little projects

It's no secret that I'm a little completely obsessed with organizing and cleaning. Lately, I've been finding so many great ideas on pinterest and elsewhere, so I thought I'd make a list of ten great little ideas that I hope to accomplish soon!

1.
Paint and hang letters for our initials above individual towel racks/hooks... I've also seen this done with framed pictures. Not sure which idea I like best!

Source: somewhatsimple.com via Jess on Pinterest

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2.
DIY fridge shelf liners {plastic placemats}. So easy to clean and super cute.

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3.
Get food staples {pretzels, rice, flour, pasta etc} out of boxes, bags, etc and into clear containers for both in the cupboards and on the countertops.

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4.
Use a plastic silverware organizer to hold and label everyone's toothbrushes in a drawer... gets them off of the counters and out of cups. Also holds toothpaste and floss.

Source: indulgy.com via Jess on Pinterest

5.
Make a cute magnet board and attach magnet strips to makeup.

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6.
Print and organize favorite recipes into binders to put on the kitchen counter- love the rainbow. Would also probably doing something similar for all of our important documents and paperwork.

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7.
Colorful wall photo gallery for hallway. Either with different colored frames or mats. :)

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8.

Photo wall with string/ribbon and clothespins

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9.
Find an antique dresser to paint for our bedroom. Also add cute knobs or handles from Hobby Lobby.

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10.
Handpainted tree rungs.

Source: etsy.com via Jess on Pinterest

I'll be sure to post when I get around to doing each of these!

let's get real.

I think people often try to paint this perfect picture of their lives on their blogs. I mean, even when all hell is breaking lose, or the world seems to be crumbling apart around them, there they are with their bright, sunny, cheerful posts and pictures!

Well, I try not to do that. After all, the main reason I created this blog was to use it as a sort of living baby book, to document my life when my children were young {since we all know the time just flies by!}. That means I have to talk about the tough times, the not-so-good, along with the great, right? Right.

So, if you don't mind, let's get real for a minute.

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Lately, I've been seriously stressed out. This pregnancy is just flying by... I'm almost in the third trimester already {how did that happen?!}. It's been smooth sailing so far, thank God, but... folks, every night I collapse onto the bed utterly exhausted... and that's after a day caring for only one! Although things could change at any time, right now it looks like Aaron will be deploying to Afghanistan as soon as his two weeks of paternity leave are over.... if his first sergeant keeps his word and lets him stay home until after Sully is born. Everyone else is deploying in early May.

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I'm not trying to complain too much... I knew what I was getting into when I married my soldier. I knew that, most of the time, I'd be raising our kids on my own. But suddenly, it's really starting to sink in. The other day, at the grocery store, I nearly had a panic attack wondering how in the world I was supposed to buy food when there is only enough room for one baby in the cart. I mean, I guess I could wear baby Sully, but still. Then, while doing laundry, I realized that I will either be forced to do it at like 3am when both kiddos are sleeping, or tote them both AND a heavy laundry basket back and forth to the laundry room... which I don't even think is possible. I don't have enough arms or hands! Then there's the matter of bedtime... we've been shortening Elliot's bedtime routine lately, because what if {god forbid} Sully were to cry while I was rocking Elliot to sleep? Would I have to start the whole {rather tedious} routine all over again??

Elliot has absolutely no idea that he has a baby sibling on the way. His world is about to change in a big way, and we have no way to prepare him. He points at the ultrasounds and I'll say, "that's your baby brother!" but I know he doesn't get it. I feel bad, because I think he might resent the fact that this little creature came along and stole his mama from him. He'll enjoy having a brother to play with someday, though. I just keep reminding myself of that. My brother is almost nine years younger than me, and I would have done almost anything to have a sibling close to my age. As a young child, I was lonely and jealous of all my friends who had brothers and sisters. That's one of the main reasons we decided to have our kids close together- for them. I know that, but sometimes I still feel a little selfish. And I worry that poor Elliot will have a tough time adjusting.

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I knew going into it that having two kids under two would be hard, but I guess I always thought I'd have someone around in the first weeks or months, until I get settled into a comfortable routine and have really gotten a handle on the whole "mama of TWO" thing. Now it looks like I won't be so lucky.

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I love my husband, I love Elliot, and I love baby Sullivan, even though I haven't met him yet. I also love our little life, and all the doors the Army has opened for us. I guess I just need to remind myself to just take a breath every once in awhile and just relax. Everything will work out. At first, our life might not be perfect... things may be rocky... but it will be perfect for me. ♥

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To those of you with kids close in age...
how do you do it?
Do you have any tips/suggestions??

more reasons why we need to decide on a name!

You know, it's really bothering me that we still haven't been able to agree on baby boy #2's name. Why, you may ask? Well, first of all, I'd just like to know his name!

Second, I have a lot of crafting and decorating ideas that I'd like to get started on, but can't until we, of course, decide on his name. Because his name or at the very least his initial is involved.

I want to put all four of our initials (A, J, E, and....? along with a big G) on a wall in the living room, something sort of like this:

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or THIS:

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I also can't wait to add baby boy's name above Elliot's on the nursery wall. I plan to use chip decor letters and fun scrapbooking paper again, so they coordinate well with Elliot's :) Some other interesting ways to do nursery baby names are below:

Different sized letters- not sure why I never thought of this?

Source: google.com via Jess on Pinterest

and how cute is this?

Source: Uploaded by user via Jess on Pinterest

Cute, right?!
I know, I know... just pick one! If only it were that easy!

I may be brave enough to narrow our choices down to just three:
1. Sullivan Grey (Sully)
2. Finnian Jude (Finn)
3. Milo Benjamin
... but I'm not sure that I want to let go of Cyrus Grey yet, though... so we'll see.

Part of me thinks that the perfect name is still hiding somewhere, and we just haven't found it yet...

I've been driving my husband nuts with this name thing. So I'm sure we'll decide soon... if for nothing else, just so we can be done with it and my husband won't have to listen to me talking about names 24/7.
I'll be sure to let you all know when we do!

Christmas recipes!!

Blame it on the holidays, or the little one growing in my belly, but I have a SERIOUS sweet tooth lately. So I thought I'd share some of the recipes I want to try this Christmas season!

Peppermint oreo meringues:

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Cake Batter Cookies:

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Mint chocolate cupcakes:

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Little Christmas tree cookies:

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Peppermint Bark:

Source: domesticgoddessadventures.blogspot.com via Tina on Pinterest

Swirl Cookies:

Source: ouritaliankitchen.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

One word: YUM!

recipes, anyone?

Like I said earlier, I'm making an effort to post about things other than just Elliot on this blog. One thing that I really love to do, but rarely talk about here, is cook. Cooking is fun, even with a baby running through the kitchen in his walker, running over my toes and pulling down the dish towels. Call me old fashioned, but I love having dinner ready for my husband when he comes home from a long day at work.
When we moved to Texas, Aaron and I made a goal to try at least one new recipe every week. That means my lucky readers will have the pleasure of discovering new recipes along with me!
To kick things off, here's our very first recipe!


White Cheddar Broccoli Mac n Cheese {from the Craving Chronicles}
I absolutely LOVE Macaroni and Cheese. Seriously. Even the over-processed kind that comes in a box with a packet of bright orange cheese powder. For some reason, though, I've never really tried to make it myself. This will be my first attempt! To sweeten the deal, this recipe features one of my favorite veggies, broccoli. I don't know about you, but my taste buds are excited!

Ingredients
3 cups frozen baby broccoli florets
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups milk
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
salt to taste

Directions
Steam broccoli 5-10 minutes, until tender.
*the original recipe said to microwave the broccoli, but we avoid using the microwave whenever we can.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add elbow macaroni. Boil according to directions until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to form a paste (roux). Cook 1-2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste. Slowly pour in milk, whisking briskly to remove lumps. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in shredded cheese. Add salt to taste.

Add drained macaroni back to pot. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, add broccoli, and stir to combine. Devour.