"Baby Moon" Trip to Canada

Well, I'm officially in my third trimester.  Just before we hit that milestone, the hubs and I decided to take a "Baby Moon".  We kind of hate calling it that but, if it gives us an excuse to get away from our kiddos for a couple nights, we'll take it!  (A million thanks to you, Gigi). We didn't go on any sort of baby moon before our first born for a few reasons.  Now, looking back, I'm so glad we didn't.  It's something that changes inside of you once you have a kiddo to look after.  Before that first one comes along, there's a long list of things you take for granted (as do most couples, I'd assume).

• Sleep
• Sleeping in... Staying up late... Sleeping uninterrupted...
• Flexibility
• Being about to spur-of-the-moment decide to do something or go somewhere
• Communication
• Simply being able to hold a conversation with each other is HUGE
• Privacy
• There's nobody banging down the bathroom door if you disappear for 15.5 seconds
• Clarity
• Just being able to think without someone tugging on your shirt and changing the subject to something completely unrelated

I know the list could go on and on... but, those were our favorite reasons to get away :)  Plus, after not seeing our babies for a few nights, their hugs and kisses are just so much sweeter.  After coming home to them completely refreshed, we were so happy to have them ruining all of our sleep, flexibility, communication, privacy and clarity.  Without a doubt.

So where'd we go?!  Niagara Falls, Canada! With a day trip to Toronto!

Our drive from Ohio to Canada started off with a little bit of a snow storm which made our drive a little slow, but the further North we headed, the better the weather turned out!  Since it was such a beautiful day, we were able to take advantage of our newfound flexibility and pulled off at a National Park that we had seen signs for on the highway.  We only spent 30 minutes there, but we were able to take a short walk to see a waterfall completely frozen over.  It was very beautiful but it was too chilly to really enjoy the scenery more than a few pictures worth.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in the Hilton by Niagara Falls which gave us a beautiful view of both the American and Horseshoe Falls from our room.

[So Simple] Pinwheel Wreath

We have been knee deep in framing out our basement to finish it so I've been a little preoccupied with measuring and cutting 2x4s while Bryan nails them into place.  We're in the final steps of that mess so we've been tackling the soffits.  If anybody has ever had the pleasure of building a soffit, you know that it's a pain in the rear!  However, that doesn't mean in any spare minute I have I'm not trying to get our home ready for Spring!

I was able to put this Pinwheel Wreath together in about 45 minutes with the help of my Silhouette Machine.  This project could easily be done with scissors though, instead.  

Hello Spring [Wall Art]

I have had these frames hanging in our dining room for a while and for a long time, they had a map of the United States split up into the 6 of them.  I was never really crazy about it, but I was too lazy preoccupied to find something better to do with the frames.  I have finally gotten around to updating everything and I gave it a little touch of Spring!

We live in Ohio... So, a couple of days ago, it was beautiful, sunny and in the 60s.  Today, there's still just a few snow flakes still on the ground from a recent snowfall.  I may have been a little too early with welcoming Spring, but I can't help it.  It's mid-March.  It's time! :)

Super Simple Green Mantle

I wanted to share with you my very simple Green Mantle with you today, but first:

Today is my mom's "25th" birthday... again.  I've lost track of how many times she has turned 25 but I'm now officially 3 years older than my mother.  It kinda sounds like one of those brain teasers... but really, my mom is still young at heart.   

A Simple Improvement For Any Closet

Everybody has a space in their house that could use a little organization.  In my case, there are several... in fact, I think every single closet has become a dumping ground this winter.  I decided to tackle one of our closets.

Several weeks ago, I attempted to organize this closet a little better by simply removing a dozen pairs of shoes.  Some got thrown away because they were so worn, they would never get any use again.  Others, made their way upstairs since they were out of season and wouldn't be used with the snow on the ground anyway.  The shoes stayed neat and lined up for about 14 hours...

Our Baby News & A Baby Card!

Have you ever missed a large chunk of school?  Then, when it's time to go back to school, it's terrifying because of how much time you've missed?  How many assignments that may have gone by... or maybe it's just easier to crawl in bed and pretend it'll all just go away.

I'm so ashamed to say, that I've had this feeling about blogging lately.  I have officially taken the longest unannounced, unofficial vacation in blogging history.  That might be a tad dramatic... but it has been quite the process to just sit back down at the computer again to type out these few sentences.

So, hello!  I'm here! Remember me?

Why the long absence, though?