HOMEOWNERS

We might be totally crazy, but this past week we closed on our first house. We were going to hold off until Spring considering we were in a lease, expecting our first baby and (hello!) old man winter is closing in. Not the ideal time to uproot for the third time in a year, but, as they say, we're hoping this time is a charm. We looked for a few months, would get our hopes up, lose out on the deal and then move on to the next. The house we ended up buying was literally the one and only house Kim ever said he'd never consider looking at. It's just a few blocks away from our rental house and every time we walked by, for no particular reason, he cringed. He hasn't done that to another house. Ever. Coincidence that it's the one we ended up buying? I think not! It's true that it has a lot of work to do but once we went inside, visualized some potential and decided we could make it work before the baby came, we jumped on it. Fast forward to one month later, we own the place!

It's definitely a fixer upper but we are up to the challenge (it's okay to laugh, point your finger at us and say we have no idea what we are getting ourselves up to with a new baby and house - I kinda know it!). This blog has been pretty quiet for a few months, err a year, but I'm hoping to reboot her with the pending DIY projects and baby boy. He'll be here in a month, I can't even believe how much time flies. Can't wait to see what the upcoming months have in store. Stay tuned!

FRIDAY'S FAB $15: H&M HOME PART II

This blog can't all be babies and ultrasound photos now can it? It's been a while since I've done Friday Fab $15 but I'm resurrecting it! If you're not familiar with it, on Fridays I post fabulous finds for under $15. I love to decorate on a budget and am constantly scouring the internet and stores for good deals. For the past year or so I've been loving the H&M home decor and have been filling our new house with little bits from them here and there. We recently got their linen duvet and love it! Although it doesn't fall in the under $15 category it's still a steal compared to other linen bedding sets I've found. Have you had any luck with H&M home goods? If so, share your favorites with me below. Cheers (from my sparkling water in a wine glass) to a happy weekend!

Links: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

IT'S A...

Two weeks ago we had our 19 week ultrasound, you know, the big one! After patiently waiting while she checked to make sure everything was looking good and healthy - like having 10 fingers and 10 toes, she asked us if we were sure we wanted to know. YES. I can't stand not to know what's going on so there was no way we weren't finding out.

Well, our intuition was right and it's a boy! We couldn't be more excited to meet the little man. Between our nieces and nephews, it's almost all boys and we're excited to contribute to the little clan of monkeys. I'm pretty sure he's going to be a wild child - went from barely feeling him flutter to full on jabs. Needless to say, we're both pretty excited, not just for a boy but for a so-far healthy, wiggly baby. Time is starting to fly by and can't believe we will get to meet the little man in four short months.

A SALE FOR THE MINIS AT ZARA

Ever since we found out we were expecting (okay, maybe a little earlier) I've been ooohing and ahhhing over all the cute baby clothes out there and picking up some keepers along the way. One of my favorite sites for miniature clothes is Zara. I'm honestly not always a huge fan of their women's clothing since I'm tall and they tend to run pretty short, but their baby clothes are ridiculously adorable. Best part is, if you're patient enough, they have sales twice a year. The summer sale happens to be going on now and you betcha' I've started stocking up the baby's closet with neutral colored clothes (we find out if it's a boy or girl in a few weeks!). Here are a few of my favorite sale picks for the little ladies or fellas in your life. If you like something, I recommend snatching it up quickly as they tend to sell out quickly! Let the mommy blogging begin...?

AND BABY MAKES THREE!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may already know, but Kim and I are thrilled to announce we're expecting a little guy/gal in December! We figured hey, why not add having a baby to this crazy year of getting married and moving across the country...seems like a stress-free thing to do :) We've already met him/her a few times through an ultrasound but can't wait to have a little elf with us for Christmas this year. Thanks to everyone who has already been showing this little one lots of love, we can't wait!

 (Everyone, meet my uterus. Uterus...everyone.)

WEEKEND WORDS OF WISDOM

This about sums up the past year. Via hplyrikz.com.

EASY BREEZY SPRING STYLE

Just when I think spring is here to stay, BOOM it's 35 degrees again. What's up with you, Minnesota? In the spirit of wishful thinking, I've started mentally planning out what I hope to wear this summer. After working from home all winter, I'm completely over black yoga pants and sweatshirts. Missing my lighter San Diego wardrobe. Since I had to get rid of most of my clothes in order to move on a budget, I'm (very) slowly starting to rebuild my wardrobe. Trying to keep it neutral and classic, while splurging on a few quality pieces to anchor it all. Here's a peek at the look I'm going for!

1. Macey Dress by Parc Boutique (and it's local!)

2. Stylish Glasses (Had these pinned and can't find the link anymore - share if you know brand!)

3. Linen Scarf by Uniqlo

4. Scallop Bag by ASOS

5. Madrid Birkenstocks

Can I just say how happy I am that Birkenstocks are coming back in style? About time for some comfy sandals for these tootsies!

OH, HELLO THERE

Excuse me while I dig myself out of hibernation. This is officially the first time since being back in Minnesota that I’ve blogged on here. Kinda embarrassing. And no, you’re not seeing things - it’s redesigned as well. A fresh start. Ahhh.

Quite honestly, I’m not even sure where to begin. Moving from California to Minnesota in the first place is a big change. This is especially true when you move from California to Minnesota during the worst winter in the current century. Oh, and right at the beginning of it. But hey, we’ve almost survived it. Spring gave us a little tease last week but now is continuing to play her harsh tricks on us with 30 degree weather...in mid-April.

The biggest change, however, has been going from a city with millions upon millions of people to a town of about 100,000. This has its ups and downs. On the upside, our neighbors no longer hear every last conversation we have in our own home. Everything that is posted on @targetdoesitagain isn’t sold out within 30 minutes (my Target shopping has reached an embarrassing level). My road rage has subsided. On the downside, I miss my friends in the baddest way. I can’t find even decent sushi. And I sometimes MISS the hoards of people. Pros and cons aside, it’s an adjustment, we have our good days and our bad days but we’re slowly settling into this new life.

Might sound cheesy, but it really is a whole new lifestyle. Kim and I are both now officially working from home. This has been “interesting” to say the least. Luckily we both have offices on different floors. Another perk to the Midwest - basements!  I’ve taken on freelance as a full-time job, helping companies with their communications, marketing and social media. Slowly but surely taking on more and more local clients and learning boatloads about industries I never thought I’d be a part of. Freelance is liberating in some ways but it’s been a major adjustment after working outside of the house for 60+ hours a week in San Diego.

In a few weeks we’re actually packing up AGAIN and moving across town. The place we’re in now was temporary from the get-go. It’s been a great place to adjust to the move but I never really settled in because we knew it was temporary. We’ll now be closer to town and have a lake just a few blocks away that I can take Mr. Otis on walks around all summer. This house is an older one and a lot more me. I’m getting excited to get in there and finally hang things on the walls, paint a bit and hopefully finally feel settled.

Overall, this move has been great for us. We’re spending a lot of time with each other, our family and our not-so-long-lost Minnesota friends. It’s been fun to get back home and be in a state where we can hopefully reestablish ourselves and rediscover everything I’ve always loved about Minnesota - the people, the pace, the roots.


Missed you!


This picture was from a weekend cabin getaway we had with some of my siblings in Hayward, Wisconsin.