Winn House Saga

You guys! WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

Heck yes, I'm shouting! Because... A HOUSE!

It may seem like out of the blue, but it’s been a long and nerve-wracking 8-month-long process. Not only was it excruciating to wait that long and not know where we will end up in a few months, it was also painful to see God close door after door after door.  We never lost faith and now clearly see that God closed those doors for a reason.

You won’t believe the number of houses we looked at. And, ohmahgosh, was there, like, drama, you guys.

Let me tell you a few house stories that I hereby officially declare chapters of the Winn House Saga.  

1.      House #1

Perrrrfect house. Long-term, big, amazing floor plan, move-in ready… But the price tag was high and the location, albeit on the lake, wasn't the most prime. As in it was probably one of the worst on the lake.

We loved it enough and made a low-ball offer. We countered 2 more times and were thissss close to getting it, when 1 hour before our final offer was to expire (and before the seller was going to accept it, according to our realtor), someone came in and offered “significantly more” on the spot. It was a little odd how it all happened, because the freaking house had been on the market for 2 years without a single interested party. Door shut!

2.      House #2

Short-term, small (although with an extra bedroom for the babe), not on the lake, but close enough in a great location in our town. Perfect price tag and move-in ready.

But we have to rewind to 2008, a month after our wedding. That same house was for sale then and we offered. We were outbid by a member of a wealthy family in town. (Ended up being a good thing for us, since I was able to go to school without taking out a loan). Since then the original owner had bought the house back and just a few months ago (that’s 6 years later!) he contacted us again and said he was selling if we were interested. We looked and offered what he was asking. And that same day were outbid by a member of the same freaking family. The odds!!!

3.      House #3

The final one and a short-term one (about 3-5 years). Perfect little house, although needs a lot of remodeling to suit our taste. Great price and with an access to the lake via a channel. And wait till you see our backyard, people!

We looked at the house twice and debated. Then we heard of another guy who was interested and decided we would be stupid to pass it up and made an offer. It was quickly accepted and now we are about to begin remodeling. We will not move until it's remodeled, so it might be a few weeks. Can. Not. Wait!!! Hopefully, before the brand new Winn is here (which is July 17th).

And by the way, the guy who was interested in this house is super excited about renting our cottage for a few years:).  It all worked out!

All that to say... I'm glad the search is over. We still have bigger plans for our Dream House, but we won't be talking about them for at least a few years. What we will be talking about is remodeling, decor, DIY, and moving and grooving:) Hopefully. If we have time:) 

Stay tuned. Eeek!

And here is our attempt at looking scared of home-ownership (in case you can't tell by the questionable face expressions)! 

Annika is Two!

Our bunny turned 2 on May 12 and yesterday we had a sweet birthday celebration for her. I tried to make it simple and didn't even choose a theme for the party. But then I ended up in the party section at Target and went a little crazy, because... hello... SPRITZ collection. LOVE!
I decided that even though there was no theme, I wanted it be bright and colorful. I even thought maybe "2 bright" should be the theme, but that was voted out by some people whose last name rhymes with Shwinn! (I'm glaring at you, Greg!!!)
I didn't start planning anything until a week or so before the party. There were no formal invitations, just a good ole text message:) I honestly didn't have time to do any more than that. I tried to keep the party small, but it ended up being 30 people or so. Toddlers and babies in tow.
It was a simple party, but I thought it was perfect. And the best part -  Annika was so happy the whole time. This girl loves attention, so she was completely in her element.

I'm so thankful to those who took time of their Saturday afternoon to come shower our girl with love!

And just to think, only 2 years ago this was the most traumatic day of my life. Gosh, I love her and I don't even need to say any more than that!

And here are just a few simple details. 

Celebrations galore

End of April -  beginning of May are quite eventful in our family. So much joy going on:)

Easter starts it all and soon after that, we get to celebrate Greg's birthday. This year he turned 33. We celebrated him with a family dinner the night before, and with a big dinner with friends a few days after. The big day fell on a Monday, but Annika and I still tied to make it somewhat festive: when he got home from work, we greeted him with a "cwaft" form the "bottom of {Annika's} heart" and a freezer full of his favorite coffee flavored ice-cream. 

 

We got him a beer club membership (the boy loves his beer:) and this guy.

I hear there is a lot of fuss going on about the Chemex and thought, what the heck, it's not like we have a ton of coffee-makers. 

But, sorry, yes we do have a ton of coffee makers. 8 to be exact. The boy LOVES his coffee:)

A few days later we celebrated our 6th anniversary. We went to a theater about an hour away to watch a Broadway production of "The West Side Story". I don't have any pictures from that day, but how about a flashback to 2008? Such babies:) I really really like this guy!

Then we had a beautiful Mother's Day. It was complete with flowers, chocolate covered strawberries, Mother's Day brunch, and a day outside in the summer temperatures. 

And the very next day, which is today, our little bunny turned 2. The party will be later this week, but I made sure to get her a little cake to celebrate with her friends and we spent the whole afternoon playing with more friends and eating more chocolate covered strawberries. I just love this little girl to the moon and back and thank God every day for choosing me to be her mama. Such an honor and such a blessing. 

A day in the life of a working mama

Today I'm a full time working mama of one. In just 2 months I will be a stay-at-home mama of two (for at least some time). So life is really about to change. I thought a few months from now, I will find it interesting to reminisce on my "easy life":), so I decided to depict a very typical day. Nothing spectacular, a day just like any other at this stage of life.

6:00 Alarm sounds, but I get up a couple of snoozes later. And of course no time for shower.

Well, hello there, 3rd trimester bump.

<<< click the "read more" button above>>>

Easter 2014, Winn style

It’s been a few days since Easter, but I won't be me if I were posting this on time :)

Easter for us was low-key, but fun nonetheless. Little lady’s cousin Mae was in town Friday before Easter and the 2 girls had a wonderful time egg-hunting in Oma and Opa’s backyard. Saturday morning our park had an Easter egg hunt and we all took Annika to gather some more chocolate. She didn’t get too many, because other parents got in her way. (I’m serious. So many parents were gathering eggs themselves instead of letting their kids do the job. It was a little unsettling to see.) However, Annika had a lot of fun and managed to intimidate the heck out of the Easter bunny.

After the egg hunt we came home and painted eggs. Annika loved it so much, that every single day, at least once, she asks to paint eggs. How do you explain to a two-year-old that we only celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in this very particular way only once a year? (And while we are at it, how would you explain that to me?)

On Sunday we went to Oma and Opa’s church and then had a quiet family lunch all together. And you can call me cheesy, but Annika and I were matchy-matchy. I LOVE matching our outfits, but I try not to do that too much for fear of being weird :)

 

On a serious note, what a blessed occasion! I’m so beyond thankful for Jesus and his sacrifice for us. And I hope to remember it every day and teach my children the same thing. 

Blessings and love,

Lena

Coconut milk + chia seed pudding recipe

Have you heard of this super seed that's become a staple in every hippie's diet lately? I don't exactly consider myself a hippie (although I secretly want to be), but I jumped on the bandwagon and have fallen in love with chia seeds. I put them in everything: oatmeal, salads, yogurt parfaits...  And having been recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes (again, just like during my first pregnancy), I went bonkers when I tried this chia seed pudding recipe that was low-carb. My sweet (very sweet) tooth was skeptical at first, but I tried it and I LOVED it. You should try it too.

Here is what you'll need: (and you can adjust volumes of everything to suit your taste and needed amount... it's that easy and flexible)

1.5 c coconut milk (or coconut-almond milk)
5T chia seeds
some honey
some vanilla

Mix it all together and put in a fridge for 4-5 hours. The mixture will thicken, because the seeds have this amazing power to absorb liquids better than your drunken uncle.
Before serving, garnish with... well, anything you want, really. I LOVE it with raspberries, coconut shavings, and nuts, yes, all together.

ENJOY!

Annika says...

I feel like I'm unceremoniously barging in on my own blog after so much time of not posting. But I can't be the only one who hibernates during winters? Especially the kind of winter we all had ourselves here in the Midwest. Brutal doesn't even begin to describe...

Anywho... My sweet little bunny... She isn't so little anymore. She is only a month away from turning two and it's my most favorite age The most fun is to hear her talk. The girl talks. so. much. Every single day she whips out something new to say and Greg and I look at each other and go:  "Did you just hear that?" or "Where in the world did she learn that?"

I don't want to forget these fun little Annika-isms and I think it's time to start writing down some of my most favorite ones...

So here it goes... Part I of Annika says. And boy, do I expect to have many-many more of those. 

"Where is it mommy go?" (Where did mommy go?)

"Want to push the buttons on a alligator!" (elevator!)

"Water going down the dream." (drain!)

"Annika's butt itching!"

When she hurts a part of her body, she always wants me to kiss it to make it "all better". Once, when she fell on her bottom pretty hard, she came up to me and said: "Kiss my butt!"

And you better believe I did!

Me: "What color is mommy's car?"

A: "Black."

Me: "That's right! What color is daddy's car?"

A: "Brown, too."

Puts her baby doll on her time-out chair: "Mary, time out!". Points a finger at the doll: "Listen!!!"

Me: "Why did you put your baby in time-out?" 

A: "Baby pull Annika's hair. Hurts!"

Me: "Annika, can I have your paci, please? You're awake now, and paci is for night-night."

A: "Nooo! I need it!"

Me: "Annika, did you just toot?"

A: "No. Daddy toot." (totally fibbing!)

I've been trying to teach her to say "Yes, ma'am!" when I reprimand her and want her to understand the correct behavior. 

Me: "Are you going to throw food on the floor again?!"

A: "Yes, ma'am!"

Greg: "I would give you play-doh, but are you going to eat it again?"

A: "Yes, ma'am!"

Point totally missed:)

I could go on forever and never stop, but I think it's enough for the first time. Hope you smiled a little bit:)