The Sunday Currently, vol. 16

Reading:  The Light Between Oceans still.  I'm about half way through and it's fantastic so far!  

Writing:  valentines notes to girl friends!  Some of you may find one "pop up" in your mail box this week =)  

Listening:  background music in Starbucks.  

Thinking:  that it will be nice to have a few weeks off from my morning job in February.  It will give me time to catch up on things around the house.  

Wishing:  that Sundays would last forever!!!  They always fly by wayyy too fast. 

Hoping:  that the snowdrops show their faces soon.  I think I'm ready for spring now!

Wearing:  a maternity black maxi skirt and a really warm sweater.

Loving:  my new face wash and moisturizing lotion from Shu Uemura.  The face wash is actually a cleansing oil that leaves your face feeling moisturized and fresh.  A lady that works in Pottery Barn told me about it and how she has used the product for years.  She told me her age and the skin on her face totally didn't match her age.  She swore it was the products she used, so I thought I would give it a try.  If you're in your late 50s and you have no wrinkles, something must be good about the product!

Wanting:  to get back into the gym this month.  The doctor told me to start doing stairs and lots of walking.

Needing:  more relaxing weekends like this one.  

Enjoying: impromptu date nights with the hubby!!!  Last night we went to Church in the evening and then braved the snow to enjoy a delicious French meal at a local restaurant that we've been wanting to try for a long time.  

Feeling:  grateful for girl friends and long chats on the phone.  I can't seem to stay in touch with everyone as much as I would like. 

Clicking:  through my some of my favorite blogs and catching up a bit.

Grab a cup of coffee and a cozy blanket and enjoy 

a very relaxing Sunday!!!

xoxoxo,

Maggie 

Linking up with Lauren's Sunday Currently

Life's Random Moments and Thoughts

So thankful to my wonderful mother-in-law for a lovely afternoon trip into Gap to buy my very first maternity outfits!  She is such a thoughtful, sweet and fun woman and I really enjoyed our shopping trip together, even if it had to be quick.  Such a funny feeling not fitting into my old jeans anymore!

My poor husband has been really sick since last weekend and I'm grateful he is now on the mend.  We had ourselves a little lunch date at Potbellies today, during which we enjoyed some background jams and discussed summer plans.  He doesn't remember me mentioning the idea of Hawaii while he was sick, so I'm glad I brought it back up.  =)  His family will be going this summer and they asked if we wanted to make the trip.  We both decided today that it's a YES!!!!!  I'm really happy and excited that we will have a nice long week together with his family creating memories with them before our little baby arrives!!!  Any chance to spend extended periods of time with his family is always a wonderful thing!  I foresee many relaxing days spent together on the beach with good books in our hands.

Fast forward a year or two and we would love to take our baby to London on a little family trip.  Call me crazy, but I really want to travel as a family, while our children are little.  I think it could mean real adventures!  I've always wanted to go back and take my hubby with me!

Next I can't wait to tranform our spare bedroom into a children's nursery.  I want it to be very, very simple, but also extremely appealing and a relaxing place to spend many hours with our little babe.  I don't want any clutter, but I do want the room to look complete, with only the necessities, books and toys that are "necessary" for child's play and story time.

Right now I'm basically a food tornado in the kitchen, well at least for anything that's considered a fruit. I'm constantly craving grapes, apples, clementines, strawberries, kiwis and mango smoothies.

I can't wait to visit my best friend next month.  I haven't seen her enough since my wedding in October.  I think I got used to our monthly visits with one another and have been suffering from withdrawal.  I need some sister time with this girl!!!!  Then maybe I can sneak on her laptop and check out all her awesome pictures from her trip to Europe! =)

Hip, hip hooray for Fridays and the weekend!!!

xoxoxo,

Maggie

Life Lately

Has involved cutting sweets out of my diet, as much as possible.  It's hard when friends give you homemade caramels and trays of delectable truffles! 

I'm quickly realizing that I NEED to go back to an indoor gym.  It's been way too cold outside to make any progress as far as exercise goes.  I'll probably be looking into a mini membership during the months of February, March and April. 

Being pregnant I have no energy or desire to cook.  My poor husband.  You know the groceries are low when he can't even come home and make himself a tray of chips and cheese.   It's time to go to market!!!

This weekend my hubby and I are heading out to the cabin to check on all the pipes.  I pray everything is okay out there with all this below zero business.  We have a couples weekend at the cabin in February and we'd hate to see us all get out there late at night only to find out that the pipes were frozen over.  On a happy note, all the couples can't wait for our long weekend together!  Our weekends together involve a wood burning stove, great food and lots of board games!!!

Last week was a long one.  It was a 50 hour work week between my two jobs with barely enough time for quick naps and good nights of sleep.  I'm definitely enjoying my day off from work today.  Oh what to do with "all" my free time.  

Life lately has also involved putting together a really important package that I had been meaning to pop in the mail for a long time.  I finally got my act together, packaged everything that needed to be in the box very carefully, taped that baby up reallll tight and then realized that I completely forgot all the important notes that were supposed to be in that darn box!!!!  Feeling accomplished enough that I actually put the package together, an email note sufficed just fine =)  Pregnant brain problems! Ha, ha it's been happening a lot lately. 

I really, really need to get a fresh hair cut and soon!  I haven't seen the hair stylist who did my hair for the wedding since the wedding.  She said to come see her and she would freshen it up and try something new and a little more drastic, I kinda like the sound of that!

It already feels like the weekend and that is a good thing.  I'm planning on grabbing some tunes for the road and The Light Between Oceans and spending some cozy snuggle time in front of the wood burning stove this weekend.  

What are your weekend plans?

Our Bundle of Happy News!!!

My hubby and I have some REALLY exciting news to share here on the blog!!!

If you didn't already know, or haven't already guessed, then yes, we are expecting our first bundle of joy this coming Fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Morrison is already very well loved and many people are excited to meet our little one this year.

Charles and I couldn't be happier or more proud of our little baby growing inside of me.

We still can't believe this is a reality for us.   I can't wait to see Charles holding his little newborn baby for the first time, he is going to be such a good papa. =)

The way we found out we were expecting was the funniest thing ever!

It was January 3rd and all afternoon that day I felt nauseous and kept finding myself overheating.  That night I was out to dinner with my mom, sisters and aunt in MN.  Even though I felt as sick as a dog, I tried ordering my favorite chicken tikka masala dish.  Unfortunately, I didn't even make it past 3 bites before I had to stop.   Our plans after dinner were to go and meet my cousin's little newborn.  Problem was, if I was actually sick with the stomach flu, then I wasn't going to be able to meet my cousin's new  baby.  =(  

So there I was, sitting in the middle of a restaurant, having to tell my family my little dilemma. 

My aunt perked up and said "no problem, there is a grocery store right across the street, you stay here and I'll be right back!"  Five minutes later, she was back with a pregnancy test and of course, a big bag of chocolates!!!  

So there I was, in the middle of Everest (the restaurant) where I found out we were all clear to go and meet baby Gerard and that I was expecting a little one of my own =) =) =) True story!

My hubby already thinks it's a girl and so.... the BIG romantic that he is,  I came home to this wonderful surpirse!!!  He is seriously the BEST =)

My first day back from MN I was off to the health food store where we stocked up on lots of vitamins and protein for little baby Morrison!
So far I'm feeling great, just extremely tired every day.  Life lately has included many, many beautiful and long naps for me and this little one.  It's crazy how different your while body feels when there is a little one growing inside of you, it's a beautiful and very powerful feeling!
I love it!!!
Thanks for sharing in our happy news =)

Pottery Barn Tables and Being Organized

At first I didn't think much of these little tables, but then....

I saw these pictures of how different people styled them and I fell in love with how they were used!

They work out perfect, even in the bathroom!!!

Some people just have a natural eye for styling their home.  Me, I like learning from other
people and adding a twist of my own.   Tables like these keep space tidy, simple and clean.  I can't stand clutter or a lack of organization.  But it's a process and a constant struggle.  I have my weak spots around the house where I'm always leaving piles or a mess.  We are still getting certain spaces in our home tidy and under control.  But for the most part, we are doing great!  Just the guest bedroom left to tackle and that's next on our hit list.
Can't wait to see what we get done in the upcoming year! =)

Honeymoon Part II

Oops, I forgot to post this from awhile back.

Our gorgeous view, every. single. morning. on our Honeymoon!

 While we ate out for pretty much all of our meals during our honeymoon, yes, including many breakfasts and dinners ;) we did decided to eat in one night!
 Tacos are my hubby's favorite meal and one of mine, too =)  

 A trip to the butterfly house.  It was pretty amazing!

 Nice butterfly on your butt, honey.

 We took a few long hikes through the mountains.  A great workout with no sweat because the air is so dry in AZ.  

 My husband spoils me....coffee in bed as the sun peeps in!!! =)

Still can't believe this was almost three months ago already.  Time really flies by when you're
happy and in love!

settling into married life

 Having been married for almost three months now, we are still settling into married life and will probably be doing so for the next year or more.  It is not something to be rushed, but savored.  I'm cherishing each step of settling into married life, making a house a home.
I love where we live!  The location is extremely convenient for visiting all our family members, for running to the store and getting to work.
The size of our place is perfect, not to big, not too small.  I don't like having to clean a large house, so for now, a two bedroom, two and a half bathroom living space is perfect for us!
There is plenty of room for a few more in this place. =)
On a large scale, being all grown up and married has meant new tires and a new dyer, sadly.   On a small scale it has meant new lamps, trash cans and light fixtures.
On another scale it has been the beautiful and precious treasures from our wedding that fill our house with personal touches that we call our own.

With Thanksgiving being a week later than usual and with Christmas time being right around the corner from our wedding, everything Christmas seemed rather rushed and really busy this year.  I'm looking forward to the next two months.  Hopefully it will be a lot less busy and give us more time to settle in.
Heck, for the time we've had and with everything going on,  I think we've gotten a bit done!
It has felt good.  Really good indeed.
I'm definitely looking forward to the New Year and all the adventures and surprises it will bring!

The Sunday Currently, vol. 15

Reading:  The Light Between Oceans.  

Writing:  notes to friends and family.  Between the holidays, wedding thank you notes, taking on a second little side job and settling into married life, it felt good to actually get around to ordering New Years cards to share with loved ones.  

Listening:  to A Nights Tale.  Zoning in and out between blogging and the movie.  Sundays are for relaxing.

Thinking:  that this will be a very short week.  I'm looking forward to an evening in the city for New Years Eve, even though I'll really be missing my annual New Years traditions with Rachel.  

Wishing:  that Sundays could last longer.  After using Saturdays for catching up around the house, Sundays come much appreciated.

Hoping:  that we get more snow this week.  Call me crazy, but I haven't had enough of it this winter.

Wearing:  zella yoga pants and a warm sweater.

Loving:  pickles lately.  More and more pickles, paired with icecream.  And no, it's not what you might think.  Just crazy cravings. 

Wanting:  to find a new gym to go running at.  I miss working out sooooo much!!!!!  I miss boot camp!

Needing:  to keep the side table in the above picture de-cluttered.  It's my new years resolution this year.

Feeling:  grateful for family and friends.  Can't wait to catch up with a dear dear friend from college tomorrow afternoon!!

Clicking:  through my some of my favorite blogs and catching up a bit.

Grab a cup of coffee and a cozy blanket and enjoy yourself 

a very relaxing Sunday!!!

xoxoxo,

Maggie 

Linking up with Lauren's Sunday Currently

It's still Christmas

While some people put their tree on the curb the day after Christmas, we are a little different in this regard.  Growing up, we typically didn't even get our Christmas tree until a few days before Christmas.   Yes, there was even one year when we picked out our tree on December 24th.  Talk about down to the wire!!! While at times it felt like we were "cutting it close" I enjoyed holding off, making the anticipation that much more exciting!   Plus, while everyone else was getting rid of their tree the day after Christmas, we were just getting into the holiday spirit as we celebrated Baby Jesus' Birth and could party on way past when most of the world was already done celebrating.  Now, I think I like a good balance.  I've decided this year that I don't like the bitter cold that can come with cutting down a tree later in the season.  So next year, we will probably be heading to the tree farm the weekend after Thanksgiving!!!

A big "thank you" to my good friend,  Tina for recommending a great camera!  An even better idea of hers to ask for it this Christmas =) My hubby surprised me Christmas day and I've been snapping away ever since: