What I've been up to

Oh girls - it has been GLORIOUS being at home all week!  I work today at 4, and tomorrow I have almost the entire day off!  I am so looking forward to Zumba in the morning, my women's conference in the afternoon, and then I don't start work until 6 and only work for 4.5 hours!  It is amazing how energizing it is being home.  I haven't done a whole lot other than catching up on laundry and keeping the kitchen clean (oh my goodness, I was getting so lazy about that lately!  So nice to not have dirty dishes on the counter all the time), but have started a whole mental list of projects to work on in my spare time.

I'm not sure that I have ever posted a picture of our big... room.  Not sure what to call it, ha.  This is the main room of the house, basically, because we don't use our front door.  Our front door goes into our living room/dining room, but our sliding doors is what everyone really goes in and out of.  The sliding doors are to the left of the desk in the first picture.  Anyway, last night I did some rearranging.  I set up Shea's little "Desk" and framed some of his artwork.  He was SO excited about it - I have to go get some more frames (I only had two, and he his become quite the artist lately!).  I think I am going to get a binder with some page protectors too, so I can save his pictures for him without displaying them on every available surface of the house.  Excuse the cluttered desk, that is also a project for this week.

I rearranged his toys over on this wall - this is straight across from the doorway and there is a big empty space in the middle of the room.  I'd love to have a couch in here at some point, because this is where we hang out mainly.  The kitchen opens up to it and Shea plays in here, so someday maybe we will get one in here!

Now one of the major projects on my TO DO list is the guest bathroom...have I SHOWN you our lovely pink bathroom?  OH dear.  Here it goes.  It has more or less become a storage room, but that HAS to change before this baby comes!  It is piled with tools and paint on the vanity right now.  There is all the hookups for a shower, but it just has carpet over that area right now. My plan is to 1.) PAINT the walls and cabinets and possibly the counter, 2.) put in some laminate flooring instead of the carpeting, 3.) paint that awful mirror, and 4.) utilize the shower space better.  I think I'm going to hang up a shower curtain to still make it feel like a normal bathroom, but my new laundry sorting cart will go on one side (I just picked it up at walmart the other day and am a little too excited about it) and changing table will go on the other.  The changing table is in Shea's room right now, but I don't want to have to interrupt naps if one kid is up and needs a diaper change.  Plus, this way I will be right by the laundry for cloth diapers and big messes.  Okay, now I have shared it.  Maybe that will motivate me to really get something done about it!

Here is the baby blanket I have been knitting.  It is coming along and it is so fun to have something to pick up and work on.  I work on it mostly while Shea is playing outside - I love to be able to sit in the sun and keep an eye on him while doing something relaxing with my hands.  I never thought I would enjoy knitting, but this has been a good beginner project for me!

I also bought some new nail polish (it is a little more purple than it looks in the picture) and painted both my toenails and my fingernails.  I actually managed to do a decent job on my fingers, too, which just about NEVER happens which is why I never paint them.  I think it might have to do with the brand of nail polish.  It was only 2 dollars at walmart, but works better than the stuff I've had forever.  I think I'm going to try to keep the habit up.  It just makes me feel a little more polished.  (har har).

These are my new indoor plants.  I should be able to tell you what they are, but I have no idea.  I just saw them at Walmart for a couple of bucks and decided to get them!  Love how bright and green and easy to take care of they are!  This one is in the kitchen,

And this one is in our bedroom window for now.

And this is the view out our window today.  We have been working in the yard lately, so its a mess, but it is getting better!  My mother-in-law is amazing and has been digging up everything to get my vegetable garden ready.  Love that lady!

The other wonderful thing about being home lately is that I have been letting my hair dry naturally, since I don't have to rush off anywhere.  It feels so nice to have it be in its natural wavy state, but it was a little sad when I went to my prenatal appointment and my midwife thought I had "done" my hair that day.  I said, "no, this is how my hair looks when I don't do it!"  Nice compliment, but sad that I straighten my hair that much!  I haven't straightened it all week, so hopefully this will be a new trend for me.  It takes so much less time to let it do its own thing, anyway!

And OF COURSE, I've been loving spending time with this kiddo - even if at times I want to pull my hair out.  He has been into "NO" a lot lately.  Today we finger painted, colored in his giant dinosaur book together, played with pretend food, and finally it got nice out so I let him loose outside with his cousins!  That is the best break for me all day.  And nap time.  I just put holds on a bunch of preschool books at the library today, because I want to get some more ideas to keep this kid busy with activities during the day (and to help my sanity).  Plus, I don't think I'll be sending him to Preschool next year, unless I end up being the Teacher's Assistant at the church one, then he will come, of course.

And that is life this week!  Jeremy has been enjoying his job and we have already started a really nice morning family routine.  Today all I can think about is how good God is, the rest He brings to us, and the way His goodness shines all around when we take the time to look and reflect.