making it home

I'm still at it... trying to make our house a home.  

Here some of the latest ideas.

source - love this rug - I'll paint our similar black and white rug to give it some flavor

source - decorate with baby's breath or at least have it out during the gloomy season(s)

source - blow up landscape and sky pictures (so easy!) AND paint our boring rug with color

source - for living room focal point - make it ourselves

source - stack oversized and colorful cushions for comfy sitting are in loft

Ideas are good but for me I must post them somewhere for them to be remembered or executed.
Here's to making my house a cuter home!

making it home : ideas for diy projects

 wood hanger

I still don't feel completely moved in and settled in this house.  Its a little bigger than we're used to so figuring out how to fill spaces like walls and floors has been a challenge.  Here are some little things I'd like to try my hand at to help my home better function with a little style and personality.  These ideas will be good and realistic possibilities for small touches and additions to the house...

finding the rhythm

All our company is gone, and there is none in sight for another month.  That means its just the 3 of us and our new home and life, pretty much until the baby comes.  It has been wonderful having visitors but now its time to get into a rhythm of my/our own.  This boy needs and deserves some good time with his mama.  

Its a big deal for me but I decided to take this week to get grounded and prepare for the weeks before baby comes.  And I mean this seriously.  The key thing that will make this week different is that I will not spend much time online.  I hope to blog a bit but I won't do that until the evening after I am exhausted after I've had a full day (it doesn't take much for me to be exhausted these days).  Other than checking me email and the occasional blog post, I'll not check blogs, check google reader, spend time on my pinterest or facebook or twitter.

Its all basic "functioning household" sort of stuff that I haven't been good at doing since we've lived here (or ever really).  I am convinced that when the baby comes and our family of 3 becomes 4 that I will be much better off if I have a good rhythm for our home.  I am serious about this change/upgrade to our lives and I can't wait to experience the results in the coming weeks.

If you care to know what I have in mind here you are: 
--- There are many projects to do in the house, many of which I want/need to get done before the baby comes.  There are things I need to do so that my toddler has a better schedule.  This will include library days, park days and playgroups.  He'll be happier if I do this and that means that I will be too.  We have some fun and important things that we want/need to do as a family before the 3 of us must adjust to being a family of 4. 
--- BUT I WILL read more books (I want my son to see me reading), go on walks with my boy, take him to the library and the playgroups, visit Zack for lunch, do some little projects around the house, get bills paid and important phone calls made and appointments set, listen to music, read to my boy and color with him and play with him outside, write some letters I've been wanting to send, hopefully sew (I have just one realistic and easy project in mind), have family dinners and talk about and plan upcoming outings and events.  Lastly and most importantly and personally, I'll spend more time strengthening myself spiritually because I believe this is the absolute best way to make life better for me and my family. ---

Here's to a happy and productive week!

this is how I'll loose it

This is a long post about my body and my plans to get it back to healthy and normal.  

I have big plans and loads of motivation right now to be healthy and look healthy.  This means that I want to eat more veggies and smaller amounts of everything else.  This also means that I want to look like I know I naturally can and should.  I never thought I would get to this point.  waaaa!

With my athletic past and good genes I don't look anything like I should or can.  My first pregnancy I was not worried at all about how I looked.  I went by how I felt and that totally worked for me.  After the baby was born even, I went with how I felt and it worked then too.  Now, 3/4 of the way through this second pregnancy, I no longer feel healthy or good.  How I feel is not working anymore.  To get over this, I decided to do the only thing that will really make a difference.  That is: I'll do a little everyday starting now to get my body revved up and ready for those hard core exercising days to come post-partum.

So, starting this morning, I'll begin my journey.

Here's where blogging comes in to play.  I don't plan on posting often about this.  Frankly, I don't think you, my lovely readers, care to follow this journey like I do and I totally expect that.  (The proof is in the pudding - or the pictures - if you ask me.)  But I did want to highlight this beginning here so that when I make progress I can refer back to this starting point.  I will surely be documenting this journey in my own diary and through pictures as well so I will have plenty to share when the time is right.

The fact of the matter is that I was never supposed to become this big girl that I am.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my naturally fit self that I know and recognize.  This is going to be fun!

*  Keep in mind that I am 30 weeks pregnant and that no one will see any changes to this body for many months.  I assure you though, that I will feel much better and that will be all I need to keep going until the time when the big change starts to show.  I plan on nursing and taking several weeks to recover before I throw my body into some sort of intense exercise regime.  I believe in letting a woman's body recover and rest plenty after giving birth.  So, unfortunately, this process is going to take a long time.  One thing is certain though, I won't be gaining inches only loosing fat and inches as soon as I have this baby and that is very motivating in itself.   


Oh! and friends, if you have any good exercises, resources, recipes or exercise plans, tips or secrets to help me get back in shape post-baby I'd love to hear it all! 


* this image is from a few weeks ago and its of the first time I've jumped for a very long time.  We, in my little family, are fun and spontaneous and we love to jump for pictures besides doing other adventurous things.  FOR THE RECORD: this jump was a turing point for me.  it was so sad how tired I got just jumping for this picture, holding my son or not.  I decided that this out of shape thing has to end so I can live and have the fun I like to have!  ...its a good thing you can't really tell how low to the ground I am.  ha!

ideas for our bedroom

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Our bedroom I fear will be the last place settled into.  For now my ideas will have to do.  The first picture shows what I want to do with the walls and the tree stump table is for our bathroom.  If you see a bright bedspread/duvet cover like the one pictured please let me know.  I really want bright colors in our room and home.   Ah, the fun of a work in progress...

waiting, waiting

 Lately I'm feeling like my life is one big hunt.  Patiently waiting as ready as can be for that prey or house and car to walk my way.   It shouldn't be hard but it is!
As nice as it is to have a lot of time in my days whilst house and car hunting (did I mention we're also looking for cars?) its sort of easy to get lost and distracted, too.  I'll admit, I'm not easily motivated and I'm certain that I was supposed to be born in the more rebellious and fun eras rather than this technology driven and fast paced one.  But, alas, I am here and honestly I am trying to make the best of it.

When we moved we knew that we had a specific time frame to find a house and car.  So far we've done our very best at both.  If you know my husband at all you know that he does not rest until his desired purchase is found and obtained at the absolute best price out there.  But, we can only do so much looking, researching, comparing, emailing, etc.  The real game of "hunting" is the waiting.

Everyday we check the listings, email our contacts and pray that a new listing will mean the end of our hunt.  But, so far after several cars missed, trips to dealerships, hours online, and 34+ houses viewed, we have come up with nothing.  That isn't bad news by any means it just means that this waiting will just continue until the time runs up.

So now, the reason I began this post in the first place, how am I spending my "waiting" time?  Well, between the rainy days, a toddler who needs his naps, a household with a limited wardrobe that produces much laundry, figuring out how to grocery shop with a car + toddler + pregnant tired self you'd think there was not much time left in a day.  Well there is, and plenty of it.  AND STILL I seem to waste a lot of it and get bored and anxious and impatient and feel fat and slow and tired.  Life is not so productive over here.  I'm getting pretty sick of it! 

There have been many times in my life when I've just had too much free time on my hands and I enjoy it but it isn't ever as productive as it should be.  Now is a time though, that I am dying to be productive (probably the nesting bug going on).  This is the part of me that wishes I was more Type A.   Now is a great time, the best time, to practice the lifestyle I want when we finally "start" our new life here.  That feels good to think about and I'm sure it will only be better when I'm doing/living it!

* images - from our latest lunch date with Zack.  This playground is 5 minutes away and right next to his work. They are of our little tree hugger, exploring the big train, loving swinging with dad, he climbed on to the teetery toy thing himself, my boys climbing through the sign, O baby waving.

planning & my desk

I recently announced that I'm working on a big project.  In order to keep things swiftly moving I have come up with a perfect calendar system that works perfectly in my little apartment.  I have a new desk area and it seems like it will work really well.

*  I use little sticky notes and take them off when the day is over.  The med. sized sticky note on the top is for what to accomplish this week.  Its very easy to update, and follow.  I have gotten so much done using this calendar in the last 2 weeks.  Give it a try!

//  Now, I have to get to work!