WE'RE HAVING A....

BABY!!

We are beyond excited to announce Baby M is expected to arrive January 2017!

I hope this helps to explain my prolonged absence, my first trimester was spent sleeping my evening away. Now that I am well into my second trimester, I am feeling MUCH better and am hoping to pick back up where this little blog of mine left off.

 

2015: Year in Review

Well, 2015 has proved to be another exciting year! 

Here is our annual year in review of some of the highlights.

And I have a feeling 2016 will be just as eventful!

We spent a weekend in Traverse City, touring many wineries, breweries, and tap rooms.

We kayaked to Turnip Rock.

We purchased our first pop-up camper and even got to break it in during our annual Halloween camping trip.

On Black Friday, we attended the coldest CMU football game of the year.

And lastly, I finally graduated!!

I hope 2015 treated you just as well.

Happy New Year!

Cheers to 2016!

Want to see more? Here's our past years in review...

    

Scenes from the Weekend

Well, I decided it's about time to this little blog of mine. Last week was my first week of my fieldwork placement, and I am not kidding when I say I have never been so exhausted in my life. Every day last week, I would get home around 6 and I was passed out on the couch by 8:30. Needless to say, blogging just wasn't in the cards for me, and I was beyond excited for the weekend!

Friday night, a local Tap Room had a Ciders, Meads, and Sour Ales Event. It was great to have an entire selection of beverages I would enjoy, as opposed to the usual 2-4 options.

Saturday, I got up bright and early and head to Detroit's Eastern Market with my parents. I always love taking a couple trips there each Spring/Summer, so I was pretty excited to go. We got some great deals and ended up filling most of the truck bed with flowers. I ended up buying most of my flowers and vegetable plants, but I am forcing myself to wait until after Memorial Day to plant them all. 

Saturday night, we headed to the World Expo of Beers in Frankenmuth to meet up with some friends. We tried some great beers and had a great time.

Sunday was a much needed day at home, relaxing, doing laundry, and getting some things organized for the week. I was able to get some of my outdoor decorations out and even redecorate my living room!

Happy Monday, have a great week!

Five Purchases I Can't Stop Making

I have a confession: whenever I go shopping, I buy the same thing over and over. It is a common trend that I have started noticing. Before even going in to a store, I can tell you what I most likely will walk out with. Here are the five purchases that really break my bank:

5. Fabric

I am absolutely in love with all of Hobby Lobby's duck canvas fabric. I could spend hours looking through their collection and imaging each and every one somewhere in my home. I would say I end up buying fabric at least 75% of the times I enter that store.  

4. Nail Polish

I have always loved stopping buy the aisle full of nail polish when making my weekly grocery trip. More recently, I have become a huge fan of Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel. It truly is like having gel nails without the lamp, and even better, without the damaged nails. 

3. Yarn
I've gotten a little better about this now that the weather is warming up and "crochet season" is coming to an end, but from September to March, you can find me scooping up my latest favorite color of yarn to add to my stash.

2. Office Supplies

More specifically, all of the pens, pencils, notepads, and stationary I find every time I shop Target's Dollar Spot. I just can't help it! It's all so stinking cute and I know I will use it all... eventually.  

1. Candles
Candles are by far my biggest weakness. I just can't say no to all the wonderful scents. Normally, I am a Bath and Body Works candle fanatic with the occasional Yankee Candle purchase. But lately, I  I am loving the Everyday Luxe Collection that I have been finding at TJ Maxx. I just purchased Cherry Blossom, Peony Gardens, and Sugared Citron last week and love every single one of them.

With all of these repeat purchases, I sometimes think I have a problem. Then I tell myself there are worse things I could be spending my money on and buy them anyway. On that note, I am really hoping Adam doesn't come across this post. He hasn't caught on to my bank-breaking habits yet, and I'd like to keep it that way :) 

What are some of your favorite things to buy?

My Michigan Bucket List

I am a Michigan girl, born and raised! Since I have lived here my entire life, there are many beautiful places in the mitten that I have traveled, but there are still so many more that I want to see! This is a list of Michigan cities that I have either never been to, or I traveled to when I was younger but didn't appreciate it as much as I would now.  

1. Traverse City: Wine, wine, wine. Need I say more? In all seriousness though, I would LOVE to tour all the wineries up the peninsula, and I know there are plenty of breweries that Adam would enjoy. Great scenery, a beautiful downtown, and right on the beach also put Traverse City on the top of my of my list.

2. Grand Rapids: Another city that always seems to have so much going on, not to mention it has been named Beer City USA. Our first three stops would be Perrin, New Holland, and Founders.

3. Torch Lake: This lake is said to be the most beautiful lake in Michigan. Judging from the pictures I have seen, it has most definitely earned it's reputation. I would have absolutely no problem spending a week one summer on Torch Lake!

4. Ann Arbor: I have heard wonderful things of downtown Ann Arbor, and while I wouldn't necessarily need to vacation here, I think it would be fun to spend a day walking U of M's campus and shopping/eating downtown.

5. Pentwater: Another summer weekend destination to the beach please! It's true, we really do have the best beaches.

The best part about My Michigan Bucket List is how close each of these cities are. There is no need to use a week's vacation and pay for a flight to travel to these places because all of these places can be visited on the weekend.

What are some places in your home state that you would like to visit?

Anyone planning a trip to Michigan? 

Have a GREAT weekend!

Four Things About Me

I found this post last week from Ericka over at This Crazy Thing Called Life. Since I have been noticing some new visitors around here, I thought it might be a fun "getting to know me" post.

Four names that I go by:
1. Mel
2. Mel-Bel
3. M-Rizz
4. Melonhead (I was called this in elementary school and a family friend still enjoys calling me this)

Four jobs I've had:
1. Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehab
2. Child Care Provider
3. Substitute Teacher
4. Building Supervisor at the rec facility at CMU

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. Couple's Retreat
2. Life As We Know It
3. Taken
4. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

Four Books I'd Recommend:
1. Arranged by Catherine McKenzie
2. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. Two Kisses For Maddy by Matthew Logelin

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Saginaw, Michigan
2. Midland, Michigan
3. Lansing, Michigan
4. Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Four places I have visited:
1. Punta Cana, DR
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Bora Bora
2. Australia
3. North Carolina
4. Iowa (I miss my best friend!)

Four things I don't eat:
1. Meat
2. Potatoes
3. Fish
4. Paczki's

Four of my favorite foods:
1. POPCORN
2. Ice cream
3. Pizza
4. Mexican-- any and all of it.

Four TV shows I currently watch:
1. Bachelor
2. Scandal
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Big Bang Theory

Four all-time favorite TV shows:
1. Prison Break
2. One Tree Hill
3. Veronica Mars
4. The OC

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:
1. Graduating!
2. Our trip to Traverse City in a few weeks
3. Spending our summer weekends on the boat
4. Running a race or two.

Well, I hope you feel like you know me a little bit better now! Let me know if you do a similar post so I can make sure to read it. I love getting to know my blogging friends better!

Happy Hump Day!

A Crocheted Christmas Story

This Christmas, only one person on my list received a handmade gift. Now, before you assume it was because I was lazy and lacking any creativity, I must defend myself and say that was not at all the case. It's just that the gift given to the one person who received the handmade gift was a very time consuming project, and quite frankly, it's a miracle I finished in time. Because of this, I didn't have nearly as much time as I normally do to make handmade gifts for those on my list. 

This fall, my family came over to visit. As I think I have mentioned before, we refused to turn our heat on until November 1st, so some of our October evenings were a bit chilly. Without hesitation, my sister walked through the front door and grabbed a blanket, a crocheted blanket that had just been given to me as a gift from Adam's grandma. She commented on how much she would like one of her own and I told her that Grandma Muszynski would be happy to make her one. Her response: "Well it would mean a lot more coming from you." I laughed and told her there was no way I had time to make a blanket for her since I was already making one of my own. 

A few days later, my sister sent out her Christmas list and somewhere near the top read "a crocheted blanket (hint hint Melanie)." I figured if it meant that much to her, I would ask Grandma Muszynski for the pattern and have her teach me how to crochet her famous blankets. A few weeks later, we went to visit her and sure enough, she gave me three copies of the pattern, told me what kind of yarn to buy, and the cheapest places to buy it. She offered to make the blanket for me, telling me that it would only take her about a week. I heard my sister's voice in my head and kindly declined.

I remember this day fondly, as it was the last time I saw Grandma Muszynski. Sadly, she ended up in and out of the hospital with pneumonia in November. While in the hospital, I remember her asking how the blanket was coming along, and we would send her pictures of my progress, which at that point was only about 18 inches. I couldn't wait to take it with us for our next visit on December 12th. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to show her. She went back into the hospital on Thanksgiving and never recovered. She passed away December 9, 2014.

Before that day, I can honestly say the blanket was less than halfway done. I had planned to work on it more once I finished school and told everyone I would finish it by Christmas, but in my head I had my doubts. After that day, I told myself there was no choice, I needed to finish that blanket by Christmas, not only for my sister but for Grandma Muszynski, as well. I crocheted every free moment I had, for hours at a time, and I know she gave me the motivation to do it. It became my way of coping with losing her. As I crocheted, I thought about all the memories I had of her and how proud she would be of me if I finished it.

After two months, I ended up finishing the blanket on December 22nd. It was a wonderful accomplishment to say that I finished my first ever crocheted blanket! I know Grandma Muszynski was on the beach somewhere, drinking an ice cold beer, and watching with a smile as my sister opened it Christmas morning.

 It has been one month since Grandma Muszynski's passing, and I miss her like crazy! Although I wasn't her grandchild by blood, she always treated me as if I were one of her own and I have so many fond memories of her that I will cherish forever. I am hoping to continue to make these beautiful crocheted blankets in her memory.

Come back next week, because I will be sharing the pattern for this beautiful Crocheted Double Sided Shell Blanket!

Five Goals for 2015

After ringing in the new year, I thought it was only appropriate to set some new goals. I know what you're thinking. Another blogger making another list of goals that will not be reached. If this were any other year, I'd say you're probably right. But truth be told, I have given these goals a lot of thought. While each one will be a challenge for me, they are five things that I know I need to do. Okay, four things I need to do, and one I really want to do. 

1. Exercise: At least 5 days a week for 30 minutes. This NEEDS to happen.

2. Eat Less Junk: I need to say YES to snacking on carrots and celery and NO to those oh so yummy, but oh so bad for me bag of cool ranch doritos. This also includes drinking less alcohol, which is why I will be implementing a new rule: NO drinking on weekdays.

3. Save More Money: It's crazy to think, but I am definitely the saver around here! This is  mostly because all of Adam's money goes to bills, but also because Adam spends any "extra" money he has left. This year (more specifically at the beginning of the year, before I start working for free) I want to save more money the second that pay check comes in so it's not as tempting to spend later.

4. Get Organized and Stay Organized: I am talking everything from blogging to school work, cleaning out closets, dressers and kitchen cabinets, and creating a new filing system for our paperwork.

5. Read More: Up until the past year, I have always really enjoyed reading. I have books that have been on my reading list for a few years, and it would be really nice to enjoy reading some of them.

I am feeling pretty determined to make sure these things happen this year, and I am hoping that by posting them here, I will feel a little more accountable for each of them.

A few other things I'd really love to do this year? Add more items to my Etsy shop and a few more room makeovers. There's been talk of tackling the half bath, laundry room, and guest room.

What are your goals for 2015?

I'd love to hear about them!

2014: Year In Review

I don't know about all of you, but New Year's Eve sure snuck up on us this time! When I first set out to create our 2014 year in review I thought to myself "man, this year was boring!" But after brainstorming with Adam, we were able to come up with quite a few things to throw in. 

I was a bridesmaid in my best friends wedding...

Adam came in first place in a golf outing....

and Lucy attended her first baseball game, Bark in the Park Night at Dow Diamond.

 We ran our first 10K together after training for what felt like forever...

And went to a home football game cheering on our Central Michigan Chippewas!

We finally got to ride a tandem bicycle around Mackinaw Island, something I've wanted to do for years...

And we spent Labor Day walking the Mackinaw Bridge!

To say this year was boring would be a lie. While we may not have had any big life changing events in 2014, we have done some pretty awesome things. It's been a year full of wonderful memories, and I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring (let's hope it involves me finally graduating)!!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Want to see reviews from previous years?