Slice of Life: January 28th, 2019

Our January has been a good one, not only because we’ve celebrated some fun events, but also due to my health significantly improving from December.

I shared in a previous “Slice of Life” that my first trimester wrecked me mentally and physically for about six weeks, and during that time I remember thinking “I will never take good health for granted again.” The fact that my normal energy has resume and my hormones have balanced back out has me feeling ready to take on the world.

I also know this will be short lived as a big belly and decreased energy are around the corner with the third trimester, so for now, I am grateful to be feeling like me. If you’re in your first trimester of pregnancy and secretly feeling like garbage because you haven’t let out your big secret yet, hang in there!

Here’s a quick “Slice of Life” to kick off the week!

A few weeks ago my best friend Ashley came in town for her cousin’s baby shower, so we got our crew from high school together for a fun night out. We made reservations at The Melting Pot since it’s more than dinner but an “experience”, and we enjoyed 3+ hours of catch up time. Can’t ever make new “old” friends. Grateful for these four!

The girls were thrilled that we got a few extra hours with “Ashy” on Sunday too. She is a gem and so special to me.

Something I’m SUPER excited about right now: My dear friend Chelsea from Making Home Base is launching a girls’ clothing line! She is releasing dresses in three beautiful prints that will all be available for purchase this spring. Her prints’ themes include space, science, and under the sea. THEY ARE SO CUTE! Hadley and Sadie don’t have any clothing with prints like this, and I know they will be so excited to wear dresses (their favorite) with prints that are so vibrant and fun.

I’ve watched Chelsea develop this from the ground up, and I can’t wait to see her succeed. Follow Annie the Brave on Instagram if you’d like to keep up with when her line launches for purchase!

 

Something funny about Hadley’s age right now (5) is that she calls me out in a snap if I say something but don’t follow through. SHE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING. Ha! At the beginning of Christmas break she asked to go to the trampoline park, and I said that we’d absolutely go at some point before going back to school. Well, we ended up being way busier than I anticipated, leaving us with no days to go.

By the Friday night before school started back, she let me know she was bummed that we never made it to the trampoline park. Well shoot! You better believe the next morning we got up, ate breakfast, and high-tailed it to the trampoline park for a couple hours as a family. I had promised her, so I wanted to make good on that. I’m not used to her calling me out! 😉 Our neighbors joined us spontaneously too, which made it even more fun for all of us.

I mentioned my interest in tree a few months ago, and my mom took notice and kindly purchased it for me as a thank you gift for a favor I did for her. I figured I’d show you what it looks like in my home in case you’ve been eyeing it too! It’s right at $60, but you’ll need to purchase your own pot/basket and moss (which cost me less than $15 from Hobby Lobby). I really like it and how it adds some greenery to my eating area.

Speaking of additions to our eating area, I also finally found some new bar stools! We have a very large bar area that can fit at least five stools, and as you surely know, stools are expensive! I really didn’t know what I wanted anyway but hoped I would know when I saw the right ones. That day finally came a few weeks ago in Marshall’s.

These faux leather brown bar stools are very comfortable, sturdy, and obviously super easy to wipe down. Since our cabinets are dark, I ideally wanted light upholstered stools, but I didn’t want to worry about the kids making a mess on them. What good are they if I’m constantly having to monitor them while they enjoy sitting and eating on them?

These were only $56 a piece, and I couldn’t believe that they had five in stock. I grabbed them quickly, and Jamie agrees that it was a great choice and justifiable purchase. It pays to wait for the right item at the right price!

A few days later I saw an ad on and are priced well for the pair.

Finally, I am learning how to do life with this new baby! A bunch of family members pulled together to generously gift me this new Apple Watch 4 for my birthday, and so far I like it!

So many people say they can’t live without it, but I haven’t quite figured out why yet. I love the activity tracker, and I really (!!!!) like not having my cell phone on me. My time on social media has decreased significantly, which is the main reason why I was interested in this watch.

If you have any tips for how to maximize Apple Watch daily use, I’d love to hear!

And that’s about it! Hope you have a great Monday! We’ll be doing our snow dance around here hoping for a few inches to fall tonight. After living in bitter, snowy Kansas for four years, I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M WISHING FOR SNOW, but I really want a little bit for my kids! They’re dying to play in it. We’ll see!

Let’s chat!

Do your kids usually eat at your bar or at the kitchen table?

How do you use your Apple Watch daily?

Are you excited about the new prints from Annie the Brave? What interests do your daughters have that you’d love to see Annie the Brave turn into a print?