Tag Archives: nest

30 weeks

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Today we are 30 weeks pregnant! If the timing is about the same as with Wren, little birdie #2 will arrive in just about two months from now. I’m getting more excited and (a bit) less anxious. Checking lots of things off my list has helped me to feel more capable and less worried about how everything is going to go.

I’ve been looking for ways to cut expenses so that I don’t have to work as much when I know I realistically won’t be able to work as much. This has helped me to feel a bit more in control at a time when so much seems a bit out of my control. Such is life…

And my growing body has forced me to slow down and savor this relatively calm time before the storm of a routine turned upside down. It’s helped me to sit on the couch or the floor with the little birdie and play for as long as she wants or reread the same stories over and over. And over again.

This is indeed a precious time, the last couple months of just us, our routine, our rhythm. Someone told me recently that the best gift I could give Wren is a sibling and it will be a wonderful thing for her and while I know this will be true, I also feel some sadness as we move on. Such a mix of emotions – thanks, hormones. Geesh.

Lovelies, have you too experienced this veritable roller coaster of emotions as you expanded your family? Any thoughts to share? In the meantime, happy weekend to you. May you savor this time in YOUR nest. XO

 

nesting: dark, leafy greens

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The little birdie and I worked in the empty patches of our garden yesterday afternoon. Early summer’s bright greens and peas are only a healthy memory now. It was time to turn our minds and spades toward fall. We weeded, turned soil, dug trenches, planted seeds and watered. Hardy, healthy, robust, iron-rich kale and spinach will take up a couple rows. We threw in a couple rows of beans too because somehow I forgot to plant them earlier this year. We’ll see how they do…

It dawned on me as the little birdie was burying the seeds with soil (her favorite part of gardening so far) that–with a bit of luck–we’ll be harvesting these dark, leafy greens right around the time little birdie #2 is due to arrive. Must have been on my mind as I chose these particular things to plant. Probably what my body will need most. And, who am I kidding?, some halloween candy to balance things out…

this week

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We thankfully felt a bit of September on our skin this week and as I write this, I’m still wearing fuzzy slippers, a fleece jacket and clasping a hot mug of coffee. Ahhhh. With the cooler temps and plunging humidity levels, we’re all sleeping better at night and I have to believe that the week has been a lot more easy-going and less edgy because of it. 85 with 80% humidity really takes it out of you, eh? I even told a few people last week to remind me never to be pregnant in the summer again. And today, I’m feeling at ease. 60 degrees and a full night’s sleep will do that to a mama at 29 weeks.

With a bit more pep in our step, we had a full week of nesting and playing…

  • painted the front porch of 605 with my Dad and watched the neighbor cat walk across it
  • grilled more pizza
  • enjoyed our first backyard tomato (“Mama, it’s RED! We can pick it!!!!”)
  • ate my body weight in fresh peaches and the season’s last sweet cherries
  • sorted through more baby clothes, shoes, toys, diapers
  • swam with the evening’s long shadows
  • began to transform the guest room into a cozy space for little birdie #2
  • moved one of the guest beds into Wren’s room and she decided to sleep in it (!) instead of her crib
  • shopped for a leotard, tights and ballet slippers for the little birdie’s first dance class
  • paid off my car loan (yesssssssss!)
  • started planning a mini babymoon/anniversary getaway for late September
  • made a peach pie and a fresh green bean salad to take to my Grandma’s 90th birthday party tomorrow
Happy weekend to you! Any big plans? May you enjoy some relaxing moments in your nest. XO

nesting: the whites

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With a taste of cooler air on my skin this week, my nesting for our next little birdie has kicked in. I sorted through most of the little birdie’s infant clothes this week: whites and colors, stained and clean, summer and fall. I had forgotten a few things: just how tiny she once was, how incredibly much she spit up, and how adorable newborn white onesies are.

I enjoyed hanging all the little white pieces on the line and marveling at the sweetness of it all. Little birdie #2 just might smell like tomatoes too as our tomato forest is quickly gaining on the line. I clearly remember Wren smelling like sugar cookies when she was first born. I don’t think tomatoes and sugar cookies are a great combination, but I guess there are worse things to smell like, right?

How’s your week going, lovelies? Has it cooled off where you live too?

the new line

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My sister-in-law, Emily, gave us an outdoor drying rack late last summer and we’ve finally found the perfect home for it. Confession! Although I really wanted one, I’ve never really used one so let’s just say I’m still learning. Further proof that I’m a complete dork: I actually Googled “how to hang clothes on a line” because there is probably a correct way to efficiently do it, right? Sure enough, 55,600,000 results popped up. This actually made me feel a bit better about my dork status. A bit.

Fun facts I ran across in Cyberspace about line drying:

  • According to the NYT, clotheslines are banned or restricted by many of the roughly 300,000 homeowners’ associations that set rules for some 60 million people. Yikes, Big Brother, yikes.
  • Most households can save more than $25 off their monthly electric bill. Nice!
  • You can reduce the full lifecycle climate change impact of your jeans by up to 50 percent by line drying and washing them in cold water.

More fun facts and reasons to line dry can be found here.

I think clothes on a line are just beautiful and I’d like to see more of it. But not your dirty old stained underwear, thank you very much. What are your thoughts on drying clothes on a line? Do you have a method or routine you follow? I’d like to know!

 

 

 

 

looks like you overplanted your garden

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Happy Thursday, lovelies! How has your week been going? I’m doing OK, but I’m still suffering from major garage sale hangover from last weekend. I’m working on gathering my thoughts on that front, but in the meantime, I’m turning to the garden (err, tomato forest), I visited the hardware store yesterday to get some gardening essentials. I know yard work can be daunting. Without the proper gardening tools, keeping your yard and walkway clear of fallen leaves can become a tiresome task. Once you’ve cleared and gathered all those beautiful fall leaves using the best leaf vacuum mulcher for your yard, then comes the tedious chore of getting rid of them.

In case that you enjoy gardening as much as we do, check out the best tree removal companies in Sunbury, PA that will help a lot to organize your garden space.

As I was figuring out the best way to climb over the rabbit-proof fence and find a plant-free place for my midget feet, my neighbor yelled to me, “looks like you overplanted your garden!” Um, yeah…, ya think so?! No tomatoes for you, mister smarty pants! Hmmphh.

Here are a couple of photos from early June when I trimmed the lawn using the cheap lawnmower I was recommended by a friend to look on https://www.lawnmowery.com/best-riding-lawn-mowers/cheap/ and the time right after which I first planted the garden. It seemed almost barren with a lot of hopeful space. The tomato cages looked way too big and now they’re ridiculously small and completely inadequate. No exaggeration.

And here it is now, not even August yet! Do not stand too still around the garden or the cucumber tendrils will find a way to wrap around your shoe laces, pony tails and belt buckles; they will take you down. Make haste, grab your veggies and get out! If you have a garden I would recommend getting the best TechnoMono zero turn mower for 10 acres lawn would make the job 10x easier for you. Also I’ve transformed my garden with festoon lighting the landscape lighting specialists, they create a lighting plan that will benefit your property, and meet all of your needs, I loved the work, if you want to get more info you can check this website!

If you love gardening but you don’t have enough space for your plants, you can go online and look for listings with the property details you are looking for. You can find more info here.

We love using secateurs nz that are a pair of pruning clippers you can use with one hand, for little branches to keep the garden nice and clean. What scares (and excites) me is that things aren’t even at their peak yet. Oof. Every day we get a bit of this or that, an assortment of fresh, healthy green goodies like this:

The upside to overplanting a garden? Hardly any weeding on the agenda! How is your garden growing, lovelies? Do you have an earwig infestation in your mesclun mix too? Yuck yuck yuck! Try using turnip seeds if you are a beginner at gardening. They give me the heebie-jeebies. How ’bout you? Any advice on how to get them to go away and never ever (ever) come back? I get the chills just writing about them. Did I say “yuck!?”

Happy diggin’ in the dirt, don’t forget that if you want to get more advice, you ca read more about it here!

purging, part 1

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Purging our house of all the excess stuff and hosting “The North’s Best Tag Sale” seemed like a great idea about a month ago. But (you saw that coming, did you, smarty pants?) now I can’t wait until it’s over and the junk wonderful items that everyone in the neighborhood is going to be elbowing their way in for are going-going-gone from our nest. Forever. This month-long process has been a tremendous amount of work and I only have a fraction of items tagged and everything for the sale is still sitting in boxes in the basement. The next 36 hours? Oof.

Will it be worth it? Financially, probably not. Are tag (garage, yard, what do you call them?) sales ever really worth the time once you’ve figured out the finances? No, but I knew that going into it. I decided to do it for a few other reasons.

  • Get rid of stuff and help friends and family get rid of stuff too
  • Have a more clean and organized basement and not grumble and sigh every time I go down the stairs
  • Control clutter throughout the house
  • Feel lighter
  • Meet a few neighbors (we’ve lived here a little over a year and there are still people in our neighborhood we haven’t met yet)
  • Relish in organizing a mini retail store for a day (this could be a whole post by itself)
  • Host a live sociological study – the interactions with the people will be priceless, no? Part of the reason I go to garage sales in the first place… and yes, I realize I’m part of the study so come on over and observe!
  • Make a few bucks toward a DSLR camera (!)

I will post later this weekend with the results and insights. In the meantime, I’m off to make more signs and tag some more items. Aren’t you just on the edge of your seat? Ha!

Have a great weekend, lovelies. Any fun summer plans? Enjoy.

inspirational nest

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Back to the grind, anyone? Need a colorful pick-me-up after a fun holiday weekend? Look no further than my friend Sandy‘s getaway nest. It’s featured in the current issue of Midwest Living. Here are a few photos from the article. What do you think? Isn’t it funky, fun and inspiring?

Sandy’s cottage is located in a smart development called the New Neighborhood in Empire, Michigan.

Want to see more pictures and Sandy’s budget-friendly, creative decorating tips? Click on to the full article in Midwest Living, lovelies.