This Unfamiliar Road

This week's lovelies...

PediaCare Gentle Vapors. When you've been dealing with illness for years weeks, this little plug in unit is a lifesaver. No humidifiers to empty and clean- just a plug in with a little vapor pad. This thing is strong and truly helps the baby sleep better when she's all congested.


NuMe Wand. I've been considering a curling wand, but definitely didn't want to pay the premium! Thanks to IG, I got this one for $36 (regularly $139) SCORE!!! Now who wants to show me how to use this thing?
Daddy Boot Camp. Some fun new things on the horizon for the husband. And no...it's not what you're thinking. Stay tuned!



New Hair. My appointment is next week and I can't wait! I still have no clue what I'm going to do but I'm ready for a big change! Perhaps a little more red? I love this color and these waves.



 Storage Unit. Ben and his Dad built an awesome storage unit for our playroom. I am in love with it! There's hanging space for dress up clothes, and tons of areas for bins and other toys.

What are your faves today?

It was definitely time for some more landscaping, and what better way to spend gorgeous spring days than digging in the dirt?! OK, I'll admit-I'm not really a fan of gardening, but Ben and I recently spent two FULL days completing a major overhaul of our front flower beds. I am very pleased with the way they turned out, and I'm looking forward to being able to add seasonal color every few months now that the base features are in.


In the right flower bed, we relocated 3 Indian Hawthorne bushes and a Gardenia; Planted a Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry tree, a group of Daylillies, and a Monkey Grass border.


In the left bed, we relocated 3 Azalea bushes; Planted another group of Daylillies, Petunias, and even more monkey grass. That's 120 monkey grass plants, y'all. But they do make such a pretty border!



Nothing like teaching kiddos how to care for something and watch it grow :)
Happy Spring!

This is what our beds looked like when we first moved in!

What's happening this week...!


{ONE} New planner.
OK, OK...I know I already posted about this, but I just can't help it! I love this planner, and it's making me happy this week :)


{TWO} Coffeeee.
One of the not-so joyous moments of being a Mom is that 2am wake-up call from the little one. Followed by 4am, then 6:30am...Indeed, the 4 month sleep regression has arrived. Although I still limit my caffeine while nursing, my one (and a half...) cups of joe makes me happy, and ready to take on the day! Or at least function at some capacity.



{THREE} Redesign
While our Christmas tree was up, we rearranged the living room furniture to accommodate. Afterwards, we got the itch to mix things up...which has affected the living room, the playroom, and even the master closet! I'm having fun redesigning these areas in our home to better suit our needs and style. I will definitely post our updates, but here are a few of my fave inspirations:

 {FOUR} Menu Board.
I have always written out my menu for the week, but I felt like I was wasting so much paper throwing it away each week. I jumped on Pinterest and found a cute free printable, put it in page protector (because, really...who has time to laminate or find a cute frame?!), and now it hangs on my fridge! I can easily erase and rewrite without the paper waste :)


{FIVE} TV is back.
Since when did our favorite shows take a 2-month hiatus during the winter? Not cool, Grey's Anatomy. I'm excited everyone is getting back into the swing of things, because I need some indoor entertainment for these coooold months!

Link UP

I am frantically trying to put the final touches on Peyton's big girl room! So far, we have a quilt, a bed, a dresser, and paint on the walls, as well as some decor items and a blackout shade. With that, we thought it was a good time to go ahead and move her in there! Although it's not complete, it is functional.

For now, we have moved the crib right in the new room because I'm just not ready for Peyton to give up crib sleeping yet. So far, she has adjusted well, and is super excited about her room.

My inspiration for the room is a 'bright shabby chic'.  I love this style, but wanted a mixture of bright and soft colors to suit a toddler :)




The quilt is actually from BuyBuyBaby and I LOVE the colors-such a nice combination and lots to pull from.
We went with Sherwin Williams Retiring Blue on all four walls-a perfect color to compliment the bright quilt, adding a soft touch to the room.

To Do :

-Hang curtains
-Clean out closet and install organizer
-Purchase new light fixture...hopefully a chandelier :)
-Move clothing to new dresser
-Purchase pillow shams
-Shelving & decor items in place


I feel so much better having Peyton in her room! Check back soon for the completed project!

A few weeks ago, I posted about some changes that were coming our way. (I mean...besides a new family member!) Here's an update:

Home Refinance: We closed on our refinance last week, and the process went so smoothly! I could not be more thankful for this change because it will really allow us to achieve some important financial goals.


Work Changes: I have been offered/officially accepted a new position at work. My new job title is Anchor Nurse-basically it's like a charge nurse for the nursery. I won't have assigned patients; rather, I will be responsible for the overall care of all newborns on our unit. Anchor nurses also perform the initial assessment on brand new babies. I have been working towards securing this position in the last few years, so I am really excited about achieving this goal!
Another huge change...I am going back to nights! Yikes...I know, it seems crazy after I couldn't wait to get on day shift. However, I will be going part time so this involves working 2 nights per week (from 7pm-7am).
It will definitely be an adjustment for everyone, but I truly think this is the best decision for our growing family.



On the Home: We are diligently working on Peyton's big girl room and I hope to have it ready in the next 2 weeks. For now, we plan to move her crib into the new room because I am hanging on to crib sleeping as long as I can. I need Peyton contained so I can rest during naps (for night shift work and a new baby!). I would also like to get this kiddo potty trained before Bean arrives. More to come on these things :)


I am truly feeling blessed with the changes that are coming our way! Check back soon to see how we are handling things :)

This project has been a long time coming, and I am so thankful to the husband for taking time out of his weekend to redo our coat closet!

Prior to the makeover, we had a builder-grade wire rack that offered no space for bags and wasn't very user friendly (really, who wants to come home after a long day and use a hanger to put away your jacket?!)
After, we have a super functional closet that's nice to look at too!

 Ben started by removing that rack and patching up the walls.


We used some leftover paint from our townhouse and it really freshened up the area! Ben cut and painted baseboards for trim.



Now we have a very functional coat closet that offers hanging space for both jackets and bags! It will adapt to our need for backpacks and lunch boxes in the future, too!

I love love love it!

 

I really thought that our dining room would be last on our list of projects for the home...I mean, we have a perfectly good kitchen table, and who really uses their dining room anyway?

Well, after deciding to host a party and family Thanksgiving at our home this year, Ben and I agreed that it was a good time for a dining room makeover.

We had NO furniture in here, and this room was full of overflow junk from other rooms (seriously, how did we acquire this much stuff?!)

I love being able to brag on the hubby...

In addition to all of the new landscaping that he has done, Ben has worked so hard to get our yard healthy. He certainly takes pride in it! Over the past few months...

What a relief to be completely finished with Junebug's nursery! I know that s/he probably won't use it for the first few weeks, but it feels so good to have it finished and ready to go!
(To read about our progress, go here, here, and here!)