1.) Rainbow Play systems. A new house requires new stuff, including a new play system for the kids. We shopped around one weekend in January, gathering prices and examining quality. Out of all of our options, Rainbow had the best quality, but most importantly amazing customer service! Our new system is set to arrive in a matter of days and I couldn't be more excited for this Easter surprise.
2.) Shoe rack. I decided to go with a wire shoe rack because it can also double as a painting drying rack. For me, it was a two for one deal.
3.) Wooden puzzle travel map. I bought something similar to this several months ago and colored in all of the state I (and we as a family) have visited. I was excited to color in Oklahoma and Texas, but of course, we bought the house instead (and moved the weekend we were scheduled to travel, hence no trip). I like this visual for all of us to see and it usual starts conversations of "remember when, on that trip to..."
4.) I'm finally getting around to writing thank you notes to everyone who has helped and treated us the last three weeks. I loved these Thank You notes from Target!
5.) Samsung S7. Hubs and I scored awesome deals on Black Friday, two new Samsung S7's being among them. We've been really happy with the phones, the camera is amazing, the fast charging feature is appreciated, and the battery life is stellar. Big bonus for me: it's waterproof.
6.) Rubbermaid smoothie bottle. I mostly use mine for water, but it's now one of the only water bottles I use. I'm looking forward to some amazing berry smoothies on the deck this spring and summer.
7.) Whirlpool Refrigerator. I am in love with our refrigerator!
8.) Space heater. I have always been soooo against these (safety reasons) however, the back room of our new house, aka the daycare room, doesn't have the best circulation system. For the time being, we bought this great little heater fan and it works marvelously!
9.) Lightweight cardigan. This has been my go to clothing item all winter long.
10.) Pledge. With a lot of wooden pieces of furniture, we use pledge quite often anyway, however, we were told to use Pledge on our new stainless steel appliances because it creates a film and is more resistant to finger prints (a big struggle with a house full of kids!). Let me tell you, this trick actually works! I've been recommending this to everyone I know who has been using a stainless steel cleaner that Pledge works just as well, if not better!
11.) Helleborus plant. A neighbor brought one over as a house warming gift and it is gorgeous! I look forward to planting it in the next couple of weeks!
12.) Bird feeder. Ok, so I actually don't like birds much, however we have a ton of birds (and other wildlife) at our new house. I put a couple of bird feeders around our yard. The kids have loved watching the birds and squirrels "eat all of our food" and we've even taken to doing some bird identifying with our bird book.