Well, I think almost everyone knows. Yesterday we made it Facebook Official *rolls eyes* and announced that we are expecting our second little bundle of joy.

Yes. A second little one! I'm ecstatic, nauseous (thank you first trimester), and ready to get moving on all the things that I want to get done before this little one arrives. It's quite the list, let me tell you.

I still am in awe of the God that I serve. This little one will be born approximately 18 months after Daniel entered the world. Eighteen months. Guys this is crazy to me. I honestly didn't think that God's plans for us would be so overwhelmingly satisfying and abundant (stupid me).

I dreamed of having my own children. I had given over that dream to God letting Him tell me what He wanted for us. I was open to adoption. I was open to fostering. Heck, I was open to any kind of anything that He wanted to give us. I knew that no matter what His plan for us was, that it would be utterly fulfilling and my cup would always be full--if I was willing to embrace it that is.

When we first found out that we were pregnant with Daniel, I remember feeling in shock. Weeks before we got that positive pregnancy test, I had struggled on hand and knee crying out to God asking Him to please just show me a part of His plan. I was broken before Him. I was open, shattered, and willing--but I just needed something to give me direction. And He comforted me. The weeks up to finding out we were pregnant were so satisfying. I remember enjoying every moment with Jonathan. I wasn't worried about getting pregnant, I was instead satiated by the life I was currently living.

And just like that, completely unexpectedly, we were pregnant.

Just for the record, I don't believe that this is because I finally relaxed and my body was able to do it's thing. No. It was because of God. It was His timing. It was His plan. I had truly given over my most vulnerable desires at the time and He knew. 

This time around we weren't really planning anything either. We have been enjoying our little family of three. Things have been a bit chaotic as we go through some big business changes for Jonathan. Having another little one, while not exactly unexpected, was definitely not on our radar.

And then God.

As we start this journey again, I'm entering it much the same way I did last time. I'm completely at peace and excited to experience this pregnancy. I'm excited that Daniel will have a little brother or sister so close in age. I'm excited to make room in our cozy little house for another precious babe. I look forward to seeing my stomach expand and feeling the punches and kicks of new life. I'm looking forward to welcome a winter baby!--something completely different and exciting!

All this to say, I'm so thankful and humbled by this unexpected blessing!

Six Hours Later

So, there has been a change of plans.

Rule #1: NEVER, ever, ever expect things to go according to the plan. Home improvements are just not meant to fit into a nice, tiny box and be tied up with a pretty red bow. Nope. They have a mind of their own. Things change. Projects are inevitably expanded and cost more money. So, thus, projects get cancelled so they don't drain the pocketbook.

 Remember when I was really excited about our plans for the sun porch? Well, they have been put on hold. On our way back from my roommate's wedding, this past weekend, Jonathan and I were discussing plans for the sun porch. He commented that we needed to insulate out there and thus the walls needed to be ripped down. Well, upon further discussion we realized that it would cost us at least a grand to redo the porch.

Sun porch project is now a pending process.

How's that for alliteration?

Long story, made short, we really didn't want to start a project that we couldn't fully fund from the beginning. We have the money in our savings, but are working on building up our emergency fund. So that money is not truly available. Plus, we estimate that it would cost about the same to redo our guest bedroom. Well if that is the case, we should do that first! A guestroom is much more important than a sun porch.

Needless to say, we were both pretty sad about the situation. We were really looking forward to having another room finished--seriously, look at the state of that space!! Having that tower-o-boxes unpacked was an exciting thought. So I got to thinking, "Why not just do something out there that would look nice and be a good temporary solution?"

And that is exactly what I did.

My goal was to utilize the mattress that was out there and also unpack a majority of the boxes. I also wanted to make sure that the space still functioned. This meant that at least one dog pen and various other things that have been stored out there, needed to continue to have a home. Easier said then done. But the room couldn't get much worse than it was before.

First I cleared the space out as best I could and then gave everything a good vacuum, sweep, and mop. At this point the room was smelling lemony-fresh! Plus, all those balls of hair just had to go. Definitely not the accessory that I was going for :)

I decided to buy another white bookshelf--those cheap $15 Walmart bookshelves are really great in a pinch. I also bought a fitted sheet to use on the queen mattress and create a temporary place to read books. I brought in a rug that I had on hand and got rid of the old, stained green one. Finally, I used a bunch of things that I had stored in the guestroom to gussy things up a bit. I really like the overall result. Definitely an improvement. :)

I surprised Jonathan with it last night...and all he has said since then is, "Wow. I just can't get over how nice it looks!" --That's my man!