This Unfamiliar Road

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 :)

Leave it to Pinterest to get my mind going with ideas for Peyton's birthday party!


After seeing this picture, I knew I wanted to recreate it! I asked the advice of a crafty coworker on how to go about completing this project, and was surprised at how EASY it was! Honestly, I am not the craftiest person. I have good intentions, but I usually can't carry out my ideas...either from lack of patience or talent!

I loved this project: Simple, CHEAP, and made a big impact :)


~Fold your accordion-folded paper in half


~Fan it out, then attach the ends using staples

~This made a semi-circle, so repeat the process for the other half, then attach the two!

Let's face it: I am a very thrifty shopper. There are some things that I think are worth spending money on-things that are used daily and need to be of excellent quality. But when it comes to baby toys and clothes, I am all about the consignment stores and garage sales.
**Don't worry-I am very conscious about cleanliness and safety and would never purchase anything that could put my {future} child's health at risk**

Here are a few things that Ben and I found last weekend:

I love our master bathroom. It is perfect for us, and I knew it the instant we saw this house. One little (or large...) problem we had was the window above the tub:

Why, yes...that is our street and our neighbors' homes you can see. And guess what? They can see you too. Our temporary solution was brown painter's paper. Sorry, no picture but I need to spare you from that nonsense.
Everyone kept telling me to just 'hang blinds' on the window, but I wanted to enjoy the natural light in the bathroom, which would only be possible if the blinds were open, which defeats the purpose.

So, we found this window covering at Home Depot-you apply it like window tint.

Ben and I have always payed attention to how much money we spend and where it goes. He has a monthly spreadsheet with categories for everything. Over the past (almost!) year, we have been able to track our purchases and evaluate our spending. However, it hasn't really helped us save a lot. For instance, just by tracking how much we spend on dining out is not going to help us budget.
So...we have implemented the envelopes system! Basically, we set a budget and put cash into envelopes for each category. When the cash is out, it's out. We have only begun this month, so I will have to post an update later to let you know how it's working for us. I know we will have to revise many times until it works, but basically our system goes like this: