Nesting continues....

A few grocery bags of stuff have marched off to the Goodwill and I know there will be more to follow :-) I've made some nice progress in a few areas. (See below) Joe did move the furniture for me, Rhea's toys have been moved to the area by the fireplace that was my craft area... but they aren't real organized yet. Getting a toy box for her next month so that will help. Joe has been very helpful in this process, he offers one 'area suggestion' if I ask for one and that really helps me focus and have goals. I want the whole house clean all at once, but having little goals helps tremendously! (i.e. top of the fridge, bay window, bathroom closets, etc.) And little bits aren't so over whelming!!

 This is our learning/creative play area. Left is before (obviously) and right is after!! Much nicer now!! And below is the art display area, I found the clips in the garage and figured they'd save us a ton on scotch tape, hehe.

 

And we've tried to enjoy some of the winter outdoors, but really Daddy and Mommy are weenies, we like it warm. But when it's sunny and not too windy we go out for a little while.

Playing soccer with Dad on the ice

Weee!!!

Rhea LOVES to be involved in cooking and baking (more baking since she can sneak a sweet 'taste' while we work), I've been working on helping teach her to pour and mix well by herself. Sometimes it's pretty messy but she does really well overall.

 NEW ACTIVITY: Bottle Cap Play! Same stlye of play as noodles but these make different noises and way easier to clean up. We like to sort them, stack them, count them, you name it :-)

And Joe's coworker Chris, his wife Aubrey and their son Braden came out for supper Friday night. Braden is 4 months and just as sweet as can be! Rhea loved playing with and near him, she was very loving and careful. He really liked watching Rhea run and move around. We had enchiladas and just hung out and visited. It was a great night!

Rhea giving him a hug!

The nesting begins..

Following the buzz of Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's we are stages for another couple big events... Rhea's 2nd birthday and arrival of Baby Girl!

I've been focusing on trying to simplify and organize our house lately. It may be a New Year's resolution but I think it's the beginnings of nesting (and the realization that we are outgrowing our space). Last Sunday night we had company over for supper and I took everything off the kitchen counter and shoved it in a wash basket and put it out of sight, not really thinking about it, just doing it to create a clean-looking space. Well it dawned on me later that evening that..... I am my mother! That's the way my parents 'cleaned' for company! Love you mom, but I intend to break that cycle :-) Sadly, it's a slow process. I can't move/do as much now that I'm in the third trimester of pregnancy and Joe sleeps during the day so it needs to be a quiet process.

So far I've taken down my sewing/craft area... GASP! Not because I don't want to do those things, believe me I have several projects knocking around my noggin all time, but because I know that I will need to be focusing my time and energy on more important things for the next several months. This doesn't mean I can still get the sewing machine out for a quick project if needed, just that I know myself and I know I need to take a break for a little while.

Still needs work and there's the basket, still unsorted.
But I'm working on it.

I'd like to move the furniture around just to change up the look but I know I can't move it myself and IF I ask Joe for help, I had better know exactly where I want it to go and stay (he doesn't find the same enjoyment as I do in moving it several times to figure out the best placement). I also plan to get the toy box from my childhood and bring that for Rhea's toys... would be nice to create a space for her toys so they aren't all over the place. I've been surfing some blogs and Pinterest for organization ideas and motivation. There is no 'fund' for this project so I have to work with what we have. Lots of ideas, hopefully I can bless my family with a more functional space.

Let me know if you have any quick and handy suggestions!!