Happy News!!

Well, you guys, it's been a minute, huh? We've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster here over the last couple of months, the lowest point-losing our sweet Scout at Thanksgiving. And while that had us pretty down, there's been something else in the works around here to help keep our minds off of our loss... I'm so happy to announce that our family is expanding! That's right, friends...there's a bun in this here oven!! 

Just like last time, I've been feeling pretty crappy and uninspired/unmotivated/unfocused/just-plain-lazy for the last few months. Thankfully, Z is always game to lay around and watch holiday movies. We've only seen the Polar Express about 97 times!! I've developed a crazy appetite, and find myself eating constantly, just to keep from feeling sick. Hello carbs!!! But I know that all of this means there's a strong and healthy little bean growing' in there, which makes it all worth it! I'm really looking forward to feeling like myself again soon. At 15 weeks (second trimester - woot woot!), I feel like that should be happening any day now. Fingers crossed! 

Z is fairly excited to be getting a baby sister or brother, though, at 2 ½, we're never really sure what she understands and what she just smiles and goes along with. She's tagged along to both ultrasounds so far, so I think that kind of helps with some kind of understanding. I can say with full certainty that, either way, she has no idea what is about to rock her world! But she's already started kissing my belly and talking about the baby in there. It just kind of makes you melt! 

We feel extra blessed to be welcoming another little goofball to our family!!

Hello Fall!

I have always been a huge fan of Fall. In my old pre-mom teacher life, Fall meant fresh boxes of Crayolas, stacks of pocket folders and stickers, and sweating with my students out at recess. Fall in Florida is effing hot, you guys. It's no secret that I am more excited about experiencing our first Fall in Virginia than is normal for a grown woman. And while the last few months have had some not-so-awesome moments (read about that here and here), I'm kind of sad to see Summer fade into Fall. And as Z seems to be growing extra fast these days, I'm trying to hold on to every moment and memory while she's still my baby girl. Trips to the aquarium, lot's of time in the backyard with Scout, water balloons, getting buzzed by the Blue Angels, and the smell of sunscreen in Z's hair. It's all kind of amazing.

And as I enjoy these cool Fall breezes, collect colorful leaves with Z around the neighborhood, and switch from tank tops to flannel, I can't wait to make more memories! (Ugh! SCHMALTZ! I know! I'm having a moment.)

Happy Fall, y'all!! 

Friday Favorites - Fall Style, Kiddo Edition

Happy September, friends! It's been hella hot around here, but, somehow, some of the leaves are already changing and there's highs of 78 forecast for next week. Eeeek! The idea of a proper fall has me so so jazzed! Z's already starting a fall leaf collection, most of which are just dead and brown, but she'll get the hang of it once more of the trees start to change. 

So! Another Friday Favorites! This time it's kiddo style, but, I have to be honest, I'm not loving a lot of the toddler stuff I'm seeing. Lots of blushes and pinks and cats everywhere...so not my style (or Z's, she's all purple and tutus, of course!). So this week, I've picked a few items on my "Must Buy List" for the kiddo this season. 

plaid tunic | denim leggings | moto boots

denim dress | unicorn necklace | sparkle shoes | footless tights

baseball tee | overalls | sneakers

Nothing says fall like plaid, and Z is crazy for boots right now. It's gonna be hard not buying every pair I see...for both of us! And that denim dress works now, with the warmer temps, but with tights or leggings and a long sleeve shirt underneath or a cardigan, fall perfection. And any time overalls are involved with a cute tee and sneaks, I'm super on board!

And we're already thinking about Halloween, aren't you guys? We'll be grabbing our annual pair of skeleton pjs, and this cute festive tee as soon as possible. So many good sales right now, you guys! Take advantage! 

DIY Magnet & Chalkboard

ABC magnets | animal puzzle magnets 
 sidewalk chalk | eraser (covered the back with silver glitter washi)

Y'all know I love a good chalkboard, and I've made a bunch in the last few years. Our new place has double the space of our cute house back in SoFlo, so I thought Z needed a chalkboard upgrade. 

A couple of months ago, before all of the Scout business, the Hubs and I brainstormed a few ideas and came up with a magnet board and chalkboard duo. And I love the results!

I started with an extra piece of cabinet grade ¾ inch plywood. As random as it sounds, we actually had some of this laying around from another project, which was per-fect, cuz when it comes to chalkboards - the smoother the better. I had my little helper give it a light sanding.

I picked up a big oil drip pan at Walmart, with the intention of cutting the raised edging off. Cut it to size with metal snips, and glued it on the plywood with a little StrongStick, then the Hubs placed a weight on it to make sure the adhesive did it's job. On the other half, I primed the wood, and painted a few coats of chalkboard paint.

We put this board in our family room, so I wanted it to look a little classier than just a slab of wood, so we framed it out with some trim on the front and sides, stained it (I picked Minwax English Chestnut), threw on a coat of poly, and let it cure in the garage for a few days. (I'd love to use a more eco poly product like this one, but they are a little pricey. Instead I use Minwax Polycrylic for my projects, and I just leave whatever I'm working on in the garage to off-gas for a few days before I bring it in the house.)

Since the kiddo is still little, we keep this guy on the floor (with a little towel under the chalkboard side to protect the carpet, which isn't cute at all but is very effective.  #renterproblems), but it can easily mount to the wall once she's bigger. It can also be set vertically, depending on how much space we have. It's a little huge, but I wanted to give Z plenty of room to get creative and have fun.

I'm so happy about the way it turned out, and Z must be, too.  This sucker gets used every day!

We've got so many more projects in the works around here...including a very slow transformation to Z's room. We just finished a little book shelf (more on that later) and I'm working on a mood board to share with you guys, though that's probably as far as we'll get for a while...like a said, a ssllooooowww transformation! 

Friday Favorites - Fall Style

It's been about a hundred years since I did a Friday Favorites, and this time I'm doing it a little different.  With the mornings getting cooler here in Virginia (although it's gonna be hot again in a couple of days, it's sure to cool down for good sooner or later), I'm getting super jazzed about Fall. Gator Football starts September 5, which means it's officially time to start shopping for the season! 

Spending the majority of my days at home chasing around a toddler, I'm all about comfort. These girlfriend jeans are a little slimmer and more flattering than boyfriends, which means I'll probably be living in them! 

Nothing says Fall like plaid, and this shirt seems like the perfect addition to my collection, especially with a cute puffer vest for the cooler days and nights. And these booties? So cute! I think it's about time I cute-ed up my shoe collection.

I love a nice slouchy sweatshirt and I've been eyeing this one for a while now. It comes in a bunch of colors, but this blue is perfect for watching Gator games. Those green sneaks? Just what's needed for tossing the football or playing a little corn hole in the backyard. 

Finish everything off with a cute simple necklace (those chunky statement necklaces aren't really my jam) and a comfy lightweight jacket...I'm so ready for temps to cool down and for the leaves to start changing! 

It's also been brought to my attention (thanks Sara!) that PSLs arrive in ten days! I've been kind of over them for a bit, just counting down the days till red cups and peppermint everything arrive. But now that I'll be enjoying a proper Fall, I'm really looking forward to a little pumpkin spice. 

What are you guys looking forward to this Fall? 

Weekend Snapshots

Happy Tuesday!! For those who don't know, thanks to the Hubs' work schedule, our weekends run from Sunday to Monday, although this weekend, he had an early day on Saturday, which almost made it feel like a three-day-weekend.

Like most weekends, we were pretty slammed, trying to fit it all in. To be productive and have fun at the same time. The kiddo has really been teaching us a lot about parenthood (and patience)...which is the nice way of saying that she's been testing and trying us as much as she can...with plenty of cute and wonderful mixed in. 2 ½ is the best and the worst age! 

We started the weekend with Z's half birthday celebration. Unbrushed post-nap hair, half a cake (chocolate with marshmallow frosting filling and chocolate buttercream), and this year, because her real b-day was a little pathetic,  Z got some presents...none of which were wrapped because we are total bums. But, I don't think she minded. 

bristle block set | basket of play food | basket of veggies 

Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer

My brother is away for work, so my sweet sister-in-law came to dinner with their puppy. He's tripled in size since we last saw him, and Z is every bit as smitten. 

And since I can't have a pic of Ares without adding one of Scout...

The rest of the weekend was pretty typical...Sunday pancakes (with sprinkles for Z's half b-day, of course!), signed up for swim lessons, Home Depot, grocery, and plenty of project work and playtime. 

Checking out the rec center pool

This is what you get when you say "Make a silly face!"

Watching the neighbors' dog run off the zoomies

Hope you all had a great weekend! We've got lots going on around here, starting with some great end of summer weather! Perfect for working on some projects for Z's big girl room...but more on that later! 

Half-Way to Three

Yesterday, Z hit the big 2.5. I mean, wow. Let's just slow things down a hot minute, shall we?!

When Z was 6 months old, we started a half-birthday tradition: half a cake, a candle to blow out, and a yummy meal...just the three of us. This year will be no exception, but the Hubs is on a work trip, so the half-celebration will wait till the weekend. Yesterday before lunch, the bug and I dashed to Starbucks for a little momma/daughter celebration: chocolate milk ("mak") & cake pops ("bay bots" - not sure why she says it like this. She can say both cake and pops separately, but together, it just doesn't quite work.). It was the perfect pre-lunch appetizer!

Let's get the stats out of the way. We met with a new pediatrician a few weeks ago, so the kid was weighed and measured. (The sweet doctor couldn't do much else, though, cuz Z threw a holy screaming fit the entire time.) Z is still a petite miss: 27 lbs (35%) and 34.6 in (31%), though I'm certain she's grown since that appointment.

These days, Z is really showing off every bit of her 2 and a half-ness. The tantrums are inexplicable and amazing. We're talking Linda-Blair-call-an-exorsist level freak-outs...for no obvious reason. Thankfully, fits on that level only happen once or twice a week (though some seem to last all day), but the smaller ones show themselves much more often, like most kids her age. It's crazy how a normally easy-going kiddo can flip a switch into psycho land so quickly. And then the switch flips again and it's like it never happened. Meanwhile, her parents are left totally drained and she's running around all silly pants. Toddlers, man!

Freak outs aside, the kid amazes me every day with the things she says and does. She can count to 15 (sometimes 20) and sing the ABCs, if you are a little relaxed with pronunciation and consider half of the letters to be either B or E. She can "retell" half the books on her shelf, and knows the words to more songs than her daddy does. The kid loves stuffed animals and mommy's old CPKs, but Kiki the meerkat is still #1 in her book. And apparently Kiki is a heck of a joke teller, cuz we hear lots of giggling and "Oh Kiki. So silly." 

At two and a half, Z is sassy and smart and silly and chatty. She's loves music and dance and books and puzzles and art. She "cooks" elaborate meals in her little kitchen and carries on hilarious and dramatic convos on her play phone.

Retro Kitchen

She's also stubborn as hell, and it drives me nuts when she sasses a short and strong, "no!" And although I now see why many SAHMs are guzzling wine by the gallon (I hate wine, btw...in case you're wondering if I've reached that level of frustration), I wouldn't want it any other way. Cuz for every emphatic "no!" or "mine!", there's a super sweet "I lah yoooo!" with a fish kiss on the side. And it kills me every time!