Monday Musings

We've had a busy weekend...

Our house listed on Thursday and so far has had three showings, so I've been doing my best to keep it as immaculate as humanly possible with three kids under 10. I keep praying it won't be much longer until we get an offer and won't have to be unrealistically clean for an indefinite amount of time.

On Friday, I went to an awesome art supply store called Artists & Craftsmen in downtown Charleston that I've been meaning to see. I got a few new acrylic paints and a sketch book, but I'm already itching to go back.

I started work on this piece, but still have a bit to go until I'll call it "finished".

Also on Friday, I was home from work and had the boys with me, but we also had a cleaning lady come and deep clean the house, so I had to get them out of the house. We went out to eat and then to Sky Zone to wear off some energy. It was nice having time with just the two of them.

And then that night, I went out for a much-needed evening of wine and appetizers with a couple of girlfriends.

Saturday, Jake got a lot of the to-do list for the house completed {that we had hoped would be done before listing, but oh well, it's done now!} and then we took the kids to the pool.

Sunday, we went to church, did a bit MORE work on the house {I'm calling it done now!} and I managed to get some meal prep done for this week! I am determined to get on a normal schedule with it and keep at it. As long as I get it prepared, staying on course is the easy part.

We then just sort of relaxed and laid low with the exception of having to rush out of the house for a last-minute showing. I am getting anxious about selling the house quickly and just keeping my hopes and faith high that it will.

Hope y'all have a great week!

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Thoughts For Thursday: Home Updates & Other Random Info

Yesterday, this sweet little angel came down with a fever at daycare so I had to leave work a couple hours early to get her.

She was very playful and happy when I got her home, some Motrin did the trick to get her temp down {it was low-grade to begin with} and she ate normally, so I was certain I was going to let her return to daycare today, but then she woke up 2-3 times screaming and crying during the night. Even though she went back down easily each time after being consoled for a couple minutes, I felt it best to stay home with her today since it was definitely out of character for her to wake at night.

At least it's a free day to get a head start on the weekend chores...and time with Farrah is always nice.

I shared a few random shots of updated spaces around the house this week on my Instagram.

Some of you may remember my Kids' Organized Art Space from two years ago...it was one of my most pinned items...so I was extra-proud of it.

It's looking more like this nowadays...upgraded to a larger table and two chairs, changed out some pictures in the frames and of course, now there is art hanging!

In Farrah's nursery, I had a really cute wicker chair that I had spray-painted. I really still love the seat, but it wasn't the best in terms of rocking and feeding her.

I posted about the one I found the other day - painted it the same color - and now it sits in her room beautifully. It's much more comfortable for feeding her in the morning...and it's a rocker!

We're still working on the bathroom...this project has taken much longer than I thought it would {my husband has taken a few weekends off from it - much to my discontent!} I told him I needed to get back in there and get my stuff finally all put away because it's driving me crazy...so I'm hoping we see it finished soon. The last I posted about it, it looked like this:

This is what it looks like right now - basically we just need to get a new light fixture, get the mirror cut to size and hung, get a plumbing piece that we need {since he moved the sink over a bit} and to repaint the room. I'll likely move back in before we paint because I can deal with that.

Jake made the countertop himself - it is so beautiful. And he made the cabinets on top. We used the existing vanity, painted it white and he just added to it with the drawers to make it larger and provide more storage - there's even hidden toilet paper storage!

That's it for my home updates for now. Hope you're having a lovely week!


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A Glimpse Into Our Daily Life

I will admit that it's been hard to get into a schedule since Farrah was born. But now, she's almost 7 weeks and I've begun to find ways to fit motherhood, housekeeping and fitness all into my schedule. For those of you wondering how it's possible to manage more than one child...here's a glimpse into my daily schedule for you.

I recently got into the habit of just staying up and being productive once Farrah has her first morning bottle. Since she's still so young, she often wakes up once in the middle of the night and then again around 5am. I now stay up after that 5am bottle because she will go back down to sleep and the boys and my husband are still sleeping as well.

5:00AM-6:30AM
Feed Farrah and put her back down to sleep. Since everyone else is also still sleeping, I'm able to clean up our downstairs living area and kitchen, get some laundry started and folded, pack baby bag and anything needed for the boys, etc. It really makes my day go a lot smoother to get things like that out of the way and start the day with a clean house because then when the kids are awake, I am able to spend more quality time with them.

6:30AM-7:00AM
Go for a run. I just started this one this morning, but plan to keep it up to help melt the baby weight off faster. Right now I run about 30 minutes. I hope to pack more miles into that 30 minutes soon as I start getting back into running shape...and also lengthen the run time. I also added a little jump roping at the end of my run this morning.

7:00AM-8:30AM
Feed Tanner and Breckin breakfast. Get Farrah fed again and changed. Have boys get dressed and ready for the day. Continue doing a few small chores as I go.

8:30AM-11:30AM {M/W/F}
Take Breckin and Farrah on a walk in our neighborhood. We usually go 2.5-3 miles before it gets too hot for them. After that, the kids will have outside play at our house - we have a trampoline and tree fort in the backyard and I've set up a sprinkler, chalk and other toys to keep them occupied. I'll feed Farrah once again, sometimes I will do this out on the front porch {with a fan on Farrah} so I can hang out with the boys while they play outside. She usually has another nap as well. {She's still very into sleeping and eating...but is starting to have more active periods, or just sits awake but content.} If I am able, I try to squeeze in a T25 or Insanity workout, but often this ends up having to wait until Jake is home to help with the kids.

8:30AM-11:30AM {T/TH}
Take Tanner to Karate camp. Breckin, Farrah and I meet some of my other mommy friends to walk the Cooper River Bridge at 9:30am. We usually walk for an hour or so, then I will usually feed Farrah while sitting on a bench watching Breckin play at the play park under the bridge. After she's done eating, we drive home.

11:30AM-12:00PM
Make and serve lunch.

12:00PM-2:30PM
We usually do a daily activity such as pool, play park or just playing outside. Farrah of course gets fed again sometime during this time.

Farrah and me at the play park the other day

2:30PM-6:30PM
We leave to pick Tanner up from Karate camp {T/TH} and I'll run any errands needed as well {groceries, etc.} I start preparing dinner. Jake gets home around 5:00pm normally, unless he's picking up extra hours or playing volleyball at the Windjammer after work {he does that on Tues eves right now - sometimes we'll go out there and hang out with him so the boys can have some beach time.}We eat dinner and Farrah also has another bottle.

6:30PM-8:00PM
This is when I typically make sure the kids get bathed, into their PJs and teeth brushed. I will then put a movie on some evenings for them and before they go to sleep, we read a nighttime story. Tanner is entering 3rd grade, so I like to have him read a book to us too.

8:00PM-10:00PM
Jake and I relax and watch our favorite shows - currently Orange Is The New Black, Game of Thrones {borrowing the series from a friend}, and a few other things. We feed Farrah her bedtime bottle and then go to bed.

And that's how it's done...for now. Seasons change, school will start again and Farrah will begin to be more active in the coming months...so everything will change accordingly. It's not very glamorous, but it's my life. :-)

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Thursday Thoughts & Thirty-Six Weeks

I am 36 weeks pregnant now, y'all! It's getting so close and I'm soooo impatient, it's killing me. Ready for so many things...ready to workout and have my body back, ready to enjoy some cocktails with friends {hello, summertime!} and most of all, ready to meet my precious daughter. I forgot to take a picture this morning, and it's too hard to take a prego selfie at work, so I will just show you last week's bump picture {I'm looking pretty much the same this week}.

Jake and I finally nailed down a name for baby girl last night. If you're a friend on Facebook, you might know I did a fun little baby name bracket {in honor of March Madness} that had my top 16 names eventually narrowed down to one. Sadly, I will say that we did not choose the name that actually won. {I know, such cheaters, right?} My main goal for doing the bracket was to help get Jake finally on board with my name choices by seeing all of the wonderful compliments we received on so many of them. Even though I love the winning name, it wasn't something my husband was able to agree on, but with all the help of the positive response about most of the names, we were finally able to come to agreement on one of them.

What is it, you ask?

To be announced when she is. {Oh, the suspense!}

In other news, I've {at least for now} traded in my dark brunette locks for much blonder ones. I've been a dark brunette now for a quite a few years and thought I would try a little blonde again for something different {maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I think it's great for summertime}.

It looks a bit golden in this picture, but it's really more of a light ashy blonde. I've been for two full highlight sessions now with my new favorite hairstylist, Kasondra. I wanted to get as much done as I could before baby comes because I don't imagine I'll have too much time for the salon after that.

The nursery is coming along...though I'm a bit antsy because I've never gotten this close to baby time without having the nursery fully finished. We had a setback when we put the house on the market in March because I decided to forgo anymore decorating at that time, but now that we are staying put, I'm back into decorating/nesting mode. Right now, it still pretty much looks like this:

I do have the closet and dresser organized with all her clothes, by age {and color because I'm OCD}. And a changing pad has been added to the dresser. However, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I have decided {4 weeks prior to due date no less} that I want to trade out the bed in there for a full-size daybed. It will create so much more floor space for her to play on when she gets to the crawling around stage. Right now, it's our queen guest bed, but I've decided to sell it and I've ordered this to go in its place:

It's the Morgan Day Bed from Walmart {so I kind of figured it was fate}. The fun part {this is where I am a glutton for punishment} is going to be working with Jake to move the mattresses out and dispose of them properly, break down the other bed and sell it and then set up the new bed when it arrives sometime next week. Oh, and I'll also have to order a full-size mattress. Yes, I apparently thrive on stress and time crunches.

I've also ordered a mobile from this shop on Etsy for over the crib. It will look like this:

The next things on the list for the nursery are:

• Area rug
• Curtain
• Paintings for the wall {I imagine I won't find time for this until I'm no longer working.}
• Paint the two mirrors {the frames} I have and hang.
• The baby :-)

And then we're pretty much done with the space!

That's pretty much the bulk of my thought process for today...I do also want to thank those of you that have stuck around here...even though the last few weeks my posts have been scarce. I fully plan on picking back up...I've got my last week of work next week...and then waiting for baby's arrival...so I'll get back to normal posting very soon.

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Not Moving After All

I know my posts have been far and few between the last few weeks. As you might know, we put our house up for sale a month ago and as of today, decided to officially remove it from the market.

We spent a good few weeks getting things cleaned and organized, as well as moving out clutter to a storage unit. Unfortunately, despite how nice our home interior looks compared to others in our neighborhood, it just didn't look like we were going to get the {fair} price we wanted and needed. Knowing that the area is up and coming - a new K-8, high school as well as nature trails are planned in the next couple years - we thought it best to just sit on it a few more years and then it will be worth our while to sell, and we can probably get something even better than we could right now. Luckily, we aren't in a position where moving is necessary, though I was excited at the prospect of a larger home. However, I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders for a little while...and I can focus on what's really important - preparing for the arrival of this baby girl in a few weeks.  {Plus, now I get to actually finish the nursery and put things on the walls!}

Anyhow, I do plan to get back on a regular posting schedule - this once or twice a week stuff just ain't cuttin' it, right? I can't believe we are pretty much in the home stretch with this pregnancy. Just shy of 7 weeks to go now...and my hunch is that it will be a bit less, maybe 5-6 weeks, based on my history. Here I am yesterday, at 33 weeks on the dot:

I can tell you I am soooooo ready...as if you haven't heard that already. I think I was ready around 7 weeks. What can I say? I miss wine...and normal exercise routines. No but seriously, we've got all the big stuff taken care of and it's all just waiting for a baby to inhabit it.

Now that we've taken the house off the market, as well as had some realtors give us some feedback on our place, I've got a little "to-doozy" list I've worked up for things Jake and I need to do, now that we plan on staying. Many of which I will end up sharing on here once complete. Here's the list so far, in no particular order {as I like to hold myself accountable by sharing this kind of stuff with you}:

1. Repair Garage Door {Right now it doesn't work electronically and hasn't since we've owned the house. We've just lived with it by locking it manually and raising/shutting manually as needed.
2. Build Fence Next to White Picket Fence {neighbor's} for privacy and sake of not having to view their yard {it's a rental home, so sometimes an eyesore}. The rest of our yard we have already fenced.
3. Paint Stairwell and Upstairs Hallway to match the living room {my hubby was lazy about this when we painted the living room, but this portion is long overdue for a paint job and will create a cohesive look, while also making it brighter up there.
4. Redo Master Closet. We really could stand to add some shelves or racks on the other side that is just a blank wall. I think it will make better use of the space.
5. Upgrade Laundry Closet - Nicer shelving, maybe cabinets, a fun, bright paint color, etc.
6. Backyard Landscaping - We need to do a little something out there.
7. Build a Small Storage Shed - I'd really like to store our lawn mower and other gardening tools in something like that rather than the garage and maybe some of the larger kids' toys, so our yard doesn't always look in disarray.
8. Put Lattice Around the A/C Unit. This will keep the dog and the kids away from it, and help prevent unnecessary damage. I'd die if my dog started chewing important cords and coils.
9. Replace Toilet Seats. I know, yuck, right? I keep a clean toilet, but the actual seat {not the whole unit itself} in each of our bathrooms just seems dingy. It's a quick fix and something I just need to do already. {I'll spare you of me sharing this one on the blog. You're welcome.}
10. Get My DIY Projects Going - specifically painting the wooden high chair, painting the bar cart, etc. This will obviously be after I have the baby.
11. Finish Nursery - Mostly just need to add some art to the walls and set up some toy storage.
12. Reorganize Office Closet - so it can function both as office/craft storage and a coat closet.

Happy Friday - Enjoy Your Weekend!

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Hi Sugarplum!: Project Decorate {by Style Oyster}

Hi Sugarplum!: Project Decorate {by Style Oyster} by morgan483 featuring ikat home decor

DwellStudio contemporary lighting
dwellstudio.com

Zara Home multi colored area rug
zarahome.com

Black bathroom accessory
waterworks.com

Bar tool
furbishstudio.com

Framed painting
zgallerie.com

Ikat home decor
amberinteriordesign.com

Tufted couch
zgallerie.com

Modern furniture
zgallerie.com

Inlay table
kathykuohome.com

brass urchin large
furbishstudio.com

Xhilaration Chunky & Ornate Baroque Picture Frame 4x6
target.com