A couple weeks ago, I asked the city inspector to come out & see if we could start insulating the second story of the addition (future master bedroom). I was having my second productive day in a row, chugging along through laundry, dishes, phone calls & picking up the house - with EJ in the play pen - when the knock came and I realized the house was a disaster!

2 laundry baskets waiting to be folded; an arm chair piled with half my yarn stash & etsy items waiting to be photographed; baby toys all over... :/

...not to mention all the dishes covering my entire kitchen counter.

But then it was like a voice reminding me:

Be thankful that I have a washer & dryer (no laundromat trips) and clothes TO wash.
Thank God for a healthy baby who is meeting & exceeding her milestones that we need a play pen; that we were even BLESSED with a beautiful daughter (some are not so lucky) & the resources to provide for her.
Thank God for such a beautiful, sturdy house that we can afford to live in & even afford to build on to, for our need of more space.
Thank God almighty for my beautiful, loving family & the hard working, selfless husband He has provided me.

And how could I not be over the moon thankful for this beautiful face?

So on this day I felt the call to show my thanks through service in the home: cleaning & organizing as best as I could with a little 8mo between my feet. And I have to say, at the end of the day, I felt quite accomplished. :)

Currently Busy with:
-House Addition

We tore off the little bump-out on the back of the house at the end of June to make way for the addition of a little back room (which we'll use as a sitting room/Etsy area, half bath & new back door) off the kitchen & master upstairs.

EJ sleeping just before the first sledge hammer swing.

However, we didn't anticipate it taking ALL of JULY to get our permits and then another month to get our foundation dug, poured and block laid before we could start the framing in September.

Putting up the I-beams to support the second floor.

Trusses go up for the roof.

Hubby attaching trusses.

He's having too much fun. ;)

Hubby finally has the whole thing wrapped in house wrap and we are beginning to get the windows in. We have already had a few snow flurries (Halloween night) and the forecast is calling for more unseasonably cool weather (30*s) this next week so we are hoping to get the rest of the windows in and the siding on very quickly.

-Catching EJ before she smacks her head on the ground now that she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING. She has been crawling like a pro for a month now (ever since we got a rug in the living room, she took off on Day 2) and her toys can't hold her interest longer than 2 seconds. She will definitely be an explorer like her dad. Did I mention she is nearly SEVEN MONTHS already??

I swear we have better fashion sense, this was Halloween
(that is a Jack-o-lantern sweatshirt & the hat was knit by my Aunt who taught me).

gif of EJ crawling & getting into a yarn bag

Latest Obsessions:
Peaky Blinders - set in 1920s Britain about a gang of brothers and their exploits to claw their way to the top of the underworld? or at least illegal money-making.

Shutterfly - I'm trying to stay on top of backing up my pictures (and emptying them off my phone), especially of EJ. So far I've downloaded the app on my phone to make it easier to upload pictures that way (no computer and cord-hook up necessary; though over wi-fi definitely keeps the data bill low ;) ), and then during nap times I organize those pictures into albums by month (including big events of the month in the title) and writing the picture's corresponding story in the "description" which is printed on the back of the picture any time I order prints. Score one for record keeping!

Swagbucks - mostly because I can get Amazon giftcards and I've been using them to bulk up our cloth diaper stash. Yay for FREE cloth diapers! And FREE baby shower gifts :)

Couponing has dropped to the very back burner (unless we are low on something, then I try to watch Joni's blog for deals).

But knit & crochet classes have really picked up at Michael's! And I have another consignment opportunity in the works. I hope to be posting about it soon!

Welcome!

Original Patterns