A JOY-FILLED JOURNEY

One Year.

2011-11-02T23:12:00.001-05:00

My littlest man,

It has taken me forever to write this post because I feel like it's so daunting. I keep putting it off because I know I can't put in words what this year has meant to me! And this post doesn't do it justice. But, here goes...

Here are the physical things you did in your 11th month... Said Mama (but only twice and never since). Gave kisses. CRAWLED. Pointed at everything and nothing. Threw first (mini) temper tantrum... then threw a few more more. Pointed at everyone. Had a stomach bug. Zoned out on walks. Played with pots and pans. Got first haircut from a professional. Went to the doc to see about a cold... first non-scheduled visit. Had a birthday party.

You are certainly getting a little pistol of a personality working (have I told you before that you're exactly like your dad?!), but your overall temperament is sweet and loving. You love people and they love you. It's so fun taking you places because at grocery stores, restaurants, school, church, everywhere... people love to talk to you and you point or smile back.

People always ask if it's flown by or "can you believe he's already a year old?" and it really has NOT flown by and yes I can! At our wedding, my goal was to take the approach of savoring every moment and remembering as much as I could... and I've done the same with you this year! We have spent SO much time just the two of us hanging at home (like, I hardly left the house the first 5 months you were born... I'm lame) that I know you, you know me and I think you understand how much I love you!

I KNOW you love me because a couple weeks ago we were on the train in Zilker Park just riding along. You were sitting in my lap holding my hand and my shirt and looking at all the people when you just turned your head and looked up at me and gave me the sweetest smile I've ever seen! And you did that twice in the twenty minutes of the ride. Like you knew that I took you on this ride because I knew you'd love it! We have little moments like that often. And this week you just kissed and kissed me over and over again. You are loved and you show that love right back.

I'm so thankful for you my man.

Love,
Mama

Eleven Months.

2011-10-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

Charliest Bean!

You had such a big month!

(Taken by Sarah Carlson over Labor Day... how sweet are you in these pictures! I especially love that you have watermelon and all sorts of other grunge on you in the last picture AND she had to photoshop out your boog. :)

(Yes, those are sterling silver bracelets that you love to play with. B calls them "circles" so Pop will be okay with you playing with jewelry!)

B came to Austin and picked you up for two days before we joined you in Dallas for Labor Day. That was a wonderful two days!! I went to two movies, slept in, read books... it was marvelous! When we joined you there, we had some pool time and while we were playing you looked straight in my eyes, touched my face and gave me so many kisses!!! Just over and over for maybe a minute while I was laughing and tearing up at the same time! Possibly the best moment of motherhood to date!

We went to "My Gym" once this month. You were the only one that didn't know how to move, but you were so happy doing the songs, clapping your hands, walking in a circle with me and kicking your feet and giggling.

You LOVE Aunt Kate. We've visited her a couple times at Facebook. This is you posing with John Wayne. Now you just like to wave at him a LOT but not get too close. We had lunch with Uncle Ben the other day... you were momentarily sad about his beard but you got over it shortly and y'all had fun waving to everyone.

(I sent this picture to B to show you that I was saying "hi" from Maine... she said "he really took the phone very sweetly, looked at you and smiled and then tried to eat the whole thing." HA!!!)

You stayed with your B and Pop in Dallas for FIVE days while Mom and Dad went to Maine for a full on vacation. During your vacation you went to a very fancy restaurant, went to Pilates with B, played in the pool, went on walks with B and Sophie every day (and even saw horses!), had fun bath times, went to the grocery store and got mad because B wouldn't let you play with the flowers (even though Pop encourages it!), went to the Mall and had your first grilled cheese sandwich, ate new foods (gold fish! Yay!), swung on your very own swing and generally had a grand ol' time!

(First day! I forgot my camera and we had one shoe off and one shoe on. Typical!)

You also started "school" this month!! It was a slow ease into it over four weeks (though one of those you were in Dallas) but I think you're going to love it and so am I. You wear big kid shoes, take a lunch in your dinosaur lunch pack (I pack your snack and lunch Bento Box style with plastic muffin cups in little boxes). I liked that your first "report card" said that you were "Happy but trying to figure out how to move" and "Didn't eat my lunch because I wanted a friend's lunch." HA.

You still aren't moving. Well, I say that... you do an all-four lunge onto your belly into a side roll over your right shoulder into a sit-up where you use your left arm to boost yourself up. The other day, you did this ALL the way across the living room until you got stuck in the corner by the front door. You were on your side and only wanted to roll right (Zoolander Style!) so you just laid there grunting at us until we helped you up. Hilarious.

Overall... you are still such a happy man. You go with the flow, eat anything we give you (except avocados, dill pickles and honeydew melon... I can't say I blame you on any of those), love to wave and high five everyone you see, smile constantly and are generally a social little sweetheart.

You LOVE to read books, roll a ball with Dad, sit outside watching cars go by (and wave and holler at runners, walkers and cyclists), go to restaurants with Dad, play with your friends AND my friends, giggle at people sneezing, go to Sunday School and more fun things like that. You're awesome.

(Also by Sarah Carlson... My favorite picture of your life thus far!)

As I tell you many times a day "I love you I love you I love you!"

Love,

Mama

Ten Months.

2011-09-08T20:30:00.005-05:00

Dear CharlieMan,

Shocked that we are again running late with the posts?! Not me! Mom seems to have a lot going on these days. Let's recap your August...

Started in Maine and we already covered that part. I left some reminders for myself about things to not forget: "More about foods (including one that I'm NOT excited about), making demands, eating out, Aunt Kate and her shenanigans, your favorite random "toys", etc."

Fun with Dad! Seen in the background here... one of your favorite things. A diaper box. I think you think the baby is going to come out and play! You also love tubes of lipgloss and eye shadow primer, etc. Things that are teeny in your hands.

OK. So, you LOVE food. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Blueberries, Strawberries, Corn, Black Beans, Tortillas, All Meat (including some tiny bites of bacon the other day. Yum.), Hummus, Carrots, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Toast, Eggs (just some tiny bites of the whites so far), Sweet Potato Fries, Pickles, Yogurt, Grilled Cheese and more! I can't take you to a restaurant without feeding you, so we share meals now. And you make a giant mess. Tips are increasing. I should start taking it out of your piggy bank. I KID, I KID. Sort of.

Lemons?! YES PLEASE.

More on food... You are still having some mixed grain baby cereal and jarred baby food sometimes... to get the iron in and the veggies. And here's the nastiest part of all... You love tomatoes. A lot. And I cut them up for you because I love you dearly, but I HATE them. Especially those seeds that get stuck everywhere. I'm getting the tingling in the back of my jaw right now just thinking about it. Ew.

Thanks for my bib, Aunt Kate.

When you want something, you grunt about it. Especially books. When the book is done, you "Arrrr" with your eyebrows furrowed so it will be read to you again. OR you just look at your bookshelf and grunt at it. Hilarious. I'm glad that it's books you crave! They are awesome.

Chatting. This is the end of about 5 minutes worth of video.... talking talking talking!

You learned how to sit up by yourself this month! I mean... you only did it two times ever and that was in your crib. And that was weeks ago. But surely you can do it again sometime soon?! You are also lunging around from your bottom to your hands, but that right leg gets in the way and you don't go anywhere. You're funny.

VICTORY!

Aunt Kate taught you how to clap and high five last month! This is actually a September update, but when we were on the plane coming home from Dallas after Labor Day (yes, Charlie and I flew by ourselves for the first time... Not awful. Not awesome. That's how I'd describe it), you high-fived four people in the terminal and on the plane.... the lady who held you while I got through security, a business man, a girl about my age and an older lady. I think you liked what you got (laughing from everyone including bystanders) because now you do it ALL the time!!! Aunt Kate's office, restaurants, stores, housekeepers. The whole lot!! It's hilarious.

You got to see Moyce on your 10 month birthday. You loved each other. After you stopped trying to bludgeon her with a cane, that is.

LOVE!

You went to a birthday party and spent an hour and a half in the not-so-hot-tub just floating around. Chillest baby there by a million. And your party favor obviously indicated that. See below.

Oh also, you are a gangsta. Apparently.

You are a musician. Obviously. Between this and eating the string that holds your triangle, you're definitely on the right track!

You are still the happiest baby on the block. You are friendly, wonderful, sweet, a thinker, a talker, a reader, a piano player and the best. I love you!!!

Love, Mama.

Nine Months.

2011-08-16T22:40:00.001-05:00

Dear Bean,

Ok, you're almost to ten months now... but you had a busy 8th month and we need to celebrate it!

- Overall, you are as sweet as ever! You talk, squeal, grunt, laugh, giggle and smile all the time. You rarely cry... if you do, it's usually for a good reason and it's the most pitiful face ever! If it's not for a good reason, it's more like a whine and very short-lived. I love having such a good natured, chill little man!

(Thanks to cousin Rachel for taking this pic. And for cousins Sarah and Becca for hanging with me so much lately!! I love you gals.)

- You went to the lake for a weekend with mom's friends and their kids. You were fantastic the whole time and loved being around the big kids. On your first boat ride, you made the ultimate "wind in the face" face. I think you thought your head was going to fly off. Oh, and then you got tired and almost fell asleep on the way home. Whole trip was less than 25 minutes.

(Saying good morning to Dad from the lake since he couldn't come)

- You took your first plane rides to get to Maine and you were awesome! You celebrated your 9 month birthday in Maine. The second plane ride home wasn't the BEST three hours of your life, but you were so fantastic the other three flights of the trip that you pushed through and got over it very quickly. It didn't take you any time to adjust to life in Maine or back at home, but you DID wake up at 5:30am every day there. Totally understandable because the sun came up at 4:30am. Wow.

(MUFFIN. And look at that hair!)

- You played with live (rubber banded) lobsters in Maine. You went to Cabela's for the first legit time (first ACTUAL time was for an emergency diaper change on the way to San Antonio awhile back.) You discovered that dominos are your new favorite toy there, too. You loved standing at the edge of the ocean, but didn't like sitting in it. You ate sand.

(Wherein you you meet a lobster.)

(Wherein you eat a lobster.)

- You are still just sitting... no crawling. But the doc said that you were definitely strong enough to crawl as you were fighting off his attempts to look up your nose and in your ears. He said you just haven't decided that you want to yet. He also said, as you stared him down, that you were "thinking about things in there." You totally are. Thinking and/or judging... depends on who you ask. (Aunt Kate).

(See those raised eyebrows?! Judging.)

(And again! Now I'm judging cousin Sarah and her attempts to get a smile outta me.)

(Sitting. Loving being outside, as always.)

- You are 29" long (70th percentile), 20.5 pounds (50th percentile) and have a 15th percentile head. Should we start calling you "pinhead"?! You have rock solid abs from your pilates moves when you are sitting and laying down but your legs are little pudgies and I like to pat them.

- You started eating a few real foods in your 8th month... deli turkey, cheese, tortillas. Also small pieces of banana and other slimy fruits that you couldn't hold. You've hated avocado in all forms so far. It's the only thing you don't like. More on your "foods" at your 10 month update.

- You got your first Hot Wheels this month. You are such a dude.

- Favorite things: Dad, water in all forms, playing with your friends (especially Avery kissing you), flirting with ladies the world over, mirrors, puzzles, opening the cabinets in the bathroom before bath time.

(The wind is blowing Dad's shirt... he is not that puffy.)

- Reminders for Mama about next month's update (since half of the month is gone already): More about foods (including one that I'm NOT excited about), making demands, meeting a baby, eating out, Aunt Kate and her shenanigans, your favorite random "toys", etc.

(Wook at those chubby wittle wrists!)

(Holding a lobster, waiting for it to buzz.)

(Those pilates are paying off.)

You are the best my man. I love you!

Mama

Eight Months.

2011-07-04T21:58:00.003-05:00

Dear Charlie,

Oh goodness, what has happened this month? A LOT now that I think about it!

- First, I have to come clean and state this for the record. I don't think you're ever going to be a Mama's Boy. You love me and we are tight. But when your dad comes home, or walks in the room, or even turns to look at you and say hi... you freak out. You can't even eat your food if he's in the next room because you have to turn and watch him and wait for him to look at you so you can laugh at him. You grin at him, giggle, "talk" to him, wave your arms. You LOVE your dad and it's more obvious every day. I think it's awesome.

- You are a great sitter. You can't get back up when you fall over and you still do your pilates "reverse Superman" move (or whatever it is) when you fall down. But you can sit for a really long time and play. This makes a mama VERY happy.

- Uh, paper is hilarious?

- Oh Mylanta, you HATE when I try to get boogs out. And you are strong enough that it's basically impossible for me to do... you shake your head back and forth and grab my hands and push them away. It's kind of funny actually. You also won't let me put my finger in your mouth... see...

- In the last week you've gotten two teeth! I didn't even know they were coming, and out they popped! You've been a tad grumpy, but I really wouldn't have known. You haven't even drooled at all... yet. Thanks for being a rockstar.

- You attended your first 1st Birthday party for Miss Aves... it was one for the books and one I will never be able to rival! (That was the day your got your first tooth). Today is when the second popped out (so technically this wouldn't belong in last month's update. Whatever.)

I mean... HYPED. First kid in, last kid out.

- You had your first weekend away from Mom and Dad as I went to New York and Dad had a relaxing weekend at home golfing and hanging out with friends... you loved staying with your B and "Pop" (final granddad name TBD). I got many pictures of your smiling face though you didn't understand Skyping when we tried that a couple times. Very confusing, I know. You even had a fun babysitter... my friend Casey and her sister, Lisa. You had so much fun with them! On the way home (our first round trip drive just the two of us, we had to stop four times in an hour because you were wailing and I didn't know what was wrong. THAT wasn't fun.)

Looking at B putting on her pool hat. Crazy lady! (Apparently he did NOT like the closet... got freaked out at the clean, white carpet, I suppose!)

Watching Glee with Pop on Father's Day!

I mean... she's a wack-a-doo.

- You got a high chair and you LOVE being in it. You also sat in a high chair at restaurants for the first time... and have a few times. We have to prop you up a little, but you are okay with it as long as you have a menu to read.

- We confirmed your love for water at the splash pad at the Domain and at Avery's birthday party. Water splashing in your face give you the giggles!

- You easily dropped your swaddle blanket when I decided to not put it on you one night. Now you just tug on your PJs or shirt and roll from side to side until you land in one comfy spot. Still no security blanket or binky needed! Yay.

- Mirrors are absolutely hilarious to you... and me. You sit in front of one and either kiss yourself or smack your forehead onto your forehead... I think that's your new way of hugging since you've done it to me, your B and your Build-A-Bear (now clothed in Mavs gear, obviously).

I need to get a video of you "hugging" with your forehead. It's precious.

- Fave toys are still Blackberries, iPhones and now your puzzle (you just shut all the doors and play with the chain) and your ship o' toys... it's meant for the tub, but you just take all the toys out and eat them. Best $15 I ever spent.

- You were awesome as we went all over town to find Aunt Kate an apartment. She is moving here in just a few weeks! You are going to love getting to know her more.

Waiting in an apartment lobby for one of our many tours to start. You were awesome on all of them!

- You touched a cow on the nose. Obviously.

- We visited Moyce and you loved seeing her. Y'all had a blast together and you were very sweet.

Man, you are great! Sleeping the same, eating well, loving meeting all people, babies and kids. You are happy to be around any animals... even big ol' Sophie. You just keep getting better! Month 8... big kid food and crawling maybe?! I can't wait to see what's next.

Did I use the word "LOVE" in this post a lot? Well, there's a lot of that going around these days!

I love YOU,
Mama

Thursday Thing - Hot Designer

2011-06-09T15:19:00.002-05:00

T-Rog sent me a picture today of the Duchess in a gorgeous dress at an event and I immediately thought "I've seen that before!!" I was wrong, but I was close. It's from Jenny Packham's Spring 2011 Ready-To-Wear collection. See the other dresses from that collection below...

LOOK at these shoes! Unrelated to this post, but I DIE.

This is the dress I confused it with... SO close. Blair wore this on Gossip Girl a few weeks ago. Yes, I still watch that show... *hangs head in shame.*

AND... look what else she designed! Sandra Bullock's Golden Globes dress! If only she could have designed her bangs...

I got me some mad skillz, y'all. AND you can see here who else is wearing Jenny Packham. It won't be me anytime soon... not until I lose 150 pounds, grow 6 inches, will myself to wear fabulous heels again AND win the lottery, anyways. But maybe it will be you?!

p.s. As I said in my email back to T-Rog... I can't wait to see The Duchess' every look from now until I'm dead.

p.p.s. I'm a loser.

Seven Months

2011-06-01T15:31:00.001-05:00

Dear Charlie,

I don't know that words can express how much I love you! You are happy, sweet, sleepy, chill, beautiful and wonderful. A lot of this month has been just growing what you were doing last month, but here are the things about you... it is SO thrilling to see you grow and learn and change!

- You will eat anything now. I haven't started on any "real" food because you don't have any teeth and you don't seem to understand the idea of chewing. But you eat oatmeal, cereal and all of the "stage one" foods.

- The pool is your new fave thing. We got you a floaty ring with a cover and you like to sit in it, play with toys and be splashed. You giggle when you are squirted in the face. You do NOT like when you accidentally dunk yourself though. Neither do I!

- Naps are the same... long one in the morning usually within an hour of waking up. Then a mid-day nap and an afternoon nap.

- Personality-wise... you kind of "study" people and toys and books and then play with them. If you are around your little buddies, you are perfectly happy to be on your tummy and watch them play. You don't really play with multiple things at a time, but will focus on one for awhile and then move on. It's so interesting to see!

- You've started smacking your gums and making a few little noises aside from your general cooing. You like it when I smack back at you and make loud noises... makes you giggle.

- You can sit up for a few minutes at a time as long as you don't throw a toy and lunge for it!

- You are doing "crunches" full on with leg lifts. I need to start doing these with you. On the floor in the house, you slam your head down so I prop something underneath so you don't give yourself a concussion!!

- In general... you love being outside, love music, get giddy when your Dad comes home, are really starting to love books, like your jumperoo, really enjoy being around other babies, etc.

- Hm... what do you NOT like? When you get overly tired... GRUMPY PANTS. When I don't feed you right when you get up. When I get your boogs out. When I wipe your face off after you eat. The normal stuff!

- In general, you're awesome. Here's a great video of your giggling!!

I love you, my man!

Mama

Thursday Thing - Magazines

2011-05-19T13:42:00.002-05:00

Since I've had the CharlieMan, I've definitely read my fair share of books... on my Nook (that's a whole separate post) and otherwise. But when I just have a few minutes before I go to sleep or sitting on the couch (and I'm not reading blogs), I have two magazine subscriptions that I love.

Vanity Fair. I LOVE the Hollywood issue every year. The articles are always interesting and well written. The little tidbit that's a hollywood star doing three "directed" faces is great. And the inside back cover Proust Questionnaire (Link is Tina Fey) with a "big name" is great. My only issue with VF is that the articles can be long and if I get sucked in, I don't put them down. This is my go-to mag for an airplane ride!... or it was back when I was flying places! ALSO, the Vanity Fair tumblr is great for daily snippets.

Entertainment Weekly. I love this magazine and read it cover to cover every week! It's is all articles about current movies, TV shows, music, plays, books and reviews of everything that's out. It gives weekly "what to watch on TV" reports, box office updates, interviews, etc. The annual "guides to the movies" are awesome! I keep them all summer/fall. It's not about the gossip column like an US weekly... though that's what Daniel calls it (irks me every time!) And the Bullseye at the back usually gives me a chuckle. I also follow EW on twitter.

If I could subscribe to another magazine, it would be Real Simple. I LOVE that one except it makes me want to buy stuff usually... that's the reason I also don't subscribe to Lucky magazine! And I MIGHT do People as well... but it's like $90 a year or something so I'm staying away from that.

NOTE: Thanks to Katie Limon for reminding me... I LOVE Cooking Light. I used to subscribe to it (and my friend, Mandy also gifted it to me a couple years!), but I wasn't cooking very much, slash AT ALL, then. Now that I'm trying to do more, I might consider getting it again!

What do you subscribe to? What would you if you had the time/money to read whatever you wanted?

Thursday Things (Friday Edition) - Fishs Eddy

2011-05-13T16:08:00.001-05:00

Fishs Eddy is one of the greatest stores in New York. It is the greatest kitchenware ever and cheap! Please go there if you go to NYC OR you can shop online. :)

Here are some things I have:

Glass Storage Bowls with lids (from Kate for Christmas)... They are the perfect size for saving leftover veggies or meat or cheese. I don't know what I did before I had them!

These are "nut bowls"... but I used them for tealight candle holders at my party with the eggs on the tables. The possibilities are endless!

Four of these juice glasses (also from Kate for Christmas)... one of them broke in her suitcase on the way here. I guess she forgot she could have purchased them online and shipped them. She ALSO toted home a ginormous stuffed dog for Charlie from FAO. She's notsosmert.

The bag on the left was a gift for Charlie from mom. It's his swim bag! How cute. :)

Oven Mitt. Duh?

I also have these gorgeous, colorful little individual salt cellars. I think that's what you call them? They're crystal and I love them. SO... go to Fishs Eddy to shop! You will LOVE it.

I Love Giveaways!

2011-05-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying this is NOT a giveaway. I think it would be fun to do one someday, but right this minute I 1.) Have no money and B.) Consider the post office to be the bane of my existence (right up there with matching Daniel's socks.)

But I do love to ENTER a good giveaway and I've actually won a few lately! :)

I won a bunny towel and $50 gift card from Annie Wear via Cool Mom Picks. So, I got the towel and some Rodeo PJs and a Monkey Sleep Sack. And yes, Charlie DID use the bunny towel at Easter and he was precious. His pic is posted on Annie Wear's blog (too bad it's sideways and he's covering up his face!) Oh well.

Meagan Francis over at The Happiest Mom wrote a book called... "The Happiest Mom: Ten Secrets to Enjoying Motherhood" and after seeing the inside sample she previewed, I REALLY wanted a copy so I entered every giveaway she mentioned and I won one. I don't have it yet, but I can't wait to get it!

AND my old friend from Kolar's wife, Crystal, has been writing her blog, Poco-Cocoa, for years and now has a book out about Austin Restaurants called "Food Lovers Guide to Austin". I won it over at The Rebeccamendations, which you may remember for featuring my blog about New York!

In summary and in conclusion (as Tim Calhoun would say on Weekend Update)... I have NEVER included so many links in one blog. AND giveaways are fun to enter and even more fun to win. :)

Have you ever won one?!

Dinner Party with Recipes!

2011-05-09T15:35:00.006-05:00

I love to throw a party! Casual, fancy, buffet, plated, wine-tasting, cocktails and appetizers, fajita bars, BBQ... you name it, I've done it and I love it.

I have a group of friends who have a "Femme Foodies" dinner once a month and we try new restaurants. After going to the private room of the new fanciest restaurant in town, we decided to do a casual dinner party and I offered to host. It was so fun!

We were a couple weeks before Easter and my mom happened to be coming to town, so she brought the leftover "grass" she was using for her Easter tables and we decorated the three tables with my existing crystal, china and marble eggs... plus some gorgeous flowers! She ALSO brought my great grandmother's gold plated flatware and her white lace napkins. Here are the decorations and table settings. (Food and recipes below!)

Main dining table

Breakfast bar (didn't end up using this because less people came than originally RSVPed)

Folding table (slightly fancier than a basic one. It's rectangle... wood with leather top.)

Appetizer Station set-up.

Bar flowers.

Seating area decorations.

Everyone brought a bottle of wine and we tasted different new favorites. The idea was to introduce the group to new inexpensive wines. We were introduced! And we loved it!

For appetizers, we had "Bean Bruschetta" with garlic toast and a great cheese tray with peppered honey (just honey with cracked pepper, stirred) and Peach Habanero Pepper Preserves.

Dinner was Pistachio Chicken with Avocado Lime Sauce, Wild Rice (90 second microwave bags!) and Salad with carrots, cucumbers, red bell pepper, goat cheese, walnuts, strawberries and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Dessert was a trio that included Cinnamon Pear Bruschetta, a Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownie and Vanilla Ice Cream.

People came at 7:30, they helped cook (aprons and all!), we hung out and ate and drank, then they helped clean up the whole thing and we hung out after all was done. The key to a successful party is to just relax and roll with the little things that might go wrong! It was a wonderful party. I just wish I had taken photos of the food... it was so good (if I do say so myself.)

And here are the two recipes that aren't links:

Bean Bruschetta

Otherwise known as "Bean Curd De Glory" by my sister and her friends. :)

1 Large can (or two small) cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

4-6 Tbs Olive Oil

4-6 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

1 Clove Garlic (Minced)

3-6 Leaves Fresh Basil (Chopped Fine)

Few Shakes Crushed Red Pepper

Salt and Pepper

Serve with 7 Grain or other thick bread... toast in skillet with brushed on olive oil and sprinkled garlic powder.

Pistachio Chicken

(I don't use the exact measurements for any of this, but first time you make it... this is a start!)

1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, finely ground

1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon + 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 teaspoon EVOO

1/2 cup diced sweet white onion

Avocado Lime Sauce:

1 large ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

3 tablespoons EVOO

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon water

To make chicken:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix nuts in a pie plate with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Press the chicken into the nuts. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet and cook the coated breasts, 2 minutes per side. Place the breasts in a baking dish and bake for 15 min. or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160 and the juices run clear.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the diced onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook until the onion is browned.

To make the sauce:

Puree the onion, avocado, oil, lime juice and water in a blender.

ENJOY! Let me know if you make these and how they turn out. OR share your favorite recipes with me! :)

Thursday Thing - Bookplates

2011-05-05T13:37:00.001-05:00

I love books... always have! Even though I now own a Nook (because on trips I used to tote more books in my suitcase than clothes), I still want personalized bookplates someday! And I definitely want them for Charlie's books.

Here are a few I've come across lately!

Lots of gorgeous, antique designs! Sorry for the bad image.

Hedgehogs Here

For the classic among you!

Pretty. Would look very pretty in this gorgeous series of books.

If you want a stamp! Gorgeous!

OH and Cool Mom Picks JUST posted these adorable address stamps. Not exactly the same thing but so cute.

Happy Shopping and Cinco de Mayo. :)

Six Months

2011-05-04T13:04:00.002-05:00

Dear Charlie,

This month has been huge! Without further ado, let's talk about you! (Pictures and videos don't really correspond... just showing you my man.) :)

- You are sleeping all night! You go to bed around 6:30 and wake up between 6 and 7. It's awesome! You still take an hour and a half nap in the morning and two hour-ish long naps in the afternoon. I'm sure we will try to consolidate these at some point... but you don't ever stay awake more than 3 hours at a time (and usually only 2). OH... and you are unswaddled! You still sleep in the blanket because you like to cuddle with it before you sleep (and I like that you can't put it over your face!)

- You are eating some food and are not hating it as much as you first did a few weeks ago. You made the most awful gagging, eyes watering, vomit face when I first fed you with a spoon. I tried putting bananas on my finger and using a medicine dropper and you weren't hating the taste so we went back and tried again. I also moved on from rice cereal (which is NASTY) to oatmeal with cinnamon (NOT nasty). You really like banana, green beans and meat (ground up flank steak). You didn't like peaches and I don't blame you... they were gross.

- Holding a cup and letting you drink water out of it is one of my favorite things ever. You are hilarious and get so excited and grab the cup and try and yank it out of my hands.

- I don't know how much longer I can leave you in your bouncy chair alone... you are trying to roll on your side and throw yourself out of it! Instead, I will put you in your "circle of neglect" jumparoo.

- Your favorite toy is my Blackberry and you are loving to eat your feet. Usually your right foot. Maybe the left leg isn't as flexible due to all that kicking? These are huge steps... last month, you were just fiddling with toys, now you hold them and play with them and eat them. Good job, dude!

- You do not like having things put over your head, having boogers removed and being laid on your bed (because you think it's nap time... and usually it is!)

- Your absolute favorite things are music, books and being outside! Our favorite time with you is on weekend afternoons when we go somewhere to eat (early bird special, baby!) on a patio and show you off to anyone who watches you grin at your daddy while you stand on his legs.

- Other firsts... first dip in the lake (plus first crawdad in your face), first time in a pool, first time on the golf course, first rolling over back to front.

- If you get around a bunch of people, occasionally you will just TALK. We went to Moyce's birthday party last week and you truly went on for about 8 minutes at THIS volume. The whole room was listening to you and you were just talking over everyone. It was hilarious. I recorded the last minute or so because everyone was telling me to!

- You are such a happy man. Whenever I take you anywhere or you meet people, they just say how sweet you are. If you get mad, you just whine or fuss a little. You aren't a big crier unless you're exhausted. And when you are happy and talking and giggling, I just laugh and love it. I love you, my man!

Love,
Mama

Pia or Why America Didn't Get It Wrong

2011-04-08T13:49:00.003-05:00

I liked Pia a lot at the beginning of the competition. I had thoughts of "this is the girl to beat" and "she's going to win it all." But then, week after week, was the same (albeit great) song. Start soft, grow big, barely move, end on a big note ballad. And yes, I even mean "River Deep, Mountain High." If you can make that song sound like a ballad, you are a one-note (albeit great note) show.

Tina Turner didn't even have to MOVE and she had more intensity than Pia singing the song.

You know I love me some Glee and these girls were MOVIN' while they sang. Santana's moves are so fun during this song!

Pia swore last week that this week she would MOVE. I was hoping she was going to do some "football runs" on the stage but she just walked around. The girl is super talented and had one of the best voices on the show, but she wasn't going to be the American Idol. She's not sellable.

Who do I like to win? I'm not sure yet. After hearing James Durbin tackle a soft song, I was pretty impressed. I think Casey Adams is the most musical of all of them. Lauren Alaina has always been a fave. Scotty is straight country, but he embraces it... and his Elvis number was pretty great (just hold that microphone straight up, dude!) And I even liked Paul last night... the man was hyped!

Stefano should have gone home this week (and you could tell that he knew it). He will be out next week. At this point, if you aren't the last man standing, it doesn't matter what order you exit. Pia wasn't going to be the last woman standing so it's okay she's gone. Best of luck to her!

(And no hating meant against Pia! I just can't get behind the huge uproar against the results when week after week the judges told her to let loose and she couldn't do it. Let me know who you love to win it all!)

UPDATE: Classy response from Pia! Not to this post, duh, but in general. :D

Thursday Things - Eyeshadow Primer

2011-04-07T06:12:00.000-05:00

Urban Decay Shadow Primer Potion!

My shade is "Sin" (how shady of me!) and I love this stuff. It is hands down the best primer I've ever used... and I've tried some in my day. I use it as intended as a base for my favorite eye shadow (this one is called "Honey Lust" - are we noticing a shameful trend?!) or just by itself with mascara if I'm going natural-ish.

I think I first saw this stuff from The Pioneer Woman, but I can't find it on her site now. I will give her credit anyways. And thanks to Lynch for the Honey Lust find. Love it!

Maybe my new favorite Mascara and my go-to eyeliner will be next week. You just never know what awesomeness will arise with Thursday Things!

Five Months

2011-04-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Charlie (still known as Bean, Mister or any combination of Mister, Charlie and Bean),

You are five months old and such a little man... and a very sweet one. You study and watch everything, love to be outside, like to hear yourself talk, watch people (and possibly judge them), sleep a ton and anywhere and are very chill. Here are more things about you:

- Your favorite thing is sleeping. Your patterns are the same now as they were a month ago... a sleeping fool, I say. Next step... a full night's sleep! You still wake up once a night to eat and then go right back to sleep. I'm used to it and I know you will do it when you're ready. You're awesome in so many ways that I don't really stress about it... though I probably should try a little harder to get you to sleep all night. Oh well.

(This is your new face that I die over. Hilarious.)

- In the last couple weeks you have started chatting and giggling up a storm. My favorite thing in the world is to hear your belly laugh! You usually do it when you're a little "slap happy" and I startle you by saying "Bean" or "BOO" in your face. I do it over and over just to hear you laugh! I also that you are using your voice to make all sorts of noises. You go from low and growling to high pitched and squealing. It's the sweetest sound to this mama's ears.

- You still kick that left leg to make everything move. We have got to work on your fine motor skills... hanging out with baby Reese who is just two weeks older than you this weekend, she was WAY more coordinated! Maybe it's because you sleep all the time and have no time for practicing!!! Looking back on your four month post, you had just started SEEING your hands, so we are definitely making progress. "Literal Baby Steps" as your dad says. :)

(Chatting! You didn't get into the high pitched realm here... just some serious words for the camera!)

- You're working on rolling, but you don't like to be on your tummy much to practice. The best time for that is when you're hanging out with one of your MANY girlfriends and watching them! If Aves (good grief please post again!) is patting you on the head or BEA is rolling all over the place, you are entertained and just chill there watching them... and hopefully not judging!

(And there's your bald spot. Yay?)

- Oh what else... you still love to stand and you are much more stable now!

(I don't know WHAT is going on with this new mouth trick... I thought maybe you were feeling around in there for teeth, but I don't see any. And YES, that is a girl's outfit... Aves let you borrow it after your poopy disaster at her house yesterday!!)

- More than anything, you are just a delight to me. I can't wait for your huge smile and the shaking excitement that takes over your whole body when your dad gets home and I love that you look for me and wriggle around and grin at me when you are waking up. You are teaching me what unconditional love means and I'm loving every minute of it.

Love,
Mama

The 1-2-3 of NYC or My First Guest Post!

2011-04-05T10:02:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to write about New York for quite some time now. Kate and I are often asked for suggestions on where to go, what to do, where to stay, what to eat, etc. We now have an official "I Heart NY" document that we send out about it! So when I saw "The Rebeccamendations" posted asking for a guest post about NYC, I knew I had to do it.

Go to her blog to check out MY blog today (and come back here and tell me what YOUR favorite spots are that I am missing!)

And here are some of my favorite NYC pics. :)

(Who knows... just a pic somewhere. Think we were at Top of the Rock though. And it was COLD.)

(Same girl as the pic below with my grandparents?! I thought so from the minute I saw her!)

(BeckyLozier plus snow in her hair... dee-waitforit-saster.)

(Yay snow! We had just finished eating pizza and watching the Oscars at a restaurant, I believe.)

(Daniel's only trip with me to NYC for our 5 year anniversary!)

(He made me walk a VERY long way to the champagne boat tour)

(But then I had the champagne and I didn't care)

(On the champagne boat to see the waterfall installation. Very cool!)

(Fancy lunch!)

(In Brooklyn waiting for brunch)

(In Kate's apt... we promptly dumped these into roadie cups and took them around the corner to the AWESOME 24-hour hardware store... at 1am)

(Ceiling of Gilt in The Palace Hotel... amazing)

(From the stage at Radio City Music Hall)

(Same Girl?!)

(Kate and the city... from Brooklyn)

(Kate just said a bad word. Della pretended to be shocked.)

(Tulips outside The Plaza Hotel/Residences)

BeckyLozier's Fajita Marinade Recipe

2011-04-03T20:33:00.008-05:00

(this is just because I beat Kate AGAIN this year... three years in a row!... in our March Madness brackets. Does she work for the NBA? Did she play basketball for four years in high school? Does she go to the NYC NBA store just for fun sometimes? Is she obsessed with basketball in general? You bet she is. Do I DOMINATE her in March Madness? You bet I do.)

Onward to the point of this blog... Whenever I have a friendly gathering and I want to do fail-proof food, I bust out the old standby... BeckyLozier's Fajitas!

Marinade:
1/2 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
juice from 1/2 lime

Meat:
- Chicken Breasts
- Flap Steak (NOT Flank Steak, though that's okay too)... Flap Steak, also labeled as "Fajita Meat"
(NOT marinated) at Central Market and Whole Foods
- Frozen Jumbo Shrimp (thaw under cold water, marinate these just for an hour or so, grill in a wok!)

I usually double or triple the marinade recipe if I'm using both chicken breasts and steak. Marinate the marinade overnight or up to 24 hours, marinate the meat itself from morning until the time you are grilling, then grill and serve!

I think it's VERY worth it to go get Chuy's or Taco Cabana for tortillas! OR if you have an HEB, go to the section next to the eggs and biscuits and milk and find the fridge tortillas that you heat on the griddle... because wow.

AND, while you're at it... get some creamy jalapeno at Chuy's because you will never regret eating 16 ounces of this with your friends in one night. I'm not gonna say when or with whom, but it's happened. And it may have happened more than once.

Also, do freshly grated cheese because it's just better, queso (standby Velveeta and Rotel for me!), guacamole, pico, salsas and black refried beans (or pick up the awesome refried beans while you're at Chuy's!)

**Oh, and just for the heck of it, make yourself a margarita using Anejo Tequila (store in the freezer), Cointreau, fresh lime juice, orange juice and Sprite... and enjoy the evening!**

Friday Fave - Cereal

2011-04-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to do a "Thursday Things" instead of Fridays like most people do... just because I'm SO different and cool. Or I'm a loser for even thinking you care what I like. Regardless, I'm looking for ideas of things to post about and I always think "I need to tell someone about this!!" and here is a platform for me to do that. :)

I'll just post about one thing a week so I have more weeks to talk about things. And if I realize that I have a gazillion things to share, I'll start doing more than one at a time! How many times do we think I'm gonna say the word things in this post. I'm just reemphasizing (which I almost just started to spell "reimphesizing" before my brain came back into my body... wow) why it must be a Thursday Thing instead of a Friday Fave, apparently.

This is my new favorite cereal. I inherently think it's healthy because it's called Fiber One. And while it does have sugar, it at least also has whole grains and fiber and that's part of the diet I'm going for. Plus, it tastes like a mixture of Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Win/Win (Win)... name that TV show. I eat this for breakfast, sometimes for lunch (not on the same day) and occasionally for dinner if Daniel isn't home. I love me some cereal, y'all. *I thought that last part in my head with a twang so I wanted to make sure you thought it the same way.*

And... as an added bonus... every time I see the name, I think "De-waitforit-lightful. Delightful!" Name that TV show again. :)

p.s.

The Best Post Ever.

2011-03-31T13:29:00.002-05:00

I interrupt my regularly scheduled "Charlie is 5 months old post" to bring you this. I will post about Charlie next week. This week, I think it's more important to share this with you.

My sister-in-law Emily (Daniel's oldest sister... he has three!) and her husband Andy and their kids Caroline, Lucy and Preston welcomed baby Drew from Rwanda into their family this week! I could tell you all about it, but I would rather you go watch the videos to see the story. They took a fabulous photographer with them and she set the experiences to short videos about some of the key days... ranging from Emily and Andy's first meeting of Drew to court experiences and his first bath to his homecoming.

Here they are in order of occurrence. If you read the blog post before you watch, you will have a better idea of what's happening in the video. There are other posts in between, so if you want to read the whole story, go to their blog and go back a couple pages and start reading! It will be well worth your time.

Note: If you only have time for a couple videos, watch the first and the last. :)

Meeting Drew

Drew, The Longhorn

Field Trip!

Sunday in Africa

Homecoming for Drew Moses Schulz

Charlie and I were able to go meet Drew at the airport and I cried the first second I saw the "He makes all things glorious" banner... after that, there wasn't any point even trying. Daniel, Charlie and I got to go see Drew again yesterday and he is a sweet little man. I think he and Charlie are going to be buddies... they are five months apart and precious together!

AND here's a picture of Charlie, just because. I wish I had one of the two of them together but I will post one of those when I get it! :)

Shrimp Caesar Salad

2011-03-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

I've been attempting to cook more lately... but I don't like to cook unless it's going to taste AWESOME. So, I've been rotating a few items that I know are great and slowly adding to the repertoire. This includes Pistachio Chicken, Shredded Pork Tacos, Strawberry Spinach Salad with Fried Goat Cheese, BeckyLozier's Fajitas, etc. I will share these recipes on here soon. :)

Last night and tonight... The Other Pam Anderson's Caesar Salad (via The Pioneer Woman) with Grilled Shrimp. A few notes:

- For the Shrimp... I marinated the Large Shrimp (Daniel says I should've gotten Jumbo... oops) in olive oil, soy sauce, worcestershire (yes, I had to copy/paste that) sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and Daniel grilled them. We ate them hot last night and I had the leftovers cold tonight. NOTE: Do not let your husband peel the shrimp unless you want to deplete the supply by 1/3 before dinner even starts.

- Last night, I did the full blending of the olive oil and garlic, tonight I was just making it for myself so I just whisked the olive oil and minced garlic awhile.

- I did chop up the lettuce and added spinach when we both were eating it for a few more "greens" benefits! I also thought it might be tasty to add a roasted red bell pepper. <-- See technique here... Also, trying this recipe soon!

- Neither night did I have the fantastic crusty bread so I used a leftover Grand's Reduced Fat Wheat Biscuit... CLASSY!!!

p.s. I think Charlie is judging my biscuit substitution. Hater.

Four Months

2011-03-02T14:12:00.000-06:00

Dear Bean... aka Mister... aka Beautiful Love... aka Charlie-Man,

You are awesome. You are sweet and happy and wonderful and I love to hang out with you. Here are some things about you this month:

- Doc says we need to work on your flat spot. Too bad you hate tummy time. Sorry, Man... you gots to do it! You weigh 15 pounds 5 ounces (fully clothed) and are 25.5 inches long putting you in the 60th percentile in weight and 75th in height. Way to grow, dude.

- You have found your hands! You fold your left hand into the "got your nose" pose (with your thumb between your pointer and middle fingers) and you stare at it. Until you jam it into your mouth. And then you gag yourself and your eyes water up. I didn't say you were smart. I just said you found your hands.

- When we put you in your bouncy chair that your cousin Traci loaned you (your FAVE place to be... just inching out your changing table as the fave!), you never stop kicking. But only your left leg. We've started saving money for therapy on your right leg.

This video shows the hand love AND the foot craziness. This is NOT his best hair.

- You love to stand! It's not legit standing obviously, but when Daddy or Pop or Papa stands you up, you love to show them your huge grin and wobble away.

- Since I started paying real attention to your sleep patterns this last week, I am understanding you more. You can sleep a long time at night (like 6:30pm-2am then 2:30am-7am) and when you wake up in the morning you still want to go to sleep within an hour of being awake. Then you sleep for 2.5-3 more hours. Then you take another 1-2 hour nap and then another hour nap in the later afternoon! You are a sleeping fool!

- It is going to be hard to break you of your swaddling. You don't like putting your arms through the swaddle blanket, and sometimes you bust out of it, but you sleep very well swaddled!

- You love the moon above your changing table. You like to hear about both of your eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks.

- Bath time is still your fave! It's hard to figure out how to prop you up since you don't love laying down and you can't quite sit up, but you still love it. And now that we are reading a book before naps and bed time, you are enjoying that, too. "On the Night You Were Born" is my favorite to read to you... so far.

- You adore the outdoors - going on walks, sitting on the front step and talking about the cars going by, your first trip to Central Market... you love it all!

I'm sure there are many more things to talk about, but I need to clean your house. It's a dee-saster.

Love,
Mama

Three Months

2011-01-31T17:30:00.002-06:00

Dear Charlie,

You are three months old! I would say that time has flown by... but that would be a straight-up lie. I think a lot of it has to do with going through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The phrase "slower than Christmas" took on a WHOLE new meaning this year! But every day has some wonderful moments. Here are some things about you right now...

(Look how sweet you are!)

* You love to smile and laugh at me. And since your two overnight stays with just your Dad, you've been connecting with him a lot more, too! He loves it!
* You've started chatting with me... making the cutest cooing noises I've ever heard!
* You like going on walks, but you hate the sun in your eyes.
* You will stay awake and hang out with people but you really love to sleep. A lot.

(This picture was taken by your dad at 5:30 in the morning when y'all were having a sleepover when I was at a sleepover with my girlfriends!)

* You make a noise like a whinnying horse when you're eating sometimes.
* You weighed 13 pounds and were 24.25 inches at your 2 month doctor's appointment
* You don't mind when Pop and B's HUGE dog, Sophie (a lab/pyrenees mix... 105 pounds), gives you tiny kisses on your face.
* You still don't have a "schedule", but I'm learning to be okay with it... especially since you are doing SO much better sleeping at night. We had a week there where you stayed awake from about 10pm to 3am and that was NOT okay. You're getting the hang of it now.
* You take a 2-4 hour nap every morning. And usually, I sleep then too! Your afternoon naps range from 30 minutes to 2 hours... just depends on the day and what we're doing! I know, I know... I will try to get you on a schedule sometime in the next two months. But I'm loving the flexibility of this!

You are awake! I will post more pictures soon. Or people can see you on Facebook.... that's where all the pictures live.

I love you,
Mama

Two Months

2011-01-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

Dear Charlie,

You are two months old! (And have been for a few days now). Here are some things about you so I will remember when you are four months old and I've forgotten this sleep-deprived time entirely. (I hope I won't... but just in case.)

- You are kicking and grinning and talking like a champ. I love your noises, especially your short, surprised, high-pitched giggles.
- You fuss when you're tired, hungry and sometimes when I change your clothes (but not when your dad does). You don't mind dirty diapers... but I do!
- You love your Mama Roo and your vibratey chair... but only the music and the monkey and lion hangy-down-thingys... you refuse to look at the hippopotamus. Aunt Kate wants to download the song as a ringtone. It's a good one.
- You STARE at the curtains in the living room all the dang time. I think it's because of the shadows above them. But it's become a joke in the fam... You love the curtains more than us.
- You really enjoy bath time. You yawn your way through it because you're so relaxed.
- You are congested pretty often and you don't love your nose drops but you don't hate them. You do hate the bulbing and the q-tip up the nose afterwards!
- You are great in the car right now. You sleep your way through it... even all the way to Dallas and back over Christmas. But you do HATE when we stop if you're not asleep.
- Speaking of sleep... you still have no semblance of a schedule except that you are never awake more than a max of an hour and forty five minutes at a time and sometimes not even an hour. You LOVE to sleep and you do it well. At night you do go about five to six and a half hours at a time between meals. You even went nine and a half on New Years' Eve! That was amazing and gave me hope for the future!

You are such a little man. You are absolutely beautiful and wonderful and perfect and

I love you!
Mama

p.s. After my last post, I think all my friends thought I was losing it. But I really meant that this is hard in some ACTUAL hard ways and hard in some WONDERFUL hard ways! But the wonderfulness so completely overshadows the actual. And the actual gets easier every day.

This is hard.

2010-12-18T21:34:00.001-06:00

It's hard to admit that I don't know what I'm doing. I cry sometimes. That's hard to admit, too.

It's tough to get no sleep and function and keep a positive attitude in the most intense few weeks of my life. And to then say that I sometimes don't have a positive attitude. And to then say that I then feel guilty when I don't.

It's challenging to keep a 7 week old awake and happy doing one activity for any stretch of time. Case in point...

It's not easy thinking of games to play with your hands and feet. Patty cake, the itsy bitsy spider, deep and wide, I'm a little tea pot, the chicken dance, this little piggy, the hokey pokey, head and shoulders knees and toes (knees and toes)... these all play a part in our daily routine.

It's demanding... this unscheduled schedule.

It's physically painful to worry that he could just not wake up.

It's impossible to put this experience into words.

It's immense. That this life is in my hands. But it's not.

And yet...

It's hard to not laugh when he sticks out his lower lip and pouts. It's also hard to not cry tears of happiness when I focus on the fact that he's mine.

It's tough to leave him for any amount of time without at least wondering what he's doing. And missing him.

It's challenging to keep a bottle in with your chin while texting pictures to your mother.

It's not easy to pass up a chance to kiss him on his tiny mouth. Or his button nose. Or his belly. Or his chubby cheeks. So I don't.

It's demanding... this boogery nose.

It's physically painful to hold in a sneeze while rocking him to sleep.

It's impossible to explain the joy I feel while staring at his expressive sleeping face.

It's immense. This love.

This is hard.

Inside and Out

2010-11-21T13:34:00.001-06:00

Charlie,

When you were inside, you had lots of hiccups. They drove me nuts. Now that you're out, you still have lots of hiccups. They only drive me nuts because I feel like they're bothering you AND they keep you from sleeping sometimes. I don't like when things keep you from sleeping. Sleep is good!

When you were inside, I couldn't wait for you to get here! I got teary and smiley just thinking about your arrival. When you came out, it honestly wasn't the moment I hoped it would be. As I said earlier, you were blue and you were put on me and taken from me immediately and all I could do was look in your direction and try not to break down. Try to keep it together for you and me and your Dad. And then you were fine and then you weren't and the cycle kept going. But I think that time in the hospital showed me immediately that you were going to require patience and flexibility... two things I am NOT known for and I needed to be reminded of immediately. I'm thankful we had that time to adapt to your arrival.

When you were inside, you threw your arms up and into my pelvis sending shooting pains through my nether-regions. Now that you're out, you throw your arms up and all it does is wake you up and make me laugh.

When you were inside, I tried so hard not to worry. I made Matthew 6:27 my mantra, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"... or YOUR life? Not me. I prayed for you and for me and I was praying that I wouldn't be anxious because stress isn't good for either of us. And I know the Lord took care of us. He gave me self-control to take care of you through my diet when we had gestational diabetes. He gave me rest when we needed it and energy when we needed it. Now that you're out, my new mantra is Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I've prayed more simply and more fervently than I ever have in my life. For you and for me. I know what to pray for because I'm single-minded in my mission. That is to take care of you and love you and cherish you as well as I can. I know that will grow and change as you do... but for now, it's enough.

When you were inside, you would push your legs out and your bottom would shove itself against my belly. Now that you're out, I want to figure out what this "move" is but I haven't seen it yet! And I want to get a better look at your cute bottom but I'm afraid to spend too much time with it because I'm not quite ready to get tinkled on.

When you were inside, the ultrasounds showed your mouth and eyebrows moving. They also showed your awesome head of hair. Now that you're out, I LOVE watching your mouth and eyebrows move. That's always been my favorite thing about watching babies... their tiny mouths. And yours is fascinating and hilarious to me. And your hair... well, it just makes you the sweet little man that you are. And it makes bath time even more important because that hair gets dir-ty.

When you were inside, I thought I was ready to be a mom. I knew it would be hard. I knew what I was up against. I knew what I was nervous about. I knew I was going to love you. Now that you're out, I can say I was ready in some ways but never could have known how I would feel every time I look at you. I adore you and each day it just gets better than the day before.

I won't write you all these letters all the time, but you're brand new and I don't want to forget all of these things! There are big huge feelings and thoughts and I want to remember this amazing time for all of it's awesomeness and scariness. Because it's all part of the experience that we are going through together... and I'm soaking up every minute.

Love,

Mom

My Charlie

2010-11-20T13:54:00.001-06:00

Dear Mister Charlie,

When you came out and the doctor pronounced you a boy, your Dad and I looked at each other kind of like "we know!" I had that feeling the whole time, but then I thought it was because I just wanted a boy. The last few weeks, I even prayed that if you were to come out and be a girl that I wouldn't be disappointed. And that worked because I really did get just as excited at the thought of a girl. But there you were... my little man.

You got off to a rough start at life. You came out blue and for the first five minutes, all I could do was hold your dad's hand and pray the word "Please." Over and over and over. And then I waited too long to try to feed you (though many people assured me it wasn't my fault) and your blood sugar got low and we started a cycle of it being too low for you to want to eat and having to give you a bottle and your body temperature dropping. And that landed you in the NICU. After they regulated your blood sugar within 24 hours, they said your sodium levels were low and it was concerning that you hadn't lost weight. Your dad was logical about this... you were on an IV so you were being overhydrated which meant your sodium would be low and you wouldn't lose as much weight as a normal baby losing water weight! But still we stayed there in the NICU for four days. Four very, very long days and even longer nights. While you were there you had at least 20 heel pricks, an IV in each of your hands plus an extra hole from a botched attempt, a Hepatitis B shot, a circumcision and your "tongue tie" clipped. And through it all, you were amazing. The doctors all commented on your sweet spirit and mellow personality. You were truly a trooper.

And then you came home. To your home that had been prepared just for you (okay, the wet bar isn't for you...) and the people who were here to take care of you. Your B (BeckyLozier's brand new name!) made more meals than she'd had to make in the last year, did more laundry than she's had to do in the last ten years and generally made sure your mother was alive so that she could keep you alive. I have never been more thankful for my mom. When she left, she told me that I was ready. She said, "we've been preparing your house and preparing you for this for months. And you're ready." I never felt less ready for anything in my life.

Speaking of not being ready for something... I was NOT prepared for the crying. Oh the crying that took place from the minute you finally returned to me after many hours after you were born, hungry but with blood sugar so low that you wouldn't eat and I didn't know how to feed you (it's a long story that makes me angry just thinking about it) to the first night I left you to go to dinner with my family to the night B left to the first night I didn't sleep with you in your room just three nights ago... I didn't know that the tiniest things would trigger tears. Many, many tears. And there have been tears of joy, too. I look at you and think "You're mine! All mine!" and it overwhelms me to the point of tears.

I already know some things about you...
- You are "the tornado" (as we called you in the NICU)... you are perfectly happy until you are not. And then you start yelling at high speeds until the issue is resolved.
- You don't mind getting your nails filed when you are napping on my lap.
- Right as you are closing your eyes and drifting to sleep, you often bust out with a huge grin. I wonder what you are grinning about.
- If you have a full tummy, you don't mind getting a bath.
- You love your Mama Roo.
- Everyone says that you have a very strong neck. I don't know what's normal, but I do know that your Pop (my dad's new name) calls you his overachiever, so I can only assume that you must excel in this category... among others!
- You're awesome.

And here you are...

I love you so much. You are napping right now across the room, just six feet away... and it's possible that I actually miss you! Is that lame or just a new fact of life? I'm okay with it. I will snuggle with you again soon.

Love,
Mom

A Letter to My Unborn Child... (Part Fin)

2010-10-26T13:40:00.002-05:00

Dear Buddy,

This is the last letter I'll write to you as "Buddy"! Pretty soon we're going to know you as Charlie Preston or Anne Katherine... aka Buddy, likely. I won't be able to help myself! I mean... I KNOW you as Buddy. I know where your bottom is. I know your feet are 3.5" long. I know you have hair. I know you know how to "gig 'em." I know you have chubby cheeks. I know you like to move it to the music. I know you hiccup like a crazy person. And I know you think you're the tasmanian devil of babies in there.

I cannot believe I will get to meet you soon! I can tell you ahead of time that it's already the single best moment of my life. I mean... marrying your dad was great and all... but he didn't spend nine months attached to my body before the moment we got married. And I knew what I was getting myself into when I married him! I have no idea what I'm getting myself into when you come see me. The excitement and anticipation is just the greatest thing I've ever experienced!

If you're Charlie, I will really have to figure out about boys. I got nothin' in this department! I would guess you will be way more active than me. You'll want to be outside with the mosquitos and get dirty and play sports and shoot birds and break things. You will pull me way outside of my comfort zone and challenge me to get out there and live life like it's supposed to be lived. It will be awesome. Your dad will love having a little buddy to hunt with him. Y'all will be best pals. Until you start breaking curfew. Don't think for a second he's going to let you get away with that.

If you're Annie, and if you're anything like I was when I was little, it could truly be the biggest test of patience I've ever had in my life. A battle of the wills in which there's no winner for being the winner. I'm up for the test! We will get through it together! I get really excited thinking about coloring and reading books to you and watching musicals and having tea parties. I imagine taking you out of school once a semester for a girls day where we go to a movie and eat lunch at a fancy restaurant and get a pedicure. And I think about my relationship with my mom right now and how it's been the most amazing thing in the last few years to develop that especially through marriage and getting ready for you. And I think about having that with you. Good grief, you're making me cry in Taco Shack.

This is another thing about you... I've never had a hormonal issue in my life (ok, I mean not like crying issues)... and you just bring it all out of me. I get emotional thinking about meeting you. Thinking about showing you your room for the first time. Thinking about giving you a bath and sniffing your sweet head. Thank you for bringing me out of my tough candy shell and softening my heart before you even get here!

I'm praying for you! I'm praying that you come just at the right time and that you are healthy and strong. I pray that I won't ruin you. That you will know Jesus asap. And that I know how to show Him to you. That Dad and I will show you what marriage should look like and can love you like nobody has ever loved a kiddo before. You think God can do all this? I know He can.

I'm ready for you, Buddy. As ready as I'll ever be. In fact, I've never had more things checked off of a To-Do List in my entire life! Come on out and see me. Let's watch the Rangers in the World Series together. Let's get the fun started.

I love you,
Mom

The Money Pit - Art Tour

2010-10-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

It's much easier to show you my Art collection than it is my Antique collection... because Art hangs on walls and can't be covered in Sonic cups or Thank You notes or presents for Buddy or be an unmade bed. SO... Art it is!

Here we go! (Captions above the pics.)

This is a small plate my mom got me either in Italy or France. I love her pretty face and the colors are perfect in my kitchen where she hangs.

This is my most expensive and traditional piece of Art. Daniel got this Kathy Womack for me for Christmas a couple years ago and it now hangs above my breakfast bar. I like to think that the woman on the floor is me (HA.. look how skinny my neck is!), in blue is mom and on the right (with the cool hat, of course) is Kate.

Less traditional art here... These sconces do need little votives, but I need to get Daniel used to them being on the wall in the dining room before I add glass to the mix. Last night he said he was sure to rip off a "leaf" or rip them off the wall. He better be careful!

These are from Brooklyn Flea Market and they cost me $5 each and I carried them home as my carry-on. I also did that with the paper mache flowers in Buddy's room. When I find something I want, I WILL get it home!! :)

We bought this along with a bottle of Whiskey and something else that was random at a silent auction a few years ago when we still did things like go to silent auctions! It hung above our bed for forever, but it's too small above the king size bed we just got (YAY) and it's really cool with the shadows it casts in the dining room.

My great aunt painted this. It's one of 5 pieces of hers I have in my house! It hangs right outside the bar. Appropriate? I think so.

This was a poster I got somewhere and it hung in my cube for forever at Kolar... back when I worked and actually DID something to contribute to my family financially. I just got it mounted and framed (in a regular frame from Aaron Brothers) because I love the colors and especially the lady's face on the bottom left. It's above the piano in the living room.

This may be my favorite piece I own. She's from Jamaica and I bought her in a random, tiny shop for about $20 just because I adore her face and the colors. It's also the most expensive framed piece I own... I did a custom mat, frame and museum glass because I wanted her to stand out. She's by the front door.

Close up.

Another "three woman" picture! This is from a street vendor in NYC. Another piece I carried home! This just sat without a frame for forever, but I got this standard frame from Aaron Brothers the same time I got the one above the piano and it just adds so much to it, I think. I didn't even add a mat to this, it came with the solid white and I just left it. Love.

Another piece by my great aunt. This is the original frame it came in, I believe. It was looking a little tired wherever it was I had it last in the house, but in the freshly painted bathroom, it's perfect!

Another great aunt piece! My mom just found this in a sketchbook of hers and had it framed. It's a rough-draft of a poem about angels on the right with an ink drawing of an angel on the left. It's hanging above Buddy's toy chest in the hallway.

Angel close up. I think she's gorgeous!

ANOTHER great aunt painting! Again, in the frame it came in. This is hanging by the door in the purple guest room. I love the colors here and the fact that you can barely see the pencil lines where she obviously outlined the cross hatches. It makes it "less perfect" and more special to me.

Mom found these gorgeous ladies at a random shop in Paris. The mat is a linen cloth and is so pretty. I want to dress and look like them.

This piece came as a surprise behind the ladies from Paris. Mom decided she liked it and had it framed, too! I love their costumes and that whatever is written is in French (I believe) and I have no idea what it says. These hang side by side in the the guest bedroom.

And yet another... you guessed it... great aunt piece! Again, original frame that is perfect in my purple bedroom!

T-Rog's mom, V-Rog, gave me this sweet piece for Buddy at my baby shower. It's hanging in Buddy's room and I love that it talks about "to the moon and back" since the moon is the key piece in the room. It's also the name of V-Rog's blog! How fun. :)

And here's Buddy's moon! This was checked as luggage in a gigantic cardboard box when we came home from Cabo with my fam a few years ago. I wish you could've seen my dad's face when we put it on the van and told him we were checking it. Good thing my mom is used to doing that exact sort of thing. When there's a BeckyLozier will... there's a way!!

Last but not least... this was hanging in our entryway for forever but now has a spot in the hallway by our bedroom. It's the sites of Austin and mom got it for Daniel a few years ago. It's so fun to look at and try to spot all the places we know and love.

What's your art or style or favorite piece in your house?? Post about it! I want to see!

The Money Pit - Day DUNDIES

2010-10-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

Here we go! Captions are above each picture. Sorry they're kind of blurry... they're low res because there are SO many pics.

The new windows in the whole front of the house make a huge difference to me in the look of it. Before they were trimmed out in black. The neutral helps disguise some of the oddity of the shapes. And yes, Daniel WILL be trimming that ginormous bush soon.

Looking in from the front door.

Looking left from the front door. There will be some sort of "room separator" immediately in front of where I'm standing at some point. But for now, we're just leaving it open.

Kitchen with new island, new sink (that has dishes in it from last night so you don't get to take THAT close of a look. The metal rack is new to the kitchen, too. I LOVE having the island there. It's so functional.

From the corner by the stove through the kitchen/dining room. You can see the pantry door on the left.

Inside of the pantry. We just put plain old wood shelves in there and stained and polyurethaned them to protect them. Daniel really didn't want shelf liners... so we didn't use any!

Stainless bar seating area. I sit here EVERY day for a majority of the day working on Junior League stuff or reading blogs. I love this spot! It's functioning exactly as I hoped it would.

From beside the stainless bar into the dining room. I'm loving the small can lights because they almost act like pinspots. It makes the crystal on my table really show up! My crystal cabinet is on the left side of the room. We're looking through to the bar.

Inside the bar! This lamp is kind of random and may not be here forever, but it's a nice soft light for everyday use. And I didn't realize that the sink I chose perfectly matched the green glass on my wine rack! YAY.

There will eventually be some sort of shelves above the sink for more storage. I LOVE having the ice machine. Makes all my mocktails taste so much better! Someday soon, it will make the cocktails better, too! :)

China storage underneath the island. This also turned out just like I hoped! It holds a TON and is really easily accessible.

If you walk out of the dining room opening and take an immediate left, you're looking in this hallway and into the guest bedroom (purple on the left) and Buddy's room (brown on the right.) The guest bathroom is on the right.

Looking back from Buddy's room into the little play area. I'm going to put a rug down here and the antique pie safe will be filled with toys. I'm also going to put a bookshelf in here.

Guest bedroom. We rearranged the furniture which really opens up the room! We're going to paint the dresser and desk a dark plum color since we've gone from black and white to brown and white in this room. BeckyLozier hung the shutters in this room and Buddy's room! She rules.

That lamp on the desk is my grandmother's. I'll take you on an "antique tour" sometime. The lamp, desk chair and bed are all hers!

New doors on the guest bedroom, Buddy's bedroom, the guest bathroom, pantry and our bedroom.

Back "down the hall"... ok, three steps across Buddy's play area... to the guest bathroom. We decided to leave the peach tile to keep a little of the old feel of the house and I'm glad we did! It looks new and fresh with the new floor tile, new window and fresh paint! I also want to rub my face on those rugs and never stop. They are SO soft.

This is a LEGIT skinny mirror. If you ever want to feel like you weigh 20 lbs less than you do... come on over.

Other new mirror and light fixtures. I like the antique feel of the mirrors with the retro feel of the lights. I tried to add in some "new" feel throughout the house with stainless things.

I love this picture in the bathroom! My great aunt painted it. I have a LOT of her stuff in my house. I'll take you on an "art" tour sometime, too.

It's perfect with the new shower curtain! Found this at Bed Bath & Beyond. It has a turquoise stripe on the left side. It's really cute.

The master bedroom looks the same as it did except with a king size bed that we still don't have bedding for. And with less functional tables and lamps since we moved those into the front of the house. Once we get that all set up, I'll post pics.

And in case you didn't see Buddy's room... it's the best part of the whole house! Go back and look. :)

A Manly Man

2010-10-06T16:26:00.003-05:00

It truly makes me happy to know that MY man falls strongly between the BC and 1910-45 eras in every category.

And his only BC category is his job... definitely a hunter. Though I think he'd say that EVERY option in the "Anti-Man" category was true.

What about yours??

A Letter to My Unborn Child... (Part Deux)

2010-09-29T09:12:00.001-05:00

Dear Buddy,

As I sit here drinking my lactose free Mootopia Chocolate Milk over ice, because it has the same number of carbs as a regular plain old glass of milk (and why drink regular when you could drink chocolate?!.... FYI, this is because of gestational diabetes, NOT because I'm counting carbs for fun)... my brain is flooded with so many things to update you on since I last wrote.

You have a new house. I mean, it's not a brand new house like we bought a new house for you, but pretty darn close. I worked really hard to plan it and think about things like where to put furniture so you wouldn't pull it over (and Dad worked really hard to pay for it) and now it's done and you can come take it over! And I'm in love with your room. I mean, I truly love it. I go in there to turn the lamps on in the morning just so I can walk in a few times a day and look at it and think about snuggling with you and kissing your sweet head in there.

You are a wiggle worm. Sometimes when I first wake up in the morning, I don't feel you moving and it's nice and quiet and all the sudden, "WHOMP" and "KABLAM" and then you don't ever stop. And the hiccups... OH the hiccups. Woe is me. And when I lay down at night and try to get comfy, inevitably you are there poking me in the side... tickling me internally. Dad says you want to come out and play. One time I wondered aloud where all the movements were coming from (like if it was your leg or elbow) and he said, "well, Buddy is just bored! Buddy wants to come out and hunt and fish and play soccer... not be all cramped and bored in there." Y'all are going to be best buds. And yes, you will go hunt even if you're a girl. And no, I will not be going with you.

You still won't move for your dad. We've decided it isn't that you're a hater... it's that you KNOW Dad is paying attention and you settle down. You can be jumping on a trampoline in there and I say (I even say it quietly now!), "Look!" and you stop! "B" (you know, your grandma who basically did all of Phase 2 of getting this house in order) says that you know who's boss already! Let's hope so. Because even if y'all are best buds, your dad isn't afraid of showing you who's boss. So get ready! :)

Yes, it really is this guy who routinely wears flood lamps on his head. Nothing you can do about that at this point.

You make me nervous. But now it's for different reasons. Now I'm actually thinking about the process of getting you out of there and the logistics involved with keeping up with you those first few weeks. It's going to be nuts, but I know that with Dad and B, we are going to get through it! And then we'll be rock stars, you and me.

You are so loved. Way more loved than you were even three months ago and now by even more people who are waiting on your arrival. Your big, fun family and B's friends and Dad's friends and my friends... even crazy Aunt Kate's friends... we can't wait for you to get here so we can know you in person. I can't wait to pat your actual bottom and not just the one that juts out of my belly a few times a day. I can't wait to love on you. Wait a couple more weeks and then come out and play.

I love you,
Mom

Sneak Peek

2010-09-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

If I have to get some work done on this gloomy morning when I'd rather be snoozing on the couch, this isn't a bad place to sit!

And how smart of me to put an outlet underneath the seated bar so I can plug in my computer!! (I mean, it was intended for a TV someday, but this works, too!)

More pics to come... Kate yelled at me earlier about not posting. But I have to get this Junior League stuff done. A CHRISTMAS AFFAIR OR BUST, I SAY.

Also, the one, single, solitary weird "baby brain" thing that's been happening to me that NEVER happens to me is I've been typing the wrong version of words a lot... i.e. instead of titling this picture "sneak peek", I wrote "sneak peak." And I've been writing the wrong "their/there." That stuff drives me absolutely crazy. Gotta get that part of my brain back before I commit an unforgivable sin like writing "Its crazy that noone might sea the errors in this sentance. Their notsosmert." ACK. That was painfull. heh heh.

Updates...

2010-09-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

Since I last posted a zillion things have happened:

- I had two baby showers... both were gorgeous and fun and I was so thankful for them. Especially thankful that Kate got to come to town for five days to be at both!

- I turned 30 and got some amazing and thoughtful gifts to celebrate... an iPod from Daniel (mine was totally full), all my charms put on my charm bracelet from my parents including a new one (a house that represents this being a new chapter in my life as a homemaker), a Henri Bendel bracelet from Kate, a music box/picture frame from Ben for Buddy, a massage/facial from my grandparents, a mani/pedi from Xio and Brooke and an amazing photo album of our last 11 years of friendship from T-Rog, Bradley and Lynch.

- I had a birthday dinner with my fam at Sullivan's and it was wonderful.

- I had a birthday dinner in Austin with a few friends at Gloria's and it was wonderful.

- I shared a birthday brunch with my mother-in-law at my sister-in-law's house and IT was wonderful.

- MY HOUSE GOT FINISHED (on my actual birthday). And THAT was the most wonderful of all.

- My aunt and cousin and BeckyLozier came this weekend and the entire house was turned upside down in a miraculous display of tidy attacking at a speed unknown to most humans. It's amazing. I can't wait to show you pictures of the "AFTER"... before Friday they will be up.

- Daniel and I celebrated SEVEN years of marriage yesterday. We started the evening with him having to remove the frog that had been perched in my toilet all afternoon (yes) and with a possible broken A/C unit in our bedroom area... but once we got to dinner and attempted to forget about the mayhem that has followed us around (much like the Allstate insurance guy in the new commercials) the last two months, we enjoyed the evening.

- There was a frog in my toilet yesterday. Did you see that in the last bulletpoint? Just making sure.

- Glee comes back tonight.

That's all for now. Sorry I have no fun pics for you of anything.

BOY or GIRL?

2010-09-05T20:15:00.004-05:00

I've posted a poll on the side of my blog.
Let us know if you think Buddy is a Boy or a Girl!
(Once you vote, you can scroll across under the poll to see the breakdown...
I made the answer options too long, OOPS!)

Here's a pic of my 28 week belly in case that helps:

And here's a pic of my 32 week belly in case THAT helps.

None of it helps me at all. I have zero instincts at this point. Which may be a not-so-great sign of things to come... Yipes.

The Money Pit - P.S.

2010-08-31T21:42:00.000-05:00

The dishwasher was broken because the motor seized up from LACK OF USE. I will never, ever, ever hear the end of that one. Daniel now adds to the joke wondering what ELSE is broken in our house. i.e. "if the dishwasher is broken, there is no WAY the oven still works." haha Daniel... so funny. But also probably very true. Dang.

**********************************

Also, and not nearly as funny as that... Daniel asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told him we couldn't afford for him to buy me a present because... one hour before Daniel had to BE at his meeting in Dallas on Monday, he asked me if I'd packed his shoes. My response, "no... you said they were in the trunk of your car. Oh. You said that on Saturday before you wore them to the wedding on Saturday. I'm going to DSW." I was back in 25 minutes with two pairs of black shoes, a black belt (because that got left in his PANTS he wore to the wedding on Sunday) and a three pack of socks. We ALSO couldn't find his cufflinks in Austin so he borrowed those from my dad. And ended up borrowing Dad's belt, too. So... I can return most of the stuff, but I may be out a super-ultra-mega awesome 30th b-day present because of the $80 I spent on shoes that look exactly like the shoes he already has. Dang.

The Money Pit - Triumphs and Tragedies

2010-08-25T16:20:00.000-05:00

Ok so this really isn't as dramatic as it should be to use those two words... but I'm all about alliterations (SeeWhatIDidThere) and "Wins and Losses" sounds lame. I also called this "Goodness and Grievances" in my post yesterday and I think that's the best description of what we've got going on here.

So, here are a few of the good things and disasters that have been going on behind the scenes during the era of The Money Pit. Also, I need suggestions on one of the "tragedies"... so keep reading and help. And good GRIEF this post is long. I guess I needed to ramble to someone and you are the lucky one who will read this that gets that honor.

GOODNESS
> I signed up on this blog to win copies of this book I wanted to read (it was about werewolves and high schoolers so you know I would have to love it). I won 5 copies of the original and the sequel and didn't even finish the sequel I was so "over it" so now I have 10 books I didn't want. BUT... I did also get a $100 Visa gift card at the same time! I didn't even know that was part of the giveaway so that was very exciting.

> My mom gave me two pretty sconces that she'd purchased but never even opened and I decided to use them on either side of the wet bar opening. When I got a good look at them, the sockets were really different and you could see them through the white glass. SO... I took them to a lamp shop in Austin to ask for an estimate and her response made me nervous about having to "research and find the right pieces" so I had the bright idea to use white paint to make the colors match and a piece of PVC pipe to fix one other piece. And it totally worked!! I fixed my sconces for about $3! I feel like one of those "do-it-yourself bloggers."

Before. You can't see that we also have a missing piece on the gold one on top of the wrong size and color... but we did. And I fixed it!

After full pic. Sorry they're on my unmade bed. I mean, not THAT sorry. But sorry.

> This was a "win" that I am about to swiftly counter with a "loss" in the next column, but a couple weeks ago I did get $15.64 back on fan that had gone up in price but wasn't marked up yet in the store. So that was exciting.

> Kate loves The Pioneer Woman. FINALLY. I chalk this up as a win.

> And I really like all my paint colors.

GRIEVANCES
> I have gestational diabetes. I was going to proclaim this a "win" last week when I was having really good numbers and all was right with the world, but somehow I'm eating the SAME foods this week and my numbers are higher. I've even failed a few tests which really stinks. One test I failed because I ate a fajita taco with "grilled" onions on it at a bachelorette party this weekend (yes, I said bachelorette and it was actually a full weekend at a lake house complete with a party bus and Pete's Piano Bar... I only stayed out until midnight-ish that night but everyone still said I was a "trooper." I was like, man... people do NOT expect much of you when you're pregnant!)... ANYWAYS. After failing my test an hour later and being totally confused because I've eaten this meal a LOT lately and this one didn't even have beans, I remembered the onions. They weren't sauteed in butter... they were caramelized in molasses. DUNDIES diabetes monitor. Dundies.

> If you are still reading, which I doubt, this is where I need help. I'm having a really hard time finding mirrors for my guest bathroom... any ideas aside from Ikea, Hobby Lobby and Target? I found perfect ones at Hobby Lobby but the frame was too thick and I couldn't open the cabinet doors on the sides. I didn't see anything at Ikea or my Target. IDEAS??

> I accidentally got Augie's "friend" fired. I call him "friend" because I never had any idea what his name was. But I told Augustine that he hadn't shown up one morning and I knew he was coming at some point but had no car. He showed up later and told me he had to go look at a car that morning and then he walked like 6 miles to get to my house. But Augustine fired him because that had happened like 3 times before. I felt so bad!!

> Also, the hot water was out for 5 days because something broke and I was out of town so we didn't realize it with showers. I did take one where the water was sort of hot, but I think it was just from the 107 degree heat.

> My car is in the shop and has a broken "strut"... whatever that is. And it's going to cost like $5500 to fix. Dundies super cool looking Mercedes Benz. I will miss how awesome I felt when I drove you.

> Daniel's car wouldn't start today and he's out of town so the guys had to get it out of the driveway and jump it and I had to go buy a new car battery.

> And the latest thing is that they started running a $5 per gallon Mail In Rebate special TODAY on the brand of paint I've been buying. Except I bought all 20-something gallons of the paint I needed LAST week not this week. I was very happy when I got that news. Oh, I wasn't? No, I wasn't.

> Oh, and the dishwasher is broken.

The Money Pit - Day 22

2010-08-24T21:26:00.001-05:00

Instead of weighing you down with all the insanity of the last 5 work days, let me get right to the pictures and the good stuff. I still need to post my "goodness and grievances" or whatever I called that last blog I accidentally posted. Oh "triumphs and tragedies"... I'm such a drama queen. Keep on reading!

This is the "before" wall in the kitchen to the dining room.

This is the current version of the new look from a different angle. Where you see that messed up floor was the old pantry and it will be the seated bar. That door is the new pantry. Can you see the door?? They are maybe the one thing is the like "cute Pottery Barn house" look that I've got going for me. Inside, I'm going to do an L shape with the shelves on the left wall across the main wall. On the right side, I'll have some hooks.

Kitchen to the living room. It's hard to see the paint colors, but it's a little less "mint" version of the green and I think the yellow is a little more "lemon", but I like it. And those are both just primer... not the actual paint.

Another "to the living room/wet bar" from the kitchen. That notch in the left wall is where the seated bar will be.

Before of the hallway from living room to the bedrooms. Notice the short ceilings and huge ceiling grate entry to the attic and no lights.

From the living room to the bedroom hall... we raised the ceilings in here by a foot I think. I'm not really sure, I just know it feels MUCH better in here. Especially with the small attic entrance they built and two can lights. We will extend the yellow paint from the living room into here with the white ceilings and white crown molding.

This is the hallway from the baby's room. BeckyLozier's genius idea was to make this a little baby play area so we will have a rug in here and the antique pie safe will hold toys. Yay!

This is the guest room with the new door, closet doors and PAINT. This is the actual color. I really like it and I think it will be fun with the slightly darker purple iron bed (see below).

Oh THERE is a good pic of the door. I really like them. Can we tell?

Not a great pic to see colors... I'm going to paint the desk and dresser brown and have brown and white bedding. And you can see what the new windows look like by looking at the "new" pics of Buddy's room.

I've got to figure out closets in the guest and baby's rooms because we are starting from scratch... This is the "before" in the guest room. At the very least, now I can at least get to the middle of the closets... with these sliding doors, I could never get to the middle.

I don't think I have a good "before" pic of Buddy's room... but this will show you the fun fabrics that go with the new brown walls.

Puh-lease don't tell me it looks "girly" so I'm going to have a girl... I think it's fun and "baby" while still working for a guest room. I love all of it.

Buddy's room paint color... this is just primer and it's hard to capture brown on camera. I like it. And I think I'm definitely going to like it with my new carpet. I can't wait to tell you what color my carpet is called.

Better shot of the closet doors and the new bedroom door.

That's all for now. We just bought a brazillion dollars worth of crown molding and floor trim and I believe they may get started on that tomorrow. Or finish painting. Either way, we're seeing some progress and I'm loving the colors. I will keep showing you more as we move through the home stretch!

oops!

2010-08-14T19:11:00.000-05:00

I accidentally posted a blog that was "under construction" as notes so I'd remember what to post later. So... come back Monday for the "triumphs and tragedies" post! :)

The Money Pit - Day 17 Update

2010-08-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

I've been absentee for a few days because there hasn't been a ton to show you. It's hard to really show-off a new A/C Duct System or a brand new electrical rewiring of the whole house or new can lights. But last time I did show you two walls... and this time we have a lot more. In fact, we're only missing walls on the pantry in the kitchen, half of the guest bedroom and half of the baby closet. Oh and the hall. Ok so that's a lot of missing walls. But I was promised they are coming on Monday!

AND we started the "mudding" (aka taping and floating) process today, too. I thought that wasn't coming until next week so I'm glad about that!

OH. And we have all new windows in the front of the house! I KNOW you will think "if I were you, I would've done white trim on my windows"... but when you see them fixed with the front of the house, you'll see why we didn't. The stone isn't really conducive to the really cute, Pottery Barn white window with blue paint and a red front door look. I WISH it was... but it ain't.

SO... here are some pics.

Living Room from the Kitchen

Main Window, Living Room from the Kitchen

Entryways to Kitchen and Dining Room

Dining Room & Wet Bar from the Kitchen... that fruit punch stained wood will be the seated bar.

Side Note: Gollo LOVES him some fruit punch. Also, I've made the guys cookies... and by "made" I mean plopped onto a sheet from a tub (but this is still sacrificial because I can't eat a cookie because of my dumb gestational diabetes)... a few times and I make Gollo fruit punch every couple days. He lufs it.

There will be a china cabinet on that big open wall so it won't feel weird.

To the Living Room from the corner of the Dining Room

Newly closed in hallway from the baby's room. I'm going to put my antique pie safe in that corner and keep toys in it. I'll probably have a little round rug in this space and let it be a play space extension from the baby's room.

Hallway from the guest bathroom

Baby's room. Excuse me... BUDDY'S room. Buddy has a name, you know.

Now here's where we still need a LOT of work... this bathroom is getting new tile, a new window (those block windows that let in light but you can't see through so we don't have to put shades on), cabinets are being stripped and repainted, new hardware, new light fixtures, new mirrors. The whole shebang, peeps. Ok the peach tile is staying... but I think it's going to be nice and retro once we get the other stuff fixed.

Now here's one weird thing that I don't understand WHY we (and by "we", I mean the workers) did this... the right switch is the middle light in the dining room, the middle switch is the four outside cans in the dining room and the far left switch is the seated bar light. I think I'm going to ask them to switch the left and right switches. SWITCH THE SWITCHES! I just had this idea when I was typing. We'll see how much they yell about it. But I'm thinking it's happening. Thanks blog for making this idea possible.

What else, hmm... I have a "triumphs and tragedies" or "wins and losses" blog coming. I'm keeping track of the goods and bads of this process (and other things going on in life during this process) and I'll let you know when all is said and done.

As they say in "The Money Pit"... TWO WEEKS.

The Money Pit - Day 11 Update

2010-08-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

As Dennis Quaid's unloved girlfriend in the amazing movie "Twister" would say, "You just gotta breathe, Julia... We got cows." And that's how I need you to picture me saying it when I say, "You just gotta breathe, Daniel... We got walls."

There aren't many walls... but they're goodies. We raised the doorways (and increased the width of the dining room one and decreased the width of the kitchen one) and added arches to the doorway between the living room and the dining room/kitchen. I LOVE how the room feels with those taller spaces and the arches!! I think it's awesome.

(Before to the kitchen)

(Before to the dining room)

Now! And we also added three can lights to the ceiling above the doorways.... you could tell how dark it was in there in the evening in my "before" pics. And that wasn't even late in the day. They don't flood the room with light as I was hoping they would, but it is definitely an improvement! It's kind of hard to tell how it feels with all of my furniture stacked in the middle of the room. But it's awesome. Believe you me.

They also took out the floor tile in the front bathroom. The wall/counter/tub tile is still peach, but the really dirty peach tile is out. The jackhammering is still going on though. Love. Makes the bees HYPED.

Speaking of bees... we pulled out a trashbag FULL of honeycomb out of the eaves in the front of our house last night. I use the term "we" extremely loosely. I didn't really get pics because I didn't want to get near all the bees still swarming around, but the ABC Pest guy came out AGAIN today and thinks they're going to be gone very soon.

I'm working on lighting for the dining room, seated bar and wet bar. I THINK I've finally got it. I was going to do a chandie (yep... a chandie) in the dining room but costs are prohibiting and I'm not finding one I love PLUS Daniel doesn't really like them PLUS we like to move the furniture around in there and people often end up walking straight into the chandie. SO... we're doing cans. And I've got sconces that BeckyLozier gave me to put on either side of the wet bar pass through.

Yes, that's my unmade bed-on-the-floor. It's been made EVERY other day, but it's full of lights and boxes and cameras and stuff today that were laid on there at 8AM and I haven't had the heart to move them.

SO... for the seated bar light, I think I'm going to use this thing with lampshades that mirror the sconce ones AND spray paint the metal a brushed gold to match. WHOO-DE-WHOOO.

That's the glass on the right. Definitely not as fancy as the BeckyLozier ones, but it serves it's purpose!

And this is the light I'm thinking of in the wet bar right now... I don't know that I'm 100% sold on this exact one, but I definitely like the idea of doing one fixture with multiple lights that can be adjusted to point around the space.

Also working on lights and mirrors for the front bathroom... those are a work in progress and I'm going to Hobby Lobby RIGHT THIS MINUTE to look for mirrors. I wish we had a HomeGoods store here. Isn't that the one with all the good lamps and stuff? I feel like I could find mirrors there. But, no matter. I will prevail!

AND the windows are in! We are replacing all the "windows" that are currently in the front part of our house. These new ones will actually have two panes and will open on command! It's like a Christmas Miracle is happening daily in this house, I tell you.

That's all for now. More tomorrow or Saturday! OOO-OOOO. (Watch the link please. Just do it.)

The Money Pit - Day 9 Update

2010-08-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

First, the grandparents are home!! They flew home with mom and dad today and are very thankful to be there. Grand!Dad is in good spirits but still in some pain and Della is recovering slowly but surely. Thank you for your prayers and concern for them!

And now... to update you on the demolition area called mi casa. So when we first started out it was like, "yeah, we'll add the wet bar and seated bar off the dining room and do some paint and carpet in the guest bedrooms."

Now, THIS is what my living room looks like (as taken from outside in the carport with my hands over my head because I can't even see in the room).

THIS is what my dining room looks like.... and let me tell you when I looked through the back window to see this, I burst out laughing and couldn't stop. Bennie was like... pull yourself together woman!

THIS is my kitchen and kitchen hallway... I got a call this morning from Augie while I was getting my blood drawn 4 times in 3 hours for the second glucose test (because I bombed the first one... go me)... asking if they could move all the furniture out of the living room so they could take down all the walls. I didn't think this was coming for a couple more days. So here we are!

And this is the trash pile (that decreased by half last weekend and increased by one million over the last couple days) in my backyard.

If you've gotten this far, I will now tell you that the REAL joy of the last week/weekend was the discovery of a flock, fleet, colony, pack of bees living in the eaves of the house. Truly there were hundreds of them. If I wasn't so UNinclined, I would have taken pictures of all the dead ones covering the windowsills and floors after the guys sprayed the hayell out of them. The guys were stung multiple times each and I pulled out the pregnancy card for the first time to get the pest people to the house.

ALSO, the reason we decided to tear down ALL the walls and ceilings is that we keep discovering small pods (are there more "group" words out there I should know?!) of termites in the old wood around the windows. SO we are tearing all that wood out and starting anew. ANEW I say.

I'm sure there's more to tell you... like the fact that Augie is "grounding" every outlet/switch in the house right now because they were not "grounded" before. Or that there are 6 men here right now and about to be 7. Or that soon we are replacing half the air ducts in the ceiling because they aren't really ducts but rather pieces of wood put together as "ducts." So many THINGS happening. And Daniel chose this week to give up his weekday wine consumption. Poor Dandoo.

Update on the G-Rents

2010-07-30T10:55:00.001-05:00

CT Scan results came back from this morning and Della's brain has a little more swelling but there isn't any change to the blood clot... so that's good news! She's going to get up a little bit today and we'll see how that goes. But her pain is much improved.

G-Man (the other name for Grand!Dad) is feeling a little better today. His hands hurt the most because he was holding the steering wheel on the top and they slammed into the roof when the airbag opened. But he got new glasses (his were totally smashed) and is doing okay.

Thank you for praying for them!!! I know that's everything we can do and the more prayer the better. :)

On the house front, we are dealing with bees and termites in the house (AWESOME! Bees. In. The. House.) and are waiting on the pest people to get here to tell us how long THAT will take to deal with. In the meantime, Augie is getting hyped and moving the air ducting into the ceiling (previously it was exposed in the pantry and uuuuuu-gly) and we are framing out the new pantry and building the seated bar! All I hear is very fast Spanish mixed in with random english words like "fruit punch" (which I supply on a daily basis) and "2x4" and "breakfast". So... it's all good.

I found the carpet I want today and now I just have to choose the color... easier said than done since I'm choosing from an "Enlightenment" pattern. And the selection of colors are things like "epic", "grammy", "teen" and "glee". OH WAIT. I think I just decided!!! GLEE for my carpet color. It's like a Christmas miracle just happened. (Kind of how I decided my trim color in my bathroom based on the name more than the color. I mean, it's white... how do you decide on a white? What's it called, you ask... TEQUILA.)

The Money Pit - Day 5/6 Update

2010-07-29T22:17:00.002-05:00

(FYI: This is so long that I almost went to sleep re-reading it. May be best as your night night time literature. But please do read the last part! It's important.)

There's not a heck of a lot to tell you about the house in the last two days... Here's a laundry list then a few other goings ons to tell you about:

- There are walls up in the wet bar and all the outlets and light setup and plumbing is totally ready to go in there! Awesome!
- My mom gave me some sconces she had to put on either side of the bar windows and a piece was missing... I went to a lamp shop and was going to get them fixed when I had the brilliant idea that a piece of PVC pipe might work just as well... so I found the right size and am going to have two brand new sconces for a grand total of $2.55. Thanks, Momma!
- I'm working on figuring out lighting for the wet bar/dining room/seated bar area. It's a little tricky trying to be a little modern and also fit in with the old house feel and also not break the bank... I'm working on it.
- The old pantry and dining room closet are gone. The dining room closet space will become the new pantry and it's about a foot wider than the old pantry... so that's exciting.
- They've ripped out the walls and ceiling in the guest bedroom so that prep is getting done.
- This is a lot of words. I've bored myself to tears. NEXT...

Wait. The laundry list can't be complete without telling you that I was texting Daniel information about different carpets and how I was liking one that was cheaper and I was proud and he said "$350 isn't really going to make a big difference in the scheme of the house." I said, "yes, but if I let myself go over on every things, it will be no bueno in the end." His text: You're a good quarterback! :) WHOOT!

Oh, and ALSO it excited me to see that someone, someday decided that THIS was the best paint color for one of their bedrooms. Seafoam green is what we call this colour, I believe. Yes, colour.

Also, I had a doctor's appt this morning and did my glucola test. I was prepared to be gagging over the orange stuff but it really wasn't bad. Kinda good actually. When she went to listen to Buddy's heart, (s)he was moving a lot and she said, "Oh, well good morning to you!" and then when we heard the heartbeat, we also heard hiccups. I still can't feel them, but I thought that was fun.

And later in the afternoon, I was sitting on my bed (excuse me, box springs and mattress on the floor) and for like 15 minutes I was just watching my stomach and giggling. Buddy was moving so much it was pounding out of my stomach and even moving my body with it. Like shifting my back against my pillows. It felt like there were some caterpillar dance moves going on in there or something. It was awesome.

\/\/\/\/\/\/ This is the part you need to read \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lastly, the not so fun news of the day... my grandparents (dad's side) were on the first leg of their road trip to Colorado and got in a pretty bad accident in Lubbock. They are both fine... Grand!Dad (as he likes us to say... WITH the exclamation point) has a lot of bruises and cuts but no broken bones. He was released from the hospital and is moving around fine with a LOT of soreness. Grandma Della is a little worse off. She's still in the hospital with a small blood clot on her brain and some bruising on her brain which is giving her severe headaches and nausea, but so far they say she's doing okay. Mom even texted today and said that she's feeling much better after some good rest this afternoon. So, my parents flew to Lubbock and will be there with them and fly home with them in the next few days. Please pray for their healing and comfort and peace of mind. They absolutely love road trips and I'm sure this was scary for them.

(Yes, we forced them to take a picture with the Rockette on our Girls & Grandparents trip to NYC this spring...)

(...crazy thing is that it's the SAME Rockette from when Kate, Mom and I went on the tour in 2007!)

Well, that's all for today. Hopefully, I'll have some good pics and news to share by the end of the weekend. Insulation around the duct work, adding walls back to the pantry, adding walls are all coming up. And hopefully after NEXT week, we'll have some FUN things to show!

Pray for my grandparents please. :)

The Money Pit - Day 4 Update

2010-07-27T20:59:00.005-05:00

Today, a few good things happened. I will just list them out for you.

1. I got to see the guys wearing these outfits as they pulled down the rest of the walls and the ceiling down in my dining room. I don't know that Bennie was too thrilled that I was taking his picture, but you can see him smiling even under that pink alien mask!

1a. (Originally, this was part of 1... but the fact that it was humanly possible to do what I'm about to tell you deserves it's own sub-point AT LEAST.) For my part, I somehow managed to nap through about an hour and fifteen minutes of this noise (sounded like warring ROUSs slamming around in my dining room)... mostly due to the complete exhaustion but also because I turned on a noise machine, put in earplugs and slept with a pillow over my head. Now THAT is a dedication to napping, people.

ROUS... for your reference. You're lucky I didn't make this an X-Large picture.

After about 6 hours of this insane pounding and sweating and being covered in nastiness, they took me up on my offer to borrow some of Daniel's t-shirts... it was funny to see Gollo walking around in Daniel's Chuy's t-shirt. I also gave them a pair of corduroy pants that were headed for Goodwill and they cut them up to make rags to get the tiny fiberglass particles off their skin.

2. I got to see two of my fave gals during lunch!

She loved the singing/flashing sun for like 6 minutes and then she hated it.

Avery looks like a Super Monster burrito when she's all swaddled up!

3. We have the framework up for the bar and all the electrical in place so tomorrow (hopefully) we can put up walls and start installing light switches, outlets and all that jazz.

SWEET!!! I got hyped when I finally got around the trash piles to peek in through the outside window. Today, the guys didn't even bother with the doors... they just crawled in and out of the dining room window! This is what's stacked up outside right now. I'm thinking they'll haul off on Fridays.

4. I got a new mascara to try (Kate loves this stuff) and some new Sharpie pens. I figure if I'm going to be SO dedicated to my notebook and my spreadsheets, I deserve some fresh pens. Right?

5. HYPED because tomorrow we tear out the pantry and the other closet in the dining room to make space for a seated bar and a new pantry. I will post pictures and my sketch for what I'm thinking it will look like tomorrow.

Gotta run. Got some numbas to plug into the spreadsheet!

TheMoneyPit - Day 3 Update

2010-07-26T19:06:00.001-05:00

We are actually unofficially on Day 5 right now because Augie (really Augustine, the amazing HVAC/Plumber/Electrician man who we learned yesterday is part Cuban and part Chinese... and part Hank Azaria in "The Birdcage") jackhammered for multiple hours on both Saturday and Sunday. But we'll go by Martin time and that means Day 3.

It's hard to get REALLY excited yet about things because at this point they're doing all the background work... i.e. plumbing, electric, putting in posts for the new walls, etc. But you can definitely see some progress!

I posted the bar tile and sink I purchased and I told you about the economic $98 faucet I was getting... but then we learned that we weren't going to have hot water in the bar (and we don't really need it) so we didn't need a two handle faucet. And there was one I loved and Daniel liked it. So we got it. And I think I'm in love with an appliance. Now, we're just gonna hope it is functional. :)

Also, since we can't do the "leveling" of the house, we have been brainstorming ways to make it seem less tilted and we're visually hoping to do that by adding a small island in the middle of the kitchen. We're already adding a seated bar, but this will give me more counter space (because I have almost as much counter space as my sister... see the pic of her apt "kitchen" below) and drawers and another small seating area! I think I'm going to do a light stain on the top and I've got to figure out what color to paint the base. Island is from Furniture in the Raw and I got an extra $55 off because it was the floor model. Whoot!

In order to show Daniel that it would fit, I taped off the kitchen today and texted him a pic. Thank you, technology for allowing me to spend money faster than the average bear.

(Kate's "kitchen" where she frequently serves up gourmet... wine?)

I guess the only thing left to show you is how we are living in the midst of all this. Thankfully, the shed is holding ALL of the furniture and a ton of other stuff from the front two bedrooms and we checked after the storm today and no rain got in! The REST of the stuff... in our bedroom. Why yes, that IS box springs and a mattress set up on the floor of our room. Thank you so much for asking!

(I posted this one in the large size so you can click through to see some of the wonderous details... i.e. a ginormous Kermit the Frog holding a throw pillow. And a Christmas moose atop my bookshelf. You know, good stuff like that.)

Do y'all even care about any of this? Is anyone out there listening? Papa can you heeeeear meeeeee?

Let me know if you care to read by leaving a comment on this one post. Because I can certainly spend my time working on my elaborate spreadsheets that Dandoo is making me keep... and that I now secretly/publicly adore. Almost... ALMOST as much as my faucet.

TheMoneyPit - Day 2 Update

2010-07-24T15:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, they finished the shed! It took three men (who work in construction for a living) fifteen hours to build it. There were over 2,000 screws and they had to build a platform for the shed to sit on. No way Daniel could have done it himself. I hated that it took that long and cost more money, but it's DONE and we can move on.

While the shed took fifteen hours, it took a little over an hour for them to rip out the half bath/closet to make the space for the wet bar. We've decided that we'll have an ice maker (that my parents gave us when they upgraded to a "Sonic" ice maker) and a sink and then do some small open cabinets in there where I can store a bunch of my dishes. I'm loving the idea and can't wait to show you more when we get going! We are going to have an arched opening on the left and a pass through window to the right of the opening. Mom also gave me two sconces that I'm hoping will fit perfectly on either side of the window.

(Before... no, that's NOT my table cloth. It's a protective covering thankyouverymuch)

(After... slightly different angle)

I also found the tile that we'll use on the countertop in the bar. I had seen some I liked at Lowe's and it was $11 a square foot... then I went to Floor & Decor and found this stuff that I like better for $4.50 a square foot! Yesssss! And I think this is the sink I'm going to use in the bar (on sale for $78 plus the faucet I like is one of the cheapest out there at $98. As Daniel likes to say, "you're a bargain shopper, baby." Why yes, yes I am). I love the color with the brown sparkly tile and that it sits on top of the counter.

The bad news of the day yesterday was when the HVAC/Plumber/Electrician (Augustine is his name... he reminds me of Hank Azaria in "The Birdcage". A LOT) came in to look at water lines and stuck his head up in the attic and determined two things. One, something has eaten through our air ducts and the attic is a breezy 75ish degrees right now. Two, that something is still living up there... he thinks it's a raccoon. You know how I love me some wildlife in my house. Augie (no, he did not authorize that nickname) asked Daniel if he had something to catch it with and Daniel said, "no, but I have a shotgun." I'll let you know how this all turns out.

(This picture is for Kate.)

Finally, I'm loving Martin (the main contractor). We went to Lowe's, Home Depot, Floor & Decor and back to Lowe's today and he was helping look for the best prices on stuff and wanted me to take my time and find the things I really wanted. We also high-fived when we found out we can get a great price on new windows that almost fit the spaces we've got. And he bought me lunch at Mighty Fine even though he told me his wife was going to be mad that he went without her. He said, "she likes to go to some shoe place in here (DSW, Whoot!) and is always trying to get me to go and come here to eat. Now she's gonna be maaaaad."

Today, Augustine comes to work. Tomorrow, Ben and Daniel take all the stuff out of the front bedrooms to the NEW SHED. The lady comes to pick up the bedroom set we sold. And we go order windows. The balls they are a-rolling!

TheMoneyPit - Day 1 Update

2010-07-23T10:56:00.003-05:00

It will be no surprise to you to hear that things didn't go EXACTLY as planned on Day1 of this adventure. Basically...

- The shed cost an extra $177 (I know this specifically because Daniel is making me keep up an expense spreadsheet) because they had to build a platform for the bottom. When it said it came with a floor kit, it meant you could put it on these metal rails but only if your ground was perfectly flat. And if it wasn't, you could either put down some sand/gravel (and it would shift over time) or build a platform. SO... platform it was. They are STILL working on the shed three hours into Day2 and the roof isn't even started yet. Can we imagine if Daniel had tried to do this himself?! We cannot.

See all these hundies of screws and bolts and washers? These are still remaining for the rest of the shed this morning. There's a whole 'nother bag for the roof!

- It rained. When workers are working outside and using power tools, they cannot exactly continue in the rain. So that was just a bonus. Also, rain in the forecast today! WHOOOOOOT.

Moving on to today... we already gots issues today. BIG ISSUES for today. Okay, well one big issue to be exact.

- We can't level our foundation. When the slab was getting bad in the early 80s and basically sliding down toward the street, the really old lady who lived here didn't want to deal with the issues that would arise from leveling the slab when she fixed it... so she just put piers under it and repoured the slab ON the slope it was currently on. So that was awesome. The slab is all good (we even had the guy who built the foundation for the Austin airport come out and check it out), but the house has a pretty good slope to it. And by good, I mean... not good.

SO, long story but we were going to attempt to level it out somewhat and deal with the cracks as they came. And today, after Daniel HACKED up the front bushes yesterday (and by hacked, I mean annihilated), they started digging and somehow determined that it wasn't going to work as expected so now we are not leveling the slab.

I mean, let's be honest with ourselves, it's not like these were worth saving. These are the "afters" but they really didn't look that much better before. There was just a lot MORE of each bush.

- Oh, and also... there's a root (slash large rootzzzz from the very dead tree in our front yard) going through our water line to the front of the house and sometimes it gets clogged. And when it does, things like this happen. (That is paint from the brushes I was rinsing in the sink in the guest bathroom while trying like EIGHT different paint colors in there because I hate everything.)

The guys who were digging by the front door this morning to see about the slab were like... uhhhhh. WTH is that. And then I remembered it was paint and reassured them that my pee is not milky white. In not so many words.

So that's all I have for now. They are working on the shed and I hope it will get done today and we can also get the bathroom/wet bar demo-ed today. In the meantime, I am rethinking my initial plans for the wet bar and I'm also trying to figure out ways to make the house feel less sloped through the kitchen.

Weekends are shopping time with Martin... main contractor. I was at Lowe's three times yesterday. The lady at the paint counter is my friend. Onward and Upward!

(Oh, real quick a POSITIVE note... because there are definitely a lot of those happening... I did dance it out to "Safety Dance" from Glee this morning as I painted up samples in the bathroom (see the color above). And I ate some Cocoa Puffs. And I've already walked over a mile just in my house so that made me hungry so THEN I had a breakfast taco. Ok, so maybe this positive direction is sliding backwards. I better go dance it out a little more.)

p.s. Please watch the Safety Dance if you haven't already seen it. Gets me HYPED. So hyped, in fact, that I was dancing to it in my car the other day and this guy was sitting stopped at the red light waiting to turn right and he didn't turn until I happened to look at him so he could grin at me before he went. Hyped.

The Money Pit

2010-07-22T09:50:00.001-05:00

You know the glorious Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie, The Money Pit? One of the greatest movies ever? Well, I'm embarking on that journey in my own life today.

Tino, Gollo (pronounced Goyo... you might as well get it right because we're gonna talk about it a lot over the next few days) and Bennie showed up this morning and are currently out back building the new shed. Daniel was like, "yeah, I can build that." And I was like, "yes... or we could have the professionals do it since they'll already be here." And then he was happy. And then I was happy. (Update: Tino and Gollo just walked in and said that there are about 2,000 screws in the shed kit and they believe they can finish today but they have to get plywood at Lowe's to "build a platform" for it to sit on. Can we imagine Daniel trying to do this project solo? No, we can't.)

Following that accomplishment, they will come in and tear out the walls between the half bath and the closet in the dining room. If you've been in our house, you may not have even SEEN the illustrious half bath. It has padded, vinyl walls and we've been using it for storage of Daniel's hunting gear, space heaters and our vacuum cleaner. And that should tell you about all you need to know. Oh except that, also, I have never ever seen that "above the toilet" cabinet thing until I just put this picture here.

This is the closet in our dining room. Until about 2 months ago, it was being used for Christmas storage. But then, the miracle that we call BeckyLozier came and we converted it into a china closet (and I forgot to take a picture of that before the miracle swooped back in and helped me PACK the china closet she'd just created).

So, the half bath plus the closet will merge into one and become a 88" x 55" wet bar area. Because, you know, we have a baby coming so we need a wet bar. FIRST. AND. FOREMOST.

I will let you know how the day goes and what we're working on tomorrow when we get there. WHOOT!

A Letter to My Unborn Child... (no, seriously)

2010-07-16T10:41:00.001-05:00

Dear Buddy,

I should have been keeping a journal over the last 5 months detailing my thoughts and feelings and prayers from the minute I found out about you... but I haven't. So instead here are some things to tell you so far:

You make me nervous. I didn't really think you would at first because I was so excited... but after the first appointment with the doctor (when she told us you might not exist), the nerves set in. And they set in more for your Dad than for me. He hasn't kicked it ever since! And now, there were a few days there where you weren't kicking and you made me nervous again. I prayed for some kicking (or some peace if you didn't start kicking again) and the kicking started a couple days later. And just this morning, I felt you on BOTH sides of my stomach at the same time. Are you already long enough to reach both sides of my stomach at the same time? AND to punch/kick simultaneously?! You are so coordinated.

How you looked at your halfway mark. You. Are. Cute.

You are frustrating. I keep telling your Dad about your kicking and how I can even SEE my belly move and as soon as he gets over here to feel it, you stop. Buddy... keep kicking. Your Dad thinks you don't love him!

Buddy, you can't NOT love this guy. Start kickin' and show him the love.

You are a conversation starter. Whether we're talking about your name (it will NOT be Eleanor or Eloise or Lillian or Max) or your nursery (dude, it's COLORFUL) or your granddad's "name" (J.i.am, like Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas or Grumpy or Big Chief)... it's definitely all about you these days. And we're all okay with that!

The full bed in your room... except the walls will be brown and that striped fabric on the bed will be the bed skirt.

You are weird and pregnancy is gross. This is what your Aunt Kate always says. I'm afraid to tell you... she's probably right. But at least she didn't say YOU were gross! (And she's weird, too. Really weird. So don't let it getcha down.)

See. Told ya.

You cause weird dreams. And a LOT of them.

You are loved. Man, when I even THINK about the second I'm going to get to meet you, I feel the tears welling up. Seriously, even writing this right now I can't hardly stand it! Whether you put me through 24 hours of labor or do horrifying things to my body during that time... or before (yes, I'm using stretch mark stuff and there's no way it's going to help but I'm pretending it will). Or if that process makes your dad pass out in the delivery room (it'll happen. I'll put money on it.) Or if you weigh 10 lbs 12 ozs like your dad... Lordy, Lordy. Or if you're a boy or girl. Or if you have medical problems. Or if you won't eat and you stress me out. Or if you come out singing Glee tunes. I already love you and I can't imagine that will do anything but grow in the next few months.

You make me forget stuff. Not really... because I don't blame things on "baby brain" and I actually have been remembering things a lot better than normal... but I'm sure there are other things I should put in here, but this is long and I'll write you again before you're born.

XOXO,
Mom

Recap.

2010-06-23T14:27:00.003-05:00

I've been absentee for the last couple months and have gotten several nicely (and not so nicely) worded requests asking for an update. SO... here's what I've been doing, thinking, etc.

1. Mom helped me clean out the house. I have a few "before" shots (like the one below)... but they are more of the mess than anything. And I won't post "afters" until post-renovation so you can get the full scope of the awesomeness. We're going to be replacing carpets in the two front rooms, repainting, hanging new closet doors, retiling the floor in the bathroom... stuff like that.

2. I found this in the clean out. And I haven't used it since like 1999 so that tells you something about the dire straits we were in before BeckyLozier stepped through the doors. But this product saved my life. I put it on like deodorant before bed once a week my senior year of high school and my freshman year in college... and about half the time I also then saran-wrapped my arm pits like I was encasing a sausage... and SLEPT that way. And it basically burned out the sweat glands under my arms. Now I will not say that this will not cause me major damage down the road, but I used to pit-out EVERY day. I mean, I wore the wool sweater over my school uniform in May when it was 90 degrees outside because you could see my nasty sweat. But never since. Thank you, Drysol.

2a. I also found THIS when I was cleaning things out. No words needed on this one. Just read the tagline.

3. We went to Branson, Missouri for a family reunion last week. Daniel decided he had had enough of airports lately (with that one trip he went on earlier this year) so we drove. Let me just say that Oklahoma (not OK. Also, their version of a Taco Bell is called Taco MAYO. Gross) and Arkansas is a really pretty state... what we saw of it at least. When we got there, it was a great time with family but fairly uneventful in the story-telling category. Oh, except that we had to take Kate to TWO doctors to get her ears declogged (yes, earwax. And the third vacation we've had to do this with her) and Daniel's car wouldn't start like 6 times in one day. Here's the fam trying to get the car to start... you'll notice that I was standing on the balcony doing nothing.

4. We took a mini photography class with a friend. She taught us about aperture and shutter speed and other concepts I still don't fully understand. But mostly, I got to take pictures of T-Rog making faces like this. (Great photography skills being implemented here, dontcha think?)

And this.

I'm a slow learner. What can I say?

5. Hm... what else. OH. I'm helping my friend, Roxanne, by annoying people and telling them to vote for her as she tries to get her own show on the new Oprah network. CLICK HERE to watch her video and vote. And if you get bored, vote some more! She has until next Friday and needs a LOT of votes. If you want to repost this somewhere or tweet about it, I'm sure she'd love you. http://www.tinyurl.com/roxshow

6. Here's a picture of Buddy's leg. It's a pic of the pic taken by my Blackberry... so it's not great and that weird black shadow is my phone, not some weird thing in my uterus. Way to grow a leg, Buddy!!!

Here's Buddy's GIG 'EM. You can't really see it, but it was really cute on the screen. :)

7. I can't think of anything else to write about. Anybody got any ideas for what to post next? If I could THINK of things, I'd write about them! So give me some ideas.

I'm An Old Lady

2010-05-05T21:11:00.000-05:00

Look at my pills. Two Fish Oils the size of cantaloupes. Two Fiber Choice chewable tablets the size of watermelons. And a normalish size prenatal vitamin. I'm old!

Convo with Kate - Round 2

2010-05-05T13:26:00.004-05:00

RE:

me: mom is furniture shopping for me in dallas.

with dayna

Kate: for WHAT

a mcgriddle?

what did you call that

me: i'm sorry... a WHAT

oh HAHAHAH

a glider

Kate: that thing you were

yes

yes that

a small hamburger with goat cheese

a glider

a mcgriddle

WWBLD

2010-05-03T21:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we like to ask ourselves "What Would Becky Lozier Do"? And last week Becky herself did a LOT of things she wouldn't normally do when she started "grandmother nesting" at my house and cleaned out the entire kitchen! And I documented some of those things.

"I don't think I've ever even cleaned the top of one of MY fridges. This is true love for you AND for my Buddy."

We haven't done a full clean-out of the pantry since we've lived in our house... ever. Especially since the "critter" debacle. Becky cleaned out entire thing including some of their, shall we say, bodily functional remnants... ew.

She cleaned my kitchen windows! Inside and out. Took her all of 3 minutes and made a huge difference. She wouldn't let me do it because she didn't want me to climb on the two foot step ladder. She's protective and I think it's so cute. My dad also kept texting to make sure "his Buddy and his daughter" were getting enough rest.

She cleaned out the oven! And can we note how cute she looks while doing all these things? I had on a t-shirt and some nasty cropped pants and was barely showered.

She folded laundry... including Daniel's undies. She hasn't had to fold in mass quantities in quite awhile but she hadn't lost her knack. I don't think the glass of wine hurt either.

Good thing she doesn't read this or she'd yell at me for posting this pic "without her eyes on." She helped make cake balls for my friend's baby shower even though she says, "I do lots of things. Baking isn't one of them. I don't like to follow the instructions."

THANKS MOMMA, AKA "B"!!! And thank you for coming back next week to help do the whole rest of the house! I will be posting befores and afters when we are done!

Convo with Kate

2010-05-03T16:24:00.002-05:00

RE: BABY NAMES
And at this point in the gchat we're mostly discussing Boy names because Kate doesn't WANT a girl. So THERE.

me: I don't really like JP

I don't really like any initials except JJ

Kate: JR

that's pretty american

me: obvi

As Amurrican as it gets

Kate: i like it

me: seriously?

what would it be though? james raymond

Kate: DONE

WE NAMED THE CHILD, EVERYONE

me: james ralph

james randolph

Kate: james robert

me: no. ew

Kate: wth i like that

me: then he would be JIM BOB

Kate: omg i just DIED

Guess

2010-04-30T21:48:00.002-05:00

...which Individual Raspberry Cobblers were made by the professional...

and which ones were made by an amateur among amateurs.

Oh... you can also guess which one of us is basically a professional photographer if you wish.

I know you'll make the right choices. I believe in you.

(Photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman. The GOOD photo, I mean. She didn't come to my kitchen and take that horrifying picture. The FIRST picture, I mean.)

Chalupa Casserole.

2010-04-23T14:59:00.002-05:00

CHALUPA CASSEROLE

1 Cup Chopped Onion
2 Lbs. Ground Beef
2 Tbsp Flour
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Cup Water
1 Can Tomato Soup + 1/3 Can Water
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1.5 Cups American Cheese, Grated (~1" chunk from deli)
1.5 Cups Half & Half (not fat free, sorry!)
10 Taco Size Tortillas

Preheat oven to 325.

Saute chopped onion in butter until soft and slightly brown. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Add flower and chili powder until well combined. Add water, cover and simmer until thick.

In a separate bowl, mix soup + water, cheese, half and half, onion powder and salt.

Cut tortillas in strips (using scissors is easiest) and place half in a buttered casserole dish. Alternate layering with meat and cheese mixtures... tortillas, meat, cheese and repeat! I've done this with two or three layers. Make sure you end with the cheese mixture on top.

Bake at 325 until bubbly. If you have time, let it sit to cool and harden slightly. Easy to make ahead of time and refrigerate until time to bake. Let sit out to get back to room temperature for quicker cooking.

Serves 8-10. Or double the recipe and bake in a larger dish with just two layers to serve 16.

YUM!

(NOTE: I've always used regular American cheese in this dish until last time when I used half White American cheese and half Sharp Cheddar. It was scrumptious!)

Yipes.

2010-04-21T20:03:00.001-05:00

It's been a month since I blogged. And you probably all know that the main reason for this is two-fold. One, the main thing on my brain was the baby (heretofore to be referred to as "Buddy") and I couldn't exactly talk about that. Two, Buddy is making me so exhausted that I can't see straight... much less try to be clever and blog about things. If you've noticed, I've even been tweeting and facebook posting less. IS THE WORLD COMING TO AN END?!

But I'm posting this so I can get a little accountability from my girls. I gotta get back on my cleaning regimen! I was doing so good and then my grandfather passed away and then I worked with my brother at Nordstrom Rack for a week and then I babysat for a week and that's when I found out about Buddy and life has been weird ever since.

Since finding out, aside from the general pregnancy weirdness... I had a week where I wasn't sure if I was pregnant or not because my dates were off and the baby wasn't "seeable", I've coordinated a fashion show, started and finished a Bible study with my church, made tons of food for a huge Easter gathering, lied to ALL of my friends and family multiple times over about Buddy, visited Kate in NYC with my grandparents and mom and attended a wedding in Pittsburgh. SO... it's not like I've been doing NOTHING. But I gotta get back on track with the house reorg.

My mom is here tomorrow through the weekend to move grandmother Moyce into her new assisted living room at the nursing home.... this is AWESOME news because she's been in skilled nursing to this point and she doesn't need them anymore! So, next week I will be moving on to the kitchen including the pantry and fridge. If you could only see my fridge right now. You would likely cease to be my friend.

I will continue on with the before and after pics. Including pantry and fridge and spice cabinet. Oh my.

Dynamite Diaper Cake.

2010-03-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

When I first saw the "Diaper Cake" at a baby shower, I thought it was such an original, cute idea. Like anything popular, the disposable cakes kind of lost their luster and OoooAhhh factor after awhile. But last weekend at my cousin's baby shower, my other cousin had created the cutest variation of a diaper cake ever.

Background, my cousin lives in Georgetown on a bunch of land and they all ride four wheelers... they even have a huge race track on the back of the property that's really cool. So... behold, the diaper cake!

That's a dishwasher bottle holder for the seat, there are four receiving blankets in there (as the rods holding the diaper wheels on!), the handlebars are baby socks, the headlight is a bottle. Adorable!

Don't you love it?!

In Celebration...

2010-03-17T12:56:00.000-05:00

of St. Patty's Day. Something green.

Cute Baby Face.

2010-02-11T16:18:00.000-06:00

Just because! This is SRG... same sweet girl except now mobile and musically inclined!

Funeral Flowers

2010-02-09T22:52:00.001-06:00

My grandmother, Moyce, and my mom asked Kate and I to get some individual flowers for everyone to put on Papa's coffin. This all sounds a little deep, and possibly morbid, to talk about on a blog... but I just want you to see what we ended up with!

We were thinking about just getting some roses and daisies and things... but we ended up making little bouquets for everyone with their names tied on them... about 40 people in all. It took us about 8 hours to do everything; but it just seemed like if we were going to do it, it should be perfect. And it was!

Some pics.

All laid on the casket haphazardly... gorgeous, huh? It helped to have something gorgeous to get us through the day. And the Round Rock donuts we picked up (because Papa used to bring them to us every Saturday morning we stayed at his house) didn't hurt either.

Walk a Mile in MY Shoes

2010-02-08T00:28:00.000-06:00

After a long day gathering and coordinating flowers for my grandfather's funeral on Thursday, we got ready for dinner in record time and flew out the door. After a very nice, long dinner at Fonda San Miguel (upscale, interior Mexican food), we were saying our hugs goodbye outside when my sister looked down and started laughing.

This was on my left foot....

This was on my right foot....

This was how they looked together....

Heels were same height and they felt exactly the same because they're so broken-in! Even with my crazy clean house and having my shoes all situated in their cubbies... I picked up one from one shelf and the other from the shelf above that. Impressive, yes?? :)