New Year Improvements

 

I'm so excited for this year to unfold. 2017 was beyond eventful for us.  We started it off with a bang packing up our apartment in Los Angeles in January to move into our first home in the Chicago suburbs.

Then, just three months into our move, we found out we were pregnant! It was a whirlwind year and I had my focus on my pregnancy and delivery and Leo, Joel started a new job, and everything else took a major back seat.

This year, I'm ready to focus back on a lot of the things I put on the back burner: our house, our relationship, adventures, and my bod. 

The house

When you look at the house we moved into just about exactly a year ago today - a lot has changed. We have made some significant improvements that have made a huge difference. I love my house. I love pulling up to it and I love living in it, we've made it a home and we're really, really happy here.  As the months have passed, we've filled the house with more furniture, more touches that make it home, and have gotten sort of organized as we've gone. But, there's still a long list of things I'd like to improve.

The list is actually a little too long (and intimidating) to really focus on, so I'm going to focus on the few things that I want to do sooner than later. 

First major project we've got to get done is changing out the door handles and hinges. It's a total DIY job, but one that I just keep putting off, but it's getting done Q1! Force me! 

Other things that need to happen this year- prints/gallery wall for the dining room and kids bathrooms, guest room needs new bedding, and our bedroom needs some serious attention. We also need to really figure out our basement and deck. Ok, already starting to feel overwhelmed......moving on!

Our relationship

I really want to have fun with Joel this year. I want to go out on fun dates, mix things up a little, and just enjoy ourselves a bit more. Last year was big, and eventful, and amazing, but it was stressful and took a lot out of both of us and this year, I want to lighten it up a little and get out of the routine a bit more. 

We are young and we need to spice it up a little - get a little drunker, kiss a little more, stay out a little later, get out of our routine a little more often.

Adventures

This is rich coming from a new mom of two who can barely get everyone loaded into the car to the drive-thru Starbucks BUT once I figure that stuff out, I want to make sure that we make rich memories this year. I want to take a few weekend trips, a family vacation, do fun things with friends and family, and take advantage of everything our area offers.

My Bod

Also rich since I can't really exercise right now, or even fathom how I ever will find the time to again, but in the coming months I really want to get my body back. I want to clean up my eating, shrink my portions, and really get into a great exercise groove. I miss running and want to get back to being able to easily run 4-5 miles. I was loving kickboxing while I was pregnant so I really hope I can get back to the gym after a while and kick it into high gear. I'd love to feel stronger and see some actual muscles again.

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I'm exhausted just writing this list - but here's hoping I can take a stab at each area. You gotta start somewhere! 

 

P.S. This list is also somewhat hilarious because I'm pretty sure every expert....ever.... has said you need to have specific and measurable in order to see any type of improvement, but we're going with a very tired stream of thoughts and I'm hoping that's better than nothing!

Babymoon Bliss

We spent this past weekend up in Kohler, Wisconsin at the American Club and had the absolute most perfect weekend getaway ever. 

Of course, it started off a touch bumpy - but every good parents vacation does, right? 

Joel had been in Ohio for business since Sunday, and then after a really cold Halloween, Leo started to get sick. I was anxious about it knowing we were going to be leaving on Friday, and like clockwork on Thursday, he spiked a fever. 

Thankfully the fever was only 24 hours, so when we left him on Friday morning with my parents, he was just congested - and grandparents are good for that! So, even though it made it harder to leave him, we climbed in the car Friday morning at 10am, and hit the road.

 

Joel and I both admitted that we were even excited for the 2.5hr car trip up to Kohler. We weren't rushing, we could listen to any podcasts or pandora stations we wanted to, we were stocked up on starbucks and the color of the leaves were literally perfection.

We stopped for a quick lunch on the way up, and then checked into the hotel right about 1pm.

 

Our room wasn't ready, but we anticipated that, and made spa appointments for Friday afternoon. Joel had a pedicure and I had a massage both scheduled for 2pm, so we left our bags at the main hotel and walked over to spend the rest of the day at the spa.

 

My massage was heavenly, mainly thanks to that giant body pillow that I actually wanted to steal. Laying on my stomach felt like pure bliss! 

After the appointment, we hung out at the pool reading books, drinking tea, snacking on spa goodies and just totally blissing out.

 

Joel loved the pool - and the cold plunge - and I could've spent the entire weekend on the lounge chair. Literally every worry just melted away while you were down there, it was just so lovely.

We pulled ourselves out of the spa at almost 6pm to finally get into our room, shower off and get ready for dinner.  The hotel had caught wind that we were celebrating a babymoon so they had a bottle of sparkling cherry juice waiting in our room....and it actually wasn't half bed.

For dinner, we stayed at the hotel and decided to sit at the bar at The Horse and Plow. We took our time ordering.....we started with pretzel bites, split the bison burger and then capped it off with an amazing s'mores dessert. 

Joel and I love sitting at bars for dinner, and its something you can't do with a baby, so it feels extra special nowadays too. We played a ton of rounds of Golf and had a really, really fun night.

Saturday (and really, the entire weekend), was cold, gray and rainy, and so while I wanted to join Joel on a walk (he ran), I decided against it and enjoyed the hour he was gone in bed, reading, with a latte and a cinnamon roll.

 

When Joel got back from his run, we got ready for the day, and decided to hang out in the lobby and play a round of scrabble.

The American Club is just that kind of hotel. It's cozy and wintery, and sitting by the wood crackling fire, playing scrabble and drinking tea is pretty much Heaven.

After scrabble we went into town (Sheboygan) to have lunch at Field to Fork.

Another cup of tea for me, a fantastic lunch for both of us, fueled us for our afternoon activity.........bowling! 

 

It's been years since Joel or I have bowled, but we had SUCH a fun time. Joel had a couple of beers, we were able to fit in 3 full games in the hour that we bowled, and I pretty much searched out bowling leagues to join for when we return home ;)

Not kidding...and not sure why but I was loving on tea this weekend....we grabbed another tea and watched the Iowa game in our room. 

It was an INCREDIBLE game - a big win over Ohio State, and a really fun game to watch. 

After the game we got dressed and decided to have a drink downstairs before we headed out for dinner.

The bartender made me a really yummy (and annoyingly expensive mocktail), but it was pineapple, cranberry, and club soda in a martini glass with a lemon twist. 

 

We had dinner back in Sheboygan at Stefano's, and if you ever find yourself in Kohler - I would highly recommend you fit dinner at Stefano's into your itinerary. 

I didn't take many pictures, but we started with a great cheese plate and then each had bowls of pasta that were just so authentic and delicious - and we didn't leave the place feeling grossly full.

It was a perfect, romantic, lovely dinner spot.

Sunday morning we planed to have brunch at the hotel, but neither of us felt like a heavy buffet so after enjoying sleeping in a bit (thanks Daylight Savings!) we  (sadly) checked out, and stopped for a quick breakfast at The Daily Harvest in Sheboygan (wouldn't run there, but it fit the bill).

 

 Joel indulged me by letting me listen to Christmas music the entire ride home, and we were home snuggling our little Leo just two and half hours later. 

The weekend was so relaxing, so zen, so easy and so us, and it was just what we needed after a whirlwind of the last few months (and an upcoming whirlwind of the next upcoming months!).

The List that doesn't End

Just this week actually, we have lived in our house for six months. 

I honestly can't believe it's been that long, and at the same time, it feels like we've been here for years. 

We've made a ton of updates to the house since we've been here, but it for sure feels like every time we cross off one item, I add another one to the list. 

We are still not sure about how high a priority our outside space is. We had a quote come in for our screened in porch that was honestly 3x what we were budgeting - and now I'm thinking about giving it some time before we screen it in anyhow.

And if that's case, can't I use that budget in other places? ;) 

The few things I'm obsessing about lately are window treatments in our guest bedrooms (actual necessities because we've literally hung sheets up when guests have stayed over which kills me), installing a gas converter into our fireplace (a not fun job that costs quite a few hundred dollars and will be done in the fall), changing out our door knobs/hinges, and lastly  a new chair for our living room.

I think the first job to be done is to have someone install , or order (does anyone have good expierence with Blinds.Com or HomeDepot DIY?) basic 2" wood blinds on both of our huge windows upstairs.

And after that job gets done, then I really want to pull the trigger on a chair for this spot.

I'd like to move the table with the lamp on it to to the side of the fireplace, and create a cozy little corner that will really complete and fill out our living room.

The colors in my living room, I think, would do really well with an oversized, buttery soft, broken in leather chair, so that's what I'm on the hunt for. 

 

 

Christmas is around the corner, right???? 

Our Christmas Season Musts

Tis the Season for Traditions - and as most that know me well can tell you - I love me some good traditions! 

Going back in time 2014 (to be exact), much of our traditions have still stuck, but over the years, we've added a few more.

I truly this its the sense of celebrating the small things that make this season so special.

 

::: Festive Drink-ware! :::

I cannot have my coffee in the morning without using a Christmas mug....and its pretty much turned into a rule. If the dishwasher hasn't been run, I'll hand wash it just to be sure that it's happening! 

::: High Tea :::

We have a lot going on this year, and normally we try to make a reservation at The Peninsula to soak in the Christmas cheer, but we haven't gotten our acts together, so we talked about bringing high tea to our house. Cutting out the cost of a babysitter makes life a lot easier - and since no one will have to drive, we can indulge in more than a few glasses of champagne! 

::: Christmas Jammies :::

 

No other pajamas are allowed on my children from Thanksgiving until New Years Day. It's a new rule that started this year because I. Can't. Get. Enough.

::: Christmas Books :::

I love pulling out books for each holiday, but there is something special about our Christmas books. They are so much fun to read to Leo, because through his eyes, I remember all of the excitement of Santa and elves and reindeer - and it excites me to go through it all again with him. 

 ::: Gingerbread House Decorating :::

Obviously this year, Leo will do more playing with the box then the actual house, but I bought a little starter kit at Target that we are going to cut our teeth on! 

::: Christmas music and candles ::: 

I can get a little stingy with candles - but not this time of year. We have candles lit in the house from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep! They just make the house feel like Christmas so I bought a small fortunes worth! I also have been loving the Harry Connick Jr. station this year and it plays non stop! 

::: Elf :::

Joel and I are die-hard Elf fans, so we're hoping we can find a way to strap Leo down for at least 5 minutes to pretend like this was his first year "watching" Elf. It's always the first Christmas movie we watch together (because I've been binging Hallmark movies since early November) to kick off the Christmas movie season! 

Any small, fun traditions you do at your house that we should add to our list?    

Fall Season To-Do's

I absolutely love the newness that comes every September 1st - especially not having a fall baby - there is just so much fun anticipation that comes with this new season.

L.A., while perfect the other 3/4 of the year, has a very lack luster fall....so we really have to lay on the attitude of fall thick around here.

We're in full Octoberfest drinking, pumpkin candle burning, mode but we don't have the same crispness that I love.

Regardless, this is where we live and this is Leo's first time to actually enjoy the fall and the holidays, so I want to start a few fun fall traditions to keep the fun alive! 

::: Visit a Pumpkin Patch :::

 

I'm so excited for this! I want to stock on up on pumpkins, walk through a corn maze with Leo and find some smelly animals to pet.

::: Apple Pie Day :::

My family in Chicago all gets together every fall and bakes tons of apple pies. We make the dough and then once the pies are done, everyone goes home with 3 or 4 to stick in the freezer. A few are pulled out at Thanksigving and Christmas, and it just turns into a really fun family day. 

Leo and I are home for 3 weeks and I'm hoping we can align our schedule to be there this year for it!

::: Fall Photoshoot ::: 

 I'm most excited for this to-do because I'm desperate to a few professional shots of Leo now that he has grown up a bit, and I'd like to get a Christmas card out of the deal too! 

And, I'm going to beg my photographer, and son, to recreate this photo because I think it's beyond precious. 

:::  Find a fall-y, photoshoot approved outfit :::

I'm enlisting my mom's help on this one while we're in Chicago because lately I walk into clothing stores and walk out totally overwhelmed and preferring to not be anywhere near them! I think I'd rather shop for Leo!

::: Halloween Parties :::

 and find a costume for Leo! 

A few of my friends are putting together little kid approved get togethers, and I'm already giddy at seeing all of these babies dressed up in their sweet costumes!

::: Fall Art Project :::

We haven't done many art projects at home - mainly because the pros just don't outweigh the cons quite yet - but I want to start trying a few easy things this fall and maybe sending them out to friends and family too.  

::: Attend Alum Party :::

 In Chicago, you can find a bar every block that is filled with Hawkeye fans, but the picking is a lot lighter our here in LA. Last year we went to a few UT alum parties, and its just SO much more fun watching your team with other people rooting for your team! I'm determined to find a Hawkeye bar this fall! 

::: Volunteer :::

I'd like to find something that we can do as a family to volunteer are time during this season of Thanksgiving. At Christmas time we "adopt" a child at our church's giving tree and bring in gifts, but I want to start a yearly tradition of volunteering and doing something for someone in need. 

::: Run the 5k Turkey Trot :::

This is probably a bit ahead of "fall", but the word Thanksgiving got my mind ticking, and I want to make sure we stick to our other tradition of running a 5k Thanksgiving morning. This will be something like our 10th or 11th year doing so (including 8 weeks postpartum!) ! 

::: Stock up on decor :::

As I mentioned last week, I've got a $50 holiday budget burning a hole in my pocket! 

::: Invest in a new pair of boots ::: 

My absolute favorite Cold Haan riding boots are needing to be retired. I've had them for seven years, had them kept up by my shoe guy, but there's nothing he can do for them this year so it's time to find some newbies (and hopefully before our photoshoot!).