and… i have moved!

Hello dear blog,

Though you have been very good to me while I have been blogging here, I decided it was time for a change. I needed something simpler, easier to create posts, etc., with little Matilda on her way – so I have decided to retire you for the time being. I will miss you dearly, but I hope we can still be friends.

I will now be blogging at http://rachelarnold.tumblr.com – please come visit me there! I promise it will be more updated than this little blog has been.

love you all,

rachel

happy love day.

happy valentine’s day!

hope your day was filled with love and happiness, regardless of where you were or what you were doing. the husband and I had a pretty laid back day that involved McDonald’s (hey, that’s what baby Matilda wants!) and Lars And The Real Girl, which I had never seen before but fell in love with.

{not sure where I found this image originally, but it was my desktop background for almost a year, and I think it is perfect for today – if you know where it came from, can you let me know so I can source it correctly??}

love you all!

I promise I haven’t run away…

Hello dear blog,

I’m so sorry for my lack of posting in 2010. I can’t believe its already February 12. A month and a half in, and the year is already flying by. Just a little update on life right now…

My belly has finally popped!! Its been fun seeing my body change, and feeling little movements inside. I am in love with being pregnant, and I can’t wait to meet our little Matilda in July. (Yes! we finally picked a name – Matilda Dot Arnold.) The husband and I are working out ideas for a maternity series (something similar to Cole’s at Pacing The Panic Room – a blog I have recently become obsessed with. I adore Ryan’s writing style, and have enjoyed reading back over their past posts on pregnancy with little Tessa!) We aren’t profesisonal photographers by any means, but can’t wait to take a stab at creating some fun memories we can look back on.

The nesting bug is starting to hit. I’m making all these fun little plans for the nursery. We got it painted, and have figured out a floorplan, so now its just on to crafting crafting crafting!! Yay! I’m also finally getting to the point where I can’t stand having a messy house (which anyone who knows me knows I am not a neat freak. AT ALL.). Its definitely a positive.

Recent obsessions: katie did, Ohdeedoh, Project Nursery, and any other blog I can find with fun baby things. Please send more along if you have any! I need inspiration.

Things I have not been doing: Style School. I suck. BIG TIME. I haven’t been feeling very crafty lately when it comes to things for myself. I’d rather make things for the little bean. However, I spent the money for Style School, and have adored all of the projects, so I am saving them all, so I can slowly get through it. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to get more crafty, and learn more about their personal style. I love Elsie and LeighAnn and everyone else involved. I just haven’t had the time between baby obsession, Anthropologie and trying to still have a semblance of a life even though I’m tired ALL THE TIME!

I think that’s all I have for now. I’m really going to try to visit more often. I have loads of things I want to share with you, I just have to find the time to do it.

xoxo,
rachel

{image via we heart it}

hello new year!

Happy new year dear ones! So sorry I have been so absent this past month. Being pregnant+the holidays made me really really exhausted all the time, and so my dear little blog suffered. But I am back! And I hope to post more often (at least that’s one of my goals for this new year!).

Jon had almost 3 weeks off of work for Christmas, which was glorious. I’m so sad he had to go back to work this morning, as I’m sitting in bed all alone, instead of eating breakfast or cuddling with him! But I’m also so incredibly thankful that he has a good job that supports us (and our new addition, come July!) (why yes, the little tiny Arnold probably will come up in most of my blog posts from here on out. hope you don’t mind too much!)

We had an incredible Christmas spent with family, and a super laid back New Year’s with some good friends (that may have ended with me passed out on the couch at 11:00pm). Christmas was filled with lots of hot apple cider, pumpkin bread, too much candy from our stockings (which I am still enjoying), baby Arnold’s first presents ever, and just trying to savor each other and our family time as much as possible. We are incredibly blessed with families who believe the same way we do, and who all love spending time with each other. It was a wonderful time.

I hope you all had amazing Christmases and New Years as well. I’ve spent lots of time catching up on your blogs and reading about them (see, I haven’t been completely absent from the blogging world, just my own blog!).

Love you all dearly! Xoxo!

(p.s. sorry for the picture quality. iPhone+dimly lit restaurants=not very good pictures. But its the only one I took all of New Years! Oops!)

the rumors are true…

I feel like I’ve been rather neglectful of my dear blog as of late. I feel like I’ve had so much going on, and unfortunately, the first thing to go is normally internet time. Ah well. I’m back now {fingers crossed}.

If we are friends on facebook, you may have noticed some fun comments on my wall {not all of which have to do with my birthday, which is TOMORROW!}. Jon and I just found out that there will be a new little Arnold gracing us with his/her presence next July!! We are so very excited, and tried to wait to share the news until our close friends and family found out – which I think we did a pretty good job of. It was probably one of the hardest secrets I’ve ever had to keep!

I have my first doctor’s appointment tomorrow, which I am really excited about!! All the nausea and fatigue and everything else that is changing my body will all be worth it when I see that sweet little heartbeat for the first time!

Sorry for all the exclamation points. I am sosososososososososososososo excited about this, and it only seems right to have lots and lots of them!

If you have any fun baby advice, books, websites, etc., please pass them on! I have lots to learn!!

{image via theblackapple}

Oh Oh.

And, and… the ever so adorable Naomi from The Rockstar Diaries posted some AMAZING new headbands that she made that are for sale – and I AM GETTING ONE!!! YAY!

The one I wanted was already sold out, but I emailed her, and she is making more in the next month and will be setting one aside for me. Its the one pictured below – how perfect is it that its named RACHEL?? 🙂

{can you tell I’m slightly excited about this??}

red velvet art

dearest blog,

I am so so so very sorry at what a slacker I have been as of late at keeping you up to date with all the random things that have been exciting me. I promise, I will do better. Things have just been so crazy in the Arnold household, but I think they are calming down, which means more time for being inspired and posting all the lovely little things that are making me happy.

A big one is this:

As part of my birthday (coming up in 1 week and 2 days!) I am going to be starting RedVelvetArt’s Online Style School Class. YAY! A description of the things we will be working on is on Elsie’s blog A Beautiful Mess. I seriously cannot wait.

Other things that are making me happy today – getting to see New Moon for a second time with two great friends who enjoyed it as much as I did.

Now I need to go make some dinner for the husband and I – and then, some cleaning, and Christmas decorating!

xoxo,

Rachel

 

lennon love.

I found this image of John Lennon on ffffound! today and I had to share.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!! I know I did – went to a wedding, did some shopping, ate lots of yummy food and spent time with family. It was relaxing and oh so fun. Spending time with my family is one of my favorite things to do!

happy weekend!

Hello lovelies! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend ahead of you! I will be… going to a wedding, hanging out with my little brother and my parents exchange student, playing in Nashville and a little bit of working tomorrow. I just wish I could also be playing in the snow somewhere, like last year in Chicago!!! What are your fun plans?

xoxo,
Rachel

the civil wars.

Music has always played a huge part in my life. In middle school, when I got in trouble, my parents would ground my from anything related to The Beatles, because they knew that would teach me a bigger lesson than taking away television. In college, I chose to major in the Recording Industry program at MTSU, where I met my husband in one of our mutual classes. I then proceeded to work in the music industry for 5 years, up until just recently. All major moments of my life I can attribute certain songs, or genres of music to. I love it. I live it, I breathe it, I couldn’t live without it.

This band is one of those bands I know I will remember this part of my life by. I have listened to their live album more times than I can remember, and they have touched me in ways I can’t explain. I know I will be listening to them for a very long time. The song below, “Poison & Wine,” I first heard when I was having doubts about marriage, and what being married and loving someone unconditionally actually meant. And I think I probably cried uncontrollably in my car listening to it. The words are haunting, but sum up, to me, what love is all about.

Check out the official music video to “Poison & Wine,” and while you’re at it, go download their free live album (I mean, its free!!) Do it. You will not regret it.