So, so happy to be back here on the blog with you guys! I took some time away from the screen to enjoy time with the fam. It. Was. Fantastic. Spending the entire day with my girls without having to worry about posts and projects was an entirely new world. That being said, I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss this little blog of mine

I’d originally planned to just take the week of Christmas, but then life happened. Zoey ended up in the emergency room after having a high fever induced seizure. Most terrifying day of my life. But that’s maybe a post for another day.. or not at all. We’ll see. All is good now though, no worries

On a much lighter note, you guys haven’t peeked into our home in over two weeks and I’m dying to spill the beans. Nothing too major, but a few small additions that I’m still drooling over. Lets just jump right into it!

1- I made two separate trips to Home Goods since we last checked in, and I didn’t leave empty handed either time. We were in the area on the first trip (without kiddos) so Ricky and I popped in for a promised “5 minute browse”. Which happened, because the minute I saw this beauty I bolted to the checkout line. Do you ever find a product you love and then check over both your shoulders to make sure no one else sees what you’ve found? Yea, that happened. And if you love ceramic stools the way that I do, then you know that similar versions can run up to $300 and the least expensive version I’ve seen still runs just under $100. This babe was $50. Done. Deal. Perfect for beside our living room sectional to drop an extra drink, book, or (if you’re two) to actually use as a drum

2- Now, the second trip to Home Goods I was alone. Never good. You really can’t trust me in that store. Which is why I came home with a second one. Ok, ok, I know. Another ceramic stool? But you have no idea how long I have been stalking Home Goods for a ceramic stool of any kind, and to find one in the top two colors I wanted was just too good to pass up. And seriously.. If the stool didn’t want to be purchased, then it wouldn’t have yelled to me from across the store. Plain and simple. And I actually like this one more than the first, so I was able to justify the slightly higher price of $69. (similar version here marked down from $300 to $150)

3- Buying anything over $100 usually takes some serious contemplating for me. Especially on something that will be used solely to please my little design and organizing heart. Which is exactly why I’ve been going back on forth on the purchase of the Silhouette Cameo for months. In the end, I just couldn’t justify spending the money when we’re still dishing out $30 for friggin’ baby formula. So, when my hubs extremely generous dad surprised me with it on Christmas morning.. well, you can imagine my excitement. You guys. This is the mack daddy of electronic cutting. I foresee some serious labeling going on around here. This will not be the last time this guy makes an appearance on the blog.

4- If you follow me on twitter than you may have gotten a sneak peek at the next item on the agenda. An owl cookie jar. How can something so small consume so much of my love? I kid, but seriously. This thing is adorbs. I had a leftover gift card to West Elm from my birthday (thanks ma!), so this guy was f-r-e-e. Holla.

5- Anxious does not even begin to describe how I feel about reworking our entryway. I’ll probably only mention it 30-40 more times before it actually happens, but for any newbies, we’re planning an addition to our home this spring-summer, which will include a larger, main living area. What that means for the current living room- no more office space, no more sofa in the middle of the room, and less rooms suffocating from too much furniture. This is where our plans to work some function into the entryway come into play! This fantastic (and huge- 34″x14″) boot tray will be the perfect landing spot for wet shoes and muddy boots, which we never have a short of thanks to Ricky. Wiring brand new homes on sites surrounded by nothing other than mud can bring home a serious mess. Is it just me, or there something seriously sexy about a man coming home from a long day covered in sweat and dirt? Feel free not to answer that.

6- The last buy was sort of on a whim. Well, we’ve been looking for a better functioning option for the eggs in the refrigerator, and these adorable egg crates from World Market were only $5.99. So, naturally, I ordered two. One yellow and one white. One for the actual eggs and a second for holding my jewelry in the bedroom.