Concentrating on the Now

The beauty of blogging is that you can set posts to publish well in advance, which is what I've been doing this month. However, as time has caught up with me, I can't say that I'm running out of steam. Rather, I'm focusing more on the impending birth of our little one. So while I applaud my efforts for January and participating in NaBloPoMo, I'm going to take a step back from the computer and concentrate on the real nitty gritty: Getting through these last couple weeks of non-parenthood while doing last minute "prep" for parenthood.


I'm at 37 weeks right now. I'm still working my full-time job and feeling the physical pains (side note: mad props to women who waitress or who do other physical labor for work while pregnant). We have everything set up to bring little one home, and we're all packed to head to the hospital when the time comes. Husband knows to keep his phone on at all times in case things happen when he's not home. We are spending as much time as we can as a couple before becoming a family of three. It's exciting and terrifying all at once to know that our lives are going to significantly change forever in just a matter of weeks.


I could sit here for the remainder of my afternoon and finish posts for the rest of this week, or I could go lie on the couch and breathe through the Braxton Hicks contractions I've been experiencing all afternoon. I'm choosing the latter. And who knows, the inspiration to write might strike me later this week.

Roses for No Reason

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck." - Emma Goldman

It's a rare occasion that Husband will send me flowers. I can count how many times he has given me flowers: My 20th birthday, my 25th birthday, our wedding day, and the beautiful bouquet above. Flowers aren't my thing because I'm terrible at keeping them alive. However, the bouquet above might be my favorite because it was completely unexpected. There was no special day associated with the arrangement - he did it just because. I appreciate that he sends me flowers so rarely, because the every day stuff that he does for me is much more valuable. And for that and for him, I am so incredibly thankful. Give me his encouragement and support each and every day over flowers, jewelry, or anything else. 

Wall Decor on the Cheap!

I know this idea is floating around Pinterest because several friends have mentioned doing this in their own homes. I had not seen it before (and sometimes I feel like I've been to the end of Pinterest and back) but I love the idea and knew it was something I could pull off.

Behold! The dry erase picture frame!

I am not crafty. I know first graders who have surpassed my "talent." But this craft... this I could handle.
What else I love about this project is that you can make it for almost no money.

The supplies: A dollar store picture frame ($1), dry erase marker (I bought a package of 4 for $1), scissors, pretty paper (I bought this silver paper years ago at an after-Christmas sale). To personalize each frame, I wrote quotes that I found inspiring. The most difficult part of the project was narrowing down what quotes to use. The beauty of the dry erase element is that you can change the quotes depending on whatever season in life you may be in.

My intention was to make wall decor for our baby girl's room, and I was so pleased with how each frame I made turned out. I originally purchased three frames - two are on display in her room, while one is displayed in our living room. The one picture above is in her room. I've seen variations of this craft (like this one) that I wouldn't mind adding to our home.

What are your favorite, simple craft projects that add something to your home?

Brotherhood

"There's no other love like the love for a brother. 

There's no other love like the love from a brother." 

- Terri Guillemets

Done with the NaBloPoMo Prompts

I'm throwing in the towel on the prompts.

However, I'm not giving up on blogging every day this month (except for the two Sundays I missed - will you forgive me?). Because I have been dedicating time to writing, I'm enjoying the process of sharing again. I forgot what it's like to just write whatever I wanted. And the prompts were really effective in getting me to think about all areas of my life.

The topic of pressure was an appropriate one for me these first few weeks of 2014. I've been feeling pressure at work to get projects done and things squared away before my maternity leave begins in February. I've been feeling pressure to get all my ducks in a row at home before baby girl's arrival. And of course, I've been feeling the literal physical pressure of a child growing inside of me who should be arriving in less than a month (!!!). If anything else, it was fun to explore the prompts and think about how I handle pressure, what puts pressure on me, and so forth.

I hope you'll hang in here with me as I continue to blog through January, and I pray that I'll be able to keep the momentum (to a degree) once we become a family of three.