Sandberg Ramblings

2013 has been one amazing year!  Here are some of the highlights that made it so great... Quitting my job to stay at home, start up this blog/design business, and eventually be a mom Becoming pregnant and giving birth to baby Ames  Finding a love for riding bikes and discovering trails across Iowa Landon graduating from law school Running my first 5k Making unforgettable friends and memories while living in Iowa  Trips home to Utah and eventually our move back Vacations to Mexico, Lake Powell, Nauvoo, St. Louis, and Minneapolis  Landon's first deer hunt - which he will never be able to top! :)  Adding several temples to my temple journal list Everything we've been through and experienced this year has helped us to grow and change for the better. Not everything was perfect and we had many smiles, laughs, and tears. I look back and love every minute. This is a year that I will truly cherish for many years to come. I feel I have gr...

Ames Landon Sandberg arrived right on his due date, November 16, 2013 at 8:40am. He weighed 9 lbs and was almost 22 inches long! It all started the day before. I was determined to get him here as soon as possible so I had been cleaning our house all week, even on my hands and knees mopping our floor. That day I went on the longest walk I could handle and ate lots of pineapple J Later that evening I started feeling some tightening, which I later realized were actually contractions, but not painful yet. Landon went to bed and I stayed up a couple more hours. By then I was starting to feel uncomfortable and thought this must be the start of it, but tried to go to bed anyway. About an hour or so later I woke up feeling consistent contractions. At that point I still didn’t know if they were for sure the real thing or not. It almost felt like I was just sick from what I had eaten for dinner because it was going through me like crazy. I think I went to the bathroom 4 or 5 time...

Motherhood is hard. The hardest thing I've ever done.  The first two weeks of having Ames home I was a complete mess  and was wondering what I got myself into.  It wasn't anything like I'd imagined  and I felt this distance between me and this sweet little boy  that I never thought would be there.  Fast forward to now, 3 1/2 weeks later.  I hate that it had to start out that way,  but I grew and learned so much mentally, physically, and spiritually.  Things are so much better and I feel that amazing bond with my little boy that I longed to have.  You really can't explain how hard and amazing being a new mom is.  You just have to experience it.  That being said, I know I have been horrible at blogging.  But I honestly don't care :)  I'd much rather be loving on my little boy.  As I slowly start getting this mom thing down I promise I'll get back at it,  but I can't say...

Baby Ames is here!  Our little boy arrived Saturday, November 16, 2013.  Yep, right on his due date. I was able to deliver naturally and we are both doing great!  More details and birth story are to come. But for now, here are some pics of our little guy... Introducing…  Ames Landon Sandberg 11/16/13 9 lbs  -  21 in.  8:40 am 

I have a great guest post for you today from the talented Wendy Smith. She's sharing some great tips on how to give your  home  personality and character. I had the privilege of going to design school with Wendy and she is one amazing designer.  She works for AMB Design , helping to create truly stunning interiors. Here's a little bio on just what she does over at AMB Design …    "AMB Design stands at the intersection of design, building and remodeling.  Grounded in classic principle, AMB's homes entail organic ingredients such as dry white oak floors, walnut, bronze, woolen textiles and rich hues creating the "real factor" leaving no space untouched with a sense of natural. We strive to create environments that raise the quality of life of those who live there.      I have worked with Anne Marie Barton for just over 3 ½ years.  Starting as an intern, learning the backbones and basics to interior design and architectur...

Giftwrapping, especially at Christmastime, is an obsession of mine.  I LOVE it. It must be the creative side in me,  but I'd rather wrap the gift all pretty than shop for the actual gift :)  I love coming up with and finding new ideas to use each year.  The bonus is that they are a great addition under the tree :)  I've rounded up some of my favorite ideas for you to try out yourself.  Some of these I will be trying out this year myself  and some are tried and true from last year.  The best advice I can give you is to buy a couple rolls of brown kraft paper.  You can get it at any craft store  or I found  this website  where you can buy it in bulk online  if you really have a lot of gifts to wrap :)  I have almost completely stopped buying patterned paper  unless I find something really unique that I love,  because you can do so many different  and creative thi...

We decided to take a little day trip last Saturday to Winterset, Iowa.  You've probably never heard of this place,  but you may have heard of The Bridges of Madison County ,  a 1995 American romantic drama film based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller. Winterset is the home of these covered bridges and is also the birthplace of John Wayne.  We were a little late for most of the leaves, but it was still so beautiful!  There is a little tower set back in a forested park that you can hike to and look over the countryside.  We had lunch in a little dive Mexican restaurant that was actually pretty good and then Landon also took me to the hunting property where he shot his deer, which isn't too far from Winterset.  Our last stop was Mt. Pisgah .  This is where a small settlement was established along the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo.  It's been really fun to be able to visit so many of the LDS church...