Change.

I haven't blogged since November?  Weird!  I must admit, a big reason I haven't blogged is the weather.  We have taken advantage of every opportunity to be out and about since we are usually hermits once the snow flies.  I have enjoyed and appreciated every single day that we have had ice-free sidewalks and frost free windshields!  The best part is that Aaron has had wonderful weather for commuting to Sioux Falls and I haven't had to worry about him!  AWESOME!

Finding myself at a loss for blog topics, I scrolled through pictures on my computer.  I couldn't even remember what I've blogged about specifically or what topics I have left untouched (blame it on "pregnancy brain").  There are tons of photos, but no subjects were jumping out at me.  What I was surprised to see, was that my album labeled "2011" contained many pictures of our home from this summer - almost everything has changed!  We have quickly and happily moved things around for baby, I just didn't realize HOW MUCH had changed.  Our guestroom has become a nursery, and our office has become a guest/craft/office music room and there are small changed in every part of our house.  Our kitchen is very nice, but not very large, and I remember calling Aaron at work and exclaiming "I've found room for baby bottles!!!"  It was the highlite of my day.  It's strange how quickly a home can become very small...

And then there was Christmas.

Bacon and eggs :)

All our holiday goodies!

About half of the gifts I wrapped...

 Christmas lights without snow are so weird!

But I'm not complaining.... 

 ...and neither are the chickens.

When we returned home from our familial holiday gatherings, we had an abundance of wonderful gifts.  What a BLESSING!!!  Uhm, where the hell am I going to put all these blessings?  :) 


Lucky for us, I am an expert organizer.

Did you ever notice that when you chose items wisely, they will fit into your home with little effort?  My Mother in Law, Lisa, and my boss, Missy, spoiled me with some AMAZING kitchen items (among many other things).  I love the ZAK line of products and Rachel Ray, and I received new utensils, servingware and mixing bowls that I had admired for quite a while on Amazon.  When we returned home with our gifts, I tore apart my kitchen, and did some reorganizing.  We donated a few items to Goodwill that hadn't seen much use, and all my new items fit easily into my cupboards.  I finally feel like my kitchen is "complete."  :)

Some of my goodies!  :) 

We were actually very well spoiled by all of our family and friends this year at Christmas, and received everything on our wishlists AND THEN SOME!  I hate to sound materialistic, but it was AWESOME!  We must have been on the "Nice List!"  We had a lot of fun shopping for gifts this year (as you can see from the picture above of all the gifts I wrapped!) and even more fun watching the gifts being opened.  Jesus is the reason for the season, but gifts don't hurt!  :)

I can't write a blog about Christmas without including some of my DIY Christmas projects...here's a peek at one!

Not a super "Christmasy" project, but it has evergreens!

Not the best picture, but in real life it's very cute!  I picked up the iron basket with greenery and the wicker balls for $15, I loved it!  I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  There were mounting brackets, but I didn't want to drill anything into our siding, so it sat in our garage for a few weeks while I gave it more thought.  

For a while I had been admiring firewood baskets, and wanted to incorporate that rustic look into some aspect of our home.  I came up with the idea for a little rustic bench, and had Aaron construct it with about $4 of scrapwood.  I did a quick stain job, and voila!  Total project time was maybe a half hour.  Wood that would have been junk, was changed into something I love.  What a great husband, right?!

Since September, we have been busy working on our nursery, and spending lots of time reading reviews on strollers, swings, highchairs and play yards that are compact, multi-use, sturdy and reasonably priced.  A big challenge is keeping items neutral, but not themed...there are so many product lines that are jungle, Winnie the Pooh, monkey, etc.  No thanks.  We have such a small space, but we are bound and determined to make the most of it and still LIKE IT! 

Today we spent a while at Lowe's trying to figure out the best method of maximizing and organizing baby's closet.  After price comparing items from aisle to aisle and changing our plans 3 times, we came up with a brilliant plan, that would cost half the money we were planning on spending.  AWESOME!  I can't wait to share all of our great nursery decorative and organizational ideas, but you will have to wait until May!  :)

On a different note, it's amazing how many things you don't know you will need.  Butt paste, maternity underwear, booger suckers, burps rags, NIPPLE CREAM?!?!?!?!  Weird!  As much as I know about kids, I have had to learn a lot about babies and being "mommy."  I have been blessed with great advice from great mothers, but it always makes me laugh how many people just want to tell you how awful it will be. 

Your nipples will hurt!

Be ready to be tired!

Kiss your social life goodbye!

Just wait until you get kankles!

Yet these same people have small herds of children, so it must not all be so bad.  :)  I can't wait to experience it all!  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Every change is welcome, even changing a diaper. 

Noelle