby Gunn was doing a LOT of flips! So thankful!
Decision Making: Everything is Relative
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*Predictably Irrational:*
*The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions*
by Dan Ariely
As it turns out, positive expectations allow us to enjoy things more a...
We have been SO blessed these past couple months with the amazing things we have gotten for Lucy through Freecycle. I first of all back in May started looking for furniture for her room. I wanted time to be semi picky about it as they are pieces I want to use for many years and potentially multiple children. Some of the items we received were:
All of Lucy's furniture happens to match in wood color as well and looks great in her room. We are so excited to start decorating her new to us things!
