5 Fantastic Gender Reveal Ideas

Hey guys,

As you all know I recently revealed the sex of our first child. So today, I thought I would share 5 fun ways to share with family and/or friends the big news!

In no particular order:

1. Make a t-shirt. There are many ways that you can do this. Get a t-shirt with the color of your choice and decorate it. You can use iron on letters and pictures (as we did), you can draw or make a design of your choice, etc. The possibilities are endless, just be sure that the message is clear and you are happy with the end results. :)

As you can see, we used the iron on letters and designs. You can't tell but we had a little skull crossbones as the apostrophe and the blue flames to set off the word boy. ;)

2. Cake or Cupcake reveal. These have become very popular. (This is one of the reasons we decided against this idea, and also we had our gender reveal in a restaurant and didn't know their policies on bringing in outside food.) If you haven't heard about this idea, you make a cake or cupcake and the filling is blue or pink to reveal the baby's gender. This would be great if you had family close by and could have a gender reveal party.

Source: flickr.com via Anna on Pinterest

3. Balloons. Fill several pink or blue balloons with helium and put them in a box and let the balloons tell all. This would be great to do in person or could be done in a video for far away family.

Source: betsymariephotography.com via Anna on Pinterest

4. Youtube video. If you have family and friends far away, how about documenting the big moment with a super sweet video. Here are just a few cute ones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBxxe_sso8&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bz1OCzvgJ4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsZXK1x5Zxw&feature=player_embedded

5. Build-a-bear. Make a Build-a-Bear and choose two cute outfits for it to reveal the sex. This website also suggests getting a recorder box with a recording of the baby's heart beat. How sweet!

What do you think of these ideas? If you are a mommy, what did you do to reveal your baby's gender?

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

<3 Anna

New Beginnings, New Life

Hey everyone,

We have had an amazing and busy weekend! So excited to share with you all what's going on with us. :)

IT'S A BOY! His name is John Declan Leviner. He will go by Declan. Declan is of Irish origin and means "full of goodness."

Friday: The big ultrasound day! My appointment was at 3:30 and I was on pins and needles waiting to get called back for it. The ultrasound tech was very nice and asked me what I thought I was having. I told her a boy. (This was my suspicion from day one.) She quickly confirmed that I was right and we talked and she took a massive amount of pictures. I then met with one of my midwives for a tummy check and talked about all of my results. John and I left the doctor's office, on cloud nine. We are having a boy! We now knew exactly what to shop for and would be able to finish up our registries. :) We grabbed a snack, told Sophie she was having a baby brother, took her out, and headed back out to get groceries and do some other shopping. Our first stop was Aldi's (I seriously love that place!) We got all the non cold grocery items we were able to and then headed to Target. John went to Game Stop and got a game and I went into the local Christian store. I got some thank you cards and a gift for my youngest sister. (She is graduating high school next month.) We then went to Target. I did some more gift shopping and we looked at some of the baby stuff there. We then went to a couple more stores including Walmart and finished up our grocery shopping. I was excited to look at more baby stuff and we bought our first gift for our son. We got a Little Golden Book collection of Sleepy Time stories. We ended the evening with dinner at IHOP. I was a happy girl, I had been seeing commercials for IHOP's new $7 menu, and I had been craving chicken and waffles...I finally got some! lol. Once we got home, Sophie greeted us, we put up our groceries, and I read "Goodnight Little Bear" from our new book. :)

Saturday: I woke just before 8. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and took Sophie out and heated up leftovers for breakfast.  We then started getting ready for our busy day. We made a stop at Lowe's to get Sophie a paint brush roller. (We have a very silly dog who loves to play with paint brush rollers. This is her new favorite toy. I think it's because it's fluffy and a challenge to destroy...lol. Just before we got in, there were some boy and girl scouts out front selling gift cards. The card has various restaurants on it, so we got one. After a quick stop at CVS, we took Sophie to the park. She desperately needed some exercise. She ran all over the place and enjoyed some play time in the creek. We dropped Sophie off at home and then headed back out for lunch. We decided to check out one of the local places on our card, Bistro 127. I'm so glad we did. It was so perfect. The atmosphere, the food, everything! If you are ever in Hickory, you should check them out. John got the Artisan Panini and I got the Bistro Club. These both come with a choice of sides, John got fries and I got their roasted potatoes, both perfect! Before we left, I noticed they had a little display with doughnuts and other pastries, we didn't get any...but I'm sure we will return. ;) After that, it was on to Mount Airy. We got inside The Main Oak emporium, just before the rain hit. We explored the three floors and talked about returning for Christmas shopping. ;) We also went to the local book store and looked around. I got a decaf mocha and didn't get sick! Wa-hoo! I was so happy about that. If you have been following my pregnancy updates, you would know that I haven't had the easiest time with coffee of any form since the first trimester. Once we finished up browsing shops, it was time to head to 13 Bones, the restaurant, we would be having dinner with John's parents. We met John's dad and stepmother in the parking lot and they shared pictures and videos from their visit with our nephew Oron, he is walking and crawling all over the place! It's hard to believe! They gave him his birthday present and they have a picture of him kissing the toy dog we got him. We are so glad he liked it! It was prom night in Mount Airy, so there was a little wait for our table. Once we got inside, I went to the restroom and changed my shirt. John and I made a special shirt for the gender reveal. I came out and John's dad immediately noticed. We thought John's stepmom had beat him in the reaction, but she hadn't realized....they were so excited. John's stepmom had told me she was hoping for a boy. :) We got to our table and ordered our drinks, then John's mother and stepfather arrived. We showed them the shirt. They were happy also. John's mother was one of the few people who had thought we were having a girl, so she was surprised. We had a appetizer of fried pickles, I was a happy girl and then a delicious dinner. We talked and shared pictures and it was a wonderful night. I sent a mass text to a few friends sharing the big news and then I update fb once I got home. John and were exhausted but happy. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful weekend!

John's dad and Oron, growing so fast!

The gender reveal shirt (18 almost 19 weeks pregnant here)

John's dad's reaction to the shirt. This was one of the few shots we got, it was a busy night!

<3 Anna

Update and Weekend Roundup!

So we are still going back and forth on the car thing. It's a pretty big decision. I talked to my youngest sister yesterday, and she is going to have to get a new vehicle (well probably new to her) She is hoping to get a job and save up money. I hope it all works out for her. My other sister was more lucky, her problem actually turned out to be more minor and her car should be an easy fix and not have to be replaced.

Since I'm awake before the sun, I figure I'll go ahead and post on the good of this weekend. :)

Friday night, John and I went out for a bit of shopping. Our first stop was Subway for dinner. The sub was pretty good, but it actually made me miss the Subways back in Georgia. (Hard to believe! lol) We then did some window shopping in the mall. This was our first visit to the mall and it was crazy crowded...figures, being a Friday. So me being the anti-social/and semi claustrophobic person that I am, I didn't last long in there. We then stopped by Barnes and Noble where I got part of my Valentine's present. (John will be working Valentine's Day, so we decided to change our usual nice dinner at home date and just do gifts. I'm sure we will enjoy that day (the hours we are awake) together, as we do any other day together. :)

A cover for my Nook. Isn't it gorgeous?! And as John says "So me" lol

While I was in B&N, John stopped by Game Stop to pick out a game. John is not a serious gamer, but this is usually his go-to gift.

We then headed to Walmart to stock up on groceries and other stuff. While at Walmart, I was able to get a new planner. This was not a part of my Valentines stuff, but it might as well be. I'm a sucker for a planner. I love writing down everything and it keeps my poor little mind sane. ;) We did, however, finish up our Valentine shopping there. I got Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition (as soon as I saw the preview, John knew this would be something I would want for our collection) and John got the HBO John Adams series. We also picked up a couple of other movies that were on sale. We ended the night out, by picking up some sleep masks. We've been really needing those because of John being on second shift. (They work pretty well, but will take some getting used to!)

Once home, we unpacked the car and put away all the groceries. We then ended the evening, watching Life as We Know it, which is a really great movie. (One of the movies we purchased, we also got Leap Year and You've Got Mail)


Yesterday, we spent the day catching up on z's and chores. Nothing really newsworthy, but things that were needed.

Today we will be checking out another church and I'm looking forward to what this day will bring!

<3 Anna

New Year Thoughts

Hey everyone,

I'm finally ready for this post! I would like to begin by saying that I have some very creative and thoughtful blog friends. You guys have some amazing goals and thoughts for the new year. You really got me thinking about what I would like to do this year.

Before I share with you these goals and thoughts, I would like to talk about what usually happens when I have a resolution. My biggest issue: I get sold on the idea. I get so excited, I have the best of intentions! I dive right in. It is then, that I realize that I'm in over my head. I revert back to old tendencies and I feel like a big fat failure.

So I made a vow to myself that this year would be different. It took a horrible day, Tuesday, for me to realize...I was repeating past mistakes. I had dove in once again and was miserable! So the goal I was working toward got edited a bit and I'm much happier now.

So what are my goals for the new year? (In no particular order)

1. I want to find a church home and meet new people.

2. I want to feel better about myself and be healthy. (This was the goal I had to adjust. I'm proud to say I'm eating more veggies than I can remember ever eating, I've cut down on sugar, and bread has been removed from my diet.)

3. I want to read 50 books this year. Last year, my goal of 60 was too high. So I have set the bar a little lower this time.

4. Unplug. (When my husband is home, I don't want to be on the computer, phone, etc. unless he is doing his own thing.)

5. I want to be more dedicated to praying and reading God's word.

So those are my goals for the new year. I'm pretty excited about them, but remembering to keep my cool and don't dive in head first.

<3 Anna

Christmas Time is here!

Hey everybody!

First I want to share with you about a new feature I'm adding to my blog. I'm going to blog (from time to time, no determined day) about my new town, Hickory. The series will be called I <3 Hickory and will share with you tourist attractions, shopping, restaurants, etc. I hope this will be a fun way for me to learn about my new home and for you guys to want to visit. ;) OR at least be an entertaining read. So be sure to keep a look out for that.

 Last night, I found this Christmas survey on A Crafty Southern Chick and I thought I would join in the fun. :)


1. egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, my hubby loves egg nog so we get a small carton for him….it grosses me out!

2. does santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was a kid, most years Santa would just place them under the tree, but one year I requested them wrapped---my poor parents…lol.

3. colored lights on tree/house or white? White, I grew up with colored lights, but hubby and I prefer White.

4. do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. when do you put your decorations up? Any time after Thanksgiving, I like to give each holiday it’s due. ;)

6. what is your favorite holiday dish? My great-grandmother’s Hershey bar cake…it’s to die for!

7. favorite holiday memory as a child? Each year we would go to my great-grandparents house. I also loved going to the Christmas tree farm, to get our tree and great-grandmother’s tree.

8. when and how did you learn the truth about santa? I was a little old, I’ll be honest…probably about 8/9…though my parents---believe I was 13!

9. do you open a gift on christmas eve? Yes, every year my mom would give us one present to open. My husband and I do the same. :)

10. how do you decorate your christmas tree? White lights, various ornaments, no real color scheme---just a very traditional/nostalgic sort of look.

11. snow! love it or dread it? Love it! I hope that we get more here in NC, than we did in GA…we should!

12. can you ice skate? I’ve never tried, but would love to!

13. do you remember your favorite gift? My husband and his mother made me a blanket…it was the first homemade gift I ever received and I bawled over it.

14. what's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Remembering Christ’s birth, (regardless of whether or not this was his actual birthday. His birth should always be important, but I think the least we can do is give Him a month!) Spending time with friends and family, and remembering the giving spirit of St. Nicholas.

15. what is your favorite holiday dessert? I love dessert, so I could never choose just one!

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas morning---once with my mother and sisters, and now with my hubby. :)

17. what tops your tree? A white and gold star

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving? BOTH! Loooove to open gifts--don't even care if it's big or small, I just love the fun of it all--but I really, really love giving to others!

19. candy canes: yuck or yum? They are okay. I usually eat one each year.

20. favorite christmas show? Elf---It’s too funny!

21. saddest christmas song? Blue Christmas

22. what is your favorite christmas song? Carol of the Bells

<3 Anna

Starting Today...

Hey everyone,

You are probably curious about my blog title. Well I know that a lot of people start new things at the beginning of a week. I decided that it doesn't matter when you start, as long as you start and stick with it. Today I'm starting two very different projects.

Project #1 This exercise plan

For some of you, (those extremely gorgeous people *cough* I could name a few of you) this will seem like baby steps, but for me it should be a good---get me back into working out routine.(Remember my love/hate post) As the picture says this is a 60 day workout and increases what you have to do each day along with "rest days." I'm excited about starting and this along with walking Sophie will be a good build-up for me. I also plan to get back on my treadmill, once my guest room doesn't look like a tornado hit it. Which leads me to project 2. ;)

Project #2 This organizational plan

This challenge is so inspiring. I'm so glad I finally have everything I need to start. You don't really have to buy things for this challenge. I just did so, because I'm convinced that I want to do this right and was seriously lacking in storage containers! Today's challenge is cleaning out my junk drawer(s). I instantly know where to start! We are supposed to post pictures, I'm debating back and forth on this because everyone else's houses seem so much more organized than mine and because the challenge has technically ended. I'll probably take pictures of the before and decide later what to share. I'll definitely share an after shot. ;)

So those are my projects, please share with me what goals you are working towards. I would love to hear about them. :)

<3 Anna PS. I had a request from my last post for a pic of my rain boots. So here they are! ;)

Scary Stuff

Hey everyone,

This won't be a long post. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still in the blog-o-sphere. I was on the fence on whether or not to post anything on this, but decided to go for it.

On Tuesday, I woke up and got dressed---normal morning routine followed. It was my first day volunteering with The Athens Council on Aging's Community Garden. I was a little apprehensive, because I had to reschedule so many times, but was relieved once I got there and got started.

The garden was larger than I imagined and it was very cool to see eggplant actually growing! The garden coordinator, Stephanie, showed me around the garden and explained various gardening techniques. Some of the seniors came out and visited. It was nice to meet new people. One of the ladies was from Malaysia and I would have loved to sit and chat with her more.

I ended my time dead-heading the flowers---looking for flowers that looked dead or wilted and plucking them from the plant. By this time it had begun to get pretty hot. I had been drinking plenty of water or so I thought.

John came by to pick me up and Stephanie and I showed him the garden and gave him a tour. We continued to talk and everything was going great....that is until things started getting black and green and fuzzy. I laid my head on John's arm and told him I wasn't feeling so well. The next thing I know. I'm on the ground leaning against John. I had a heat stroke. I've fainted before, but I never thought I was going to die. This was one of the scariest things I've ever been through. I'm pretty sure---I felt my heart stop. Scary stuff! Stephanie refilled my water bottle and they helped get me to the car. I've been very weak since and today is the first day where I'm starting to feel back to normal.

I try very hard not to draw attention to myself if I can help it, but I hope that this entry will stress the importance of staying cool and hydrated. For most of us, it's been a harsh summer. Right now, we are under a heat advisory until 8pm tonight. Please stay inside if you can and if not, please drink more than you think you need of water. I thought that I had been drinking plenty, but that was not the case and I had something like this happen to show me that I needed to slow down and take care of myself.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a great day! Stay cool and hydrated!

<3 Anna

Good Stuff!

Hello to all my bloggy friends out there!

I'm feeling especially happy today! So I thought I would put that perkiness to good use and update you on a few happenings. I recently wrote a blog discussing some personal truths that I wanted to live by and work on. If you haven't, check out that blog here:
http://annaleviner13.blogspot.com/2011/07/realizations.html

First off, don't you wish you were here, chilling with these penguins?!

This week I was able to catch up with a friend who was very encouraging. She knows my desire to get started in the medical field and was able to give me a few helpful pointers. I am now looking into a job shadowing program at my local hospital and have already started talking with a lady who works at a nearby hospice. My friend volunteered at a hospice and is now working for them. So I'm hoping this could turn into a potential job opportunity or if nothing else give me more experience. My friend also told me that the hospices are in great need of administrative and clerical help. These are areas that I really enjoy and would love to get more hands on experience in. I'm also interested in the patient care stuff, but am leaning more towards the clerical work. I think that would be more beneficial to me, since I'm studying Medical Transcription. Just curious, but do any of my reader's know anything about this field or some helpful tips?

Speaking of Medical Transcription, I am half way through the Anatomy part of my program...exciting stuff! I'm currently studying The Urinary and Endocrine systems...not so exciting...so far my least favorite chapters... :/

The cleaning and organization has slowed down this week. I'm currently looking at an evil pile of clothes that need to be folded and other chores that have been neglected...gotta hop to it. Caroline (She was the flower girl in my wedding) is coming to visit this weekend. I'm very excited about her visit. I bought us some face masks and we are going to have a girly night tomorrow and more fun to follow. I'll try to remember to take pictures. (Another thing I need to be more intentional with) and will update you all on that on Monday. :)

So life is good. I'm doing my very best to cherish every day and each moment. I know I'm not the best at that, but I'm learning. Hope you all are having a wonderful day and be sure to take some time to enjoy the good things around you. :)

<3 Anna

Change in Plans

Hey everyone,

I've been busy lately trying to get everything ready for school. So yesterday I met with my advisor to get some more information on my program. This is when I got my bad news, the earliest I could get my CNA is in January. (There's a HUGE waiting list) This is bad because John and I are working towards moving next year. (I don't need to still be in school around that time. It's just too risky.) There are also several fees that we cannot afford right now. (I'm sure our insurance would cover some, but I digress) I'm kind of sad, but I know that being a CNA wasn't my dream job. I was happy to have a direction for awhile, but it wasn't necessarily the right one. So my school plans are put on hold for now.

I'm taking this time to re-focus, re-energize, and re-evaluate my life. Right now I'm looking for a part-time job, volunteering, and trying to figure out what I'm truly passionate about. I may get my CNA some day. I'm not entirely ruling it out, but for now it's plan B and I'm definitely not doing it through ATC. I'm sick of that place and I'm sick of dealing with people who don't care about me and the fact that I'm trying to better myself.

So that's where I am right now. I don't really like it, but I'm at peace about it.

To all my followers, I'll be catching up on your blogs soon. I miss you guys and don't worry you'll be seeing more of me again:) I will also be making regular posts again and some possible revamping again. (I get bored too easily;)

<3 Anna

One Foot in Front of the Other

There is so much on my mind right now. So much I want to do. This week has been an interesting one. I've found desires in my heart that I didn't even know were there. It's kind of made me more emotional than normal, but in a good way. It's nice to feel passionate about something. It's nice to cry tears of joy at a realization. I don't think it's time to make this public, but I do feel I need to file it away here.

I only hope that God can give me peace while I'm waiting. I want my heart to be open for this journey. I want to be a good and obedient servant for Him. I want whatever I do to glorify Him. I pray that God will continue to give me strength and passion for my day to day tasks. They say that whatever you do today can make a great impact on your future. I definitely want to be wherever God wants me to be. I look forward to seeing where that will take me.

Please remember me in your thoughts and prayers.

<3 Anna

Spring Cleaning!

Hey everyone!

So after weeks of distractions, yesterday I FINALLY started my spring cleaning. I’ve found a few articles at Woman’s Day to keep me on track. Go to their website and search “spring cleaning.” You will find plenty of information to keep you busy. ;)

Do you ever wonder why we spring clean in the first place…where did the idea come from?

Some believe the origins of spring cleaning began with the Passover. This is the Jewish holiday that marks the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. All of the slaves in Egypt were fed unleavened bread---bread without yeast, so the Jews kept this as a part of the holiday as a reminder of all they had endured. In fact, anyone who had leavened bread in their home was looked down on and thought of as being arrogant. So as not to offend God or anyone else, the Jews would search their homes and be sure that there was not even a crumb of leavened bread in their homes.

Some believe that China was where spring cleaning began. In preparation of the New Year, the Chinese would clean their homes, to rid it of all the bad luck from the previous year. Once the home was pristine, the family would go on a sort of fast from sweeping for several days. This was supposed to allow the good luck for the New Year to stick around for a while.

There is also a theory that it could just be biology. In the winter we are not as exposed to the sunlight and this causes the pineal gland to produce melatonin, which is a hormone that causes sleepiness. In the spring time, the sun returns and we are given a new found energy, for things such as spring cleaning.

****Special thanks to Josh Clarke via TLC for all the great history info on spring cleaning.****

So yesterday, I started with the sink under the bathroom. I got rid of any old/empty bottles. I then went through a blue container in our hall closet that has bathroom odds and ends. I sifted through the junk and found many things out of place. I was able to get most of it to it’s designated area and some of it, I’m working on creating a designated area. Today I hope to finish the hall closet and move on to the next thing. Wish me luck!

So what are your thoughts on spring cleaning? Where do you usually begin?

Question 4: When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
Right now, I would have to say that I would have said more than I have done. It is my hope that I will soon get to a place where I can know that I’ve accomplished a lot and have truly helped people.

<3 Anna PS. Please check out this blog and think about how you can help with this amazing cause! http://thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com/2011/03/world-water-day.html Also blog hopping here:

New Additions

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Today I thought I would introduce two new features to “In her own words.”

The first is “The Weekend Roundup”- Many of my new readers will find that I do not post on the weekends. I reserve this time for family and friends, church, etc. So I thought on Mondays I could write about the weekend. This may just be what occurred, thoughts feelings, funny anecdotes, etc. I hope this will be a fun post that will brighten everyone’s day. Let’s face it Mondays can be tough. So why not be given something to smile about?! ;)

The second is “Quite Contrary, a Garden log”- This will be our (my hubby and I’s) second year of planting a garden. I hope that we have gained some experience and will do even better with the garden this year. This is just my way of documenting it. It will include pictures, thoughts, tips, and hopefully, lovely comments of help from fellow gardeners. ;) This feature will not have a regularly scheduled day. It will be up throughout the stages of the garden.

My past readers know that I have had other themed blog entries. Please note that for now these are the only themes/features---I will be working with. (Unless I post otherwise) I want to be sure that all of my entries are full of passion and the things I truly care about.

I’m again, so excited to have new readers and look forward to seeing where these new ideas take me.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

<3 Anna

Not your typical Valentine's Day...

Yesterday began as I expected, me bribing myself with coffee to get out of bed. I had breakfast, devotion, texted John "Happy Valentine's Day." The day progressed just as uneventfully, that is until about 1:00. I saw a strange car pull up in my driveway, wasn't too worried---people love to use our driveway to turn around. The man then stepped out of the car...I assumed he was lost and wanted directions. He came up to my door and knocked. I went to my bedroom with phone in hand. The man knocked on our door several times, then our neighbors. He then finally left. I was thankful. John called me about 30 mins later. I told him I was paranoid and he said he understood. This kind of threw me off, he then proceeded to tell me that our neighbor had been robbed. I told John that I saw the guy. The cops were there investigating and had contacted John. They then talked with me and I gave them a description. I was pretty much paralyzed with fear after that. I called and texted a few friends to keep myself from freaking out too much. Thankfully, the cops told me that the burglar was caught and our neighbor was able to get his things back. The cop said that Sophie (my dog) was the reason the guy didn't break into our place also. So Sophie got some extra spoiling yesterday.

So yesterday didn't go according to plan, I'm thankful things were sorted out as well as they were. I also found out that my dad had my mom's van repossessed. He showed little to no remorse and acted as usual like everything was my mom's fault. I'm so sick of him. My mom has done everything she can to be civil with him and he still has to act like an immature baby.

The evening continued on...John and I thought about getting take-out, but I decided that I wanted to go on with our plans. I didn't want that guy to ruin our evening. So we made dinner as planned: steak, baked potatoes with bacon and cheese, broccoli casserole, and lava cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. John and I exchanged cards. He got me a lovely bouquet of flowers and other great surprises. The evening ended well and I learned how to load a shotgun...lol.

<3 Anna

New Glasses:)

My new glasses came in yesterday...yay! :)

I'm pretty pleased with them, just having to adjust to them.

<3 Anna