Archives for July 2016

trying not to complain about this unbearable heat wave, but woo!  SO HOT!    

reaching 20 weeks – halfway there already!  I had an ultrasound on Monday and it was surreal as always: he was curled up in a ball, with his sweet arm over his face and his ankles crossed.  He’s measuring right on target and everything looks perfect.  On my end, I’m hoping my slightly elevated blood pressure just means I’m getting old and live a crazy, somewhat stressful life…and not a bigger problem.  (Which, by the way, doesn’t get better when you try to self-diagnose yourself in the middle of the night and read the horror stories…not that I would know…ahem.)    

hoping my overactive brain doesn’t drive me crazy!  Lately, my thoughts have been swirling with ideas, plans, to-do lists and dreams: Big White Farmhouse, home projects, cold-weather wardrobes and school supplies, fall birthdays, holidays and even a wedding.  Saving money, spending money, rental property management, grocery lists, menu plans, tiny baby clothes, pregnancy weight gain and doctor’s appointments.  Thank goodness pure exhaustion is enough to lull me to sleep at night – there’s no turning this craziness off! 

getting back on track after too many nights of fast food with lots of healthy dinners. The menu this week:

Around here, I have been:


bringing a family a meal to celebrate the birth of their fourth baby (and first daughter!).  The dad is a friend of Mark’s, so he went all out: BBQ ribs, homemade baked beans, his special coleslaw and homemade macaroni and cheese.  I stayed out of his way and just helped package everything up, hah!


working on house projects. Nesting is in full swing already and I was happy to knock a few things off the list:
+ Finally hung curtains in the kitchen (just simple ones from Ikea, my favorite)
+ Went on a date with Sophia to Homegoods and picked up a big basket for dirty laundry (to go in the upstairs hallway) and found a lamp for my office.  Now I can hop in and work even after dark – game changer!
+ Picked out a ceiling fan and kitchen/laundry room lighting for our electrician to install


ordering a bassinet on Amazon Prime Day.  Our old one officially bit the dust and I didn’t really want to commit to an expensive one at this stage in the game.  So lucky to have found a nice one with good reviews and a small footprint for less than $80!


reading We Have Always Lived in the Castle (finished!) and The Cuckoo’s Calling.


spending a week on vacation in Maine!  We got a few new things for the 10-hour trip: this car topper and color-coordinated LLBean duffle bags for each of the kids (we waited for a sale, plus 2% back on ebates!).  Other favorites: puddle jumpers for the little ones, a Pirates of the Carribean audiobook from the library and fluffy striped beach towels.


staying at our family’s camp right on the lake.  The weather was warm, but definitely not Virginia unbearable, so we loved it.  We swam for hours multiple times a day.  It was so surreal to have my children experience one of my favorite childhood memories.

filling our days making lots of memories.  The highlights: delicious Italian sandwiches and Whoopie Pies, swimming morning, noon and night, spending time with extended family, playing Pie Face! (a huge hit!), a quick Freeport trip while the big three enjoyed their first baseball game with cousins, and a visit to the farmhouse.

enjoying a new ice cream spot – we went two days in a row because it was so good!  I had mint chocolate chip and coffee heath bar…still dreaming about it.


laughing at our sweet, sweet Sophia.  Her latest is calling watermelon, “waterlemon”.

surviving an exciting ride home.  We left at 1am and at around 4, our “low tire pressure” light came on.  We stopped at a gas station, filled the tire and thought we were home free…except 20 minutes later, the light returned.  On the second stop, we could hear a hissing from the tire – definitely a hole!  Mark called roadside assistance, who helped us with a very tricky spare, allowed us to follow him to the body shop and then plugged the hole.  A two hour delay, but thankfully the rest of the trip was uneventful.


settling back into reality.  We were so sad to leave (there were tears from a few of us!) but happy to sleep in our own beds and get back into a normal routine.

Around here, I have been:


celebrating the Fourth of July…sort-of.  Honestly, it was a bit of a bust – the cloudy, rainy weather ruined most of my plans and excitement.  Oh well, there’s always next year!


baking blueberry peach cobbler twice.  It’s definitely our family’s summer tradition and just as good as I remembered.  We devoured an entire 9″x13″ pan in one sitting.


finishing up my third 100 Little Things list to begin in August.  I’m so excited about it, I want to get started now!  Instead, I’m hoping to cross off a few more items on Round Two…one month to go!  On the list: a baseball game for the kids, new flavors of lemonade, and possibly breaking out the sewing machine to make Sophia pajama pants.  


working on a basic social media schedule for Big White Farmhouse’s third quarter.  I nailed down some promos/sales and did some research about marketing.  So much to do and learn, there’s never a dull moment in this business!


reading The American Way of Eating (which was really interesting…I’m still gathering my thoughts) and just starting We Have Always Lived in the Castle.  My “to-read” list on Goodreads is over 300 books, so I’m thinking I may need to reel myself in, stick to the list and cut that number down a bit…is that even possible?  So many books to read, so little time.  


having crazy, bizarre dreams – thank you pregnancy!  Some have been really scary and I’ve woken up in a sweat, praying every protection prayer I can think of in my semi-awake stuper.  Thankfully, though, most of the dreams are just random and involve family members, TV characters and even a few people I haven’t seen since high school.  


working on our emergency preparedness kit again. Somewhere in the last six months, I misplaced my list and that task fell to the back, BACK burner.  But after our little power outage scare last week, I’m re-inspired!  First things to purchase are more cases of water and a battery-operated cell phone charger.  #priorities


loving how big TJ is getting this summer.  All of a sudden, just like his brothers before him, he is all about his “guys” and will play happily for 20 minutes (which is like forever for that little busy-body!) at a time.  He’s also loving a Lego Superman movie we own and asks to watch it daily, complete with happy dance.  

watching a crazy squirrel intent on making it to our bird feeder!  He hangs on our screen and is oblivious to the kids smacking the window.  I think the poor thing is scared to death!

surviving a week with Mark away on business. Long days, but we did okay.  We had movie night with pizza delivery (AND breadsticks because I’m the “best mom ever”, hah!) and a playdate with friends.  I surprised them with ice cream cones and a new playground to discover.  But the biggest event of the week was a huge thunderstorm (with hail and everything!) that blew out our power.  As I panicked a bit trying to round up all the flashlights while making sleeping arrangements in my room for the kids while trying to remember how long a refrigerator can go before everything spoils, the power miraculously returned after about three hours!  


completing a little bookshelf project in the upstairs hallway.  I wanted a space to display books and these Ikea shelves were cheap and perfect.  Hopefully, the kids will be inspired to read more of our collection by seeing them out and available.  


trying to get into a routine of regular work on Big White Farmhouse.  I know I will see the most return of my time if I invest consistent hours, but finding those pockets of time is so tricky!  Aiming for an hour a day, most often broken into twenty minute chunks.  This week, I got new vintage sewing drawers ready and listed and worked on our monthly newsletter to go out Saturday.  Not much, but baby steps in the right direction.  


reading Chateau of Secrets (just finished!) and starting The American Way of Eating.


watching documentaries to finish up #6 on my 100 Little Things list.  I’m reaching the end date to that goal soon!  Currently, the list is only about 40% completed, but I’m hoping to knock out a few more before August 1.  Time to start thinking about round three…


feeling the baby kick for the first time.  Is there really any more amazing feeling?  So surreal and it just never gets old.  What a privilege it is to carry another baby into this world.


diffusing Lavender and Jade Lemon almost everyday.  I’m kind-of obsessed with Jade Lemon right now.


laughing at my sweet Sophie: instead of saying “all aboard”, she says “on the board!”  All of a sudden, she is really into playing with rocks: stacking, organizing, creating stories.  She also is really interested in ice skating and loves to “skate” around the house in her socks.  She’s a sassy little thing, but I sure love this age.