Hi Guys! As I’ve hinted at here and there, I’m tweaking the format of my monthly project round-ups to a new series I am calling “Coffee Break.” For a while now, I’ve realized my THIHM Around the Web posts weren’t the most fun, exciting, or interesting posts for you or me; AND I’ve been craving a way to just chat more informally here on the blog about the house, our family, the baby, our life, etc without feeling like it has to fit neatly into a project tutorial or house update. I’m not yet sure if these will be monthly or just when I’m feeling chatty; but hopefully you all will enjoy this glimpse into our life, and it will allow us all to connect and get to know each other a bit more!

Catch up on past Coffee Break posts HERE!

Bump Update

Oh you guys – we are just one giddy and excited household over here as we wait and prepare for Baby. I’m 27 weeks tomorrow (starting my third trimester already?!?!?), and I can’t believe how fast time is going! I’m pretty sure I can thank having a busy 5 year old, a busy blog business, and a “new” house for filling up all my time! Is it really October tomorrow? (Oh gosh – that means I need to start thinking about Halloween costumes!) I remember with Henry that I was very content waiting all 40 weeks for him to arrive; then he came 3 weeks early, and I was actually a little bummed to miss those last 3 weeks of pregnancy. This time around though, I feel very impatient. I’ve got a few big projects I really want to finish before he gets here (more on that in a bit), but I find myself just wanting him here now…not because I’m done being pregnant. Rather because I just can’t wait to see him and see how Henry reacts to him. If how Henry acts toward Baby now is any indication (he is always snuggling up and talking to him in my belly), I think my heart is going to burst. I told Henry the other day that I wanted Baby here now, and he said to me, “Mom, you will just have to wait. He’s not ready yet.” Hmmmm – wonder where he’s heard that before?!?

In general, I am feeling pretty good. I’m a little bummed out that I don’t feel quite as fit, limber, and overall fine as I did when I was pregnant with Henry. I guess 6 more years in age will do that to you. I am definitely feeling more of the typical aches and pains of pregnancy (heart burn, swollen feet) and feel like I put on weight so much faster this time around (which is why you most likely won’t see a baby bump picture here or on social media). But Baby is healthy, wiggling, and growing, and I’m still so thankful he’s coming…so I’ll happily take on whatever else this pregnancy brings!

Nursery Plans

One of the big projects that I want to get done before Baby arrives is the nursery. I have been plotting and planning and fabric selecting and paint testing for the last few weeks, and I am so darn excited at the direction we are going! Kids’ rooms are my favorite to work on because you can really go wild with color and pattern. Don’t worry – you are not going to have to wait long to see – nursery posts and projects will kick off one week from today.  Beyond just being excited for Baby though, it’s also been really fun to get back into a “room makeover” frame of mind. So much of the last few months has been trying to fit and tweak our existing stuff to work in this new home…which is good and valuable and interesting in its own right. But it has been so refreshing to start from scratch and just brainstorm, plan, and have fun!

Random But Helpful…

This is so random, but each and every week when I’m doing it, I think “I should share this on the blog.” It’s not all that revolutionary (and something I am sure some of you are doing too), but it’s changed our laundry routine so much that I thought I’d share.

For almost our entire marriage (almost 11 years), I have folded our clean laundry on Sunday nights while watching TV. We’d move all the loads through during the day, then make a huge pile on the floor, and I would unwind from the weekend by folding it all and loading it into person-specific baskets. Not always but quite often however, laundry would STAY in the laundry baskets all week…clean and folded…just not put away. For whatever reason, that final step was hard for all of us to carry through on on Sunday nights at the end of a long weekend.

Then a few months ago, Greg started throwing the piles of clean clothes onto OUR bed as they came out of the dryer. So I would then go in there throughout the day and fold whatever was clean and dry and stack it up in piles on OUR bed. Wouldn’t you know that it is SO much quicker and easier to fold and put away laundry when you are in the same room it eventually goes in? Plus…we can’t go to sleep without putting all the laundry away first. So not only does it save us time by skipping that middle basket step, but the laundry actually gets put away each and every week! It’s worked so well for us that we’ve now started folding Henry’s cloths in his room, making piles on his bed. He can now go in and put everything away all by himself! It’s the little things, people!

Things I’m Loving Right Now

*affiliate links

  • Apple Music – I’ve been frustrated with Pandora for a while now, so Greg and I went looking for something new and decided to give the 3 free month trial a try. We are totally hooked since we can pretty much play any album from the iTunes library at any time. Lately – I’m jamming to Neil Diamond! So random, but it makes me think of home and my Mom.
  • Fruit and Tart Candy – Lately, I’ve been loving the taste of jelly beans, gummies, and other fruit and tart candy. I’m pretty sure pregnancy has everything to do with it since I’m usually a “don’t even bother unless it has chocolate in it”-type girl. My Dad came to visit last weekend and had some fruit-flavored Mentos with him. I haven’t had them in forever, and man, those were the best!
  • Powerbeats Wireless Ear Buds – I bought these for Greg last year for Christmas, but I have been using them every day for my walks in recent months. We have tried a lot of wireless ear buds over the years, and we BOTH love these….to the point where we might need another pair! They pair really easily to my phone, fit snug, and never fall out. #notsponsored – just something we really love!
See You Soon!
Megan