life with a 6-week-old

So many people keep telling us how quickly the time goes by with a baby. They look at us holding our little baby and say things like "I can hardly remember when my baby was that small." It always feels a little sad to hear someone say that because these days feel so precious to me. Yes they are filled with crying and diapers and interrupted sleep, but they are also filled with the sweetest snuggles, the most delicious newborn scents, adorable little coos and the tiniest little fingers and toes. So this is my attempt to remember this time – to capture the days. I want to be able to look back and have clear memories of what these moments were like.

I usually think of my days starting at the early morning feeding. Emma is usually up around 5 or 6 a.m. to nurse and as we drift back to sleep, Paul gets up and ready for work. Most days us girls will catch another hour or two of sleep and start our day around 8:30 or 9 a.m.

I'll hop out of bed and try to steal a few moments to brush my teeth and put in my contacts. It's always a race against time to get these things done as Emma is stirring in her moses basket. Then I'll scoop her up and take her to her room for her diaper change and to get her dressed. She'll start to get agitated usually as she realizes how hungry she feels, so I'll hurry to the kitchen to get my water glass and take my probiotics before hitting the couch for her feeding. I thumb through my phone – instagram, emails and any text messages as the Today show plays in the background. Emma usually nurses for about 30-40 minutes. After she eats she dozes on and off and I work hard to get a good burp out of her so I know she'll be comfy the rest of the morning.

We spend time bouncing on the exercise ball – Emma's favorite! We'll do some tummy time and maybe some bicycle legs as long as she's happy. I usually sing her some songs and we'll pray for daddy and for our day. Around 10 or 11 Emma will usually go down for a long nap. She might get 2-3 hours of sleep and I'll buzz around the house grabbing lunch, cleaning the kitchen, taking a shower, doing the laundry or maybe sneaking a little nap myself. It's funny, because I spend a lot of time trying to teach Emma how to go to sleep, and once she is asleep I find that I miss her so much!

I've been planning one outing or social thing each day at least 3-4 times a week. It's really encouraging for me to get out of the house or to have a visitor and I feel like it's good for Emma to have new experiences too. She loves her car seat and a car ride so we'll meet a friend for a walk at the park or maybe just take a long drive on the back roads to one of our doctor appointments. It breaks up the day and is so refreshing for us both. Other days my mom will come down for the day – those are my favorite days! And if we're not visiting with anyone, I'll at least try to get out and take a stroll with her around the neighborhood. I love that the weather is cooler now – 70 and sunny is just perfect for these things.

In the late afternoon, Emma starts to want to nurse a little more frequently. I don't mind because I love her sweet snuggles! We'll sit on the couch and I've been watching shows on Netflix. But I'm thinking about switching to Christmas movies soon :) Sometimes she'll take another nap but not always. If I can, I'll get dinner started but this is usually her fussier time. When Paul gets home she gets to cuddle with her Dad and we catch up on our days. She cries a lot at this time, so I'm happy to have him home for some backup. We eat a late dinner and then start to get Emma ready for bed. She gets her diaper changed, we put her pajamas on and swaddle her up. We settle in for one last feeding and she starts to drift to sleep. If we're lucky, she'll go right to bed in her moses basket in our room, but sometimes we have to rock her a few times before she finally relaxes. Usually between 9-10 p.m. she's down for the night. She's been sleeping 4-6 hours (lucky me!) before waking to eat, and then another 3-4 hours in the early morning. Sometimes I'm up a couple hours at night trying to soothe her if she's upset and can't get back to sleep. But for the most part I don't mind waking with her and I feel pretty rested and able to take on the days.

The Lord has been so kind to me. I love these days with Emma and I'm thankful for the gift she is to our family. I know I'll miss these sweet times with her when I look back on them, so for now I soak them in as best I can!

no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars

I keep calling these summer months "Arizona Winter." What I mean, is that these are the months we mostly want to stay inside. It's been an adjustment for me, having grown up with 4 distinct seasons, I always looked forward to the warmth of summer. But now the harsh heat and sunny days keep us mostly cooped up inside and we look forward to the relief the winter will bring. To be honest, I still miss the charms of the seasons, but I'm learning to be thankful for these newly defined seasons we're experiencing.

Anyways, being indoors encourages me to fluff my nest and immerse myself in homemaking (is it being indoors, or is it this little one growing inside of me? not sure!). Today I was craving a sweet breakfast treat, but was feeling reluctant to turn on the oven with the rising temps outside. So I decided to try and create a no-bake version of the bar I was imagining. I only had about 30 minutes before I needed to start working for the day, so I quick whipped this together. I had made similar bars in the passed from other recipes, but had to work with the ingredients I had. These little guys are packed with protein and good stuff but get the husband stamp of approval and will even satisfy the sweet tooth of a 24 week pregnant gal ;)

No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

2 C of oatmeal blended to a flour consistency
1/2 C walnuts chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
2 T of cocoa powder
2 T of shredded coconut
1/2 C natural peanut butter
1/4 C honey
1/4 C coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

First mix all your dry ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to create a cookie dough consistency. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment or wax paper and press the mixture flat into the pan. Add another square liner on top and press with a spoon or small rolling pin to flatten. Freeze for at least 1-2 hours and keep stored in the freezer until they are gone!

Our New Hobby

This past weekend was really our first taste of Fall in Phoenix, and not a moment too soon for me. I was growing weary of the intense heat that seemed to plague our city. But the past 5 nights we've slept with our windows open and I usually get to enjoy the cool breezes until about noon the next day – such a joy!

Paul and I both had the day off on Friday so we decided to celebrate this new season by tackling some of our outdoor to do list. First up was our square foot vegetable garden. I first learned about Square Foot Gardening while spending the week up at my parents earlier this summer. We checked out a few books from the library and I was totally captivated by the square foot method. On their website they boast "Grow all you want and need in only 20% of the space of a conventional row garden. Save time, water, work and money!" Sounds right up my alley! The basic ideas are that you build a square raised garden bed; fill it with a super rich soil made up of compost, peat moss and coarse vermiculite; and section it off into square foot sections. Then instead of planting in traditional rows, you plant in the squares. When one harvest is complete, you replenish the square with compost and sow a new crop in it's place. A continual garden of sorts.

As we were discussing our plans and gathering supplies, we found that we had different ideas about how to start and care for the plants. So that sparked an idea which has turned into our "His" and "Her's" planter boxes. I'm so excited! We'll have our boxes side by side and see which methods work better. Of course this is a friendly competition and we've agreed to share the bounty. I can't wait to hopefully enjoy garden fresh peas, tomatoes, squash, onions, peppers, basil, sage and chives! I told Paul that with all our squares the chances are we'll see something grow, right?! I am notoriously not a green thumb, but I have hope for our gardens this year.

Supper Prep

 

Two years ago I was a dewy eyed bride with visions of perfect housekeeping dancing in my head. I figured that my time spent cooking and cleaning would be forever fueled by my love for Paul. I had been waiting for (what felt like) so long to be his wife and I just knew that I could run a perfect household for him!

Boy was I in for a surprise! It turns out that you don't automatically become a great cook overnight just because you're in love. And your kitchen doesn't stay clean effortlessly just because you're a brand new wife. Nope. Like most good things, these joys of the home take practice and work. But in the first few weeks and months, I was frustrated, embarrassed and had many failed attempts. There were (are) days I thought that maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I still don't get it right all the time. But this week I've been thinking about just how far the Lord has brought me in the last two years as far as keeping our home and especially in making our daily meals. Here's what I've learned and what I try to put into practice:

Planning:

Plan out our suppers for the week. Sometimes I write it out with recipes and everything, sometimes it's as simple as laying it out in my mind, "Soup on Monday, Lasagna on Tuesday, Leftovers on Wednesday, Chicken on Thursday..." Either way, I find that if I know the plan for the next 5-7 nights, I feel a lot more ready to take on the week.

Thinking through the next 24 hours. If I know we'll have Mexican food for dinner tomorrow night, then I know I'll need to soak my rice and beans the night before.

Reusing ingredients. Sometimes, I can double my prep work to prepare for a future meal. For instance, last week I made Southwest salad for supper one night. I over estimated how many beans to cook. We made salads a few more meals, but started to grow tired of the same thing over and over. This week I still had quite a few beans left, so instead of making more salads, I refried them and used them for quesadillas. 

Leftovers. Paul and I are pretty good about eating leftovers, but after a few meals, we grow tired of them. I found that we were wasting a lot of food when we would toss the end of our leftovers because we didn't eat them before they went bad. So now I like to pack and freeze half of a meal - especially if it has made a large portion. This way, we don't have an overwhelming amount left in the fridge, and I can prepare it again simply by defrosting it a while later.

Shopping:

Stick to the list. When I have my weekly meals all planned, then my trips to the grocery store are much more simple. I make a list to pick up any of the ingredients we don't yet have, and I try to stick to the list only.

Snacks and treats. I find that I prefer to snack throughout the day instead of eating distinct meals. I make it a point to buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies, cottage cheese, yogurt, nuts in addition to making bread, granola and cookies/sweets at home. These healthy options are often times much cheaper than whats in the chips/crackers/snack aisles at the store. As far as treats go, our main splurge is ice-cream. Still, I try to keep it as a "once-in-a-while purchase" as opposed to keeping our freezer stocked all the time.

Stocking up. One of my favorite things I've been doing is stocking up on staples at Costco. I like to buy my meat there and keep it in the freezer in small quantities. I also stock up on flour, rice, olive oil and peanut butter. It feels so good to not have to worry about running out of the things I use the most!

Buying in budget. This one is important to Paul and me, as we plan to live within our means. Sometimes this means I can't buy fancy treats, organic produce or specialty foods. And I'm okay with that. While I believe God calls us to take care of our bodies and make wise, nutritional choices, I don't believe it is honoring to Him if I disrespect my husband or go into debt to do it.

Cleaning Up:

Tidy up as I go. This has been one of the harder habits for me to learn. I would get so disappointed after preparing a meal and then looking around to find the kitchen had turned into a disaster zone. In addition to the cooking, I am responsible for doing the dishes in our home, and I'm embarrassed to say that I would sometimes leave dirty dishes in and around the sink for days – just piling up! This summer though, I've been making a conscious effort to clean as I go and it has revolutionized my kitchen time! Because of my new method, I now usually have 10-15 minutes of dishes at the end of the night, as opposed to 30-60 minutes (probably 2 days later).

Re-using pots and pans. I used to think I needed a new pot or pan for each task. Sometimes things are cooking at the same time and so I will need to use multiple cookware. But now I'm learning to space out my prep work so I can make the whole meal in just one (or maybe 2) pans. Depending on what was prepped before it, I'll give it a little rinse or wipe down and move on. This, of course also helps with clean-up!

Attitude:

Where's my heart at? I could use all the tips and tricks in the book, but if I have a bad attitude about cooking, then it isn't going to be a good experience no matter what. I'll be honest, some of my heart struggles in this area have been:

• Jealousy that I do most of the cooking and clean-up at our house, and Paul gets to come home and relax. 
• Hopelessness that this is a never ending job and that someday when we have children it will be an even harder job! 
• Discouragement about our budget and what foods I can and cannot buy on a regular basis.
• Frustration when I don't keep up with the expectations for food and cleanliness that I have set for myself (and I know that Paul appreciates).

When I let these sinful attitudes and thoughts reign in my heart, it produces a pattern of bitterness and resentment. But when I turn my eyes to Jesus, and see that this job that I've been given is for His glory, and when I choose to live and work with a cheerful heart and joy in Christ, I am blessed with a heart full of:

• Thankfulness that I get to be the one who prepares a place of rest and a meal for a husband who goes out and works so hard for me and for our future. What a gift it is to work alongside him and be his helpmate in this way!
• Hope that I have lots of time to improve and grow.
• Gratefulness that we are abundantly blessed! Look at all the good food we are able to buy. I have clean water, I send my husband to work every day with a full lunch and he comes home to a house full of food. We are extravagantly blessed beyond my comprehension.
• Praise that His mercy is new every morning. I will never live up to my standards of perfection. Jesus gave his life up and now I have new life that has nothing to do with living perfectly and everything to do with the grace He pours out on me. All glory to God!

I love my role as Paul's wife. I love being the woman in our home alongside my husband. Sometimes my daily tasks feel mundane or even overwhelming, but I am so thankful that this is where God has placed me to learn and to grow and to be humbled. He is making me new.

Home Tour Part 2

Yesterday I did the first part of our home tour and showed you what it would look like as you walk into our house. Today I'm excited to welcome you back into the main living area – really the heart of our home!

As you'd walk through the foyer, you'd come into the great room! I would tell you how much we love having all this open space and suggest that you sit on one of our kitchen stools while I pour you a beverage and finish up our meal. I absolutely love having friends sit and chat while I buzz around the kitchen. It's one of my favorite feelings! 

As we catch up I might point out that pretty blue stand mixer. The one I got for my birthday from my sweet sister-in-law and father-in-law. Aren't they generous? I've been using it all the time. In fact, I would probably be pulling a loaf of my favorite rosemary bread out of the oven as our conversation flows. It smells awesome. We might start moving past our surface conversation and getting into some real heart chats right about now. I find that friends like to get real around the kitchen island. There's just something safe about gathering here. After a while, I might set the table and suggest that we sit down to eat.

Just off the kitchen we'd settle at our little table. Paul will say a pray and thank God for our meal and for you, our guest. We'd pass the plates and laugh and tell stories. It's not a big table, but it's round, and it cultivates good conversations. Round tables have a way of doing that. After dinner I might glance around the room and ask you what you think I should do about all the blank walls. I'll explain that the wall on the right is actually painted gray, and Paul will tease me because he says he can't even tell the difference between that wall and the white walls. I'll sigh and genuinely ask you what you would suggest? Shelves? A mirror? A gallery wall? A chalkboard?

As I clear the table I'll urge you to please make yourself comfortable in the family room! I'll turn on the coffee (if that's your drink of choice) and make sure we have something sweet to serve soon. We might chat about plans for this room. We're still in the brainstorming stage, but for now I like how it feels collected and cozy. I'll tell you that my mom has generously offered to have slipcovers made for our wingback chairs, and how I used to snuggle up in those same chairs with a good book as a little girl. What fabric do you think I should choose? Would you paint the TV cabinet? What would you put on the walls? These are the questions I'd ask you. Because you just have the best taste!

I hope we'd settle in here the rest of the evening, and that you'd stay as long as you like. Maybe we'd play a game, or talk about the issues that interest us. As our time comes to a close I'll feel so full in my heart. I just loved having you over and it was so good to connect. Before you leave I'll already be asking when you can come again, or making plans to meet for coffee this weekend. Paul and I would walk you to the door and give you another big hug. We'd probably linger out to the car and wave from the driveway. Because we love our friends, so that's just how we do things around here.

Thanks for viewing my home tour! Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

Our Hearts Are Here: Home Tour Part 1

Happy Thursday! Today is my "Friday" and it's always sweet :) Hope yours is too!

Because so many of my dear friends and family are far away, and since dear Kate requested it, today I'm going to take you on a little tour of my house! We moved in almost 3 months ago and we love it. On Sunday night when we returned from my parent's house after being gone the whole day, I walked in and had this overwhelming sense of peace and thankfulness to be home. Paul and me. This is our little home and we feel so blessed.

One of our favorite things about our house is having people over! Seriously, we've absolutely loved filling our home with voices and laughter and stories and games and food and people. And if you lived nearby, we'd probably invite you over tonight. Not kidding, I'd text you our address and insist you come on over for dinner this very evening.

You'd probably have to look up our address the first time you came, and you might even give me a call to make sure you're heading the right direction. Because our house is a little bit country, and it can take a few extra minutes to get here than you might think. But we'll make it worth it once you get here! And I just know you're gonna love the awesome mountain views as you drive into our neighborhood. Feel free to knock on our door or maybe ring the bell (either is okay, because we'll be anticipating your arrival!). And Paul might answer the door since I'm probably putting the finishing touches on our meal. But I'll run to the door as quick as I can rinse off my hands and give you a big hug! It's so good to see you, I'll say.



You're welcome to sit down and take off your shoes if you'd like. Need some slippers? I have some
extras! Or maybe you want to leave your shoes on since they look so cute with your outfit. You do look so nice today. You know, we don't have much art on the walls yet, but I've hung these special pieces here in the entryway to welcome everyone right away. The middle says Home Sweet Home and the cross-stitch on the right is a favorite saying of mine. Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. Perhaps you are our new friend or maybe even a friend who goes way back? Both kinds are precious to us.

To the right here you can see my little light-filled office space. I feel rich in blessing when I think about how I get to have this special place to work and create. I'll probably tell you about my days spent here and what project I'm up to these days. Paul will point out the bookshelves and explain how we found those at the secondhand store and painted them that color ourselves. And I will show you the pink quilt I found at the antique market for a steal. I might go on a little too long because these things get me excited. But you're so kind I bet you just let me chatter a little. That makes me feel loved :)

I bet we'd stand here in the entryway for a little while because we're just so glad to see you. We'll ask about your day and how you're doing. And after a short time we'll remember our manners and usher you in so we can offer you a drink.

Come back tomorrow for the second part of my home tour!

My Makeshift Swiffer

I really can't believe I'm writing a blog post about cleaning the floors. But I am! And it's something I'm excited about! Because I like clean floors, they're so good on bare feet. And I like a good deal, which I think this is :)

So the story goes...

One of the perks of building our house was that we could choose the flooring. Since Paul has really bad allergies and Arizona is SUPER DUPER DUSTY, we opted for hard surface everywhere in the house except two of the bedrooms which have carpet. So on a regular basis, there's a lot of sweeping to get done.

Back when I lived at Brittany's house, we were really into swiffer. We had weekly chores that we rotated, so at least once a week we swiffered (dry and wet) the whole house. I had always grown up with a broom and pan, so this quick sweeping method was a dream to me! I loved how you could practically dance around and pick up all the dust and dirt.

But now, in my married house, we really don't want to spend the big bucks for the swiffer cloths just to throw them out. Plus, I'm cleaning the floors, like, every other day. And there are always dust bunnies. Always. So that would be a lot of swiffer wipes.

So I searched trusty old Pinterest and found the ultimate solution! Do you know those kind of silly but strangely comfortable really fuzzy socks? They are the best best best washable swiffer cloth substitute! Seriously, I think they work even better than the disposable ones. Now I'm putting on my humility hat and showing this picture below, but I'm really embarrassed because it's gross. Still, I want you to see how well this worked in our house! (I had honestly cleaned the floors a few days earlier)

Yuck that's a whole lot of dirt (and a whole lot of long blonde hairs – oops!). But I'm thankful that I can still use one of my favorite floor cleaning solutions with this eco-friendly, super-cheap alternative. And now I'm cleaning my floors all the time and it's just a snap!

at home on my countertop

Last week, one of my dreams came true. I know that sounds dramatic, and it is. But I have been wanting this and thinking about it for a long time. For days Paul had been checking the front porch and calling me to see if a package had arrived yet. I knew it was a birthday present from my father in law and sister in law, so I started to get jumpy for the delivery man too :) So you can imagine my excitement when at the very end of my workday last Wednesday, I opened the freshly delivered box to find this beauty! And it's the prettiest of blues! I was dancing around and reading all the instructions and now I have been planning all our meals around this new toy.

And guess what else? Paul's letting me keep it out on the counter! For those of you who know Paul, you know he prefers things neat and tidy. He doesn't like "dust collectors" (in his words, not mine) left out. But I've been keeping the kitchen spick and span and this baby definitely is not collecting any dust so far ;)

Anyone have a favorite recipe to make with their mixer? I'm on the hunt.

Getting Settled

We are so overjoyed to be officially moved in to our new home. What a gift! We're still trying to get the hang of the new space. And I think with time, it'll feel more comfortable, and things will start to make sense. But for now I'm still in the stage of figuring out where things should go, what will work well with our natural living habits, and how to start making this place cozy.

It isn't really ready for a proper room tour yet, but I did want to capture a few moments so I can always remember these first few days. Above you can see:

1. I was so super super giddy as we began bringing in our bags and boxes from our car. It was so surreal!
2. I'm still getting used to the tile floors all over. It makes the ground super chilly, which I am sure we will love come July. But for now I'm wearing slippers all the time.
3. Deciding if I like the lamp base and shade combo. The bases I got from the Habitat Re-store, and the shades are from Home Goods and I added the black trim last week. What do you think?
4. Our little dining nook. This is probably the most "put together" spot in our house right now. I love the fixture and rug Mom got us for Christmas! (both from Overstock.com)
5. Putting together the shelves in my office space! They recently had a makeover and I find myself glancing over at them while I work throughout the day, just to take a peak. That's when you know you really like something.
6. Paul, Brent and our first out of town visitor, Ben, were working hard to put up the pendant lights over our kitchen island. They did an awesome job. I'm so thankful.
7. Our first minutes in the house together!
8. Sampling a few paint colors. For some reason choosing colors is really stressing me out. I wish I was more decisive.
9. Just a little glimpse of the many piles of boxes still scattered throughout our home!

Part of me wants everything to already be unpacked and settled, but then I try to remind myself how precious these beginning days are, even with all their chaos and confusion. I hope we will always look back and remember how very sweet it was these first moments in our first home together. And someday soon this place will feel so familiar – I'll know the little spots on the walls, and all the little nooks and corners and quirks like the back of my hand. And that will be so nice and comfortable. But for now, it's still new, and we're still getting to know each other, this house and I. So for now I may not know which drawer I stuck the scissors in, or where my favorite sweater is, or what's the best spot for the dinner plates, but I think we're going to get along just fine. This house feels like just the right fit for my Paul and me (and hopefully a few more someday too!).

Today's the Day!

Today is the day Paul and I have been dreaming about for over 7 months now! In a few minutes we will be heading over to our new house to pick up our keys and start moving in!!! We can hardly believe the day has come!!!

Last weekend, we packed up our apartment and moved out of our first Arizona home. We needed to be out by the end of December which left us with a tricky 5 day gap with no place to live. Thankfully, our dear friends here offered their home to us since they would be out of town this week anyways. We are so thankful for all the little ways the Lord has provided for us during this transition time. Speaking of which, we were so blessed to have this crew come help us pack our truck on Sunday.

What a difference it was to a year ago when we moved in. At that time our only moving help was my parents. It was a big job last January for 4 people. But now we have the most precious community at our church, Valley Life, and we are so humbled that we were completely moved out in just 2 hours!

On Monday morning we had our final walk through with our project manager. Then on Wednesday morning, we signed our closing documents and forked over the big bucks!

This process has gone so fast and so slow all at the same time :) And there were definitely many moments when I was unsure if I even wanted to stay in Arizona, let alone purchase a house here. But as the story unfolded, I'm so thankful that I can see how God has guided our steps all along the way through my husband's leadership and through the revealing of His plans for our family. And I know there is so much more I don't even know or understand. So for this gift, we give Jesus the glory, honor and praise!

I promise I'll be back soon with a little tour of our new pad ;)

House Soon Home

A little house update today. That's me! Opening a door! With a key! We are getting closer and closer every week and hope to close in a little over a month now. We have walls, windows, doors, a garage door and it's really shaping up to look like a house. We sure can't wait to make this house our home!

Weekend Resaling

Over the weekend Paul and I went up to visit my parents. Mom and I did some shopping at some of my favorite resale shops and I scored big time! I picked up these two shelving units for a great price and I think they're going to be perfect in my office in the new house.

The wood isn't in very good shape, and it's kind of this strange olive green color. I'm planning to definitely paint them. Mom suggested a navy blue and I love that idea. I'm thinking something like Farrow & Ball's Drawing Room Blue.

I think the navy will really make the unique hardware pop. I love the corner brass pieces and the drawer pulls. But I feel like they get lost in the color of the wood (which I think looks better in the pictures even than real life).

I can't wait to get started on this project! I assured Paul that with more storage I will be much more organized and keep my desk clean. Eeek! I hope that's the case!

House Update

You may remember waaay back in May when I announced the purchase of our first home. And then I told you about some of the finishings we chose since it is a new build. So whatever happened to that anyways? Well, to be honest, not much happened after that until the last few weeks! (To be fair, I suppose things like permits and work orders where happening, just nothing we could see.) And thanks to the suggestion of some of my faithful readers (hey there, Sloneckers!), I'll be showing you an update today. Because really, you gotta listen to the cries of your readers.

We try to go up to the site once a week to take pictures and notice the progress. And every time we're there we get more and more excited! This past week, the framing passed inspection so we walked through all the rooms. It was so surreal! I loved walking through the front door, seeing my new office space, walking through the kitchen, great room and bedrooms. We can't wait to move in. And although this process is taking a lot longer than most traditional home purchases, I'm still thankful for the experience and opportunity to watch our house go up. And, as I've mentioned before, we'll have more than enough room for our dear friends to visit. So please start planning your trips now! ;)

Our Day At The Design Center

Oh my. When we bought our house, the first thing the builder did (after happily collecting our earnest money of course) was make us an appointment at their design center. They set us up with a 9am – 3pm time slot, and we seriously laughed aloud. I mean, our house isn't that big, and we already knew we didn't want to go crazy on upgrades, so how long could it really take? We. were. wrong. It ended up taking us 5 hours to go through everything and make our selections. Yeowza.

Thankfully, we had made a lot of decisions beforehand, so we knew where we were going to spend our money, and we didn't sway too much from that. We both chose a couple things we wanted but didn't need, and Paul was sweet to let me make the major choices for the flooring and cabinets. He admitted that he couldn't tell me what any cabinets had looked like any place he'd ever lived, so his "in the moment opinion" probably shouldn't weigh too much. I was glad.

ANYWAYS, I fear this post is getting boring. But it's fun for me to record these little steps in our new home! Here are some pictures of what we've chosen. Can you picture it now?!  I can't really, but I'm hoping hoping hoping it all comes together well :)

First up, here is some of our flooring. I had shown some inspiration for my flooring a week or so ago, and we went ahead and chose a slate looking gray tile, with a pale "bone" grout. I'm excited about the contrast. If I remember correctly, it's a little darker than it looks in these pictures, and it definitely has a more olive tint, not a blue tint like I'm seeing here. Anyways, you get the picture :)  On the right is the carpet color we chose for bedroom 2 and bedroom 3. These will be the only places in the house with carpet (Master continues the tile).

I hinted a little while ago that I was trying to see if we could sneak some wood into our house and I DID IT!!!  I'm so excited!  I know that we'll enjoy our tile, especially in the heat of the summer. But any time I want some beautiful cozy hardwoods, all I have to do is take a little trip to our living room (my office!). Right when you walk in the front door, this is the first room you'll see (other than the entryway) so I'm super pumped about these!

I really wanted white cabinets in the kitchen. Every kitchen inspiration picture I looked at I kept gravitating towards light cabinets. It was a splurge, but I convinced Paul they would look good and keep the space nice and bright and airy. We went with the standard granite countertops – a simple gray, black and white and I really like them.

In the bathrooms we'll have white cabinets and these quite neutral countertops. They were Paul's favorite and I think they'll be just fine. None of the choices "wowed" me, so I'm mostly just hoping they'll hide the toothpaste spots well ;)

So that's a little tour of our future home!  We're even more excited than ever to watch it be built and eventually live there!  What a sweet blessing. And we hope all our dearly loved friends and family will plan a visit out to see us. Soon we'll have more than enough room!

Snug As A Bug In A Rug

With tile floor will come the cry for...rugs!  I felt like my inner designer was set free on my quest for quality, handsome rugs at good prices. Here are some of my favorite finds.

1. This rug jumped out at me right away. I love the blues and teals, but also the pop of orange. It's light and easy to live with, but also adds some character. I am dreaming of using this rug in my office (which is the first room you see when you walk in the front door).

2. I thought this one would be cute in one of the extra bedrooms. It's a neutral with a bold design, and would be great for a guest room as well as a nursery someday (someday).

3. What's called the "dining room" in our home is actually the only sit down eating area besides the breakfast bar at the island. It's part of the great room, which includes the kitchen and family room too, and is the perfect spot for a large round table and a woven rug like this. I'm thinking the black border, but maybe the brown.

4. I've been picturing a bold, red oriental rug in the kitchen ever since I saw Jenny's post, and I think this one would be perfect for the working space between the island and pantry. It's so cozy warm and inviting looking!

5. I've been eying chevron rugs ever since Paul and I moved into our first apartment last summer. It's too much pattern for his taste so I wouldn't use it in a main living area, but could be cheerful for one of the other bedrooms. I'm drawn to the black and beige, but I would think about the pale blue and beige too.

6. And I just think this rug is really sweet and it gets good reviews so I had to put it on my list. Maybe this would go in a bedroom instead of #2 or #5...or maybe even in the master?  

It's so fun to brainstorm ideas for real. I've always loved paying attention to interior design, but I finally get to discover and express my style and tastes in our own place. I don't know if we'll choose all or any of these rugs, but I have really been enjoying the learning process of what pieces we would or wouldn't like to be expressions in our home.

Flooring

Even though it won't be a while until we get into our new home, we already have to start making some decisions about the details inside. We're thinking that the majority of our "upgrade" budget will go to flooring. So, to say I've had flooring on the brain the past couple of days, would be an understatement. It feels like a big decision to make because it sets a tone for the whole house!

Of course, being a midwestern girl, I love love love beautiful old hardwood floors. In my heart, it would be my dream to have wide plank hardwoods throughout the house. But, here in Arizona, people just loooove their tile floors. I can understand. They do keep the floor nice and cool, and in the heat of summer, I'm sure I'll be looking for anything to keep us a little cooler. And, to be honest, I'm trying to embrace the trends of my new environment (although I'm scheming to try and sneak in some wood floors in the den where I'll have my office...shhh...we'll see).

So, I've been looking through pictures on blogs and houzz.com to find some inspiration for our tile flooring. I originally thought it would just have to be a practical choice that I would get used to looking at. But I'm finding some really beautiful tile flooring and I'm really leaning towards a slate colored tile with pale grout...although Mom and I saw some really neat long plank porcelein tiles today that look JUST like wood. So I'm cautiously excited that I could actually LOVE our floors, pending their ability to fit within our price range :)  Here's some I've really liked...

 (source)

 (source)

(source)

 (source)

  (source)

(source)

How cool is that!?  Do you think they tried to not spell words, or maybe even set secret messages? I'm trying to imagine where in my house I would actually like this. Maybe in the laundry room? Or an entryway? You'd hate to ever replace it again.

Anyways. That's the scoop with our home planning/dreaming!  So far it's been fun researching :) Tonight we're taking a break from the usual routine and heading out for Paul's birthday celebration. I can't tell you where yet, though, it's a surprise!  Happy Friday :)

There's No Place Like Home

As promised, today I have a really fun and exciting announcement. This past weekend, Paul and I bought a house! But this isn't just any house. It's a house that doesn't exist yet. That's right, we are building a new house!

{doesn't he look so good standing there on our lot!?}

We are so excited for this new adventure and it was just amazing to see how the Lord led us to this decision. We'd been casually house hunting for about a month or maybe a little more, with a realtor we really like. The market here in Phoenix is picking back up, and so homes were moving pretty quickly – especially in our price range. Our realtor suggested new builds to us, and actually we hadn't really even considered it because we didn't realize something like that could be in our price range.

{here I am in our backyard. we love those mountain views!}

So she took us about 15 minutes north of where Paul works to a developing community and we fell in love :) (ok so I had more of the "fall in love" feelings and Paul had more of the "this could realistically work well for us" mindset). We were so thrilled to find that we could get a larger yard, and a little more square feet than the resales we had been touring. After we saw the model and the lot on Saturday, we went up to Prescott to see what my parents would advise. They helped us brainstorm a lot of questions and concerns we should address before moving forward, and then they came back down to Phoenix with us Monday morning. We sat and had all our questions answered, and my parents both thought this would be a good choice for us. It was important to Paul and me that we have both of our parents' support, since we trust their judgement and they have much more homebuying experience than us! It finally came down to, "why wouldn't we move forward with this?" I'll admit, I was the enthusiastic one, and Paul was the cautious one, but we did come to an agreement that we would put down our deposit and sign the contract. Yay!

{we're so excited!}

The home is in a stunning location with beautiful mountains on 3 sides. It's really close to a large lake here in AZ and a huge recreational attraction. Even though the neighborhood feels "out in the country" it's actually just about 7 minutes to the closest shopping area. We have a large yard and our neighbors aren't right on top of us, which was one of our disappointments with Phoenix real estate we'd seen so far. Something that both Paul and I feel excited for is that the home just feels like it will cultivate a "slower" pace of life. It's quiet and surrounded by such beautiful creation, we both are praying that this will be a home where we will draw nearer to the Lord individually and as a family, without a lot of distractions. The sales lady pointed out to me a couple neighbors on our street and around the block who are also newlyweds, and there is a mix between young families and older retirees.

{our cute little street}

We feel so incredibly blessed and peaceful that God has lead us to this home. I am looking forward to "putting down roots" here and investing in our community and our church. It'll be a while before we actually get to move into our new home, but I'll keep you all updated. Our next step is to head to the "design center" in a couple weeks to choose some of the finishings for the home. You know I'm looking forward to that ;)