A little organizing

..makes me feel so good!

I'm trying to bring some kind of order to my office while keeping my hands busy with the shop...



Finally found a way to organize all my goodies- the gigantic ice cube trays that I used for making baby food make perfect hair clip/pony holders. Hopefully no more digging through 5 or 6 containers/piles once an order is received... small steps at a time.

Sucky photo, I know. What can I say? The lighting sucks in my office.

Strugglin...

...to get a few good photos in this weather.


And looking forward to gobble up this lil treat! After the frozen yogurt craze the last few weeks, I think this is my new pregnancy craving. Not as healthy, I know.


It's from Trader Joe's. Soooo moist and chocolate-y but not overly sweet. You will not believe it was previously frozen. The worst part? You have to let it thaw 40 minutes...

Cushions

I love neutral colors but I feel our house is just too beige. Time to inject some color into our family room sectional!

I'm always drawn to bright, bold designs when it comes to fabrics and instantly fell in love with this Alexander Henry print. It is backed by chocolate brown corduroy. I also made a bag with this combination for my sister for Christmas but forgot to photograph it. Anyway, I'm hoping to build on these colors to make the entire room look more lively. I also love that we have some cushions that are actually puffy.

Out and about

When Piglet was a baby, I never thought I'd regain my freedom to shop or eat out without the stress of a hungry/crying/unhappy little one. She wasn't exactly your mellow take-me-anywhere baby. Once she started to sleep through the night I celebrated by going to Target at 8 pm and leisurely walking down every single aisle just because I can. It was amazing! Looking back, it's hard to believe how she has grown into a calm and happy toddler [on most days].

These days I've been wondering if our next baby will be a fussy one like Piglet was. I certainly hope not. But I know some things that I didn't realize the first time... that even with a cranky baby, it's really not the end of the world! I will cherish the time with my baby because they do grow so fast. And because this will be most likely the last baby for us. There will come a time when I'll get to enjoy the things I used to. [Note to self: look back at this post in about 7 months!]

Still, I'm going to be taking advantage of the convenience of getting around with one kid in tow rather than two the next few months. Take today for example. I've been looking for inspiration/motivation to get back on the wagon with my shop and sewing for fun. Times like this I go to the fabric store. Piglet and I headed to the Alberta district where my favorite fabric store is located. Piglet loves fabric stores which is a blessing. She had fun looking at all the buttons while I carefully narrowed down my choices from so many beautiful fabrics. Then we headed a few blocks down to La Bonita for a freshly made taco salad. Yum! I have been craving Mexican ever since I got pregnant and I really do think this place is the best in Portland. We spent a few minutes at Grasshopper before heading back. On our way back, Piglet decided she wanted frozen yogurt. Okay, I asked her if she wanted some... We stopped at this latest frozen yogurt joint for a cup of strawberry yogurt with raspberry topping. We finally got home with two pints of frozen yogurt [my other pregnancy craving] to last me a couple more days.

Happy new year!

Wow, I've been gone for a long time. We had so much fun visiting family over the holidays. But before we left, Piglet had her first Christmas program at school. 2-year-olds are so unbelievably cute and unpredictable.

Having too much fun with the bells


Little angels


Then we left for 7 days in the bay area. Each day was packed with activities, food, shopping, and then some more food. Highlights for me include taking Piglet to my fave aquarium [she loves aquariums just like mommy and daddy!], walking around the beautiful gardens at COPIA [oh how I love that my sister lives in Napa], lots of shopping [maternity clothes for me, spring-y clothes for Piglet], and eating all kinds of fresh tropical fruits that I've been craving that cannot be found in Oregon. How I miss California...







And my new fave photo which has been framed for Piglet's nightstand. She loves it too!


I got some great Christmas presents including these cleaning products I've been wanting ever since I saw them on Oprah and this lens for my DSLR. Piglet truly has been spoiled this Christmas too. She is still awaiting an amazing doll house my sister MADE for her which unfortunately could not be flown back with us. My sweet husband is planning on a 10-hour drive next week just to deliver it to her. Goodness... that's love. In the meantime, she's busy with these toys from Santa and these blocks from Grandma. We're not ones to buy many toys and it's overwhelming for me to see her be showered with so many gifts. We will not be buying toys this year...

Each new year I feel the urge to organize everything in the house and this year is no different. I usually give up at the end of January. So far, I've done about half of the kitchen. But I will get to all the rooms, even if it takes 6 months. Actually that's my goal before the craziness of having a newborn takes over the house in July.

Other goals for me this year include [in no order]

:: make more time for crafting and sewing as well as keeping up with my etsy shop
:: become a better photographer and teach myself to use Photoshop
:: spend lots of quality time with Piglet
:: keep up with blogging [in all honestly, it's not so easy for me]
:: exercise a little everyday to keep my energy up during the pregnancy