hopes and plans

I'm taking a break from the currently link-up this week (past weeks, here) to list my hopes and plans for the next couple of weeks. I have quite a few things I want and need to do, so I figured listing them here would help motivate me to actually get them done!

o n e  |  c h r i s t m a s   p r e s e n t s: I'm sorry if this is too early for some of you, but I am planning some homemade gifts including photo books and a few sewing projects, so I need to get started soon on this! I also need to decide what to get Riggs for Christmas and his birthday. I hate that they're so close, but what can you do? I want to get him some stuff that he'll love and get a lot of use out of.

t w o  |  w i n t e r   p r e p a r a t i o n s: I need to put away summer stuff/toys and prepare chicken coop and yard for winter. this is nearly done but there's still more I need to do, including getting skis waxed and bikes put away. also getting storage solutions figured out for halloween/fall decorations and for more Christmas decoration. I also need to get more decorations, especially for our front porch. I want lights on our garage this year too!

t h r e e  |  f i t n e s s  g o a l s: I'm almost at 4 months post-partum and need to get my butt in gear to fit back into my clothes and get things tightened back up, if you know what I mean. especially with all the holiday feasting coming up. I was doing good running in the morning for about a week, need to get back at it! It's definitely harder to squeeze it in with both kids, but it's really important to me, so no excuses!

f o u r  |  f a m i l y  p i c t u r e s: I'm waiting to get them done till there is (hopefully) more snow and so that Raina can really 'pose' and smile for the pictures. I also want to get our photobook of pictures for the first half of 2014 ordered and one for Raina's early babyhood ordered too. 

f i v e  |  s e w i n g: I have quite a few sewing projects (mostly quilts) that need to get finished up and more that I want to get started on, like dresses for Raina, afore-mentioned Christmas presents, and some more wool leggings for Riggs.

So.  That's quite a bit of stuff and there's quite a bit more that I'm forgetting. I'll be checking back in a few weeks to see what I've managed to check off and what still needs to be done. 

hopes & plans

I'm just going to cut right to the chase and go over lasts weeks list:

one | type Raina's birth story - check! It was so fun to remember that day and tell our story. Read it here. 

two | finish binding on Raina's quilt - didn't even get started.

three | walk everyday - check! I'm not going to add this to any other lists but it's definitely a goal for rest of my 'recovery' period until I can start running again.

four | visit Pyrah's - our brush with thrush sort of wiped out a lot of my 'to-dos' for the week, including picking veggies with a 2.5 year old and a newborn that won't stop crying.

one | finish binding on Raina's quilt - I didn't want to work on her quilt last week on the chance that we would get gentian violet on it (which permanently stains fabric). Here's to better luck this week!

two | visit Pyrah's - some fresh salad greens sound amazing right about now. Maybe Wednesday?

three | sort & purge closets - this might be a little ambitious but I've been dying to do this for a few weeks now.

four | reorganize baby space in our room - this is a priority this week. I need to figure out a better organization system in our room for Raina's blankets, bows, and clothes in our room. I feel like they're taking over everything!

happy Monday!!

Here's some pictures of what we were up to last week:

THRUSH = PURPLE EVERYTHING

before the thrush diagnosis (at our two week appt Wednesday):

hopes & plans

Guys. I am so happy to be back here in my little corner of the blogosphere, sharing a little glimpse into my life. I have missed this space so much! I feel like I've been gone for weeks and can't wait to catch up on what I've been missing in your lives too.

I'm typing this while Riggs naps and Raina sleeps on my chest. She took her morning nap in her crib for the first time and I missed her so much that I'm definitely not putting her down for this nap! She can be my little blogging buddy :)


I'm so happy to be linking up again today with my hopes and plans for the week. I skipped last week but here's my list from my last post:

one | visit the zoo - I don't know why but this didn't happen. And now I've been to Anchorage so much lately that I don't want to go back anytime soon. So...maybe we'll see you in a couple weeks zoo animals!

two | squeeze in one last date with Steve - We didn't have a chance for this to happen, he worked Saturday and Sunday was just too busy.

three | have a baby - Totally was able to check this one off the list, and she was even born on Wednesday like I 'suggested'! We are so happy she's here and have been enjoying every minute with her since she joined us.

 || this weeks hopes and plans ||

one | type Raina's birth story - the last week and a half since baby girl was born has been filled with doctors appointments and visits with friends and family. This week is the first week that we are back to normal, or at least figuring out our new normal with two kids. I would love to get Raina's birth story written down and posted this week. 

two | finish binding on Raina's quilt - the quilting is finished on her quilt and now I just need to hand sew the binding on. I'd love to get it done asap so I can take some pictures with her on it while still in the newborn stage.

three | walk everyday - with the kids contained (Riggs in stroller, Raina in K'tan). I'm so ready to start exercising seriously again, but walking is what I'm 'allowed' to do for now.

four | visit Pyrah's - for the last two summers (since we moved to the valley) I've gone nearly every week all summer. This summer I've been a little too distracted/busy to go but I can't wait to get over there and pick some fresh veggies for our table now that baby girl is here and mostly settled in.

hopes & plans

Last weeks list:

one | send baby girls quilt to the quilter - DONE! Can't wait to get it back and start hand sewing that binding on!

two | finish baby afghan - um, yeah, no.

three | dig a few holes - nope.

four | visit the zoo - didn't have a chance this week. 

Hopefully this weeks list will be more productive. I don't think I'll be digging any holes for a while. And haven't had many chances to sit down and crochet lately, but it is a fast pattern so it will get done eventually. Once I get the quilt back that will be the priority though. I want to get some pictures of baby on/in it when she's still new new.

Other things I did instead of my list haha:

went shopping at the 5th Ave with my little sister

found this perfect little kitchen at Cover Ups in Palmer...
it was already sold but I'm so putting an order in for another one like it!

date day and pedis with my bestie
no kids! yes, it was heavenly 

Here's my list for this week:

one | visit the zoo - we'll definitely have time this week and I know Riggs would love it!

two | squeeze in one last date with Steve - I really want to try and make this happen. We aren't going to have anyyyy alone time for a while once baby is here and I already miss him because he's been working so, so much (and will the whole summer).

three | have a baby - Wednesday would be nice ;)

hopes & plans + weekending

Good morning and happy Monday! I'm pretty excited that I've managed to post for three Monday's in a row, and I'm hoping to keep it up.

I'm linking up my hopes & plans again this week, starting with my list from last week. It was pretty short:

one | find some reading material - So glad I finally managed to get a stack of books. Half of them are from the library and two of them I bought at the local bookstore with credit:

two | chicken coop netting - this is half done. I managed to fix the spot that one of my girls kept escaping from, but I wanted to get more to replace the other heavier netting that doesn't work as well, but Lowes was out. So it's not really my fault, right? ;)

Okay, now on to my list for this week:

one | send baby girls quilt to the quilter - I'm hoping to take all the pieces in Tuesday to drop it off.

two | finish baby afghan - One strip down, 12 to go haha.

three | dig a few holes - for lilac bushes and a few other ornamental trees that I want to add around the yard. I want to get the holes down now so I'm ready for the plants whenever I have a chance to get them. 

four | visit the zoo - I'd like to get one last trip in with Riggs before baby gets here.

I also wanted to share some photos from the weekend, which was nice but pretty lonely for Riggs and I. Steve worked so much including an all-nighter so he slept until after we got home from church on Sunday. Not much time to see him! 

Saturday started out windy and rainy and we had a lazy morning. I sat on the couch working on baby girls afghan and watching the birds out the window. It was so relaxing and cozy.

Saturday evening we headed to Big Lake for a friends wedding. It was such a beautiful wedding, I just loved their rustic-botanical theme and they were amazing DIYers and made nearly everything (including a gorgeous birch arbor for the ceremony) themselves. Plus it was so good to see friends I don't get to see very often. Congratulations to Lindsey and Reid!

Sunday we went to church and then came home for lunch and finally getting to see Steve for a bit. But he had to leave shortly after waking up for a massage so while he was gone Riggs and I went outside for a bike ride. It was a hot and sunny afternoon, but I was thankful for the heat because it kept the mosquitos away. We went quite a ways, it's been surprising me lately how much stamina Riggs has, and I want to keep going on long walks and hikes so he gets even more used to it.

the countdown to the winter has officially begun...
when fireweed blooms all the way to the top it means summer's over :(

ice cream and popsicles to cool off

getting baby girl a little sun ;)

also, Riggs made me these amazing glasses and
insisted I wear them for over an hour. haha

It was a fun weekend but I feel like in some ways it was just normal weekdays for us since we barely saw Steve :( Hoping to spend more time with him this weekend, maybe even a date? That would be amazing...

hopes & plans: summer bucket list!

Monday's here and I'm saddened to find the weekend just a memory. A wonderful, nearly perfect memory, but a memory just the same. The days just go by so very fast when they're full of happy moments with people we dearly love. 

The first day after a fun filled weekend is the perfect day to make plans and hope you're as productive as you'd like to be, so I'm linking up again with Amanda over at Merry Mint for Hopes & Dreams. Here are mine from last week:

ONE | Birth Center Packing List - done! and I even used it to pack my bags earlier this morning. find the post here if you missed it last week.  

TWO | find some reading material - ugh. my parents house is like a library between both my parents and my little sister and I was there twice last week and forgot to grab any. so sad. 

THREE | chicken coop netting - didn't get to it. and everyday I thought about it too, I just put it off. 

FOUR | schedule wax/mani/pedi - wax, check! and feeling soooo much better you have no idea. decided to wait another week on mani/pedi, as I want it to last until she's actually born. I did give myself a nice at-home mani/pedi without actually painting my nails, so they look presentably should I suddenly go into labor early (very slim chance of THAT). 

one | find some reading material - Going to Anchorage today for appointments and I must remember to grab some books!!

two | chicken coop netting - have to get this done this week! although they haven't been escaping lately so maybe it can wait? luckily if it really becomes a problem and I can't do it I have a very capable husband who would definitely do it for me if I asked him. But I hate loading him down with projects when he only has one day off a week.

and now for the exciting part:

summer bucket list!!

one | have a baby ;)

two | fires at the river: we did this on father's day yesterday and it was just perfect! 

three | camping: I'd really like to squeeze in a camping trip once baby is at least a few weeks old. It will really depend on how things go with her/her birth and how the weather is. Also for the record I'm talking about campground, tent-big-enough-to-stand-up-in, air mattress camping, in the site next to my parents, who have a camper - very comfortable camping. 

four | Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center: I haven't gone to the wildlife refuge down by Portage in forever, and we definitely haven't gone with Riggs. I know he'd love it plus two fellow Alaskan bloggers, Amanda and Kelsey, have been making me jealous with their amazing pictures from the trips they took!

five | Alaska State Fair: it seems strange to even add this to the list since it's just something we usually do every year, but I want to include it. It's the first year Riggs will really get everything, the rides and pony rides and farm animals and lumberjack show. And it makes me so excited to see him have so much fun! Plus, hello, the food!

six | get outside everyday: pretty self-explanatory. This should probably be at the top of the list (behind having a baby, of course) because it's the most 'summer to-do' of them all. Getting outside for at least 30 minutes every day is soooo important to my mental wellbeing, as well as Riggs' (and Tutka too!). Plus it's a great way to really soak up summer.

And that's it! It may seem like a short and not very exciting list, but we'll be busy enough adjusting to the whole newborn/two kids things and I don't want to have unrealistic expectations for the summer. I just want to enjoy summer - the look, feel and smell of green, living things - as much as I possibly can before winter arrives.