• Home,  Life

    Life Lately During a Pandemic + A Gender Reveal

    April 16, 2020

    Hi friends. It’s been a while. I just wanted to stop in and share how we’ve been doing during this crazy time and see what you guys have been up to.

    Well actually first, let’s start off with the elephant in the room. I’m so sorry to leave you guys hanging with the gender of Baby Zin 2! This is very silly but I didn’t get any pictures from our little gender reveal so I kept thinking that I was going to stage a picture or something so that I could post about it, but then everything happened with Covid-19 and I also just didn’t come up with any ideas for the picture. So instead of trying to make this perfect, let’s just share the video that we took and finally announce that Baby Zin 2 is a….

    boy! We’re going to have two little boys and we are so excited! Today is actually exactly three weeks until my due date, which is so crazy. We can’t wait to meet you baby boy!

    How we’re coping with living in a pandemic

    So now that I’ve finally filled you guys in, (😆) let’s get to what we’ve been up to during this pandemic. So for those of you who don’t know, we live in New Jersey, which is the second most affected state in the US. Our state is in near lockdown with many people out of work. Thankfully Tommy is still working though so our life hasn’t been affected too greatly. It definitely has been nerve-wracking though at times especially considering being pregnant and having a toddler.

    I do sometimes wonder if the nasty sickness that we had last month (that I mentioned in my last post) was the coronavirus. It happened the same week as we had confirmed cases in New Jersey. Testing was hard to access though so when I went to the doctors they weren’t testing anyone at that point. Hopefully sometime soon they’ll come out with an immunity test and we can find out.

    Either way though we are still being super cautious and Shane and I haven’t left the house basically at all. Tommy runs our errands with a face mask and hand sanitizer. We’ve also been doing grocery pickup or delivery to limit his time in the stores. Once anything comes into the house we wipe it down with Clorox wipes. We are doing everything we can and then trusting God with the rest.

    What We’ve Been Up To

    To be honest with you, we are homebodies to begin with so this hasn’t changed our world up too incredibly much. Although it is different because we can’t attend church or run to the store when we’re feeling tired of being in the house. We’ve been doing our best to stay busy anyway though.

    I thought I’d share what we’ve been up to so that we can have this to look back on and maybe give some ideas of things to do too.

    Lots of baking

    We’ve been eating at home a lot more, which has been kind of nice in it’s own way. Shane loves baking so we made cookies together one night. We also made our sweet puppy a birthday cake because her birthday was on Saturday. And I made homemade bagels, which were seriously amazing and am planning to make again soon.

    Some home projects

    I painted the windows in Shane’s room, which look so much better. I still have five more windows to do in the house before we’ve finally gotten rid of all of the brown. 😅

    I’ve also been really starting to feel the nesting bug come on again and am planning on getting to a few more home projects within the next month or so. I will try to remember to take pictures so I can share.

    Cuddling, singing, + crafting

    Basically we’ve just been keeping busy anyway we know how. We’ve been keeping up with our digital church services, which Shane has been loving. It’s been so cute to watch him sing and dance. I’m actually going to really miss being able to do that as a family when we do finally go back.

    We’ve been cuddling, watching movies a lot and doing some crafting to pass the time. We’ve also been going on some walks when the weather is nice enough to.

    Basically that’s been about it since I last posted. What have you guys been up to? How are you handling the pandemic? I’d love to hear from you!

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  • Coffee Dates,  Life

    Let’s Have Coffee | Vol. 17

    January 16, 2020

    If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it was Shane’s 2nd birthday on Sunday! I would tell you all about our day and share that it was such a special day and that we had so much fun! I would also share that I can’t believe we have a two year old! Time goes by so so fast!

    If we were having coffee, I would likely talk about how I am just itching for summer to come back already. We are just dying to get back to the beach. The winters are just so long and we always feel like we are just stuck inside with nothing fun to do. I would ask what you do to get out of your house during the cold dreary months.

    If we were having coffee, I would ask how your new year is going. I would ask if you set any goals this year and would love to hear about them. I would share that I don’t really do specific goals but would really like to start. I would ask you how you stick to your goals. I struggle with even really remembering what my goals are and have a hard time really picking what’s important to focus on anyway.

    If we were having coffee, and we were really close, I would probably talk about my struggle to really find my footing as a stay at home mom. I would explain that its hard to explain but that I do really love staying home and being the one to care for my son. I don’t ever seriously consider that as not an option and am incredibly grateful to be able to have the opportunity to do it. But at the same time there is just a longing to be able to help more financially and to have another “part” of my life.

    If we were having coffee, I would share that part of challenging myself to 90 days of no social media was to help me hear from God and to get some clarity about my struggle as a stay at home mom. I would say that God has shown up a lot so far and that I’m eager to share more once it makes more sense.

    If we were having coffee, I would ask about how you’ve been, really been. I would want to know the exciting things happening in your life as well as what you were struggling with. There’s something so special about sitting together in a coffee shop and sharing our hearts with each other.

    Linking up with Lecy. p.s. friends, I have some exciting news coming to my blog on Monday! Don’t miss it! 😉

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  • Life

    Friday Favorites | Vol. 9

    March 8, 2019

    I haven’t done a Friday Favorites since August 18, 2017!!! But I want to start doing them more consistently. I think it’ll be a fun way to incorporate a little bit of our day-to-day into the blog every week!

    o n e

    FEELING LIKE A HUMAN AGAIN! I intended to start this post last Friday but we all came down with the stomach bug last week!! It was horrible! But I’m so thankful for all of us to be feeling better again and to get back into our regular routine. You really don’t realize how thankful you are for the mundane life until you get sick or something not so great happens!

    t w o

    Packing away baby things! While part of me is sad that Shane is getting further and further from the baby stage, part of me is excited to move on. I had a pretty hard first year as a mom (as I’ve mentioned before), and it’s been really fun to get my footing a little more and move past the hard times.

    Anyways, I’m looking for a better way to store these bottles. Does anyone have any ideas? I’m thinking of buying a plastic storage container with a lid. I feel like maybe that’s the best way to do it.

    t h r e e

    cover

    Outings with my boy! 🙂 We are in the transition from switching from two to one nap so I’ve been trying to get out of the house more otherwise I run out of things to do with him by 10 am. 😅

    It’s been so much fun getting out and just running errands with Shane. It’s great for him too. He’s in this adorable phase where he’s pointing at everything and saying “dat” so we will tell him what it is. You should have heard him in Target!

    f o u r

    Get Chicken Quesadillas Recipe from Food Network
    picture via

    I am probably so late to the game on this but we’ve just recently been really enjoying quesadillas. I feel like this is probably a staple in many people’s houses and it’s definitely become one in ours! We’ve used this recipe and they come out great every time! What are some staples in your houses? I’m always looking for some easy but delicious meals to make!

    f i v e

    We have been loving Little Blue Truck lately. Shane just loves to read and particularly loves this one. We started out with Little Blue Truck’s Halloween and I meant to pick up the Christmas one but never did. Then I saw the classic one in the store a few weeks ago and just had to get it for him. And now it’s all he wants to read! 😂

    I’m always looking for new books for him too because we are slowly building his collection. What books are your kids favorites?

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  • Life

    Currently | March 2019

    March 6, 2019

    Scheming //

    According to google, the definition of scheming is: “given to or involved in making secret and underhanded plans.” So according to this definition I suppose I’ve been sort of scheming new ways to grow our Etsy shop.

    We’ve been working with other bloggers and have a few collabs set up for over the next month or so. I’m super excited to see how this affects our shop’s growth. We’ve been getting roughly one sale a week for a while now so I’m interested to see if there is any growth after our collabs. 😊

    Reading //

    I honestly haven’t been reading anything the past month or so. I really like reading but I have a little bit of an obsessive personality so when I start a book all I do is just read all the time. I have a hard time focusing on other things because all I want is to find out what happens in the book!

    Hopefully I can learn a little bit of self-control and can start reading here and there and also do other things as well so I can read a bit more consistently.

    Buying //

    I had to check my recent Amazon orders to answer this. So in short, not much!

    But I did order a couple practical things for our home. Sponge holders?? I bought this little basket for our kitchen sink and these hooks for the shower. And while they are small and may seem insignificant, those types of things give me joy. 🤣 I love when everything has it’s own place!

    Making //

    I’m hoping to make some yummy muffins this week. I would like to make a healthy, filling muffin to give to both my very picky one year old and my husband to take to work. Let me know if you have any good suggestions!!

    I used to make these a bunch and am thinking about making them again soon.

    Accomplishing //

    I’ve already touched on this a bit but accomplishing growing our Etsy shop. I’ve been adding a few new items and it’s been really fun and fulfilling to have a little side thing in addition to being a stay-at-home mom. I’m so thankful to have a place to work and make just a little bit of extra money for our family!

    What about you? Do you have a “side hustle”? I honestly hate that phrase but I’m not sure what else to call it haha. If you don’t, do you want one? I know not everyone even has the desire (or time!) to have one.

    Linking up with Anne today.

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  • Etsy,  Life

    What’s Up Wednesday / Feb 2019

    February 27, 2019

    It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a What’s Up Wednesday but it is still one of my favorite linkups — especially to look back on years later!

    What We Are Eating This Week:

    Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers are perfect for game day, a cozy supper at home, or any night you're craving an Italian feast! Serve over pasta, or with provolone and crusty rolls. | iowagirleats.com
    Image + recipe
    • I am planning on making this recipe of Sausage and Peppers tonight except serve it on long rolls instead. I have made it soo many times. It’s honestly so delicious!
    • I also think I’m going to making these quesadillas this week as well. I just found this recipe and starting making quesadillas a few weeks ago and OMG. So good!

    What I’m Reminiscing About:

    Our first year married! 3 years ago! I can’t even believe it’s been that long. As I mentioned in my 2019 goals, my plans have been to organize all.the.things. So that’s what I’ve been doing and while deleted emails (from 2016) I came across all of the ones from when we were getting married. All of the wedding preparations and moving into our first apartment (which I still miss so very much). It was so fun to look back on.

    What I’m Loving:

    Honestly, just having so much more of a consistent routine with Shane. I feel so much more back to my “old self” as a second year mom than I did his first year. The first year was so hard for me especially since struggling so much with breastfeeding and I’m just so happy to finally feel settled into being a mom. And to be able to focus on others things along with being a mom.

    What We’ve Been Up To:

    Purging + Etsy mostly. Oh and I mentioned this yesterday but we are also doing a 30 day social media detox. It’s been so great and also a little bit hard. I will definitely share more when it’s over in a few weeks.

    What I’m Dreading:

    Shane’s one year blood work. 😢 I still need to call and make the appointment but am definitely not looking forward to having to take him for that!

    What I’m Working On:

    Fruit + Veggie Organizer

    Lots and lots and lots of Etsy. I’ve been having so much fun creating new products for our Etsy shop. We also have four (!!!) collabs set up with other bloggers within the next month or so! I can’t wait!

    What I’m Excited About:

    The weather to finally start warming up! Especially since Shane will be walking soon and we can start going outside more and playing! I have a feeling it’s going to be a really fun summer.

    What I’m Watching/Reading:

    • We’ve been watching The Good Doctor, This Is Us, and How To Get Away With Murder.
    • I recently read All The Little Lights and it was pretty good!

    What I’m Listening To:

    Website

    I’ve been listening to Risen Motherhood quite a bit lately. Some episodes are better than others in my opinion but it’s awesome to have a place to go to listen to Godly wisdom when it comes to motherhood.

    What I’m Wearing:

    These pajamas pants!! I finally broke down and stopped wearing my ratty sweatpants from high school 😅 to sleep in and bought a pair of these and omg they are amazing. So much more comfortable than those old sweatpants and so much cuter!

    What I’m Doing This Weekend:

    Hmm I’m not sure we have any set plans this weekend. We definitely will be working on those Etsy collabs though!

    What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month:

    I kind of mentioned this earlier but honestly just for winter to finally be over. March is my least favorite month because there’s nothing exciting going on and it’s the last month before warn weather is back.

    I think that’s about it for this month. I’m linking up with Shay + Shaeffer today. Come join us. 🙂

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  • Life

    Currently, June 2018

    June 7, 2018

    Two blog posts in one week?! Who even am I? Things feel like they are starting to finally be easier and Shane has been napping for longer stretches so I’m truly hoping to be able to blog more consistently. Let’s see what we’ve been up to recently, shall we?

    There are affiliate links in this post.

    T R A V E L I N G

    We just came home from a week in Florida to visit my grandparents. It was the first time they met Shane and it was so special. It went pretty well, although it was quite exhausting traveling with a baby. The picture above is us in the airport. Having Shane in that carrier was awesome for navigating the airport. He did so great!

    G R I L L I N G

    We actually just got a grill for the first time this year and we have been using it a bunch. I’ve made this salad a couple of times recently and it is amazing. It’s perfect for lunches or sides for dinner. We’ve also been eating way too many cheeseburgers since the weather has warmed up. Definitely need to take a break from eating those for a while!

    E X P L O R I N G

    We just explored the Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Florida. We also went there last year and had the most fun. The park is home to manatees during certain times of year. When we were in Florida last April we got the chance to boat with them (pictured above)! It was one of the coolest things. Unfortunately though this year it was too late in the season so we just walked around the park instead.

    P L A N T I N G

    We haven’t gotten to it yet, but I mentioned to Tommy that I’d like to plant a little garden in our front yard this year. If you have any tips for me, send them my way! I’ve never really planted a garden before but am looking forward to it this year.

    P L A Y I N G

    source

    Board games! While we were in Florida we picked up the games Risk and Scattergories and had a lot of fun playing those at my grandparents house. My favorite is definitely Risk. Definitely check that one out if you are looking for a new board game to play. It’s definitely pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

    So that’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to the past month. What have you been up to? I’d love to hear from you!

    Linking up with Anne and Owen.

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