Eye drops. Antibiotics. Cough Suppressants. You name it, we probably have it in-stock here in our kitchen's mini-pharmacy. These last few weeks have been nothing short of miserable.

 

In late December, just before the Christmas holiday, we all came down with a nasty bug. We finally thought we were all in the clear. after about a week. I then made a chipper update on the Facebook page & had super high hopes of catching back up before Christmas Eve.

 

Yep, I think that's the exact moment where I jinxed myself.

 

As soon as we thought we were better, a whole new set of ailments slammed us. I'll spare you the gory details. But it completely ruined almost the entire 2.5 weeks of vacation my husband was able to spend at home. I didn't even get 1/2 of the work done I'd planned on tackling. We were never able to finish all of our Christmas shopping. And all of those holiday treat deliveries I'd planned on taking to my wonderful doctors/nurses from 2015? Yep, I never even had a chance to do a single bit of baking.

 

The worst of it all was seeing my kids sick - and still seeing them sick, as my son continues to have remnant reactions to a newly-discovered Amoxicillin allergy. We have benadryl and cortisone on-hand for the random outbreaks of hives. They come on so quickly and so intensely, it makes me want to cry. Oh yeah, he also had to miss his first week ever (this week) of preschool. When do the hits stop coming? This sweet little man just CAN'T catch a break, I tell you. I think it's safe to say (and my husband would absolutely agree) he has inherited his momma's perpetual bad luck. =(

 

Please, Lord...let things start looking up soon. At least we have a new house to look forward to in 2 months, right? (We haven't even been out to see the progress in a couple of weeks, if that tells you anything about how life has been going lately!)

 

Clients, this month is going to be just as wild/crazy as the last & I promise you I'm trying my absolute darndest to get ahead of it quickly.  Each and every one of you is a priority & I so appreciate your patience. Your kindness, grace and understanding keeps my spirits up. I'm knee-deep in emails and am responding as quickly as possible. Please do bare with me for just a tad longer!

 

...and in an attempt to keep the morale up around here, my husband brought home flowers. Isn't he just the sweetest?

 

 

Best,

 

 

The outside of our home is finally coming together - the exterior has been painted white, the garage doors have been installed, the cement for the sidewalks and porches was poured this past week, and our pretty "Pewter" shingles are starting to go on the roof.

 

 

 

One thing I also love doing when visiting the house is walking through the inside. Even though there isn't much going on inside yet, I still love standing in some of my favorite spots & doing a little daydreaming. Below are two of my favorites - the front foyer and the breakfast nook off the kitchen.

 

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels pulled in 50 different directions at the moment?! Holy moly, this time of year is always a doozy for us. Looking at our December calendar already makes my head spin. Every year, it's the same old song-and-dance of juggling all of our obligations & to-dos. And it only gets harder as we add more kids to the mix.

 

Last year we had a lot of lows and "what ifs" lingering over us around the holidays. But after all we've been through this past year, I'm so much more aware of how life is SO precious and tomorrow is never promised. I find that every moment has something in which we can rejoice. This time around, I'm making a resolution to truly embrace the season.

 

In my resolution to be more intentional with our time spent as a family, I've created a holiday "bucket list" for us to check off this year. I thought this would be a fun way to help make the most of our holiday season together - our first as a family of four! =)

 

 

If you're interested in embarking on your own "bucket list" quest, click below for the free printable PDF version of our holiday bucket list! It's a perfect fit for just about anyone. (Don't forget to share photos of your ventures by using the hashtag #holidaybucketlist on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!)

 

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To Download, Click Here:

 

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