Whoa – hey there friends! I am so sorry for the sporadic posting over the last few weeks. In short, life and work completely caught up with me; and something had to give. If you can believe it, my blog schedule is usually one of the last things I choose to sacrifice…but this time around, I simply ran out of hours in the day and lots of things just didn’t get done (if you think my posting schedule was dismal, you should see the state of my house and my Inbox!) But…I have lots of really good excuses and so much to catch you up on! So before I jump back into house updates and projects (starting back up this Friday!), I thought this was the perfect time for a good ol’ coffee break. So grab a cup of whatever you like, settle in, and let me fill you on life, the blog, and everything in between!

Catch up on past Coffee Break posts HERE!

My “Secret” Project Revealed

So let’s get right to it! The main reason I ran out of hours (and sleep!) is that I’ve been working for months on a “secret” project. It’s a project that took an insane amount of hours, creativity, organization, logistical coordination and travel (eep!) to pull off. I was able to juggle it all without really skipping a beat until these last few weeks when it was time to carry the project over the finish line and literally every spare minute I had was required to do so. Now that I’m on the other side of this massive undertaking, I can finally start to sleep share it with you guys!

I plan to tell you every last detail of how this opportunity came about and what my experience was like, but here’s the short version: I spent last week in Denver on Craftsy’s set filming a class on using the Cricut Explore and vinyl! Yep – you read that right: filming a class. No photos, no hiding behind the camera or computer screen. Me + makeup + talking + video cameras = one crazy ride, a whole lot of awesome projects, and itty bitty vinyl scraps everywhere you can imagine! I shared a bunch of sneak peeks over on Instagram and Facebook all last week, and you guys will be hearing about this a ton as we get closer to my class actually launching. For now, I’ll share this short reflection.

November Coffee Break | Let's Catch Up!

As many of you longtime readers know, this little blog has brought me a lot of heartache over the years. In addition to struggling with identity, comparison, and the elusive work/life balance, I’ve never been “one of those bloggers” who gets pitched lots of wild and crazy opportunities, trips, and collaborations despite how hard I work. Nonetheless, I’ve continued to passionately create content here at THIHM for the main reason of sharing my ideas with, inspiring, and connecting with YOU. Admittedly, I gave up hope long ago that my work would someday catch “someone’s” eye. But you guys…it finally did!

Out of the blue, I was presented with this intriguing and exciting opportunity to film a craft class for Craftsy; and despite my insecurities (and perhaps better judgement!), I went for it. I have now experienced one of these “pinch me” opportunities that I never dreamed would come along. And while I’m still wrapping my head around it all, I can certainly say the experience was fun and scary, stressful and rewarding, enlightening and humbling. I learned a ton about myself, about what I’m capable of, what I love to do and make and maybe even more about what I don’t love to do and make. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be the next great craft TV personality, but I remain incredibly grateful for this platform, the projects I get to share, connecting with you all…and the random, truly awesome opportunities that (eventually?) come my way! Much more to come on this front, my friends! After I step away from the Cricut machine for a while and get caught up on some major sleep 😉

Living For Naptime

When we first found out we were expecting Sam, I wasn’t really concerned about how my life would change the first year. My experience with Henry taught me that the first year isn’t SO disruptive…it’s the second year of a child’s life when the chaos truly begins! And friends, as we approach 1 year of Sam’s birth and he becomes increasing mobile, verbal, and destructive, all those worries are now being fully realized. Gone are the days when I could plop Sam in his bouncy in the craft room and keep working my little heart out. Nope – little man likes to roam and cuddle and play and explore (all good things!); and as you would expect, all of that is requiring more and more of my time, attention, and energy (also good things!). I’ve been reminded that trying to get things done with a baby awake is an exasperating and fruitless endeavor, so I am back to nap time and night time being my only productive work hours. I am truly trying my hardest to embrace this season of our life. We’ve waited a long time to have a baby roaming our floors again, and I know full well it doesn’t last forever. Still, I got very used to being able to accomplish so much during the day, and this shift has proven to be one of the hardest for me yet. #reallife #tryingtokeepperspective

November Coffee Break | Let's Catch Up!

No More Site Jumping!

While I haven’t had much time to devote to anything beyond chasing Sam around and prepping for my Craftsy class, I was able to tie up some loose ends on my site update. After the site launched back in September, many of you wrote to me saying that it was awkwardly jumping down the page as you scrolled. I saw it, and it bothered me too; I just didn’t anticipate how much it would bother you guys! I was hoping it was a quick and easy fix, but it wasn’t #storyofmylife. I eventually tracked down someone who could fix it; and although the site jumping isn’t 100% gone, it’s now greatly improved. If you are still seeing a big, awkward jump as you scroll down your screen (either on computer or mobile device), clear your cache or refresh your browser and it should go away! #sorryaboutthat

Do You Want To Read About…?

Every now and then, I get an urge to share a random non-DIY/home/organization post with you guys but I hold off because “the experts” don’t recommend straying too far outside your niche. Lately, I’ve wanted to share how I (finally!) lost the last of my baby weight, some reflections on being a work-at-home-mom, how and why I made Sam’s baby food, books I’m (trying) to read etc. Does this kind of stuff interest you? If you’d like to see me start to sprinkle this “lifestyle” content in to the regular rotation, please let me know!

Our Bat Family

And one more update for you, my friends! I struggle a lot with what I can and cannot safely share here on the world wide web, but I want to say this for those out there who care, are curious and/or are paying attention. You may or may not have noticed that a certain family member was absent from our Halloween photos. Yes, our marriage is just fine, and no, he wasn’t the one taking the pictures. Hopefully that and this will help you put 2 and 2 together. I’ll also say this: the boys are good; I am also good but extremely spent in every way possible; and you better bet we’re counting down the days until we can all be in a single picture again! Oh – and yes, prayers…if you do that sort of thing…for him and for us…are always very helpful 😉

Okay – phew! I know I jammed a TON into this update. But hopefully, all these updates will give you a sense for why things have been a little…umm…inconsistent around here lately. Please know sharing here and connecting with you guys is a huge priority for me and something I’m trying very hard to keep up with. I plan to now be back to my usual Tuesday-Friday schedule for the foreseeable future. But if I’m not here one day, please know I’m trying desperately to keep a lot of different balls in the air…and I’m going to drop one every now and then…and I’m trying so hard to be okay with it when they do 😉 Hugs to you, my friends! Thanks for letting me catch up and see you back here on Friday!

See You Soon!
Megan