Spring Bucket List 2023

 Anyone else super excited about springtime?  Here's my bucket list for the season...

Baby Girl's Bedside Nursery Nook

 I have to admit, I was pretty bummed when I came to the realization that baby girl wasn't going to have her own designated nursery right away.  Our house has 3 bedrooms - one for my husband & I, one for our toddler son, & the other is my husband's work from home office {not to mention our throw all the junk in room}.  It just wasn't feasible to try & move my husband's office right now {though we plan to in the future months (fingers crossed)}.  So, I did my best to make her little bedside nursery nook as cozy & cute as possible {& budget friendly, too, because that's just part of my DNA (hope she gets that gene, too)}.  Here's how it turned out...

Let me know if you have any questions about specific items & I'll do my best to tell you where they're from.  For a super quick rundown the thrifted items are: the peg rail on the wall, the birdhouse nightlight, the wooden alphabet blocks {I actually scored the whole set minus one or two}, the Princess Tales paperback book {the lamp is sitting on top of}, the little wooden pale blue house, the gray baby shoes, the bassinet, the Holly Hobby baby doll {sitting in the bassinet}, & the Cuddle + Kind Daisy Cat {that was scored on Poshmark}.  The small white framed piece was my 2 year old son's contribution to his little sister's space & a fun & simple way to make him feel even more a part of things.

Today was my last OB appointment, tomorrow is my due date, & an induction is scheduled for this Tuesday if this little lady doesn't make her appearance before then!  Prayers appreciated!

Much Love,

Laura

P.S.: If you haven't already seen my nursery mood board - for when baby girl actually gets her own room in the future - check it out here.

A Word for 2023

I've been seeking things like we all do.  (Did you realize the fact that we're all seeking?)  We're all seekers of something - typically always somethings plural.  But, what are you seeking first?  What are you seeking the most?  

Lately, this has been hitting me hard.  I feel like I've been seeking things - a tidy home, a better marriage, to be a better mama, to be more beautiful inside & out, to find the perfect wallpaper for baby girl's nursery, to find the peace amidst the crazy pain of this broken place called our world, to find the best pregnancy safe face serum for this now over 35 mama...  The list could go on pretty much into infinity.  But what about Jesus?

This verse is it for me right now.  "But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well." -Matthew 6:33 NIV.  The words that feel most important to me are first & His (His referring to the Lord).  Am I seeking Him first, or has His spot been jumbled somehow by the cares of this world & my own selfish sinfulness?  Am I seeking His kingdom, or trying to build one of my own design?  Honestly, I'm not happy with my answers, & honestly (again), it explains much of the anxiety I feel.  The desire to be in control, to be safe, to have what I want when I want it, to be what the world says is best.  I feel as if in this mess, I have lost my first Love (like the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2).  And, well, these other "loves" just don't compare & always end in disappointment, & yet I chase them.  Seek them.  

Lord, forgive me.  Lord, bring me back to You, my first & truest Love.  You are what I want to be seeking first & most & hardest.  You, & you alone, are the one to satisfy the longings of my heart.  May I fall deeper in love with you each & every day.  Help me, Lord, to seek You first & Your kingdom & Your righteousness.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"You will seek Me & find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

Baby Girl Nursery Mood Board + Some Kinda Crazy Story Time

 So, this is how I am.  Years ago now, early on in our marriage, waaay before any baby ever blessed my belly, my husband & I found ourselves on a little date night in Cracker Barrel.  There, I happened upon what seemed like the cutest thing ever at the time - an expensive swan rocking toy.  Somehow my dear sweet husband let me leave the store with this big ole' pricey thing.  He knew I loved to save things for the one day maybe dreams.  Just like I had done with greeting cards I purchased for him, long before I knew who him was.  Does this sound crazy?  I'm thinking this sounds crazy.  Pretty sure now it probably was, but again, this is how I am.  So, we took this large toy home to our apartment, & literally had no place to store it.  It sat in our living room much of the time, & if anyone happened to stop by we'd hurriedly move it to our bedroom & shut the door.  After all, we didn't want anyone to think we were pregnant when we obviously weren't.  Fast forward to our sweet surprise of Reed.  We were sure he would be a girl & he would ride this fancy swan one day {which, full disclosure, he has ridden it some even though he's a boy}.  Surprise, God had a little boy in store for us first, & now we wouldn't have it any other way.  Honestly, I thought we might never have a little girl & that was okay because God knew best.  But, what would I do with this swan?  Fast forward some more, & guess what God blessed us with?  Another surprise baby for this PCOS mama, & this time a girl!  My mom has 6 grandsons, & this will be the 1st granddaughter, & I am truly so very shocked that we now have a reason to have this big fancy swan rocker I bought all those years ago.  All that to say, God is sooo good, & He has good plans!  Also, all that to say, I've been stumped on whether to go full on all Swan Lake nursery, or go where my heart is kind of pulling me now to some kind of mashed up enchanted secret garden theme where obviously magical crown wearing swans live, too.  Obviously.  Anywho, that is where I'm going to - this loose flowery theme with some whimsical creatures here & there, & maybe a Frances Hodgson Burnett quote sprinkled in for good measure.

Here's the mood board...

P.S.: Leave me a comment if you're interested in where something's from, & I'll be sure to get you the link!  Also, check out my full Pinterest baby girl nursery board here.

P.P.S.: This girl is coming soon, & this mama is going to have to keep dreaming her nursery dreams for awhile longer, because baby girl's nursery space is still her daddy's office {not to mention our throw-all-the-junk-in room}.  We'll work it out in time, & baby girl will be rooming with us for the first several months anyhow.  I did buy the rug shown above, though, so that's a start.