five on a much-needed friday

I've never been more excited for a Friday in my whole life. Friends, it's been a week. Truly and honestly, this week has tested me in every single way possible. I sound like such a mopey person when I say that, but truly, everything has been very overwhelming this week. I'm prone to anxiety and depression, and all those waves of emotion flooded me in every way possible this week. I'm so grateful for all your sweet words and encouragement on my last post though. Today, I'm linking up with A. Liz Adventures and Meet @ the Barre.

I'm thrilled to have a Friday and a four-day weekend with Ryan, and I'm really working to turn my perspective on this trying season around. So, in the spirit of keeping myself sane and remembering the good, rather than the crazy, I'm posting five things that are making me happy and keeping me going this week.

1. From the Ground Up by Dan + Shay - This song brought me to tears this week reminding me that, yes, there are going to be some really, really hard weeks, but we're in this together. Through it all.

2. This Boy - Spencer is such a toddler these days, and it seems like he's going full speed ahead 99% of the time. That other 1% though is reserved for sweet moments with mama, and when he takes the time to stop and give me a hug, you'd better believe I cherish it.

3. Danny-Dog - I'm such a contradictory person. Danny is simultaneously the sweetest and most annoying little blessing in our lives right now. She's wonderful. She has the absolute best disposition, and I'm so glad we have her. I've found myself frustrated by the love she's needed from me, as well as the reassurance, but I'm reminding myself that sweet animals return that love tenfold.

4. Crap TV - Ryan's schedule has been garbage lately, and while it's been awful missing him and knowing how hard he's working, I've been getting some really good TV binges in. Up now? The Originals. Up next? The Returned.

^^^image via

5. DIY Halloween Decor - I'm ambitious, but I'd like to tackle some Halloween decor for our front door this year. There's something about it that just feeds that creative need I have. I'm thinking along the lines simple, clean and chic.

^^^image via

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We're heading to Potsdam for a hockey game with some friends this weekend, so here's hoping for some fun and relaxation.

on financial peace + more

I feel like such an old lady posting this, but I also feel somewhat excited! You might remember that for my 2016 goals, I mentioned that Ryan and I are really working towards financial peace this year. It's been a few weeks since we started Financial Peace University now, and I feel like we're just now starting to turn a tiny bit of a corner. 

We've never had a budget before. We never really needed one. We have two incomes, we don't have credit card debt, but we are at a point in our lives now with one child and a second on the way that it's time we really start getting down to business. 

Truth time? Making a budget is hard for me! And, truly, the hardest thing is the realization that I fear money. In the lessons, I've learned that I'm really not alone. There's usually one partner (more often than not the woman) that has a trigger fear response to money and budgeting. That person is me. I've always had a bit of a fear with money, but it's nice to know I'm not crazy now! 

Big things are coming this month though, and we're really tracking every expense so we can figure out exactly where our money is going, how it's being spent and when our bills are being paid. I think that this is becoming a bit more of an exciting than a tedious time now, which is a relief. I was a bit reluctant going into this because, let's be honest...what woman doesn't like to spend a dollar or two online, or on baby clothes, or on house decor. (Wayfair, you'll be the death of me.) 

Yes, this is a boring post, but I think it's also a bit of a cool one because it's a landmark time for Ryan and I in our marriage! Life in the Army is full of uncertainty, but we aren't willing to be just another statistic in debt. We're taking on our finances, building up our emergency fund (almost at 3 whole months of expenses already!) and working on snowballing our debt soon. The biggest thing? We're starting this before Ryan deploys, so we're really getting out ahead of the game, and I can't wait!

I promise much more exciting posts in the coming days, but I wanted to get this one off my chest and really look back and reflect on it when I want to spend money on frivolous things :)

And, because we're talking budgets and being budget-friendly, we've worked on two budget-friendly DIYs here in our living room to start nailing down an actual design palette, and I love them! 

I did a gallery wall, which we recently updated with some thrifted frames and a wallet-happy Target steal (plus, it's gold. duh). On the opposite wall, we have a DIY map project in which a modge-podged two maps onto cork, then built a frame around both. We can pin all the places we've been - interactive  AND fun! Next up are some DIY curtains that I'm so excited to share because they won't break the bank, and they look awesome.

once in a weekend

It was a fun, busy, bustling weekend in the Moore household! For the first time in a very long time (read: I believe, 6 months), we actually got a babysitter to come over and watch Spencer so we could go to Ryan's Brigade Ball. We don't get to dress up too often, so it was a great chance for me to utilize Rent the Runway and borrow a stunning Monique Lhullier dress for the evening. Despite a fisaco in the dress actually arriving (read: UPS had it locked in their facility until 2 hours before the ball), I managed to pull it together, have one of the sizes fit my growing belly and have a blast.

The ball, itself, was a bit blah, but we had so much fun with friends. We got to sit with Ryan's immediate boss and his wife, plus his First Sergeant and his wife and one couple we didn't even know. It was fun to see the men really enjoy some pressure-less time together, and we laughed the whole way through the rigmarole - barring a few serious moments - like the table for fallen and MIA soldiers. The grog ceremony though? The 15 different toasts? Absurd. We also didn't get to eat until almost 9 PM - and we were all tempted to go find some fast food. #hangryprego

On Saturday, Spence was feeling a little under the weather, but we managed to do a tiny bit of decorating around the house, and we got to pick up our first real Christmas tree! Last year, mid-PCS with a brand new baby, it just wasn't an option. This year, we were so excited to live it up and enjoy a fresh-cut tree that we could string with lights and decorate ourselves. We aren't finished yet - the star for atop the tree has failed me twice. Third time might be the charm?

Ryan goes on leave tomorrow through the 22nd, and I can't wait! We have a lot of little projects we want to tackle around the house, and I think we might actually make some progress while he's free. We also leave for Utah next week, but that's a whole different story there. Oh, the holidays!

nesting is very, very real

The Bump.com informed me this morning that Ryan and I have 86 days left of this pregnancy. Please tell me how that happened. I don't know if it's been the combination of Ryan's absence with training, working (and working out) like a  fiend or what, but the time is dwindling quickly, and we have a lot left to do. I went through a few weeks where I was stressing out a lot at night, but since starting to read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, I've felt a lot more relaxed about the whole process.

With our PCS date fast-approaching, as well, we haven't had the luxury of setting up a nursery for baby Moore, and I think that was a large part of my self-induced stress. All I've wanted to do is nest and prepare for the nugget's arrival. I'm telling you, people, nesting is a real thing. Right now though, we have three bedrooms. One is my dedicated office, one is the guest room and one is our master bedroom. First, there is no bedroom for baby in our current post housing and second, there's no point in setting up a nursery, only to have to break it down again a few weeks after the baby is born. 

^^^ our new master bedroom dresser area & thrifted end tables in our guest room

So, with Ryan's blessing, I'm nesting elsewhere! We've put off buying a dresser because we have the world's largest master closet, but I finally broke down and bought that gem the other day. It's going to double as our changing table here at Fort Huachuca because baby will be co-sleeping with us (I'll go into that more at a later date) anyway. In our guest room, we finally purchased a bigger guest bed since my parents are coming out next month, and I scored these amazing vintage hardwood end tables at a thrift store the other day for just $50 - for the pair! They had a nice, clean feel to that room, and I'm loving it.

As for the nursery once we get to Fort Drum? No clue yet, guys. Because we're waiting to find out the gender of baby Moore, I'm almost positive it's smart to wait to decorate, too. Our new house has four bedrooms, too, so baby will have his or her own space once we get there, as well. For now though, I'm cleaning like a madwoman, organizing like crazy and making this house a real home for the last 3.5 months of our stay here. 

Momma's, newlyweds and fellow pregos…do you nest? I never knew it was a real thing till now!

moving and settling in

Slowly but surely, Ryan and I are making this little house our home for next 11 months.

We've been here just over a week now, 

and we're actually doing all our furniture shopping this weekend.

Yes, we were literally doing a marathon day of furniture shopping and knocking it all out in one day.

We bought our dining table and chairs last weekend,

and I just started refinishing it last night. 

When we bought it, it was an ugly blonde wood stain, which is not a favorite of either of us.

So, I'm doing a deep cherry wood stain 

to compliment the actual well-made design of both the table and chairs.

I'll be sure to post before and after pictures, as well as a tutorial on that when we're done!

I bought a rug for our living room yesterday -

yes, that's the biggest purchase besides our bed thus far - 

and it makes these hideous post housing floors a little more bearable.

^^^ this rug

I know, this is all incredibly exciting. 

But seriously, I really want to share what the place looks like with you! 

Despite the fact that the floors are absolutely atrocious, it's a cute little house for us to start out.

Once the furniture is in and the pictures are hung,

you'd better believe I'll be inundating you with photos of our little house.

It's not perfect, but it works well for us, and that's what really matters right now.

While part of me doesn't want to do too much for fear of getting attached to it,

there's another part of me that fully plans to make it a home regardless.

Obviously, that's the part that's winning out!

some office inspiration

Ryan signed for our house on post yesterday!

I managed to convince the hubs to send me a plethora of pictures,

and I have to say that we really lucked out - especially as newlyweds just looking for a place to call home.

The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a huge open-concept kitchen, a backyard,

a 2-car garage and a walk-in closet in the master.

Honestly, for Army housing, we are really, really happy.

Once I'm there next week, I promise I'll some picture of our new house,

but let's be honest, the pictures he sent were...quickly snapped and not the best quality.

I think that the thing I'm most excited about is starting with a completely blank slate.

One of the three bedrooms will be my office at home,

and I can't wait to really put my stamp on it and make it mine.

The only real decision I've made thus far is that there will be one whole chalkboard wall.

Think of it like a life-sized to do calendar. 

Other than that, I've been scouring Pinterest for some inspiration,

and I think I've got a pretty clear idea of what I'm looking for.

images via here, here and here.

Since we won't be in our house for more than a year,

we won't be painting any of the walls,

which gives me a clear idea of how to make this office my own.

I'm leaning towards bright, clean and fresh whites with pops of pastel colors and gold.

For the most part, our house will be pretty neutral,

but I wanted my office to be a really sweet, fun and feminine sanctuary. 

I've decided that I want to buy a unique desk/table and refinish it myself,

then I'll design the room, including the textiles, around the desk because I hope for it to be a great accent.

There is something so amazing about starting with a completely blank slate.

We can't wait!

that time i scored a free couch

At this time in two days, Ryan will finally, finally be in New Hampshire, and we'll be starting our trek up North to spend the holiday with my parents, my sister and her husband.

It's crazy to think that we got engaged 6 weeks ago, and I haven't seen him since.

We know that after Thanksgiving though, time is going to fly.

Ryan's leave starts on December 20th, and he'll be staying up here from then through the honeymoon!

Then it's just a few more weeks before my momma and I pack up my little life in New Hampshire,

and I finally, finally get to move out to be with my man.

Is it just me, or is the waiting game the worst?

In good news though, I've been looking for a new couch worth taking out to Arizona with me for a while,

but I knew I didn't want to pay a pretty penny. 

Well, I was perusing good ol' Craigslist the other day, and I saw the most perfect couch ever...FREE.

You guys, I'm a bargain hunter if there ever was one, and I pleaded with the owner to hold it for me until I could arrange transport. 

AND SHE DID!

Say hello to our new couch! This baby is coming to Arizona :)

I spent Sunday scrubbing and steam cleaning the couch (just in case) because it had been sitting in storage.

Now, however, it's replaced my old Victorian couch that just wasn't comfortable anymore.

Lovely when things work out, isn't it?

I didn't spend much time decorating our little apartment because I knew I wouldn't be here long, 

but I really can't wait to have a home that Ryan and I can make our own...

even if it will only be our home for 11 months.