I’ve seen several bloggers create a 19 in 2019: A list of 19 things to do in the year. I know I’m a few months late since we’re now in March, but I thought this ideas sounded like a fun way to help me tick off some of the items on my New Life Resolutions list, so I decided to do the same.

So, in no particular order, here are my 19 things to do in 2019:

1. DIY a big boy bed. Nick thinks we can put together a toddler bed for Sebastian pretty easily. We’ve found some detailed plans on Pinterest so we’re going to give it a try. Wish us luck!
2. Attend a wine tasting. I’ve done this before but I want to do it again! Taste all the wines!
3. Complete one big house project. I swear this one was on our list before the flooding mishap, so I’m leaving it on this list and will count our new floors toward this one.
4. Go camping. My family went camping a lot when I was kid and I have very fond memories of toasting marshmallows on campfires. I also love being outdoors, especially at night when you can hear the tree frogs and crickets playing their beautiful songs. I’d like to pass this love on to my own family.
5. Volunteer. I’d like to do more volunteer work in my community and include Sebastian, especially as he gets older.
6. Read a classic. There are a lot of classic novels out there that I’ve missed out on so I want to read at least one now that I’m an adult.
7. Complete a landscaping project. Namely, our back yard. We need to clean it up and put in better drainage. The back yard is one of the features that sold us on our house but a lot has happened over the years to destroy it so we need to take care of it. This is the year we do it.
8. Participate in a yoga challenge. I don’t know what kind of yoga challenge yet, but I figure this might help me get back into practicing yoga more regularly.
9. Host a small, fancy dinner party. I just think dinner parties are fun. And I want to host one where we can all dress up, because I feel like I never get to dress up anymore!
10. Paint/renovate the laundry room. We’ve wanted to do this since we moved in so it’s about time we do it.
11. Konmari my closet. If it sparks joy, I keep it. If it doesn’t, I thank it for its service and move on.
12. Bake a fancy cake. Maybe it’s all the cooking & baking shows we’ve been watching lately but I want to try my hand at baking a fancy cake with pretty icing, fondant, and decorations.
13. Do at least 3 new things. It’s time to get out of my comfort zone!
14. Create a new family tradition. Because we’re a family of three now and it just feels right.
15. Take a photography/Photoshop class. I’ve had a nice camera for a while but I need some guidance on taking (and editing) truly awesome photos.
16. Catch up on my scrapbooking. I love scrapbooking and have several of them, but after Sebastian came along, I didn’t have much time to devote to them. I have a ton of photos and things to put in my scrapbooks, so I’m going to intentionally carve out some time to spend with my glue sticks and books.
17. Plan a weekend away/staycation. How fun it is to be a tourist in your own town? Or even to visit the next town over that you hear good things about but you’ve never actually been. For example, I’ve heard lovely things about Hillsborough, NC but I’ve never been there. It’s only 20 minutes away, so a weekend get-away there is a perfect way to have a vacation on the cheap.
18. Send a hand-written letter/card to one person each month. There’s nothing better than receiving a hand-written letter or card in the mail, and I find writing and sending them to be just as fun.
19. Write a short story. I want to be a writer. I have lots of ideas. But I have a lot of confidence issues that keep me from writing. So this year, I want to write a short story. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, I just want to write one.

I’m looking forward to doing all of these things and make this the best year ever.

Ya’ll, I love Love LOVE Halloween and dressing up. It’s my favorite holiday and, in my opinion, the best time of the year.

Last year was Sebastian’s first Halloween and he actually got to wear two costumes, one at daycare and then a family one. He was a precious little fox by day, and then was Sebastian the Crab in our family Little Mermaid costume. We didn’t trick-or-treat because he was too young and we were too tired from working, but he’s going to be halfway to two years old this year, so I think we’ll have some fun! We haven’t quite decided what we want to do this year but Nick and I are pretty famous for our awesome couple’s costumes, so I wanted to share some of our past costumes and maybe give you some inspiration if you’re also looking for matching/couples/family costumes. Enjoy!

For my baby shower, I made these simple, rustic centerpieces for the food and beverage tables. The Mason jars, vases, and burlap table runners are all leftovers from our wedding, and were perfect for decorating our BBQ-themed shower. I love that after 5 years, I could pull this stuff out and use it again. I picked up the wooden rounds at Target and the flowers were grocery store specials.

I think simple flower arrangements are the most elegant, so I stuck with one main type of flower and one to two complementing types. For these, the main attraction is the baby’s breath with the complementing daisy and the small pop of color from the yellow carnation.

I also think having a few smaller vases with only one or two flower stems added some visual interest and gave off a more casual vibe, which was perfect for our casual shower.

I love putting together flower arrangements like these, especially when we entertain, because they make the house feel so cheery and fresh. I feel like you can never go wrong with beautiful flowers in a vase on your table or shelf. What do you think?

We all know that Pinterest is great for inspiration, especially when it comes to putting together cute outfits, yummy new recipes, and DIY  projects to save you money. Sometimes the content you find seems too good to be true and, in my opinion, that’s usually because it is. However, there are a few Pinterest hacks that really do work, and they work so well that I use them on a regular basis. They’ve changed my life so much that of course I have to share them with you!  Click or use your arrow keys to read through the hacks I use.

Which hack do you think would make your life easier?

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! Nick and I dressed up as a Pawnee Goddess and Pawnee Ranger from my favorite TV show of all time, Parks and Recreation, starring Amy Poehler. I think we did a really good job with this one, but I apologize that we didn’t get better quality photos.

The Goddess Pledge: “I am a Goddess, a glorious female warrior. Queen of all that I survey. Enemies of fairness and equality, hear my womanly roar. YEAH!”

Amy Poehler in NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Inspiration for my halloween costume. Image source: NBC

The Ranger Pledge: “1. Be a man.”

Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson and Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation
Image source: NBC

This year, the furbabies got in on the action while helping pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters! Chico is a pumpkin and Mia is a princess.

And to keep the Halloween spirit alive, I wanted to share a few photos from the beautiful cemetery across the street from the apartment I stay in half of the week. I love walking through here with the dogs. It’s stunning and peaceful.

The photo above is just kind of eerily pretty.

Now, when’s Thanksgiving? 😀